We live in a world where the deeper, underlying mythic patterns that have endlessly reiterated themselves throughout human history are incarnating and revealing themselves through world events for all who have eyes to see. As if in a timeless fairy tale, our species has gotten drafted into playing out roles in a vast, multidimensional process which is revealing itself as it acts itself out through us. Seeing the mythical, archetypal roles that are being unconsciously enacted in the world theater initiates a process of deep transformation, both within ourselves and the world at large.
In this mythical drama we find ourselves in, our planet has been pirated and co-opted by the figure of George Bush and his gang of robber barons, who have taken control of the most powerful war machine the world has ever known and are using it to accomplish their own self-serving agenda. They are in the process of taking us hostage in our own country and are using our homeland to plunder and terrorize the rest of the planet. In this cosmic drama we are all sharing, George Bush and Co. have gotten dreamed up to play out, in full-bodied form, the archetypal, mythical role of pirate, which is a figure that exists deep within the collective unconscious of humanity.
Instead of pirates of the Caribbean, however, Bush and Co. are pirates of what Buckminster Fuller called “spaceship earth.” In his book Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, Fuller pointed out how piracy has been one of the chief underlying factors shaping western history, and thus determining the way our world power structure has developed and still operates.
For example, in a truly groundbreaking expose that is easy to overlook because there are so many other administration scandals competing for our attention, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in his latest article titled “The Redirection,” has uncovered that the Bush regime is covertly funneling funds earmarked for Iraq’s reconstruction into fomenting sectarian violence and igniting civil wars in the region. Their underlying intention is to create enough chaos so that they can reconfigure the Middle East and thereby achieve their geo-political aim of seizing the oil and natural gas reserves in the region. This is truly a diabolical act of modern-day global piracy writ large on the world stage that is utterly perverse.
Pirates (and I am referring not to the romanticized Hollywood version, but to those who commit criminal acts of theft and violence against others, a.k.a., piracy) are symbolic of a macho, testosterone-driven pathological figure in the human psyche that, just like a bully, abuses power over others because they can. They pillage and murder simply because others can’t stop them— which is morally indefensible. Pirates are not merely criminally insane, they are morally insane. Pirates are truly sociopathic, as they have no conscience. They have become possessed by the power-drive of the shadow, which compels them to transgress and violate individuals’ (or nations’) boundaries. Pirates are driven to dominate and enslave others, as they act out the shadow of which they themselves are possessed. Pirates are symbolic of a virulent element in the human psyche which has become addicted to power and taken over by greed and lust for blood and booty.
Pirates are malignant narcissists, as they only care about their own masturbatory fantasies - they see the world as something they are entitled to loot and symbolically rape. They believe they can get away with murder—literally. Like a genuine sociopath, pirates lack the facility to empathically see through their victim’s eyes. Like a true predator, these privateers relate to others as objects from whom they can try to satisfy their never-ending hedonistic desire for pleasure. When pirates seize power, they do what is best for themselves, with no regard for anyone else – those who don’t support their dark vision get metaphorically “thrown overboard.”
Pirates symbolize the pathological figure of the predator who gets fed and even energized by doing violence to others. Pirates are an incarnation of the role of perpetrator or abuser, as they are the initiators of aggression based on their own insatiable blood-lust. Pirates are symbolic of the murderous insanity of the separate self, as in their marauding violence they are completely and utterly asleep to our interconnectedness. Pirates are embodiments of the pathological aspect of our species that is susceptible to joining into lawless gangs so as to prey on and steal from those who are weaker. Because of the fact that these gangsters always configure themselves into groups, they are like organized crime syndicates. Pirates operate outside the restricting laws of conventional bureaucracy, as they live by a different set of rules than everyone else. They are true outlaws, as they live outside the law.
If it sounds like I am describing George Bush and Co., it is because Bush and his henchmen are unconsciously possessed by, and therefore embodying and pathologically acting out on the world stage the mythical, archetypal role of pirate. Pirates are symbolic of the archetypal quality of “evil”, one of whose inner meanings, etymologically speaking, is to “transgress boundaries”. Bush and Co. have become instruments for darker powers to incarnate themselves into our world. The figure of pirate is an archetypal, mythic image that represents and symbolizes a darker, sick, sadistic and self-destructive part of ourselves.
