(rooster crowing) (monster roaring) – Welcome to “Good Mythical More.” Let’s explore some of the strangest cults ever. – But first let’s give $1,000 to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which provides services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy in areas such as health, social services, education, leadership, and advocacy. Now listen, sometime later this year the Mythical crew is participating in the LGBT Center’s Big 5K in order to raise critically-needed funds that will leave a lasting impact on the community, and our team’s goal is to raise $10,000. So please, if you’re able to, of course, all of this goes to the Center. We’re not raising it for ourselves. We’re doing it on behalf of the Center. But if you want to support Team Mythical and support the LA LGBT Center, go over to lalgbtcenter.org/mythical, y’all, come on. – Mythical! Okay. We have these paddles that say Illuminati and Illumi not i. – And we got these chickpeas ’cause we like ’em. – Yeah, chickpeas. – Just ignore the fact that we’re eating ’em. – Trying to get that blood taste out of our mouth. – [Stevie] So, you know, I feel like. – We know. – [Stevie] Our collective cult knowledge is pretty good, like, we been dabbling in cult knowledge for a secret cult we’re joining and starting. We’re starting it and then, by default, we will be joining it. – We do a lot of cult research. – And that’s not a joke. – [Stevie] Yeah, but yeah. I’m gonna tell you about some cults. You’re gonna tell me if they’re real or not. – Okay. – [Stevie] The Cosmic People of Light Powers. A cult based upon the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations who can communicate with the cult’s leader. Members believe that 95% of our bodies are controlled by forces of darkness and most of us can only break through the darkness to control one appendage of our bodies at a time. Which appendage do you think the men choose to control? (Rhett chuckling) That’s written for me to say. – That’s your joking voice? – [Stevie] Yeah. – I thought it was fake until you started talking about appendages. – Yeah, I think it’s real, but the name is stupid. – [Stevie] It’s real. I thought you guys would get this one. – Well, the name was so stupid, I kinda. – ‘Cause it’s that one in London, right? I mean in England. – [Stevie] Members believe in an alien named Ashtar who has millions of spaceships orbiting the earth and in 2007, it was reported that the cult sent instructional CDs on how to defend against attacks from evil extraterrestrial entities to the Slavic Ministry of Defense. Then the cult’s leader, cult’s founder, Ivo A. Benda, was given the airtime to state this on TV: If you were attacked by a lizard man from an outer world, the Ministry of Defense should defend the people, shouldn’t it? Or do you consider those lizard people as friends? – What’s his name? – Ivo. – [Stevie] Ivo Benda. – Ivo Benda. – We knew an Ivo. Growing up, the superintendent of Harnett County Public Schools. – Was an Ivo? – His name was Ivo Wortman. – I would not remember that. But now that you’ve said that. – Ivo Wortman. I haven’t thought of that name in a long time. He was in a cult. Okay, next one. – [Stevie] The Dogmen of Sedona, an all-male cult in Arizona who believe they were dogs in past lives. They walk on all fours, sleep on the floor, and wear collars. The FBI stepped in after a member bit a postal worker. – That’s really funny, but it’s not true. – I’ve been to Sedona a couple of times. – Sedona is home to many. – Vortexes. – Vortexes, so, a big vortex. – Spiritual vortex. But yeah, I walked on one of them. No, there’s multiple vortices. – But isn’t there one really, really good one? – Well, not the one I went to, because it was just a rock formation and I enjoyed it. – You gotta know how to. (crosstalk) – I didn’t feel probed or enlightened. – You gotta get naked. – It was kind of cold. So yeah, this has gotta be fake. – [Stevie] Yeah, it’s fake. – I don’t think you could. I mean, Sedona is the place to try something like that out, though. – [Stevie] I was, you know, reading about men pretending to be dogs on all fours does bring me back to, you know, to another episode that we did a while back. I’m not remembering it fondly, but I do remember it. Have you guys erased that from your mind? – Trying to be a dog? – [Stevie] That’s okay. Let them in the comments talk about it. – I don’t know what we’re talking about. – [Stevie] The foot reading cult. A Japanese