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Madonna High Priestess of Thelema II (analysis)
Madonna accused of satanic provocation
Madonna has come into religious controversy again,with a former president comparing her to the Satan
London | August 7, 2009
Pop diva Madonna has come into the ambit of religious controversy again,with a former president comparing her to the Satan.
Madonna accused of satanic provocation - Hindustan Times
Aug 7, 2009 ... Pop diva Madonna has come into the ambit of religious controversy again, with a former president comparing her to the Satan.
Nobel Prize-winning former Polish president Lech Walesa has expressed his displeasure with the fact that Madonna’s upcoming show ‘Sticky & Sweet’ is happening on the same day as the Feast Of The Assumption,the day Mother Mary ascended to Heaven, Female first reported.
“It is a Satanic provocation. I am a man of faith and ask for such events not to happen on such an important feast in my religion,” said the devout Roman Catholic.
Madonna’s scheduled concert was described as “an attack by the devil on our immaculate Catholic nation” by Father Stanislaw Malkowski who is leading the protest against the controversial pop star.
Madonna had earlier run into a controversy with the Catholic church for the controversial video of her song ‘Like a Prayer’ in 1989 and more recently with an on-stage dedication of ‘Like A Virgin’ to the Pope last year.
The impending concert has created a wave of protest in the Catholic nation with Parliamentarian Marian Brudzynski saying,”The concert of a highly perverse singer who calls herself ‘Madonna’ is deeply humiliating to Warsaw residents and Poles in general.”
Madonna Wants To Be High Priestess in 'Madame X' Tour
"Are you all starting to get it?" Madonna asked from the stage, at least several times, to a fawning, screaming audience whom she treated at times more like a kindergarten classroom than who they were — a crowd of well-heeled, mostly middle-aged fans who could afford orchestra seats for her pricey Madame X tour.
"Madame X is a teacher. She's a rebel. She's a head of state. She's a mother. She's a child. She's a whore. And she is a saint." (I'm paraphrasing only slightly — no cellphones were allowed.)
Madonna, at 61, sees herself as all of the above, except (maybe) head of state. And in her new tour, which just finished the last of a three-night engagement at the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco, she is not so much playing a character as just another in a long series of chameleon-like variations on her public self.
She sounds every bit the confident, caustic "bad girl" she wanted us to see on the Truth or Dare tour nearly 30 years ago, only she's no girl anymore and likely more invested in her legacy as a performer than in selling albums or concert seats. (Or in making things pleasant for an aging fanbase, many of whom were weary and overheated in a stuffy theater by the time she went on, some 40 minutes later than announced and hours after the theater opened, around 11:10 p.m.)
She admits a little bit of weakness — twice she mentioned tendonitis in a hip flexor, an injury she apparently had when the tour began in September according to this Rolling Stone review, though perhaps this is a second injury.
But that's only so that you're more impressed with all the dancing she does.
If I walked away with anything from Tuesday night's show — apart from memories of a truly stunning visual spectacle, enhanced by recent advances in projection mapping — it's that Madonna, more than ever, still craves respect and adoration as an artist and activist more than as a pop icon, but she'll accept a role as quasi-religious icon if she must.
She isn't afraid to patronize the kids with auto-tuned, one-off singles like "Crave" (feat. Swae Lee) and "Future" (feat. Quavo) — or "Bitch I'm Madonna" from 2015's Rebel Heart. But her heart is mostly in awing everyone with bold visuals of gun violence, gun protests, and the borrowed soulfulness of her video for "Batuka," which is sung (along with the projected video) with the help of the Orquestra Batukadeiras — a group of African Portuguese Creole women from Cape Verde, whom she has brought on the tour with her.
Much of the new album grew out of Madonna's recent experience living in Portugal while her now 14-year-old son David Banda was at a soccer school. As the story goes, she got bored being alone there while he played soccer, so she started going out to clubs and cafes and fell in love with fado, the guitar-based music genre native to Lisbon.
According to this June profile in New York Times, "One night, she visited a Frenchman’s crumbling home on the sea for an improv session, mostly of fado musicians. 'There was a vibration there that was magical and palpable, and suddenly musicians started playing,' she said."
And if you haven't gathered by now, the show Madonna is now performing in small-ish theaters in major cities is a mashup of many things with only the vaguest threads to link them.
