“Indeed, it is becoming ever more obvious that it is not famine, not earthquakes, not microbes, not cancer but man himself who is man’s greatest danger to man, for the simple reason that there is no adequate protection against psychic epidemics, which are infinitely more devastating than the worst of natural catastrophes.” ~ Carl Jung, The Symbolic Life

The Native Americans called the evil spirit that invades the human psyche thereby causing negative psychic epidemics, Wetiko. We’ll return to this concept directly.

“Shatter the frozen sea inside us.” That’s how novelist Franz Kafka described what may be called a disabling belief system. The disabling beliefs that concern us here are those unconscious ones planted in our minds by bad actors who employ mind control techniques to manipulate individuals, groups and societies.

A significant portion of the adult population in America harbors disabling beliefs of which they are mostly unaware – beliefs that obscure truth. The common beliefs or thought forms among this minority impede their attaining higher consciousness and enlightenment for they no longer possess critical agency, having wholly succumbed to groupthink. It is self-evident that groupthink suppresses individuality and creativity. It obfuscates one’s sense of self and stunts spiritual growth.

“Man does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious,” wrote Carl Jung. In other words, we must summon these sinister and controlling programs from the darkness of the subconscious mind into the light of universal consciousness. Those experiencing at least some degree of cognitive dissonance and haven’t made up their mind on climate change, for example, should consider this in order to expose new ideas to reason, logic and critical thinking. (By the way, the carbon-driven “climate emergency” is the greatest scientific fraud in history.)

Many, perhaps even most victims of mind control, are simply unwilling to change. They are fearful of the inevitable pushback. They grew comfortable nursing their groupthink delusions and prefer not to be rattled. They have fully compromised their self-identity. Fair enough: examining one’s unconscious mind is at best disturbing and can even be painful. Chrysalis Tarot was crafted to engender introspection increase self-awareness.

Other people are different. They invoke the advice of Einstein: “Question everything.” Being told what to think is anathema to them, especially when things just “don’t add up.” They willingly risk being censored and gas lighted on social media and ostracized by friends and family. Only they can hope to attain true enlightenment, the “narrow path” that alludes to reality-based objective truth, e.g. only women have human babies, and not reality subjugated to false dogma demanding ‘correct’ beliefs.

“Wetiko is at the very root of the collective madness and corresponding evil that we, as a human species, are collectively acting out on the world stage,” wrote artist Paul Levy. “Our sense of identity molds us, while we are at the same time the ones crafting our identity. What we don’t want is to let Wetiko forge our identity for us.”

How does one defend against Wetiko, against its lies, deceptions and disabling beliefs? By rejecting the false-self and asserting our own true nature, which is spiritual in essence. By remaining positive in a pernicious sea of negativity.

Levy advocates developing your innate creative gifts: “For once we connect with our calling, find our authentic voice and express our creative nature, Wetiko has no place to stand.”  

In addition to Paul Levy’s excellent piece on Wetiko, which is here, writer William Hubbard, from whom I borrowed this blog’s title, also penned an informative and interesting article on Wetiko that can be read here. I highly recommend both to you.

To “shatter the frozen sea inside you,” I also recommend meditating on this Chrysalis card, particularly this symbolism. Herne’s right hand, the one holding his sword, points to three stars. That’s part of the constellation Orion, an asterism known as “Orion’s Belt. These three stars point to a dimmer star called Sirius, which was hugely important to the Ancient Egyptians.

In addition to meditating on Herne the Hunter, I invite you to research Orion’s Belt and Sirius and see what you come up with. Please share your insights in the comments section and please consider subscribing to the Chrysalis Tarot blog by entering your email address below. WordPress will never spam you.

© Toney Brooks 2022, Chrysalis art by Holly Sierra.

“The mind craves distraction so much that it becomes quite adept at forging illusions. Illusion is the ego’s trick to prevent you from becoming a seeker of truth.”

That quote comes from our Chrysalis Tarot Companion book. The Illusionist card emphasizes what can happen to a person – even to a society – when the quest for truth and objective reality is abandoned. When we sacrifice facts to feelings and dogma, religious or political, we are on the road to delusion.

In the world today we bear witness to a pandemic of delusion, a psychic epidemic so grisly that this warped condition of the psyche presents a clear and present danger to humanity itself. Delusion is a psychogenic disorder – one caused by the mind; there is no physical infectious agent.

What societal conditions allow widespread delusion to metastasize into full-fledged mass psychosis? The answer is a simple: Fear plus hate and division festering among an ill-informed and insecure population with an astonishingly low self-awareness.

Psychiatrist Joost Meerloo argued in his book Rape of the Mind:

“. . .the totalitarian systems of the 20th century represent a kind of collective psychosis. Whether gradually or suddenly, reason and common human decency are no longer possible in such a system: there is only a pervasive atmosphere of terror, and a projection of “the enemy,” imagined to be “in our midst.” Thus society turns on itself, urged on by the ruling authorities.”

The most menacing “infectious agent” employed by “the ruling authorities” is propaganda, a witches brew concocted of lies and twisted truths. Our media is filled with it! Such propaganda seeks to divide society. That portion of society still able to think critically and seek truth is bemused while the mentally ill and deluded portion is enraged: they simply cannot bear to have their false worldview – which is their religion – questioned.

A Chrysalis enthusiast once asked if Chrysalis was “anti-Catholic.”

I responded that Chrysalis isn’t about “correct beliefs” but rather about personal growth – the process Carl Jung termed individuation. Tarot can be a useful adjunct to all religious beliefs, as Jung explained:

“These four functional [personality] types [represented by tarot’s four suits] correspond to the obvious means by which consciousness obtains its orientation to experience. Sensation (i.e. sense perception) tells us that something exists; thinking tells you what it is; feeling tells you whether it is agreeable or not; and intuition tells you whence it comes and where it is going.”

Sensation = Stones; Thinking = Scrolls; Feeling = Mirrors and Intuition = Spirals.

Arthur Waite, mystic and co-creator of the Rider-Waite tarot, noted tarot provides a gateway to universal truths embedded in the Collective Unconscious. Chrysalis holds that the Divine Child archetype symbolizes your Higher Self and consequently is your personal spiritual director and co-seeker of truth – your inner voice.

While Chrysalis may be agnostic regarding religion, we stand in firm opposition to dogma. We believe dogma – political and religious – stymies personal and spiritual growth and hinders critical thinking.

Past societies that suffered mass psychosis include the authoritarian societies of the 1920s and 30s. Leaders of authoritarian societies (Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, et al.) do not concern themselves with seeking truth, rather they seek power and authority over every aspect of daily life. Frankly, America’s political class act a good deal like the evildoers of the 20s and 30s.

“Indeed, it is becoming ever more obvious” [Jung] wrote, “that it is not famine, not earthquakes, not microbes, not cancer but man himself who is man’s greatest danger to man, for the simple reason that there is no adequate protection against psychic epidemics, which are infinitely more devastating than the worst of natural catastrophes.” ~ Carl Jung, The Symbolic Life

Chrysalis Tarot was crafted to help you effectively integrate (become consciously aware of) the powerful forces of your psyche via keen discernment, critical thinking, humility and intuition. Note that the emotions of mass psychosis are all low frequency emotions: fear, hate, divisiveness and anger. Don’t expect truth from this lot – only lies.

© Toney Brooks, 2021