noise-vs-signal:

David Bowie as Gnostic Saint

David Bowie was a Narcissus (human) who woke up (”upgraded himself”).

Through his art and music he tried to communicate how to wake up, by increasing the number of experiences that humans alive right now have had gnosis of (c.f. “grokked”).

Because of his ability to do this so effectively to so many people, I would like to nominate David Bowie as a “Gnostic Saint”. I hope he would appreciate this – he certainly knew about the Kabbalah and the teachings of Aleister Crowley.

For evidence of this, see the first image above, from “Station to Station” (1976). Here the Thin White Duke is drawing a Qabalistic Tree of Life on the floor, where each sphere or circle is a “station” as referred to in the title of both the song and the album containing it.

In the background you can see a 3D version of the tree drawn on the walls and floor.

An example of explicit mentions of real occult groups is contained in the lyrics to “Quicksand” (1971):

“I’m closer to the Golden Dawn
Immersed in Crowley’s uniform
Of imagery
I’m living in a silent film
Portraying Himmler’s sacred realm
Of dream reality
I’m frightened by the total goal
Drawing to the ragged hole
And I ain’t got the power anymore
No, I ain’t got the power anymore

I’m the twisted name on Garbo’s eyes
Living proof of Churchill’s lies, I’m destiny
I’m torn between the light and dark
Where others see their targets, divine symmetry
Should I kiss the viper’s fang?
Or herald loud the death of Man
I’m sinking in the quicksand of my thought
And I ain’t got the power anymore

Don’t believe in yourself, don’t deceive with belief
Knowledge comes with death’s release
Aah-aah, aah-aah, aah-aah, aah-aah

I’m not a prophet or a stone-age man
Just a mortal with the potential of a superman
I’m living on
I’m tethered to the logic of Homo Sapien
Can’t take my eyes from the great salvation
Of bullshit faith
If I don’t explain what you ought to know
You can tell me all about it on the next Bardo
I’m sinking in the quicksand of my thought
And I ain’t got the power anymore

Don’t believe in yourself, don’t deceive with belief
Knowledge comes with death’s release
Aah-aah, aah-aah, aah-aah, aah-aah

Don’t believe in yourself, don’t deceive with belief
Knowledge comes with death’s release
Aah-aah, aah-aah, aah-aah, aah-aah”.