Podcasts > Conspiracy Theories > New Age Conspirituality

New Age Conspirituality

By Spotify Studios

This Conspiracy Theories episode explores the story of Love Has Won, a New Age spiritual movement founded by Amy Carlson, who transformed from a Texas restaurant manager into a self-proclaimed divine figure known as "Mother God." The summary examines how Carlson built her following after discovering online spiritual communities, eventually establishing a group that combined various New Age beliefs and strict organizational practices.

The episode details how Love Has Won operated, including its revenue streams and the financial sacrifices demanded of its followers. It also covers Carlson's decline and death from health complications, the subsequent discovery of her mummified body, and the group's fragmentation into various offshoots. The summary places the movement in context, noting how such New Age groups often gain popularity during times of social uncertainty.

New Age Conspirituality

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New Age Conspirituality

1-Page Summary

Origins and Rise of Love Has Won

Amy Carlson's journey from suburban Texas to becoming "Mother God" began with a conventional upbringing. After struggling through motherhood, divorce, and alcohol problems while managing McDonald's stores, Carlson found solace in online spiritual communities. Through Lightworkers.org, she discovered discussions about alien-human hybrids that convinced her of a greater destiny. This led her to abandon her life, including her children, to pursue a "twin flame" relationship in Crestone, Colorado, where she established Love Has Won, claiming to be Earth's embodiment and a divine reincarnated figure.

Beliefs, Practices, and Dynamics in Love Has Won

The group combined various New Age concepts, with Carlson claiming to have lived 574 past lives as notable figures like Cleopatra, Jesus, and Marilyn Monroe. Love Has Won operated under strict rules, with followers surrendering their financial freedom and living under demanding conditions, including restricted sleep schedules and constant monitoring. The group generated revenue through multiple streams, including selling colloidal silver as a divine substance and offering spiritual consultations. In one notable case, a follower surrendered $400,000 of his life savings during just two months with the group.

Amy Carlson and Her Group's Downfall and Aftermath

Carlson's health deteriorated significantly due to excessive alcohol consumption and colloidal silver use, which turned her skin blue-gray. She died in an Ashland, Oregon hotel room, weighing just 75 pounds, with an autopsy revealing complications from alcohol abuse, anorexia, and silver ingestion. After her death, followers kept her mummified body, hoping for an ascension, until police intervention led to arrests for corpse abuse. The group subsequently splintered into various offshoots, with former members attempting to continue her teachings or profit from her image through merchandise and educational materials. The movement's appeal, particularly to women seeking spiritual agency, reflects a historical pattern of New Age movements gaining traction during periods of societal uncertainty.

1-Page Summary

Additional Materials

Actionables

  • You can create a personal vetting checklist for evaluating online communities to ensure they align with your values and are safe to engage with. When exploring spiritual or self-improvement groups online, draft a list of red flags that might indicate unhealthy dynamics, such as demands for money or excessive personal information, and green flags that suggest a supportive and open environment. This could include transparent leadership, respectful boundaries, and a focus on personal growth without sacrificing personal autonomy.
  • Develop a critical thinking toolkit to assess extraordinary claims you encounter. Whenever you come across claims of supernatural abilities or historical reincarnations, use a set of critical thinking questions to evaluate the credibility of these assertions. Questions might include: What evidence supports this claim? Are there alternative explanations? What do experts in relevant fields say about it? This practice can help you maintain a healthy skepticism and protect against accepting dubious claims at face value.
  • Engage in reflective journaling to understand your own vulnerabilities to persuasive narratives. Reflect on what aspects of Amy Carlson's story you find compelling or relatable, and write down your thoughts. This can help you identify personal needs or desires that might make you more susceptible to charismatic leaders or movements. Understanding these aspects of yourself can serve as a safeguard against potential manipulation and help you seek out healthier ways to fulfill those needs.

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New Age Conspirituality

Origins and Rise of Love Has Won

Exploring the beginnings of the controversial spiritual movement Love Has Won, and its founder Amy Carlson’s transformation from a suburban Texan to the self-proclaimed “Mother God.”

Amy Carlson's Early Life and Initial Spiritual Awakening

Amy Carlson's roots were planted in the suburbs outside of Dallas, Texas, where she had a conventional upbringing.

Amy Carlson: Suburban Texan Upbringing, Interest in Singing and Appearance; Struggled With Drinking, Divorce, and Motherhood In Her 30s

Supported by her family, Carlson developed an interest in singing, participated in choir competitions, and cared about her appearance. However, her life took turns that left her struggling; with an early start at motherhood, Carlson's son Cole recalls her as being distant. She weathered through two more children with different men, divorce, heavy drinking, and legal troubles from DUIs. While managing several McDonald's stores, she felt a void in her life.

Amy's Discovery of the Lightworkers/Starseeds Community Online

Amy's Belief in a Greater Destiny After Alien-Human Hybrid Discussions

Her quest to fill that void led Carlson to Lightworkers.org, where she encountered messages that affirmed her mission in search of truth. In her 30s, she discovered online communities discussing alien-human hybrids, fueling her belief in a grander destiny. A voice whispered to her about her divine fate, convincing her that she was born for something much more significant, possibly becoming the president of the United States.

Amy's Rise as "Mother God" and Creation of Love Has Won

Amy Left Texas to Pursue a "Twin Flame" Relationship, Settling In Crestone, Colorado, and Founding Love Has ...

