Cyberpunkpaganism [en]

Things running through my head, why don't we have cyberpunk paganism?

I wish to explain myself, because the question randomly shooted into the air ist puzzling.

Different thoughts come here into place. Culural elements, memes, change form given by time and context, but the actual content stays unchanged. You can take the Campbells journey of the hero. The heros journy as monomythic motive is in the old text like the trials of Heracles, the live of Chuchullain, the legend of King Arthur, the live of Talisien or Jason and the Argonauts. But also in Star Wars, Harry Potter, Tributs of Panem or the quest of the Neveraine or the journy of the Dohvakin in the Elder Scrolls Series.

Also we like to express metaphors with the given technologies of our time. In the victorian age one often speaks of pressures and tmeperatures and movementes, in the electrical age of currents and voltages and also we do in the digital age. "That dude is in stand by" "My brains are like formated". It is in our nature to clad ideas we want to express in the known metaphors and take things and ideas known to us as cloth.

The wanderings of Ulysses are in origin set mythological in the bronze age, that is how the original text is authentical. And I think this is a point we must part things. The Odyssee by Homer is a historic athentical work in its own context and with its usable technologies. And when I say technologies I define widely. A ladder or a streets crossing are in my opinion technology, but I can write more later on demand. So, the Odyssee. Ulysseus annoyed the gods and wandered for ten years the mediterean sea, maybe we have some historical echo but I want to hold ground on that topic. Essential for my thoughts are the core ideas that want to be transported in the Odyssee. The parting of Troy, the arrival at Polyphems island and the deafeat of the cyclops, the insulting of Poseidon and his wrath, a main element of the Odyssee. The sorceress Circe and the transformation of the men. The sirens and the Maelstrom, the homecoming of Ulysses. This are alle elements and ideas which works in the bronze age enviroment as like in a Star Wars Universe or nowadays on the streets of Berlin.

To set an arc to the paganism topic. In my perception I see that the most polytheists experience the gods in a historical or pseudohistorical romantic garment, in most cases bronze age or iron age, in best case medieval. A more modern reception of the gods and the beliefs, that means the original memes, in anaother form is rare. Most likey one can find it among Marvel fans which enjoy the movies of the "Thor" series. I rather dont see a serious engagement with this topic.

Why, oh Taranis, isnt there a modern reception, not only in shape but also in the handling of the topic? Where is our steampunk paganism, our cyberpunk gods? Where is a contemporary reception of the of the polytheistic core ideas, what by the way also lead to work actively with this core ideas and not go along with the shape. A, admittedly enjoyable, side effect.

I want gods of the present and gods of the future and not a religion dusty and dead like the age from which it comes. Dont get me misunderstood. I absolutely get enthusiastic about history, but everyone who knows his or her history must admit, that he or she did not want to live in the ancient world. Or in medieaval times. Also, because we not only have to live without our technology and our ameneties, but also without our ideas and concepts, which we cant unlearn. Without these we would not be the same humans any more and with them living in historical or prehistorical ages would only be some kind of live role playing game in which we try to mimic behaviours of which we belive that they could be authentic.

The conciousness of modern humans differs from the conciousnesses of former humans. This is a process, which we cant execute on our selfes and most likely didnt want to. it is not only a question of technology, but also a question of thoughts and ideas. When humans change, also their perception and understanding of the universe changes and also his spiritual understanding.

...

before some some nosy Abramahit comes around, same is for monotheistic religions.

Published on 21.01.2023