I was just listening to Willem’s podcast on rewilding adulthood and he touched on the same words pretty much in the same order as far as the roles of guilt, shame, duty, fear, and denial in keeping us domesticated in civilization… well I had written a story back in 1999 that I used to have on my website, and folks out there who’ve read it have even done group meditation and practice around it which I was really honored to hear about… anyhow I’d like to share it here for Willem and the crew in case it strikes a chord (perfect 5th? with anyone:
The Magic of Being Human
In the primordial past, the Blue God, known also as Eros, the eldest child of Mother Night, danced. In joy and ecstasy, He and his Mother-Sister, the Star Twins, danced and sang and loved the universe into being. They desired other beings to participate in their joy, and all the sentient beings of the billion worlds were born, including humans.
When the humans were born of the Twins’ daughter Gaia, the gods placed their own fire within their black hearts, and gave five gifts to humankind. The first was Sex, that they might know the eternal Love the gods share between them, and have for all things. The second was Self, that they might have Knowledge of the universe. The third was Passion, that through the desire to strive for ever greater achievements might emerge Wisdom. The fourth gift was that of Pride, that by integrity they might know the Law and Harmony of existence. The fifth was Power, that humans might experience the Freedom to be whatever they choose to be, in everlasting and fierce delight. They gave them an Iron Pentagram so that they would always remember these gifts and their connection to the gods and all of life.
The humans lived in beauty and bliss, in the innocence of their black hearts. But there were humans who wandered off to the desolate corners of the world, and suffered great hardship. By their suffering, this group of humans forgot their black hearts, and forgot their connection to the gods and the Mother. They finally had to leave their long homelands which would no longer support them, and they rediscovered those who still had their black hearts. They were jealous of the wealth and happiness of those who kept their black hearts, they swept over the land, burning homes and laying waste to everything. They seized the Iron Pentagram, and hid it away, with a facade of plaster and clay, and covered with gilt to make it presentable to the people. Indeed the gold coating made it seem superior and more lovely than the old blackened Iron Pentagram. This Gilt Pentagram was raised up as the New Order by decree and enforced with weapons and brutality as the world had never seen, and has know all to well ever since. The five Tyrants that ruled over the people tried to remove all memory of the Iron Pentagram, and its five gifts, and instead made the people afraid of it, though all humans still retained it and could invoke it if they would only remember their black hearts again.
The first Tyrant declared that human bodies and Sex were dirty and tainted, corrupted by sin and death, and all humans were bound by Guilt to atone for their human existence unless they followed his commands.
The second Tyrant declared that human knowledge was fallible and imperfect, and that the Self is not what mattered, but what was good for society overruled all other considerations, and that he was the divinely appointed spokesman of society. It was the Duty of all to think of others before themselves, especially of the authorities and favorites established by the Tyrant, who was uniquely descended from the gods and therefore knew what was best for everyone better than they themselves.
The third Tyrant declared that human Passion and ambition was too dangerous unchecked, and that all should henceforth exercise Denial of their desires, and instead heed whatever roles he and his administration assigned to them for the greater good of all.
The fourth Tyrant declared that Pride was a great evil, that made people think they were better than their neighbor, more wise than the Tyrants, which contributed to social unrest and dissent against the authorities, and so decreed that everyone should know Shame and humility, and take their proper place and be silent.
The fifth Tyrant came forth and declared that Freedom was the most dangerous and unruly thing of all, totally counter to the perfect order that was their aim to establish, and declared that Fear of pain and death would be used to govern the people and keep them in their proper places so that society could work smoothly without a hitch.
So by their subtle and outright lies, which they themselves actually believed, they talked nearly all the people into worshipping their Gilt Pentagram, and they built great temples wherein the people could pay honors to it and the great wisdom of the Tyrants. The people wanted safety and security at all costs, and the words of the Tyrants made sense to them as beneficial to bringing them security and predictability. Those who spoke against these policies were imprisoned, tortured or killed, made to look foolish until they complied, or driven mad. The true gods were no longer worshipped; instead the Tyrants were worshipped as gods.
And in secret, there were those who still kept to the Old Way, who remembered their black hearts and honored the true gods and the Iron Pentagram that was their authentic human birthright from the dawn of awakening of human consciousness. They kept these ways until they could once again challenge the might of the Tyrants of Guilt, of Duty, of Denial, of Shame, and of Fear, smashing the Gilt Pentagram to uncover the Iron Pentagram that was hidden beneath from the beginning.
So the story is told…