“La Santa Muerte” // The Skinny Girl Awaits Your Prayers
Eva Aridjis‘s “La Santa Muerte” takes in an observing eyeful of the growing cult surrounding Lady Death and how the lives and devotions of people loyal to Her play out […]
So-called “Voodoo Sex Ceremony” “Caused” Insane Brooklyn Fire
Here we go again. “A voodoo priest allegedly placed the candles on the floor around the bed on Saturday after a woman paid him $300 to perform a ceremony with a sexual component, that was meant to bring her good luck, fire department officials said.” For those who don’t know, […]
Death as Life in Gowanus: Proteus Gowanus
Finally got a chance to check out the Proteus space in the Gowanus geometrics of Brooklyn last night, which managed, with the lure of screening Eva S. Aridjis‘ “La Santa Muerte,” a documentary on the cult of Santa Muerte in Mexico, to draw me out of a threatening cabin fever […]
IN SEARCH OF KALI MA (2): Knocking on unfamiliar doors
Using the internet to learn about real live human beings can take you and your mind only so far. If you want to actually learn something, at some point you need to hit the concrete and start knocking on some doors. Before I did that, however, I needed to make […]
Holy Death in Gowanus, Brooklyn
Who’s more excited than me to find out that Morbid Anatomy in conjunction with Observatory will be screening “La Santa Muerte” (“Saint Death”), this Thursday, February 24th? No one. From the website(s): In Mexico there is a cult that is rapidly growing–the cult of Saint Death. This female grim reaper, […]
Damnation 24-7
The very wonderful Galen Stolee took this photograph as part of his Subway Nights project, which documents NYC subway life between the hours of 2 and 5am. A few years back the Chick Tract peeps decided saving souls was a 24-7 undertaking and began keeping their little shop o’ horrors […]
Spiritual Travel Books for New York City. Where Art Thou?
It’s pretty slim pickin’s when it comes to New York City travel books catering to the spiritually inclined. With the exception of Mitch Horowitz’s Occult America, which has quite a bit of information on turn-of-the-century mystic happenings just north of the city, there’s not much out there when you’re looking […]
WHEN THE FRUIT IS CONSUMED BY GOD: An interview with NYC Sufi mystic, Sheikha Fariha
On a Friday in May with the sun making a big last minute show of itself in the late afternoon, I met with Sheikha Fariha, the spiritual guide to the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order, at the Dergah al-Farah in lower Manhattan for over an hour of casual spiritual discourse.
LOOKING FOR WRITERS IN NYC
Are you: Currently living in NYC? Interested in esoteric spiritual stuff? Able to go out and report on events, happenings, ceremonies, rituals, and book burnings once in a while? Able to write personally about your experiences at events, happenings, ceremonies, rituals, and book burnings once in a while? NOT NEW […]
Buddha Gets a Barber Shop & More!
A Journey Through NYC Religions is a website that covers religion throughout the five boroughs. Perhaps a bit “cleaner” than we ruffians here at Not New York, the site seemingly has no trouble slipping into cracks and alleyways in order to get the haps on religious life in our always […]
Kali Gets a Credit Card
Kali is many things. She is Mahakali Jagadhatri, “The Creator of the World.” She is Devi Khadgahasta, “She that Carries a Clever.” She is Chinnajata Jatajutavilasini Sarvarajayutabhima Sarvarajoparisthata Shmashanstha, “She That Dwells in the Cremation Ground.” She is also, apparently, Devi Credit Card-ji, “She That Can Make Purchases With Plastic […]
Apparently, We’re All Dead on May 21, 2011
Took another trek to the Times Square subway stop to see if I could find the barefooted acoustic guitar reveler, Joachim, whose handout on praying in your bathroom I have been trying to reacquire for some time now, but once again came up short. As usual, I started my search […]
In Search of Kali Ma (part 1)
Finding places where people gather to worship Kali–the aspect of God that, among other things, severs your head–is not necessarily an easy task. While there’s nothing particularly secretive about Kali worship, diaspora communities who take Kali as their primary deity–the people you want to meet–aren’t necessarily interested in proselytizing to […]
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