Online, New-Age Spirituality & QAnon

With a likeness to many other forms of harmful ideology, QAnon has seeped into the online spaces that share a mutual apprehension to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the world as they see it. As Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic wrote in a June 2020 article, “QAnon is emblematic of modern America’s susceptibility to conspiracy theories, and its enthusiasm for them. But it is also already much more than a loose collection of conspiracy-minded chat-room inhabitants. It is a movement united in mass rejection of reason, objectivity, and other Enlightenment values. And we are likely closer to the beginning of its story than the end.”

While spirituality certainly does not appear to be the most compatible with QAnon, there has been an increasingly apparent intersection with new-age and its main philosophy, in many instances online. The movement itself is led by an anonymous ‘Q,’ whose language is dripped in convolution: “Enjoy the show”; “Follow the money”; and allusions to a “calm before the storm” are often present in their messages. Q’s conspiratorial tone, accompanied by ambiguity, allows the pursuit of “accuracy” to be overshadowed by the act of prediction.

QAnon is built upon few principles: the idea that there is a “deep-state cabal” that  intends to control the general population through media outlets and political power; the narrative that this “cabal” is led primarily by those who are Democractic; and the claim that the only thing preventing the world from falling into its hands is Donald Trump. It is also built on anti-Semitism and all other expressions of white supremacy, dependent on the inseparable fear of “the other” to sustain itself. 

For both new-age spirituality and QAnon, the pandemic has brought to light the larger distrust that is seen towards displays of power. Though QAnon commonly supports Donald Trump, they have separated the role of the government – or perhaps what they view as the role of the “deep-state” – with the role of the President, who, in their eyes, can do no wrong. The government serves as an entity, a lifeless demonstration of power and corruption whose rules and regulations regarding COVID-19 are at conflict with what they see as the collective good. 

New-age spirituality holds a similar view, in some respects; the world is sometimes seen as a “matrix,” where political contexts can hold less truth and relevance than the order of the Universe. 

At its core, contemporary forms of spirituality are not always rooted in similar narratives, and not every new-age spiritualist is inherently receptive to QAnon conspiracy. But their mutual distrust of certain systems – heightened largely by COVID-19 – is an indicator of how QAnon’s philosophy can permeate other spaces of the Internet, sometimes without the intention of doing so. 

On TikTok, the use of a “Great Awakening Map” has been of use to some, particularly those who desire to spiritually awaken – but its messages are often the same ones perpetuated by QAnon. Practices of manifestation, meditation, and the use of healing crystals are accompanied by references to a “cabal deep-state illuminati” and “the storm”; even the name of the map itself is commonly used within QAnon’s narratives. However, the map is presented largely as an introduction to new-age spirituality, where its ties to QAnon are not discussed. 

An article from Rolling Stone explains that, “many QAnon supporters have coopted the aesthetics of platforms like Instagram to share misinformation” – creating the situation in which QAnon rhetoric can repackage itself in areas that would not otherwise provide a platform to conspiracy. Some wellness influencers on Instagram have spoken openly about QAnon, prompted by other wellness and spiritually-based spaces that are adherents of their ideology; Seane Corn and Shannon Algeo being notable examples. 

“The beliefs central to QAnon, such as a distrust of the establishment and alternative ideas around health care, are particularly attractive to members of the yoga and spirituality communities, who often have countercultural views.” While the Rolling Stone article goes into further depth on Instagram’s wellness community over its new-age or spiritual one – though they do intersect in some ways – this quote provides an insight towards what QAnon and new-age spirituality can have in common.

The "Great Awakening Map," a concept visual used widely on TikTok the often resembles QAnon's philosophy.

The harmfulness of QAnon’s ideology has led Marjorie Taylor Greene to Congress; alongside police, it has allowed supporters to storm the Capitol; and it has caused many instances in which those who would not otherwise believe in conspiracy begin to follow the narratives it puts out. All of these attributes combined is precisely why it is concerning that QAnon has maintained a platform to the extent that it has. The issue of new-age spirituality and QAnon – or any topic that intersects in some way with the conspiracy – should not be taken lightly. 

When QAnon’s ideology permeates other spaces of the Internet, it becomes harder to dismiss as something that has only ever existed on the sidelines: the conspiracy itself becomes a prominent example of how white supremacy and anti-Semitism have always been interwoven at the center of American history, quickly moving from an online platform – in no way less pervasive – to a movement that has influenced members of the GOP. 

Often, spirituality encompasses the beliefs of love over fear, trust over giving up, and growth over being stagnant. While new-age intersects with QAnon on the basis of a mutual apprehension, it is important that these values are not undermined in a broader sense by the narratives of QAnon and its belief system; spirituality should exist in a space that aligns with its core philosophy, unaffected by harmful conspiracy.