It is like we are on a ship that Bush and Cheney have hijacked (the word “plane hijacker” in French is “pirate de l’air”; we can thus call Bush and Co. “pirate de la planete”—planet hijacker). They literally hijacked— stole—both the 2000 and the 2004 elections. When these planetary pirates—and those that support them—took over our country. It was as if they perpetrated a political coup, hijacking our ship of state, and in so doing many people fell under their spell such that they barely noticed. In a form of mass mind-control, part of their coup was to take over the mainstream media in such a way so as to put out propaganda aimed at convincing people that no hostile takeover had even taken place. Bush and Co. are modern-day corporate pirates in possession of the most cutting edge mind-control technology the world has ever known. Bush and Co. have “captured” our nation – and “captivated” the minds of millions of our populace—brainwashing people by playing on their fear. We must recognize our complicity in allowing these depraved warlords to rule over us, otherwise we are unwittingly serving and supporting them as if they are our masters. Their power over us depends upon our being disconnected from each other as well as from ourselves. We play right into their hands if we believe ourselves to be so disempowered. Their worst nightmare would be for us to connect with our intrinsic creative power as well as each other.
Having seized control of our country, they have emptied the coffers of our national treasury, and enlisted our nation into serving their barbaric ends. We need to recognize the extent of the Bush regime’s utter criminality. In a universal court of law, those committing piracy are considered to be “hostis humani generic”, a Latin term which translates as “enemies of humanity.” In essence, pirates like Bush have declared war against humanity, who they hold in contempt. From the dreaming point of view, whose logic is not linear but synchronistic, it is not a coincidence that Bush is a member of “ Skull and Bones,” which is the very symbol of piracy. Nor is it an accident that pirates are “carousers,” which Bush was for the majority of his life and still is, just in disguised form. It is like Bush is on a weekend bender that has lasted over six years, and the world is his crime scene.
If it sounds like I am “blaming” Bush and his administration, I say “yes”, I am blaming them. I am blaming them for immoral, criminal acts which they are guilty of perpetrating on humanity and for which they deserve to be blamed. It is a huge mistake to be one-sidedly identified with the expansive, overly spiritual new-age point of view that there’s no one to blame, that we are all responsible. Yes, on one level, we are all co-creating and dreaming up this universe together, which is to say we are all complicit in different ways in what is playing out and there is no one to blame. But to be fully identified with this absolute point of view is to marginalize that from another very real point of view, relatively speaking, there are people who are perpetrating violence and abuse onto others. It is the most compassionate thing to do at these moments of abuse to not pretend the violence is something other than what it is.
One of the unconscious, shadow sides of the well-intentioned spiritual, progressive and liberal movements is to be hesitant to cast blame when it is the very skillful and enlightened response which is called for. Those who are perpetrating violence have a name and an address. This doesn’t mean we don’t love them, have compassion for them and forgive them. It does mean, however, that we stop them from perpetrating further abuse if we are able and hold them accountable for their actions. People who are compulsively enacting violence in the world will not stop voluntarily, they are literally crying out for and dreaming up other people who are courageous enough to set a boundary and stop their out of control and ultimately self-destructive behavior. It is important for us to realize that Bush and Cheney are only the frontmen for the organized crime syndicate of pirates which they serve and represent. Bush and Cheney are merely actors in a grand play. It is important to get in focus the roles they are playing. We can pick our own metaphors (criminals, mad, ignorant, fascists, possessed by demons, etc), whichever one works for you is fine. The point is for us to get into focus and “see” the evil that Bush and Cheney are actually doing; this is the last thing they want.
Sometimes clearly seeing what is happening is the very act which spontaneously activates and mobilizes effective action. Bush and Co. have a distinct advantage if we don’t recognize their predator-like nature. We can’t possibly be able to meet their challenge unless we clearly discern what we are up against. The more of us that see the danger confronting us the better, as we can then creatively join forces in a way which actively empowers us to successfully meet the crisis we are facing.
