Eyes Wide Shut - Masks in Ritual

From Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

We are coming close to the astrological time of Samhain (7th November) when the sun is at 15° in Scorpio, ruled by Pluto, the King of the Underworld. The word is Gaelic and it is thought to derive from the Proto-Celtic word samoni, meaning assembly or reunion and was a festival to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter - the 'darker' months. It was also believed that during this time, the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest, meaning that the spirits could move into our world and in pagan rituals, the spirits were appeased with food and offerings. This festival was therefore also a time to honour the dead and the ancestors and perhaps explains the connection with the word samoni - a time of 'reunion,' when people could reunite with passed loved ones.

Human Sacrifice Some Irish tales suggested that people were ritually killed to mark the occasion of this festival with sacrifice. It is also thought that the druids made human sacrifices to the gods and bonfires were lit - the word bonfire comes from the Middle English word 'bonefire' meaning a fire of bones. In the Irish historical book Lebor Gabála Érenn (or 'Book of Invasions'), the people of Nemed had to give two-thirds of their children, their milk and corn every Samhain to the Fomorians, who seemed to represent the dark (demonic) forces of nature.

Halloween - All Hallow's Day

Nowadays, Samhain is still observed and has experienced a revival within pagan communities; the custom of 'trick-or-treating' is thought to have come from the collecting of food for feasts by going door-to-door. Wearing costumes and playing pranks for Samhain was practised in Scotland and Ireland in the 1700s and moved to England in the 20th century. The celebration of Halloween or All Hallow's Eve happens on the 31st of October with very similar archetypal themes and some believe the pagan festival of Samhain was Christianized since, originally, commemorations of the saints were held in May - this was changed to the 1st of November in the 8th century and by 835 it was the official date in the Frankish Empire, likely due to the Celtic influence of Samhain. Halloween marks the Christian feast of All Hallow's Day and is a time to remember all those who have died including the saints. Halloween now involves similar activities including 'trick-or-treating,' costume wearing (including masks,) pranks, apple bobbing, pumpkin carving and connecting with the dead through ghost stories etc.

Jack o'lanterns (carved vegetables with lights inside) were named after the phenomena of will-o'-the-wisps (strange flickering lights found over peat bogs) and they were also associated with the story of Stingy Jack, who made a bargain with Satan and was then doomed to roam the earth with only a hollowed-out turnip to light his pathway. It is thought that the tradition began in Ireland and some believe that the faces represent spirits or are used to ward off dark spirits.

Dark Occult & Satanism

This year my intention is to keep it simple and I will be observing Samhain for purely astrological reasons, on the 7th of November - this year on astrological Samhain, Venus (the goddess of love) will also be in Scorpio giving us opportunity to heal any wounded aspects of dark feminine energy that arise - perhaps in regard to these themes. Yet it is important to be mindful during this time of where we put our energy and be aware of the darker side of this festival, which is the most potent time for black magic or Satanic practitioners - there is the potential that aspects of Halloween can hold a powerful spell over us and may take our energy. There are both men and women who practise dark occult during this time in particular which can involve the wearing of masks and conducting sexually abusive rituals or sacrifice (including child and animal torture and sacrifice.)

In the following video, ex-Satanist John Ramirez spoke about his experiences with getting married on Halloween in a demonic wedding and how he was trained since childhood to study the dark occult and use witch-craft over others:

"People from different walks of life pray over these candies, witch-craft, they pray over the candies. You knock on the people's door, you don't know if the person you knocked on if she's a witch, you don't know if she's practising Wicca...and you knock on her door, you're coming in legal rights of this witch or this warlock, this person's practising this stuff and giving you this kind of candy. Now you're taking that stuff home and put that stuff into your body."

Only this year, seven people in Glasgow have been charged for crimes including attempted murder by three child witnesses who claimed to have been forced to participate in witch-craft including seances, animal sacrifice, severe abuse, sexual assault and being chased by someone wearing a devil mask. Here we can see how masks have allowed people anonymity in rituals to engage in destructive behaviours such as sexual abuse and to channel demonic energies.

Atavistic Resurgence

Those with occult knowledge are very aware of the power of masks and they are used in rituals by the elites in secret circles including Satanic groups or certain Freemason sects. Raven Grimassi wrote the following in the Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft about atavistic resurgence which is the method used to tap into ancient archetypal energy: "Masks have been used since ancient times by witches, shamans and magicians...Wearing a mask can induce altered states of consciousness when the wearer mimics the nature expressed by the mask. This is a form of what is known as atavistic resurgence, a connecting with primal natures residing within ancestral memories. Atavistic resurgence can also refer to a connection with the ancient primal group mind, the collective consciousness or unconscious."

