Mythical America

Historical events we cannot explain only by conscious intention of their protagonists. Also, not even solely with their personal characteristics and traits, although, of course, is not insignificant psychological structure of important historical actors, and their ideological or philosophical disposition.

Apart from factors which are purely quantitative and quantifiable (economic, social, etc..), the events of history have always been influenced by far more subtle, delicate modes of reality, which are no less real in regard to quality, not a quantity, regardless they are out of physical observation. (All this, by the way, fully applies to the many other spheres of human activity, which are more ordinary than is sphere of politics.) Not once, some “abstract” idea, a concept or a myth sealed the fate of entire nations or civilizations (eg the Incas, which in the Spanish conquistadors “recognized” White gods). And the political ideology, after all, belong to quite distinctive reality, which is largely independent of any individual. (Indeed, ideology is often able to fully subjugate in themselves person, able to “absorb” any concrete individual.)

On an even deeper level, the political reality is deeply rooted (perpetuated) in the unconscious, deep in the forgotten and repressed archetypes. However, activation of these archetypes – usually abruptly and unexpectedly – can provoke unimaginated, igneous intrusion to the depths of the collective unconscious hidden energy, both individuals and entire nations, and especially if these archetypes are more elusive for the consciousness. An example of such sudden intrusion, gives us Germany at the time of National Socialism. Individual research in field of the “metaphysics of history”, suggesting that on this occasion, the first was a awakening of the archetype of the Vodan, the ancient pagan god of old German and that is happened through personality of german leader (of course, in its distorted, pathological form as a result of excessive and artificial suppression).
We can conclude, however, that that is why each relevant political analysis is not limited to strictly rational and empirical considerations. On the contrary: it must strive to include a political phenomenon in its totality, always taking into consideration the factors as are spiritual, religious, philosophical factors and factors from depth psychology and the symbolic geography.

Secret of American prestige

America today is superior geopolitical factor. It is a model with which we today, intentionally or not, conforms any modern society, becoming more and more the paradigm of modernity itself. This is the secret of American prestige. But behind the illusion of ultramodern and ultrarational society, centered exclusively on the pure pragmatism, in which everything is subordinated to “business” and the economy, and their activism, it can be also seen the outlines of an almost mythical continent. His picture has almost magnetic force and just few people can remain indifferent, causing resentment in one moment and the desire for imitation in other moment. This paradox is simply not rationally explainable.

Myth of the America

The myth of America or “mythical America” really exists. On very basic level, this is a fact available to almost every inhabitant of the planet, and that is happened in the form of still foggy and unclear feeling. But, on a case-by-case basis, it becomes more concrete and obvious: in its symbols and “icons”, on film screens, in the images of the cityscapes and in the enormous empty spaces of the “New World”. Awareness of it finds its expression in the “myths” and strange ideology of this country. As we noted elsewhere, we already discussed the identification of post-apocalyptic America with the “New Jerusalem”, the “New Earth” of the Apocalypse, which finds its foundation in the extreme forms of Protestant (Puritan) religion. In this chapter, we will once again turn to the less explicit, but no less important, equation that reads: America is equally to the mythical Atlantis. To this unconscious complex, which awakens in other nations, America owes a considerable part of its present prestige and glamour.

America or Atlantis?

Linking the Americas with a missing Atlantis is natural and even inevitable – and takes place in the subconscious, and in the conscious levelin the same time, even among Americans and among the people who are subject of the new colonization from the West. That’s is finally confirmed by the easiness with which are deeply rooted new terms, which, otherwise, would have no particular sense ,such are “Atlantic community” – a synonym for “Euroamerica”, “Euro-Atlantic integration,” or just the name of the North Atlantic military alliance. Furthermore, “Atlanticism” is universally accepted term for all geopolitical doctrines which follow contemporary USA, formerly the part of the British Empire. Also, “Atlanticism” is a mark of the “imperial” mentality, psycho-ideology of thalassocracystic, mercantilistic and colonial powers who, since ancient times, are linked to the Atlantic Ocean. From the Atlantic to the Atlantis, however, on the symbolic level, is just one single step because the northern area of the Ocean is exactly mythical Atlantis.

