This story originally appeared in Right Richter, a newsletter by Will Sommer. Subscribe now to see what's happening in right-wing media from the safety of your inbox.
The pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory has garnered a surprising number of fans over the past two years, considering that it’s based on the idea that Trump is engaged in ceaseless war against powerful cannibal-pedophiles in Hollywood and the Democratic Party.
Now QAnon has a new group of allies: a woman who claims she’s a conduit for a 35,000-year-old warrior god, and her thousands of followers. Since February, at least three top QAnon promoters have made plans to visit a sprawling Washington-state property owned by J.Z. Knight, a New Age guru whose former acolytes have accused her of running a cult.
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Knight claims that she can channel the spirit of Ramtha, a 35,000-year-old warrior spirit who supposedly waged war on the mythical city of Atlantis. Skeptics say Knight’s “channeling” of Ramtha is just her speaking in a different voice.
Cult Education Institute founder Rick Ross says Knight has become “very wealthy” by selling Ramtha-related materials to her followers, who he estimates numbers somewhere in the thousands.
“In my opinion, the group gathered around J.Z. Knight would fit the basic criteria that I would say describes a destructive cult,” Ross said.
Former members agree with Ross’ conclusion and have relayed bizarre practices within the group, releasing videos of Knight ranting against Jews and Mexicans. Knight’s group has denied the allegations.
Since last year, Knight has begun to incorporate the anonymous online clues left by the anonymous QAnon into her Ramtha lore. In one statement from “Ramtha” provided to The Daily Beast by Knight’s group, the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, the spirit declares that the person behind QAnon “is divine intelligence.”
"It is challenging the entire world and the evil network in every country every country — and taking them down,” the statement praising QAnon reads.
Knight’s embrace of QAnon marks the latest bizarre evolution for the conspiracy theory, which has appeared everywhere from Trump rallies to the White House, where the president posed for a picture with a QAnon leader. The conspiracy theory has also been tied to two murders.
Like other QAnon promoters, Knight has begun to make merchandise based on the conspiracy theory, selling hats and T-shirts with “Q” branding. Knight has also tried to use QAnon to sell copies of her book, claiming that QAnon clues are actually signs that people should read her “great book.”
Knight has found a friendly reception with some top QAnon promoters, who have started flocking to the group’s “The Ranch” property in Yelm, Wa. for QAnon-intensive events.
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J.T. Wilde, a singer who writes QAnon-themed songs like “WWG1WGA,” appears to have been the first QAnon personality to make a public appearance at the Ranch. In March, Wilde appeared at Knight’s “Genesis Retreat,” performing his QAnon songs at events with names like the “Orb Session.”
Wilde, who didn’t respond to requests for comment, isn’t the only QAnon personality on the Ranch’s agenda this year. In June, pseudonymous QAnon promoters “InTheMatrixxx” and “Shady Groove,” who have more than 110,000 Twitter followers between them, are scheduled to appear in June at the Ranch to discuss their QAnon theories. Knight’s followers looking to see the QAnon “interpreters” will have to pay $100 each for tickets.
QAnon’s new ties to Ramtha have opened up a split among QAnon believers, many of whom fear that associating with people who believe in an ancient warrior spirit will make QAnon believers look ridiculous. The feud over Ramtha broke into the open last week, when a QAnon blogger named “Neon Revolt” blasted Wilde, “InTheMatrixxx” and “Shady Groove” in a blog post for booking appearances at the Ranch.
The anonymous blogger behind Neon Revolt also revealed a picture from the March QAnon event, which shows Knight’s acolytes decked out in QAnon shirts. Knight spokesman Mike Wright confirmed the picture’s authenticity.
When asked about Knight’s interest in QAnon, Wright first asked Right Richter’s opinions on a variety of topics, from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to reincarnation to the ancient Christian church’s First Council of Nicaea. Wright eventually declined to make Knight available for an interview.
