Conspiracy a Religion?

[brekin]

Yes.

I'm gonna say it is a unwitting contemporary permutation of seemingly secularized Gnostic Christianity's Demiurge concept/belief system amplified by digital culture- which actually isn't really secularized when extrapolated out.

dem·i·urge
...
(in Gnosticism and other theological systems) a heavenly being, subordinate to the Supreme Being, that is considered to be the controller of the material world and antagonistic to all that is purely spiritual.

The Demiurge had created us in his image. The Demiurge is as much a part of us, as we our a part of him. Now some Gnostics will argue that the Demiurge is pure evil, and some will argue that he is simply ignorant. Both groups will agree that the Demiurge is flawed. If man eats from the tree of knowledge (Wisdom, or Sophia) man will "be like the gods". That is, with Sophia guiding us, man will know the true God, (Logos).

http://gnostic-christian.blogspot.com/2 ... nesis.html

Basically, humanities origin is based on a conspiracy hiding the truth from them, and until they "eat of the tree of knowledge" and discover who is really running things, they won't be able to know the true, real supreme being God. As early software this is something that obviously spoke and still speaks to people's concepts of the world and its ultimate order, even if most of us goes unsaid and unthought.



To whit, most conspiracy theorists (if you are reading this, that means you) may not immediately display a ultimate divine conspiracy hierarchy in their thinking, but if pressed, or once they articulate their view of the world fully, come to the nub that at the top there are lizard men, dark forces, satanic worshiping elites, a military-industrial-entertainment-education complex in league with dark arts or sciences, etc. practicing some type of low or high occult-scientific-magic that serves/is the Demiurge. Often the divine hierarchy will be scientific'd up: the "dark controlling force", and such, will push Old Scratch through the Science Salad Shooter and repackaged and sell it as a more rational unified malicious complete controlling force; like base primal instincts, old reptilian brain wiring or impulses, toxic masculinity, the will to power, the ptb, elite families, sociopath/psychopath tendencies, Big Oil, the 1%, Rockefeller's, and on and on. All bad and creepy crawly sinister things, yes, but not soley responsible for all the evil in the world, let alone that which dwells in men and women's hearts, also things that can be somewhat controlled, ignored, minimized, bypassed- but not with magical thinking. For it was belief in the Demiurge which helped elect Trump, even though Trump is the most Demiurgical eva.



Basically, "Demiurge" is the all powerful "material/materialistic" malicious force which is responsible for the evil in the world and perpetuates it, but is subordinate to the real and it would seem much more benevolent "spiritual" "Supreme Being" or original creator of the natural order. People who are ignorant to Demiurge's reach and continuing influence don't fully understand how the world works, and must be enlightened. It's like Carter is permanently ensconced at Camp Kennedy and Kissinger is left running everything unbeknownst to all.



And as a Demiurge's work is never done, and got to stay currrent, the second string created demiurge-demigod has completely rebelled against the creator god and has embarked on its own dark creation and alternative post "intelligent redesign" of life. A la David in Alien Covenant.



To whit it all comes down to a black or white, all or nothing, fight against the continuing evil and hidden imprisonment of humanity to Demiurge (whatever ye shall call it) and the attempt to enlighten those to who and what is really running the world (it is so, so, so evil your friends, co-workers and family will never believe how depraved!!!) and make an end run around it to deliver oneself and the world into the welcoming arms of a probably Noam Chomsky-Naomi Klein-Alex Jones vengeful looking (but so kind!) Buddha, depending on how you take your psychic coffee, benevolent Supreme Being.

What we actually know about Christian gnosticism is limited. All of the writings and scriptures from these groups are ancient and suspected to be incomplete. The most important discovery of Gnostic scriptures was in Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945. There were found "Twelve books bound in leather…plus eight pages of a thirteenth book. The pages of these books are papyrus and contain fifty two Coptic texts, some of which appear more than once…so this collection numbers forty five writings, ten of which are severely damaged while the rest are reasonably legible."

According to one Gnostic myth the shaping of the material world was the result of Sophia, who was often decribed as an emanation of eternal light, an "immaculate mirror of God's activity," and as "the spouse of the Lord." Through her desire to "know the Father", she was cast out of the Pleroma (the gnostic heaven) and her desire gave birth to the God who created the material world. Although she was eventually restored to the Pleroma, bits of her divinity remain in the material world.

