Casual essay before work... 31/03/18
What is it about the occult that has me so incredibly transfixed?
Is it the dark and seedy fetishisation of the mysterious and supernatural?
The fact that this realm of historical literature and practice is categorised as ‘secret knowledge’ and manifests and a multitude of secretive and exclusive cults? The notion that the practice is anti-christian and therefore anti-establishment and anti-government - a form of societal rebellion to free one from the constraints of modern society and the injustices there within.
Perhaps it is the macabre and grotesque itself that appeals to the modern psyche, the sadism of morbid curiosity and longing to know about that which has historically been rejected, shunned and feared. The negative is often a concept we as humans pay substantial attention to, perhaps as a survival instinct and our thirst for knowledge, curious to sate our rational minds.
A fascination with the abnormal is a way for us to understand the anomalies of the natural world and entwine it with a mythology akin to our spiritualistic roots - much like ancient ways of telling stories and recording history, via word of mouth. There is an aura of enigma here which adds a sense of magic - another escapist route away from the constraints of reality.
A form of escapism that melds the mind to the ethereal without the psychological effects of psychoactive substances?
A way for the modern human to unhinge oneself from that mainstream mentality without losing the ability to function within it. Speaking from self experience and the horrors that imprison oneself within social barriers and routinely ruts of capitalism can be exacerbated by social stigmas involving the psychedelic. While it’s true that psychedelics can be used to shift perception and alter consciousness for the better (speaking in terms of increased empathy as a reflection of the self, or the breakdown of the ego), societal restraints mean that the breakdown of the self does not conform to a functionality within capitalism. For example, given a sense of enlightenment where one feels love and compassion for this organism Earth; the notion of selling, judging, gossiping and adorning oneself in material possessions is rendered redundant. Of course, every being reacts to entheogens differently, another variable is the way in which the ego is built back up again due to environmental, social and mental factors.
Personally, I am aware of my mental shortcomings which alter my experience during ingestion and the projection of this on my life after the experience. I know that paranoid tendencies don’t bode well with neither psychedelics nor society and I believe modern ‘civilisation’ may be the root of these deep-seated vices I hold within my mind. Henceforth I look for ways to nourish my inner being (consciousness) without loosing grasp of my sense of self, or maybe I just need to venture further down the rabbit hole. The interest is there, but as a working-class cog in our mechanical society it pays to be sane - another word that can be subverted based on personal opinions of the war on drugs. Albeit, the mould can be broken and one can live outside these societal constraints. It is entirely situational.
A way to deeper understand this state of consciousness and the ways in which we understand the universe in a historical, political and epistemological context?
The way in which these contexts interweave with modern ‘civilisation’ and bring about themes of alchemy, hermeticism, gnosticism, witchcraft, herbology, paganism and primitive spiritualism among many other branches of practice. It is clear that many of these themes originate alongside the evolution of the human psyche and have evolved historically to bring us to the present date. Though these practices exist outside the mainstream today, they are ever-present in our history and so it reflects upon today’s society. As products of our environment and need to learn to survive, we are eager to understand the universe and give meaning to our existence. Occultism explores a branch of existence drawing from otherworldly realms, which is a captivation of the Space Age as well and spiritualism throughout the ages. We can look closely at the very first suggestions of worship within archaic civilisations and the way in which this has evolved into many branches of religions which borrow from each other and meld entities and concepts into one another.
Today, at least within my circle, religion in the UK is something seen as obsolete to many and devoid of real intellectual standing. As someone who was brought up in a religious environment to discover early on it was a tactical ploy of the church and/or government to force beliefs onto children such as myself for reasons I’m still not sure I understand, I found it difficult to trust authority and felt it better to question that which was being sold to me as fact. While occultism is no promise of the latter, it is an interesting way to merge rules that were being pushed onto me and subvert them. I am inherently interested in religion based on this upbringing and the discovery of psychedelics which encouraged me again to question everything I might know to be true. Occultism is an exploration of these realms, not as a religion but as a dip into history, and the spirit world which all religions look towards.
“Muslims engage in jihad against the lower self” - Die Antwoord’s Pitbull Terrier and Occult Imagery
“Nature and flesh are enemies to be defeated” (Eternal life, religion/technology & transhumanism)
“they’re able to repress their lower desires, and therefore are able to function as members of society”
“The entire media landscape we swim through is designed to hypnotize and subdue our lower selves” (sex & symbols)
“You only feel like society is trying to control you only because you have not yet learned to control yourself” (Societal pressures loosen when the ego is yoked)
“The other option is total paganism: Completely reject civilization and regress into animality. This would be embracing pre-civilization instead of post-civilization. It’s an option, but bear in mind it’s the one that goes most against the current of modern life. I would be remiss not to present it as a theologically valid position; however, don’t expect a rose garden”
“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.”
The High Priestess as the INITIATRIX
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