I think therapeutic spirituality has largely been a help in the modern world. So the fact that people can approach religion with practical needs.

Americans were in love with mesmerism because it was something that you could do in your own home. You could mesmerize or hypnotize your aunt or your mother or your father and people would go into these trance states and you could introduction autosuggestions tot hem or as some people saw it, you could cure them of illnesses.

Even back in its colonial days, America developed a reputation as a safe harbor for people with unusual or radical religious beliefs.

I think spiritualism, mesmerism, the mental healing movement, provided some people with the most meaningful experiences of their lives.

Everybody has different stories about where I came from. Nobody really knows.

People need doorways to explore universal religious and ethical ideas.

There are some people in occult history who warned against using the Ouija Board, who said: "This is a dangerous door to the unconscious. Don't approach this thing."