A recent poll asked adult Americans if they believe in twenty New-Age and spiritual subjects. Of the one thousand polled, 87% believe in at least one of the subjects and 45% in at least five.
Awareness of these subjects has grown substantially in the last few decades. Some of you might remember the strange looks you received years ago if you mentioned the topics to almost anyone!
I’m not surprised the percentages are still fairly low, however, because we live in a world that generally ignores the spiritual side of life.
Unfortunately, asking “do you believe in…” for the poll question doesn’t indicate if the person understands the subject.
After exploring many of these subjects for over 35 years, I give my comments about them below, along with the % of Americans from the poll who believe in the subject.
Karma 55%: Many of that percentage group likely perceive karma as something that happens only in this life. They don’t realize the traditional definition of karma is directly tied to reincarnation; you can’t have one without the other. Once you experience past life regression, and see how karma plays out time and time again, it’s reasonable to accept both as likely.
Hypnosis 41%: Those who believe in it might have experienced how effective it can be. Many don’t realize having faith in the process, and wanting and being realistic about the outcome makes a difference. Hypnosis won’t grow back hair after the hair follicle has died, for example, but it can help you stick to healthy habits that encourage thicker hair, or find ways to make yourself more attractive regardless of your hair.
UFOs and E.T.s 39%: Unless you’ve been abducted and can remember it, or have seen a UFO, you may not have proof they exist, but other people might. Whether or not some of that proof will be released to the public is another topic. But with all the billions of stars/suns in the sky and the planets around those suns, it’s pretty likely we aren’t alone. There’s also the theory that some UFOs and E.T.s might be time travelers from the future or different dimensions.
Spirit Possession 34%: Most people think of extreme examples like the movie The Exorcist, and don’t realize spirit attachment (which is different than spirit possession) is pretty common. How can you know for sure? Try a Spiritual Detox script in my free book or the Spiritual Detox audio in the epackage) and notice how calm you feel afterwards.
Manifesting 29%: This is debatable because something wonderful that someone “manifested” might have been destined, anyway. One way to test if you can “manifest” what you want is to consult with an experienced astrologer/numerologist, one who incorporates pattern recognition and ancient methodologies and see if your goal is likely part of your path. The general inclination of your path is discernable through comprehensive astrology and numerology. If what you want doesn’t seem part of your path, try anyway and see if you can create it and maintain it.
Reincarnation 27%: See “karma” above.
Astrology 26%: Most people haven’t explored the subject and are only familiar with trivial versions of it, or other people mocking it. No wonder most people think it’s BS.
For example, general horoscopes based only on your Sun sign or life path number are about as accurate as the magic 8 ball toy from the 1980s (not very). You need to utilize hundreds of factors involving pattern recognition for it to be more accurate and detailed, unless you are psychic and can use a few aspects as a touchstone.
Parallel realities 24%: I haven’t researched this topic, but I have seen many visions in an altered state that might qualify as a parallel reality, so it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a lot we humans don’t understand about the subject.
Telepathy 24%: There is proof telepathy is real. Here’s one example.
Mediums or channeling 21%: I know this is real because I’ve done it countless times. Like anything, accuracy can depend on many things, such as the connection between the medium and the subject, spiritual interference, skepticism, and other factors.
Chakras 20%: I learned about chakras, and how to balance them, when I was attuned to Reiki in the 1990s. There is scientific evidence for chakras.
Dream catchers 18%: I haven’t experienced this one.
Psychic readings 17%: See “Mediums or channeling” above.
Paganism 17%: I’m not sure why this was on this list because the religion does exist, just like other religions.
Astral projection 16%: Many say they can do it, so this is another one based on experience.
Numerology 16%: See “Astrology” above.
Mysticism 16%: According to Britannica.com, mysticism is “the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them.” The term applies to many things, and all you have to do is skim the page linked above to realize, yes, of course it exists.
Tarot card readings 15%: Same as “Mediums or channeling” above.
Fortune telling 13%: Same as “Mediums or channeling” above.
Fairies 12%: I’m not an expert in this subject, but from the limited information I’ve read about them, it wouldn’t surprise me if they really exist, somewhere.
For those who said they don’t believe in the subjects, it might be more accurate to say many of them don’t want to believe. If they don’t, usually no amount of evidence will convince them.
In my view, a better first question for the poll would have been, have you ever explored the subject, or do you understand how it works? Once you understand something, you are then in a better position to say if you believe in it.
The next time someone asks you if you believe in something that you haven’t explored, instead of saying yes or no, a better response might be “I don’t know much about it,” or “Can you give me an example of what you mean?”
Copyright © 2023 Stephen Petullo