Abstract
Conspirituality, a term coined by Ward and Voas (2011), describes the fusion of New Age spirituality with conspiracy theories. This concept is especially relevant in the Australian context, where a historical mistrust of government institutions, the valorisation of rugged individualism, and the rampant appropriation of Indigenous motifs create fertile ground for such hybrid belief systems to flourish. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this phenomenon has become increasingly visible, particularly within wellness communities and online influencer networks. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of conspirituality in Australia, tracing its origins, cultural appeal, and amplification through digital media.
It begins by defining the core concept of conspirituality and exploring its historical development and gendered dynamics. Subsequent sections examine the role of the wellness industry, the Australian sociopolitical context of epistemic dispossession, cultic online dynamics, and the weaponisation of Aboriginal sovereignty. The article then explores the commodification of conspirituality, trends in AI-driven disinformation, and concludes with strategies for cultural resilience and epistemic recovery. Drawing on international and Australian academic literature, media analysis, and case studies; including the analysis by Day and Carlson (2023) on Muckudda Camp and native title disruptions, and sovereign citizen influence, it explores how conspirituality functions as a belief system, social movement, and cultic economic structure, ending by identifying culturally responsive strategies to mitigate its harms, particularly within the Australian settler-colonial context where distrust of institutions and spiritual syncretism intersect with historical trauma.