Author: Catherine Auman
19 Jun St Vibiana’s and the Six-Foot Cow
Posted at 08:00h
Looming above the altar? A six-foot painting of a cow where the crucifix should be. The large vacant space appeared to hold the aftermath of a party, which is exactly what it was. The friendly manager told us that last evening’s event had been one in which reveler’s eat as much meat as possible, without utensils, rubbing their greasy hands all over each other’s… well, you may or may not
12 Jun Hiding in the Closet
Posted at 08:08h
The University of Santa Monica (USM) offers Masters degrees, Doctorates, and Certificates in “Spiritual Psychology.” The website states that the classes “take place in an uplifting Soul-Centered learning environment that nurtures the awakening of the human Spirit inherent in each student… [providing them] with practical information, tools, and experience for transforming their consciousness and
05 Jun The Monastery of the Angels
Posted at 08:01h
“I think that’s the monastery Katy Perry is buying,” Russ said as he pulled the flat iron through my hair....
29 May The Miss Velma Christmas Show
Posted at 08:00h
“Of course, you can’t forget Miss Velma,” Greg says. He grew up in the South Bay and remembers watching the...
22 May Rock Stars, Peyote, and the Voice of an Ethereal Being
Posted at 08:00h
The Rolling Stones et entourage traveled to the high desert mountain to await UFOs with him. He directed the video...
15 May The Church of Synanon
Posted at 10:00h
“Our religious posture is: Don't mess with us. You can get killed dead, literally dead... These are real threats … I am quite willing to break some lawyer's legs, and next break his wife's legs, and threaten to cut their child's arm off ... I really do want an ear in a glass of alcohol on my desk." In 1978, LAPD reported a tape recording of Synanon founder, Chuck Dederich, stating the above in response to its
08 May We Let, We Let it Be
Posted at 10:00h
If you’ve never been to a service at the Agape International Spiritual Center, you ought to go if just for the music. Or the sense of joyous celebration, or for the fact that your neighbor will greet you with loving kindness. Services are definitely a finely crafted show: the entertainment value is enormous.
Agape was founded and headed by the charismatic
01 May The Scarlet Woman
Posted at 10:00h
A retrospective of the artwork of Marjorie Cameron (April 23, 1922 – June 24, 1995) entitled “Cameron: Songs for the Witch Woman” was held at LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014. Although she had been established within the artistic and avant-garde communities for decades, it was only after her death that her reputation grew.
Before that time, Cameron, as she chose to be called, was perhaps most well-known as
24 Apr Flirty Fishing
Posted at 10:00h
In 1968, during the height of the hippie and sexual liberation era, a group of Jesus Freaks began baptizing new converts near the Huntington Beach pier. Four years later, by 1972, the Children of God had moved to Laurel Canyon and expanded to include 130 communes around the world. At its peak it claimed eighteen thousand members.
How did they grow so quickly? Part of their recruiting method was