Spiritual capitalism
Sometimes there's nothing as disconcerting as an idea whose time has come
In the beginning was the word, and the word was very literal…
God was male. He had physical characteristics (white hair, beard), owned real estate (Heaven), and required obedience to his rules.
Work was physical (tote that barge, lift that bale). People traded their time and energy for money.
Marketing was functional. Coca-cola was a thirst quencher… a reward for all that hard work toting and lifting.
The Game was Snakes and Ladders. If you were lucky you could land on a ladder. If unlucky it was a quick slide to the bottom.
The moral of the story - Be good. Accept your fate. Avoid snakes.
Next came the Age of Enlightenment
God was dead (according to Nietzsche) Philosophy was King. Self-determination replaced fate. Become a self-made man.
Work was mental “Work smart not hard!”. “Get a career instead of a job” With a good education you could sit down more, and join a gym if you still wanted to lift things.
Marketing was emotional. Coca-Cola was barbecues at the beach and fun times with friends! Buy a Coke and put yourself in this picture. Be one of the cool people.
The Game was Monopoly. Win through ruthless competition and a clever strategy.
The moral of the story. Greed is good!
Where we’re at… (new age spirituality)
God is a woman. The Divine Feminine arrives with a drum roll and an eye roll to tell God where he’s been going wrong all these years.
Work is spiritual (not as in kind and loving… but as in magical and grandiose). No need to trade physical or mental work for dollars when you can just attract abundance.
“Ten X your income!” “Get ‘high ticket’ clients by telling other people how to Ten X their income”. “Magnetise dream clients.
Marketing is bonkers. Coca Cola is no longer a fizzy beverage, it’s “teaching the world to sing” or “making the world a better place”. Not to be outbid, Starbucks isn’t selling overpriced coffee, it’s “nurturing the limitless possibilities of human connection one cup at a time”.
The Game is Chess. If you claim your inner sovereignty you can move all over the board, just like the badass Queen that you are.
Greed is good because it’s now officially sanctioned by a God who just wants you to increase your capacity to receive – Love, forgiveness, and joy rather than cashmere sweaters, exotic holidays, and iPhones but let’s not split hairs.
You’re not buying stuff, you’re just demonstrating how much you’ve healed your low self-esteem issue.
The moral of the story With a bit of magical rebranding, physical things can be turned into spiritual things, and spiritual things can be turned into physical things.
This is kind of cheating (and probably not what Jesus had in mind) because once things are in the spiritual realm they can’t be questioned or held accountable. For instance, If Air BnB sells the idea of “belonging everywhere” that’s harder to fact-check than “quiet, tree-lined street” or “goose down duvet”.
A lot of new age spirituality programs are seriously expensive, making you nostalgic for the bad old days when you could go to church, bask in a sound bath of Gregorian chants and organ power chords, express regret for your bad choices in a darkened confessional booth… all for the price of a few dollars on a plate.
In the same way that physical capitalism is a triangle with a few Monopoly winners at the top and a shed load of people paying overpriced rents at the bottom, spiritual capitalism is a similar Ponzi scheme in which we’re in danger of running out of people to Ten X.
Perhaps we need more Humble Pie “I don’t need no Doctor, cause I know what’s ailing me” and less Led Zeppelin… because, contrary to current marketing, you can’t actually buy a Stairway to Heaven.