Difference between revisions of "Hymn of One"

Revision as of 03:32, 13 August 2007

Note that the Creators have indicated by email that Bree's religion, to the extent that it is a religion, is not a real world religion but rather a fictitious creation that draws from a number of influences. To the extent that real world religions are referred to in this section it should be solely for the purpose of showing what influence was drawn from the groups. Certain religions may take offense by elements of the LG15 story line so please approach this subject with that in mind.

In the early videos

Bree's religion was not directly stated in the series until months after she had been on the run. Many used to believe her to be a member of a Thelemic religion of some sort or Argenteum Astrum, as a picture of Aleister Crowley is prominently featured in her bedroom. Moreover, the word Thelema is written in Greek (Θέλημα) at the bottom of the page at lonelygirl15.com. However, Darbyite Designs also appears at the bottom of the page, a reference to the Plymouth Brethren. Crowley was raised in the Plymouth Brethren sect. Both of these references then might not be references to her religion, but to Crowley instead. But also note the head scarf she wears. This is something female Plymouth Brethrens wear when out in public.

Bree spent a long time preparing to undergo a ritual ceremony related to her religion. In The Ceremony Is Tomorrow :) Bree tells us that the ceremony will take place on October 12th, 2006 which is also Aleister Crowley's birthday.

In Daniel, Be Careful... Bree talks about the importance of the secret nature of her religion. Aleister Crowley also talks about secrecy, but the very word "occult" comes from the latin "occultus" meaning "things secret or hidden". It is often used in the medical field, such as "occult bleeding", which would mean bleeding that is not obvious to the naked eye.

In I'm Hiding Out, Daniel described Bree's religion as a cult.

In Learning Egyptian, Gemma claims that Bree's religion is not a Thelemic religion at all but a secret society called the Order. The common occurrence of blood rituals in necromancy may also give us a clue.

There have been frequent references to The Occult in Bree's videos.

The Hymn of One

Screenshot from hymnofone.org.

In Losing My Religion, Bree for the first time talks (somewhat) openly about her religion. She says that her mother was introduced to The Hymn of One by a university professor when she was studying at Edinburgh. This religion turned out to be merely a front for the Order, or as Bree puts it, "the recruiting arm". Whatever the Order does, it executes quietly on the side. Bree has not yet expanded on the belief system touted by this "religion", but she does describe the effect it had on her mother. She mentions that her mother had been "looking for answers", and went through some big changes when she joined. According to Bree's father, she used to be introverted but became a "first to pick an argument" person after joining.

The Hymn of One has an official website at hymnofone.org, which was registered on March 31st, 2007 (prior to the release of Losing My Religion) and is hosted at lonelygirl15.com. At present the website contains very little information, but its in-game features may develop further over time.

Currently, the website is down, for unknown reasons. The HOO could have gone into hiding, or may simply not need to recruit any new members.

In the Kate Modern video Charlie's party, we learn someone from Charlie's party is a member of the Hymn of One, most likely Kate's new friend, Steve.

Audition

In the video Sing With Me it was revealed that the Hymn of One was accepting applicants. On their web site at http://www.hymnofone.org/audition was a survey. The survey asks 20 questions to which the answers are strongly agree to strongly disagree and several essay questions. The applicant then receives a score about how compatible they are with The Hymn of One. The answers below yield the highest compatibility. The essay questions do not appear to effect the score.

1. I am prepared to answer this questionnaire

   strongly disagree O O O O ⊗ strongly agree

2. I am calm and rational

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

3. I am one of the smartest people I know

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

4. I get angry when I probably shouldn’t

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

5. I fall in love easily

   strongly disagree O O O O ⊗ strongly agree

6. People don’t listen to me when they should

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

7. My favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

8. I am afraid of my dreams

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

9. I put myself first

   strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

10. I enjoy walking on the beach

    strongly disagree O O O O ⊗ strongly agree

11. I think aging is a treatable disease

    strongly disagree O O O O ⊗ strongly agree

12. I am afraid of the dark

    strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

13. I prefer my own company to the company of others

    strongly disagree O O O O ⊗ strongly agree

14. I don’t enjoy eating

    strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

15. I am my own body

    strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

16. Circles make me nervous

    strongly disagree ⊗ O O O O strongly agree

17. Global Conflict is escalating

    strongly disagree O O O O ⊗ strongly agree

18. I am a powerful person

    strongly disagree ⊗ O O O O strongly agree

19. I believe people lie to me every day

    strongly disagree O O ⊗ O O strongly agree

20. I am being watched right now

    strongly disagree ⊗ O O O O strongly agree

Seminar

In It's A Cult, Daniel, Jonas, and Sarah track down the location where the Hymn of One is holding a new recruit seminar.