For many people, Marilyn Manson should not be seen or heard. The very essence of his intentional persona–dark, irreverent, grotesque–makes many recoil in horror and disgust. Yet perhaps that is the very reason we may find value in listening to what he has to say.
Fans of his goth-shock rock show aside, individuals seeking to ascend the ladder of consciousness may be able to see in Marilyn Manson a part of their own suppressed fear and darkness turned inside-out. Coming to terms with Marilyn Manson could in some ways help us come to terms with ourselves.
To begin with, most people who have heard Marilyn Manson speak are aware that he is clearly not as he appears to be. In fact, he relishes embodying the paradox of darkness and light like few others. He is thoughtful, soft-spoken, and usually sprinkles in his disarming wit when we are least expecting it. What is undeniable is that he has given much contemplation to the philosophy of life, not in the academic sense as much as with regards to the embodiment of spiritual principles he believes in.
The Rejection Of Religious Dogma
One of the mainstays of Manson’s spiritual paradigm is the recognition that the fundamentalist side of Christianity within Western society is not going to lead to any healing or growth on the part of human individuals. This is because the rituals of Christianity, like going to church and repeating phrases mindlessly, only serve to keep our personal darkness hidden from us. These practices may temporarily assuage our trepidation about our inner chaos, but this is gained at the cost of relinquishing our sense of power to heal ourselves. In the video below, Manson touches upon his views about true spiritual practice:
I think church has very little to do with spirituality. I think it’s something you have to find in yourself, it’s about expressing your deepest fears and emotions, and putting it in something. It’s not about living in fear, and praying, and hoping you’re not going to go to hell, that’s not very spiritual to me.
Manson makes an important distinction between the teachings of Jesus and the trappings of fundamentalist Christianity, and it is a point of discernment that is certainly worth contemplating. He considers himself to be aligned with many of Jesus’ teachings and even suggests in his usual irreverent way that his own life and the life of Jesus have many similarities:
Usually people hate what they’re afraid of, it’s in the classic story, I think that even kinda goes back to Jesus, you know, they were afraid, didn’t understand him, so they killed him. I think the same thing exists in music, you know, maybe I should just become a Christian, and make them all happy, but, I think if I found Jesus, which–I didn’t know he was lost in the first place–if I did, I don’t think he would probably be that much different than me, you know, he’s a long-haired guy that likes to dress sexy. A lot of chicks were into him.
It’s not that different from what I do, you know, that probably horrifies Christians more than anything to hear that, but, I don’t disagree with a lot of the ideals that he was trying to get across. I just don’t like the way people abuse them to exploit others, and make, even children, feel guilty for having imagination or wanting to be individuals.
It is certainly thought-provoking to imagine how a dark shock-rocker sees similarities between himself and the pure-white savior of mankind. After all, Manson is a strong advocate of Aliester Crowley’s Law of Thelema, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” Does this not contradict the Golden Rule that was espoused by Jesus, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?
Walking The Knife’s Edge
Not necessarily. But we need to be able to walk the knife’s edge in order to see how these two aspects can co-exist. And as you come to understand how these aspects can coexist, you are able to resolve the paradox named Marilyn Monroe Charles Manson.
Manson’s rejection of Christianity is based on his own experience that virtues like individuality, self-expression, and creativity are repressed in orthodox Christian practice. Certainly Friedrich Nietzsche, who Manson greatly admires, had the same condemnation for the institution that was the Catholic Church, where he criticizes the church for its attack on individual passion, desire, and by extension life itself. As Nietzsche says in his book Twilight of the Idols,
The church fights passion with excision in every sense: its practice, its “cure,” is castration. It never asks: “How can one spiritualize, beautify, deify a desire?” It has at all times laid the stress of discipline on extirpation–of sensuality, of pride, of the lust to rule, of avarice, of vengefulness. But an attack on the roots of passion means an attack on the roots of life: the practice of the church is hostile to life.
Manson became a flashpoint for many people because he embodied their highest hope: freedom from the restrictive structures of church and state. His popularity among his followers is in part founded on his embodiment of the emancipation of passion, desire, and individual self-expression, no matter that it is an expression of darkness more often than of light.
Humility
I won’t deny that Marilyn Manson is a troubled person that still has many inner wounds to heal, and the outward projection of that trauma can often be angry and violent. That being said, it seems clear that Manson understands the golden rule as self-evident, and when grounded, his orientation is towards being of service to other people. In general, he is humble enough not to take himself as seriously as many others do, and sees himself as a frail and fallible individual who continues searching for ways to find inner peace and fulfillment.
I like to look at all different religions, you know, I find valuable elements in, you know, Judaism, and Satanism, and Buddhism, and in Christianity as well, I think you can take different things that you can apply to your life, but if you follow anything solely, that’s as stupid as listening to everything that I have to say.
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The Takeaway
Insofar as Marilyn Manson embodies a person who is willing to be vulnerable and authentically speak his mind, he inspires people to become more aware of who they are and whether or not they are living authentically. His recognition that we all must be willing to express our deepest fears and emotions, and in so doing expose them to the light of consciousness, is the reason we may be able to find some interesting clues within his provocative life about our own healing journey.