Spiritual scams: signs a witchy influencer is using cult tactics to cash in
Open your third eye and close your wallet, the metaphysical grifters are on the loose
If you haven’t already heard, the world is going through it right now. The “dudes are not alright” signal thread in RADAR now has 136 posts in it. The loneliness epidemic is now a household term. There’s a company that teaches hour-long classes teaching people how to smile… because we forgot. I’m serious. Young people are turning to spirituality more than ever to regain a sense of purpose.
Let me be clear. Spirituality is great. I myself partake. Nevertheless, there has never been a better time for spiritual influencers to take advantage of people. Widespread division, isolation, and disillusionment create fertile ground for lost people looking for answers. Now that we have social media algorithms, these seekers are getting their answers faster than ever. Imagine if Jim Jones had TikTok?
In many ways, America has been shaped by cults. The 60s and 70s became the golden age of cults because of a counter-cultural reaction to political events combined with a changing media landscape. After the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, young people became disillusioned. The American Dream no longer had the allure it used to. This left room for cult leaders to thrive, and in many cases, profit.
Today’s cult pipelines are easier to access than they were in the 70s. The biggest stream of recruits come through the self-help, new age spirituality, MLM, and manifestation channels. This cluster of internet subcultures bump elbows with the anti-vaxxers and ‘wellness’ peddlers. There’s even a new cult that worships AI, believing a head start in veneration will get them a favorable outcome when superintelligent AI takes over. The common thread is a search for something outside of traditional means to solve the biggest problems life throws at us.
Sage or Scam?
I’ve walked the line between woo-woo and reality for many years. My background in journalism gives me a leg up on sniffing out grifters, but I’m also likely to ask you what your astrology sign is. I’ve searched for kindred spirits and magical resources online since I first had internet access. One thing has been clear on my travels. When it comes to spiritual narcissism, the gurus inhabiting the witchy corners of the internet take the cake. This TikTok video did a great job of explaining the tightrope walk between enlightenment and assholery.
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A Case Study
One such guru is a writer who I’ve been distantly following for years - since 2016 to be exact. I always really loved her work, including a book she authored, which I’ve recommended to many people.
However, her recent communications have a manipulative, money-hungry cult leader vibe that has been slowly creeping up for some time. The email I got today was the first time it felt necessary to unpack what made it so… culty. The purpose of writing this isn’t to ‘call someone out’, therefore, I won’t be using their name (source and legal disclaimer is cited in footnotes 👀). My goal here is to highlight some specific excerpts from the absolutely unhinged email blast I just received and unpack them as a way of understanding this specific brand of manipulation to help me and potentially others spot these tactics in the wild.
For context, this spiritual guru is selling a 9 month ‘school’ experience that includes 4 in-person trips to various locations in the U.S. where ‘immersive rituals’ will take place for the low price of $15,500. Why would this course cost so much? Well, according to the website, because it will provide "a portal to everything you ever really fucking wanted.”
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The Email
I’m going to break down some examples from the email blast sent out by this person to point out some of the manipulative tactics found in spiritual circles.
Everything in the pull quotes has been taken directly from the email I received.
Barrier to Entry
“To make sure we only have serious applicants, there's a non-refundable application fee of $99 (it will be applied towards your tuition if you're accepted into the program).”
I’m assuming everyone who applies will be accepted if this is the rule. However, posing it this way makes it seem like people are lining up down the block to throw money at the mere chance of being in this school. By demanding a fee right away, the cult leader ensures a few things.
Those who apply have enough money to not only consider a spiritual course that costs over 15 grand, but they also have enough disposable income to throw down $99 on something they may not be accepted into. (in this economy?!) This means that every applicant will have enough money to be of value to the cult leaders, and are likely irresponsible spenders, too.
By emphasizing that they only want ‘serious applicants’, they exude a vibe of exclusivity right away. They’ll attract applicants who are seeking validation.
On a practical note, they will only get serious applicants, cutting down their time spent on follow-ups with non-committal leads.