cult whose leader claimed to be the reincarnation of both Jesus Christ and Buddha. He claimed that he could diagnose any problem by looking at a person’s foot for roughly $900. – Oh. This seems true to me. – Price tag for everything. Thought you were going to say, “Look at a person’s foot for roughly 900 minutes.” – You give me 900 minutes and I’ll have a diagnosis. – That’s a lot of time. – How much is it? Oh, it’s free. – Foot reading. Yeah! – Yeah, foot reading cult. – Let’s do it. – I’m into this. – [Stevie] It’s real! The foot reading cult, also known as Ho No Hana Sanpogyo, went bankrupt after the leader was arrested in the year 2000 and sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraudulent claims, including the ability to diagnose life-threatening diseases through examining feet. – Oh, you mean that part’s not real? You mean he’s real, but his foot thing really didn’t work? – [Stevie] Yeah, and then there is a Quentin Tarantino joke. – I want to hear it. – Yeah, let’s hear it. – [Stevie] I bet Quentin Tarantino is kicking himself for not coming up with this scheme. – You know, there’s a HBO Max documentary on Heaven’s Gate. I started watching that. Very well-made. I haven’t gone back to it yet, but it’s freaky. Just trying to divert attention away from your joke. Next one. But yeah, I think I recommend it. – Yeah, I’ll watch a few episodes. – [Stevie] The True Way Cult. They believe that the solar system was created by a nuclear war that happened 4.5 trillion years ago. The cult disbanded after a failed prediction that God would appear on American television on March 31st, 1998. – Where were you on March 31st, 1998? – I appreciate the effort here with the, uh. – The prediction. – The years, and then the prediction. – Yeah, that’s bold to say. – But I think that’s why I think it’s fake. – Yeah, I think they typically don’t over-commit in such a testable fashion. – No, they do all the time. – Oh, they do? Doesn’t matter? – Yeah, they say this specific thing is happening on this specific date, and then it doesn’t happen. – Then I think it. – That’s like the quintessential cult thing, to say a date, and then it doesn’t happen, and then they come up with some reason it didn’t. – But they disbanded. – I still think it’s not real, though. – I’ll say it’s real. – [Stevie] I was 11 years old. I was on the brink of middle school greatness, but I was still probably, I’m guessing, in the fifth grade, if that’s the appropriate grade to be in when you’re 11. I don’t know. I don’t have children and I don’t have a great memory. – You might be in sixth grade. – [Stevie] It’s real. – It is real? – [Stevie] Prior to the cult’s disbandment, its founder also falsely predicted that he would find a Jesus of the West, who would resemble Abraham Lincoln. – I’ve always thought that would be the case. – [Stevie] The cult reportedly took residence in Garland, Texas because it sounded like “Godland.” God land. And wore all-white clothes and cowboy hats. Hey, I like that. I like that. Give me an all-white outfit with a cowboy hat. – That is cool. That sounds like a Stevie’s goin’ out kind of outfit. – [Stevie] That’s actually, in our cult that we are doing and joining, that should be part of it. – Cowboy hats and all-white clothes. – Cowboy angel. All right. – [Stevie] The Open Doorway cult. This cult believed that all doors led to a different dimensional timeline. If you walk through any door, you have no say in what happens next. Members of the cult either slept outdoors or allowed leaders to encase them in shelter-like tents. (Rhett laughing) – To get rid of the doors? They wore tent clothing? That’s really creative and also not true. – Yeah, there’s no way. I mean, this is. – [Stevie] Yeah, it’s not true. (Rhett laughing) – It’s funny, though, I’ll tell you right now. – Any door. – You know. – Any door. – Depending on what theory of the multiverse you subscribe to, I mean, every time you go through a door there’s a version of you that didn’t go through that door. There’s a version of you that, like, hit your head on the doorframe. – That becomes a branch, everything. Every single thing becomes a branch. – [Stevie] You know those, what do you call it if, I don’t know, if you’re on a highway. And you can take an exit. – Driving. (Rhett sneezing) – [Stevie] But that exit has, like, two ways to go and one way puts you back on the highway? – A fake out exit. – [Stevie] No, you know what I’m talking about, though. And sometimes in