Our Story
When the dominance of Capital appears absolute, the birth of a Church dedicated to the ritual destruction of money seems impossible.
And yet here we are.
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Solstice Burn 2024
CoB's Summer Solstice Burn 2024
As part of the We Don't Know What This Is (WDKWTI) event Church of Burn's inaugural Solstice Burn took place at sunrise on June 19th, 2024, on Hackney Marshes. WDKWTI gather on Hackney Marshes in London on Solstices and Equinoxes. Their invitation states "All Humans welcome. Bring your thing". Engagement with Ritual, Art and Creative activities is encouraged.
A quieter and much smaller scale Ritual than our usual offering, it was nevertheless a significant and moving experience for both Priests and Congregation. A glorious mid-summer sunrise over the misty marshes anchored the Ritual to the moment while simultaneously resonating with the Sacrifices of our ancestors. It was a portentous, spell-binding and exhilarating return for CoB after a fallow 2023. Entries totalling £100 and $5 were made in The Record of Burn.
CoB in Prospect Magazine 2024
CoB mentioned in Prospect Magazine
During the Covid pandemic Revd Jonathan was interviewed by the brilliant academic and author Rachel O'Dwyer for her book Tokens. The book has been very well received and has on occasion helped to introduce Revd Jonathan and Church of Burn to a new audience.
Dated January 20, 2024 but appearing in the March Issue of Prospect, The End of Money by Stuart Jefferies considers the possible consequences of the end of physical cash and draws extensively on Rachel's work. Cashlessness is a subject of great concern to Church of Burn and we have made our own intervention into the debate through our co-signed letter to the Bank of England's CBDC consultation. Jefferies made no contact with us but he does tell a little of our story in his piece.
The Thanatos Stone
The Revelation and Manifestation of The Thanatos Stone
In late September 2023, shortly before a gathering of magical practitioners at Cae Mabon in Snowdonia, a vision revealed a small black stone. This stone, The Thanatos Stone, was destined to be a conduit and container for negative energies. The vision was shared with the Mages ahead of their pilgrimage to Dinas Emrys.
During this sacred journey, The Thanatos Stone made itself known to the Mages and was brought back to Cae Mabon. It received its first negative charge at the gathering and was then placed among our Church's other artifacts. However, it soon became apparent that The Thanatos Stone was discharging its energy with mischievous and malignant effects.
A solution was found. Placing The Thanatos Stone atop the Crowley Stone allowed it to retain its negative charge. Now, The Thanatos Stone rests permanently upon the Crowley Stone, removed only for charging or intentional discharge.
The Resurrection of The Body
The Resurrection of the Body - and the Ethics of Liberation
"The Resurrection of the Body - and the Ethics of Liberation" by Rev Jonathan is a provocative exploration of Church of Burn's radical practices. The essay invites readers to reimagine their relationship with money, not just intellectually but also emotionally, spiritually, and existentially.
Woven through the essay is a deep engagement with the performances of Sarah Kershaw, who has been central to Church of Burn since joining in 2019. Through its overtly sexual nature, Sarah's performance of the "Union of Oppositions in Ecstasy" has brought to the forefront the concept of a Libidinal Economy—a radical rethinking of the links between sex and money. Rev Jonathan posits an intriguing analogy between society's moral frameworks for these two domains, suggesting that just as societal views on sexuality have evolved—from repression to a more liberated understanding—there is potential for a similar transformation in how we exist with money.
Drawing on the ideas of Norman O Brown, Rev Jonathan critiques how Capital has impoverished human experience by reducing it to economic abstractions, capturing our sensuality, creativity, and our very lives. In return, it offers us a commodified form of life—a simulation, an abstraction from life itself. We eat the meat but no longer kill the beast. Church of Burn reclaims those sensual, sacred, and spiritual dimensions. Our ability to embrace, assimilate, and live with loss defines us. We become who we are through our experience of loss more than through the accumulation of material things..
The essay also takes a polemical turn, challenging readers to confront their deep-seated assumptions. It argues that true sovereignty is found only in the present moment, unbound by future-oriented goals or the utilitarian logics that dominate modern thinking. The essay invites readers to engage in a deeper exploration of what constitutes true freedom, authenticity, and fulfillment.
"The Resurrection of the Body - and the Ethics of Liberation" is an invitation to step into a new space—one where money loses its grip on our imagination and where we can reconsider what we value most. Through its analytical and polemical stances, and its celebration of radical performance, the essay provokes a re-evaluation of societal norms, igniting a potential for transformative change beyond the constraints of utility and profit. This is an opportunity to challenge the status quo, confront the uncomfortable, and explore a new kind of liberation.