Symbolic identification is with no doubt thoughs, but America is not ancient Atlantis (Western paleocontinent) than is the continent, which was, even in the protohistoric age, in the west of it. Nor are today’s Americans are fabulous Atlantis people, mentioned by Plato. The description which gives us a Greek philosopher is perfectly clear: he speaks of “the mainland opposite the islands surrounding the sea”, that land is possible to recognize only as today American continent, located west from the Atlantean islands.

The myth of Atlantis

Let us remind you, in the most basic terms, the myth of Atlantis, which, according to legend, in ancient protohistoric times, was located somewhere in the North Atlantic, west of the pillars of Hercules, today Gibraltar Strait. Roughly speaking, Atlantis sank some ten thousand years ago, in a kind of geological cataclysm that befell the then humanity. One of the most important testimonials which were left to us, was by Plato, in his “Timaeus” and “Critias”, where Plato reports what his teacher Socrates learned from the Greek sage Solon and this one, again, what he is heard from an Egyptian priest.
Summarizing Plato’s report, we can to underline the following: mythic Atlanta were actually carrier of a spiritual, superior civilization. They were sailors arrived from the west islands, where they lived in unparalleled prosperity, they are also the first European colonizers. Cataclysm that befell them – due to the “wrath of God” – in fact was a result of the spiritual catastrophe: “God of gods, Zeus (…),” Plato says laconically, “decides to punish them…”
Since many of the latter literature dedicated to Atlantis which now includes tens of thousands of bibliographies, we will mention the already classic work of Otto Muck (Otto Muck, The Secret of Atlantis), which obtained to this myth and certain scientific arguments. The author, in fact (and not alone), identify Atlanta mythological people with Cro-Magnon man, holder of maritime and agriculture, whose colonization also occurs in the northwest-southeast direction.
Plato work is the oldest and most complete report about missing civilization. Otherwise, Plato’s report, rather small in scope, is rich in meticulous and often with the incredibly precise details from the life of the Atlanteans, in relation to it all later reports haveis superior, later reports have only second-level significance. (Often, they are reduced to mere repetition of what we had already heard from Plato or simply they are evidence of the fertile imagination of the author).

America – being the holder of the Atlantean well-being

But here we are I poorly interested in the literal truth of Atlantean myth. (In general, the myths are ambiguous and can be interpreted, “decipher” in various keys, from the top, which is related to the spiritual reality, to the lowest level, “naturalistic”). Here, we are primarily interested in the truth at the level of the collective unconscious and its archetypes. In general, it seems that this myth is very deeply rooted in the structure of the unconscious of many nations… Of that, after all, speaks clearly, the fact that myth about Atlantis again and again arose, even when it seems to be completely forgotten, same as his popularity as well. (To the extent that, in certain historical periods such as the past few decades, it is quite justifiable to speak of a real “atlantomania”.)

Parallels America–Atlantis imposed by them. America holds the Atlantean welfare, which emphasizes the myth which described Plato (in the tradition is pointing out that the word primarily is on spiritual well-being). America is also a holder of a “superior” civilization, Americans are also sailors and colonizers of Europe, arrived from “islands” in the West, and so on.

Throughout America, therefore, ultimately, raised one, long ago dead, under the waves of the ocean disappeared, world, which evoking an apocalyptic theme in mind: “the resurrection of the dead”. There is also the symbolism of water (seas, oceans) in its negative aspect, as the symbol of death, chaos, non-being. (On a positive note is: regeneration, “cleansing from sin”). This, after all, agrees well with the symbolism of the West which, in many and varied traditions, is not just a “anathematized side of the world”, but also “the land of the dead”, “Kingdom of Shadows” where souls gone after death.
However, America is false and parodic embodiment of the Atlantean myth, in which higher, spiritual values are systematically reinterpreted and substituted with the lower, material: heavenly welfare of Atlantis, true golden age is replaced by material America’s wealth, same such as the presumed superiority against the “Rest of the world” is manifested in consumer benefits and technological civilization. Thus, the superior Atlantean colonizers who bring the light of a spiritual to civilization, are turned to the colonists -captors, envoys of extremely materialistic civilization, who perform under the grotesque signs as are Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola and McDonalds.