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Origins and Rise of Love Has Won

Additional Materials

Actionables

  • Explore your own sense of purpose by journaling about moments when you've felt a calling or a significant pull towards a particular path. Reflect on these moments to identify patterns or themes that might indicate a deeper passion or mission in your life. For example, if you consistently find yourself drawn to helping others, consider ways you could integrate this into your daily life or career.
  • Investigate new interests by joining online forums or social media groups that discuss topics you're curious about but haven't explored deeply. Engage in conversations, ask questions, and learn from others' experiences to broaden your understanding and potentially discover a new passion. If you're intrigued by astronomy, for instance, find a community of amateur astronomers and participate in their discussions.
  • Create a vision ...

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New Age Conspirituality

Beliefs, Practices, and Dynamics in Love Has Won

The story of Love Has Won interweaves elaborate narratives of past lives and New Age beliefs with a controlling and abusive environment, supported by the exploitation of followers through various revenue streams.

The Evolving Beliefs of Love Has Won

Love Has Won Combined New Age Concepts, Including Lemuria, Ascended Masters, and a "5d" Plane, With Amy as the Physical Earth and a Reincarnation of Historical Figures

Amy, the leader of Love Has Won, claims she has been reincarnated 574 times, with past lives as notable historical and mythological figures such as Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, the queen of Lemuria, Pocahontas, Marilyn Monroe, and Jesus. Her narrative includes the lost utopia of Lemuria and portrays her as a reincarnated being with a crucial role in humanity's spiritual evolution. The beliefs of Love Has Won are described as a buffet of New Age ideas, with Amy cast as a physical manifestation of both Earth and God. The group aimed to shift humanity from a dark 3D existence to a utopian 5D plane and included ascended masters in their belief system, saint-like figures who conveyed messages to Amy from another dimension.

Controlling and Abusive Environment in Love Has Won

Strict Rules, Monitoring, Limited Freedoms, and Control by Amy and Followers

Joining the Love Has Won community meant adhering to strict rules and relinquishing financial freedom. Followers were expected to pool resources, with Amy and high-ranking members controlling expenses. Approval was required for nearly all personal purchases, and routines were heavily policed, including work, sleep, and even sitting. Their lives revolved around Amy's whims, providing her a constant stream of alcohol and weed, claimed as medicinal, while adhering to a restrictive sleep schedule of about four hours, dictated by Amy's habits. The enforcer of the group, known as Father God, imposed these strict conditions. Followers also engaged in the physically demanding labor, like cutting down trees with rudimentary tools.

The living conditions varied based on Amy's mood, with trusted members staying in a main cabin by sex, and lower-tier members or those being punished relegated to tents without heaters. At the group's peak, 24 people, including children and babies, lived in C ...

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Beliefs, Practices, and Dynamics in Love Has Won

Additional Materials

Actionables

  • You can educate yourself on the psychological tactics used by groups like Love Has Won by reading books on cult psychology and influence. Understanding the methods used to control and exploit can help you recognize red flags in various organizations and protect yourself from potential manipulation. For example, reading "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini can provide insights into the principles of persuasion that are often misused in high-control groups.
  • Develop critical thinking skills by taking a free online course or using apps that focus on logical reasoning and cognitive biases. This will equip you with the tools to analyze and question the validity of extraordinary claims, such as the purported benefits of products like colloidal silver or the existence of a "5D" plane. Platforms like Coursera or Khan Academy offer courses that can help you sharpen your analytical abilities.
  • Create a personal financial safety checklist that includes red flags for financi ...

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New Age Conspirituality

Amy Carlson and Her Group's Downfall and Aftermath

Amy Carlson's leadership of the spiritual group Love Has Won tragically ended with her demise amid declining health and the controversial aftermath involving her followers.

Amy's Deteriorating Health and Circumstances of Death

Amy Carlson’s health severely declined due to binge drinking, and the chronic use of colloidal silver, leading to erratic behavior and physical changes, including a blue-gray discoloration of her skin from silver accumulation. After her death, her followers wrapped her body in a sleeping bag, applied makeup, and took her remains on a camping trip, hoping for an ascension that failed to materialize. She died in a hotel room in Ashland, Oregon at 75 pounds, surrounded by followers who, despite her requests, refused her traditional medical care. An autopsy revealed she died from complications related to alcohol abuse, anorexia, and silver ingestion. They kept her mummified body, with Father God reportedly sleeping with it, until police discovered and arrested several members on charges related to corpse abuse, which were eventually dropped.

Impact and Legacy of Love Has Won

After Amy Carlson's death, Love Has Won splintered into offshoots, with former followers seeking to continue her teachings or commodify her image through books, curriculums, colloidal silver sales, and merchandise. Carlson's family in Texas grappled with the trauma and were disturbed by the exploitation of her likeness.

History and Evolution of New Age Movements in America

Love Has Won’s beliefs were a mix of New Age ideas, conspiracy theories, and anti-establishment sentiments, luring women seeking spiritual agency. These movements are not new but an e ...

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Amy Carlson and Her Group's Downfall and Aftermath

Additional Materials

Actionables

  • You can educate yourself on the psychological and health impacts of substance abuse by reading up-to-date research from credible sources like the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism or the National Institute of Mental Health. Understanding the risks and signs of substance misuse can help you make informed decisions about your own health and offer support to others who may be struggling.
  • Develop critical thinking skills to evaluate spiritual and wellness claims by taking a free online course in logical reasoning or critical thinking. Platforms like Coursera or edX offer courses that can help you discern between well-founded beliefs and potentially harmful ideologies, enabling you to navigate New Age movements and other spiritual teachings with a balanced perspective.
  • Create a personal guideline for ethical consumption by researching the o ...

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