Néo-Phare () was a small French new religious movement, often described as a cult or doomsday cult, founded by Arnaud Mussy in January2001. It formed through a schism with (), which was founded by the esoteric writer André Bouguenec. Bouguenec's belief system incorporated Kabbalah and hermeticism, and he also proclaimed that he was God. Mussy joined the group in 1997, and Bouguenec died the same year. Viewing the original group as too rigid, Mussy and 20 members left the group and formed .
After the September 11 attacks, Mussy predicted the end of the world, the time of which was repeatedly delayed after it failed to occur. In July2002, a member killed himself and two other members were said to have attempted to kill themselves. Following this, Mussy was tried in France on the grounds that he had brainwashed his followers and was responsible for the suicide and attempted suicides. He was found guilty, and given a three-year suspended sentence and a fine. The group was dissolved after Mussy was arrested; it only existed for a year and a half. It was the first time the anti-cult About–Picard law had been invoked, and the trial received a significant amount of media coverage.
History was born in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1968. He moved to Argentina in his 20s, but then returned to France. When Mussy was 22, he discovered the esoteric beliefs of fashion designer Paco Rabanne. Mussy had worked for France-Telecom and had a BTS degree in communication. The Scotsman described him as a "former hitchhiker". In 1997, he met the obscure esoteric writer and Breton mystic and freemason André Bouguenec (also known as Auguste Bouguenec; last name also sometimes spelled Bougenec). Bouguenec led the () group, which had about 40 members. had been founded in 1989; Bouguenec believed that he was the reincarnation of Jesus, and developed a belief system, , derivative of Kabbalah, which involved numerology and linguistic elements, inspired by alchemical hermeticism. Bouguenec's claim to be god was supposedly proven with numerology; however, using his actual name did not fulfill this proof. He believed God to be androgynous. He preached for a kind of salvation that involved sex-complementary pairs, with the couples in the group representing the couples of Heavenly Jerusalem. He held ceremonies that established married couples as these "soulmate" pairs. Mussy joined in 1997; that year, Bouguenec died.
After Bouguenec's death, Mussy formed a schismatic group, later saying that he considered the members of to be too religiously rigid "like the Pharisees", but the psychologist Sonya Jougla attributes this to both internal conflicts and his ambition. In January2001, Mussy, with 20 followers, formed ; most members were between the ages of 30 and 40, and largely couples with some children. Mussy and his twin brother Olivier, who was viewed as Saint Peter within the group, brought their wives and their mother-in-law into the group. Neither brother needed to work as their father had left them a large inheritance. The name was chosen after the protagonist of the 1999 film The Matrix, Neo, as Mussy was a fan of the movie, in combination with the previous group's title. He interpreted esoteric meaning from some of the film's symbolism.
The 21 members (including Mussy) were visualized as 21 "apostles" (flipped from the Twelve Apostles), their task being to rewrite the Bible, which they viewed as having been distorted by the Catholic Church. They analyzed it through Bouguenec's ideas and numerology system. The group's mission was to rebuild the world after the apocalypse in a way that would align with their beliefs. Mussy said he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ (previously he believed he was James the Apostle). The group moved to two hamlets, with the core members living in Cellier, a small village close to Nantes, and the rest living in Olivier Mussy's home in Aigrefeuille. According to Olivier Mussy, the group lived cooperatively but not communally; members shared expenses and worked jobs half time, but maintained their own bank accounts. Early in the group's history, Mussy interpreted and taught Bouguenec's ideas, but he later began to fulfill a more messianic role.
Apocalypse predictions has been classified as a doomsday cult by the suicide researcher Loren Coleman. The anti-cult group UNADFI described them as having both apocalyptic and UFO religion aspects. After the September 11 attacks, the group became more apocalyptic in its thought. Mussy claimed that Bouguenec had foreseen the destruction of the Twin Towers, and the group interpreted the attack as a sign of the end times. Mussy said that Bouguenec had encrypted the date as 11/6 instead of 9/11 (inverting the number), and said that the attacks were a message from God to prepare for the end. He announced that the end of the world would occur on 29 December 2001. He believed the apocalypse would be positive—not a violent destruction of the world, but a rebirth of a more spiritual humanity.
In December 2001, convened in a crypt near the tomb of Mary Magdalene in Vézelay and attempted to communicate with her spirit, which they referred to as the "Divine Mother" and conceived of as the "female archetype". Mussy mimicked Jesus on the cross while another member shouted out the French word (). The group also engaged in trance sessions, similar to Pentecostal Christian practice. The group often met at sacred sites, such as abbeys and historic castles, viewing them as locations of power. Mussy viewed the tomb of Francis II, Duke of Brittany (which was discussed in a book written by Bouguenec) in Nantes as the key to the apocalypse.
