In a small French village in the Pyrenees called Bugarach, something strange is going on. Itinerate newcomers are camping out in the forests in tents, yurts, and caravans. Locals report seeing groups of stark-naked hikers surmounting nearby peaks, and bizarre rituals taking place in the woods. Properties have been scarfed up over the past few years, and aerial surveys show some of the new owners are building bunkers. Rumors swirl about ex-Prime Ministers taking helicopters to the summit; the Mossad excavating for the Arc of the Covenant; intergalatic alien wars about to come to a head in this tiny mountain village.
What the fuck is going on?
Entre Les Zozotériques
Dozens and dozens of respected international news outlets – from Le Monde to Time magazine to the NY Times – have reported on the strange goings-on at Bugarach. According to the reports, masses of new age/hippie types have been descending on the bucolic village in increasing numbers over the past few years. Locals call the newcomers the Zozotériques, or “esoterics.” These Zozotériques believe that a nearby local mountain called the Pic du Bugarach is a magical place – a place with one of the strongest chakra energy flows on the planet.
But many believe it is something far more. On Dec 21st, 2012 (or possibly Dec. 12th) – the end date of the Mayan calendar – an alien spaceship will land on the flat-top mountain (others believe that the spaceship is already buried in the mountain and will rise at that date). Those who “read the signs” correctly and are in the area will be spirited away to a new planet, while the Earth is left to crumble into space dust.
fin du monde ou pas?
While that’s an interesting story, the full story of what’s going on in Bugarach is a thoroughly post-modern tale. The people in the story are watching themselves being watched and are adjusting their behaviors. The streams of Zozotériques are matched by streams of reporters and government agencies investigating “suicide cults.” The villagers themselves are adapting, as innkeepers, shopkeepers and property sellers adjust rates upwards. Some seem to wish all the hippies would just go home, while others seem eager to embrace the “weird” – to rebrand their town as a sort of Euro-Roswell.
This week, Networks of Doom is going to investigate the Zozotériques of Bugurach.
