Read this first: “A Cultpunk Manifesto”

We are Cultpunks.  We affirm that belief systems, rituals, symbols, pilgrimages, tenets, holy days, shrines, festivals, taboos, mythologies and pantheons can and should be created as works of art.  If so, then surely any sufficiently advanced magic is likewise indistinguishable from technology, and religions may usefully be considered as psychological technologies.  Just like any other tech, … Read moreRead this first: “A Cultpunk Manifesto”

“The TRUTH About Bread and Puppet”

An intrepid reporter goes undercover to expose the bizarre “Bread and Puppet” cult in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom mountains … In actuality, the Bread and Puppet Theater is a venerable and beloved mainstay of the Vermont counterculture scene. Hats off to the vlogger for her hilariously convincing homage to conspiracy nut Alex Jones’ infamous “infiltration” of … Read more“The TRUTH About Bread and Puppet”

“How Spirituality Went from Taboo to Trendy in the Art World”

Eleanor Heartley writes for Art in America: (…) at the advent of the second quarter of the 21st century, a pileup of crises—social, political, environmental, and technological—seems to have all but extinguished the sense of optimism about the future that flared periodically throughout the 20th century. Af Klint’s mysterious, luminous abstractions offer a salve to … Read more“How Spirituality Went from Taboo to Trendy in the Art World”

Breaking the Unspoken Commandment (Children of Dune, 1976)

Religion is the emulation of the adult by the child. Religion is the encystment of past beliefs: mythology, which is guesswork, the hidden assumptions of trust in the universe, those pronouncements which men have made in search of personal power, all of it mingled with shreds of enlightenment. And always the ultimate unspoken commandment is … Read moreBreaking the Unspoken Commandment (Children of Dune, 1976)

The Religion of the Electric Gods

Jason Ananda Josephson Storm writes for the Center for the Study of World Religions on the short-lived new religion of Denshinkyō: Scholars dismiss The Religion of the Electric Gods as a byproduct of a 1945 Japanese law code that granted tax exemptions to religious institutions without specifying exactly what constituted a religion. Indeed, groups such … Read moreThe Religion of the Electric Gods

“Spirits of the Deep South”

Professor Yvonne Chireau explores the tradition of Hoodoo in the deep south and how its beliefs and traditions in spirituality, ancestors, the hereafter, and defense against evil inform the world and characters of the recent movie Sinners. Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Annie, shares how important her role was in the making of this film and … Read more“Spirits of the Deep South”

The Archdruid of Stonehenge’s Guide to Pagan Glastonbury

Samuel Firman writes for the BBC: Set amid the hilly wetlands of the Somerset Levels, Glastonbury has been a spiritual magnet for centuries. In the Middle Ages, many believed that Joseph of Arimathea visited with the Holy Grail, and the sacred cup is central to the Arthurian legends that infuse the town and its landscapes. Glastonbury is also considered the hub … Read moreThe Archdruid of Stonehenge’s Guide to Pagan Glastonbury