A quieter central portion of the show, all set in a projected space meant to look like a fado cafe, includes several of her new songs featuring Portuguese guitar — along with the strumming talents of 16-year-old Gaspar Varela, great-grandson of late, famed singer Celeste Rodrigues, whom Madonna also recruited in Lisbon. ("There's not enough dressing rooms for everyone. My manager's not talking to me right now," Madonna said at one point, emphasizing that she still had to have her way and we should all be grateful.)
The show begins and ends with a James Baldwin quote that gets typed on a projection screen multiple times just to make sure we read and absorb it:
"Art is here to prove that all safety is an illusion… Artists are here to disturb the peace."
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Satanic Hollywood & the Cult of Satan
August 12, 2020
The BEAST System and the Antichrist Spirit
As described on my previous blog; 13 Bloodlines of the Illuminati, Luciferianism is the "Old Religion" and it is also the bloodline of Cain who is the seed of Lucifer, while those who come from outside the Luciferian Bloodlines are the Satanists who practice Satanic rituals like harvesting Andrenochrome through child sacrifice by joining the cult of Satan. These Celebrities/Satanists all have signed a deal with the devil in exchange for Talents and Fame. Unbeknownst to them, the reality of their deal is that they give up their spirit and allow for a demonic entity known in Hebrew as HaSatan or the Satan, to enter and possess their mortal body. These demonic entities known as Satan are the Fallen angels who were cast out of Heaven with Lucifer. As seen above, each one of these possessed celebrities are all posing in the same manner showing you the "Eye of Horus". This is the same spirit revealing itself to other occultists who communicate through symbolism as seen in the picture above.
Since the inception of Hollywood, the Luciferian elite have always been in control of those spirits who are used for many purposes like idol worship and predictive programming. They control in great detail who will be the next Elvis Presley, the next Madonna, the next Lady Gaga, and all of the most famous names Hollywood has ever created. These demonic spirits became icons and idols whose fame captured the hearts and minds of their fans. This is how the spirit of the antichrist has entered our homes and our lives. Each generation has grown more obsessed with celebrity gossip though the constant coverage of their lives of the rich and famous. Through "reality" TV shows we are given a glimpse into their personal lives. Many people identify through these celebrities while many others become obsessed with these icons turning them into their own personal IDOLS (idol worship). The greatest example of idol worship and the spirit of Satan can be seen through the career of Madonna who has since become a high-priestess for these occult rituals.
Madonna’s Egyptian mystery religion performance at the 2012 Super Bowl was a salute to Baphomet, “The Sabbatic Goat”. This demonic entity is also known as Satan. The Baphomet is a pansexual humanoid goat with a pair of breasts and a phallus representing the half-human and half-animal, male and female, good and evil duality of the Spirit of the Antichrist. Her Super Bowl Halftime Show was a Satanic ritual that paid tribute to their master. As a Kabbalah initiate, Madonna referred to the Super Bowl as the “Holy of Holies” as it was the name of the most sacred place in Solomon’s Temple. This halftime show was watched by over 111 Million Viewers. Madonna’s head, arms, and legs form the shape of a downward pointed pentagram symbolizing the goat. This symbol was adopted by the Church of Satan. The humanoid goat Baphomet figure was first drawn and popularized in 1854 by occultist Eliphas Lévi.
Madonna’s Egyptian mystery religion performance at the 2012 Super Bowl was a salute to Baphomet, “The Sabbatic Goat”. This demonic entity is also known as Satan. The Baphomet is a pansexual humanoid goat with a pair of breasts and a phallus representing the half-human and half-animal, male and female, good and evil duality of the Spirit of the Antichrist. Her Super Bowl Halftime Show was a Satanic ritual that paid tribute to their master. As a Kabbalah initiate, Madonna referred to the Super Bowl as the “Holy of Holies” as it was the name of the most sacred place in Solomon’s Temple. This halftime show was watched by over 111 Million Viewers. Madonna’s head, arms, and legs form the shape of a downward pointed pentagram symbolizing the goat. This symbol was adopted by the Church of Satan. The humanoid goat Baphomet figure was first drawn and popularized in 1854 by occultist Eliphas Lévi.
Baphomet and the Sabbatic Goat
The Sabbatic Goat and Baphomet have numerous and a rather deep symbolism concerning occult and left-hand path meaning. The Baphomet of Luciferianism extends into the origins of the idol and representation of Baphomet as the "model" of the Black Adept or High Priest who seeks power via the Left-Hand Path. The following are a few paragraphs from Michael W. Ford's "The Bible of the Adversary" and "Dragon of the Two Flames" (Succubus Productions).
