Artemesia
29th March 2011, 15:22
Some folks here at Avalon may remember a little film from the 80s titled "The Neverending Story". Besides being a fun fantasy film for kids, it had a lot of interesting 'spiritual' and political messages.
The concept it introduced at its core was the idea of 'a great nothing'. In the film a young boy begins to read a book (the Book of Earth?) about a wonderous land full of great personnages, adventure and deep spirit. However this land was not safe, a great nothing, depicted by a dark black storm which was rapidly enveloping the land, was taking over. The land was dying. This nothing came to be because people stopped using their imagination, stopped loving the fairytale, forgot to beleive in themselves, heroes, adventures, and cherish the diversity of life.
It occured to me the other day that this is a very apt analogy of Capitalism. It is the great nothing. Find anything, dream anything, discover anything wonderful, useful, desirable, and it is quickly picked up, labeled and marketed the world over in myriad forms, all ultimately cheapened knockoffs of the original greatness.
A few examples of what this nothing has been doing appeared in my life.
Firstly, I was walking to my local metaphysical library in a little 'historic' now 'shopping' district where I live, and a sign on a pricey trinket shop window stated the insane:
SHOP FOR JAPAN (10% of proceeds go to American Red Cross)
Amazing. Not only are most of the goods there worthless, Japan isn't doing well with donations and 'releif' supply distribution. Nevermind the little fact that the Red Cross hasn't shown itself to be what it seems if you do the research. But nevermind your compassion for the people, nevermind the truth, just go out and 'shop for japan'. The nothing hit that store, and was hard at work to take over the hearts of the blind and walking dead who can't see the storm.
Another field where this has been apparant is in the modern 'shamanistic movement'. This is an area that is hot on my personal 'radar', and has been in odd ways for a long time. Recently I went to go see a 'shamanic healer' for healing. I paid my $150, was encouraged to rush through my story because of the practitioner's time limits and busy client schedule, and then given a 10 minute 'soul retreival ceremony' and breif (3 minute) description of that 'journey' done on my behalf, and then ushered rapidly out the door and deposited on the sidewalk with a thump. So there it was. Even the sacred practice of shamanism, arriving in the Western white world as a gift, as been cooped into the capitalistic practice and dulled and deadened to the point of nothingness. As I've been having some bumps in the road with my integration, there is no support, no further healing available. Unless I fork over another $100 and go see another practitioner she works with who will also fleece me for $100. I was told that together they could do some 'powerful work'. Indeed.
When does the nothing stop? When does capitalism as a system get seen for the nothing it is? When do people start to beleive in something else, another system in which the exchange of energy, the absorption of spirit of one by another is at least honored for what it is, rather than being the destructive force it has become in this world?
Any other avalonians working with ways to combat the nothing?
A few years ago I decided I wanted to go see a B-52s concert at a local indian casino. I had no money, no ticket, but I knew I could find a way to get there. I listened to spirit, followed intuition, and in about 20 minutes of wandering around the casino and waiting out front, a native woman saw me and handed me an extra ticket that she had.
There IS another way to exchange, to conduct commerce, to live. Are we going to find that, lead by love and intution, or will the nothing come fully into this world and destroy all in its path.
If we awaken consciousness within ourselves, find a way to build the bridge of love, what will it matter if the nothing still lurks, waiting to take even those gifts over and sell them at a trinket shop in the name of 'disaster releif'?
The concept it introduced at its core was the idea of 'a great nothing'. In the film a young boy begins to read a book (the Book of Earth?) about a wonderous land full of great personnages, adventure and deep spirit. However this land was not safe, a great nothing, depicted by a dark black storm which was rapidly enveloping the land, was taking over. The land was dying. This nothing came to be because people stopped using their imagination, stopped loving the fairytale, forgot to beleive in themselves, heroes, adventures, and cherish the diversity of life.
It occured to me the other day that this is a very apt analogy of Capitalism. It is the great nothing. Find anything, dream anything, discover anything wonderful, useful, desirable, and it is quickly picked up, labeled and marketed the world over in myriad forms, all ultimately cheapened knockoffs of the original greatness.
A few examples of what this nothing has been doing appeared in my life.
Firstly, I was walking to my local metaphysical library in a little 'historic' now 'shopping' district where I live, and a sign on a pricey trinket shop window stated the insane:
SHOP FOR JAPAN (10% of proceeds go to American Red Cross)
Amazing. Not only are most of the goods there worthless, Japan isn't doing well with donations and 'releif' supply distribution. Nevermind the little fact that the Red Cross hasn't shown itself to be what it seems if you do the research. But nevermind your compassion for the people, nevermind the truth, just go out and 'shop for japan'. The nothing hit that store, and was hard at work to take over the hearts of the blind and walking dead who can't see the storm.
Another field where this has been apparant is in the modern 'shamanistic movement'. This is an area that is hot on my personal 'radar', and has been in odd ways for a long time. Recently I went to go see a 'shamanic healer' for healing. I paid my $150, was encouraged to rush through my story because of the practitioner's time limits and busy client schedule, and then given a 10 minute 'soul retreival ceremony' and breif (3 minute) description of that 'journey' done on my behalf, and then ushered rapidly out the door and deposited on the sidewalk with a thump. So there it was. Even the sacred practice of shamanism, arriving in the Western white world as a gift, as been cooped into the capitalistic practice and dulled and deadened to the point of nothingness. As I've been having some bumps in the road with my integration, there is no support, no further healing available. Unless I fork over another $100 and go see another practitioner she works with who will also fleece me for $100. I was told that together they could do some 'powerful work'. Indeed.
When does the nothing stop? When does capitalism as a system get seen for the nothing it is? When do people start to beleive in something else, another system in which the exchange of energy, the absorption of spirit of one by another is at least honored for what it is, rather than being the destructive force it has become in this world?
Any other avalonians working with ways to combat the nothing?
A few years ago I decided I wanted to go see a B-52s concert at a local indian casino. I had no money, no ticket, but I knew I could find a way to get there. I listened to spirit, followed intuition, and in about 20 minutes of wandering around the casino and waiting out front, a native woman saw me and handed me an extra ticket that she had.
There IS another way to exchange, to conduct commerce, to live. Are we going to find that, lead by love and intution, or will the nothing come fully into this world and destroy all in its path.
If we awaken consciousness within ourselves, find a way to build the bridge of love, what will it matter if the nothing still lurks, waiting to take even those gifts over and sell them at a trinket shop in the name of 'disaster releif'?