20

Memes or Schemes

Originally a lecture delivered at the Occult Humanities Conference, New York City, United States, 2016.

THIS WONDERFUL CONFERENCE is very symptomatic of the times we’re in.^*7 One thing leads to another, and people’s appetite for phenomena and expressions beyond the merely causal and rational seems insatiable. But are we looking at a meme, that is, a small or large contagious building block in a large construction of a potential future, or a scheme, that is, a conscious strategy that has already been willed? That is something I will humbly address today.

The occult is a romantic and fascinating part of our cultural history. It has also been the breeding ground for ideas and concepts that have later on been integrated in the natural sciences, religion, and psychology. The occult is also a cluster of promises containing a small, valuable signal of transformation at the center of an enormous nebula of symbol-induced noise and psychological compensation. If not impossible, then at least one could say it’s very difficult just to say what it is. However, as a keyword or catchphrase in contemporary culture, we have seen it take more and more place both within fiction and fact.

Pop culture has been heavily immersed in occult and fantastic themes of various kinds, via Hollywood and TV, in literature, and in music for more than a decade. Exactly parallel to that, academic interest in predominantly Western esotericism has boomed, with relevant chairs appearing at universities almost yearly. Ditto within the sphere of art, where the fantastic, mythological, spiritual, and intuitive is more and more visible on a larger and larger scale. And the sphere itself, that is, magic and occultism as a mix of philosophy and behavioral techniques, some traditional and some entirely new, is also on the increase via the Internet on one hand and beautiful publishing of both old and new works on the other. There is no longer a heavy stigma, and there’s certainly no shortage of information for those who are interested in these fascinating areas of human existence.

It’s not so strange that a phenomenon such as this occurs, that is, has a presence in culture. That has happened many times before, often during liberal and humanistic phases of cultural mutation, although often also heavily stratified and moderated by general attitudes of religions and morals. Usually, it’s the artists of different kinds who have carried the seed of human potential and expressed whatever they have found, either to enthusiastic freethinkers or antagonistic conservatives. Today, it seems to be a different ball game altogether. We live in an era that is saturated and amplified in every possible way, but most of all via popular media and social media.

How do we look at this? Is it a genuine liberalization and so-called democratization via the mere availability? Or is it a conspiratorial strategy to flood both the Web and the market with things to keep the masses pacified and confused? One way of looking at it could be to use the concept of a meme. The term was originally coined by evolutionary biologist and anti-religionist Richard Dawkins as signifying a cultural counterpart to the gene, the smallest building block of life, in constant flux, development, and possible mutation to attempt maximum survival. Dawkins’s comparison is not bad at all. Because more than ever, we are no longer mere biological creatures causally striving to avoid the eventual certainty of life, which is death. We are cultural human beings immersed in a flow of information, views, sentiments, and reactivity. In this lies the possibility of choice, especially within cultural spheres that allow individual choice. If I understand Dawkins correctly, a meme is then a seed of sorts, a protoconcept that can be either symbolic or literal, but that instigates actual change when it is integrated in a larger context by contagion.

As most of the larger contexts are willed, that is, defined by one or more human beings as having a chosen direction, we can call these schemes. One needs the other: a meme only becomes tangibly potent within a scheme, an environment of reception, interpretation, and integration. Schemes need willed concepts, originating as simple memes (ideas, notions, frustrations, key terms). The point where the meme is integrated into or transformed into a scheme is one of transcendence that sets energy free. For example, sniffing a perfume of someone loved that is missed can bring forth an evocative presence, releasing wellbeing; or simplistic political sloganeering can lead to a particular outcome in an election. They seem to belong together, in the same way a gene and a chromosome does, or a chromosome and a human existence. Or a human existence and greater culture as such.

Social media has great potential to mislead, confuse, and obfuscate, not only through the conscious strategies of lobbyists and organizations but also through good old-fashioned human error. A funny and recent example here in the United States was a call to solidarity in regard to the Powerball $1.3 billion jackpot. Someone created a meme/ post encouraging the winner to share, based on a calculation that with 300 million American citizens, everyone could get $4.33 million and poverty would be eradicated immediately. More than a million people immediately shared the original and very altruistic post without thinking. The only problem was one of miscalculation: with the sum and the amount of people, each citizen would actually get $4.33, which today unfortunately is not enough to eradicate poverty. But it certainly showed a contemporary behavioral pattern that is very eager to share an opinion—even though it’s objectively a wrong one—and a sentiment in great numbers. The meme turned into a seemingly benevolent scheme that then became a new meme—this time of unfortunate scorn.

