Below is a summary of my Devious Poetry discussion so far. This subject matter is always difficult to tackle, but it’s something I must get off my chest.
The discussion so far:
An exploration on how powerful silence can be and how it could even be a useful tool for writers. But also how it can be used for good or ill (which ties into my recent discussion on the importance of fairytales). I first mention a comic book called Promethea and share the page I want to discuss, while tying it to the teachings of Hermetic Qabalah.
What We Can Glean from the Rabbit Hole
A brief review of many of the occult topics already discussed on this website, and how alchemists manage to make the shiny red apple so tempting to those who are still too young and naive to know any better.
There’s a brief discussion on the four loves, then a discussion on how most non-Christian religions tend to be reskins of each other with the same goals in mind (albeit using different vernacular), and how they might use silence to achieve their ends.
With those primers out of the way, the analysis of the comic panel could begin, discussing how Ida and Pingala (the twin snakes) were trying to indoctrinate the main character by telling her the history of magick while layering their tale with lies, hidden meanings, and secrets (lies by omission).
I then prove Moore uses some of the same techniques toward the reader in his storytelling, and then further prove Moore was trying not only to be disingenuous with his readers, but smugly prophetic.
Interim:
Following the exhausting “What We Can Glean” post, I let Moore alone for quite some time. I felt dirty having to discuss the above subject matter, so I had a stint of more positive blog posts for quite some time before finally returning to this series of posts.
And I just have to say I have a hard time imagining how black one’s heart would have to be to handle dispensing this stuff day-in, day-out, especially with the full knowledge Moore has of what these teachings can do to corrupt the minds of a young audience and damage a culture.
Ultimately, I decided I wanted to keep the newer posts shorter in length, in hopes that they would be easier to stomach.
The discussion continues right where it left off with an analysis of Ida and Pingala’s deviant use of poetry and how it was being weaponized against the titular character Promethea, even though she believed the twin snakes were her friends.
They spoke about how good, yet regrettable, the sexual revolution was, and how the hippies amounted to little more than useful idiots (who are still useful to this day). The plan, it seemed, was for the hippies to become enlightened by opening their third eyes through the use of drugs, yoga, and other similar techniques. Apparently, they were hoping for something more than what they got.
They explained “knowledge” would somehow help us survive the coming Judgement Day, which would arrive in about 20 years (~2019). But Moore was not referring to the Biblical judgement day. Instead, he was referring to the coming of The Aeon.
Here we get a first look at the “The Aeon”, the Thoth tarot card number twenty that Moore had been referencing.
I discuss who The Aeon of Horus is, how he’s always holding a finger to his lips in all his depictions, how the use of tarot cards have been bastardized from their original intention (as a simple card game to be enjoyed by family and friends) to that of divination, and how the Thoth tarot deck is a further perversion of that same concept.
I discuss the meaning of card twenty, its connection to Aleister Crowley, and how the meaning behind that card not only perfectly describes how Promethea was indoctrinated, but it helps explain the predicament we find ourselves in today.
Finally, I discuss Thelema and the purpose of the magus, which is to use secrets and lies to guide society toward and/or through the vaunted “Age of Aquarius”, which is the enlightenment Moore had discussed earlier, whereas the Judgment Day is more the fourth aeon, which will be discussed in the coming parts.
That’s where I last left off in my analysis. My goal is to wrap up this discussion once and for all. But if things get too dark, I may have to retreat again and post some positive content instead.
Nick Enlowe 