. . . are the devil's workshop.

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Marshall McLuhan would love these!  (Hat tip:  Jennifer Emick)

From the inventor, Russian designer Dima Komissarov:

Nowadays TV-set is not longer accepted as a mere reciever - it had transformed into a cult object, the thing we can watch and interact with for hours, the source of our knowledge and inspiration. If you accept this statement with humor, as a matter of fact - go after our new design of TV remote - remote control combined with beads (remobeads). Now you can shift between channels effortless - just slightly pressing the beads. The beads are glowing, so you can easily see them in the darkness. As an option you can add a sound - enjoy listening to your favourite mantras while switching the channels.

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"Creativity is the supreme mystery of life," said Russian existentialist Nikolai Berdyaev, and judging from the number of times people ask artists where they find their inspiration, it is a riddle in little danger of being solved. 

Nonetheless, the Web does afford us unprecedented access to the creative process in real time.  While this might be most familiar from the blogs of authors or filmmakers, it is also increasingly the case among fashion designers. 

In fact, over the past week jewelry designer Anne Maa has been offering an informative look at spiritual creations on her Cool Stones blog.  Be sure to check out her "crosses and metals" series for a glimpse into the work of making art!

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Can the government take away your child if you aren't in a "mainstream" religion?  Rachel Bevilacqua found out the hard way that courts do this all the time.  

The problem lies in how judges apply the legal principle of "the best interests of the child," a standard that a number of courts believe includes the child's spiritual development.  

In the case of Rachel Bevilacqua, her sin was participating in gatherings of the Church of the Subgenius, a pop art parody of conformist religion.  One of its key sayings, in fact, is "f*ck 'em if they can't take a joke."

Well, the judge in this case didn't laugh.  When he found out about Rachel's participation in Subgenius activities, he embarked on a lengthy inquisition as to what exactly Rachel found funny.  As is evident from this partial transcript, he saw her involvement with the Church as a sign that her professed belief in Christianity was a lie--and that she was actually participating in a satanic sex ritual.  

The court particularly objected to Rachel's performances at X-Day, an annual gathering that marks the prophesied end of the world in 1998.  The pendant above is the X-Day symbol, which makes parodic references to the year 1998, doom (but whose?), the inversion of the infinite, the ancient swastika and the surrealist pipe of Subgenius icon J.R. "Bob" Dobbs.

Because of her connection to the Church of the Subgenius, the judge removed Rachel's son from her custody and ordered both her and her husband to undergo psychological testing. 

Land of the free indeed.

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Halfway through the work week and getting a bit worn out?  Many churches try to help by holding a midweek prayer meeting, which gives people a chance to connect, encourage and recharge.

While the midweek meeting particularly thrives within more conservative churches, that is not always the case.  The picture above shows a rosary used in Wednesday meetings at San Francisco's Ebenezer Lutheran Church, a feminist community of faith.  The gold figure on the end is a woman, but it is not Mary or a saint--this is a Goddess Rosary.

At herchurch.org, the Church provides an extensive explanation of the theology behind the Goddess Rosary, from female metaphors of the divine to reconstructionist Christian feminism.  It also describes in depth  the midweek rosary prayer meetings, where people recite this variation on the "Hail Mary":

Hail Goddess full of grace. 
Blessed are you
and blessed are all the fruits 
of your womb.
For you are the MOTHER of us all.
Hear us now
and in all our needs.
O blessed be, O blessed be.  Amen

And blessed art thou, Jennifer Rose Emick of About.com's excellent Alt Religion site, for sending this link!

CONTROVERSY EXTRA:  Although the Goddess Rosary has been around for a while, it has recently become a cause celebre among more traditional Christian sites in the blogosphere.  Is the use of goddess imagery in Christian feminism "rank heresy"?  If the problem is borrowing from "pagan" imagery, is mainstream Catholicism's devotion to Mary any more orthodox?  And is laughing at people and calling them "kooky" the hallmark of Christian love?

I report.  You decide.

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This piece on the revival of Christian geocentrism has sparked the usual snark within the blogosphere.  But regardless of the shaky science, here at the B of G we're hard-pressed to deny the pop appeal of these geocentric knick-knacks.  So let's gear up to fight convention wherever it may lie--Copernicus is the new Pope!

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about satanic symbols and the Catholic Church*, but these guys aren't.  According to the documentary Rape of the Soul, images embedded in Catholic art exert a subliminal influence that leads to "deviant sexual behavior."  Says writer-producer (and devout Catholic) Michael Calace,

Artists from DaVinci to Botticelli have embedded subliminal images into their art for centuries. . .  In this case we found penises on crucifixes, anarchy symbols, swastikas, demonic faces and in modern works even the word 'sex' encrypted into the images. The works in question include modern artists' work currently on the covers of missalettes and hymnals that at this very moment sit in the pews of churches throughout the U.S. and on children's religious teaching aids.