The borders between fact and fiction are increasingly blurred these days. I have stated before that fiction is the new fact and has superseded traditional ways of learning, which leads to great uncertainties in terms of quality control, academic standards, and values. In our fantastic little occult corner of culture, which we can call the suprarational and truth seeking, we can be amazed at not only the potential mutations but also marvel at the already existing hybrids. An example: Some of us remember the X-Files from the nineties, a TV series integrating not only UFO-related mysteries but also a lot of occultism and paranormal phenomena. It was total pop, yes, but still highly entertaining and interesting, specifically considering creator and producer Chris Carter’s questioning of nontransparent governmental organizations. This led to both pro and contra conspiracies: the TV series was, on the one hand, flaunting an attitude based in and on individual rights and a wider possibility of strange phenomena, many of which could be labeled occult. On the other hand, it was criticized by more radical elements as being a conspiracy in itself, a smokescreen to divert serious attention from covert activities. Recently, as I’m sure many of you know, a brand new season of the series has emerged. The first episodes were even harsher in their criticism of governmental conspiracies than the original ones, which were pre 9/11. The CIA has now almost humorously responded by making available UFO and other material from their archives, presenting them as their X-Files and making references to the fictional characters of FBI agents Mulder and Scully: “Mulder would have loved to get his hands on this.” This blurring between fact and fiction and interexchange of memes (within possible schemes) has never been as manifest as now. Entertaining, yes. But from a conspiratorial point of view, it’s dangerous. If people consume more fiction and readily accept memes on social media without criticism, then the field is literally open to modify the memes as the controllers see fit—which is basically the same as what’s going on in the empire of genetic research.

In the midst of quite heavy entertainment on occult themes, whether inspiring or conspiratorial, there lingers still a slight sense of ridicule, which in itself could be both another smokescreen or a safeguard for inspiration turning into substance. If we consider the American Horror Story season called Coven, the existence for the teen heroine witch can’t be easy, as she kills the men she has sex with. That symbol of a young vaginal two-edged sword is both potentially repressive and liberating, and the mere existence of it within mainstream TV I find remarkable. At the same time, the common media phenomenon of teen witches usually calls these women “twitches.” Sure, a slightly humorous play on words, but also a term signifying quite blatantly a nervous disorder symptom.

From the literally occult or gnostic meme-versus-scheme perspective, there is what I would call an advantage. Chris Carter’s slogan “The truth is out there” or Agent Mulder’s “I want to believe,” or even Agent Scully’s “I want to disbelieve,” all reflect a causal, rational, sensory-based approach based on empiricism. The gnostic memetic schemer knows that the truth is already “in here” and that it’s not possible to want to believe: one either does or doesn’t. This accepting vantage point can indeed be amplified by empirical research if one so desires, but it’s only interesting from a schematic point of view: that is, if you have something to sell—philosophy, a method, a book, a workshop, and so on. But it’s certainly not necessary. There were many reasons why occultism as such was kept stigmatized and hidden in varying degrees over the millennia. But one factor rarely addressed was simply that this kind of work is personal, individual, intuitive—gnostic, by definition. The more systematized and objective something becomes, the greater the risk of it becoming part of psychosocial circuses, petty power struggles, and essentially non-altruistic schemes. However, the creative possibilities of the opposite always remain: whenever a meme morphs into a scheme, it becomes transdimensional, sets energy free, and thereby becomes inherently magical.

In the exhibition The Language of the Birds we can see examples of interpretations and expressions based on individual filtering of non-rational, nonintellectual stimuli. Whether these come from within, from without, or from beyond is quite irrelevant. The artworks affect us in varying degrees based on deep resonances. This is of course valid for non-occult art too. Something in a specific artwork makes us stop, feel, reflect, and integrate. It is a language in itself based on the emotional or sentient rather than the intellectual, mental, or word based. But the distinctly occult art acknowledges the power of myth and symbol for what it is: an absolutely essential ingredient of life and the individuation process. Reconnecting with a primordial sphere via aestheticized expressions is not only personally liberating but also possibly healing for others.

Things always seem to emerge in culture for which there is a need. On the more general level, superheroes in fiction always seem to appear when there is an abounding sense of powerlessness and fatigue. Antigovernment conspiracies appear when the gap is simply too big between citizens and rulership. LSD appeared at about the same time as the atomic bomb was developed and unleashed. Vaccines are developed when an epi- or pandemic is threatening. And the occult literally pops up when the normal, scientific explanations become too abstract, distant, redundant, or elite. Art and entertainment reflect, yes, but always also contain new memes, quite often beyond the comprehension of even their creators, and quite often very vital in their seeking new hosts to mutate.

If we look back at human civilization, what remains to be analyzed and evaluated are basically the works of art. Writings and artworks tell a story of not only what people did but also what they felt and how they looked at their own world. This has proven to be invaluable in understanding human development. In the future, the analysts of our times won’t be let off so easily. Not only will there be more concrete stuff in the rubble: mountain ranges of technological waste, organic-plastic hybrids at sea, and urban wastelands to penetrate, but any evidence of written history will most likely be nonexistent because of data evaporation. And contemporary art, if someone will be able to find it, will mostly be abstract on many levels: either as strictly formal and thereby redundant, or as needing an intellectual explanation, such as an interpretation or instruction manual.

