conspirituality

And A Child Shall Bleed Them

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I keep up on modern cults, conspiracies, and conspirituality. It’s fascinating to me, it’s a way to understand people, and it lets me know who would probably try to kill me and the people I know. It’s a depressing win-win.

Recently, following up on a specific modern cult (that I shall mention later) that had lost it’s leader, I was surprised to find it had two competing child leaders. I assumed that it was a case of people finding two manipulable figureheads to let them seize control of the cult. As I listened to the analysis, I found I was wrong or mostly wrong.

The cult members weree thrilled to have these young people spewing their doctrine back at them. They encouraged them, gave them nicknames, hung on their every word. They were elevating two poor kids that had walked into this mess into leaders, and the open desire of the cultists was painfully obvious. Whoever might be behind the scenes, the cultists were becoming sycophants pretty damn well on their own.

That’s when I realized these people were no different than the various sycophants, we see around techbros, hack authors, politicians, and “mainstream” “religious” leaders.

Some people want a leader so intensely they’ll construct one out of whatever and whoever happens to be around. Someone says what they want to hear, suddenly they’re all ears, boosting their new savior, and donating online. Throw in the social experience of believing with all the other needy people and you have a powerful trap of peer pressure and sunk cost.

Of course the would-be leaders usually play into this – mostly out of greed and delusion I’m sure, but probably too many out of sheer ignorance. A few posts and videos in the right spot and suddenly you’re a Thought Leader, a Spiritual Master, or Leader of a New Revolution. It has to be tempting even for decent people.

As for non-decent people, it has to be not only tempting but easy as hell. Say a few things and people will attribute near (or actual) godhood too you. Get some financial backing from rich lobbyists or delusional wealthy folks, and you can amplify your message more. Once the belief machine gets going, you just have to keep churning out platitudes – and of course directing people at new enemies.

Any child, literally or emotionally, could do it and judging by the state of the world many have.

So now third-generation billionaires with no idea how people’s lives work, drugged out techbros, and internet influencers with no other skills but video editing become leaders of thousands and millions. Sure they may have help, but plenty of people will help them become cult leaders because they want it so bad.

Child or manchild, there’s not much difference when people want to surrender to a leader so bad. It also helps us ask when we might surrender our free will easier than we’d think.

– Xenofact

I avoided mentioning the podcast, but it was a look at a gematria cult done by the lead podcaster of PokerPolitics/Adventures in HellWqrld. https://www.patreon.com/posts/hellwqrld-48-88061916

You’re So Lucky You’re Not Special

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You’re not the reincarnation of some famous historical figure.

You didn’t have a past life in non-existent Atlantis

You’re not a genetically engineered time-traveling super-soldier created to explore space and fight aliens.

You’re not a super-assassin secretly trained by the US government.

You’re not an alien Starseed here to save Earth.

You’re not touched by a bunch of suspiciously white-looking so-called “Ascended Masters” to Awaken Humanity.*

You’re none of those things.  Those things are just bullshit made up or hijacked by grifters to sell to you.  Their goal is to make you feel special by selling you a story that at best has a bare echo of truth, and at worse is made of whole cloth.  The internet has made this somehow worse.

The thing is the grifters, the opportunists, and their legions of followers are trying to sell you that you’re special just like them.  They sell a story of specialness you can all participate in, but not only is it a grift, it’s the same kind of specialness for all.  They’re not only deceiving you (and possibly themselves), but it’s not really specialness.

To make it somehow worse this kind of recycled bullshit and telephone-operator-con-games covers up the real wonders and horrors of reality.  It sells you a blueprint for destiny you can plug your own imagination into while you plug in your credit card number to buy yet another book.  It doesn’t encourage you to open your mind let alone your eyes or Third Eye, it just keeps feeding you more of the same.

You’re not special, not in their way.  What you are is unique because you’re you.  Whatever the gods, powers, destiny, or random chance has for you it’s yours.  You may well have been touched by supernatural forces or great opportunity or just plain luck, but it’s not going to be in any form that comfortably fits into a $199 two-hour online seminar.

And that’s great!  You get to choose how you deal with whatever kind of uniqueness you have.  Maybe you aren’t even that unique so you get even more choice and far less social pressure.

And who wants to be part of some great destiny or plan anyway?  Maybe you have your own ideas, your own life to lead, and you don’t need the pressure.  Take it from a professional Project Manager, a lot of plans fail or go off the rails anyway!

Go be the unique you.  That’s one destiny you can fulfill better than anyone.

– Xenofact

* SubGeniuses like myself DO have Yeti blood, but at this rate so does everyone else.  Also we’re just weirdos.  We’re more weird than special.

May The Podcasters Be Kind In My Imagination

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Mystics like me – magicians, meditators, theurgists, and the like – face a problem of ego.  We may have a deep insight or powerful experience and get full of ourselves.  Perhaps the opposite occurs, and something or someone shakes our ego, so we shore it up by overdoing it.  Whatever challenges we may face I want to talk about something that’s helped keep my “mystical ego” in check.

Podcasts.

I love podcasts on conspiracy theories, religious scams, and weirdness – as you can see on my resources pages.  These subjects fascinate me in general, but they’re also critical to dealing with the world.  Many gurus, politicians, and grifters are happy to sell bullshit and eat away at society just to get some money or an ego boost.  These podcasts help me stay aware of such people and how we may armor ourselves and others to stop them.

Sometimes I wondered what these podcasters might make of my own mystical activities and realized that such ruminations were a fantastic exercise to keep my ego in check.  Imagining very witty people I respect using their bullshit detectors on me gives me pause for thought.  Would my writings and philosophy withstand their gaze if I was more well-known?  If my plans come to fruition, would I be worthy of their ire or someone they’d respect?

This has been a great way to reduce arrogance in the metaphysical areas of my life.  These podcasters are people who could detect bullshit if they met me.  They’re also people I respect, so I suppose the idea of disappointing them even in my imagination is useful.

As you, my dear reader, are probably much like me – you despise spiritual exploiters and grifters – consider this useful exercise (or perhaps exorcise)  Not only will you discover some amazing podcasters, you’ll develop an insightful tool to keep your ego in check.  That way you’re one more helper in a world with a lot of exploitative assholes hijacking spirituality.

– Xenofact