"The Black Head of Wisdom or Baphomet. This Luciferian Baphomet is presented differently from the traditional Levi Baphomet. The figure is Black, the symbolism behind this is the Arabic root word fhm, meaning Black or “wise”. The horns represent power, the beast head is the carnal body, and the torch represents the Black Flame and Wisdom. The inverted pentagram represents the power of the Adversary and the Divinity fallen into humanity; thus the possibility for ascension and the knowledge of both darkness and light. The wings are symbols of angelic spirit, the higher intellect. The moon above and below in which Baphomet points to indicates balance; that there is no complete “good” or “evil” and their points of view. Baphomet also is presented as Cain the First Sorcerer and Luciferian. The twin serpents are Do-mar and Dehak, the snakes of Azhi-Dahak. Cain is thus the power of the infernal and angelic, the son of The Serpent and the Whore, thus a symbol of the Luciferian as an individual" -Paraphrased from "The Bible of the Adversary" by Michael W. Ford
"Baphomet, the symbol of the Black Adept, the Luciferian who has illuminated the divine and daemonic Black Flame through the union of Leviathan (Satan), Samael and Lilith have transformed anew. The Sabbatic Goat is the symbol of the wisdom, power, and strength of the cup of venom and the life-blood of the Rephaim and Nephilim of old. As partly, Baphomet is considered "Chioa", "The Beast" who is the offspring of the union of Samael and Lilith encircled by Leviathan. Cain is described in many Jewish Qabalah texts as having a ‘Shining Countenance’ which can be perceived as a force of Will or character. In this sense, Cain is considered Saturn the "star" of evil which causes chaos of Israel. The name of Cain is thought to translate as "The Wrathful One" in the Luciferian tradition. Cain is confirmed by Cabalistic texts as "the Son of Satan". The "Mark of Cain" is the Horn, thus representing Power and Wisdom in the Ancient Near East"- Paraphrased from "Dragon of the Two Flames" by Michael W. Ford
Super Bowl 2012. Egyptian Symbolism and ritual. Madonna -Kabbalah High Priest. Idol Worship. 111 Million Viewers. Occult Magick.
Super Bowl 2012. Egyptian Symbolism and ritual. Madonna -Kabbalah High Priest. Idol Worship. 111 Million Viewers. Occult Magick.
I can write a whole blog just on the Super Bowl half time shows and even the Olympic ceremonies that have consistent occult symbolism in all of their pop "star" celebrity performances and satanic rituals. Although they are very entertaining, they have nothing to do with entertainment. It has to do with occult ceremonies and captivating collective energy. Hence my emphasis on how many people watched Madonnas 2012 performance with 111.3 Million viewers. Hence why Madonna is so famous and why she's not only an icon but also an idol. From the very beginning of her "fame", her occult pact with the cult of Satan was shown through her music, lyrics, and videos. In her song "Like a Prayer" she sings:
"I hear your voice
It's like an angel sighing
I have no choice, I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes
Oh God, I think I'm falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me"
This is Lucifer falling from heaven as "the fallen angels" as written in the Book of Enoch. Every occult practitioner is bound to identify itself in order for the spiritual law and the power of free will to partake in ritual magick. According to the Mystery Religions, the Devil has to always identify himself which is why Hollywood is drenched in occult symbolism. Since the very beginning of Madonna's career, she has shown her alliance with the Luciferian elite.
Madonna's performance of the song "Future" at the 2019 Eurovision song contest in Israel, and the back cover of her latest album "Madame X" released June 2019. (corona -predictive programming)
Madonna's performance of the song "Future" at the 2019 Eurovision song contest in Israel, and the back cover of her latest album "Madame X" released June 2019. (corona -predictive programming)
Aleister Crowley: The Father of the New Age
Madonna is a perfect example of a Satanic Hollywood Elite puppet but she is not the only example. We can find better examples through the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin, all of which have openly spoken about the man who ushered in the New Age of Satanism, Aleister Crowley. You have to understand that Luciferianism is an Old Religion and a bloodline. Many bloodline Luciferians have branched out into many cults though many different people who always come from old money and Royal Blood. The Father of Occultism and Master Magician, Aleister Crowley is the founder of the religion of Thelema.
Wikipedia describes Crowley as -"identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.
Born to a wealthy family in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents' fundamentalist Christian Plymouth Brethren faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism. He was educated at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, where he focused his attentions on mountaineering and poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a British intelligence agency, further suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life.
