Cult or Just Weird

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- This episode: so fun, it's scary. Kayla & Chris wrap up their Halloween themed topic and decide if it's a cult, or just weird. --- *Search Categories* Business --- *Topic Spoiler* Spirit Halloween, pt2 --- *Further Reading* Spirit Halloween Wikipedia Spirit Halloween facts on Mental Floss Bloomberg article on Halloween pop-up shops E-clincher Spirit Halloween article Vox Spirit Halloween article Spirit Halloween Know Your Meme Business Insider article Spokesman article Inverse article The Prowler article Blogpost about Spirit Halloween Red and Black article about Spirit of Children Halloween Forum post about working at Spirit Halloween Medium Article about gentrification & Halloween stores Forbes: Spirit Halloween's Scary Good Strategy Newsweek article about offensive costumes ABC article about Slenderman costumes Forbes: Halloween stores account for half of Spencer Gifts' revenue --- *Patreon Credits* initiates: Michaela Evans cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- What do crustaceans, ghosts, and apocalypses have in common? Kayla and Chris welcome in the spooky season with an on-theme episode. --- *Search Categories* Business --- *Topic Spoiler* Spirit Halloween, pt1 --- *Further Reading* Retail apocalypse Wikipedia Vox retail apocalypse article Spirit Halloween Wikipedia Twisp River Joe Marver arson details Joe Marver's new gig Spirit Halloween Know Your Meme Spencer Gifts Wikipedia Household Name podcast - Macy's episode --- *Patreon Credits* initiates: Michaela Evans cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Don't forget to make your bed, brush your teeth, and contemplate your mortality. Chris & Kayla take a break from talking about cults to discuss life insurance. ... Just kidding on the first part of that sentence. --- *Search Categories* Business; Anthropological --- *Topic Spoiler* Woodmen Life & Modern Woodmen --- *Further Reading* The Peculiar History of Life Insurance Woodmen Life Modern Woodmen Scientific American article on rituals --- *Patreon Credits* initiates: Michaela Evans cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- "It's no use going back to yesterday," said Alice, "because I was a different person then." Kayla & Chris (or possibly their persona-tulpas created by their past selves?) traverse further into the wonderland realm of the imagination. --- *Search Categories* Internet culture; Common interest / Fandom --- *Topic Spoiler* Tulpa Community, pt2 --- *Further Reading* COMPILATION OF ALL HOST/TULPA REDDIT RESPONSES 2018 r/tulpas census Qwanri's headmates Is God a tulpa? NY Times article: Conjuring Up Our Own Gods Ask Siouxsie tumblr Koomer & Oguigi R/tulpas post re: leaving the community

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- The real question is not whether our creations think, but whether we do. Kayla and Chris learn about the strange and endless limits of the human imagination. --- *Search Categories* Internet culture; Common interest / Fandom --- *Topic Spoiler* The Tulpa Community, pt1 --- *Further Reading* r/Tulpas Tulpa.info Vice article Globe and Mail article Science Friday series Prime Mind article Hearing Voices Network

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Creativity is a verb, not a noun. Chris & Kayla tackle a rough one today (content warning: white supremacist extremism). But we promise if you stick through to the end of the episode, we end on a much nicer note. --- *Search Categories* Destructive; Conspiracy Theory --- *Topic Spoiler* Creativity White Supremacist Organization --- *Further Reading* https://www.lifeafterhate.org/ https://pmo.gov.et/greenlegacy/ https://emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/ https://www.ecowatch.com/google-science-award-irish-teenager-2639623184.html http://www.thatdragoncancer.com/

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Is there anything more ritualistic than a meal? Chris and Kayla go out into the field and do some deliciously weird research in order to answer this episode's question. --- *Search Categories* New Religious Movement; Business --- *Topic Spoiler* Loving Hut --- *Further Reading* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_Hut Vice article LA Weekly article Phoenix New Times article My Recipes article Supreme Master Ching Hai herself Supreme Master TV

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- What is the truth of pink? Chris & Kayla decide it's high time to interview some experts on the show. And there are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Special thanks to Nancy Carlson, and Tracy Coenen of http://www.pinktruth.com/ for giving their time & insights to the show! --- *Search Categories* Popular Episode; Business; MLM; Destructive --- *Topic Spoiler* Mary Kay Cosmetics --- *Further Reading* MLM Wikipedia article Mary Kay Wikipedia article http://www.pinktruth.com/ http://www.responsetopinktruth.com/ CBS News- Is Mary Kay a pink pyramid scheme? ^ Texas Monthly asks the same question ^

