Introduction
The contemporary Left often finds itself mired in abstract cultural battles that distance it from the very masses it aims to liberate. It grapples with dense rhetoric and alienating subcultures, diverting its energies from what ought to be its core mission: challenging the omnipresent influence of capitalism in our lives. While the Left’s focus drifts, the very essence of capitalism evolves into something more potent and ethereal, one that’s transformed from a mere economic model to a mythological force, shaping our beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions.
This article argues that capitalism, as we experience it today, transcends its materialistic roots, operating as an egregore – a collective consciousness that both shapes and is shaped by society. Further, this evolution of capitalism into an autonomous, deified entity has ensnared even those who supposedly wield its power, making it not just a tool of the elites, but a force that even they cannot control. To effectively counter this all-encompassing force, the Left must engage in a two-pronged strategy: firstly, by reclaiming and repurposing mythologies that resonate more closely with the masses and, secondly, by grounding these mythologies in material actions that disrupt the capitalist narrative.
Annoying but necessary note to the reader: By “cultural battles,” I do not refer to discussions around identity politics which are undoubtedly vital. But instead tendencies such as a fixation on ideological nomenclature—debating the semantics of terms like “Socialism,” “Communism,” and “Anarchism” in the public arena.
The Egregore of Capital
Egregore: (also egregor) is an occult concept representing a “thoughtform” or “collective group mind”, an autonomous psychic entity made up of, and influencing, the thoughts of a group of people. The symbiotic relationship between an egregore and its group has been compared to the more recent, non-occult concepts of the corporation (as a legal entity) and the meme.
Capitalism has become all pervasive in our material lives, there is no escape. Everywhere we go, our psyches are under the constant assault by the sigils of dead and decaying capital. Even when we travel far into “the wilderness” (managed by the laws of Capitalist efficiency of course) we find ourselves breathing polluted air and swimming in waters contaminated by plastic.
Why?
Most Leftists will respond with something along the lines of the Capitalist class being motivated by profit.
I would argue that this is not the case, and we can see an excellent example of this through the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time of this article’s publishing, 6,276,293 total people have died directly from Covid-19; many more have perished from the consequences of medical system collapse on an almost global scale.
At the start of the pandemic, a unified global response to Covid-19 would have been painful to the Capitalist class but could have, ultimately, been overcome. Now, three years later, the pandemic shows absolutely no sign of stopping. This has certainly been more disruptive to Capitalism in the long term. We are now facing a similar situation to the start of the pandemic with the B2.A variant showing a massive increase in transmissibility. South Korea reported a staggering 600,000 new cases with its arrival.
Experts are warning that within weeks this will become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the US. Despite this, almost all Covid-19 safety protocols are coming to an end on a national and state level.
From a Capitalist perspective, a massive die off of the working class is very bad. This is especially the case in a country where the labor movement is gaining a level of traction it hasn’t seen since the early 1900s. A contraction of the working class allows workers to make greater demands on employers because there is less labor to go around. Just as there is a market for any good or service, there is a market for labor. Further, the disabilities that can and do manifest as a result of Covid-19 infection equate, for the Capitalist class, to far less labor to be exploited from those who do not die.
I argue that the Capitalist class has lost the plot. Capitalism is no longer something that the Capitalist class inflicts on us solely as a means to control the population or to exploit surplus labor; Capitalism has become an entity all its own, and has reached a status of worship that no deity or spirit on this planet has ever known.
Consumption and production must continue at all costs.
Along with Capitalism comes a pantheon of demigods such as Technological Progressivism, individualist “bootstraps” work ethics (See: Survivorship fallacy), national mythologies, and Scientific Materialism.
The Capitalist class has lost control of the beast they have created and fallen under the spell of it themselves. We must continue to practice Capitalism because Capitalism is the foreground and the background. There is no alternative.
We must continue in our worship regardless of how many are sacrificed at its feet in banal idol worship. Capitalism is no longer a tool of humanity (or even a small subset of humanity), humanity is a tool of Capitalism.
Mythological Warfare
Leftists used to utilize myth, even if only unconsciously. Throughout the age of Leftist revolution the myth of the Golden Age was a mainstay of every revolutionary movement, be they of Marxist or more Libertarian tendencies such as the CNT-FAI. In this time, political signifiers had real meaning, not only of one’s political beliefs but, more importantly, of a deeper mythology complete with collective stories, symbols, and individuals whose status was mythological in size.
In the United States, the Left has allowed the Right to steal cultural identifiers that historically placed one’s politics closer to the Left, particularly those of the poor white working class. In some cases, Leftists have even aided in this theft by perpetuating negative stereotypes about poor whites, those who live in the southeast, those who live in rural areas, etc. This is to be expected, particularly of white people, because one of the primary functions of whiteness is to destroy the political and cultural myths of a particular group. (See: Keltoi Rising: Reflections on Whiteness)
Since this time, the Left has been led around on a leash by the Right. Rather than setting their own terms, they respond to every cultural battle the Right decides to create. The Left engages in these battles without realizing that the Right has already set the framing in ways that make it impossible for the Left to win.
The greatest failure of the modern day Left is in not recognizing that political and economic positioning are SECONDARY to cultural positioning, not the other way around. This is particularly inexcusable when Leftists, of all people, should understand the means by which late stage Capitalism has atomized the average person.
We must revive identities that lay outside of whiteness, the state, and Capitalism. My proposal of a Neo-Celtic movement is one of many possible places to start (See: Barbarianism: Towards Celtic Resurrection). Another example would be the Young Patriots movement.
While narratives and stories form the bedrock of cultural consciousness, they gain tangible power when manifested materially in our surroundings.
Material Warfare
It is not simply enough that we adopt new cultural positions. We must materially enact the world that we wish to see around us. I have spoken at length about this in other articles; however, it bears repeating, especially in the context of mythological warfare.
Physical monuments are powerful reinforcers of myth. This is why Conservatives are obsessed with preventing the destruction of monuments to national mythology. One is not simply destroying a block of stone, they are destroying physical manifestations of deeply held beliefs.
Conclusion
As Capitalism continues to erode popular mythologies of the modern era, we will continue to see people reach for more and more absurd theories as to why everything is still under control; whether it’s strong men politicians or the divine plan of their gods.
To many, the idea of nobody being at the wheel, no grand design, no one group we can point at and exclaim “THEY DID IT!” is very frightening. While it presents new problems that we *must* adapt to, I would argue that the modern world has never been more ripe for change. Capitalism requires the divinity of the state and liberal institutions to persist; with their erosion, anything is possible.
We must rise from the ashes of the old world and once again thrust a spear into the eye of Balor.
