A Wolf In New Age Clothing: Starseed beliefs, conspirituality, and a soft pathway to radicalization

Abstract

Starseeds, a collection of New Age spiritualists who believe their souls originated on another planet, espouse a syncretic belief system combining esotericism, shamanic practices, as well as elements of science fiction. Typically dismissed as a small and non-threatening part of the New Age milieu, Starseed beliefs remain largely unexamined. That briefly changed in 2021, after Jacob Chansley, better known as the QAnon Shaman, stormed the capitol. As journalists, researchers, and law enforcement began to look into Chansley’s background, it came to light he had been deeply involved in Starseed beliefs, starting a youtube channel called Starseed Academy. Still, little was made of Chansley’s Starseed beliefs in relation to his far-right activism. Chansley, however, is not the only connection between Starseeds and the far right. This paper examines both the ideological connections between Starseeds and the far right, as well as overlapping membership beyond Chansley. It concludes that Starseed beliefs can and have played an active role in mobilizing believers to far-right activism.

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To cite this paper: 

Daviess, Beth. “A Wolf in New Age Clothing: Starseed beliefs, conspirituality, and a soft pathway to radicalization.” Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Occasional paper. June, 2024.