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Have you ever wanted to be your own boss? Make your own hours? Have the financial freedom and success you deserve? Chris & Kayla start tackling a whole giant subcategory of cult-or-just-weirds. Tell at least two friends about the podcast and you'll become a diamond tier listener! --- *Search Categories* MLM; Destructive --- *Topic Spoiler* MLM Primer --- *Further Reading* The Dream podcast MLM Wikipedia article Samantha Bee clip John Oliver clip Vanity Fair article Anti-MLM reddit The Office clip

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Seek and you will be found. Chris & Kayla finally disagree on the cult conclusion about a mysterious group that sends its followers on wild goose chases around the internet - and beyond. --- *Search Categories* Popular Episode; Internet Culture --- *Topic Spoiler* Cicada 3301 --- *Further Reading* Uncovering Cicada Wiki (for all pics, esp of Liber Primus, go here) r/cicada 3301's Reddit 3301's Twitter 3301's first phone message The Instar Emergence Nox Populi's YouTube channel Rayy.'s YouTube channel

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Cult or Just Culture? This episode's topic has "cult" in the name, so case closed, right? Wellllll... we'll get to that. --- *Search Categories* New Religious Movement; Anthropological --- *Topic Spoiler* Cargo Cults & John Frum --- *Further Reading* John Frum Wikipedia article SJSU article Slate article Smithsonian Magazine article Atlas Obscura article Skeptoid transcript Scientific American article Topic Magazine article

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Primum non nocere. It's part two of CoJW's take on the Teal Swan New Age & self help business empire. --- *Search Categories* New Age; Business; Internet Culture; Destructive --- *Topic Spoiler* Teal Swan, pt2 --- *Further Reading* NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 1-800-273-8255 CRISIS TEXT LINE Teal Swan Youtube Teal Swan website Wayback Machine The Gateway Podcast Oh No, Ross & Carrie Podcast (check their episodes "Synchronize with Teal")

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Did it really happen the way you remember? In CoJW's first two parter, Kayla and Chris tackle a surprisingly huge topic - and peel back the many layers to try to understand an interesting but dark persona made famous on the internet. --- *Search Categories* New Age; Business; Internet Culture; Destructive --- *Topic Spoiler* Teal Swan, pt1 --- *Further Reading* NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 1-800-273-8255 CRISIS TEXT LINE Teal Swan Youtube Teal Swan website Wayback Machine The Gateway Podcast Oh No, Ross & Carrie Podcast (check their episodes "Synchronize with Teal")

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- How much would you spend to make it real? Chris brings an unexpected organization to the table in this week's episode. Prepare for the story of too much money, betrayal, pascal's wager, and the charismatic leader of.... a video game. --- *Search Categories* Business; Common interest / Fandom --- *Topic Spoiler* Star Citizen --- *Further Reading* https://robertsspaceindustries.com/ https://cloudimperiumgames.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Citizen https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/ https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen_refunds/ Gameplay footage we talked about on the show (watch from 25:25 to see how smooth the transition is from first person mode to starship mode) https://www.gametruth.com/editorials/the-cult-of-star-citizen-heralded-our-current-dystopian-internet/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/12/14/with-100m-in-crowdfunding-star-citizen-may-not-be-a-scam-but-it-feels-like-a-cult/#5e294e58130d

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- How much do you really know about the place you live? Kayla and Chris get geographical and tackle a topic that stretches the definition of cult to its limit. Or does it? --- *Search Categories* Business; Anthropological --- *Topic Spoiler* City of Irvine, CA --- *Further Reading* https://www.cityofirvine.org/ Irvine on Wikipedia https://www.irvinecompany.com/

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- What the @#$% do we know? In their 2nd episode, Kayla and Chris dig into another topic with a personal connection - and it all stems from one little bleep'n movie you may have heard about. (and the quantum flapdoodle runs deep) --- *Search Categories* New Age; Science / Pseudoscience; Business; Destructive; Conspiracy Theory --- *Topic Spoiler* Ramtha's School of Enlightenment --- *Further Reading* RSE on Wikipedia What the Bleep on Wikipedia https://www.ramtha.com/ https://whatthebleep.com/ Guess who's a big Trump fan?

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out? Come join us on discord! --- Have you ever worked somewhere that had bizarre secret history? Welcome to the first episode of Cult or Just Weird! In the premiere, Kayla and Chris notice a loose thread that, when pulled, just keeps unraveling... ...but is it a cult, or just weird? --- *Search Categories* Popular Episode; New Religious Movement --- *Topic Spoiler* Best Friends Animal Society --- *Further Reading* Wikipedia article on the Process Church The Process Church on charlesmanson.com