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

Women had no clerical role anywhere in the Western world, period.

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

Science, as it reaches the public mind, has both served to discredit and unintentionally reaffirmed mystical ideas.

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

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."

America became a special source of attraction to people who were fleeing the aftereffects of the 30 Years War and the religious persecution that began to sweep through Europe in the period between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. And when people got here, very often they succeeded.