Can crystals, tarot, astrology or ayahuasca remedy the epidemic of existential crises and ecoanxiety that is hitting the modern world? This is what journalist and editor Véronique Chagnon believes, who pleads for an uninhibited return of spirituality in a new essay, hoping to destigmatize practices that are several millennia old.
“I hope to encourage those seeking meaning in their lives to try this path without shame, if they are curious. At worst, you find it ridiculous, and it doesn’t matter, you don’t go back there again. We are not automatically enrolled in a sect. […] And maybe it will help you get better, that’s the important thing,” says the author ofOn the other side of the worldin bookstores Thursday.
The one who headed the politics, news and culture sections of the Duty would never have thought of taking this path herself a few years ago, evolving in an environment which, in general, only believes in the “liberating power of Reason”.
However, in 2019, when she was diagnosed with burnout and depression, she opened the door to the “new spirituality”, that which is experienced outside of major religions and evolves in parallel with the wellness industry . In addition to the classic recipe, namely increasing visits to her therapist and her dose of antidepressants, Véronique Chagnon increased her yoga sessions, tried qi gong and meditation to free her chakras. “It was so bad; at a certain point, I had nothing to lose by trying. »
His spiritual quest really began a few months later, when he returned to work. “I was functional, but the mechanism that had made me sick was still there. I could no longer continue my life as before. I had to look for another reason to move forward, to find meaning,” she explains in an interview.
Spiritual exploration
Today, spirituality is part of her life through meditation, tarot, crystals, horoscope and even ecstatic dance. “It’s a way of stopping me, of putting myself down with myself and in my body. […] It allows me to ask myself what I really want in this life,” she confides, believing that she has become more resilient and stronger.
In recent years, the author has initiated many practices which she documents in her essay with great transparency: training in astrology, soul readings, sound therapy workshop, cocoa, ayahuasca and mushroom ceremonies magical.
In her book, she returns to the origins of these practices which are several millennia old. It also explores the role of spirituality in our lives, the reasons and consequences of its absence, as well as its importance.
In his eyes, spirituality has “revolutionary potential” in our world going through a double crisis, existential and climatic. With supporting figures, Véronique Chagnon recalls that more Quebecers since the pandemic have been taking antidepressants, suffering from professional burnout and considering that their lives lack meaning. “We need to revolutionize our lifestyles, because it is necessary at this stage in the evolution of the planet’s ecosystems, but also because they are making us sick. »
Communing with the invisible appears to him to be one of the possible solutions. Transform ourselves first internally and then transform the world around us.
Distrust and skepticism
Fearing to scare readers away by tackling such a controversial subject head-on, the author specifies in her introduction that she “will not attempt to demonstrate that God exists” nor to encourage anyone to “return to church” . “I am not a guide, nor a guru, nor even a sage,” she adds. This book is “a kind of permission given to curious rational beings” to take a look at “what is happening in the spiritual universe.”
Its goal is therefore to demystify, but also to destigmatize this highly criticized area. She herself admits to being embarrassed to enter a crystal store or to talk to anyone about her passion for horoscopes. “There, I take out a book: there is no more hiding,” she says, laughing. “Writing this book was a way of reconciling myself with this side of me. »
It must be said that the media community — like many others — is often skeptical, suspicious or even mocking of any form of spirituality. “We are afraid of sects and movements of the kind that we saw in the 1970s and 1980s. Our resistance to spiritual things is also explained by our great rejection of religion in the 1960s. We are afraid of being controlled, we are afraid of losing control over our lives,” she analyzes.
Of course, like everywhere, there is an element of abuse, appropriation, selfishness, elitism and exploitation, she notes. The price of practices and accessories, for example, can put off more than one person. In the last year and a half, Véronique Chagnon estimates having invested $8,171 in her spiritual exploration.
“We often have the impression that this industry is trying to get us by charging too much, but it’s much more nuanced than that. […] Guides spend a lot on training and they operate in the same capitalist system as us and have to pay their bills. […] Unfortunately, only a certain social class can afford that,” she concedes, recognizing her privilege.
For her part, she does not regret her investment and believes she is really doing better. Afterwards, is everything only truth in this spiritual universe? “I write this without knowing whether I would call my spiritual experiences placebo: at times things seem so real. But […] It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am changing my life. »