Robert Stark and Matt Pegas  tease the notion of a speculative new spiritual movement. This is a simulcast with Matt’s literary podcast, New Write, and a field-recording, conversation on cults, the new age movement, Matt’s Substack article “The Renaissance of the Ritual“, Robert’s novel “Vaporfornia“, California as fertile soil for new religions, occultism, and much more. Recorded on May 1st, 2022, on a trip through the backcountry of San Diego County, near Palomar Mountain, where Crowlian occultist, Wilfred Talbot Smith, erected an Ordo Templi Orientis temple.

Background on the “new religion,” started as a half joke in Yosemite

A self-initiatory religion, comparable to DiscordianismSocial reasons for the rise in cultsCalifornia ‘s spiritual movements: Mike Marinacci’s book California Jesus, Order of Atwa, and the Partridge Family TempleSyncretic occultism and the esotericism/New Age to fascist pipelineThe right hand vs. left hand path and Jungian shadow workThe occultist ritual, finding structure in chaos, and a metaphysical/esoteric take on self-improvementKnowing when to surrender and embrace the photosynthesis of the Universe/Light of GodThe relationship between spirituality and biology (speculating where atheism and various theologies fit on the Bell Curve meme)An anti-liberal and anti-blank slatist case for TheosophyRobert’s article on a psychological inspired approach to solving political and social problemsAesthetic alchemy (Sigils), and the spiritual, ethereal component to  aestheticsBronze Age Pervert as a foundationalist (not a traditionalist), and Mike Ma as an instinctive ChristianJason Jorjani’s Prometheism Why spirituality and reclaiming vitality needs to come before politics

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