Blows Against the Empire 5 - intelligence engineering

In waging an effective campaign against EMPIRE… those implicit, pervasive forces that sci fi author Philip K Dick described as “a codification of derangement,” one must recognize that the theatre of operations exist on two fronts… the normal, overt, worldly campaign… and the covert, internal, paranormal operation.

In part one of this series, we examined PDK’s “EMPIRE,” viewing it as a demiurgic, predator/dominator institution of thought control. In part two, we considered the political ramifications of the Bureaucratic Orthodoxy (BO). In part three, we introduced the “Leviathan” allegory to identify the parapolitical underbelly of the beast. In part four, we recognized the Gnostic sensibilities inherent in delivering blows against the EMPIRE, suggesting a Partnership Paradigm as an alternative to the bureaucratic orthodoxy model.

In our resistance against the Archonic, predator/dominator patriarchy, the first theater of operations to consider, is the overt, external, mundane front. In past posts, we have described the preferred countermeasures to be deployed, in terms of the farcical, street theatre phenomenon: Operation Mind F#ck! (OM!). Originally a Discordian prank/mind bomb, OM! is a mechanism of what Robert Anton Wilson described as a Guerrilla Ontology. In keeping with our cynical, post-truth world, OM! perpetrators leave it up to the experiencer (victim) to determine what is true, and what is a prank.

As an overt tactic, OM! takes the active, clearly stated and demonstrated refusal to conform or obey certain demands of the bureaucratic orthodoxy, to an outlandish extreme. Like civil disobedience, which (for our purposes) is defined as being nonviolent resistance, a classic OM! demonstrates its resistance through the highest form of human intelligence… humor.

A classic OM! illuminates a clearly insane action, policy or cultural oppression… through a mutinous, “theater of the absurd.” OM! operatives seek to re-establish the obvious… that “the emperor wears no cloths.” At its best, such resistance is creative, amusing and perplexingly instructional to the point of a Zen-like illumination. One such example of this form of disruptive insurgent countermeasure is known as Doppelgänger brand image (DBI).

DBI’s modify a corporate logo to illuminate, through "absurdist art appropriation" ...the corporation's real agenda. This is a most effective and humorous way at delivering blows against EMPIRE and its corporate minions. As mentioned in part four, we advocate a non-violent campaign in our resistance efforts. Never stoop so low as to use Empire's own dark and sinister methods of tyranny and violence. Be smarter than that. Meet the dominator/predator paradigm with imaginative tactics... and beat them at their own game!

The particular OM! that you choose to employ, may involve something as simple an internet meme, such as those found on InstaGram, a subversive, absurdist mocumentary on youTube, or a wacky sock puppet, spoof account on the social media platform of your choice. Your OM! may be old-school street theater, a publicity stunt, flyers or hand bills, etc. Be creative… maybe your OM! will go viral… infecting the predator/dominator mediaspace with humor, which is by-default enlightening.

Your OM! might be small, eliciting a few smiles… or it may catch fire, becoming a major disruptive insurgency, as did the Adbusters Occupy campaign of 2011. 

Such is the nature of an overt, disruptive insurgent operation. Worldly countermeasures, normally considered both overt and covert, are deployed in the physical, 3-d, planetary realm. In this (first) theater, covert strikes are clandestine operations, such as a DBI op. However, it can be argued that the essential theater of operations is the second front… the truly covert, internal battlefield of the mind, where the predator/dominator paradigm strikes deepest. 

EMPIRE, via bureaucratic orthodoxy, invades our minds with propaganda designed to trick us into conformity. It’s authority and control is maintained through deception and trickery. However, this deceiving bureaucratic orthodoxy is but a shadow… a vaporous phantasm whose authority we ironically allow, through our own apathy. Fear tactics and PC programming hold us captive within a Black Iron Prison of unimaginative, group-think. 