The inferior God created by Sophia's desire, also referred to as the Demiurge, is the Creator God of the Old Testament. Due to his inferiority, he is not seen as good but rather an evil, angry, violent God. It is the fault of this God that the world is in the mess that it is, and due to the fact that he created it, the world is evil. The higher transcendent God is not a creator of the material world, and instead is a nurturer of the spiritual. The only hope for humankind, while locked in this evil shell of a body is to spiritually transcend this world and deny the body.

Gnostics believed that in order to acquire salvation one must possess a certain knowledge, or gnosis, which must be delivered to a person by a messenger of light. However, to receive this knowledge, one must be trying to reach beyond the evil, dark, material, physical earth and body toward that of the good, light, immaterial, and spiritual worlds. The indwelling spark must be awakened from its terrestrial slumber by the saving knowledge that comes "from without." Jesus is one of the most fundamental "awakeners" of this knowledge. Therefore, although Gnostics, like other Christians, find salvation through the messages of Jesus, Gnostics seek salvation not from sin but from "the ignorance of which sin is a consequence." The gnostics believe that the evil creator God and his angels cause this ignorance. If one receives gnosis during this lifetime- a true realization of the spirit-body dichotomy and the true destiny of the soul, then at death, when the body releases the divine spark, the soul may be free of the evil world. On the other hand, if this realization is not reached, then the ignorant soul, when released from the body will be sent back by the Demiurge into the evil painful world.

http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/P ... ticism.htm

[brekin]

Assuming Conspiracy is a seemingly secularized Gnostic Christianity's Demiurge concept/belief system, then a Trickster figure would possibly be its most potent Messiah.

Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken. - Trump

In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphisation), which exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge, and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules and conventional behaviour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickster

If the present state of the world is to be believed to be one of a fallen, illusory, or corrupted world, then those who most brazeningly flaunt the status quo, because they have secret knowledge of its corruption and corrupters, and seemed to be/are rewarded and become successful in doing so - would be the champions/heroes of the people to expose and rectify the sham system/hierarchy. But "tricks" and flaunting normal rules and conventional behavior quickly descends into demagoguery...

A demagogue /ˈdɛməɡɒɡ/ (from Greek δημαγωγός, a popular leader, a leader of a mob, from δῆμος, people, populace, the commons + ἀγωγός leading, leader)[1] or rabble-rouser is a leader in a democracy who gains popularity by exploiting prejudice and ignorance among the common people, whipping up the passions of the crowd and shutting down reasoned deliberation.[1][2][3][4] Demagogues overturn established customs of political conduct, or promise or threaten to do so.

Demagogues have appeared in democracies since ancient Athens. They exploit a fundamental weakness in democracy: because ultimate power is held by the people, it is possible for the people to give that power to someone who appeals to the lowest common denominator of a large segment of the population.[5] Demagogues have usually advocated immediate, forceful action to address a national crisis while accusing moderate and thoughtful opponents of weakness or disloyalty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demagogue

Interestingly, the words Demagogue and Demi-God sound similar- but don't be appear to be related root wise. Although, the argument can be made that the gnostic hero demagogue is a demi-god, semi-divine, half-god like, by challenging the Demiurgic powers and seeking to (re-)establish the true divine and just hierarchy.

It is the clowns/tricksters/buffoons/magicians in a society that are these Demagogues/Demi-Gods that are most likely to appear as appeal to the lowest common denominator.
And the basest trickster often has the greatest appeal.
As he/she appears to be the most anti-establishment.
They have a great cultural power. As Koestler said, "Dictators fear laughter more than bombs."

What is scary is that we may be passing into a period when the Trickster, through buffoonery, crudeness, laughter, trickery, disregarding societies norms and niceties overthrows society by appealing to the mob with his supposed secret knowledge and anti-establishment agenda.
Then the joke would be on us.

