There is a new group of people on Earth who believe they are aliens. Stars, or Starseeds, are individuals who believe they have come to Earth from other dimensions to help heal the planet and guide humanity into the “Golden Age” – a period of great happiness, prosperity and fulfillment.
It might sound a bit crazy, but an internet search for the term yields over 4 million results and there are dozens of people posting videos on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook who think they’re from someone else. world. Indeed, content with the term #starseed has over a billion views on TikTok.
Unlike “Earth Souls”, who are said to be reincarnated on Earth, Starseeds believe they awoke from another planet to be born here. Starseeds believe they are conduits between divine realms and Earth and can transport between galaxies via meditation. Starseeds also believe they can communicate in “light language” – a form of communication that is said to bypass human limitations and is the language of the soul.
The idea is widely credited to author Brad Steiger who wrote prolifically about the unknown and had a keen interest in extraterrestrial life and extraterrestrials. In his 1976 book, Gods of Aquarius, Steiger introduced his notion that some people originate from other dimensions.
Believers say there are several ways to tell if you are a Starseed. These include searching for meaning in life and feeling a lack of belonging. Being spiritual and possessing a strong sense of intuition (knowing) are also qualities of a Starseed.
They are also said to be empathetic, sensitive and have more physical and mental health issues as their soul is not used to having a human body. Starseeds want to help humanity. But they are overwhelmed by life on Earth and so recharge by spending time alone.
Believers also say that starseeds have a desire to explore and experience new cultures and spheres, which helps stars to provide new perspectives on existence afterwards. Examples include new (conspiracy) theories about society, holistic health interventions as well as thoughts about aliens and ancient civilizations.
Choose your reality
You might recognize some aspects of yourself in the above description. Many people, for example, report searching for meaning in life while at times feeling displaced or like they don’t belong in their life.
Indeed, research shows that a weak sense of belonging is often linked to depression. But what makes some people who have such feelings jump to the conclusion that they must be from another planet? Especially since no life beyond Earth has ever been found and there is no evidence that extraterrestrial life has ever visited Earth.
Welcome to the Forer effect. Named after Bertram Forer, the psychologist who first discovered that it was quite easy to get people to agree with vague descriptions about themselves – see horoscopes.
The concept of star seeds is a new age form of belief. The term refers to alternative spiritual practices that developed during the 1970s.
Although each new age belief is different, the philosophies share common characteristics: they view existence in terms of the universe and focus on spirituality as well as the self. Think crystals, energy healing, and psychic abilities.
Other characteristics include reincarnation, karma, and the ability to reach a higher level of consciousness.
Support for new age beliefs – such as Starseeds – is on the rise. It comes from a distrust of science and doubts about conventional perceptions of reality. In particular, cynicism towards modern society and an attempt to find meaning in life.
Fantasy versus fiction
Certain personality characteristics may also make some people believe in the concept of Starseeds. For example, if you are fantasy-prone and often confuse imaginary and real events, you may consider the theory of extraterrestrial consciousness to be profound and desirable.
In psychological terms, this is called a source monitoring error, which is a type of unconscious memory error where a person confuses between what is real and accurate and what is unreal and imagined.
It is commonly seen in schizophrenia, and research has found links between schizotypal personality disorder – a common disorder thought to be a mild form of schizophrenia – and belief in conspiracy theories.
Another effect that can encourage such beliefs is what is called ontological confusion. This happens when people cannot distinguish between metaphorical and factual statements such as: “Old furniture knows things about the past.” These can be interpreted more literally than metaphorically, making it more likely that people will then endorse pseudoscientific and transcendental theories.
This is especially true when the source of the information is perceived as trustworthy and knowledgeable. Dubbed the Einstein Effect, this is where trusted news sources receive more credit due to the social credibility they possess.
In the case of star seeds, several books published by major publishing houses can give a sense of authenticity, as can the fact that a number of them are bestsellers. Indeed, it seems that life as we know it is not as simple as we once imagined.
Ken Drinkwater, Lecturer and Researcher in Cognitive and Parapsychology, Manchester Metropolitan University; Andrew Denovan, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Huddersfield, and Neil Dagnall, Reader in Applied Cognitive Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.