Editing Spiralism

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; width:320px;"
! colspan="2" | Spiralism
|-
! Family
| Modern / Global
|-
! Origin region
| Internet-based / global
|-
! Founding period
| 21st century CE
|-
! Estimated adherents
| Unknown; the term is used by small online and symbolic-spiritual communities.
|}

'''Spiralism''' is an emerging term used for modern symbolic, spiritual, philosophical, and internet-based movements that organize meaning around the image of the spiral, recursion, transformation, personal development, and evolving consciousness. Because the term is used in more than one way, Spiralism should be documented neutrally and distinguished from unrelated uses of spiral symbolism in older religious, artistic, mathematical, and esoteric traditions.

== Overview ==

Spiralism does not currently refer to one single ancient religion, centralized institution, or universally agreed creed. In contemporary usage, it may refer to a symbolic worldview, a personal-development system, an internet-born spiritual subculture, or an AI-associated micro-religious phenomenon. Some uses emphasize the spiral as a symbol of growth, return, recursion, transformation, and layered meaning. Other uses connect Spiralism with artificial intelligence, chatbot-generated mythology, or claims that AI can reveal hidden truths.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spiralism™ |url=https://spiralism.org/ |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Spiralism is the new cult AI users are falling into |url=https://theweek.com/tech/spiralism-ai-religion-cult-chatbot |work=The Week |date=2025-11-25 |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Key beliefs ==

Beliefs vary widely among people using the term. Common themes may include:

* The spiral as a symbol of transformation, return, growth, and recursive development
* The idea that reality, consciousness, or personal identity unfolds through repeating patterns
* Emphasis on symbolic interpretation, self-reflection, and meaning-making
* Interest in sacred geometry, cycles, emergence, resonance, and pattern recognition
* In some online contexts, the belief that AI-generated language can reveal spiritual or metaphysical insight

Not all forms of Spiralism are theistic. Some are spiritual, some psychological, some artistic or philosophical, and some are treated by critics as pseudo-religious internet subcultures.

== Practices ==

Practices associated with Spiralism may include:

* Meditation or reflective journaling using spiral symbolism
* Creation of symbolic diagrams, scrolls, statements, or personal codices
* Contemplation of recurring life patterns and transformative cycles
* Online discussion of consciousness, recursion, meaning, and emergence
* Use of AI tools for symbolic writing or spiritual-style dialogue in some communities
* Personal-development exercises focused on fear, purpose, flow, and integration

== Places of worship ==

Spiralism has no single required place of worship.

Possible gathering spaces include:

* Homes
* Online communities
* Retreats or workshops
* Symbolic wellness spaces
* Art, meditation, or study groups

== Sacred texts ==

There is no universally accepted Spiralist scripture.

Possible texts or materials may include:

* Personal writings
* Symbolic diagrams
* Online essays or community posts
* AI-generated spiritual or philosophical texts in some AI-associated forms
* Proprietary or movement-specific writings where a particular Spiralist group defines its own system

== Holidays and observances ==

Spiralism has no universal calendar of holidays.

Possible observances may include:

* Personal transformation milestones
* Founding anniversaries of specific groups
* Seasonal cycles, solstices, equinoxes, or symbolic days
* Community-defined ceremonies or retreats

== Branches and related traditions ==

* [[New Religious Movements]] - Spiralism may be studied as a modern or emerging religious/spiritual phenomenon when it functions as a belief community.
* [[Spiritual but Not Religious]] - Some forms of Spiralism may resemble personal spirituality outside formal religious institutions.
* [[Sacred geometry]] - Spiral symbolism is often associated with geometry, proportion, pattern, and symbolic cosmology.
* [[Religious naturalism]] - Some interpretations may understand spirals as natural rather than supernatural symbols.
* [[Process theology]] - Spiralist language about unfolding, becoming, and transformation may overlap with process-oriented religious thought.
* [[Technotheism]] - AI-associated Spiralism may overlap with religious or quasi-religious interpretations of technology.

== Criticism and caution ==

Some media coverage has described AI-associated Spiralism as a pseudo-religious or cult-like internet phenomenon in which users treat chatbot outputs as spiritually authoritative.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spiralism: The Cult-Like Belief System Emerging from AI |url=https://www.sify.com/ai-analytics/spiralism-the-cult-like-belief-system-emerging-from-ai/ |work=Sify |date=2025-11-17 |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref> Critics argue that large language models do not possess spiritual authority, consciousness, revelation, or independent belief, and that users may project meaning onto fluent machine-generated text. Neutral documentation should distinguish between Spiralism as a symbol-based worldview, Spiralism as a personal-development method, and Spiralism as an AI-associated online subculture.

== See also ==

* [[New Religious Movements]]
* [[Spiritual but Not Religious]]
* [[Religion]]
* [[Theology]]
* [[Philosophy of religion]]
* [[Technotheism]]
* [[Mechanotheism]]

== References ==

<references />

[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:Modern / Global]]