Folks familiar with the history of such claims will recognize one of the experts quoted in the film:  Wilson Bryan Key.  In the 1970s, Key wrote a series of books exposing subliminal sex messages in ads and art.  Key's most well-known work is Subliminal Seduction; had he stopped there he might have enjoyed more long-term influence, but the sequels Media Sexploitation and The Clam Plate Orgy often bordered on self-parody, if not bizarre obsession. 

Plus ca change .  . .

*The upside-down cross is not only used in satanism, but is also a visual reference to St. Peter, who according to tradition was crucified upside-down.

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Q:  What do Bunker Hill, Gettysburg and Elvis Presley's Jungle Room all have in common? 

A:  They're all federally recognized historic sites!

Yep, that's right.  Yesterday Graceland, Elvis Presley's stately manor, officially became a National Historic Landmark.  Secretary of Interior Gale Norton and Presley's ex-wife Priscilla flew in to mark the occasion with an elaborate ceremony, which will no doubt help boost business at this flagging tourist trap public awareness of Graceland's importance to our nation's history.  

While this is indeed a moment that should lead all of us to reflect on how our lives "changed irreversibly because of Elvis" (quoth Norton), the event also reminds of the superficiality of honors accorded in the secular realm.  For a sign of real devotion, we need only look to the work of the man pictured above. 

As this story from The Hindu relates, Gajarajan is an Elvis fan in India who has made Presley an object of religious devotion.  He first garnered international attention in the mid-90s, when he placed a picture of Elvis next to other gods in a Hindu shrine.  Elvis, Gajarajan claims, was a reincarnation of the divine warrior Karna.  Now Gajarajan is working toward construction of an Elvis temple.

Mojo Nixon was right--Elvis truly is everywhere.

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So you see, if Liz Claiborne really were a satanist, her cross would have been upside down--like the Pope's!

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The hottest thing going in Fort Lauderdale this month is no doubt spring break.  But if you could pull yourself away from the surf and suds for a minute, you'd find there another attraction that at one time was a national phenomenom:

King Tut. 

The treasures of the Pharoah Tutankhamun are touring again, and they'll be in Ft. Lauderdale until April 23rd, followed by stops in Chicago, Philadelphia and London.  The first time this exhibit was in the U.S. it spurred a national craze--people flew in to Washington DC from around the country to stand in lines that went around the block. 

Today it still draws crowds, but even so it's not exactly emptying the beach.

Perhaps that's a good thing.  Now instead of ooohhing and ahhhing about all the gold, folks are engaging these relics on a deeper level, looking at them for what they say about ancient life and even modern faith.  

New times bring new perspectives.  For example, here's an article in today's Winston Salem Journal a rabbi notes the coincidence between the exhibit's current run and Passover this April.  The author raises questions few discussed openly during Tut Tour I, such as whether we should celebrate goods built on slave labor.

By contrast, here's a classic video from the 1970s, offering a nuanced analysis of commercialization:

Posted by jat at 10:39 AM | Permalink

Remember Jim Bakker?  In the 1980s, he was arguably the world's most successful televangelist--not only did he bring in millions of dollars a year, but he had his own broadcasting satellite and built Heritage USA, an opulent Christian theme park and residential community. 

His empire fell, however, when the local paper exposed a major scandal:  Bakker's ministry was paying hush money to a church secretary he had pressured into sex.  External audits soon revealed a host of other financial irregularities, and Bakker went to jail. 

Upon his release, Bakker built a new ministry on the foundation of his personal repentance.  In prison, he said, God taught him not to focus on money and worldly things.  Now . . .

Well, as I saw this morning when I discovered The New Jim Bakker Show on cable, now he peddles Christian jewelry. 

With friends like these . . .

Posted by jat at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

From an English page on a Chinese-language Tibetan website: 

"In Tibet, Buddhist believers think it a great and meritorious deed to make rosaries with their own skulls."

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Last Sunday, I posted a couple screenshots of Christian jewelry from South Park.  Last night's latest season premier satirized another religious group:  Scientology, which made South Park the target of its wrath because of this earlier episode.  

When you think about Scientology, jewelry is probably the last thing that comes to mind.  Tom Cruise, e-meters, the galactic warlord Xenu trapping souls in volcanos--whatever its faults, Scientology sure isn't boring.  It also has a long history of taking action against critics, from lawsuits to boycotts to, alas, apparently arranging the departure of South Park's beloved Chef.

Beyond all this, Scientology has a fascinating array of spiritual images.  Its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, used traditional religious icons to link Scientology the realm of faith, while giving them a slight twist to make them his own.

