 |
The Pentaradial Press
P.O. Box 8318
Dallas, TX 75205
Cosmic Suicide: The Tragedy and Transcendence of Heaven's Gate
Three Myths of Gods, Devils and Beasts There is a new publisher in town, and it looks to be a
good one. Cosmic Suicide is a good first book for any publisher; this
bodes well for Pentaradial's future. We all saw the TV reports. We all read the papers. If you're like me, you were left with a feeling of incompleteness. Rio D'Angelo's wonderful on-camera interview left no doubt that these were healthy, intelligent people who knew what they were doing. Where was the closure? What really prompted 39 people to take their own lives? Was it really about riding the UFO in the tail of comet Hale-Bopp?
The authors draw on Brad Steiger, Anthony Balch, and Jacques Vallee for details of the group's early days, but they were also fortunate to live in Dallas and Houston, where the group had been active. This gave them access to original documents which others had not seen. Appended to the volume are leader Applewhite's autopsy report, original Heaven's Gate documents pulled from old flyers and the infamous web site, and an on-line conversation wherein a young would-be programmer is proselytized. It's a good mix. I learned a lot from it. The authors were invited to Amsterdam last August to present their findings to CESNUR, the Center for the Study of New Religions (see web.tin.it/cesnur_org). Rather than a dry academic lecture, these gentlemen engaged in a bit of performance, presenting their material in a lively, energetic fashion - to the amazement of the audience. They were also able to answer the crowd's scholarly questions concerning Heaven's Gate after the performance was over. Their full-length feature on the Chen Tao group in Garland, Texas appeared in Fortean Times 109 (May 1998). This group got a lot of press coverage for their prediction that God would appear on local channel 18 at 12:01 am, March 25, then follow it up with a flying saucer landing on March 31. Neither event occurred. The group departed Texas for Michigan, faithful to Chen as ever. Chen's two sons are considered to be the reincarnations of Buddha and Jesus. I have a wonderful photo from the San Antonio Express-News showing Jesus drinking a can of Mountain Dew. Three Myths is a different kind of book. It's not something you see everyday, even in the small press. Three Myths is a collection of three essays, each of which takes one historical symbol and analyzes it in detail. The first thing that drew my attention is the authorship. The three pieces are credited to Breck Outland, Forrest Jackson, and Steve Aydt. Collectively they are known as the Rhipidon Society. This term is not unknown to me. It is from Philip K. Dick's novel VALIS. In the book, the Rhipidon Society is formed to seek the gnostic messiah, who is said to have returned in the form of a small girl. The real-life Rhipidon Society is on a quest of its known. The book's three parts are entitled "Cycle of the Phoenix," "The Baphomet in History and Symbolism," and "The Mad God's Sacraments." The first is a treatment of the phoenix in history and mythology. Self-immolating birds and dragons from all over the world in treated in a meandering mix of fact and speculation. I wasn't sure where author Outland was going with this until I neared the end of the essay.
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." [Matthew 3:11]
While the Heaven's Gate Away Team was eating barbiturate-laced pudding,
members of the Chivalric Jackson's take on Baphomet is a short but complete investigation of the symbol which adorns many heavy metal CDs today. Tracing its possible origins beyond the Knights Templar, Jackson looks at every possibility. In the end the solution is left unresolved, but there is much for thought here. The last essay is my favorite. Steve Aydt looks at every aspect of Dionysus as it appears across the world - Shiva offers a lot here. Aydt's analysis is all-encompassing, drawing in social behavior, art, music, and religion. It brings us to the real focus of the people who make up the Rhipidon Society. The authors and artists we have been discussing are founding members of different performance art groups in Dallas. They host an annual Halloween "Disturbathon" which is a giant party for the city. Last year's event included a huge custom-built moat in a warehouse; the dam broke as the party began and those hearty enough to take advantage of the calamity stayed all night and played in the mess. Nude dancers wrestled in Jello. One performer did something obscene with a goat's head. Most just went home. Other members put out pamphlets promoting the "Hot Tub Mystery Religion." Far from a joke, the HTMR is a loose fraternal organization formed to discuss philosophy and religion. One tract I received deconstructs the Willie Wonka story to find the medieval alchemical process encoded beneath. It's wonderful. One of the authors has written material for the Moorish Orthodox Church.
Others plan for the day when they can build a huge "Pleasure Dome" as
a place for the public to participate in "environmental and interactive
sacred art." Then there is the Invisible College of Esoteric Disc Jockeys,
a musical project of theirs. They have their hands in a lot of things.
Some of the authors' artwork can be viewed at www.retinaburn.com.
Available at www.feralhouse.com 
|