Many occult teachings describe the power of the mind to make things appear by what is called 'precipitation from the astral plane through the etheric plane into the material world. Similarly a belief in the 'law of attraction' such that you can do things to get things has also found reception with those who lust after getting what they want.

Some black teachers were once asked why they were teaching their students that black people used to be Egyptian and could fly until white people came and ruined it for them. Their response was that empowerment and self-esteem were more important than truth.

Difficult times inflict reality upon us in such a way as to limit the foolishness we are willing to consider much less pursue. This is one reason Satan has worked to make the world prosperous. It was important to make the economic system free from anything tangible such as gold or silver because the creative use of debt, fractional reserve banking, trade deficits, and inflation has allowed a sort of house of cards built on assumed wealth to be used to finance a world saturated with entertainment and leisure such that almost every possible vanity and desire can be cultivated and pursued.

Left unattended we can come to buy into or even construct our own delusions. Our imaginations can lead us fueled by the feelings we derive from their exercise in our minds. A person may feel superior to others and almost 'feed' on the sensations of pride and self-righteousness. We can even come to associate sensations of arousal and lust that can grow to addictive levels.

In more extreme cases, people can come to attempt surgical alteration to indulge their imaginings that they are of the opposite sex, or even dragons or space aliens. An almost constant bombardment of media, entertainment, and advertising can carry us into realms of imagination that can hold us as captive as any drug.