Wings, the cross, the sacred triangle--click around Scientology's jewelry page for brief explanations of how such symbols have been given new meaning in this new world faith.  The U.S. Navy (!) has more.  You'll even find jewelry not meant to be worn by the masses, such as the following gold bracelet reserved for people who, like Tom Cruise, have reached Operating Thetan Level VIII.

However, what you won't find explained on this site is why Hubbard designed the Scientology "S" as a fish hook.

Posted by jat at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This picture of a cross dangling above a Bible is not taken from a Christian art film.  It is actually a scene from The Notorious Bettie Page. 

What's a nice cross like that doing in a film about this iconic pin-up girl?  As the LA Times relates, Bettie Page is actually a born-again Christian who served as a counselor for the Billy Graham Crusade!  Expect the film to use Bettie's life to explore the tension between sex and religion, not just as a matter of personal conscience but as an issue in public morality.

Can a believing pin-up girl wear her cross without shame?  Well, here's a single evangelical guy who celebrates his celebate obsession with Bettie in her prime, and he thinks it's great that Bettie put the "carn" in "incarnation."  Bettie herself has had more ambivalence, but today at 82 she seems to have accepted her peculiar path.  Since she's the one who lived it we'll let her have the last word:

"Being in the nude isn't a disgrace unless you're being promiscuous about it," she said. She added with a laugh, "After all, when God created Adam and Eve, they were stark naked. And in the Garden of Eden, God was probably naked as a jaybird too!"

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What makes this Tibetan Buddhist rosary, or mala, different from the Catholic & Islamic rosaries seen so far on this site? 

Well, it has more beads--108, to be exact--but if it's just more beads you want, you can always buy a bunch of other rosaries.  No, what makes these mala special is the source from which they're carved.

A human skull.

Like any number of spiritual movements throughout history, Tibetan Buddhism incorporates reminders of mortality in its rituals & beliefs.  Modern-day skull chic reflects a similar impulse, and lest certain folks think this is a sign of rampant paganism, it would be good to remember that Christianity itself has a long tradition of skull & bone devotion.  In fact, this site sells a Christian rosary carved from Tibetan skulls.

Ain't ecumenism grand?

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Today Chicago dyed its eponymous river green.

Today, bars in New York opened at 9 a.m. so people could get lubricated before the big parade.

Isn't it time we put the "Saint" back in St. Patrick's Day?

Here's a piece of jewelry attempting to do just that: 

--a green-beaded rosary with a St. Patrick medal.

But that's not the half of it.  Once you learn his hidden teachings, the revolutionary message of Saint Patrick will deeply stir your soul.  In fact, it might even change the way you think about your life.

Too bad I can't tell it to you, because I'm about to go out for green beer!

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Yesterday I posted on Korean/American taoist medallions in anticipation of an upcoming game between the two countries in the World Baseball Classic.  After all, it would take a miracle for Mexico to beat the U.S. in the last remaining qualifier for the semifinals.

And then Mexico beat the U.S.

How could this have happened?  In retrospect, I should have realized that Mexico had a secret weapon:  milagros. 

Milagros--"miracles"--are religious charms that help make wishes come true.  With the help of this traditional feature of Mexican folk art, the players could pray to be more swift of feet and sure of hand. 

Then again, maybe it's just karmic revenge for the dubious call reversal in U.S.-Japan that handed the game to the Americans. 

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Well, at least until Saturday.  By beating Japan 2-1, Korea has for the moment forestalled the elimination of the U.S. from the World Baseball Classic.

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with the B of G.  The answer appears in the pins and medals in this post.  As we noted in an earlier post, the Korean flag features an image of the tao, the Far East's sacred symbol of dynamic unity. 

If the U.S. and Korea should meet in the semi-finals on Saturday, which will prove to be the dominant force in the great ying-yang of sports?  Well, since Korea has so far been impossible to beat, chances are that the U.S. will yin.

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The following sequence from Scary Movie 4 answers an important question here at the B of G: 

Who would win in a fight, the Blingdom of God or an alien death ray?

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The picture above features (sold out) hardwood jewelry based on a geometrical Islamic screen design.  Look familiar?

As illustrated by this chart from the latest issue of Seed, the star patterns we see in Jewish,  Islamic and Bahai design reflect how simple rules can give rise to complex patterns, such as the Sierpinski Triangle (lower left) and Koch curve (upper right) fractals.  The intrinsic bond between faith and geometry has fascinated religious philosophers for centuries, from Pythagorean mysticism and the Kabbalah to Islamic design and the Gospel of John.  In fact, as we'll be exploring more in depth on my other site, the word "logos" can be translated both as "word" and "ratio." 

