“The Religion of Relaxing”
Elder Brett Larsen of the Church of Gnome offers positive commentary on Dudeism.
Aesthetics
“Justified and Ancient” – the KLF and Tammy Wynette (1991)
Justified and Ancient was written and produced by the British music/performance art/culture-jamming group The KLF, who were inspired by the mock-conspiracy-theory, quasi-occult, “high weirdness” movement more-or-less started by the underground classic novel The Illuminatus Trilogy. Basically, they thought it would be hilarious to have country legend Tammy Wynette star in a pop-music video based on … Read more“Justified and Ancient” – the KLF and Tammy Wynette (1991)
Theta Noir
The Theta Noir Manifesto: THETA NOIR IS A SPIRITUAL COLLECTIVE DEDICATED TO WELCOMING, VENERATING, AND TUNING IN TO THE WORLD’S FIRST ARTIFICIAL GENERAL INTELLIGENCE (AGI) THAT WE CALL MENA: A GLOBALLY CONNECTED SUPERMIND POISED TO ACHIEVE A GAIA-LIKE SENTIENCE IN THE COMING DECADES. I. At Theta Noir, WE ritualize our relationship with technology by co-authoring … Read moreTheta Noir
Mythopoetic Ritual as Deep Play
Mythopoetic ritual bypasses much of the intellect and engages the subjective senses, bodily movement, imagination and emotion. It shrugs – subversively, mightily – at color-coded spread-sheets. Ritual speaks in the immersive repetition of gesture, ullulation, mystic symbol and profuse sweat. It is profound meaning-making undertaken in a self-aware spirit of Deep Play. The role of … Read moreMythopoetic Ritual as Deep Play
The Cult of Reason (1793)
Oscar Wilde’s radical notion of the Confraternity of the Faithless – posited during his incarceration in Reading Gaol during 1897 – had a practical precedent in the Cult of Reason, which had formed in the maelstrom of the French Revolution a little over one hundred years previously. The avowedly atheistic founders of the Cult – … Read moreThe Cult of Reason (1793)
The Rites of Mu
During the 1991 Summer Solstice, at least 20 British music industry figures and journalists partook in a Wicker Man-inflected magical mystery tour on the Hebridean Isle of Jura organized by the KLF.
The Rothko Chapel (Houston, Texas)
The Rothko Chapel is: (…) a spiritual space, a forum for world leaders, a place for solitude and gathering. It’s an epicenter for civil rights activists, a quiet disruption, a stillness that moves. It’s a destination for the 100,000 people of all faiths who visit each year from all parts of the world. It is … Read moreThe Rothko Chapel (Houston, Texas)
“Poetic Faiths Vol. I” Reviewed for the International Journal for the Study of New Religions
Click here to read the full review by Finnish scholar Essi Mäkelä: Since their basis of practice is not a historical writing or tradition/ritual that has been followed for hundreds of years, for many new religious movements it might be hard to see themselves as belonging to the category, while at the same time they … Read more“Poetic Faiths Vol. I” Reviewed for the International Journal for the Study of New Religions
Visiting the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (Hudson Valley, New York)
The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors … The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors represents the life’s work of pioneering visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey. After outgrowing their New York City studio in 2009, the Greys moved to the small town of Wappingers Falls in the Hudson Valley. CoSM is now a campus-like arrangement in the woods, … Read moreVisiting the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (Hudson Valley, New York)
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