I'm not one for long posts at this point, I don't have much more to say than the folks at places like off-guardian.org or coronacircus.com (nor do I have much time to say it). But I wanted to sketch a few notes, mostly for myself and maybe a few others who happen to find this post.
I want to briefly talk about masks. With many U.S. states now in yellow and green phases of reopening, and the UK now starting to discuss plans for reopening, it seems clear that masks are a permanent feature of the "new normal". It is unclear how much health benefit they really provide, especially given that the IFR of the sars-cov-2 virus turns out to be relatively low. Masks may even be harmful, in that they may set up hypoxic conditions when worn for long periods of time or during strenuous exercise. Still, it's clear that they will be required (either de facto or by law), and for quite some time.
Many others have discussed the disturbing psychological aspects of mask wearing: how they erase identity and obstruct communication. A few (notably @Icaros at coronacircus.com) have touched on the occult nature of masks, how they are semiotically associated humiliation and silence, essentially a symbolic gagging.
As such, the mask mandate becomes a hypersigil for invoking these qualities: censorship, humiliation, subservience.
I wanted to drop a few extra notes, especially in light of the trending hashtag #icantbreath, which seems only to reinforce the hypersigil. So consider the following:
breath=pneuma=soul, "I can't breath" = "I can't access my soul/creativity/life-force"
Cultural references to masks (movies/literature):
a. Film: Eyes Wide Shut (occult ball)
b. Film: Brazil (torture scene)
c. Literature: Song of Ice and Fire (Asshai-by-the-Shadow)
I may add more as I think of them.
Question: How does one find a personal or societal antidote to this hypersigil?