Is woo on the rise or just where I live?

[HangingOver]

I permanently relocated to the South West a few years ago after being a long term weekend visitor for about 5 years....and I've noticed the rise in the amount of woo practitioners in the area has totally exploded!

They range from harmless stuff like dancing naked around the forest with no clothes on (but always mysteriously with a photographer on hand for Instagram!) to more questionable stuff like "yoni steaming" and putting their periods on their faces, to the downright alarming stuff like Kambo (if you don't know what that is it's where a lunatic with no medical training burns you then applies this stuff to the burn that comes out of a poisonous frog in the Amazon, and you really violently vomit and have the shots and sometimes your face and skin swells up). There's also a woman nearby who seems to be a sort of doula (sp?) who specialises in helping you to give birth avoiding medical intervention of any kind at all costs....which seems a bit questionable!

I thought I was quite a fuzzy live and let live type but it's starting to annoy me. My lovely housemate who had a traumatic past is into it and it makes me sad that she goes to the legnths of poisoning herself to try to vomit up "bad energy" She's not bad, she's lovely.

Is this just a local thing or are other seeing a rise in "magical" and "goddesses" near them?

I'm in the south west and we do say quite often 'it's a bit totnes' (not in a good way) if something is a bit weird and woo (or tie dye) 🤣

No it's not Totnes, I've heard there always been a lot of it there too.

A spiritual circle type thing has started in our village and it meets once a month, the woman who runs it seems to be worshipped

Yes this! There are a few of them that have different "specialisms" and they have all these almost like devotional comments on their Instagram. And each sells something different like the period rituals woman, kambo woman, hot chocolate woman, polarity healing woman, animal manifestation woman etc etc. I wonder how many people actually attend these things or how much is just for the gram. I saw one today who actually calls herself an Oracle. Damn I'm jealous of that level of self confidence!

Getting very popular in London, crystals and sage being sold in markets near me. It seems to be a trend for young women at the moment, I think it gives the illusion of control over your life.

This was my first thought too.

Although I'd be happy with more tie dye in my life tbf

My money's on Totnes or Glasto.

Not round here. You'd get laughed out of town with any of that bollocks.

My first thoughts, Glastonbury or Frome although Bath and Bristol also have their fair share of woo.

I was into "woo" in my difficult teenage years and agree with a PP that it's a way of trying to feel in control when actually you are anything but. Then again, I grew up (and still live) in the West Country (in one of the areas mentioned above) so maybe it was actually down to a combination of large "New Age" Traveller influx in the 90s and the ley lines

Could be a possible solution to the waiting times somd MNetters are reporting to see a GP. 🤔

I thought it was a south west thing. There must be a market for it there.

I went on a yoga weekend once - does that count?

I run a business and there's shitloads of woo in the business world. Gets right on my tits.

I don't know, round here there's a bit but I don't think any more than there was, say, five years ago.

I would like to know more about hot chocolate woman though. Out of that list, she definitely sounds the most appealing.

What's the line for woo? Not sure which side I'm on.

I do Gua Sha, Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, hypnosis, reflexology, Gong baths....

Don't do crystals, sage wafting, witchy stuff, sell essential oils!

reiki is woo

I think there is more of it around. I have a friend that does the hot chocolate thing, I don’t really understand what it’s about. I also have friends that do tarot and shamanism and ecstatic dance and women’s circles. Ecstatic dance is fun until they do the talking about feelings bit at the end. Women’s circles can be wonderful if you find one that isn’t full of spiritual shite.

That’s what I was looking for. The scientific explanation.

Ecstatic dance is fun until they do the talking about feelings bit at the end.

please tell me that it is like the Rainbow Rhythms in Peep Show!

are they all white people with dreads?

I doubt it’s on the increase. If anything, we’re probably more sceptical/cynical than ever. But woo is inevitable when organised religion collapses. The U.K. is (thankfully) one of the least religious cultures in the world. Crystals, tarot, etc fill the void.

I was going to say it’s harmless - but it isn’t. There are so many lonely, frightened people out there, and they are desperate for support or comfort. Unfortunately, anything that involves vulnerable people is a magnet for narcissists and sexual predators.

DGD(13) was into crystals last year but thankfully seems to have moved on - she lives in Somerset.

Do people really put period blood on their faces?

A lot like that but with your eyes closed

When I was younger I just did drugs-saved all the pratting about and guaranteed to get you there. Gets coat.

On of my adult students is a gong therapist practitioner. I’d never heard of it- but the rest of the class were nodding along like she just introduced herself as a - for example- office worker or cashier or something! She’s very nice - but very woo!