In 1898 he joined the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where he was trained in ceremonial magic by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Allan Bennett.
Moving to Boleskine House by Loch Ness in Scotland, he went mountaineering in Mexico with Oscar Eckenstein, before studying Hindu and Buddhist practices in India.
He married Rose Edith Kelly and in 1904 they honeymooned in Cairo, Egypt, where Crowley claimed to have been contacted by a supernatural entity named Aiwass, who provided him with The Book of the Law, a sacred text that served as the basis for Thelema. Announcing the start of the Æon of Horus, The Book declared that its followers should "Do what thou wilt" and seek to align themselves with their True Will through the practice of magick."
Aleister Crowley is the Father of the New Age Movement and the New Age of Horus, the Egyptian God.
The most influential man in the 20th century through Hollywood is an occultist and Luciferian who called himself "the Beast" and identified himself as the number "666".
There isn't a famous celebrity/satanist who doesn't know who Aleister Crowley is. No other single human being has been more instrumental in the popularization of the New Age Movement than this man who the pressed dubbed him "The Wickedest Man in History".
Gary Lachman's work on the occult’s “great beast” traces the arc of his controversial life and influence on rock-and-roll giants, from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath. When Aleister Crowley died in 1947, he was not an obvious contender for the most enduring pop-culture figure of the next century.
But twenty years later, Crowley’s name and image were everywhere.
The Beatles put him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page owned Crowleys home from 1970 until 1992.
The Rolling Stones were briefly serious devotees. Today, his visage hangs in goth clubs, occult temples, occult bookstores, and much of pop culture. His methods of ceremonial magick have influenced the 20th century since the late '60s.
Gary Lachman's work on the occult’s “great beast” traces the arc of his controversial life and influence on rock-and-roll giants, from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath. When Aleister Crowley died in 1947, he was not an obvious contender for the most enduring pop-culture figure of the next century. But twenty years later, Crowley’s name and image were everywhere. The Beatles put him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page owned Crowleys home from 1970 until 1992. The Rolling Stones were briefly serious devotees. Today, his visage hangs in goth clubs, occult temples, occult bookstores, and much of pop culture. His methods of ceremonial magick have influenced the 20th century since the late '60s.
Page bought the Boleskine House on the southern bank of Loch Ness in 1970.
Driven by his long interest in Black Magick and the work of Crowley who lived there in the early 1900s
Crowley was an initiate and Grand Master of the Ordo Templi Orienti (O.T.O.) which Jimmy Page was a disciple of.
The video below gives you a look into just how influential Crowley has been to the Hollywood elite and the cult of Satan.
Black Magick & "The Book of the Law"
In 1904, Crowley took part in a magical ritual inside the Great Pyramid in Cairo Egypt with his occultist wife during which he alleges to have received a message from an entity named Aiwass. As a result of this communication, Crowley wrote the first three chapters of "the Book of the Law" – a mystical text which he believed would revolutionize the future of mankind and religion.
It announced the advent of a new eon (meaning age), in which Crowley has become the priest-prince of a new religion, the Age of Horus. He was to formulate a link between humanity and the solar-spiritual force during which the god Horus would preside for the next two thousand years over the evolution of consciousness on this planet. This is why Hollywood has captured the collective-hive-mind through pop culture and occult mysticism as seen by Madonna's halftime show depicting the Baphomet. All of Hollywood is littered with references to Horus, the Baphomet, and even Crowley himself.
According to Crowley's religion of Thelema, the Aeon of Horus or Age of Horus will be the dualistic approach to religion which will transcend through the abolition of the present notion of a God external to oneself. The two will be united. “Man will no longer worship God as an external factor, as in Paganism, or as an internal state of consciousness, as in Christianity, but will realize his identity with God.” -Book of the Law.
The New Age Movement claims that you are the creator. You are a God or like a God, The new Aeon of Horus, based on the union of the male and female polarities like the Baphomet, will involve the magical use of psychedelics and sexual energy, and blood sacrifice of children culminating in an apotheosis of matter as symbolized by the androgynous Baphomet of the Templars and the Illuminati.
Aleister Crowley claimed to have sacrificed 150 children a year. Satanic rituals have developed into the use of the drug Adrenochrome which is harvested from the adrenal gland of a living child.
Children are tortured in order to have adrenaline pumped out by the gland.
When consuming adrenalized blood, they get a purely euphoric high which culminates into a blood orgy.
