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.
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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)
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)
“Is an Ethical Cult Possible?”
Jamie Wheal of the Flow Genome Project speaks on the Conspirituality podcast on his pet subject of ethical cults.
“Why Fictional Religions Feel So Fake”
The ReligionForBreakfast YouTube channel offers advice for science fiction and fantasy worldbuilders towards creating imaginary religions that feel lived-in and real.
“I became a sun-worshipper” (George Carlin, 1999)
The incomparable George Carlin explains his conversion to sun worship during his 1999 TV special You Are All Diseased.
“How to avoid getting drawn into a cult” (BBC Ideas)
Richard Turner, a former cult member who is now a recovery therapist, explores how social groups that establish coercive control often don’t fit the “cult” stereotypes, and don’t need to, in order to pose a threat.
“The TRUTH About Bread and Puppet”
An intrepid reporter goes undercover to expose the bizarre “Bread and Puppet” cult in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom mountains … In actuality, the Bread and Puppet Theater is a venerable and beloved mainstay of the Vermont counterculture scene. Hats off to the vlogger for her hilariously convincing homage to conspiracy nut Alex Jones’ infamous “infiltration” of … Read more“The TRUTH About Bread and Puppet”
The Spiritual Naturalist Society
Brendan Graham Dempsey of the Metamodern Meaning podcast interviews Daniel Strain and Alex Cheruk, the founder and Executive Director, respectively, of the Spiritual Naturalist Society.