Where are we? Aug. 22, 2022. Dumb, dumb market finally realized 4340 was stupid. DXY crossing 109. Europe showing signals of an oncoming economic nightmare. All guidelines for COVID are now universal, regardless of vax status… which is hilarious if you’ve been skeptical for two straight years, like many of us with scientific training.

Read last week’s article.

The last two weeklies were somewhat abstract and theoretical in delivery… the first was a discussion of a creative impulse (which very much maps to the "phallic singularity”), and the second diatribe was a proposed philosophy of a logically sequential emergence from the void (which very much maps to imposing structure on “emptiness”). In some ways, this is like God (1) and Creation (0). But we’re missing the acknowledgement of raw, visceral, adulterated, human experience.

The tangible manifestation of our real-life experience has inspired debates that traverse centuries. Mystical systems and collective knowledge do not usurp our daily actions and reactions in reference to family, friends, strangers, our jobs, our property… unless you’ve retreated to a mountain cave to practice breatharianism… if that’s even possible.

In Hindu mysticism, there are concepts called Purusha and Prakriti. The first two weeklies were mostly an assertion of Purusha. Let’s talk about the Prakriti.

There is a wide array of natural phenomena that is completely disregarded in many people’s mental image of “metaphysics,” “self-knowledge,” or “spirituality.” If this annoys your sense of purity or divinity, I’ll have to remind you that you were born because two people fucked each other. Not only did they fuck, but a man (or “ejaculator” if you’ve got mental constraints that trigger you to puke over the word “man”) came inside your mom’s pussy (sorry for the language, but the point of the effrontery is to highlight the mental blocks that keep your infinitely capable imagination in an overly constrained, comfortable and familiar box). That’s called sexual reproduction… and the human drama that unfolds from our sexual or violent desires should be open to discussion in any fair treatment of our collective value systems. Anyone with a deep emotional reaction to the fact that their mom is or was a sexually active person is going to have a hard time with spiritual evolution.

So let’s use some spiritual literature to banish this blind spot: I’ll employ a gematria analysis of a verse in the Book of Revelation. Gematria is an old form of textual analysis. Numbers were used to imbue far deeper meaning into language written in Hebrew or Greek, for example.

The verse in ancient Greek says that 666 is the mark of the beast… and the sum of the statement is 2368. 666 is a very spiritual sum; the Hebrew and Greek words that add up to 666 are allusions to Divine power manifest in humankind. The sentence has been interpreted to reference the most evil and primal, and many Christians believe it identifies the “anti-Christ!” The gematria states that the sum of the sentence (2368) is equivalent to the sum of several phrases and names that are all allusions to Jesus Christ. No matter how you feel about spiritual/religious ideas, Jesus Christ is a powerful figure/allegory/symbol. And mystical folks are well-acquainted with the idea that the “Christos” myth is a metaphor for our “highest” Self. In Vedantic Hinduism, the conceptual Atman is a very similar idea to the Christos.

So what does this verse from Revelation imply? It means that the anointed (Christ-like) human is in communion with the highest expression of ego-less humanity as well as his or her lowest primal animal urges. Let’s take Neo, from The Matrix; he sought the Divine, and he had to learn how to fight and kill along the way. Most of the time, the impediments to our Self-development are our own egoic desires… for example, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to feel empowered or “successful” had I not taken some wrestling and fighting classes. As a hot-blooded cis-hetero-dick-wielding-man, I can promise that I wouldn’t have had the stability to make meditation a practice had I not received some amazing blowjobs from some amazing women.

It is what it is… and no matter how many times people try to make our spiritual pursuits into some “divine”, “pure”, or “sacred” white-washed endeavor, we are fucking animals. Everyday you have the chance to read about some terrible human behaviors. Throughout your life, some of the closest friends you’ve known will disappoint you. You learn about the mistakes of your parents and extended family, and it warps your sense of what is “good” or “true.” This is reality, and reality is dirty, it is noisy, and it is disgusting. It is also beautiful and incredible.

The Buddhists concentrate on the idea of “desire” because they place it at the root of our existence. The child who emerges from her mother’s womb instinctually sucks the breast of the mother. Sexual desires can provoke so much mental and emotional energy that ***both ***celebrities and criminals attract “stalkers.”

A plausible interpretation of the multiverse of consciousness could place the “human struggle with sexuality” at the center of this realm. Think about it! Human life is born from sex… no sex = no life. After puberty, eagerness to experience pleasure through touch and intimacy with other human beings is practically a chemical prerequisite. 99% of violent crime is committed by men and there is strong evidence that sexual activity and history can be predictive of violent crime. When a gaggle finds out that a member of the clique has found a male suitor, the first question is usually “what does he do?” When a posse of bros finds out that a member of clan found a female suitor, the first question is typically “what does she look like?” The hangups that create egotistical traps are usually associated with jealousy, envy, and social status… and most of the reasons why people pursue status is because they’re seeking to be desirable or powerful. This story is well-written across the zoological sphere.

This isn’t some “gender is a social construct” bullshit, this is pattern recognition. Our lives are primarily influenced by our relationship to sexuality. Our sexual experience and others’ recognition of our sexual desirability, more than nearly any other construct, is the most formative force beneath our social status, romantic and friendly relationships, our traumas, our personality, and even our spirituality.

Beauty, Wealth, and Violence are the three sources of power. This requires very little explanation.

Beauty mesmerizes. It is intoxicating. It has inspired the greatest art and the most destructive conflict. A top 0.1% beautiful person can acquire more gifts than a rich person may imagine.

Wealth controls. Politics, business, banking, real estate, equity… almost anything can be bought for the right price. For some people, murder isn’t very expensive.

Violence advances fear. People who are willing to inflict terrible damage can force others to abandon their values. An example: journalists throughout the world will not report on the corruption in the US Military Industrial Complex because they’ve witnessed the harm inflicted upon Julian Assange.

Recognition of the power cultivated through these capabilities is an important acknowledgement of reality as it currently operates. The effects of these three types of power on each of us are part of our personal journey towards self-knowledge. As a base, primal animal, it is important to test your deficiencies and also your attraction to these sources of power. I personally have (1) a very strong attraction to beauty of the feminine persuasion, (2) I am eagerly trying to solve the puzzles of wealth accrual, and (3) I began studying martial arts because I used to be far too fearful of physical conflict. I feel good about my ability to remove fear from my reactions to violence, but I’ve got a lot of personal work to do around my admiration of beauty and wealth.