Faith in the Cube reaches an unexpected peak as the festive season (pick any religion) approaches.
By LUCAS VOORHIES
The Brotherhood of the Six has announced that it is no longer accepting new participants for its annual Restitution of the Cube celebration at its Old Town temple. According to Sister April Flynnt, the Brotherhood has received a record-breaking response for the traditional three days of meditation and reflection. "This year, it's just unbelievable," she said. "We've made new spaces available, and then those have been booked solid, too. ... We hate to turn away anyone who has a desire to be with us during this holy time, but we simply don't have any more room."
She indicated that the Brotherhood is working with the Council to add additional sites for community meditation, as an alternative for individuals who could not reserve space within the temple proper. A list of those sites should be available by Tuesday of next week.
Flynnt said that the record numbers coincide with a general resurgence of interest in traditional Perplexian values and traditions that has overtaken the city in recent weeks. "Learning some unpleasant truths about the Receda Cube shook the faith of many," she said, "but we've been working to remind our congregants that our belief is much deeper and older than the Receda Cube alone. The Cube is a perfect expression of squareness, but it isn't an object of worship. Now the people are remembering that."
Her twin, Sister Golda Flynnt, added that people often feel drawn toward the faith in troubled times. "This is a hard time for the city, for all of us," she said. "Now more than ever we need to be here for each other."
The turnaround in participation is surprising, coming shortly on the heels of a steep drop seen in November. The Flynnt sisters say that the dramatic turnaround began in early December. "It makes us very glad we didn't scale back our expectations for this year," said April Flynnt.
Related reports from Earthworks indicate that sales of replica items for sundry Earth holidays have been anemic this year. "Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, none of it is moving this year," said owner Mitchell Alba. "I'm considering discontinuing those lines for next year, unless something drastic changes."
