“When Talking to Aliens is Your Religion”
The New York Times offers some insight into the Aetherius Society, one of the OG UFO religions of the 20th century.
Cultpunk
“The Land Where Elves Rule”
A short but fairly insightful BBC presentation on Iceland’s curious national attitudes towards its legendary huldufólk (“hidden people”), which seem to combine tourist attraction/the impulse to mess with tourists, sentimental respect for cultural tradition, a sense of national pride and symbolic respect for/fear of natural forces in a genuinely unpredictable landscape.
“The Man and the Monster”
Rüdiger Weida, a.k.a. Bruder Spaghettus explains his practice of Pastafarianism in this short, entertaining documentary by filmmaker Alex Alford: … when I actually met Rüdiger I discovered there was much more to his story than initially met the eye. As a student growing up in oppressive East Germany post-WWII, he fell in love with satire … Read more“The Man and the Monster”
“How to Not Start a Cult”
Matt Arnold speaks at the September 2024 Fluidity Forum in Detroit, Michigan: It all started with good intentions. A group had heightened emotional and psychological experiences, and years later, some of the participants wrote regretful blog posts saying they gained a sense of purpose but lost their sense of self; their sense of proportion; and … Read more“How to Not Start a Cult”
Creating a Spiritual Practice with Scout Rainer Wiley
Emergent Ritualist Scout Rainer Wiley offers advice and insight in this new interview with The Container YouTube channel.
Te Ātea and the Potentials of Civic Mythopoetics in New Zealand
Recently returned from a trip to New Zealand, where I was heartened and intrigued to note that traditional Māori cultural/spiritual symbolism is increasingly being incorporated into public space design. The photo above is of Te Ātea (“the Space”) on the Lake Taupo foreshore: There are a number of different elements that come together to form … Read moreTe Ātea and the Potentials of Civic Mythopoetics in New Zealand
The Church of Reality
The Church of Reality was founded in the late 1990s and promotes a rational religious philosophy expressed in the following tenets: Reality is our GodScience is our BibleEvidence is our ScriptureBig History is our Creation StoryEcology is our TheologyIntegrity is our SalvationPositive Evolution is our Mission Further: The Church of Reality is Religion 3.0. Religion … Read moreThe Church of Reality
“Pop Culture – a New Source of Spirituality?”
Pavol Kosnáč writes for the Abide University and Institute website – AUI itself being the laid-back academic branch of the Dudeist faith – on the subject of pop-culture religions; As Terry Pratchett once said, religion requires believers – if there is no religion, the god is not believed in, and ceases to be ‘god’ to … Read more“Pop Culture – a New Source of Spirituality?”
“Alan Moore Wants You to Invent Your Own God”
From a review of author/magician Alan Moore’s very long-awaited grimoire, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic: Magic, for the Moores, is somewhere between metaphor and spiritual practice. It’s a way, like art, of exploring the rich territory of internal worlds, following the maps offered by tools like kabbalah and the tarot, and shaping … Read more“Alan Moore Wants You to Invent Your Own God”