Divine Signs
Next, the author provides a list of ‘tell-tale signs’ the reader was an ‘initiated adept in many lifetimes’. I have no clue what that means and it’s likely the author doesn’t either, but it sounds cool, doesn’t it? The author also implies that people who were initiated in a past life also attended this school in a past life, too. I guess grifters are like cockroaches incarnate. Impossible to get rid of, no matter how many lifetimes you ascend.
Here’s a standout from the list this guru provided.
“Throughout your life, you've experienced highly-charged dreams.
Sure, you've had your share of totally mundane dreams...
... but you've also encountered many luminous transpersonal symbols:
...roses, lotuses, cathedrals, giant crystals, grapes, bees, great floods, mirrors, apples, temples, huge trees, snakes, oceans of milk, caves full of narrow tunnels...
... that struck you as very meaningful and perhaps even like actual visitations from the divine.”
I’m not gonna lie, as I was reading this, I was like ‘oh my god, I’ve had dreams that include mirrors, bees, apples, huge trees, and caves with narrow tunnels.’ After I got a grip, I realized that this list of ‘luminous transpersonal symbols’ is pretty long. I’m fairly certain that anyone who pays attention to their dreams, which is everyone who is on a spiritual mailing list, has had dreams that include some of these ‘visitations from the divine.’
I’m not a fan of people who attempt to debunk astrology by claiming that any description of any sign could apply to everyone. However, in this case I think that same flavor of skepticism is warranted. The more I read over the list, the more I realize how mundane these ‘highly-charged dreams’ are. If you’ve dreamt about a large tree at any point, you’ve got a direct line to the transpersonal higher realm.
This is a classic manipulation tactic that works especially well for people who are searching for purpose and meaning, which is most people on earth after the past few years.
Attracting Arrogance
”When looking at any situation - you can see both the light and the dark in it, the beauty and the suffering, the joy and the grief.
Essentially, you're way less dumb than most people (bless them).
You know that there's no such thing as pleasure without pain, no such thing as gain without sacrifice...
... and that the best you can hope for as you "level up" in any arena is that new and interesting forms of pain come with your new and interesting pleasures.”
I love that ‘the arena’ has transcended VC grifter grove and made its way to spiritual street.
One of the biggest red flags here is this line:
“Essentially, you're way less dumb than most people (bless them).”
Ew. This struck me immediately as very condescending. While it turns me off, it may attract people who have a strong desire to feel superior from the rest of the peasants around them. The cult leader is providing ‘proof’ that the reader is elevated from the rest of humanity through this list of traits. In reality, they’re just releasing the kundalini from the phrase ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’
Why would it benefit a cult leader to attract arrogant followers? Arrogant people are less likely to admit when they’re wrong, making them more susceptible to the sunk cost fallacy. When an arrogant person realizes they’re in a cult that’s draining their life savings and mental wellbeing, they’re less likely to leave, more likely to double down and start recruiting.
Traumatized People are Easier to Manipulate
“You've been through some really messed-up situations in life:
.... trauma, abuse, extreme loss, total humiliation.
Terrible, terrible stuff that many people, quite understandably, just never ever recover or move on from.
But not you.”
This one is simple. By attracting people who have lived through significant trauma, especially covert abuse, they are attracting people who are easier to control, gaslight, and manipulate. Cult tactics are extremely similar to the way a narcissist behaves in an abusive relationship.
Making Normal Stuff Seem ‘Suspiciously Fantastical’
”Your entertainment choices are suspiciously fantastical.
Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter?”
This one made me laugh. The Harry Potter books are the number one bestselling fantasy series of all time. The New York Times had to create a new section for bestselling children’s books because Harry Potter was constantly crowding out the other bestsellers for years. J.K. Rowling was the first billionaire author. The books have been translated into over 80 languages, with 600 million copies sold. I cannot emphasize enough how painfully average it is to love Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, which before there were ever screen reproductions or Harry Potter, was one of the most read book series of the 20th century.