When the apocalypse date of 29 December 2001 arrived, nothing happened. Mussy then announced that the apocalypse would be 25 February 2002. After the announcement, he exerted more control over 's members, separating 3 or 4 couples and reassigning them to others according to their "energies"—an extension of Bouguenec's soulmate doctrine. Mussy said he was reuniting couples through this practice, not separating them, with the couples in the group representing the couples in Heavenly Jerusalem and all of the couples in the world.
In February 2002, a member claimed that she felt a presence in her throat and fell into a trance claiming to channel Bouguenec, who spoke to Mussy and told him he was Jesus. Although channeling was not then part of the group's doctrine, the group believed her. Less than a month later, that member and her boyfriend left the group and denounced Mussy as a cult leader and a fake, saying he was a "seducer" who could "overwhelm" people. In a deposition taken later, she stated that she had not done the channeling, but that Mussy had done it himself "directly, from the sky". In light of both the channeling and the ritual in the crypt in Vézelay, Mussy claimed to be Jesus.
The February date passed and there was once again no apocalypse. He announced a new date of 2 September, and then 24 October 2002 (the latter being the day of Bouguenec's death). At this time, the group had been noticed by the French authorities, who were concerned about the attitudes of the group. The relatives of some members, comparing the group to the Order of the Solar Temple (which had committed several mass suicides), were worried about its apocalyptic ideas and the behavior of the members. They contacted an anti-cult group, who contacted journalists, resulting in media attention on the group and mockery of its ideas. In March 2002, members were summoned to a police station and an investigation was launched after these complaints. The status of the group's children was investigated, but as their children were not involved in any of their activities and regularly attended school, the police were satisfied and the case was closed in June 2002. As a result of the police investigation, the group became embroiled in crisis and most members left, leaving only 8 core members.
Suicide and alleged attempts On 14 July 2002, one member of , 29-year-old , killed himself by throwing himself in front of a car. What lead Trossais to kill himself is unknown; he did not leave a suicide note. He had been viewed as a Judas figure within the group. Psychiatrist Jean-Marie Abgrall argued that this led to his abuse within the movement, but sociologist Susan J. Palmer argued that, as Judas was viewed positively within the group's theology, this may not have been stigmatizing. A member of Trossais's family said he had felt rejected by Mussy, who said he did not pray enough, and said that it was his fault the apocalypse had not happened on time. Trossais's wife had also been paired with Mussy's brother as his "soulmate" and she became pregnant. Shortly after his death, Trossais's wife left the group to live with her family.
In the following days, it was alleged that two other members, a couple, also attempted suicide, though they later denied this. The couple had been members of for seven years and joined Mussy's schism. On 15 July, the male member of the couple climbed up the tower of the Château de Clermont. He threw himself out of a window, but survived the fall, unharmed. The following day, his wife did the same, climbing up the tower. According to news reports, she did this naked with a flower in her mouth. She was then brought to a clinic in the castle, and taken for psychiatric examination. The couple were then questioned by police.
Mussy and his brother's version of events is that there had been a power struggle, saying that in July 2002, the couple attempted to take over . According to him they told Mussy that they had received a revelation that if he went to Nantes, he would meet his "soul sister". As Mussy's wife had recently left him and he felt lonely, he went. During his absence both members of the couple then declared themselves the leaders of the group. When Mussy returned, there was a power struggle between Mussy and the couple. Mussy interpreted this coup as reinforcing his claim of being the messiah and viewed the couple as "rebel angels", symbolic of the revolt against God. Mussy claimed that on the day he had killed himself, Trossais had repeatedly called him on the phone and sounded distraught over the couple; Mussy told him to come over so they could discuss it, but Trossais refused. According to Mussy, in a second call, Trossais also claimed to be Jesus, and said that he believed that if he died, God would manifest. Mussy did not take this seriously and believed it to be a metaphor, as he, also believing himself to be Jesus, had not tried to kill himself. The attempted suicide of the couple was claimed by Olivier Mussy as an attempt by the couple to display supernatural powers, as they had allegedly told him and his brother that they were "the two faces of God".
Immediately after the suicide of Trossais, police questioned members. Charges were not immediately brought, as there was no proof of crimes such as financial misappropriation or involvement of minors in the organization. The group then moved back to Nantes, where they waited for the apocalypse. Mussy and the remaining five members shut themselves in a house, awaiting the "journey to Venus". Here they were monitored by French intelligence services. When they stayed inside the house for a long period, the police began to worry they were plotting mass suicide like the Order of the Solar Temple. During this period they read about and discussed religious matters. Former members claimed that they were waiting for UFOs. The members stored food in preparation for the apocalypse. Mussy claimed there would be three "difficult" days of the end of the world, but then it would be "joyful"; however, later he said that it would not be an end of "the" world, but the end of "a" world.