‘Spiritualism’ is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. (Which is not very, well, spiritual, when you think about it). It seems that almost weekly a new band of devotees follow a celebrity (who invariably claims to have ‘found the answer’) into whatever is the ‘faith of the moment’.
Spiritualism has not only become the new fashion, but somehow most of the so-called ‘new spiritualists’ have also failed to notice the irony in creating a trend out of changing your mind about your spiritual focus about as often as you change your clothes.
Like the latest Prada coat, spirit fashionistas try on all manner of recognised and not-so-recognised (and occasionally downright dodgy) ‘faiths’ and ‘beliefs’ (for about fifteen minutes) then loudly begin spouting the virtues of being ‘saved’.
Rather than believing that such ‘celeb cred’ aids their cause, those who are actually committed believers in the faiths being systematically raped by bored celebrities must be appalled at the way their beliefs and values are trivialised so publicly.
I have no objection to spiritualism in general, but it does pain me to witness the way so called ‘gurus’ will dig up any old blah -generally ancient to avoid copyright – and then parcel it up under the guise of a ‘new age faith’.
(Perhaps most annoying of all though, is the term ‘new age’. I’ve seen ‘new age’ magazines – they’re all about stuff that happened in about 6th Century BC ... which, I think you’ll agree, is actually kind of old age).
So, if you’re interested in having a bunch of doe-eyed innocents (plus the odd past-their-prime female ‘musician’ or actress relegated to ‘character roles’) follow you about in awe-struck wonder, I have the formula for you right here:
Just spout some old crud, add a weird trinket for members to wear, include a liberal dash of some form of sweaty, vaguely exotic exercise that only people weighing less than 90 pounds can ever hope to master, and, hey presto ... you’re a bona fide cult leader.
At least for the next fifteen minutes, anyway 
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