[norton ash]

Pure Comedy

The comedy of man starts like this
Our brains are way too big for our mothers' hips
And so Nature, she divines this alternative
We emerged half-formed and hope that whoever greets us on the other end
Is kind enough to fill us in
And, babies, that's pretty much how it's been ever since
Now the miracle of birth leaves a few issues to address
Like, say, that half of us are periodically iron deficient
So somebody's got to go kill something while I look after the kids
I'd do it myself, but what, are you going to get this thing its milk?
He says as soon as he gets back from the hunt, we can switch
It's hard not to fall in love with something so helpless
Ladies, I hope we don't end up regretting this
Comedy, now that's what I call pure comedy
Just waiting until the part where they start to believe
They're at the center of everything
And some all-powerful being endowed this horror show with meaning
Oh, their religions are the best
They worship themselves yet they're totally obsessed
With risen zombies, celestial virgins, magic tricks, these unbelievable outfits
And they get terribly upset
When you question their sacred texts
Written by woman-hating epileptics
Their languages just serve to confuse them
Their confusion somehow makes them more sure
They build fortunes poisoning their offspring
And hand out prizes when someone patents the cure
Where did they find these goons they elected to rule them?
What makes these clowns they idolize so remarkable?
These mammals are hell-bent on fashioning new gods
So they can go on being godless animals
Oh comedy, their illusions they have no choice but to believe
Their horizons that just forever recede
And how's this for irony, their idea of being free is a prison of beliefs
That they never ever have to leave
Oh comedy, oh it's like something that a madman would conceive!
The only thing that seems to make them feel alive is the struggle to survive
But the only thing that they request is something to numb the pain with
Until there's nothing human left
Just random matter suspended in the dark
I hate to say it, but each other's all we got

Written by Joshua Michael Tillman (Father John Misty)

Gnostic clergy or trickster?

[brekin]

Some more thoughts on Demiurgic Conspiracy belief systems, the Trickster, & Trump.
This shouldn't be approached literally obviously. (Trump didn't create the material world for example.)
But as programming which still operates, often unknowingly, in the realm of human belief.
Or, if I may quote J.C., of previous R.I. infamy.



If many conspiracy theorists believe/subscribe, knowingly or unknowingly, to the belief system:

1. That we live in a basic Demiurgic society/reality/universe where illusion and corruption of the Truth (divine/societal/celestial) is being maintained by the Demiurge who was the original creator/architect the unjust system.



2. And the Trickster is the one who can deliver us from the Demiurge, as he is the one most likely to challenge the status quo and show/reveal the joke/big lie/conspiracy to the masses.



3. We run the real risk then - of the Trickster playing into the hands of, working for, if not actually being - the Demiurge in the first place as a combined Trickster-Demiurge.



4. As the Demiurge/Trickster plays on the irrational fears which create the unjust system in the first place and seems to freely speak truth to power he appears to be a champion "outside the system". But to so blatantly and freely challenge the system, he would have to more ownership/control of the system to not fear reprisals.

Man of the Year Film (Comedian/Political Satirist becomes President)


Similarities between Trump & Man of the Year Film (Comedian/Political Satirist becomes President)

Man of the Year Film

Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) is a comedian of a satirical talk show who is able to tap into people's frustrations with the sharply divided, special interest-driven political climate. Specifically, he makes fun of the American two-party system. During his warm-up act, an audience member suggests that he run for president. At first, Dobbs laughs off the idea, but following a popular groundswell of support, later announces on the air that he will stand as a candidate. Through his efforts, he gets on the ballot in 13 states and participates in one of the national debates with the Democratic incumbent, President Kellogg, and Republican U.S. Senator Mills.

A parallel plot follows Eleanor Green (Laura Linney), who works at a voting machine company in California called Delacroy. According to a television commercial in the movie, the entire United States will be using Delacroy voting machines for the Presidential election. Shortly before the elections, Eleanor notices that the voting system does not work correctly and alerts the head of the company, James Hemmings (Rick Roberts) via e-mail.

Initially, Dobbs approaches the campaign seriously – perhaps too seriously, to the chagrin of his staff, especially his manager Jack Menken (Christopher Walken). That turns around the night of the presidential debates, when, fed up with the other candidates' posturing, Dobbs shifts back into comedian mode, managing to keep the audience laughing and make serious points simultaneously. From then on, he resumes his showman persona, thoroughly shaking up the political landscape. Dobbs surges in polls after the debates, but remains a distant third to Kellogg and Mills.

