“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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Jesus Was, Is, and Forever Shall Be a Biker: Introducing The Christian Motorcyclists Association
This past weekend I went to the International Motorcycle Show at the Javits Center in Manhattan where I had the opportunity to not only sit on, ogle over, and touch some of the newest Super Sport bikes available, but also got to meet members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association who […]
The Passion of Christ the Dice Thrower
I picked up this amazing depiction of Christ’s crucifixion for a $1.50 at the San Lazaro Botanica at 127 Rivington St. the other day. Now, I like to think that I have a good handle on the signs and symbols of religious iconography, and while some of the symbols are […]
St. Lazarus Among the Sponges
I came across this larger-than-life San Lazaro (AKA the biblical Lazarus, AKA the other biblical Lazarus, AKA Babalu Aye) while wandering in and out of botanicas in the Lower East […]
Hear the Pilgrim Mennonites Sing! (while they hand out scary pamphlets)
What is it about the Pilgrim Mennonites that makes passers-by feel so soft and cuddly? Is it their humble gaze, the one you feel ashamed to have held for so long? Perhaps it’s their love of super non-aggressive pastel prints dyed light enough to fade into the nearest field of […]
NY’ers (read: PETA) Don’t Stand for No “New Age Hypocrisy”
Daisy Jane Danger and I stumbled upon this little “Donna Karan: Bunny Butcher”-esque call to action while walking through Chelsea. It’s not every day you get to see the New Age movement being publicly called out on their pooh-pooh. And yet, I’m not sure it’s fair to call Donna Karan, […]
Interview with NYC Director of AMERICAN MYSTIC, Alex Mar
The Wild Hunt has got a nice pagan-inquisitive interview with NYC’s very own Alex Mar whose documentary American Mystic screened at the Tribeca Film Festival this passed April. From the synopsis: Set against a vivid backdrop of bucolic rural landscapes, American Mystic weaves together the stories of three young Americans […]
Bhakti Cafe Yields Happy Food Stuffs
Even though NYC Vaishnavists (AKA Hare Krishnas, AKA Hare Krishnas no longer aligned with ISKCON, AKA Hare Krishnas who would like to be taken more seriously) are as diverse as the city is densely populated, one thread binds them all: love of food. Krishna devotees have been opening vegetarian restaurants […]
“Arizona Killer is Occultist” and Other Wishful Thoughts by Faux News Reporters
Always a beacon of solid (like a turd) reporting (like a pooh), our very own NY Daily News is trying to paint Arizona killer, Jared Lee Loughner, as an occultist offering the above picture, along with unsourced “expert” opinions, to back up their claim, stating that the “shrine” is both […]
Mrs. Taylor Has Got Yr Back (Spells. Money. Nature Problems?)
I’ve picked up Mrs. Taylor’s fliers on a number of occasions, but always lost them before I got a chance to call her and schedule an appointment. Now, thanks to one Ms. Daisy Jane Danger, I’ve got a crisp new flier stuck in the files. Of course, when I do […]
NOT NEW YORK 