The Vestry
The Vestry
The Vestry began life in December 2023, originally titled CoB's Creation Diary. While the name has changed, the founding purpose remains the same. As of now, The Vestry is still hosted on our Church's Substack (churchofburn.substack.com). It is a space to discuss the trials and tribulations of creating and running a Church dedicated to the destruction of the secular world's most powerful totem.
Traditionally, a Vestry is the room in a Church where Priests robe and de-robe before and after Service. Here, after the ceremonial loosening of the dog collar, our Priests and their guests have the opportunity for the free and colourful expression of their thoughts.
'Vestry' is also the term for a Church’s guiding body—those entrusted with protecting the Church's vision and ensuring its steadfastness over time. They safeguard the core values that shape how the Church lives out this vision, manage financial integrity to secure the Church’s future, and support the High Priest in leading the Congregation. Additionally, the Vestry leads by example, modelling sacrificial giving to inspire a culture of generosity within the community.
Joe Lycett Might Kill Us All
Why Joe Lycett Might Kill Us All - and what he's got to do to stop himself
In the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, British comedian Joe Lycett made global headlines. By his own admission, his (fake) money destruction was the biggest stunt of his career. It captured so much attention that it even made its way into Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons—marking the first time money destruction was debated in Parliament.
At first, Church of Burn was thrilled. The public frenzy over money destruction was exactly the kind of discourse we had hoped to spark. Debates erupted: Should Joe donate the money to charity instead? Is it a total waste? Or a price worth paying to highlight LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar, the World Cup hosts?
However, when Joe later revealed that the shredding was a mere ruse, our excitement turned to outrage. The Emergency Ecumenical Council convened in response to the shockwaves reverberating through our community. At the Bishop’s extraordinary request, the High Priest, on behalf of Church of Burn, penned a public letter directly addressing Joe. It detailed how Joe’s actions had jeopardized the future of humanity, inflicted harm on our Church, and outlined the steps Joe could take to make amends.
Despite various attempts to engage Joe, no response has been received. However the letter represents a pivotal moment in both the history of Church of Burn and the broader narrative of money destruction.
'Defaced' at Fitzwilliam Museum
Defaced! Money Conflict Protest at The Fitzwilliam Museum 2022-23
In late 2022, Church of Burn lent an artifact to the Fitzwilliam Museum for their major exhibition, Defaced! Money Conflict Protest. The artifact on display was our Holy Pot of Ash—or at least a stand-in for it. The original Holy Pot, central to our rituals since 2015, had mysteriously gone missing for a couple of months, leading us to believe it was “hiding” from the prospect of being exhibited in a museum. This unexpected twist is detailed in Our Mythos.
Despite the substitution, the Fitzwilliam Museum was pleased with our contribution, which you can see in their exhibition video at the 4-minute, 50-second mark.
The exhibition, which ran from October 2022 to January 2023, featured an eclectic mix of contemporary and historical money art from the UK and beyond. It included works by all three Money Artists featured in Burning Issue. Opening night attendees included Justine Smith, CK Wilde, Bob Osborne (Cash is King 2), Dan Edelstyn, and Hilary Powell (Hoe Street Central Bank), as well as members of our Church.
The Secret Garden Party 2022
CoB at The Secret Garden Party July 2022
Church of Burn had long dreamed of bringing its Service and Ritual to a major festival. So, when Freddie Fellowes extended an invitation to The Secret Garden Party in 2022, we were over the moon. As one of the most renowned events in the UK festival scene, SGP had been on hiatus since 2017. With the pandemic having put an end to all UK festival plans in 2020 and 2021, by the time 2022 came around, everyone was more than ready to celebrate.
SGP, an independent arts and music festival held in Abbots Ripton, England, is famous for its stunning grounds with two lakes, its artistic flair, and its breath-taking fireworks displays. Church of Burn owes a debt of gratitude to the late Pete Loveday, an exceptional artist and cartoonist, who was instrumental in convincing Freddie that SGP needed a money-burning Church.
The festival’s decor team embraced our vision, transforming our main tent for Thursday's event into a sacred space with pews, lecterns, candlesticks, and a variety of religious artifacts. Additionally, we were granted a "small space" from where we preached the Word of the Burn throughout the four days of the festival.