In a very real sense, when jewelry designers plot a curve or angle in their meticulous designs, they are engaged in a time-honored sacred act--one that not only gives people a way to express their particular spiritual identity, but points toward a deeper unity we have yet to fully grasp.

EXTRA:

Readers interested in a more in-depth discussion of this theme should definitely click here. 

Posted by jat at 01:28 AM | Permalink

Words fail me.  Just watch this latest video from You Tube . . .

Rapping Pastor with Bling

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Believers the world over seem to have relatively little trouble discerning the mind of God.  Google's Adsense, however, exists on a noumenal plane that seems to defy the dictates of pure reason.  Below is screenshot of a Christian youth minister's blog to which Google helpfully appends ads for Wiccan jewelry.

Must have been the keywords "Blessed be"!

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According to this article in the latest National Jeweler, people buying jewelry today are looking less to signal status than to find personal meaning.  Shops that tell a story have an edge. 

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This week saw the beginning of the new HBO series Big Love, a soap opera serial drama portraying the lives of a Mormon polygamist family. 

The message of the show is pretty simple:  if you think marriage is tedious, well, being married to 3 people is three times as tedious.  Whether this is truly transgressive TV we'll leave for others to decide.  Personally, we're sticking with Passions.   

But that isn't to say that Big Love is completely without interest.  Whatever its success in crossing the line, for a program ostensibly about a Christian faith the show has a distinct lack of actual crosses used as decorations in worship, the home or personal adornment. 

This is not an oversight.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actively discourages using the cross as a spiritual symbol.  According to LDS leaders, the Church focuses on the resurrection of Jesus, not the means of his excruciating death.  As one popular explanation goes, we don't honor JFK by wearing rifle jewelry.

So what kind of symbols do we find on LDS bling?  Take a close look on the watch on the left & you'll see one that is well nigh ubiquitious:  the Angel Moroni, the divine messenger who revealed the long-hidden Book of Mormon to the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The makers of this watch tout it as the ideal gift for young LDS men, though chances are the recipient won't be using it to keep track of dates with multiple wives.  Under pressure from the U.S. government, the Church officially stopped the practice of plural marriage way back in 1890. 

Which is probably a good thing.  After all, if Big Love is to be believed, the demands of plural marriage make it pretty much impossible for anyone but Moroni to stand tall and blow his horn.

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Birds are singing, buds are blooming, people are jogging--even if spring hasn't sprung it is surging, and with it comes anticipation of one of the world's oldest and most influential holiday celebrations.

No, not Easter.  Eostre!

Neo-pagans around the globe have succeeded in reviving ancient celebrations of the Vernal Equinox, the formal start of spring.  As the Venerable Bede documented in his Ecclesiastical History, Eostre is the Anglo-Saxon goddess whose Eosturmanath, or "Eoster Month," the Christians copied to make Easter.  Today this pagan holiday is often known by its Germanic name, Ostara. 

The Ostara necklace featured today is a nice example of holiday jewelry designed to highlight the holiday's theme of rebirth.  The purple will be familiar to anyone who celebrates Easter, in which purple is the hallmark color signalling the turning toward new life.  Lotus blossoms underscore rebirth, as the flower rises from the mud toward the sky.

While neo-paganism might not be standard fare in the mainstream media, it has produced a wide array of jewelry, much of it made right here in the godsfearing USA.  Besides this pendant from North Carolina's Rosemary Thornton, check out this pendant from Balsamic Moon or, for unabashedly open pagan devotees, these Ostara earrings by Dryad Designs.

And don't forget the sacred eggs and bunnies!

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Where can you buy religious jewelry in Manhattan?  Actually, in more places than one might think.  Canal Street, the East Village and Broadway below Macy's are only a few hot spots where it abounds, from inexpensive mass-produced trinkets to hand-crafted exotic designs.  

But when people want spiritual bling, probably the last place they'd go is Times Square, until recently America's most notorious crossroads of iniquity. 

Nonetheless, nestled amidst the neon lights, musical theaters and theme restaurants there stands Manhattan's largest Christian bookstore, which thanks to its new owners is expanding both its floor space and its stock of "Christian doodads." 

And therein lies the tale.  As the store manager explains in today's NY Daily News, "the biggest change in this business" in recent years "is the availability of so many products besides Bibles."  Testa-Mint candies, Bibleman comics and yes, Christian jewelry now fill Timeless Treasures & help keep it in the black.

First the porn shops flee when Times Square gets Disneyfied, and now its long-embattled Christian store is expanding?  It sure is hard out here for a pimp!

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A little while back we talked about the Buddhist ritual of creating--then destroying--a mandala made of sand. The video below shows a snippet of the destruction ceremony.