Was Ryan Ross in a satanic cult?
Deep within the Ryan fandom, there exists a persistent and strange rumor, spurred on by mysterious tattoos and enigmatic photographs.
But although this time in Ryan’s life remains somewhat obscure, Ryan was not involved with a cult (at least not in the traditional sense). Rather, this was most likely a spiritual endeavor drawing on alchemical symbolism and light witchcraft.
We know, it looks like a cult. But hear us out… (After all, we Mods actually have experience with witchy things and the occult. It’s okay that you’re shocked.)
In order to understand what is going on, it must first be established that the pictures of Ryan and his ‘cult’ draw on a special language of elemental symbolism. If you’re familiar with Wicca, classical alchemy, Avatar: The Last Airbender, or other such media, you may be aware of the “four elements”: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. These are not thought of in a literal sense, necessarily, but rather as spiritual influencers of humanity, personality, and higher consciousness.
Even in the above picture, you can see lots of greenery, which represents the element of Earth. Many modern mystery religions focus on reconnecting with the Earth and, therefore, draw heavily on the color green and vegetal symbolism.
Now, let’s look at some of the other pictures…
Ryan has wrapped himself in ivy, another clear invocation of Earth, and is also holding a candle in a position of prominence. The candle represents Fire, and is a traditional symbol for inspiration, passion, and connecting with a higher power.
I promise that we’ll get to the Q? business later. But what I’d really like to draw your attention to here is the string of pearls. Pearls are found in the ocean, and are therefore an invocation of the element Water. Water, in a magical sense, helps us connect with emotions and deeper intuition.
The notebook in these pictures is likely to be a Book of Shadows, or a Grimoire, in which Ryan would have written his spiritual insights. It is clearly his handwriting, and anyone who has seen his Fever-era makeup looks can recognize his art style.
You can see a crescent moon in the upper left corner of the page, which again invokes Water, and Ryan has also drawn a hot air balloon, signifying Air (obviously), the element of communication, travel, and intelligence. And again, we see the candles and ivy, or rather Earth and Fire. All four elements are represented in this picture!
But what about the Q? business? Whatever it means was important enough for Ryan to permanently inscribe on his body, after all…..
Now, none of us have spoken to Ryan personally on the matter, but we see it as very likely that the Q refers to “quintessence”, or the famous and elusive fifth element (AKA the top of the pentagram star). Many people refer to it as Spirit or Aether instead. The word “quintessence” is literally derived from the Latin phrase for “fifth essence”, and the principles of Alchemy dictate that it is the substance that produces the other four elements. Furthermore, the elements can reach the Quintessence, or Q for short (this is an extremely common abbreviation), through purification.
Even more, many mystery religions today incorporate principles of Alchemy and apply them to the human being. Through self-purification, study, and personal balance, a practitioner of these rituals can achieve the highest level of spirituality and inner peace.
So what can we make of all of this?
At this point in his life (2007), Ryan was obviously trying to sort through his problems by connecting with his intuition, the spiritual world, and a higher consciousness. It appears that he also had the support and participation of some other like-minded individuals, and that they performed esoteric rituals together.
Similarly, the fact that Ryan tattooed Q and ? on the backs of his upper arms reflects his commitment and dedication to self-betterment, spiritual growth, and the seeking of knowledge.
It is unclear if Ryan still participates in these practices, but he should not be judged if he is. Another thing to keep in mind is that Ryan grew up in a very religious household, so it only stands to reason that he would be drawn to alternative expressions of spirituality and mysticism.
And although the methods of drawing on the elements and performing rituals may seem strange, nothing about this is satanic, evil, or harmful in any way. It’s focused on self-growth and developing a sense of inner peace, which we all can agree that Ryan deserves.
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