Altogether, CoB took around 50 performers, crew and other staff to SGP. We delivered a vibrant daytime cabaret, curated and produced by Michelle Watson and hosted by comedian Andrew O'Neil. In the evening, we led a procession from our small space to the main tent, centered around our newly constructed Altar. We then held our Service and Ritual. This was followed by our inaugural “After Burn” party, DJ’d by the legendary Kermit Leveridge.
Who Killed The KLF?
The Birth of CoB Captured in Documentary on the KLF
If you know Church of Burn, you probably know The KLF. There’s a strong case to be made that without Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty’s infamous sacrificial act on Jura in 1994, our Church might never have existed.
Who Killed The KLF? took nearly a decade to reach audiences, delayed first by the director’s five-year prison sentence for tax fraud and then by a protracted copyright dispute. When the film finally became available on streaming services in 2022, none of us at Church of Burn expected to see ourselves on screen.
To our astonishment, the documentary featured footage from our very first event at the Cube Cinema in Bristol in 2015. Look closely, and you will even see The Staff in action for the first time at a CoB ritual! [All Hail, The Staff!]
Festival of Money 2021
CoB's Festival of Money 23-25 July 2021
Church of Burn’s most ambitious event to date took place during the first weekend free from national COVID restrictions, from the 23rd to the 25th of July 2021. Some safety measures were still in place at The Cockpit Theatre, with social distancing observed by the audience, staff, and performers.
The Festival of Money spanned three days, filled with daytime and evening events. A dedicated space in one of The Cockpit’s Studios hosted an Art Exhibition throughout, showcasing works by among others the late Jamie Reid, Gig Depio, the late Pete Loveday, Justine Smith, CK Wilde, and Stacy Lee Weber. A catalogue of the artworks was produced in the form of the Burning Issue Supplement. The exhibition culminated in an auction on Saturday evening, with proceeds donated to St Mungo's homeless charity.
Friday, 23rd July: Money and Climate
The Festival opened with CoB’s $MACK DOWN in the main auditorium, inspired by a series of discussions with Nika Dubrovsky & David Graeber's Museum of Care. The evening featured a Synod with Clare Farrell (XR), Dr. John Morris (Warwick Uni), and Vinay Gupta (Mattereum), exploring the perilous state of our planet and the destructive nature of our current relationship with money. CoB’s Service and Ritual followed, featuring the debut of the CoB Arkestra, which brought a new musical dimension to our hymns. Carrie Thompson, as Melusine, sang "Exist for Love" while Harriet Waghorn and Carmine De Amicis performed the poignant Broken Token Dance. As ever, the night concluded with a Ritual Sacrifice.
Saturday, 24th July: Money and Art
Saturday’s focus shifted to Money and Art, with Brighton-based artist Shardcore leading a seminar and workshop on NFTs in the afternoon. He later joined the evening Synod, hosted by Michelle Olley, alongside Daisy Campbell, who filled in for the Covid-stricken Professor Nicky Marsh. The Service was a spellbinding experience, with artists and speakers delivering captivating performances. A small change in the schedule saw the Ritual follow directly after Sarah Kershaw’s ‘A Union of Oppositions in Ecstasy,’ without an intermission.
Sunday, 25th July: Money, Community & Society
The final day centered on Money, Community & Society, featuring a presentation on the Brixton Pound by Charlie Waterhouse and a workshop titled "Let’s Make the Paddington Pound!" by Myra Stuart. The evening began with a ‘Bardic Synod,’ featuring powerful recitals from Geoff Winde, Michelle Watson, and Tommy Calderbank. The Service brought another rich tapestry of performances, including a heartfelt rendition of "Across the Universe" by Tim Arnold, which resonated deeply with the congregation. The Festival concluded with our last Ritual, followed by a moving performance of "Times Like These" by Fayann Smith, Kate Alderton, Carrie Thompson, Isabella Steinsdotter, and the CoB Arkestra, led by Rob Burnham.
Burning Issue Supplement 2020/21
Burning Issue Volume One Special Edition SUPER DELUXE Supplement 2020/21
Launched in tandem with the Festival of Money, this 38-page Supplement served as a multi-faceted guide: a programme for the event, a catalogue of our Money Art Exhibition, and an essential update on all things money-burning. Edited by the dynamic duo of Jonathan Harris (editing and producing) and Jonathan Greet (designing), it features an obituary for Bapu (Hugh James Davey) penned by Christopher Stone. This heartfelt tribute is illustrated with a special £23 note, uniquely crafted by Harris to honour Bapu’s memory.