These rituals are vile and disgusting.
One major effect of Adronochrome besides the euphoric ecstasy of sexual indulgence, it also has a tremendous anti-aging effect which is why celebrities or "STARS" like Jeniffer Lopes, Ellen Degeneres, and Cher (to name a few), never age.
Celebrities are the STARS of Hollywood
Ever wonder why we call celebrities STARS and why some fans worship them like gods or goddesses?
Wikipedia says -"The Thelemic pantheon—a collection of gods and goddesses who either literally exist or serve as symbolic archetypes or metaphors—includes a number of deities, primarily a trio adapted from ancient Egyptian religion, who are the three speakers of The Book of the Law:
Nuit, Hadit and Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
In at least one instance, Crowley described these deities as a "literary convenience".[4]
Three statements, in particular, distill the practice and ethics of Thelema:
"Do what thou wilt" shall be the whole of the Law, meaning that adherents of Thelema should seek out and follow their true path, i.e. find or determine their True Will.[5]
Love is the law, love under will, i.e. the nature of the Law of Thelema is love, but love itself is subsidiary to finding and manifesting one's authentic purpose or "mission".
Every man and every woman is a STAR, which is to say that in the 20th century era vulgaris cosmology, it is implied by metaphor that persons doing their Wills are like STARS in the universe: occupying a time and position in space, yet distinctly individual and having an independent nature largely without undue conflict with other STARS."
The influence of Crowley has gone from the "Rock Stars" of the '70s to the new "Stars" of today. Crowley's Motto "Do what thou wilt", and the Baphomet is all over Hollywood.
Jay Z wearing a "Do what thou wilt" hoodie, and Beyonce showing the Sabbatic Goat, the Baphomet.
The Don Killuminati:
The 7 Day Theory (commonly shortened to The 7 Day Theory or Makaveli) is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac spoke out against the Illuminati.
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (commonly shortened to The 7 Day
Theory or Makaveli) is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac spoke out against the Illuminati.
"Stars" who wanted out of the Illuminati were either killed or had their deaths faked.
Once you learn to see the occult symbolism all over movies and music videos, you can identify the same spirit manifesting its energy through each of these members of the cult of Satan which we know as "Hollywood Stars".
Child Sacrifice plays a major role in their rituals. Blood oaths are very real and have dire consequences to those who break the oath.
Crowley was not only a Satanist and a significant influence of Rock Stars, but he has also introduced many new age movement practices of today into mainstream society through pop-culture by the means of these celebrities who practice these rituals in secret, yet they have to show you their allegiance to their occult origins in their art. Many, if not all celebrities are initiates of the Cult of Satan. They are the New Age Movement.
“In the scores of books lining the shelves of New Age bookstores, there are instructions for guided meditation, creative visualizations, out of body experiences, getting in touch with your spirit guides, fortune-telling by cards, crystal balls or the stars. What if Satanists reclaimed these for their own dark purposes and integrated them into rituals dedicated to the Devil, where they rightfully belong? New Agers have freely drawn upon all manner of Satanic material, adapting it to their own hypocritical purposes… But in truth, all ‘New Age’ labeling is, again, trying to play the Devil’s game without using His Infernal name” —Anton LaVey, quoted in Church of Satan, B. Barton, p.107
Given all the connections to Crowley as mentioned in this article, we have to understand that he's only popularized because of his ritual magick and glorification of him by the "Stars". There are many other occult Luciferians that make up the Hollywood elite that we might never know of. Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Jimmy Saville, are all just a few names that only skims the surface of a long occult history that involves human trafficking and child sacrifice.
There is a major reason why child trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry.
The only ones who can afford it are the rich. And the ones who have publicly shown their ties to the cult of Satan who practice human sacrifices are the famous.
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But while Madame X, the show is compellingly odd at times, and no doubt unique as a theatrical concert among her generation of icons, I still can't say that Madonna has transcended beyond "great performer" to disturber of the peace.
The only moment of real theater I witnessed was when she sat on the edge of the stage and invited a stranger to give her a sip of their drink and chat. (The handsome military man who complied was clearly a prepped plant who handed her a glass beer bottle full of water, much like one a dancer had handed her earlier — and the Golden Gate Theater doesn't sell beer in bottles to take to your seat.
