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The Day After.Jun 07 '06 (Updated Jun 11 '06) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Haplesschild and a rundown of 6-6-06.
Well, folks, it appears that the Big End did not happen. No fire, no brimstone, no horsemen, and unless you count the release of Ann Coulter's book as proof of the Anti-Christ, it would appear we have all emerged unscathed. Despite the hype, this was a fun day, and I think it is worthy of it's own review! June 6, 2006, was different things to everyone. Some were sitting in Church all day, some were Epinioning, some were rocking out to a new Slayer album, some were trying not to give birth, and I am sure a few were still praying that Pat Robertson was actually on the plane that he owned that crashed earlier this week. Every major news outlet had to release a piece rehashing what was so evil about 6-6-06, and then many released other pieces bashing the hype surrounding the date..... sometimes on the same page. We were treated to bad movies, bad tv specials, and The Bad News According to Satan. Satan (at least the Church Of Satan) had a lot to say. For the first time since the terrible Geraldo days, reporters were lined up to get a quote from Magus Peter H. Gilmore, or any high-ranking member of the COS. They had quotes or focus stories appear on everything from an FX television special to the Wall Street Journal to NPR. Santa didn't get this much attention during Christmas. While this year was the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Church Of Satan, Magus Gilmore reminded the public that: "For Satanists, numbers are just numbers, and June 6, 2006 is a day like any other. We are amused by Christians superstitiously being afraid of this number, as well as the date-which is not mentioned in any scriptures. Since we enjoy mocking irrationality in all its forms, we embraced this day to have a celebration of our organization's freedom from such nonsensical fears." They mocked that irrationality by selling out the Steve Allen Theater in LA to card-carrying members of the COS for a huge Black Mass Ritual. Portland had its own little party. Besides the obligatory CD release parties from local thrash and metal bands, Rick Emerson, a local AM radio personality, drew a massive crowd with his, Horns Across Hawthorne, idea. Basically he wanted a ton of people to line up over the Hawthorne Bridge, and at 6:06 pm everyone threw up their fists and made the devil horns symbol with their hands. And they took a picture. Diabolical, huh? I hear it was a huge success, and afterwards there was a party complete with a "Pentagram of Prizes." There was also a big crowd for the laughable remake of The Omen. Everyone I saw it with knew that they were there to be ridiculous, and watching the movie was a little like sitting through a live production of Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you are wondering about seeing the movie after 6-6-06- don't bother. The novelty has already worn off, and it really isn't worth paying money to see unless you are guaranteed a flock of loud sarcastic evil people to watch it with. The streets and buses of Portland were full of talkative, happy people. I ran into several people who just wanted to talk about religion to anyone who was within earshot. One guy waxed ecstatic about the Bible Code phenomenon to a lady for several stops before figuring out that she didn't speak English and couldn't care less what he was saying. The sun was shining, the Rose Festival was happening, and various Church members were out at major Portland landmarks, such as Pioneer Square, handing out flyers reminding people that they needed to convert before The Beast made an appearance. The Church Of Scientology was also handing out free personality tests. Perhaps the guys with the flyers were onto something. Oddball Tattoo purportedly gave out free 666 themed tattoos. No, Mom, I did not go to Oddball Tattoo. I ended up far away from the obligatory bar parties and tattoo parlors. The Sekhet-Maat Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis (Wiki it if you don't know) was performing the "Celebratory Invocation of TO MEGA THERION 666!" It was open to the public, so I gathered up some open-minded friends and we went down there after seeing The Omen. After standing around for a bit in a room that was as much of a mix of people as I had ever seen, a man in a a robe and a mask came out and said, "It is 6-6-06... the day of the Beast....whatever the f*** that means...." I knew I was in good company. We then went into another room and got comfy on the floor. Soon I was witnessing an evoking of all sorts of wickedness, surrounded by other Portlanders who wanted a little more relevance to their Devil's Day. The ritual was a combination of OTO three rituals (for those keeping score at home, it was the Star Ruby, Star Sapphire, and Liber Samekh), with some readings from The Book of Lies. It was very well practiced- I am always in awe of people who can memorize long speeches- and they incorporated live drumming, projected images, and live participants to give a complete sensory experience. Everyone was passionate and serious without being somber or pretentious. And there were topless girls for people who wanted more than that. Near the end, when we were all raising our wine to toast Crowley, and we were all evolved people, I realized how happy I was to have found a nice balance to a day that was neither particularly meaningful nor entirely meaningless. I kind of wish it didn't take a number for people to get out and do interesting activities, or just be generally in awe to see other people out doing interesting activities. I realize that saying, "Make every day 6-6-06!" is cheesy and something that a lot of people aren't into, but I think we can all agree that a little eccentricity makes the world a lot more entertaining. Hope you enjoyed your day! (And thank you, Mobiprof, for keeping my tired and delirious @ss in numerical order)  |
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