Cult classics: the faded glory of California's fringe sects – in pictures
Half a century ago, you could barely walk down the street in California without tripping over some kind of fringe spiritual sect or cult-like group. Pretty much every famous organization, guru, and spiritual trend of that era had ties to the Golden state – from the Maharishi to the People’s Temple, the “Moonies” to the New Age.
Now, with the exception of some Scientology buildings and the occasional Hare Krishna devotee, you almost never encounter fringe spiritual groups from that California golden age.
Some of the groups violently disbanded or their members died under horrific circumstances. Others slowly faded away, pushed out by California’s rising cost of living, or made obsolete by the fact that many of the things that made them appealing were absorbed into the mainstream: Fortune 500 CEOs now regularly attend Burning Man and crystals and Himalayan salt lamps can be purchased at Target. (The more nefarious side of fringe spiritual belief is also becoming increasingly mainstream, as seen in the rise of QAnon.)
But some of California’s fringe spiritual groups are still out there – little pockets of commune dwellers, transcendental meditators and UFO worshippers dotted around the state.
I’ve been documenting their headquarters and places of worship.
The Aetherius Society
The bookstore at the Aetherius Society, an organization founded in the 50s by a man who claimed he was able to channel messages from an “interplanetary parliament” in outer
space. Below: the gate at the Aetherius Society.
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The Isis Oasis sanctuary
The Isis Oasis sanctuary in Geyserville, California, is home to a group that’s been around since the 70s and worships the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. Above: a “Hobbit hut” at the sanctuary. The building is one of several properties the group is renting out through Airbnb. Below: the sanctuary.
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The Ann Ree Colton Foundation of Niscience
The Glendale, California, headquarters of the Ann Ree Colton Foundation of Niscience. Niscience was founded in the 1950s and mixes aspects of Christianity with eastern religions.
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The Unarius Academy of Science
A window display at the Unarius Academy of Science in El Cajon, California. Members of the group, which was founded in the mid-50s, believe in aliens and past lives, and used to make trippy films that were shown on local public access television. •••
Morningland
The Long Beach, California, headquarters of Morningland, an almost 50year-old spiritual group with a focus on meditation. Below: statues of Buddha at Morningland monastery.
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The ‘I Am’ movement
A sanctuary in downtown Los Angeles for students of the “I Am” movement, a religious organization that has been around since the 1930s.
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The Museum Rosicrucian
Egyptian
Exhibits inside the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California. The museum is run by members of the Rosicrucian order, a spiritual movement that dates back to 1600s Germany and thrived in the US in the early 20th century. Members of the group believe the ancient world holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe.
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The Lemurian Fellowship
A framed map of the lost continent of Mu inside the headquarters of the Lemurian Fellowship in Ramona, California. Members of the group follow a philosophy that they believe originated on Mu, which sank beneath the Pacific Ocean thousands of years ago.
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The Self-Realization Fellowship
A sign in the parking lot of the Self-Realization Fellowship’s complex in Hollywood. The organization, which focuses on yoga and meditation, has several properties around the state.
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The Krotona Institute of Theosophy
The Krotona Institute of Theosophy, a residential community and spiritual center that has been in Ojai, California, since the 1920s.
••• Full Circle
The former headquarters of Full Circle, a “a guru-free, sacred space” in Venice, Los Angeles, that was led by the actor Andrew Keegan of 10 Things I Hate About You fame. The center existed from 2014 to 2017 but was forced to close as the result of rising rent.