The heart of the Supplement is the remarkable collection of MoneyArt displayed at Church of Burn’s exhibition. Artists featured include the legendary Jamie Reid, Gig Depio, Justine Smith, Stacy Lee Weber, CK Wilde, BrixtopiaArt, and the late Pete Loveday. Pete contributed a hand-painted Russell £23 ‘Nowts’ note from the Bank of Last Resort — possibly the last time Russell appeared in his work before Pete’s passing in 2024.
The Supplement is rounded out with dedicated sections on Fashion and Ritual. With only 200 copies in the first print run, it has quickly become a collector's item.
While individual copies have sold out in our shop, a limited number of twin packs of the Burning Issue SUPER DELUXE + Supplement remain available. View the twin pack here.
Burn Your Money Documentary
Burn Your Money: A Short Documentary
Just before our 2019 event at the Cockpit, Church of Burn was approached by Jak Hutchcraft with a proposal to create a documentary for Vice. We agreed to the project under one strict condition: no film crew in the Ritual space, and absolutely no filming of the Ritual itself. Vice, however, considered shots of the Ritual essential and chose not to proceed with the project. Jak, undeterred, decided to take it on as an independent endeavour.
Jak and his collaborator Paul joined us for the Synod, Service, and Ritual as members of the congregation. While they did manage to capture some sneaky phone footage (a reminder: no phones in the Ritual space, please!), we granted them access to the Altar once the Ritual had concluded to capture the shots they needed.
The documentary features interviews with Rev Jonathan and Daisy Campbell from Church of Burn, along with various members of our congregation. Jak also took to the streets, interviewing members of the public about their thoughts on the radical act of burning money. Like many projects during 2020, the editing process was delayed by COVID, but the film was finally completed and released in late spring 2021.
Jak and Paul's film captures a pivotal moment in the story of our Church. It is a testament to the intrigue and provocation that money burning brings to the public consciousness. "Burn Your Money" is more than a documentary; it’s a reflection on our complex relationship with currency and a window into our Church's unfolding journey.
What Happens When I Burn Money?
What Happens When I Burn Money?
This long academic essay (20k words) delves into the intricate and often unsettling question of what truly happens to money when it is burned. By focusing on the money itself rather than the person performing the act, it unveils profound insights into our conceptions of money and the ideologies that shape them.
The exploration begins with a categorization of the dominant logics surrounding money: Economic, Accounting, and Financial. Each framework offers a distinct perspective on the fate of money when it is destroyed. The essay meticulously examines these viewpoints, revealing their contradictions and limitations.
Next, the focus shifts to the functions of money—medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value—the conventional definitions that dominate mainstream understanding. An ontological and historical scrutiny of these functions exposes an underlying illogic and irrationality, raising a critical question: what purpose do these functions truly serve?
Transitioning from these frameworks, the essay investigates the intersections of money with theology and psychoanalysis. Traditional economic and scientific approaches often overlook the mystical and transcendent dimensions of money. Philip Goodchild’s 'Theology of Money' is referenced to argue that a true understanding of money requires acknowledging these deeper aspects.
The discussion then circles back to the central issue of money’s duality. Historically, money has been perceived both as a commodity and a social relation. Insights from early Greek philosophers such as Parmenides and Heraclitus enrich this exploration. David Graeber’s suggestion in 'Toward an Anthropology of Value' posits that we needed first to believe in Parmenides’ notion of a fixed, unchanging reality to appreciate the ultimate truth of Heraclitus’ idea of constant flux. Our struggles with money are mirrored here. We experience it as a thing but understand it as a process. The opposition of the visceral and intellectual, of matter and mind, are the core misalignment that explains the limitations of economic thought and the insufficiency of mainstream conceptions of money
Here, at this nexal point of dynamic conflict we can find the profound value in Simmel’s insight that the fundamental quality of money is ambivalence. It can contain oppositions and, indeed, multitudes. And so the question of what is money reveals itself as an infinite loop. The essay regrounds itself by a reminder that our focus must shift from the impossibility of dispelling the mystery of money toward the immediate challenge of how we can better live with it. And this of course precisely describes the mission of our Church.
This essay is available exclusively to subscribers to The Vestry.
Burning Man Online 2020
Burning Man Online 2020
COVID halted everyone's in-person festival plans in 2020, but the yearning to celebrate life, dance, and engage in Ritual remained strong. Despite the Zoom fatigue setting in, our Church eagerly seized the opportunity to connect with the Burner community. Burning Man in the Multiverse was the online iteration of the iconic Burning Man Festival, which is usually held in the Black Rock Desert. Church of Burn was invited to participate.