Many of these energies are not necessarily aligned with the ascension of mankind and demonic energies can also be intentionally channelled using masks in ritual by those with awareness of the dark occult. This theme has been addressed in various films including Eyes Wide Shut directed by Stanley Kubrick in which a man infiltrated a masked orgy by an unknown elite secret society, held in a mansion and many Venetian masks were worn. He witnessed people engaging in many devious sexual acts in this dangerous elite world which involved murder.

Venetian Masks

Venetian masks have historically been used in promiscuous activities and Venice has been associated as a centre of eroticism and elite practises with its strong aristocratic presence. The masks were originally made for the Carnival of Venice which dates back to the 15th century. Yet being able to completely hide one's identity allowed crime and promiscuous behaviour to thrive and various regulations came in to try and protect people. With the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, the wearing of masks was outlawed and it has only been recently since the 1970's and 1980's that the Carnival of Venice and mask-wearing has undergone a resurgence.

Traditional Venetian Paper Mache Masks Workshop, Venice, Italy.

Perhaps the most famous film about a mask is, The Mask, staring Jim Carey - the story followed Stanley, a bank-clerk who found a mask and after putting it on, found that he was gifted with various mischievous powers. He later spoke with a psychiatrist who had published a book on masks and believed his mask could belong to Loki, the Norse God of mischief.

The Demon Hag Another classic film, Onibaba, (meaning 'Demon Hag') also portrayed a similar story in which the mask altered the personality of the person. This black and white Japanese Samurai film showed the life of a mother and her daughter-in-law during a civil war who lived alone and isolated and killed samurai warriors and sold their armour in order to buy food. The mother ended up taking a demonic Hannya mask from a samurai warrior and wore it to frighten her daughter-in-law from engaging in an affair with a nearby man and potentially leaving her alone. Yet wearing the mask ended up having terrible consequences.

From Onibaba (1964)

Hannya masks were used in Japanese Roh theatre and portrayed jealous female demons and usually had two sharp bull-like horns. The film was inspired by a Shin Buddhist parable in which a mother used a mask to scare her daughter from going to the temple with evil effects - she was unable to take off the mask, and when she finally did, it took away the flesh. These stories and parables demonstrate clearly the law of karma in dealing with the occult - the law of cause and effect. They can also reveal the dangers of losing your soul and falling under the control of a demonic entity.

Cham dance at a temple in Beijing, 1 March 1919.

Freemasonry & the Power of Symbols

Similarly, masks were also used in the Tibetan Cham dance which was considered to be a form of meditation to give offerings to the gods - plays were often performed with good overcoming evil forces. This dance was written about by the Freemason and esoteric writer, Manly Hall, who wrote about the psychological effect of masks used in ritual. As a Freemason, Manly was adept at reading and understanding life symbolically and how ritual could attune the psyche to archetypal energies: "A number of years ago, I was in a little town, Darjeeling, on the northern boundary of India where it met Tibet. There were several visitors from various countries and the hotel management decided it would be appropriate to give a little entertainment in the Tibetan spirit. So they brought in about a half a dozen Tibetan dancers, with their masks and regalia, to entertain. Among them was a little boy, about eight years old, a very cute chubby little rascal that everyone liked immediately.

But when the time for the dance came, he put on one of the most grotesque mask you’d ever want to see. He really looked like a nightmare. Of course, everyone knew it was the little boy.

But during the dance, he started moving over rapidly towards the audience and always getting ready to attack them. You should have seen the audience scatter. They all knew it was the little boy but with the mask, something happened.

The evil spirits of ancient and primary fear moved in on those people. They actually subconsciously were terrified....

In the southwest United States, we have a series of ritualistic dances by the various Indian tribes, the Zuñis, Hopis, Navajos. These dances often included masked figures and everyone knows that these masked figures are members of the local community.

One of the men with the mask, very carefully developed but rather crude mask, actually has two children in the audience. They all know that it’s father but when he dances toward them with the sacred column, they kneel instinctively as though he was a god. Something happens when the masks begin to take a part in religious rituals.