From eschatology to utopia

New Jerusalem and New Atlantis – in both cases it is archetypes of the Eden, heavenely, paradise well being. But this, however, only can follow after the end of the world. Paradise, New Golden Age is placed on the other side of history and belonging to the beginning of a new cycle of time or, in Christian eschatology, age after the Second Coming of Christ.
They are also, in a late period of Europe, and favorite properties for the utopian projections, imaginary spaces, of course, as in the case of “New Atlantis” by Francis Bacon, in contrast to America which becomes that (New Jerusalim) on very concrete way, soon after the discovery of this continent. America, therefore, very quickly was shaped into space of the realization of utopia. Eschatology is being reduced to a modest measure of utopia, as a result of secularization (in fact, parody) of one, in her basis, very religious idea.

So far, the first attempt to establish a utopia on American soil (“City of God” on earth) has performed by his puritanical and Masonic “founding fathers”. On American soil sprang up and the first communist colonies, such as, for example, was Ikaria, built the 1848th in wetlands in Missouri. Thus, from the earliest times in its history, goes that “history of America is really history of one dream of utopia” (D. Kalajic, “Map of anti-utopia”). Utopia is, however, a parody of eschatology, which is legitimately whenever a superior explains with the inferior, when “the other world” becomes “this world”.

America, “New land” of Apocalypse

False Atlantis and false Jerusalem are connected at particularly “happy” way in the American syncretistic superstition, pseudo-religion New Age, which messiahs and prophets sending the following message: New Age, the Golden Age, the Age of Aquarius… are already initiated. On American soil, of course. America has not only saved the world from its history and historical hopelessness (which Americans usually disclaim any value), by the ending of history, because America is in the possession of its meaning – it’s just America, as they believed and “founding fathers”, it “new earth”, Revelation of St. John Theologian. And, just like Christians participate in the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice by taking communion bread and wine, participation in America mysteries is drinking Coca-Cola and takes the food from McDonalds.
It is interesting, however, that this idea pronounced Christopher Columbus, the first truly mythic figure of the “New World”, his legendary discoverer: “God made me the harbinger of a new heaven and a new earth, in which we talk about the Apocalypse of St. John (…) He showed me where to find them”.

America – the kingdom of the Antichrist

Regression of the Old Testament mentality (Americans, are like ancient Israel, the “chosen people”, and America, and in the minds of the first settlers, voluntary fugitives from Europe – “Egypt”, America was their “Promised Land”, “New Canaan”), then transposing religious mentality in worldly, layman’s terms, and with the translating the eschatological into utopian space – America is, of course, did not renounce her messianic pretensions. In fact, it seems that these messianic ambitions happy “island of Utopia” grow in direct proportion to the secularization and de-christianisation of the “New World”, reaching the already grotesque proportions.

On the one hand, the process of secularization and de-christianisation in America, it seems, is faster and more radically than in any other part of the world, and on the other, the fact that America is still a utopian space, perhaps today more than ever before, leading to a paradoxical outcome. Long line of many Utopia concludes with “New World Order” (which, by the mouth of Fukuyama also speak about the “end of history”) – “order” which is, in many aspects, not only radically anti-Christian but antitraditional in general. It provides for the right of those who recognize in America today “the kingdom of the Antichrist”, or at least the creation that is, among all those which know human history, more close and similar. This motif, which increasingly gained a foothold, not only in the minds of non-Americans, but also in the Christian America – and who will, in our view, rapidly gaining in importance in the near future – also ends this brief excursion through the mythic spaces of “otherworldly” America.

Тranslated by Vesna S. Disić