Although it wasn’t quite the same as being there in person, in 2020, it was all we had. On the 5th of September, from various locations in the UK and abroad, £80 was burned in simultaneous Ritual Sacrifice.
Biennale de l’image Possible 2020
Burning Issue & TMBM at Biennale de l’image Possible’
The Cabinet of Economic Curiosities was curated by Unbewitched Finance for the Biennale de l’Image Possible in Liège, Belgium. We proudly contributed the Burning Issue SUPER DELUXE magazine, The Money Burner’s Manual, and a Church of Burn Crew T-shirt. Our items were displayed alongside contributions from renowned artists such as Goddin + Senneby and The Yes Men.
Unfortunately, COVID restrictions prevented any members of the Church of Burn from attending the opening night. Nevertheless, it was a great honor to have our work featured in such a prestigious art exhibition.
Submission on CBDC Design
Submission to the Bank of England on CBDC Design
In March 2020, the Bank of England released a discussion paper on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), inviting responses from the public and other interested parties. As a Church that deeply values the role of cash, we at the Church of Burn believe that a cashless society would be detrimental in many ways—not least because it would deprive us of a physical medium to burn in our Rituals. We felt it was essential to respond to the Bank’s request for engagement.
Rev. Jonathan composed a letter outlining our concerns, which you can read below. Our central argument is that CBDCs should be designed to allow their bearers to destroy them. This is effectively the case for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, where the loss of a private key is equivalent to the destruction of a banknote—in both cases, the bearer can no longer access the value represented.
We were heartened by the level and quality of support we received for this submission. The late Nigel Dodd, then Professor of Sociology and Department Head at the London School of Economics, was the first to offer his co-signature. Nigel is the author of one of the greatest contributions to knowledge on theories of money with his 2014 book The Social Life of Money.. Noam Yuran from Bar Ilan University also quickly endorsed our letter. His book What Money Wants and the forthcoming "The Sexual Economy of Capitalism" are regarded as some of the most significant contributions to the field of Libidinal Economy in the 21st century. Co-signatory Rachel O'Dwyer's debut book Tokens, which explores Money Burning and Rev. Jonathan's ideas, was longlisted for the FT Book of the Year award.
Our submission also received strong backing from the artistic community—the beating heart of our Church. In short, there was resounding support for our simple proposal: that the bearer of a CBDC should have the ability to destroy it, effectively removing it from circulation permanently. You can find the full list of co-signatories below.
Despite our letter being endorsed by such prominent voices, it appears to have been overlooked. The Bank's published 'Summary of Responses' makes no mention of our contribution or the idea we believe is essential to ensuring that CBDCs serve as instruments of liberty rather than tools of repression.
CoB at The Cockpit 2019
L-R, T-B 1. David Graeber speaking at the CoB Synod 2019. Photo by Jonathan Greet. 2. Sarah Kershaw's first performance of The Union of Oppositions in Ecstasy at CoB Service 2019. Photo by Jonathan Greet. 3. Rear of flyer for CoB 2019. 4. Rev.Jonathan conduct the Ritual at CoB 2019. All Hail, The Staff. Photo by Jonathan Greet.
CoB at The Cockpit 2019 - Synod, Service, Ritual
2019 marked a pivotal event for our Church. Though the elements had been present in nascent form since the beginning, this was the first time our event format explicitly incorporated the Synod, Service, and Ritual.
It was also the first time the Church faced the possibility of a protest. A charity advocate contacted the theatre, announcing they would stand outside with members of the homeless community. Their belief was that charitable giving stands above sacrifice in the moral economy. The Church of Burn issued a statement in response, and ultimately, no protest occurred.
The event took place on December 8th, 2019—just eleven days before the 2019 General Election, where Jeremy Corbyn stood for Prime Minister. It was also the year that Extinction Rebellion made a global impact. For many, the sense of imminent social and political change infused the atmosphere of our event. A significant shift in daily life did indeed follow just months later—though it arrived in the unwelcome form of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Synod
Brett Scott hosted the Synod. Brett, author of Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for Our Wallets, has long been a friend of the Church. He has even held his own money-burning rituals, and currently runs the Altered States of Money platform.
Our three Bishops were David Graeber, Vinay Gupta, and Dan Edelstyn. The question posed to them: How do we save the world?
- Dan Edelstyn and his partner Hilary Powell ran the Hoe Street Central Bank in 2019, an art project that culminated in the Bank Job film and the blowing up of a transit van filled with ‘debt’ in front of Canary Wharf.