LA, if you know where those are and there’s, like, backup traffic, you might choose to do that ’cause it skips you up. – That’s illegal, Stevie. – Bless you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. – I always, the ones that I know of, it always enters my mind that if I make that choice something different could happen in my life. – Well, you know what, you’re right. – ‘Cause there’s a Stevie that didn’t take that. There’s a Stevie that did take that. – [Stevie] Exactly. – Which Stevie do you want to be? – [Stevie] Exactly. Full Circle! – It could be life or death. – [Stevie] Exactly. – Hey, Stevie. – [Stevie] Yes. – I just want to take a second to ask them to check out our podcast, “Ear Biscuits.” – Oh yeah, we should do that. – We talk about ourselves. – And other things. – But it’s cool. – I mean, it’s not just about ourselves. I mean, a lot of it is. – We talk about other things, too. We talk about you. We put out prompts on Twitter and then we discuss what you tell us. So if you want that level of interactivity and insight in our personal lives, as well, check our “Ear Biscuits” wherever podcasts are found. – [Stevie] Full Circle is the name of this cult. This is a recent cult located in Venice Beach, which is in Los Angeles. Led by B-list actor and 90’s heartthrob Andrew Keegan. The Full Circle cult believes that time is a circle moving all around us and in the center is now. – Who’s Andrew Keegan? – [Stevie] Oh, you know, he was like the hot guy from “10 Things I Hate About You,” who did all the underwear and sock modeling and was very attractive? – I know that there was, yes, it’s this guy. Yes, this is real. – [Stevie] They believe in the healing powers of crystals and they were fined for serving illegal kombucha. If California were a cult, this would be it. – 100% true. – Yeah, I heard about this guy. – [Stevie] Yeah, me too. – And I kind of like the idea. Time is a circle all around us and in the middle is now. – I’ll go to any meeting with some kombucha. Especially if it’s illegal kombucha, which basically just means it’s probably more alcoholic. Of course, what do they put in their kombucha? – I think that maybe it’s just you don’t have a license, a kombucha license. They’re tough to come by. I looked into it. – [Stevie] My fun facts include the fact that I just said about his role in “10 Things I Hate About You,” but specifically mentions that scene where he’s by the locker and he has the two headshots. In one he’s wearing a white t-shirt and the other one he’s wearing a black t-shirt, and he’s like, “Which do you like better?” To what’s her name, Alexis something, who was Alex Mack and also in “Mad Men.” Facts. – And she’s also in a cult. – [Stevie] Well, let’s not go that far. We could also talk about other people in “Mad Men” who are in cults, so. The Sands of Time cult. – Good name. – [Stevie] This cult started as a self-help program with a concentration on organization techniques. The leader believed that any tasks could be completed within the time allotted by an hourglass as long as the hourglass was filled with volcanic sand. The seminars eventually turned into retreats and then into a commune with over 600 members. Members have been known to volunteer and assist in extreme hoarding cleanups. (Rhett laughing) – I love all the pieces of this, but again, this is from the mind of a comedian. – Christy and I should start this. We’re going to take that name and we’re going to get the volcanic sand. – Sands of Time. – That would be our thing: organizing? – The cult that just shows up at your house and organizes. – Yeah, also known as a business. – But no, but you do it for free. – [Stevie] You’re right. It’s not real. – That’s a good idea though. – Should be, though. – [Stevie] That’s all I have. I’m sorry. – Oh, really? – [Stevie] Were you waiting for me? That’s all I have. – I wonder who, do we know who came up with that organizing cult? Because I want to invite them to be in my me and my wife’s organizing cult. – [Stevie] I believe it was Emily, unless someone wants to chime in the chat and tell me I am incorrect. – She’s into that Marie Kondo stuff? – [Man] It was Emily. – Is Emily on? Is she around? – [Emily] I’m here, but please don’t make me clean. (Rhett laughing) – [Link] Get the latest quarterly collectible item, the Mythical Snackiverse Lunch Box and Thermos Set, by joining the Mythical Society 3rd Degree Quarterly or Annual Plan by March 31st. – [Rhett] Visit mythicalsociety.com.