It’s absurd to suggest that it’s ‘suspiciously fantastical’ to have interest in some of the most popular works of fiction in human history. By doing this, the author makes certain that every reader of the email will check off at least one of the ‘tell-tale signs’ that they’re a highly magical reincarnated supreme witch.
Those are just a few of the examples from the email. I could unpack many more, but I’m keeping the quoted word count to under 500 as to avoid getting hit with copyright infringement, and that’s the limit for citing an author’s work for research purposes. Spiritual grifters love a good court case.
Let’s summarize with some warning signs to identify when you may be in the presence of a spiritual guru turned cult leader.
Red Flags to Look Out For
Emotional manipulation tactics, such as creating an aura of exclusivity and giving you the sense that you’re ‘chosen’.
High monetary investments, especially when they’re presented as a way cult leaders ‘weed out’ people who aren’t serious enough.
Almost every cult we know of made lots of money, and the cult and MLM venn diagram is pretty close to a circle. Let me be clear - spiritual people providing a service absolutely deserve to be paid. When the demands for money become more frequent, and every service they provide poses another problem they have the solution for, that’s when it’s time to take a closer look.
Pseudo-scientific claims, such as "past life initiation," "mystic dreams," etc.
Claiming their solution will cure diseases is popular amongst the more crunchy granola of the spiritual grifters. I assure you, if essential oils or celery juice cured cancer, the world would not be spending billions of dollars to have the most renowned scientists searching for a cure. It’s also incredibly dangerous to advise people with cancer to avoid medical treatment for alternative medicine. Belle Gibson, a famous influencer who claimed to have ‘healed herself’ of cancer with her diet, turned out to never have cancer in the first place. She was lying about it to sell diet books.Made up terminology, such as ‘an order of tantric hermetic adepts’ or ‘somatic integration.’
It suggests they have some higher knowledge that only they can teach you.Presenting their path as the solution to everything.
Anyone grounded in reality can attest that even the most spiritual beings experience ups and downs in life. No one knows the answer to everything, so if someone is claiming they do, run.Us vs. them mentality
Cult leaders often create a binary world where followers are the enlightened or saved, and everyone else is lost or 'not yet awakened.'The promise of future reward
Be cautious if there's a constant promise of some future state of enlightenment or happiness that you'll achieve if you just stick with the program. Spiritual narcissists have a special advantage here, because they can promise you intangible things. They can even promise you returns after death. That one is popular amongst the religiously affiliated grifters.Spiritual elitism
The feeling that you are part of an elite group that has a special mission to change the world can be alluring but is often a manipulation tactic.
Conclusion
In our quest for spiritual growth, connection, and enlightenment, it's easy to be lured by the promise of quick fixes and otherworldly wisdom. The last 3 years have left us devoid of meaning, which is why it’s more important than ever to pay attention to anyone claiming they have the answers. From emotional manipulation tactics to pseudo-scientific claims, red flags are often disguised as divine insights or esoteric wisdom. That's why it's more important than ever to remain vigilant and to ask the tough questions. We're all susceptible to the allure of belonging and the hope of transcendental wisdom, but it should never come at the cost of our autonomy, well-being, or bank accounts.
If a group you're involved with passes the red flag test, wonderful! It may be a beneficial part of your spiritual journey. But if there are signs that point more toward cult than community, it's not just okay to walk away—it's vital. After all, spirituality is about liberating the soul, not shackling it.
A spiritual pillar I live by is trusting to my intuition. Trust your inner knowing and be your own best advocate; your spiritual journey is uniquely yours to explore, and there's no "one-size-fits-all" path to enlightenment.
Stay curious, stay crunchy, and most importantly—stay true to yourself.
I mentioned at the top that I wouldn’t be naming the author of the emails, but to be ultra-cautious, I want to cite the source. Please do me a solid and don’t attack or ‘blast’ this person on social media.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and are the sole opinions of my own. Nothing here should be taken as fact, and I do not claim to have all the answers, unlike spiritual grifters.
Source: email newsletter by Carolyn Grace Elliott advertising her Sleep Over Mystery School.