Artworks that contain a pure intuitive filtering and expression—no matter how formally competent or incompetent—have the ability to convey sentiments and messages to the future. Not infrequently, we can see that these artists also share a similar subconscious approach to life in general: a susceptibility to intuitive survival modes beyond the personal ego. Even in the bleakest dystopian visions lie seed or memes of great potential change. Even in the most shallow New Age pastels can be found diamondlike facet spectra, filtering indestructible light and energy. I think one key to relevant art is that it doesn’t present prefab solutions but rather distinctly resonating surfaces for further individual introspection. It encourages speculation. The same I think is true of the cluster we call occultism. What we see on the surface we can either regard or disregard. But if we shut down the defense systems temporarily, we can allow an influx of life stemming from another mind, whether contemporary or ancient. Memes that are eventually integrated don’t lose potency, but sometimes they do need to be looked at in a new context. The genetic comparison is again quite useful. We are not only now. We have already existed, through our genetic history, for a long time and will hopefully continue. Perhaps not in exactly the same kind of human form, but still. . . . The truth is in here.

The lure of occultism shares many traits with other human idealized “isms.” One is the romantic notion that there are hidden masters working for improvement via initiating structures, with colorful teachers disseminating specific teaching in order to cultivate the ennobled individual. This is no different from a university, a military organization, a religious organization, a political movement, or an artistic institution. The schematic analysis is basically the same. But occultism differs slightly in regard to what is contained: an active refinement of the inner spheres rather than the outer. And with suggested techniques that have not yet been accepted as science by the contemporary definitions or standards. That said, one could argue that contemporary occultism is no longer about performing arcane rituals using traditional elemental or planetary symbols but rather about experimental art, cognitive psychology, neurology, and applied physics—preferably all of these in union. This is what’s now considered as potentially liberating, in the sense of “empowering,” and thereby also potentially threatening to the pacifying forces, similar to the way Kabbalah, tarot, meditation, and yoga were looked down upon not that long ago.

Another different trait or quality is that the memes received in so-called occult theory and practice don’t need outer recognition to be validated. What’s received and integrated comes from deeper or hidden aspects of oneself, and the only relevant validating force is the individual him- or herself. To be able to do that, one needs to be a stable and secure individuated human being. Solid internal memes should be the building blocks within distinctly individual schemes. The Delphic motto of Nosce te ipsum (“Know thyself!”) has never been more relevant than in our era of massive and simplified homogenization. In this sense, occultism can also become a romanticized trap, offering endless possibilities of escapism, compensation, and counterproductive self-aggrandizement. It’s not enough to know yourself: you also have to assume responsibility for what you find. Otherwise the memes you discover or codify may not match any greater schemes at all.

Is there an actual equation or a relationship here? That is, is the allure of the potential scheme tied to the incapacity of the partaker obsessed by the memes themselves—as I actually perceive many occultists to be? Does it fulfill an escapist, compensatory function rather than a tangible, transforming one? With no further likenesses intended, perhaps we could look at the difference between athletes and sports fans; the inspiring memes of sports and fiercely brave competition attract those who long for physical, existential change in their own life schemes that perhaps seem impotent or just comfortably complacent, but how many actually transform the original memes into tangible, life-improving schemes?

The current magical revival in popular culture is in many ways symptomatic of a Western malaise and frustration with the given options, in which the individual is placed within either a materialistic collective or a reactionary monotheistic religion, or possibly a combination. Both are mere substitutes for a genuine existential worth and meaning that can only come from within, defined through active individuation. My theory is that the solutions are always a lot closer than we think. In regard to global environmental problems, it can certainly be tempting to long for outer space. But perhaps it’s more intelligent to look around on our own fine planet instead, at cultures who have actually managed to survive through crises in history, either via still-existing, living indigenous humans or through remaining works of art. If we can assimilate instead of just “exoticize,” we will find that there are many distinct traits in common, such as, for instance, a validation of inner, intuitive processes of gathering information, and a holistic approach to their implementation. This is beyond religion, occultism, philosophy, or magic. It’s just common sense, in which memes from inner nature become schemes in outer nature, and possibly vice versa. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all essentially the same thing and that a free-flowing circulation will help mutate existence to ensure maximum survival, both on memetic and genetic levels.

In recent years, I’ve suggested exchanging terminologies between the traditionally occult and the traditionally artistic, thereby helping the assimilation of potentially transformative techniques and attitudes by discarding the arcane and often incomprehensible symbolic world in favor of a protocreative, perhaps even undefined, rationale of sympathetic behavior and strategy. A new generation of “artists of the soul” would need no formal training within either pseudoreligious groups or so-called art schools. It’s all a matter of integrating an inner process of self-knowledge, desire, and, let’s not forget, will, within an outer process of communicating the findings or results in a literally enchanting form, not just containing a willed expression but rather an expressed will. To paraphrase Dawkins’s “selfish gene,” I hope that artists will develop more selfish memes, in the sense of art ingrained with personal intention. With that perspective in mind, I think it’s clear to see that our culture contains almost unlimited possibilities of self-expression and communication. For those curious and brave, it’s no longer a question of memes or schemes, but rather one of a natural, intuitive merging of the two into a creative synthesis that transcends philosophy, art, literature, the occult, and so on, in jolts of further inspiration and advancement.