Satanic Panic Returns: Marina Abramovic

Dominique Johnson November 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

Written during the John Podesta Leak Controversy.

Many people are no longer convinced that Marina Abramović is merely a performance artist. Marina Abramović actually knows about the ideas of ‘occult magic’ — or what we term ‘occult arts’ — enough to know that the art she performs can be used for two distinguishable functions based on intentions:

Entertainment and performance, or
Ritualism

Marina Abramovic “Spirit Cooking”: The Satanic Temple Response

According to Marina Abramovic, there is an art context, and magical context, but she separates them. In response to the news on “Spirit Cooking,” following leaks into the Clinton campaign, a spokesperson from The Satanic Temple responded about this leak.

The Satanic Temple spokesperson replied:

“Obviously, what’s really going on here is that the real would-be magicians are attempting desperately to conjure scandal from lackluster and mundane emails which were previously hoped to contain some political career-ruining revelations.” (Lucien Greaves)

“The absurdity of the accusations regarding the disgust-inducing ingredients harken back to witch-hunter inquisitorial panic fantasies that one would hope we’d have grown beyond today.”

The so-called “Christian truther movement,” like A Call for an Uprising are very angry with Marina Abramović. People are absolutely convinced without any concrete evidences, that the artist is a Satanist, a Crowleyite, or Witch.

If you can demonstrate this to be, then show the evidences.

The conservatives are prepared if proven tomorrow, to have her and others burned at the stake, so lets talk about it.

Lets talk about the underlying theories surrounding the Satanic Panic and Marina Abramović:

The evil ‘Hidden Hand’ group, Illuminati. It does not only implicate a hidden spiritual elite, or hierarchy of demons, and lizard-people. Depending on the accusation, it however implicates much more: that there’s a global anti-Christian conspiracy, with Masons, Liberals, Theosophists, Jews, etc., in Alliance. It could never admit, that maybe Christianity is declining for other reasons besides “those Jews,” and “Draconian-Masonic bloodlines.”
Satan and Lucifer exists, and they can be conjured. Even modern-day so-called occultists believe, and claim they do this.
The Bible and its mythology is true and depicts an ancient cosmic history of God versus Satan and Lucifer, Angels versus Demons.
Marina Abramović is a Satanist or Crowleyite. [Yes.] or [No.] Yes — implies all the above is [MUST BE] true.
Crowleyeans or Thelema is Satanism and Luciferianism (see The Arcane Archives).
Marina Abramović is connected to a Pedophile ring through John Podesta’s contacts.
Marina Abramović is possessed by a demon.

Abramović:
Light Side/Dark Side

The art of Abramovic incorporates elements in a performance art that the author would find personally interesting, because there is a market and interest for the genre, bringing together perfomance art and magic ritualism. Is Marina Abramović’s art a love letter to Satan?

VICE Meets: Marina Abramović Still Doesn’t Give a Fuck. I don’t either.

I am going to be really honest about Marina Abramović. I actually like performance art, and especially, if it uniquely incorporates certain metaphysical elements. It is not really a masochistic art style, as I know the work of others, but it draws my interest, and as the artist, she has a great personality and philosophy that imbues her work. As I said, I excuse Marina Abramović, and do not think she is connected to the controversy about sex slave trafficking, and pedophilia. People are calling her a witch, and so forth. I feel defensive maybe, because she has her own ideals, and people have been misunderstanding her ideas for her work, and that isn’t new for Marina Abramović. What if she is a witch? What is she really?

“Part Shaman, Part Joker.” says Deborah Levy

She shows in the interview that she is daring, and tries to push herself to the limits, and that has culminated in her years of work. I can tell, her and her work is unique, as if performance art was like designing a sacred temple, having its metaphysical meanings, etc. The Deborah Levy piece goes into her major themes.

I actually don’t like how music entertainers are utilizing subliminal symbols in their performances, or incorporating repetitive gothic and dark themes, because it is very repetitive and mocking, as Lucian Greaves put it, to make a profit. However, Marina Abramović has been around for quite some time as a performance artist. She is the mastermind of her work, and of her own energetic sphere, and this Abramovic-Podesta issue was one of the deal-breakers for me with the Trump supporters.

The idea that began my journey is the major theme of her work—

Abramović asks a
question she has
explored all her life: how
do we learn to fear? How
do we unlearn to fear?

Deborah Levy writes. How to unlearn to fear, by confronting the dark.

I wish I could have a conversation with Marina Abramović, because I can understand the rationale in her art. Plus, we’ll take Spirit Cooking over this Gabbi Colette’s Interior Semiotics performance anyday —

She must be a Satanist I’m guessing too … And Marina, compared to this anyday —

Marina Abramović’s art doesn’t seem to be purely based on dark elements either, but primarily on trusting. There is a theme of trusting, and taking on the emotions and suffering of those participating with her in her act, and that can be liberating, and therapeutic. So, I think people should look at Marina from a different angle. Marina Abramović, has certain broadly gnostical (i.e., mystic) outlook, because in one video, she speaks about the “Higher Self” (the “Over-soul”). She added, that she was able to get into a certain mental space for her work, and she identified that space as the Higher Self. The Christians against her say, that she is possessed and she’s mocking them. If so, then she has a good sense of humor, and an interesting idea in integrating art and ritual. So, out of all this, Marina Abramović does know about occult rites, and symbolism. This is the fact we’ve established, but that’s about it.

‘The Occult World of Marina Abramovic’

‘The Occult World of Marina Abramovic’ debunked the Right’s Satanic Panic hysteria and ignorance.

A comment to “The Occult World of Marina Abramović” by Manon Welles says:

“No mention of Lucifer in this essay?! Of course Crowley and Theosophists are satanic. They openly espouse the virtues of Lucifer in all of their writings.”

Do they mean the virtues of liberty, critical thinking, and the pursuit of truth? The article even called it “Satanic Panic Returns”. We can leave the discussion about “neo-feminist occultism” for another time, but all these reactions are all mind-boggling, and hilarious.