‘I embrace the mystery of the cosmos’: how the British rock star Sting represents the Faustian narrative

The text argues that the British rock star Sting should not be narrowly categorized as a Christian but rather placed within the framework of Western Esotericism and the New Age. Drawing on Émile Durkheim's studies of religion, it examines the cult of Sting, treating him as a totem that exchanges energy with his admirers. In the context of Durkheim's predicted cult of individualism—aligned with Nietzsche's proclamation that "God is dead" and realized in postmodernism—the totem Sting serves as an ideal role model for individuals constructing their own value systems without reliance on religious institutions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of the text is to show that one does the British rock star Sting no spiritual justice by pigeonholing him as a Christian. Reasons are shown why Sting can instead be placed on the broad map of “Western Esotericism” (Wouter J. Hanegraaff) and the New Age. Based on Émile Durkheim’s studies of religion, this text also examines the cult of Sting. In doing so, Sting is treated as a totem that practices a complex exchange of energy with his admirers. In the context of Durkheim’s predicted cult of individualism, which largely coincides with Nietzsche’s “God is dead” prediction and seems to have been fulfilled in the era of postmodernism, the “totem Sting” functions as an ideal role model for contemporary people who try to generate their own cosmos of values around their own self, without the help of religious institutions.