Remembering Heaven’s Gate

San Diego, March 26th 1997, deputies find the bodies of a group of 39 people who had participated in a mass ritual suicide. This group of people was called Heaven’s Gate.

Heaven’s Gate (previously called Human Individual Metamorphosis / Total Overcomes Anonymous) was a religious cult lead by Marshall Applewhite, called Do, and Bonnie Nettles, called, Ti. Heaven’s Gate was formed in the mid 70s and recruited members until 1976. In 1985, Nettles pasted away from cancer and Applewhite took on full responsibility of the cult. 

The group’s theology is a mixture of UFOlogy, Christianity, and New Ageism. The goal of the members was to be able to “transform” themselves into alien-like beings, casting away their human forms. Upon taking on the new extraterrestrial form, the members would then ascend to Heaven, what the cult referred to as the “Next Level”.  

Applewhite felt like the approaching Haley-Bopp comet was being tailed by the UFO that was meant to carry himself and the Heaven’s Gate members into Heaven upon their deaths. 

The members were instructed to wear matching black tracksuits, branded with a patch on the shoulder that said “Heaven’s Gate Away Team”, and Nike Decade shoes. Each body was found with a five dollar bill and 75 cents in quarters in their pockets.

The ritual took place over three days, starting on March 22nd. Once the ritual started, the cult members and Applewhite mixed phenobarbital with apple sauce and chased it with vodka. Once the mixture was consumed, the member would secure a plastic bag over their head.

Once the cult members started to die, a living member would remove the plastic bag from the head, pose the body neatly on their bed, and then cover the body with a purple cloth.

The bodies of all 39 members were discovered when a previous affiliate, who had received a package containing a VHS with Do’s Final Message and goodbyes from the other members, accessed the mansion where the ritual took place and called the police upon his discovery.

To this day, Heaven’s Gate has four living, active followers that run their website. These members have been running the website since the mid-90s and were instructed to keep it active after the ritual took place. The members claim to have been in contact with the deceased members. The website contains all of the information about the cult’s beliefs, transcripts of the VHS tapes that Applewhite recorded, and a way to purchase their book.

As we approach the commemoration of this tragic event, let’s remember the lives lost and the families that were affected.