Religions and Cults of the American West

The group was founded in Los Angeles in the 1960s and was an early example of the counterculture surge that would cap the decade. It was led by a man named Father Yod, a native son of Ohio who moved to California to become a Hollywood stuntman sometime after World War II. He was influenced by Sikh spirituality and yogic principles and merged those concepts with the Beat counterculture movement. The Source culture was a mish-mash of sun worship, western mysticism, yoga exercises, hedonism, musical expression, natural living, and of course, fierce loyalty to Father Yod. <a href="https://medium.com/exploring-history/religions-and-cults-of-the-american-west-fca3a2fd2d0d">Website</a>