Election Day arrives, and polls show Dobbs at 17% with Kellogg and Mills tied in the 40s. Early returns show Kellogg beating Mills everywhere. Eleanor says that this is part of the error in the voting systems. Suddenly, Dobbs starts winning states.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_th ... (2006_film)

And you are going to love this.
Guess who was originally considered for the part of the Comedian that becomes President, before Williams?
Howard Stern! A more Trump-like comedian if there ever was.

Casting
Director Barry Levinson originally wanted Howard Stern for the starring role of Tom Dobbs, which would make it Stern's only second movie role after starring as himself in Private Parts. Scheduling conflicts with Stern's debut on Sirius radio prevented him from taking on the part.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_th ... (2006_film)

Now, some considerations of the Demiurge, Trickster & Demiurge-Trickster imagery vis a vis Trump.

The Trickster would have to have an unconventional appearance and exaggerated mannerisms to some degree - but not too much - or he would alienate the masses. So he would have to be entertaining, and quirky, but not too pandering (that would be off putting), or appearing too elitist, to be able to captivate the masses and sell the image that he speaks for them. So he would actually have to be somewhat clownish, odd, to where the common person could feel superior to him - even though he is of the 1%. Oddly, a buffoonish/clown like archetype of a uber-capitalist elite- attacking others would be a great way to manage that.

Kind of a inverse Chaplin. Instead of a dressed up every man clown putting on the airs of the rich. A rich clown putting on the airs of the common man.




There is also the interesting fact that what is most strange and quirky about Trump - is what he has the most control over. His orange color, hair, and mannerisms. So, it wouldn't be a leap to consider that Trump's appearing physical deficits - are purposely chosen and managed for effect.



As the Demiurge, though, there would the need and unintentional iconic leakage of the fact that the Trickster-Demiurge has power, is possibly part of the false system, if not orchestrating it. It is interesting to see the power symbols related to the Demiurege then.

Why Does the Demiurge Have a Lion Head?

...
Much has been written, beyond the Gnostic texts, on the role of the Demiurge, but not much on why he was depicted with the head of a lion.
...
The name of a character/creature that is partly animal-shaped is called theriomorphic, and the Demiurge specifically is leontomorphic, or lion-formed.
...
To understand why exactly the Demiurge owned a lion head, however, we must understand that his image goes back farther (and above) than early Christianity and is part of a cultural vibe of ancient times.
...
What the Lion Itself Represents
But did the ancients choose the symbol of a lion as a cosmic gatekeeper? Why not a panther or other predator?

Lundwall explains a prudent reason his book:

The guides to the celestial world are like lions—they rule the plains with speed and intelligence and with their luminescent eyes see through the darkness of night to find their path. What better symbol for the champion of the dark regions of the underworld that the lordly lion?

Furthermore, due to their manes and coloring, lions were often associated with the sun, which in itself means a solar (godly) force.
In Introduction to “Gnosticism”, Nicola Denzey Lewis offers why the Gnostics might have enjoyed the lion symbolism, beyond astrology:
Some scholars noted that the lion in ancient Greek philosophy represented the irrational passions.

http://thegodabovegod.com/why-does-the- ... on-head-2/

The Lion, The Sun.

Donald Trump’s hair is truly a lion’s mane

...
Consider the case of Donald Trump, the silliest of the many silly candidates contesting the Republican nomination, a silliness he emphasises by having the silliest hair. With all the money he claims to have – he says he’s worth $10 billion, while Forbes reckons it’s more like $4 billion – why doesn’t he invest in a good rug? A Trump-towering toupee? Is it too late to call in Advanced Hair Studios? The way he loves a quid I bet Shane Warne’d go in to bat for him.
In the interests of Australia-US relations I wrote to Mr Trump about this, pointing out that the kings of England, and France, like the pharaohs of Egypt, wore elaborate wigs to magnify their majesty.
...

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/we ... 39581e6e03

Interestingly, Trump has been associated with Lion iconography.
Some of it a very scary way. So much so I can't even link to some of the images because of the sites associated with them.
One only has to look to the "Lion Guard" who backed Trump.

