Bitcoin From a Gnostic Perspective

Some people have described Bitcoin as the shining light at the end of the tunnel, an instrument of God, and its appearance in 2009 as divine intervention. This thinking appeals to me. Below is my attempt at a Gnostic interpretation of the same idea.

Gnostic Mythology

According to the Gnostic mythos, there are many worlds populated by numerous beings. These worlds are either closer to (higher) or farther from (lower) the ultimate source of All, the causeless cause, the infinite and incomprehensible Father—God. Our material realm is, unfortunately, a low world; that is to say, quite far from the fullness of Pleroma. All the worlds and beings that populate them are ultimately emanations of the one true God including the creator of the physical space—the demiurge Ialdabaoth—and his team of Archons. Ialdabaoth, also known as Saklas (fool), was blind of his true origin and claimed to be the one and only God almighty. Only divine Sophia, the feminine representation of the wisdom of God, was able to tell him the truth.

"I am God and there is no other God beside me."
"Do not lie, Ialdabaoth; for the father of all, the primal Anthropos, is above you."

As the Chief Archon is a deficient god, for not knowing all including one's origin is a deficiency, Ialdabaoth's world can only be deficient, too. Any creation is a reflection of its creator. The physical world we live in is imperfect by design. Unlike infinite and timeless Spirit, Matter has inherent limitations, and its state is ever-changing. There is a beginning and an end to anything material.

Man is a spiritual being originating from higher worlds closer to God. But many souls fall from grace into the lower worlds where divine light is dimmer, and so they suffer. There is nothing worse than leaving the fullness of Pleroma and becoming bound by Matter, stuck in a body of flesh and bones and being amnesiac about one's origins. This is the fall of man.

Like any tyrannical regime, the Archons are interested in capturing as many souls in the lower world as possible and keeping them in a subservient state. They do this by deifying Matter itself and convincing the captives that the illusory world of the senses is the true reality. When a human baby is born, the soul entrapped in his body is still in the state of divine ecstasy: it remembers. As time passes, the sensual world takes hold of the baby's life, and the memories of the majestic world of Spirit fade away. What remains is eyesight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. Anything that can be perceived with the bodily senses is thought of as reality itself.

"Unless you turn around and become like little children, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."—Jesus Christ

The Parasites who rule our world serve the Archons. Through religion, politics, economics, mass media and technology they have been perfecting the prison-like Matrix that we inhabit. The somatic masses are programmed to pursue material pleasures because one whose life is all about satisfying the body is far from the saving grace of Spirit. It is impossible to escape the chains of Matter if one believes that there is nothing higher than that. As a result, high time preference becomes the default modus operandi.

Even among the Remnant, few will ever achieve the salvific state of Gnosis. However, simply lowering one's time preference and turning to higher aspirations significantly changes the way the surrounding environment is perceived.

Enter Bitcoin

As Bitcoin is hard money, it lowers time preference. The immediate satisfaction of short-term wants is slowly but surely replaced with long-term thinking. Engaging in dopamine-seeking activities becomes a lot more costly. At first, one thinks that by waiting for bitcoin's value to rise, he can acquire more pleasures in the future. But, as time goes, the wants themselves start dissolving. Just like sugar craving fades away after a couple of weeks of abstaining, many other material addictions lose their power with time. The archonic grip on one's body is loosened—this is where the magic happens.

The same principle applies not only to particular individuals but to society as a whole. The more the economy switches to the bitcoin standard, the lower the time preference of its participants. As a result, something that resembles a mass awakening happens. Deviancy, debauchery, perversions and other demonic possessions designed to keep humans in their bodily prisons subside. Culture, ethics, spirituality emerge. Prison-break anthems are sung worldwide.

Strong Men Create Good Times

Preventing such breakthroughs is a priority for the Archons. But even they cannot fight natural laws. The cycles of Nature are ever recurring, unstoppable. After a flow, there is an ebb. After an era of darkness, there comes a time of Light. Bitcoin is a divine tool that swings the pendulum in the opposite direction, changing the hearts of millions of people who, collectively, affect the state of the world. Strong men are born who dedicate their lives to bringing about good times.