The Corruption of Modern Times aka Colonization of the Sacred

("Before And After Science", 2023, original encaustic) The Corruption of Modern Times aka Colonization of the Sacred There are traditions Passed down in ear-whisper lineages And Dead Sea scrolls Dream journeys and alien visitations These are the timeless traditions of the soul And as such have remained safely outside of time In little pockets and distant hermitages Where souls can breathe and thrive. But the modern is not one to recognize souls Let alone show kindness to secret and mysterious ways Nor to the distant and isolated among us The modern likes to discover the rare And consume it as for lunch with an apéritif To preserve and venerate But in the process adulterate with its own values Enslaved as a means to its own selfish end. In some ways this is how all civilizations grow But also how Tradition dies Even the finest ways of the past Ways of the esoteric and sublime Have been made to serve the masses In the name of the false gods of democracy; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Gods that acknowledge no real excellence No ground that is sacred Let alone open to only the most select and few. In this way the modern has made common And dumbed down What is inherently elite And beyond accessible In this way we have become less In the process of becoming more Because though our true nature is one And the same for us all We are each as individuals as unique As the proverbial snowflake. And each though the center of our own universe Still only able to see What we have eyes to see And minds to know Each hung up on whatever rung of the ladder We find ourselves on What level of the pyramid we toil In fulfilling our own need. So on we toil Bound to our own wheel Grinding away all that we dream Till what is left is beyond Anything that can be held Let alone known And so slips through the fingers of Ego Grasping with habitual, clueless routine Blind to all it is missing Of what is real all around What is only whispered In the wind Or felt with the soft caress Of distant Sun. (12/1/23)