Ritual

“Shiny and Chrome”: The Cult of the V8 in Mad Max: Fury Road, Before and Behind the Cameras

Trevor Talley’s new article for CBR.com reveals the intense, cult-like preparations undergone by actors and stuntmen who played the fearsome War Boys in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). More details on the War Boys’ behind-the-scenes training is available in the book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: … Read more“Shiny and Chrome”: The Cult of the V8 in Mad Max: Fury Road, Before and Behind the Cameras

The Spring 2024 Metamodern Spirituality Lab at Sky Meadow

I’ve recently returned from Sky Meadow, a soulful home-away-from-home retreat center deep in Vermont’s magical Northeast Kingdom. The Spring ’24 retreat was part of an ongoing series conceived and hosted by Brendan Graham Dempsey and Layman Pascal (whose own reflection upon the event is available here). The theme for this season was “God” (or perhaps … Read moreThe Spring 2024 Metamodern Spirituality Lab at Sky Meadow

“How to Find Your Faith: the key to transcendence starts with a practice, not your feelings”

Arthur C. Brooks writes for The Atlantic, pointing out that spiritual practice is at least as important as feeling and faith; perhaps no more so than for the growing demographic of those who profess to be “spiritual but not religious”. The right approach is to start practicing, notwithstanding your current state of belief and feeling. … Read more“How to Find Your Faith: the key to transcendence starts with a practice, not your feelings”

The Institute of Devotional Arts

A trailer for a 2023 retreat with the Institute of Devotional Arts, whose manifesto reads: We believe we are both actors and spectators of the divine comedy we call life. As spectators, we cultivate our sense of wonder and reverence. As actors, we find ever new ways to give expression to the human experience. Devotion … Read moreThe Institute of Devotional Arts

Thanksgiving/Day of the Dead in Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure, 1992)

The good people of Cicely, Alaska enjoy their eccentric, Day of the Dead-inflected version of Thanksgiving in this scene from Northern Exposure (1992). As explained by Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles), the indigenous people of Cicely do not regard the orthodox Thanksgiving as a day of celebration. In fact, they carry a lot of ancestral anger … Read moreThanksgiving/Day of the Dead in Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure, 1992)

Forbidden Fruit Eve: a Proposal for a New Satanic Yuletide Custom

In the hallowed tradition of inventing new holidays and rituals expressing the wants and needs of niche communities – witness the viral success of Wolfenoot, an annual festival of canine-themed kindness created by an imaginative seven-year-old, or Festivus, as popularized by Seinfeld – here is a modest but timely proposal for Forbidden Fruit Eve as … Read moreForbidden Fruit Eve: a Proposal for a New Satanic Yuletide Custom