The Law of Blame

We all do it

This is the second in a 12-part series on the training of the Octagon Society, Order of Spiritual Alchemy. I expect to be posting on this twice a month. The first installment was an introduction to the Octagon Society.

The Octagon Society, Order of Spiritual Alchemy, is about learning how to turn the lead of trauma, negative conditioning, propaganda etc into the gold of strong character, clarity and expanded consciousness, to achieve the life you want for yourself.

The Law of Blame is one of three preliminary exercises, designed to clear away psychological detritus, negative thoughts and emotions, before moving on to the eight core Laws, which are more about building on and expanding consciousness.

There’s a lot of blame going around these days.

Critical Theory is one of the most influential ideas of the modern era. Critical race and gender theory has overwhelmed institutions at every level: government, military, corporate, banks, education and the law. Baked into critical theory is the notion of blame, separating everyone into two categories, oppressed and oppressors. In the context of race, it claims America as a nation was founded on racist oppression, that it remains a white supremacist nation, that white people generally are privileged oppressors; all minorities are oppressed, with a particular focus on racism against black people; In it’s gender context, patriarchy/toxic masculinity is the oppression and men generally are the oppressors, women and LGBTQ+ are the oppressed. In either context we are all either oppressed or oppressors, everyone must be one or the other, a double negative. Critical theory is entirely preoccupied with oppressed blaming the oppressors.

It should be common sense that framing everything in such a negative light cannot possibly be healthy, either for people or society, but that is not common sense for a lot of people these days. Critical theory is just one example; there is a lot of blame going around, directed at the unvaxxed, covidians, elites, experts, politicians, MAGA, doctors, nurses, pharma, Brandon, Trump etc on and on. We all traffic in it to some degree. I certainly have here on this substack, particularly against the woke, covid “officials” and their true believers, and trans policy.

That is all referring to who we think is destroying democracy/America. There is also personal blame, directed at a specific person in your life who has harmed you.

The fundamental tenet of the Law of Blame, however, which is controversial but quite useful to be understood, is the idea that “Carrying the weight of blame causes more harm than the things for which we blame others ever did.”

Another way of phrasing that is, the preoccupation with blaming can prevent personal growth and healing, and can be more damaging to the self and soul long term than the original harm.

I understand and empathize if someone has seriously harmed you, and you object to the statements above. I would only ask you to consider, did the original act or acts harm you as much as the many years suffering from that harm, thinking about the one who harmed you, remembering the act or acts, dreaming about justice or vengeance? Harm can feel just as painful years later; continual blame, piled on year upon year can be truly devastating. That, and consider, even if there was “justice” in your case, do you still find yourself blaming them? And of course too if you never received justice; do you expend a lot of energy blaming the one who harmed you, or the ones who are not bringing justice to you - or yourself?

One might object too, so and so/such and such destroying America, perpetrating genocide - you think my blaming them is worse than what they are doing?!

There is very little I can do about the one who harmed me directly, or those taking the lead on the destruction of America. Doing harm to them in turn does not heal me or stop me blaming them. Justice alone cannot heal what was done. It is true, there is little accountability in this world. Ultimately, I am the only one who can heal me, regardless of justice (Clearly I am juxtaposing healing and stopping the cycle of blame.) I am the only one who can stop myself spending so much time blaming. I will need help to heal, to get clear of blaming and the harm, but there would be no healing if I do not intend it and follow through, doing the work that is necessary.

The point is not to stop seeing that some people are responsible for the terrible thing(s) they did, the point is to not let blaming people for the terrible things they do ruin your life. The one who perpetrated the harm is not one whit less at fault and deserving of the hammer of justice, because you are not burning up your days blaming.

If my blaming other people for harming me is preventing me from having the life I want, if I spend more time thinking about the harm others have done to me than I do taking care of myself, if I remain a mess while I blame others for my mess, the others I blame have more power over me than I do over myself. Blaming, as it has for so many “woke” people, becomes part of one’s identity. If so, such blame will transform the brain, the more I blame others the more likely I will be stuck blaming others, draining my life force and creativity, making a continued mess of my life. A lot of woke are a mess, self-absorbed, bitter, angry, anxiety riven, clinically depressed (communism is a few miserable people making certain everybody is as miserable as they are.) See, it’s all white supremacy’s/patriarchy’s fault. Obviously blame is easy, outrage is self justifying and floods the mind with momentary righteousness, which is fleeting. Even if you get justice, if you are addicted to blame, there will always be something or someone to blame about something. It is very much like a drug that will take over my life leaving me destitute if I let it. Have you noticed how many social justice warriors seem destitute of soul, so very addicted to blame?

The opposite of spiritual alchemy is turning gold into shit

Josh Slocum at Dissaffected Substack recently profiled people who have lost themselves in blame. It is a very disturbing video to watch. It is a very clear picture what can happen to people who found their worldview and identity on blaming others for whatever. These are very self-damaged people.

Held Hostage-the undoing of an American city

How can spiritual alchemy help me not be like such woke folk? How can it help me get clear of blame and build the life I want? All it really takes is a pen, some paper, a quiet place to be, and a willingness to sit down and reflect for 20-30 minutes each day for a week or so.

Reflecting, starting with Dad.

I’m fairly well convinced, a lot of marxist, social justice warrior discontent is just unresolved mommy and daddy issues. The whole Marxist project to destroy the family and replace parents with government (as we are currently seeing in California and in many a public school) I’m convinced is aging juveniles hating on their parents, blaming them for screwing them up.

Whatever Marxists think, dad is profoundly influential whether he is there or not. His absence can be a trauma as much as his presence. Dad can also be a great teacher, the prime model for strength of character, virtue etc. My own father taught me many good things, and wounded me. I blamed my father for many things, much of my life, which blaming made me mature later than I might have otherwise.

Part of that reflection is recognizing that my dad had a dad, my dad was a son who was wounded by his father’s absence, my dad never had any solid lessons in what being a good dad would be like, my dad did the best he knew how, based on his life experience. My dad had all kinds of unresolved dad issues while he raised me.

So I sat down and wrote down everything I blamed my dad for, in as much detail as I could remember.

And then I did the same for Mom.

And then the same for - child or children, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandma, grandpa, ancestors going all the way back, then spouse, lovers, friends, neighbors, fellow students and fellow employees, enemies and antagonists, then all other persons whatsoever.

As you might imagine I had a couple of pages of blame for globalist, woke and trans authoritarians.

Then there is self blame. I had a couple of pages for that too - mostly about what I haven't done or accomplished; less, harm I have done to others. Also I am not one to blame myself for what someone else has done to me, though many victims do.

And that is how one might, if one chooses, initiate something like catharsis.

Dino Reichmuth

Again, the point is to clear away as much blame as needed, to start getting at the gold of self-realization. The vein of possibilities (gold) cannot be found if you do not climb that mountain.

This has not been an easy post to write, any more than the work of spiritual alchemy is easy. This is me continuing the work of spiritual alchemy, which is lifelong. I’m not expecting my readers follow through with these suggestions. If nothing else I hope you can recognize how debilitating blame can be, how it does not serve most of the time, that you will be stronger and more clear if you blame less and build more.

Next up, in a couple of weeks, the Law of Shame. But some lighter topics hopefully in between.