5. William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King is one of the most important figures in Canadian history. In addition to being the Prime Minister during World War II, he was also the father of Canada’s social welfare system. However, he tried to keep his obsession with occultism secret from the public.
King first became involved with the occult in 1925 when he had his fortune told, an experience he called “the most remarkable interview” of his life. Soon after, he turned to contacting mediums, so he could communicate with the dead. Some think that King’s dependence on spiritualism was a coping mechanism for him while serving as Prime Minister.
King realized that it would cause a scandal if the public knew that he regularly visited mediums. So he attempted to remain anonymous when planning a seance. In fact, he was so discreet about his visits that one of his mediums admitted that she never knew he was a politician.
However, he never allowed his interests to interfere with his political decisions. His diary suggests that he gave up spiritualism during World War II to focus his attention on the war.
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