The Lion Guard (also known as the "Lions of Trump" or the "Lion's Guard Militia") was a paramilitary far-right wing political group that was formed in 2016 in order to provide self-imposed security (outside of private security and professional law enforcement) at the rallies of Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump.[1][2] At its height, the group had a reported membership of just over five hundred, although it boasted several hundred more followers on Facebook and Twitter.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Guard

Decline
As of summer 2016, the group had been condemned by most mainstream political activist groups, such as the NAACP and the Council on American–Islamic Relations, as a paramilitary fringe organization which used fascist imagery similar to the Sturmabteilung (SA) of the Nazi Party.[6][dubious – discuss][verification needed] As of August 2016, the group's Twitter account and website had become inactive. The group has posted no further material since that time.[7]

The Sun. Trump is the perma-orange tan man.

We May Have Unlocked the Mystery of Trump’s Orange Skin

Why is Donald Trump so orange? This has been one of the mysteries of the 2016 presidential campaign. The internet is full of speculation, but the consensus is that Trump is an aficionado of bad spray tans or the tanning booth. (The white goggle lines are a dead giveaway.) He hasn’t always been this shade. Fifteen years ago, Trump’s pallor was almost normal. But something changed about 10 years ago and the internet hasn’t fully explained why. There might be a strong clue: Trump’s longtime friendship with the former CEO of a tanning company.

It is important to remember what the Demiurge represents and offers.
As the creator of the "material world" he prevents access/knowledge of the original "divine spiritual world" and its true original creator.
He keeps this knowledge secret by keeping people "materialistic" and holding out the promise of more riches.

Gold.



Trump has based his whole career on acquiring wealth, and being an icon of that being the goal in life.
In fact, his show was based around creating disciples (apprentices) to this belief system.

Donald Trump declared Thursday that "you have to be wealthy in order to be great," while promising to add wealth to the country.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... o-be-great

Interestingly, the Demiurge, in his arrogance of materialist creation and splendor, is still filled with envy, contempt and in his "fiery way" seeks to limit peoples true knowledge of how things really work. For even in his greatness, he secretly knows he ultimately is not in control.

In the Apocryphon of John c. 120–180 AD, the Demiurge arrogantly declares that he has made the world by himself:

Now the archon (ruler) who is weak has three names. The first name is Yaltabaoth, the second is Saklas ("fool"), and the third is Samael. And he is impious in his arrogance which is in him. For he said, "I am God and there is no other God beside me," for he is ignorant of his strength, the place from which he had come.[23]

He is Demiurge and maker of man, but as a ray of light from above enters the body of man and gives him a soul, Yaldabaoth is filled with envy; he tries to limit man's knowledge by forbidding him the fruit of knowledge in paradise. At the consummation of all things all light will return to the Pleroma. But Yaldabaoth, the Demiurge, with the material world, will be cast into the lower depths.

Yaldabaoth is frequently called "the Lion-faced", leontoeides, with the body of a serpent. We are told also[24] that the Demiurge is of a fiery nature, the words of Moses being applied to him, "the Lord our God is a burning and consuming fire," a text which Hippolytus claims was also used by Simon.[25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demiurge

So, Lion's Head, Sun, Gold, and less we forget a Dragon/Serpent's body.




May explain the little hands.

[Sounder]

Thanks brekin, that was awesome. A worthy perspective to consider.

[brekin]

Thanks brekin, that was awesome. A worthy perspective to consider.

[Iamwhomiam]

[brekin]

Narcissus Rising

If the Trickster~Demiurge is the one most likely to convince the populace that he can restore the correct hierarchy (MAGA) if pays that we should examine what drives the Trickster~Demiurge, and how that resonates with the populace. What is his power? His allure? His attraction? It would seem obvious that he builds his base by destroying the base of civil society, but he's not just a saboteur, brick thrower, there seems to be something deeper at work. I say the Trickster~Demiurge's secret power is Narcissism.