She then semi-convincingly played a beer drinker for 90 seconds while catching her breath.) Apart from nods to the Parkland and Pulse nightclub shootings, Madonna's co-opting of yet another culture not her own and lazy off-the-cuff banter felt out of touch — even with evolving ideas about mental health when she griped about people getting up to use the bathroom or go to the bar as having "ADDDD or ADHD," or when she asked an increasingly listless crowd if their Adderall was kicking in.
I thought about Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music. I sat through that in six-hour stretches and rarely felt very bored or restless.
And no matter what I was feeling I knew that Taylor was going to come out with an articulate and thoughtful thing to tie together whatever I just saw. Madonna tended more toward the persona and mode she's most comfortable in — like that too-knowing friend of your older sister who likes to ask you sarcastic questions and never lets her guard down. "You get it yet!?"
For all the ways I love her "Bitch I'm Madonna" swagger and the unique position she is in as an artist and icon, there's a point at which her bravado and aggressive diva-ness are lost on all but her super-fans, and the rest of us are left sighing to ourselves and saying "Bitch, just do 'Ray of Light' already." I don't want her retiring into a Las Vegas residency and turning into a caricature of herself, trotting out her hits and ceasing to look for inspiration. But I can't say that the new material is inspiring enough to carry as much of this intimate show as she wants it to. And I felt like I was expected to worship each costume change and come-to-church moment, spanning the cultures that have influenced her various albums, from Hindu-Buddhist to British trance to gospel to, now, batuque and fado.
There were a lot of slow moments, and the only times she truly energized the crowd were with excellent revisions of 90s hits like "Vogue" and "Human Nature," very early in the two-hour-and-20-minute set. By the time she's taken off her embroidered sari and put on her priest's vestments for "Like a Prayer," which transitions into her finale with the new song, "I Rise," it felt like she'd lost the crowd (except for the super-fans who'd already paid to see this once and were back again). I was ready to rise mostly because I was tired, it was 1:30 a.m., and I've outgrown the person who saw her as a flawless gay icon and god. I see we're all flawed, and Madonna's spent the better part of two decades trying to stay relevant if not quite edgy, and if nothing else I'm happy she found a new music genre to play with in Portugal.
I wasn't the only one grumbling about the decided lack of crowd-pleasers in the set as we all filed to the doors to get our cellphone satchels unlocked so we could return to our realities.
And she still never did "Ray of Light."
https://www.religionnewsblog.com/10376/madonna-the-high-priestess-of-kaballah
nged everyone talks about herself: from provocations to the biggest medal
di Simone Marchetti
18 gennaio 2023
Madonna's voice is gentle, but her words are heavy as boulders. The words of Madonna possess the gravity of a planet that has attracted love and hate, passion and criticism, obsession, and applause to orbit around her. «It was my destiny», she recounts, enunciating every single letter, «And I accepted it. I accepted it because it was what I had to do. I accepted it because this is the journey I had to take on this earth».
Pioneer and trailblazer, diva and pop star. After a 40-year career, today she’s preparing a new tour and a movie about her life. We meet her one winter’s afternoon at an anonymous spot in Bushwick, in the north of Brooklyn, New York. The sky is gray, the street quiet. A black van pulls up, a door opens and a petite figure steps out, sporting a black hoodie with a pair of copper-colored braids sprouting from it. Seconds later, this strange, dark version of Alice in Wonderland disappears through a door that leads to a warehouse.
There are no pallets of goods inside, however; instead there are clowns, artists, dancers, supermodels, make-up artists, hairdressers, stylists, and stage technicians. For two days, these people will spend every minute with her until 4 a.m. They have all come together to bring to life an exclusive art project for Vanity Fair, created by photographers Luigi&Iango (you can see it on the pages that follow) which reflects on the career, values, creativity and provocations of an artist who has not only changed the history of entertainment, but contributed to the cultural evolution of the whole world. She has changed its direction and trajectory, like an extra moon causing the tides to shift.
Forty years of songs, provocations, shows, hits, criticism, and acclaim. How much has it all cost you?
«I could answer several billion, but then in what currency? That’s hard to quantify because taking risks and the artistic process is hard to measure. When you devote your time and energy working towards and fighting for things that other people don’t believe in, it can cost you time that you would otherwise spend relaxing or feeling comfort, or having an easy life. The thing it’s cost me the most is loss of sleep and maybe less time spent with people I love - also peace of mind. But I feel that it is a necessary part of the journey I am on and it’s a price I have accepted».
What has been the greatest victory and the worst loss of your career?
«Guiding my children to where they are in life, and feeling like “so far, so good.” That’s been the hardest battle».
What about in your career?
