There’s something especially magical about crop circles. Not in the way the believers think — no sacred geometry, no alien landing pads — but magical in the sense that a couple of dudes with planks and rope can absolutely devastate the critical thinking skills of an entire generation. Every summer, like clockwork, a field somewhere … Read more
Let’s be honest: ghost hunters are just cosplayers who got lost on their way to the paintball field. The “science” of ghost hunting boils down to this: turn off all the lights, wander around abandoned buildings in cargo pants, whisper “Did you hear that?” every six seconds, and record some static to call it a … Read more
There’s nothing quite as inspiring — or insulting — as the ancient astronaut theory: the belief that early civilizations could not possibly have built pyramids, temples, or intricate road systems without the intervention of extraterrestrial babysitters. The premise, for those unfamiliar: aliens visited Earth thousands of years ago, uplifted our ancestors, taught them how to … Read more
At some point in history, someone looked at a calendar, panicked, and decided numbers weren’t just useful for counting goats and debts — they were mystical. In that instant, numerology was born. Numerology: the belief that your destiny can be uncovered by assigning magical significance to basic arithmetic. The premise is laughably simple: take your … Read more
Remote viewing is what happens when you take the ancient art of guessing and slap a government grant on it. It’s the mystical claim that certain gifted individuals can see distant locations, hidden objects, or secret events simply by concentrating really, really hard. In other words: psychic tourism, without leaving the couch. At its peak, … Read more
Aura photography is the perfect scam: expensive, scientific-looking, and so devoid of actual science it might as well come bundled with a free tin-foil hat. The idea is simple — and by simple, I mean insultingly stupid. You sit for a portrait while a “special” camera captures the invisible cloud of energy allegedly radiating from … Read more
If you’ve ever felt like you left your body during sleep, you’re not alone — you’re just easily impressed by dreams and gravity. According to the believers, astral projection is the ability to separate your soul (or “energy body,” if you’re allergic to theology) from your physical self and float around like a ghost with … Read more
Astrology is the art of blaming your personal failures on the cosmic movements of balls of gas millions of miles away. It’s the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for people who refuse to accept that sometimes, Brenda, you’re just bad at picking men — it has nothing to do with Mercury’s “energy shifts.” At its core, astrology … Read more