- Vinay Gupta, a technologist and futurist, is best known as the release coordinator for Ethereum and inventor of the Hexayurt shelter. He has been a supporter of our Church for many years.
- The late David Graeber was an esteemed academic and activist, instrumental in the Occupy movement and author of pivotal books like Debt: The First 5000 Years and Bullshit Jobs. His work captured public imagination in ways few academics ever do.
The Synod was as informal as it was intellectually stimulating. Each Bishop had 15 minutes to share their thoughts on saving the world. David Graeber, the final speaker, posited that money burning could be seen as a form of "disenchantment" —the breaking of a spell. He concluded that humanity’s future lay in replacing the categories of Production and Consumption with Care and Freedom.
Service
Alongside our usual Sermons and Hymns (provided by the ever-brilliant The Naked Grace Missionaries), the Service featured two firsts:
- Melusine’s Confessional, written and performed by Carrie Thompson (Hermetic Arts), opened the Service. Beforehand, the congregation had been encouraged to write down their “money sins” and place them in Melusine’s Confessional box. During the Service, Melusine read a selection of these sins, inviting the Sinners to the Ritual space to discuss their penance —and, where appropriate, offer forgiveness.
- Sarah Kershaw concluded the Service with The Union of Oppositions in Ecstasy —a visually and sonically intense act of sex magic. Her story and performance are detailed in The Resurrection of the Body and the Ethics of Liberation, available exclusively to subscribers of The Vestry.
Ritual
Much of our Church’s company (priests, actors, and crew) had recently returned from a pilgrimage to Damanhur, where they learned a sacred language expressed solely through dance. They memorised a sequence of movements for the phrase, 'Show us so we can understand.' As the congregation entered the Ritual space, eight members of the company performed this sacred dance in welcome.
Rev Jonathan invited Wil Hurst to join him in the initiating burn, and many members of the congregation followed in making their own sacrifices. The air grew heavy with smoke and ash, charged with an undeniable magic. In total, just under £1,000 was put to the flame. After the ritual, a bottle of Jura was shared among those who wished to partake.
CoB at Damanhur 2019
Church of Burn at Damanhur April 2019
In April 2019, a group of 69 Pilgrims embarked on a journey from the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset—a chalk figure famously known for its 7-foot erection—to CERN in Geneva. This Pilgrimage is aptly named "Cerne2Cern" or, playfully, "Hardon2Hadron." It was birthed by the imagination and will power of Daisy Campbell and the dreams of Kate Alderton.
On their way to Geneva, the Pilgrims spent two days in the spiritual community of Damanhur in Northern Italy. After exploring the Temples of Humankind and performing for the community, Pilgrims offered their sacrifice in an open-air Church of Burn.
The full account of this extraordinary journey, titled Barefoot in Bollingen and Dreaming is available exclusively to subscribers of The Vestry.
Visions Of Albion Conference
Text Coming Soon
CoB at The Cockpit 2018
Church of Burn at The Cockpit 2018 - Midnight Burn
On Saturday, November 3rd, 2018, Church of Burn welcomed John Crow as Guest Ritualist for a special Midnight Burn. John Crow, also known as John Constable, is the Urban Shaman celebrated for his transformative work at Crossbones Graveyard in Southwark. That night, he led our congregation in a powerful ritual to “Banish Phatty,” a figure consumed by the insatiable desire for money and material goods. The congregation participated with deep intention, making the ritual a truly collective magical working.
The evening also marked the debut of The Naked Grace Missionaries with Church of Burn. Their spiritual, gospel-infused indie-folk sound, coupled with a provocative performance that confronts the darker aspects of sexuality, resonated deeply with our Church's ethos and aesthetic. Rob, Fayann, and Bella have since become an essential part of Church of Burn, performing as the Naked Grace Missionaries and also producing, directing, and playing for the CoB Arkestra.
Adding to the event's richness, money art in the form of defaced currency was on display. Fresh from a successful exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, Rebel Not Taken (aka Bob Osbourne) showcased numerous provocative pieces from his collection. The night moved toward a fiery climax as Rev Jonathan burned a 'Lucky Dollar Bill' donated by perhaps the world’s most renowned living money artist, Mark Wagner. This immolation opened the ritual space, where around £660 was sacrificed.