«I can’t really say, but the fact that I still have a career is my most beautiful victory».
Your worst loss?
«I don’t want to focus on defeat because I feel like everything is a victory - even things we perceive as loss».
I’d like to talk through this art project by Luigi&Iango for Vanity Fair with you. Let's start with the image of the Virgin Mary—the Madonna—portrayed on the cover. You have always been attacked by the Catholic Church…
«Let’s start with the photos, just wearing a crown on my head and holding all the robes and balancing on this platform I felt like I was being attacked, just in this photoshoot. That was the metaphor for the question you are asking me. It’s literally hard to wear a heavy crown on your head. So how did it feel? The first time I felt really attacked was when I did the press conference in Rome while filming “Truth or Dare.” I was raised a Catholic and at the end of the day. I thought if the Catholic Church did not perceive my work as an artist as doing something good, then that was their problem and an extension of their narrow mindedness and inability to see that anything that brings people together, that preaches freedom of expression and unity - is a good thing. It mirrors the teachings of Jesus and Christianity at its core, so I felt like it was a hypocrisy for them to attack me».
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You were one of the first artists to celebrate diversity. The icon of the Holy Mary on the cover seems to depict a reflection, a symbol of pain, of inclusion. A sense of motherliness and an acceptance of diversity…
«I am not really sure what it means to say I was one of the first. I felt that it was part of my journey as an artist to give a voice to others. When I started out in New York I was surrounded by a diverse group of people. The people who supported me were largely members of the LGBTQ+ community and of different ethnicities. That was my support system, so why wouldn’t I in turn support and champion them?».
There’s another very provocative religious image in the shoot: a Last Supper with all women instead of men...what was your intention in that tableau?
«Let’s start with the fact that it was Luigi&Iango’s intention to begin with; it was their idea and I thought it was an interesting take. As you know in the Last Supper Jesus is a man and he’s surrounded by male disciples. So I thought it interesting that we would flip the tables around (so to speak) and Jesus would be feminine energy and I would be surrounded by female disciples. I liked the idea we were playing with that contradiction, which isn’t really a contradiction».
What is your relationship with religion today?
«I think it’s important to have ritualistic behavior and a spiritual life. Religion without understanding, knowledge, curiosity, and inclusivity – I don’t consider that to be religion. I’m not subscribing to religious groups that are exclusive of others or extremist in any shape. However, I do respect all religions and encourage people to look into whatever religious belief system they follow. To understand and study their holy books and to understand their ritualistic systems, because otherwise without understanding it’s just dogma and rules, and an empty exercise. My relationship with religion is that I remain very involved in my own spiritual practice and I think it’s imperative for everyone to have a spiritual practice – but I am not defining that for other people. I do think it’s vital to pray and to have connection with some spiritual lifestyle / life force or whatever you want to call it. There is just no way you can survive and get through life without connecting to the idea that there is a higher power and energy force - many energy forces. That there is a metaphysical, mystical world that we are all a part of and need to stay connected to».
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In another image, you’re portrayed as a fragile doll—a toy that can be broken.
«Once again, I followed the photographers’ idea. And I saw in it the idea of fragility of being a woman—fragility that comes from not connecting with your inner strength. It’s that lack of connection that makes us feel like broken dolls».
Have you ever felt that way?
«Many times. I don't think it's possible to be a female artist or a human being without feeling broken or hurt. You’re a human being and that's how life goes. There’s no life without that feeling».
In another image you appear hanging from a rope, surrounded by bullfighters, abused by men. Is this a reflection on the patriarchal culture and misogyny that continues to characterize society?
«It’s a continuing battle, we do indeed live in a patriarchal world. I’m always fighting against it, pushing against it, or feeling the resistance from it. That tableau was a metaphor for it – I was hanging from a rope, my feet barely touching the ground and I had matadors around me with very long nails as sharp as knives and masks hiding their faces so I couldn’t see their eyes. Everything had an air of danger to it. The idea was I am fighting against the patriarchal world that we live in, which has always been the case for me. I was spinning from one side to the next, one side not aware, sometimes I’m cut, or bumping into things. There’s an element of mystery, of not knowing how things are going to turn out. Traditionally the matador is attacking the bull».
As society, are we moving on from that world?
«We definitely are not moving on, we are moving backwards. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having discussions on whether or not women are allowed to make choices over their bodies in America».
Are you a pessimist?
«I have to be optimistic otherwise I don’t know how I could go on».
