'I've never had a crystal': Marianne Williamson demands to be taken seriously

'I've never had a crystal': Marianne Williamson demands to be taken seriously

Marianne Williamson sometimes feels like the butt of the joke — and, oftentimes, she is.

A quick scan of the Instagram or Twitter hashtag “Marianne Williamson” conjures up facetious memes painting the author and spiritual leader as a rose quartz devotee, essential oil hawker and New-Agey character. At first, Williamson found the attention charming, if a little distracting. But as a deluge of tough press followed, the bemusement washed away — and in its wake is a very ticked-off presidential candidate.

“This idea that I’m a crystal woo woo lady ... the crystal woo woo lady image, to some extent amusing, has no relation to reality,” she said during a sit-down interview with Yahoo News. “I’ve never had a crystal, I’ve never written about crystals. I’ve never talked about crystals. I’ve never had a crystal onstage with me.”

As Williamson, who has low name recognition compared to her high-profile political rivals, gained more traction in the national media, she fell under increased scrutiny for her previous writings and was accused of being part of the anti-vaccine movement and anti-science. In early August, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper pressed Williamson on previous remarks calling clinical depression “a scam” (Williamson apologized during the segment) as well as on controversial remarks she made about the passing of Robin Williams.

While such scrutiny is seemingly routine during presidential campaigns, Williamson believes that something larger and more orchestrated was playing out. “Something far more sinister was starting to happen,” she said.

Williamson claimed that “left-wing voices” amplified news stories that called her credibility into question. Many of those stories, she argued, are “out-and-out lies.”

When asked about apparent right-wingers who gleefully tweet about how they revel in Williamson’s place within the debates for entertainment value, she still insisted that “unfortunately the vicious smears have not been coming from Republicans.”

Williamson said the constant criticism was part of a “well-designated strategy,” though she was unable to give the name of a person or persons behind this alleged plan.