Burning Issue SUPER DELUXE 2018
CoB on Deutschlandfunk Kultur
CoB at The Cockpit 2017
Jura Pilgrimage 2017
Jura Pilgrimage 2017
The following is an extract from Wil Hurst's report on the Jura Pilgrimage which appears in Burning Issue Super Deluxe;
While The 400 were having the time of their lives in Liverpool, four pilgrims where battling through the long wet grass and swamps, being eaten alive by 130 specie of midge and wearing out their sodden feet, in search of the fabled Boathouse. With its standing stones and ancient burial places Jura is a mythical place; it was visited by Ulysses during his Odyssey; it is home to graves of the Knights Templar; on its remote northern shore is Barnhill where, George Orwell, close to death and beset by creative demons, wrote feverishly in his race to finish 1984; it was on Jura the KLF burnt a wicker man ; and, of course, Jura was where the K Foundation burnt a million pounds.
It’s a long trek from Welwyn Garden City to Tayvallich, via Nottingham and Alloa, but The Holder of The Staff has no choice in these matters, he is at The Staff’s bidding. After hours of driving we parked up in Tayvallich and transferred our camping gear to the ferry. There were no other passengers so the ferryman was keen to leave once we got there. His little boat bounced across the water at speed, the ferryman knew that he had to get us there ASAP. Timetabled for an hour, the journey took three quarters. A seal (or was it a mermaid) was swimming in the bay. It saw us arrive and left. We set up camp on the lawns of the Jura Hotel. There was a large welcoming committee of local midges and it was starting to rain. [All Hail the Staff! x2]
Once we had pitched camp we went for a little look around Craighouse. We had soon seen the Jura Hotel, the Jura distillery and the village hall where Bill and Jimmy first showed their film.
Back at the campsite we ate chilli, a pilgrimage first night tradition. A stag wandered along the coast and up into the camp field. It was cautious of us but didn’t run away. After a bit the midges said “go to the bar”, it seemed like a good idea. There is a large painting on the wall in the Jura Hotel bar, a mad scene with a lot of colourful characters including a stag standing at a crowded bar and a man with a shotgun, taking aim. We ordered some local beers; one had an aftertaste like camp coffee. On returning to our camp we tried to be sociable but the midges drove us to retire early. I went to sleep to the sound of hand claps as midges that had penetrated tents discovered their mistake.
Next morning was showery, the Paps where in cloud. There had been a plan to climb one of them but that had been ditched as it looked like a serious hike and could detract from the business of the 23rd. After breakfast we went for a walk out of the village. There were little piles of stones dotted about this part of the coast. One, with flowers, definitely looked like a memorial, the rest ranged from looking like kids creations to something more spiritual. There was also a family of swans gliding across the sea. None of us had seen Swans on salt water before.
We walked back to Craighouse for lunch. We called in the Distillery shop for a browse. There were whiskies of different ages. One was 22 years old, tantalisingly close. The Holder of The Staff [All Hail the Staff!] asked if there was a 23 year old whiskey. No, but the 22 year old was bottled last year, so it is now 23 years old! It was also a limited edition and cost £120 a bottle!
After lunch we went to find the old cemetery. We wanted to look for the Knights Templar graves we had heard were there. We walked inland, away from the coast and towards the Paps, which looked grey and foreboding. The cemetery had long grass that was very wet. Our boots and feet got sodden. There were gravestones ancient and modern. Some lay flat and were so weather-worn that we couldn’t read anything on them. The Templar graves must have been amongst them. The graveyard also contain the ‘Campbell Mausoleum’ - the burial place of the Campbell Clan who controlled Jura from the early 1600s until 1938, when the last Campbell left the island.
AUGUST 23rd 2017 started with a storm. I woke to the sound of rain hammering on the tent. Then everything lit up for a moment. Shortly after there was a thunderclap. I checked the time, it was 2:30. I lay for a while listening to the rain and thunder while the tent was lit by the flashes of lightening. After a bit the storm passed, I got out of the tent, occasional flashes out at sea showed where the storm was. I went back to my sleeping bag. When I woke the next morning it was a sunny day.
We knew the Boathouse was in the grounds of Jura House, which was now owned by an Australian hedge fund wizard. He was building a luxury golf course and apparently was having the Boathouse done up as a club house....(cont)
To read the full article buy the Burning Issue SUPER DELUXE magazine.
TMBM 2nd Edition
The Money Burner's Manual - 2nd Edition
The 1st Edition of The Money Burner's Manual was completed in just three months; between the Overhill Grove Ritual on 23rd of August 2015 and the Cube Cinema Burns on 22nd November 2015. Only 23 copies were produced in a ring bound A4 format. All of these were given away except for a single copy kept by its author, Revd Jonathan.