If we review the Trickster archetype quickly:

The trickster or clown is an example of a Jungian archetype. In modern literature the trickster survives as a character archetype, not necessarily supernatural or divine, sometimes no more than a stock character. Often too, the trickster is distinct in a story by his acting as a sort of catalyst, in that his antics are the cause of other characters' discomfiture, but he himself is left untouched. A once-famous example of this was the character Froggy the Gremlin on the early children's television show "Andy's Gang". A cigar-puffing puppet, Froggy induced the adult humans around him to engage in ridiculous and self-destructive hi-jinks.[5]

In later folklore, the trickster/clown is incarnated as a clever, mischievous man or creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as a defense. He also is known for entertaining people as a clown does. For example, many typical fairy tales have the king who wants to find the best groom for his daughter by ordering several trials. No brave and valiant prince or knight manages to win them, until a poor and simple peasant comes. With the help of his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools monsters and villains and dangers with unorthodox manners. Therefore, the most unlikely candidate passes the trials and receives the reward. More modern and obvious examples of that type include Bugs Bunny and Pippi Longstocking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickster

The Trickster is a type of holy-fool-victim-victimize-provacteur who is impervious to actual harm - because everything seems to be for his benefit - even his challengers/enemies/critics exist to serve his narrative.



For someone to have such gumption to invite, play off and even provoke such hostile criticism - to actually court it through outrageous and extremely short sighted and crude behavior it means that he needs it. He knows that attention is power, and he is willing to get the attention what ever way he can. In fact, it seems he wants and chooses notoriety over likeability - because it gains faster and more attention.

More than even Ronald Reagan, Trump seems supremely cognizant of the fact that he is always acting. He moves through life like a man who knows he is always being observed. If all human beings are, by their very nature, social actors, then Donald Trump seems to be more so—superhuman, in this one primal sense.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ar ... mp/480771/

There is no denying Trump is a narcissist of the highest order. In fact, googling Trump and Narcissist provides plenty of examples with analysis and commentary.
But the two questions that come up are is, Trump possibly the biggest narcissist to hold the presidency of a super power?
And if he is the uber-anti-mensch, how is the rest of the populace complicit in this?

First, Trump's narcissism is worse than previously thought/imagined, because I think we've seen that in his first months in office - he will go out of his way to bully, humiliate, provoke, etc. when it actually works against policy and strategic plans - it serves a deeper agenda obviously to have people continually reacting to him.

But interestingly, even the editor of the DMSDV who wrote the definition of narcissistic personality disorder doesn't think he should be diagnosed as such.

HM: You know how important is that rules seem to be in your field? I mean how egregious is it that these folks are going this far and making these statements publicly?

AF: That's not my call but what I am very concerned about is keeping psychiatric diagnosis restricted to its appropriate usages. We have a terrible problem of over diagnosing attention deficit disorder, over diagnosing depression, lots of things within psychiatry.
It makes it doubly bad when we start calling mass murderers, terrorists, rapists, and Donald Trump mentally ill. When people are bad, they should be labeled appropriately and denounced for their behaviors. We shouldn't use mental illness as an excuse to slur someone.
It's a very strange society that thinks that it's somehow worse to call Donald Trump mentally ill than to call him evil. You're very clear with us on your political views. Beyond those though, why doesn't President Trump meet the criteria for this mental disorder? This narcissism? We all have personalities. His characteristics which certainly make the behaviors that are described as narcissistic; grandiosity, entitlement, exploitativeness, apathy, enviousness, arrogance. He's a world class representative of these particular traits. But having traits doesn't mean that you have a disorder. Having a personality doesn't mean that you have a mental illness. It also has to cause considerable clinically-significant distress and impairment. There's very little evidence that Trump suffers from his behavior. And there's lots of evidence that instead of being punished for his obnoxious behaviors, he's rewarded for them. He's become the president of the country.
He doesn't meet the criteria of a clinically significant distress or impairment.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as- ... 1#segment2

Trump in fact, seems more adjusted than most of the populace now. He is either provoking, attacking, apathetic (non-suffering), threatening, or acting out. Allusions to a bunker like Nixon atmosphere in the WH aside, it seems for the press and many, this is wishful thinking, they want to believe he is suffering and feeling trapped. The truth is if Trump has any compulsively paranoid, megalomaniac, persecution and xenophobic thoughts - they are justified now, as he has created a reality where they are appropriate to the current milieu he has created.