Through modern social media, our thoughts and actions have never been more monitored. If we are going to knowingly hand over deeply personal facets of what used to be called: “personal privacy” such as our on-line shopping habits, our personal preferences, banking information, our past transgressions of youth, or our immediate location… if we are to willingly give up these autonomies to the likes of facebook and google… then we must, in turn, develop new autonomies to counteract what we have given up freely. 

Crossing over from the external, to the internal realm… the OM! also crosses the boundary from the mundanely overt, to a internally covert, occultic operation. It is here, in our heart and HEAD, that we free our minds from the media-imposed, Archonic intrusion. Unencumbered, we are free to strike a most definitive blow against EMPIRE… from within! Internal freedom leads to external freedom. Like the great George “Funkadelic” Clinton said… “Free your Mind and your Ass will Follow.”

This all sounds easy… but if so, why has the bureaucratic orthodoxy been so successful for millennia? Why does the barred confines of the Black Iron Prison remain unescapable? Is it possible that within the theatre of the mind… we have a conspiracist traitor in our ranks? Within each of us, does this betrayal go all the way to the top?

I am schizophrenic… and so am I! 

In book two of the Tek-Gnostics Trilogy: “Applied Tek-Gnostics,” I call upon the Buddhist, Monkey Mind metaphor to describe the myriad personae that dwell within each of our psyche. Closely akin in concept to Jungian Psychology, the Buddhist Monkey Mind metaphor illustrates our chaotic, internal dialogues. Here is a pertinent excerpt… 

“This expression illustrates the unsettled, restless, capricious, whimsical, inconstant; confused… and the resulting indecisive and uncontrollable nature of most of humanity. The mind-monkey metaphor was consequently adopted in Taoism and Neo-Confucianism, as well as in the poetry, drama, and literature of archaic China and Japan.

‘We all have monkey minds’ suggests a fashionable pop-Buddhist anecdote… ‘with dozens of monkeys all clamoring for attention. Fear is an especially loud monkey, sounding the alarm incessantly, pointing out all the things we should be wary of and everything that could go wrong.’ This ‘fear monkey’ metaphor is especially poignant in our modern, conspiratorial, brave noö world. Fear continues to be a particularly problematic bugaboo within the human psyche.”

- Applied Tek-Gnostics

For most of us, in considering our internal, mental thought processes… we hear voices. Multiple Personality Disorder aside, most of us must content with many internal sub-personalities (inner monkeys) that vie for our attention.  Upon reflection, you may recognize a few of your own… such as the “inner critic” the “victim” the “rebel” the “trickster/magician” the “idealist” just to name a few.

Unlike Archetypes, which are deeply engrained, unconscious elementals of your inner-most being… sub-personalities are often conscious, manageable aspects of your personality. Related to persona, which is an evolving, outward projection or societal mask… sub-personalities are often internal commentators. On this note, we have a saying at Tek-Gnostics: Personas are something you have. Archetypes are something that have you. 

The self-proclaimed boss of all these sub-personality persona… the internal task-master who believes that “it” is in charge of all the monkeys… is none-other that the “Ego.” The trouble with the Ego is… it wants to be in charge. It wants to be in control so badly, that it is susceptible to flattery and falsehoods from without. As you have guessed dear reader, the traitor within our ranks is most likely that rascally Ego.

Susceptible to flattery and falsehoods from nefarious, outside actors, the Ego is deceived by the combination of self-importance and verification propaganda that is spoon-fed by the wily predator/dominator paradigm. So deceived, and behaving like our own personal, internal Archon, the “Ego” tries to hoodwink us into believing that “it” is the “I” …the all-powerful observer that is in charge of our inner being.

Strangely enough, when it comes to recognizing and personifying our inner dialogues, the hacktivist, autonomous collective: “Anonymous” got it right with their moto “we are legion.” Consequently, the best way (for our purposes) to understand our personality complex, is as a singular collective… an inner cohort. Each of our sub-personalities (let alone our archetypical traits), represent one facet of the collective “I.” As individual humans, each of us are myriad… we are multitudinous.