In another image you’re playing with a cellist. You have discovered so many authors, so many talents, so many artists. Who do you like today? Who inspires you?
«That’s a difficult question. I like all artists who have the courage to tell true stories, stories of vulnerability. I’m a big fan of Kendrick Lamar. He’s an incredible artist, his music is incredible. The words he uses are powerful. He’s been able to tell the story of generations that have been the victim of abuse, of drugs, of absent fathers. Its groundbreaking and takes music to a whole new level. Rapping, healing and talking about it at the same time and being very truthful. Clearly he’s done a lot of soul searching, reading and self-examination. I really admire artists who do that and turn it into something that connects with pop culture».
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Let’s get to the image in which you’re portrayed as Frida Kahlo, next to a man. This Mexican artist has been a kind of guide on your career.
«When I was a teenager I discovered Frida Kahlo at the Detroit Institute of Arts. I was fascinated by how she became a painter—how it stemmed from a bus accident where she was lying a hospital on her back in a bodycast, in pain for a year, and how her father brought her brushes and paint. While she was working through her pain and her inability to move, she used her arms to paint and turned her suffering into something beautiful. She always felt like an outsider as a child growing up and I could connect to that. If Frida Kahlo could endure all the pain and suffering and still create beautiful art and not feel sorry for herself and continue to go on, then I could do the same. She’s always been a source of strength and a muse for me».
There are several clowns in this photo shoot. How come?
«I like the paradox of the clown. A clown dresses up, paints her face, comes on stage, and makes people laugh. But there is some kind of strange darkness that goes with it. Somehow deep down inside you feel the sadness of that clown. That clown is trying so hard to make other people laugh so that he or she can keep from crying. I like that juxtaposition as in the song “Send in the Clowns”. The lyrics are so beautiful - here I am, I’m going to make you laugh, but inside I am crying. I like that diametrically opposed dynamic. I feel that’s true of many entertainers and comedians and I am fascinated by that».
Let's talk about you. About your life. You have lots of children. What has it been like being a mother and an artist?
«It’s been the hardest thing, the toughest battle. Perhaps motherhood is the clown performance that’s been hardest to maintain. Even today, I struggle to understand how to be a mother as well as do my job. Because no matter where you are, whoever you are, having children and raising kids is a work of art. And nobody gives you a manual—you have to learn from your mistakes. It's a job that needs an incredible amount of time. And it’s exhausting because there’s no time for a break».
Several of your children today are artists, painters, DJs, activists. What’s it like being surrounded by such a creative group?
«It makes me very happy they have found their own creativity, and I know it comes from an authentic place. I never encouraged my daughter Lola to make music or my son Rocco to paint, but I did put them in front of art and music their entire lives so I am glad they found a way to express themselves. I respect and admire both of them and their work».
Do you think it was easy for them growing up with a mother like you?
«Not at all. Really, not at all. Growing up with a mother like me is a challenge».
How do you feel today?
«I am very excited about work that is coming up in the future. I’m about to create another show, and I've been working for several years on the screenplay about my life. This is a good time for me—I’m gathering ideas, getting inspired, hanging out with creative people, watching films, seeing art, listening to music - I’m being a social anthropologist. I look for inspiration any place I can possibly find it».
What are you afraid of?
«The idea of living in a society where you can’t be free to express your individuality or your thoughts frightens me. It seems to me that people are increasingly afraid of expressing their opinions, of being authentic. It's like living in one of those futuristic dystopian movies. The problem is that these scenarios have started to come true and that’s scary».
What makes you happy?
«Spending time with my children. And seeing them happy, witnessing their growth, watching them evolve and find the things they love. A big part of my happiness comes from my children. I also get a lot of happiness from the inspiration I find from several artists».
What makes you fall in love?
«What makes me fall in love is having a sense of affinity with someone. When you talk to someone and it feels like you speak the same language. When you see the world in the same way, you are aligned. I always fall in love with creative people who are creative in some way shape or form».
Let's go back 40 years. What advice would you give to that girl in New York,
the young Madonna?
«That girl was broke, and hungry. I’d tell her to go downstairs and make herself some food».
What would you do if you were 20 years old today?
«I don’t even know, I guess I would do the same thing – I would still want to go out in the world, I’d still be curious and hungry for knowledge and want to do as much as possible. I would still want to make my mark on the world, express myself, disturb the peace, be adventurous - be
rebellious. All those things. I wouldn’t be any different, I would just have more food and more shoes».
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