“Touch her heart”
August Boatwright (Queen Latifah) tells the story of the Black Madonna to the Daughters of Mary during a homegrown ritual melding Catholic and African traditions, in this scene from The Secret Life of Bees.
Cultpunk
“Return of the Shaman”
James Parker reviews Manvir Singh’s new book Shamanism: The Timeless Religion for The Atlantic: Singh is less interested in the specific contents of trance states, or in a psychic map of shamanic otherness, than in shamanism as a world-historical phenomenon, popping up all over, almost a function of human consciousness. It starts, for him, in … Read more“Return of the Shaman”
The “Mystical Paganism” of Louis Ménard (1822-1901)
Click here to read D.G. Charlton’s illuminating essay on 19th century secular religions, as exemplified by the life’s work of French man of letters Louis-Nicolas Menard.
The Cult of Rame Tep (“Young Sherlock Holmes”, 1985)
The teenage Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Rowe), John Watson (Alan Cox) and Elizabeth Hardy (Sophie Ward) investigate the sinister Cult of Rame Tep in this tense scene from Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). While the notion of a secretive and literally underground ancient Egyptian cult active in Victorian London strikes a romantic chord, various occult and esoteric … Read moreThe Cult of Rame Tep (“Young Sherlock Holmes”, 1985)
Sky News Australia responds to the CREATION documentary
Andrew Bolt, host of the conservative Sky News Australia channel, airs his grievances regarding the rival Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s screening of the documentary CREATION: A New Religion on Easter Sunday. Mr. Bolt’s comments are highly reminiscent of various Fox News presenters’ remarks on the Satanic Temple over the past ten years or so, mixing incredulity … Read moreSky News Australia responds to the CREATION documentary
“It is a beautiful night for the end of the world” – The Reasonabilists (Parks and Recreation)
For a while in the 1970s, our town was run by a freaky cult, and every few years the remaining members predict that the world’s gonna end, and they have an all-night vigil in the park. It’s super annoying. Turns out when you think the world’s ending, you don’t aim so carefully in the port-a-potties. … Read more“It is a beautiful night for the end of the world” – The Reasonabilists (Parks and Recreation)
“CREATION: A New Religion” (2025)
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s new documentary about CREATION, the queer insurrectionary science fiction climate change religion developed by artist Deborah Kelly and her collaborators: Why would you create a new religion? In 2020, Australian artist Deborah Kelly began pondering that question. She was filled with grief over the Black Summer bushfires, and wanted something to believe in. … Read more“CREATION: A New Religion” (2025)
Upcoming CREATION documentary
A heads-up that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s documentary about CREATION, the queer insurrectionary science fiction climate change religion developed by artist Deborah Kelly and her collaborators, will soon be available. It’s scheduled for 6.30pm eastern standard time this coming Sunday across Australia and will also be available internationally through the ABC’s youtube channel from Sunday morning (roughly … Read moreUpcoming CREATION documentary
“The Book of Uncommon Rituals”
The Book of Uncommon Rituals (forthcoming series) is an adventurous collection of original submissions from practitioners from all over the world, spanning a wide range of spiritual paths and no spiritual path.