XeperAustin

The following is a post from Bull of Ombos Pylon member Bishop Crowley.

In today’s world, one need only look upon the electrical god(s) to see how utterly asleep the world is. Facebook likes, Instagram followers, and anything else that serves to detract from the truth now drive human life. We live in a world of spoon fed information, twisted news sources, and not so social media. What happened to the days of direct personal human interaction, when people ventured outdoors to play and socialize, when education and knowledge were important?

Electronics and the social media outlets have effectively lulled most of the world to sleep. During this time of unconsciousness, it is easy for people to overlook the truth. This truth is that there are only half truths. When something is happening in the world there is a bigger story than the one that is generally being distributed. There are two sides to a single coin and the key is learning to look at both sides, and to look at the thin sliver of ultimate truth between the two sides.

This way of looking at information applies to everything from one’s career, to family life, finances, and politics. Social media is an algorithm for everyone and everything. If that algorithm detects that a user likes certain information, and leans one way or another, then that is what they will be fed through streams, posts, and ads. Learning to see this truth and the patterns can result in a consciousness that was once hidden.
Social media will one day become the major source of information for the world. This is already happening if one stands back and analyzes the trends. YouTube is getting into news and live television as is Facebook, Google, and Apple. In 10 years, I would expect that the majority of the news and information will be written, streamed, and viewed all online. This opens the doors wide open when it comes to the interpretation and digestion of information. This will create great distortion for those who lack the ability to sift through the data objectively. Now is the time to start learning to open your eyes and to seek out the truth behind the smoke.

As Setians we choose to rip the covers from our eyes and awaken. We mold the world around us rather than be influenced or manipulated like puppets by societal forces outside ourselves. I am often reminded of a scene in one of my favorite music videos where a simple, but profound statement is displayed on the bottom of the screen. “Behold the Demi-God, he wields the power to entrance and enslave.” It goes on to say, “Through industry, man can learn to harness the same power, and attain all that which he desires.” In this sense, a Demi-god is someone/something that creates things that enslave; think Mark Zuckerberg, or Steve Jobs, men who have created technologies that do indeed enslave.

What this statement tells us is simple – those who control the industry control the masses. Today’s industry is media and the light-speed dissemination of information. The evolution of media has been a long time in the making. Julius Caesar is credited with starting the first “newspaper” which was basically a stone tablet with information written on it. The tablets were then placed strategically throughout a city. The next evolutions to follow were magazines, radio, television, and of course the Internet. Unlike its predecessors, the Internet is so ingrained in daily life that it is impossible to remove oneself from it completely. Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, all impress views and opinions upon the masses.

Once one learns to see these things for what they are, they can learn to use them as a tool. I personally unplugged from everything that had to do with social media for about a year. During this time, I found that I was happier, and had more time to work on personal projects. As a form of Initiation this was profound. I was no longer worried about posting pictures, hitting the like button, or reading about something that someone else did. I was able to create. I actually manifested more usable time during the day. My disassociation from social media allowed me to take an objective look at the world. By unplugging I could form my own opinions without the constant avalanche of information.

Now I am ready to venture back into the world of social media, but with a different purpose and from a new perspective. Social media is a beneficial tool if it is used as such. I choose to use social media to my advantage and to the advantage of the Temple of Set as a whole. I have created a website, a Twitter account, a Facebook profile, and an Etsy shop, all of which are intertwined as my single Internet presence. I jumped head first into the realm that I cast away a year ago. The reason is simple – I need a place to promote my ideas, my creations, and to advance my Xeper. It’s strange in that my first initiatory thoughts on social media were to get away from it all together. Doing so gave me the perspective and the knowledge to see the next phase of Initiation, which is to create and slowly work towards self-independence. I want to use these technologies to break free from the normal 9-5 career, in so, I will be dependent upon myself, and none other. If I can do what I love to do, then as the saying goes, I will never work a day in my life.

I went full circle on an idea, but rather than start over on the same path, I am on a very different road that will prove beneficial to my initiation. Social media can be good, and it can be terrible, depending on how one decides to utilize it. Take news and articles that are found on social media sites and cross-reference them. Make sure the sources are reputable, and don’t be pulled into gossip. Learn to recognize the sources of reliable information. In media as in life, people only show you what they want you to see. As a Setian, I learned and continue to learn to find the source. I want to know why Fox, CNN, Yahoo, or some other outlet wants me to see something. Am I getting the full truth? One good question to ask oneself is “Am I awake?” Am I actively using my intellect to decipher and understand what is given to me, or am I just allowing it to permeate my mind? If it is the latter, then this is the time to learn to look deeper and analyze.

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Bishop Crowley’s personal blog can be found here.

His Etsy shop can be found here.