The ambition to write a more polished version of the text - and to publish it in a standard book format - was finally realised a couple of years later. The 2nd Edition is the key text for understanding the backstory of Church of Burn and ideology of money burning.
Below is the Prologue Money and Time :
“Beyond doubt: a secret connection exists between the measure of goods and the measure of life, which is to say, between money and time.”
ON SUNDAY EVENING, 23rd August 2015 in a clearing in Overhill Grove, an ancient elm wood near the village of Knapwell in Cambridgeshire, I put LD37 959355 £10 and LE13 591276 £10 to the flame. Angela joined me with CB70 408977 £20. The burnings took their most ritualized form yet. I found it a deeply moving and potent experience. The Ritual was a whirlpool, manifesting a perfect energized stillness - a nothingness - around which time flowed. Being within it was wonderful.
Over the last few years, the idea formed in my mind that in its most perfect form money burning would be the constitutive element of temporality rather than an event marking a moment in time. In other words, one would burn not because it’s the 23rd of October (or August, or whenever it happens to be) rather, it would be that day because one burns. I felt there was something more here than merely turning around my thoughts. My intuition was that the ‘secret connection’ between money and time had to do with ritual.
We readily accept that time is marked by all sorts of rituals; in our days by morning coffee and afternoon tea, in our years by Christmas, Easter and all manner of high days and holidays, and in our lives by birthdays, marriages and funerals. We just assume, as a matter of course, that humanity floats along in a river of time and that these rituals are the ripples we create. Both science and philosophy have questioned our assumptions about time and within a few rarified strains of metaphysics and some extensions of psychoanalytical theory there has been speculation about how redemptive cycles are constitutive of our temporal experience. Even so, such intellectual understandings whither in the face of time. Its onslaught is relentless, seemingly paying no regard for our conception of it.
However. The Ritual stood steadfast against time. At least, that’s how it felt. There was no confrontation and no diversion, time just slipped past as if The Ritual were invisible and unknowable to it. And there was more. Something of the ‘secret connection’ between money and time was revealed. That revelation was not of a form that could be taken from The Ritual and expressed to you here through the medium of language. But rather, it is inherent to The Ritual itself. All I can do for you is offer a contradiction; a representation of the unrepresentable.
You can purchase the hardback here, or the softback here.
Poetry Can F**k with Your Finances
Poetry Can F**k Up Your Finances
Conceived and compiled by Dave Wybrow and Daisy Campbell Poetry Can F*ck Up… comprised three events based around the work of Heathcote Williams. These were created in collaboration with Roy Hutchins, who, along with the loose-knit collective, The Poetry Army, had previously toured the nation with Poetry Can F*ck Off—guerrilla-style performances of Williams’ powerful work.
The Cockpit staged Poetry Can F*ck Up The Truth (29th May 2016), Poetry f*cks Over Migrants: WORLD ON THE MOVE (4th December 2016) and Poetry Can F*ck Up Your Finances (23rd October 2016). The 23rd October date was significant as, for nearly a decade, it had been Revd Jonathan’s annual ‘money burning day’.
Although Heathcote Williams was too unwell to attend in person (he passed away on 1st July 2017), he was fully supportive of the unique mix of poetry and money burning. He even ordered several copies of Burning Issue Special Edition magazine, released for the occasion, and sent a handwritten note to Revd Jonathan, expressing his excitement about such a radical publication. That note is now among Revd Jonathan’s most cherished possessions.
Alongside Heathcote Williams poetry, the script also drew on Hakim Bey’s TAZ: The Temporary Autonomous Zones and the first edition of Revd Jonathan’s The Money Burner’s Manual. There was also music and performance. As Melusine, Jacqueline Hague ejaculated coins from between her twin tails to shower the audience in gold. Revd Jonathan led the Ritual, and the immolation of £283 was recorded in the Record of Burn. Although, as is often the case, the actual immolation figure was likely higher.
Ben Nevis put under The Staff 2016
![Ben Nevis placed under The Staff [All Hail, The Staff!], 2017](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0080/3992/3779/files/Ben-Nevis-002-web.jpg?v=1725829818)
![Ben Nevis placed under The Staff [All Hail, The Staff!], 2017](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0080/3992/3779/files/Ben-Nevis-001-web.jpg?v=1725829818)
The Money Flame
Festival 23 Burn 2016
Book of Horkus at Crossbones
Finance and Society Conference 2015
What does it feel like to burn money?
Cube Cinema Bristol 2015
