Protected: A Cultpunk Manifesto
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Omar’s Rubaiyat Contemplation Cards
My new art project, the Omar’s Rubaiyat Contemplation Cards deck, is now available. Oh, come with old Khayyám, and leave the Wise To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies; One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies. ― Attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) … Read moreOmar’s Rubaiyat Contemplation Cards
“Inside the Spiritual Jacuzzi”
I’m reading Carole Cusack’s excellent Invented Religions: Imagination, Fiction and Faith and am delighted to have discovered the Hot Tub Mystery Religion, intriguingly described in this 2003 Reason.com article by Jesse Walker: Atheists have long regarded religion as, at best, a collective work of art, but in the last century that view has grown popular … Read more“Inside the Spiritual Jacuzzi”
“The Existential Void of the Pop-Up ‘Experience'”
Art critic Amanda Hess writes for the New York Times on the phenomenon of themed pop-up “museums”, “mansions” and “laboratories” that function mostly as Instagram selfie backdrops: The central disappointment of these spaces is not that they are so narcissistic, but rather that they seem to have such a low view of the people who … Read more“The Existential Void of the Pop-Up ‘Experience’”
The “Radical Ritual” Series
In 2017, Burning Man’s theme was “Radical Ritual,” and the Burning Man Philosophical Center project produced a series of essays and interviews exploring the place of ritual in modern society. Here’s a section from Larry Harvey’s introductory essay: Is Burning Man a Religion? “The practical needs and experiences of religion seem to me sufficiently met … Read moreThe “Radical Ritual” Series
“Start Your Own Religion” (Timothy Leary, 1967)
An excerpt from this classic of the ’60s counterculture: How to Start Your Own Religion First, decide with whom you will make the voyage of discovery. If you have a family, certainly you will include them. If you have close friends, you will certainly want to include them. The question, with whom do I league … Read more“Start Your Own Religion” (Timothy Leary, 1967)
A Pictorial Memoir of the Pixie Land Fairy Castle
I recently came across the Pixie Land Fairy Castle on an evening walk along the Ronan Park River Trail. (If he stays still, I might not spot him …) The Castle featured colorful flags, judiciously-placed pinecones, an array of painted stones and several fairies. Sadly, when I visited the spot last night, the Pixie Land … Read moreA Pictorial Memoir of the Pixie Land Fairy Castle
ManWoman, Mr. Death and Church Punk
I continuously dreamed of skulls — I’d be riding on a skull motorcycle, driving a skull car, living in a skull house. Because these experiences of mine were previews of death — what we will all see when Mr. Death taps us on the shoulder. The skulls express the ego death of the transcendental state … Read moreManWoman, Mr. Death and Church Punk
Moon Manor
Recommended viewing for those interested in end-of-life issues, especially the right to die on one’s own terms, the work of death doulas and the practice of “living funerals” (or FUN-erals, in this story). Moon Manor is a true-ish comedy-drama based on the life and philosophies of Jimmy Carozzo, who also stars in the movie as … Read moreMoon Manor
Poetic Faith Discussion on “Sacred Tension”
Click here to listen to my recent discussion with Stephen Bradford Long on the Sacred Tension podcast, centered on the themes of mythmaking, poetic faith and nontheistic ritual/religion.