one of the temporary religions at the "signify sanctify believe" show, the church of despair was born as a curated event (with claire cronin, adam overton, neil holyoak, and robert summers performing) and continues to exist a congregation on the internet and in print.

Return to me with all your heart - with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning"
– Joel 2:12

The Church of Despair honors sadness as an ever-present current in our lives, and sees this emotional state as the bedrock of all spiritual practice. In an age of blind optimism and aggressive positive thinking, The Church of Despair is a place where the darker and softer elements of human experience are embraced rather than dismissed. We teach the use of despair (and its corollary practices of grief, crying, disappointment, and hopelessness) as a powerful tool for deepening one’s connection with Spirit. We practice letting our hearts be broken, again and again, by the suffering of this world, as a way to feel sadness in solidarity with others.

fmi and to download the catalog: http://signifysanctifybelieve.org/LibraryOfSacredTechnologies/CatalogueOfDespair