January 2015
An immersive theme party that was also a series of initiation rituals for an underground hedonistic cult. The premise: Years ago, a bunch of students majoring in Applied Mechanics at The University were combing through the library stacks for a big research project. They stumbled upon an ancient text containing secret information that in no way pertained to their studies. This text led them on a journey to a hidden cave, where they unearthed evidence of a hedonistic secret society. The Philadelphia chapter of The Pantheistic Antedeluvian Secret Society of Astro-Metaphyiscal Geocentric Esoterica was thus established. Guests were invited to collect talismans, taste exotic foods and potions, navigate a garden of earthly delights, and compete for the coveted Crown of Lupercalia.
RITES OF PASSAGE
The Pantheistic Antedeluvian Secret Society of Astro-Metaphysical Geocentric Estoterica (P.A.S.S.A.G.E)
is accepting new members.
Perform the rites, collect the talismans, join the society.
Part treasure hunt, part hedonistic party, part ritual — a secret society opens its doors to new initiates for the first time in 50 years. Navigate a garden of earthly delights as you collect talismans, taste exotic foods and potions, and discover mysterious shrines. Only one initiate will capture the coveted Crown of Lupercalia!
WHERE: HEADLONG STUDIOS, 1170 South Broad Street
WHEN: 8:31PM, JANUARY 24th til 12:01AM JANUARY 25th
ADMISSION: $5-10, all rituals and delights $1
Change will be provided, but initiates are encouraged to bring lots of one dollar bills.
The Pantheistic Antedeluvian Secret Society of Astro-Metaphysical Geocentric Estoterica (P.A.S.S.A.G.E)
P.A.S.S.A.G.E., in its current form, was established by radical Theosophists in the 1850s, but members claim its roots are much older than that, stretching back to times before the flood, on the now-submerged continent of Lemuria. PASSAGEans believe that humans can achieve a Heightened State and connect to the magnetic fields of the planet — manifest in earthquakes, volcanos, weather patterns, and forest fires. Just as all underground caves and water sources are connected, so too are all forms of life, as well as all TIME. In Heightened State, PASSAGEans can actually bend time itself. The first initiate to experience time travel was Napthalia Du Pré, in her 1851 initiation ceremony. She found herself in Pre-Roman Italy, in the Lupercal cave, face to face with the She-Wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus. In subsequent rituals, she traveled to such diverse times as the height of the Mongolian Empire, the waning of the Tang Dynasty, and the Napoleonic Wars. To commemorate her journey, PASSAGEans choose a Lupercalia Queen every winter who drinks the milk of the She-Wolf.
FUN FACTS:
PASSAGE is a matriarchy, even those leaders who identify as male have taken on a female name to lead the cult.
Every PASSAGEan takes on a new name when entering the cult, bestowed by their Sponsor Initiate after a visionquest. They are only called this name by their fellow initiates.
Lupercalia is the most important holiday in the calendar, in which mind-altering substances allow initiates to connect with the magnetic flow of TimeSpace, and move more freely within it.
The symbol of PASSAGE is the wolf, and the society operates as a wolf pack, hence the lead female is called the Alpha.
PASSAGE GREETINGS:
Greeting: A holy darkness is truly shining
Response: From these our mortal eyes.