If one accepts for the time being the paradigm that money is a spirit of some sort, then one also accepts for that time that economics is the religion that seeks to understand the ways of money and to further it's power and extent. Hakim Bey, in fact, makes a passing reference to this idea in his essay on "Sorcery".
Much of what we consider now to be civilization is based upon this religion. Indeed, it is so prevalent that we are indoctrinated into it from day one, and in fact make a covenant with it at birth (in America, taking the form of a birth certificate, upon which your future identity in the perception of the economic church will be based), in much the same way that the Jews make a covenant with YHWH via the rite of circumcision.
And yet, money and wealth are equated in many magickal traditions (Hermetic, Qabalistic, some Eastern/Tantric sects, etc.) with feces. In those traditions, I don't think that this is intended to say that wealth is necessarily a bad thing, merely that it is the end product of a process, and probably best used as a fertilizer to other ends than simply creating more of itself.
In this age, however, the Economic Church has become *the* driving force in the world. Even the churches of other gods are forced to show a contribution to God Money or face closure. God Money must be placated first, in many cases, to be considered a member of most of the religions accepted in the Westernized world. Furthermore, since (as is the case with much religious thought) everything is seen in it's role of service to god. Thus, all resources are ultimately devoted to it, and the infidels are put to the sword.
With this drive, the Church of Economics has sought to convert the entire planet (and I mean by this the actual planet and those of us living upon it) into a vast factory to serve this god, the aim being to create an endless amount of wealth. It has created a network of priests who know the methods by which the Holy Spirit can propagate itself (virginally through investment, interest, what have you) and endlessly give birth with material insemination (manufacturing, retail, etc.) at the same time. It is, as far as I know, the first religion to combine these two concepts and composite the Virgin Mary and Babalon into a single entity.
And yet, it still winds up creating feces...humanity is literally drowning in the end product. Pollution (on both the biological and psychological levels) is the result of this god having no real opposition and thus having unchecked power. Perhaps, in fact, some similar sort of result would transpire with *any* religion left unchecked; hard to say, since no religion devoted to a single deity has ever existed in a vacuum before. There has always been some sort of competition until recently.
The hold of this single god, however, seems to be inextricably clenched upon the world at this point. Try and imagine a world *without* wealth/economics/industry; it's nearly impossible. The questions are twofold, then:
Can a viable opposition be created at this point in history? If not, then is the "apocalypse" that Economics seems to hold inevitable?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + Tzimon Yliaster + + Tools of CHAOS Maintainer + + http://www.crl.com/~tzimon + + tzimon@crl.com + + PO Box 26362 + + San Francisco, CA 94126 + ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++