Masks were used in Egypt, we know, in the temple mysteries. Even today, the various carvings and manuscripts of Egyptian origin show human beings with the masks of birds and animals. The Greeks used masks in their theater also. Nearly always a mask becomes a complete change of personality.If accompanied by adequate religious ritual, the mask becomes the secret of the development of a peculiar theological belief that there was a divine power in the mask. And when it was worn correctly and under ritual supervision, it brought a deity into contact with humanity....From very early times, it became apparently necessary to present nearly all of the important truths of life symbolically."

Here we can see the potency of masks and how pure divine power can be channelled or how the masks can be abused to embody darker forces. In the Tibetan Cham dances, the presence of good overcoming evil could have a powerful subconscious effect and was ritually shown with the mask-wearers.

Death Masks

Perhaps one of the most famous Egyptian masks was the funeral mask of Tutankhamun - funeral masks were usually used in burial rites and then buried with the deceased - in Egypt this practise was believed to give strength and keep evil spirits at bay for the deceased on their way to the Underworld. Death masks were casts which were made of a dead person's face and kept as mementos of the dead. Here again we can see a connection between masks and the Otherworld of our ancestors.

Medical Masks & Face Coverings

In recent times, (medical) masks and 'face coverings' have come to the fore in our collective consciousness at a global level, yet what have been their impacts on our psyche and for our children? What has been the symbolic significance? As already discussed, masks profoundly alter consciousness and it is important to be aware of the energies that you are tuning into when you choose a mask and the intention (or agenda) behind it. In discussing health-related topics it is important to be aware that pharmaceutical companies hold a lot of power and often fund research, making those conclusions unreliable. I recently discussed this topic of corporate crime and pharmaceutical companies in the following article.

The medical masks of recent times cover people's mouths, hiding our expressions and smiles - the smile is fundamental for psychological well-being and social cohesiveness it could be argued. They shut the mouth - our place of verbal expression - our voice. They alter our natural breathing pattern which has an impact on the mind and health - and some people are wearing these masks for many hours throughout their day.

Side-Effects

Published research is now revealing the adverse impacts of wearing medical masks. The following article looked at the adverse side-effects for healthcare professionals in New York wearing masks and out of 343 participants:

"314 respondents reported adverse effects from prolonged mask use with headaches being the most common complaint (n = 245). Skin breakdown was experienced by 175 respondents, and acne was reported in 182 respondents. Impaired cognition was reported in 81 respondents."

An infographic released by the World Health Organisation supporting mask-wearing

The following study examined the side-effects of mask-wearing on children and received 25,930 entries in one week from concerned parents and discovered that:

"In this publication we report the results from the parents, who entered data on a total of 25,930 children. The average wearing time of the mask was 270 minutes per day. Impairments caused by wearing the mask were reported by 68% of the parents. These included irritability (60%), headache (53%), difficulty concentrating (50%), less happiness (49%), reluctance to go to school/kindergarten (44%), malaise (42%) impaired learning (38%) and drowsiness or fatigue (37%)....Parents, teachers and doctors report stigmatization, exclusion and aggressive behavior towards children who do not wear a mask for psychological or medical reasons... In addition, there is the fear of stigmatization both by wearing and not wearing a mask in the social environment. Many parents also report nightmares and anxiety disorders that relate to masked people whose facial expressions and identity are not recognizable to the children."

Masks also can contain toxic ingredients such as micro or nano particles which can be inhaled and some have also been found to contain lead, plastic fibres, formaldehyde and other carcinogenic substances. They are bad for the environment, creating so much dumped waste with billions of masks to dispose of (and it is thought it could take up to 450 years to decompose the plastics alone) and animals can get caught in the straps or swallow the masks in the sea.

Psychological Impacts

Finally, the following research article compiled together research, scientifically proving the adverse effects of mask wearing in various disciplines and described the psychological and physiological deterioration as Mask-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome (MIES). They found a significant drop of oxygen in mask-wearing (respiratory impairment,) CO2 rise, temperature rise, fatigue and headaches. The respiratory rate was found to increase by 15-20% in one referenced study and physical impacts included impaired cognition, confusion and drowsiness. Psychological impacts were also numerous and included discomfort, exhaustion and the following findings were quite pertinent:

"The mask also causes an impaired field of vision (especially affecting the ground and obstacles on the ground) and also presents an inhibition to habitual actions such as eating, drinking, touching, scratching and cleaning the otherwise uncovered part of the face, which is consciously and subconsciously perceived as a permanent disturbance, obstruction and restriction. Wearing masks, thus, entails a feeling of deprivation of freedom and loss of autonomy and self-determination, which can lead to suppressed anger and subconscious constant distraction, especially as the wearing of masks is mostly dictated and ordered by others. These perceived interferences of integrity, self-determination and autonomy, coupled with discomfort, often contribute to substantial distraction and may ultimately be combined with the physiologically mask-related decline in psycho-motoric abilities, reduced responsiveness and an overall impaired cognitive performance. It leads to misjudging situations as well as delayed, incorrect and inappropriate behavior and a decline in the effectiveness of the mask wearer."

This passage reveals pertinent themes regarding the energies that the masks can embody - a controlling and fearful energy that makes us feel that we have lost our freedom or voice - some could call this, demonic.

Image of Aztec ritual human sacrifices from the Codex Mendoza.

For centuries spiritual practises on meditation have helped people to connect to their breath and made people aware of how important this is for mental health and well-being. To have this connection broken can have serious effects on our psychology.

Mind-Control Techniques

Programming, mind-control techniques and brainwashing tactics are not new - research has been going on for decades about how to manipulate people and their behaviour. Perhaps one of the most famous studies of this was Project MKUltra performed by the American CIA to discover methods of weakening people psychologically and they engaged in many illegal activities. Satanic abuse survivor, Cathy O'Brien who experienced mind-control techniques said the following about the usage of masks which eroded:

"people's belief in themselves, so that they have to look to something else to lead them and that was an ultimate goal...Masks are used in MKUltra mind control. My daughter was trafficked in a mask and it's a very common thing because when you put a mask on someone, it depersonalises them, we can't recognise each other - you can't see if someone's smiling or sneering, you don't know what's behind that mask and worse, it makes us feel like we don't have a voice because we can't hear each other through those masks, especially from six feet away. And then, it inhibits oxygen to the brain, necessary for critical analysis, free thought and if that oxygen is inhibited in the brain of children prior to age five while their brain is still forming (that's why there's such a move towards masking up the littlest, youngest ones) it's because it causes compliance, it makes the brain not develop properly and it makes them more compliant and easily led into this slave society agenda."

It could be argued that this worldwide adherence to medical masks (and corporate-backed vaccinations) has been one of the biggest psychological rituals conducted on mankind ever made. There are many people on this planet who understand the power of symbols on the subconscious mind - secret societies have held this occult knowledge for centuries and are adept masters at manipulating and deceiving - it has led to the rise of powerful corporations including the pharmaceutical companies. It is down to us now to educate ourselves and learn these patterns so that we can empower ourselves and break free.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, in 2020

Breaking Patterns

Finally I would like to finish with an article published by the World Council for Health regarding the pressures that many have faced to wear masks and how people can break people-pleasing patterns and regain their freedom:

"Many people feel pressured by mask policies implemented by governments, schools, workplaces, public health authorities, businesses, and other organizations or by friends and family members. It can be difficult to navigate conflict on the subject of mask-wearing when others sincerely believe they are effective and safe. Here are some tips and some encouragement to help you advocate for yourself and your children to go about your life free of these harmful breathing barriers:

• Stand firm knowing you are safe to be around others.

• Proceed without your mask. You may find no one will take issue with it.

• Don’t immediately put your mask on when requested. You are safe to be around others. Use the opportunity to engage in a conversation about your reasons for choosing not to wear a mask.

• Arm yourself with information. Use this guide and information from our affiliate organizations to educate others about the dangers and ineffectiveness of masking.

• Be proactive. Contact your workplace, government officials, and school before mask mandates are in play. Share this knowledge with them and let them know you and/or your children are safe to be around and do not intend to participate in mask-wearing.

• Connect with others. An increasing number of people are aware of the data on the dangers and ineffectiveness of masking. If you are aware of others, connect with them. There is strength in these connections.

• Generate a pact to not wear masks with others at your workplace or in your child’s school to minimize the feeling of being singled out.

• Do not minimize the discomfort you experience from barriers to your breathing. It is real and the effects on your physical and emotional health are significant.

• Enjoy constant, intimate, mask-free contact with your children.

• Empower others to take off masks in your presence.

• Stay safe. The best way to limit the spread of viruses is for infected people to stay home, rest, and recover."