Mysteria Misc. Maxima: February 24th, 2012

Mysteria Misc. Maxima is a weekly feature which brings together links on religion and esotericism from around the internet.

• Kosher? There’s an app for that. (HuffPo)
• The pope’s decision to add 22 cardinals to the Vatican’s roster suggests he may be curtailing his role as God’s chief instrument. (NPR)
• Speaking of, the pontiff wants to meet Fidel Castro during his March visit to Cuba. So, uh, good luck with that. (Reuters)
• Mormons gain new recruits from baptizing the dead. In related news, Fidel Castro is now Mormon. (Religion News Service)
• Biblical criticism can be a labyrinthine maze, here’s a diagram using cutlery to make understanding the perennial best-seller easier. (St. Eutycus via Exploring our Matrix)
• Magic? In my Christianity? It’s more likely than you think. (History of the Ancient World)
• A Muslim modelling agency represents models who don’t want to walk the catwalk half-naked. (Guardian)
• Stonehenge has some strange acoustical phenomena, spontaneously combusts drummers. (Live Science)
• Add this to your eight-fold path: Compassionate one-night stands. (Shambhala Sunspace)
• Carol Christ eulogizes Merlin Stone, the woman who gave a whole new meaning to the book of Genesis. (Feminism and Religion)
• Sex-negativity, religion and rape. (Sex Positive Thelema)
• The Phoenix Rising Academy offers distance courses on Western esotericism. Why not check it out? (Phoenix Rising)
• Photographer Alessio Delfino takes on the tarot and the shots are extremely gorgeous. Also, totally NSFW. (Alessio Delfino via Chainsaws and Jelly)
• Why do different magical systems depict Ezekiel’s cherubs, uh, differently? (Diary of a Persecuted Occultist)
• Is finding your HGA fundamentally an induced traumatic experience? (Head for the Red)
• Finally, forget diversifying your portfolio, successful business mavens rely on astrologers to boost their bottom lines. And yes, this article is in Forbes magazine. (Forbes)

Photo by suttonhoo.