By accepting a singular collective world view, we begin to adopt an internal partnership paradigm of cooperation… within ourselves. The monkeys begin to work together. Our “traitorous” Ego is not inherently bad… just deceived. Once the Ego lets go of the dominator role, the predator/dominator paradigm loses influence over our self-image. In this way, the inner partnership paradigm mirrors the social model of author Riane Tennenhaus Eisler, introduced in part four of this series.

This is not a repudiation of Jung’s individuation process, it is tactically operating from a place of internal plurality. This inner cohort opens up new options for how we view the world… and how we might resist EMPIRE. The essential battle ground is within each of us. Being “legion” we can enlist and deploy “those” persona within us who bring unique skill-sets to the venture. In this regard, a valuable inner ally is the trickster/magician.

Within our many persona types, the trickster/magician is well-suited for deploying the inner and outer OM! This persona has particular expertise in utilizing magical thinking, from a personal myth perspective. Once we accept the understanding that the powers of myth have very real and actionable consequences, we have at our disposal magickal, mythic, and psychedelic options. Our trickster/magician persona is the perfect inner operative to leverage those options.

The following scenario, a component of Tek-Gnostics' Intelligence Engineering protocol, is a basic script of magical thinking (described herein as thought experiment) deployment…

Begin by finding the time and place to meditate upon the thought experiment (magical intervention) you are considering. Follow your basic centering protocols (as described in the Applied Tek-Gnostics field guide). In preparation, start by communing with your ancestors. Your ancestry is a powerful ally in magical thinking. As viable in personal influence as your archetypes, your ancestors are sympathetic to your best interests.  

Whether you have an altar, or just have a picture of your great-grandparents hanging on the wall… commune with your ancestors, and ask for their help in achieving your desired outcome. Once the ancestors are on board, allow them, along with your inner cohort, to deliberate and debate all of the permutations of the magical thought intervention you are considering. As these thoughts arise, allow them to take their course. Do not force this process, just allow it to happen.

Once the considered intervention has settled in your mind, once your inner cohort has settled down, imagine yourself (selves) taking the steps necessary to successfully accomplish your intended operation. The word intention is key here, as it is important establish a clear intention in what you are asking of your inner cohort and your ancestors. Focused magical thinking begins as imagination, but it does not remain imagination.

An integral part of your internal op, is visualizing it as a success. Your success in achieving your intention is dependent on the “cart or horse” nature of mind magick. Just believing that it is so, doesn’t make it so… but if affirmed enough, it does give it a nudge in the right direction. The ancient law of attraction suggests that our thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate the reality of our lives. Belief in your endeavor greatly increases the likelihood of an intended outcome.

In pursuing your very own inner thought intervention (OM!), remember the three rules of such thought experiments…

1) Have faith that the experiment will work.

2) Set a clear, focused intention.

3) Don’t forget to thank Mother Earth for the borrowed use of such energies!

It is vitally important to remember that Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Sophia, Gaia… is our greatest ally in our struggle against EMPIRE and it’s predator/dominator paradigm. The successful transition to a partnership paradigm is reliant on the recognition of the feminine as a source of receptive energy that is not subservient to, but equal to active, masculine energy.

That is all there is to it. Carry on and remember… regardless of the outcome of any specific operation… keep the faith that the long arch of history tends toward liberty, freedom and a partnership paradigm. Defeating Empire without, is achieved through eliminating EMPIRE within. If EMPIRE has no sanctuary within your inner realm, its ability to persuade or cast doubt is negated, thereby diminishing its outer authority.

In this manner… together… we take down EMPIRE, one mind at a time. In this endeavor, I strongly suspect that the internal banishment of EMPIRE is the key to not being infected by its derangement. I suspect that by freeing our minds, we stand the best chance of eluding PKD’s paradox and avoiding the imposition of becoming that which we resist.

This will likely be a long campaign, but rest assured, the resistance has already begun. Employ your inner cohort… keep your sense of humor, apply intelligence engineering, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em, and…

Keep Calm and Exit the EMPIRE.

Part One   /   Part Two   /   Part Three   /   Part Four