If Trump has adapted the country and the world to the reality he is most comfortable with - and is not suffering as much distress - then his narcissism is a beneficial trait, a super power in a sense - for a new era.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman (1903) "Maxims for Revolutionists"

In many ways, Trump is just the most obvious and outward champion of a trend that has been building for a few generations. His honesty and disregard for sensitivities of keeping up appearances is what appeals to many.
He plays the game like the others, but has more freedom because he admits it.

In “Game Change,” the recent tell-all book about the 2008 presidential campaign, the authors blame John Edwards’s narcissism for his downfall and describe Bill Clinton as a “narcissist on an epic scale.” Do a Google search on “Tiger Woods” and “narcissist” and you get tens of thousands of references. Try it with the Salahis and you get thousands more. Rush Limbaugh calls President Obama a narcissist, it seems, every 24 hours, while a writer on The Huffington Post recently declared that “advanced stages of narcissism thrive on the Right these days.”

This would all sound familiar to Christopher Lasch. Just over 30 years ago, in “The Culture of Narcissism,” Lasch, a historian at the University of Rochester, took what was still mainly a narrowly clinical term and used it to diagnose a pathology that seemed to have spread to all corners of American life. In Lasch’s definition (drawn from Freud), the narcissist, driven by repressed rage and self-hatred, escapes into a grandiose self-conception, using other people as instruments of gratification even while craving their love and approval. Lasch saw the echo of such qualities in “the fascination with fame and celebrity, the fear of competition, the inability to suspend disbelief, the shallowness and transitory quality of personal relations, the horror of death.” “The happy hooker,” Lasch wrote, “stands in place of Horatio Alger as the prototype of personal success.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/books ... ll&mcubz=0

Trump's base are all the narcissists and those raised by narcissists who cannot but continually pay homage to him (through "paying" attention) as either a redemptive trickster-demiurge or punishing trickster-demiurge. Regardless, of people's political affiliations - psychically most everyone is united in being under Trump's dominion of paying attention to him. As his narcissistic vision is something they run to - or flee from. He is the Shadow that the Narcissistic New Order either embraces or denies. Those who love him, or hate him, both irrationally want what he has - the recognition and minute by minute attention of the world. He truly is the President of the Altered States of America.

Trump embodies the hoped for oxymoronic establishment anti-establishmentarian. The rich rebel free of all inhibitions and restraints who can truly do what thou whilt, and encourages others to do the same.

When the trickster-demiurge claims "It's all Bullshit folks!" then he destroys the traditional scales and hierarchies and becomes himself ascendant. In effect, since humans are programmed for spiritual worship, transference, and transcendence the trickster-demiurge cleverly hacks the system through supposedly "exposing the big lie, the conspiracy, the hypocrisy" but in doing so, deftly enthrones himself at the top of the materialistic pyramid, because in his own narcissistic belief system - he is golden, the great builder, creator, divine, a demi-god, God on Earth. And since one cannot be at the top of the materialistic pyramid without graft, subterfuge, exploitation - one must always be part of the big lie, conspiracy and hypocrisy of the system. That is why conspiracies always abound and any criticism, or mistep, or allusion, is seen as betrayal of the supreme order because the materialistic God is fallible and always under assault of being exposed.

To ward off exposure one has to be constantly on the offensive - continually psychically prodding ones base. This has been hard to do in the past even in the most totalitarian countries as there is usually hopefully some small privacy or respite from the onslaught. But not any longer in the smartphone era. After decades of materialistic and narcissistic programming crashing into the social media explosion, Trump just shows us what the material Facebook of God looks like. And it isn't pretty.

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[seemslikeadream]

Some more thoughts on Demiurgic Conspiracy belief systems, the Trickster, & Trump.
This shouldn't be approached literally obviously. (Trump didn't create the material world for example.)
But as programming which still operates, often unknowingly, in the realm of human belief.
Or, if I may quote J.C., of previous R.I. infamy.

[brekin]

Every Age Deserves Its Prophet

Considering all the above, could the Trickster-Demiurge-Supreme Narcissist in Chief actually be the prophet we have been waiting for?
If a demi-urgic reality has been created, who better to speak to and then rule it?
If conspiracy as a way of life, is the new normal, would not a Conspiracist in Chief make the most sense?
Birther, 9/11 inside job, murderous Clintons, election rigging, fake news, Alex Jones, etc.
This isn't R.I.-ish postlings, but White House ideology now.

