# Beyond Oppositions: Insights from the Study of Lived Conspirituality September 11, 2024 [ Giovanna Parmigiani ](/people/giovanna-parmigiani) *Edited by* [*Aaron Michael Ullrey*](/people/aaron-michael-ullrey "Aaron Michael Ullrey"). *The following Research Reflection is part of an ongoing series spotlighting CSWR scholars and their research.* --- *The new moon is in Virgo. The fall equinox is close, but temperatures are still summery in the Salento area of Italy, the southeastern fringe of the Italian peninsula.* *Gloria and I have organized a circle ritual for the new moon on the terrace of the building where I live while conducting field research. A traditional house with vaulted ceilings, limestone walls, and horse-tie rings near the front door, it sits in the town’s Medieval area, surrounded by Latin inscriptions and informal shrines of saints. Gloria is a member of a contemporary Pagan group.* *I have met and worked with Pagan and New Age practitioners since 2015, long before COVID-19 hit and some of my interlocutors started developing enthusiasm for conspiracy theories. Discourses and online posts around vaccine hesitancy, chemtrails, and 5G circulated in the group at a surprisingly fast pace, obtaining general, albeit nuanced, support.* *It is late afternoon, but the sun is still hot while we prepare the space by calling the four directions. Despite the heat, the women arrive on time. There are 10 of us, all different ages.* *We climb old, steep stairs leading to the terrace (a sort of initiatory passage), and the ritual begins, led by Gloria. We sit on the warm stone of the* loggia*—the flat roof typical of local architecture. Birds and white rooftops surround us.* *After initial greetings and thanks, Gloria opens the ritual with a peremptory statement that is both a claim and an exhortation. “There is a difference between separating (*separare*) and dividing (*dividere*). We need to separate to comprehend (*comprendere*), and not to divide to discriminate (*discriminare*).” This was not the first time I heard Gloria endorse separare / dividere and emphasize comprehension over discrimination when addressing differences of opinions, choices, or lifeworlds.* *Some days prior, I sat with Gloria in front of two pizza halves and two beers. After reflecting on recent excursions, including a road trip and some pizzica nights (i.e., a local healing dance), our conversation turned toward chemtrails, the* Xylella fastidiosa *olive tree epidemic in Salento, and COVID-19 vaccines. Such polarizing topics drift into conspirituality, the connections I research between conspiracy theories, conspiracism, and alternative spiritualities.* Conspiracy theories are neither new nor rare. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes not. Some imply beliefs; others are performatively adopted. My research focuses on lived aspects of conspiracy theories and conspirituality. Avoiding generalizations and being mindful of these theories’ potentially dangerous implications, I track them, exploring how they emerge, what they do, and how they change in the context of different spiritual communities. My focus on the lived aspects of conspirituality highlights the *separare/dividere* distinction: a theory of practice that might also offer insights on how to study and write about conspiracy theories. *Separare* (to separate) comes from the Latin *se* (apart) and *parare* (prepare, bring forward*). Dividere* (to divide) comes from the Latin *dis* (against) and *videre* (to see, to consider). According to Gloria, *separare* and *dividere*, often considered synonyms, present different positions with different results. One a “bringing forth while apart” leading to *comprensione* (comprehension), that is inclusive understanding; the other a “seeing against” indicating *discriminazione* (discrimination), that is a judging that excludes. Gloria is troubled by divisive stances that discriminate: they do not acknowledge, do not recognize difference; they produce power imbalances within her community but also outside, when nonmembers judge and stigmatize her and her friends’ (conspiratorial) ideas and practices. She does not respond to discrimination with discrimination, though; rather, she encourages others to adopt a perspective that embraces a separation that includes rather than a division that excludes—just as the community did with Mario. A member of the group and a vocal anti-vaxxer, Mario eventually decided to get vaccinated, abandoning and rejecting his former conspiratorial stance against vaccines. Some in the community felt betrayed, but the distinction Gloria promoted between *separare / dividere* provided a framework to inspire, manage, discuss, and resolve conflicts and oppositional tendencies because none of Mario’s views split him from the group. Contrary to many current discourses on conspiracy theories, lived ethnography on conspirituality shows that not all conspiracists align with the polarizing, divisive, and intransigent discourses and behaviors often attributed to them by media and scholars. Gloria and her friends, whether they do or do not adopt conspiracy theories, emphasize managing dissent rather than rejecting dissenters. If some, inside or outside of conspiracist contexts, want to divide, to “see against” (*dividere*) and so to polarize, my interlocutors want to “bring forward” (*separare*) and so to comprehend. Whereas some conspiracists and those who stigmatize them enact discrimination, my interlocutors enact comprehension—an insight, I believe, that can inspire those of us who research, study, and write about conspiracy theories. An encouragement to go beyond reductive opposition and polarization when we explore intricate social dynamics. See also:- [ Politics and Religion ](/topic-tags/politics-and-religion) - [ Religion and Politics ](/topic-tags/religion-and-politics) - [ Researcher Reflections ](/topic-tags/researcher-reflection)