Hale-Bopp And Wind Chimes, Recipe For Annihilation

Context can be merciless to some of our most soothing soundscapes

Photo by Helen Potter on Unsplash

…in a way. Yes in a way. As Heaven’s Gate cult has become a hot buzz of yours truly for the last five or six years, the last time I rewatched my array of documentaries about Marshall Applewhite’s UFO cult, I noticed something significant in what I was hearing when there are no narrations or monologues: the sound of wind chimes.

Wind chimes in the light of day symbolize meditation, yoga, feng shui, patio, balcony, or your front yard. They carry a calm surrender to nature. There is absolutely no violent element to them. Well, that is until you use it in a documentary about the biggest mass suicide in the United States. Even if you are aware of Heaven’s Gate, its bitter apocalypse, and its charismatic Christ-like leader, I strongly recommend you watch any documentary about the group and notice the arcane Stygian and claustrophobic function of wind chimes as the background sound. See how far context can travel? Context is a murderer. It’s all in your head!

I don’t know how risky it is to become infatuated with Applewhite’s speeches (I know for a fact it is mortally risky). Knowing the bleak fate of the cult, you should inherit a great deal of religious superficiality to fall prey to this dangerous mind…