The Cortège: A Festive Funeral for Our Times

According to The Cortege website: The Cortège is a participatory procession occurring outdoors at dusk. It is a revival of the lost arts of mythic pageantry, and a festive funeral for our times. The evening begins with a brief orientation, followed by a preshow with food & beverage options, and live music. At nautical twilight, … Read moreThe Cortège: A Festive Funeral for Our Times

“Renew! Renew!” The Cult of Carrousel in Logan’s Run (1976)

In the futuristic world of Logan’s Run (1976), humanity – or at least that portion of humanity that the movie is concerned with – is sequestered away from the unknown “world outside”, living and dying inside vast Xanadu-like pleasure domes. Their lives and deaths are supervised by an AI who ensures that they want for … Read more“Renew! Renew!” The Cult of Carrousel in Logan’s Run (1976)

“The Cult of Midsommar”

Mark Winegust interviews Martin Karlqvist & Patrik Andersson, who designed the elaborate rituals of the Hårga cult in the modern folk-horror classic movie Midsommar: MARTIN: It’s of course a lot of backwards engineering, because we knew what we had at an early stage, but it’s also highly influenced by my psychology studies,and the writings of … Read more“The Cult of Midsommar”

First Public Shrine to the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Solec-Zdrój, Poland)

The unveiling of the world’s first public Pastafarian shrine is scheduled for Saturday, September 27 at 3 p.m. The sculpture was created by artist Bartosz Banasik of the Słaboszów commune, who said: I love spirituality in its broadest sense. I’ve created many religious objects, primarily for Christian denominations. When a representative of the Flying Monster … Read moreFirst Public Shrine to the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Solec-Zdrój, Poland)

The Clock People (from “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”)

Above: Pat Morita in the godawful film version of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which omits the Clock People storyline entirely. For your own sake, read the novel instead. The Clock People manage their anarchism (if that is not a contradiction) simply because they have channeled all of their authoritarian compulsions and control mania into … Read moreThe Clock People (from “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”)

“The Rise of Religious Naturalism: A New Public Theology of Sacred Nature”

Wayne Martin Mellinger writes on the past and future of religious naturalism, arguing in favor of a more Dionysian, intuitive, deeply playful approach than has often been evident in this niche movement: Abstract The Rise of Religious Naturalism: A New Public Theology of Sacred Nature explores the emergence of Religious Naturalism (RN) as both a … Read more“The Rise of Religious Naturalism: A New Public Theology of Sacred Nature”