Propaganda Hour at the Vanity Blog! This week: T.O.P.Y. !!!

Welcome to the first weekly installment of Propaganda Hour! Propaganda Hour! will dedicate itself, once a week to bringing you a different report on the most pertinent, pure, and diversified information regarding occult oriented activity in the USA and beyond! Past, present, and future!  I will be taking this time and opportunity to speak with you all about Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth (aka T.O.P.Y.) Hello and Welcome!!

T.O.P.Y. was created primarily by the makers of Psychic TV although I am unsure as to which preceded the other. It is a loosely federated network concentrating on bringing an awareness to ritual in a contemporary setting. An "occult-y" network more than anything. For this reason it is associated mostly with artistic collectives, practitioners of magic, and psychedelically oriented musicians. Their official website "Statement Ov Intent" claims: "We are an organization dedicated to updating and de-mystifying religious thought.", while denying any claims to unchallengeable truths, finite answers or dogma. For those of you more interested I recommend reading this.

In order to achieve one's own highest creative expression, TOPY advocates awareness and analysis via deconstructing our own methods of religious or artistic practice whatever they may be. A strongly anti-authoritarian group, cross fertilization is key to these apocalyptic self created culture warriors; much of their online literature is dedicated to lamenting the nihilism of the present age and emphasizing the importance of manufacturing your own self empowering personal meaning. Their online library struck me as totally bizarre in light of this. Imagine what happens when postmodernists who truly believe in "magick" attempt their own cultural critique. I can't decide whether or not its stupid or awesome, but its definitely a mindfuck! And I get this suspicious feeling thats what the entire thing was created to be.

For this reason I find most philosophically oriented TOPY writing frustratingly vague, and the strictly intellectual side of the organization as a whole - though exciting - a disappointment. What do the Psychic TV videos do or say that the TOPY organization does not?


I bet the founders of T.O.P.Y. made videos like this when they were 14 or so, unless they took themselves more seriously..

A Christmas Present

My friend J said I was the inspiration for this fine video he created as a Christmas gift to me. I'm honored!

More Jim Jones

My obsession with dear J.J. has evolved into a full fledged investigation into his following, and a series of drawings I intend on posting here soon. Until then I have included the first of a video series on youtube made by T.O.P.Y. (The Temple of Psychic Youth) for your enjoyment. They are composed of photographs and audio clips from his sermons, and I think they present an interesting side of J.J's own psychology.

Some nice quotes :

"What you need to believe in is what you can see...If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend. If you see me as your brother, I'll be your brother. If you see me as your God, I'll be your God."

"We are nonviolent people but we are extremely dangerous. Isn't that right?"

And my personal favorite :

"You don't know how clever I am, one thing you all have done is underestimate me."