Occulture
The First Church of David Bowie, Phonomancer
The First Church of David Bowie, Phonomancer is definitely either a metamodern religion disguised as a shamanic role-playing game or a shamanic role-playing game disguised as a metamodern religion: The Discotheque at the End of the Universe! is part of a live-action role-playing game called Phonomancer™ . You can play Phonomancer™ alone, or with up … Read moreThe First Church of David Bowie, Phonomancer
“The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom: Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Pop Culture”
From the publisher’s blurb: To the casual observer, similarities between fan communities and religious believers are difficult to find. Religion is traditional, institutional, and serious; whereas fandom is contemporary, individualistic, and fun. Can the robes of nuns and priests be compared to cosplay outfits of Jedi Knights and anime characters? Can travelling to fan conventions … Read more“The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom: Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Pop Culture”
“An American Satan” (2019)
A survey of contemporary LaVeyan Satanism courtesy of director Aram Garriga, An American Satan is currently widely available via streaming channels.
“Mother of the Dawn”: a look inside Brazil’s colorful, syncretic UFO religion
Founded in the 1960s, Brazil’s Vale do Amanhecer (Valley of the Dawn) is a new religious movement whose doctrine combines elements of Theosophy, Spiritualism, various Afro-Brazilian traditions and UFO theology.
Hulu’s “The Path” and the cult/religion/movement of Meyerism
The dramatic three-season Hulu series The Path follows the lives of Eddie and Sarah Lane (Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan), senior members of a new religious movement known as the Meyerists. Meyerism itself is a fascinating study in invented religion, combining elements of 1960s/’70s American countercultural spirituality with Peruvian shamanism, Scientology, Christian mysticism and Utopianism … Read moreHulu’s “The Path” and the cult/religion/movement of Meyerism
“Hail Satan?” (documentary trailer, 2019)
The Satanic Temple is a science-positive, socially progressive religion in Halloween regalia. Penny Lane’s 2019 documentary Hail Satan? is an illuminating – “Lucifer” being the Light Bringer, after all – and well-produced documentary on a fast-growing but still widely misunderstood religious movement. Far from being the embodiment of all evil, the Satanic Temple is revealed … Read more“Hail Satan?” (documentary trailer, 2019)
“Spirit Catcher” (1977): evoking Black spiritualities with artist Betye Saar
An impressionistic ’70s-vintage documentary on the art of Betye Saar, whose assemblage shadow boxes, mixed-media sculptures and altars frequently evoke a kind of syncretic Black mysticism.
“The Gates of Horn: Being Sundry Records From the Proceedings of the Society for the Investigation of Faery Fact and Fallacy”
Originally published in England in 1926, The Gates of Horn is a mock-epistolary anthology of poems and faery stories by Bernard Sleigh (1872-1954). A talented artist in several media, Sleigh is best known today as the creator of An Ancient Mappe of Fairyland, Newly Discovered and Set Forth (1917); a scan of the entire Mappe … Read more“The Gates of Horn: Being Sundry Records From the Proceedings of the Society for the Investigation of Faery Fact and Fallacy”