Consider what Cassirer wrote of our psychic substrate:

No longer in a merely physical universe, man lives in a symbolic universe. Language, myth, art, and religion are parts of this universe. They are the varied threads which weave the symbolic net, the tangled web of human experience. All human progress in thought and experience refines and strengthens this net. No longer can man confront reality immediately; he cannot see it, as it were, face to face. Physical reality seems to recede in proportion as man's symbolic activity advances. Instead of dealing with the things themselves man is in a sense constantly conversing with himself.

He has so enveloped himself in linguistic forms, in artistic images, in mythical symbols or religious rites that he cannot see or know anything except by the interposition of this artificial medium. His situation is the same in the theoretical as in the practical sphere. Even here man does not live in a world of hard facts, or according to his immediate needs and desires. He lives rather in the midst of imaginary emotions, in hopes and fears, in illusions and disillusions, in his fantasies and dreams.

And this was pre-internet mind you. And if we have further gone into the symbolic realm - deeper, longer, almost continuously - shouldn't someone who already lives in the imaginary realm be our guide? And wouldn't this Virgil of the American Horror Story have to inhabit this realm - and be a master of it to a great degree?



Shouldn't he who has been most rewarded in the material realm for thriving in the midst of his imaginary emotions, his hopes and fears, in illusions and disillusions, in his fantasies and dreams? For isn't society really less a marketplace of ideas now and more of an bitcoin auction of illusions and appearances?

If the world is increasingly symbolic - with the symbols even more cyber-ethereal - more and more game like - would not the most emblematic Trickster-Demiurge-Supreme Narcissist be our best Game Master? Wouldn't we need a champion from the depths? One who speaks in vivid, crude, guttural nightmarish images?

And as society has become more and more a narcissistic status reality show zero sum end game - shouldn't the Game Master be a Gate Keeper who unapologetically judges and provides passage to higher levels, and forbids further admittance be elevated to the highest office?

Cerberus (/ˈsɜːrbərəs/;[2] Greek: Κέρβερος Kerberos [ˈkerberos]), often called the "hound of Hades", is the monstrous multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and usually is described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from parts of his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus

In effect, being a Dungeon Master as he further expands his spheres of influence, which increasingly entrap those within and those without.

And is the game master/gate keeper/dungeon master to blame if the imaginary-symbolic realm bleeds more and more into reality is more heaven than hell?
If the deep web of society is more like him then anyone wants to admit, or examine?
But is he revealing the great lie? Creating it? Expanding it?
What if he is doing all of it?



What if modern society is becoming more primitive, superstitious, cruel, nightmarish because of all of its technological "advances"?
What if the modern media deluge is creating a super surreal symbolic medium that has breached traditional reality, and we are now trapped in it - to where this heightened symbolic existence-subservience is one we can't ignore, at least at ones peril, but engagement is just entrapment further into a nightmarish "reality" "game of life".

If so, wouldn't you need an archetypal, caricaturist, cartoonish, megalomaniac, ultra paranoid-uber narcissitic figure to represent and navigate this tar pit of neo"American Dream"?
Wouldn't you need a psychotic mad king psychic warrior to battle on this psychotic id plane?

Tommy Ray Glatman: In this world, Alex, you're nothing. And me, I'm God

Who better than someone who has actually been living inside the American dream for a very long time? (Donald Trump: living the American Dream http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zc9yycw )
Who better to take us in hand and show what it is really like to live magically in this new symbolic cyber ether of dark matter?

Someone who is more just a Master of Ceremonies, ceremonies that have long, long ago been established, but increasingly need to be faced.
So, willkommen. Leave your troubles outside,
So- life is disappointing? Forget it!
We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful... The girls are beautiful... Even the orchestra, is beautiful.
You see, I told you the orchestra, is beautiful.

[seemslikeadream]

great reading brekin .....excellent posts

[brekin]

great reading brekin .....excellent posts

Glad you like it. And glad that there is another long term reader that caught the Campbell R.I. related allusion

[norton ash]

Thanks, Brekin, these are comprehensive, lively and diligent 'essays.'

The clip joint we're caught in is run by crazy bosses all the way to the top.