heretic /hĕr′ĭ-tĭk/
noun

  • A person who holds controversial opinions, especially one who publicly dissents from the officially accepted dogma of the Roman Catholic Church.
  • One who holds and persistently maintains an opinion or a doctrine at variance with the accepted standards of any school or party, and rejected or condemned by it; one who rejects a generally accepted belief.
  • Specifically, in theology, a professed believer who adopts and persistently maintains religious opinions contrary to the accepted standards of his church.

When people think about you, they define you by placing labels on the image they have in their heads. Judge not and you shall not be judged one moment and "Oh yes, I remember that asshole" a few moments later. But you do the same, too. Even if you are a most illumined man who has lost his ego, there is still the need to communicate with the outside world. Your illumination must be described somehow, and off you go labeling yourself this and that. Some of these tags can be temporary, others stick for good.

You cannot prevent others from labeling you in a certain way, but self-labelling is under your control. Moreover, when you do it to yourself, there is a feeling of agency, power, self-determination. Bitcoiners have mastered this art by turning negative descriptors invented by enemies into positive ones. Toxicity, bitcoin maximalism and citadels are perfect examples: they were all supposed to be derogatory terms. Yet, there are now thousands who identify as toxic bitcoin maximalists building their dream citadels. Conversely, generally positive labels can be turned upside down if self-appropriated publicly. Take, for instance, billionaire in someone's profile. Ridiculous, and you can be sure he is the exact opposite.

In one of my previous pieces, I labelled myself a Gnostic. No, I did not literally get baptized in a newly discovered religion of old times and now engage in all kinds of rituals and sacraments. The reason is because timeless wisdom is well expressed in this particular spiritual teaching, whether of Christian or Hermetic flavour. Intuitively, it feels right. Many people, especially in the Christian world, know little about Gnosticism, although they are sure of one thing: it is heresy.

There were many groups that preached and practiced Gnostic ideas throughout the centuries. The saddest story of all is that of the Cathars. Catharism was a 12-14th century Christian movement in Southern Europe that differed in its approach to describing the essence of God, stating that there was a good God and an evil one. This dualist interpretation highly irritated the Catholic Church who considered it an assault on monotheism. As the Cathars gained popularity among the locals, they became known as the good people (or the good Christians). The Church, being a political organization first and foremost, had to crush dissent. The Albigensian Crusade started in 1209 and lasted for twenty years. Most Cathars were massacred and burned at stake for their Gnostic heresy, and those who survived went into hiding.

"What did Jesus say to you?"
Thomas said to them: "If I tell you one of the words which he said to me, you will take up stones and throw them at me; and a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up."
—The Gospel of Thomas

You may think that these times are over. Indeed, you normally do not hear about someone getting burned alive. But heretics are still all around us. They are in the minority, as is natural, but they exist. Almost all areas of our life have an established Church, a dominant institution that directs thinking in a particular direction. The Church of Science insists that you delegate anything that involves brain activity to experts. Experts are its priests, and your connection to the God of Truth may only be achieved through them. An alternative opinion? Independent research? Bro-science? Heretic! The same goes for the Church of Nutrition, the Church of Medicine, the Church of History, the Church of Social Justice and so on. Be damned if you deviate from the orthodox path. The holy inquisition will make sure your ideas die with you.

And so it happens that if you are part of the somatic masses, then there is nothing you need to fear. Follow the teachings, buy your indulgences, revere authority—your menial life will pass without much trouble. But if you are a Remnant, the label of Heretic is more suitable. For there is no way around it—your ideas, way of thinking, words and deeds are heresy to the established canons of the Church of the Machine.

As is traditional with bitcoiners, this historically negative term can be appropriated, too. You must become a proud Heretic. Heresy is your way of life in the world of the indolent masses who have forsaken their will. In such a situation, it is not only not wrong to be a Heretic—it is wholly virtuous. Your mere existence becomes an act of one big heresy. Is there any other term that the followers of the Church can use to describe you when they hear the following?

  • Traditional values. - Heretic!
  • Have many kids. - Heretic!
  • Natural immunity. - Heretic!
  • Meat is good. - Heretic!
  • Scientists can be wrong. - Heretic!
  • Climate always changes. - Heretic!
  • Bitcoin. - Heretic!

Of course, it is not strategically reasonable to openly call yourself a Heretic anywhere you go. Or, as they say these days, it is bad opsec. The above is more of a mental label. The dogmatic mass man knows it, you know it. But the difference is that he thinks of it negatively, you—positively.

In a world possessed by the demon of materialism, people do not lead their lives but are rather led—by their senses. This base existence is no better than that of a cattle animal. Those who choose reason over the body are few, which state of affairs is according to Nature. For a flock of sheep need but one shepherd and a couple of guard dogs. Your deviation from the commonly accepted truths simply creates competition among the shepherd class who are surely uninterested in one of their animals graduating into a higher position. That black sheep is a Heretic. And that is one more reason to respect yourself—such awakened minds are rare among the flock. You are the Remnant.

Be not afraid of the labels that others throw at you. It is your framing that matters. What can be better than disarming your opponent by calling yourself that with which he wanted to insult you? Words are powerful tools. Learn to use their power. Be a proud Heretic!