The Secret of the Spoons – You Play – The Gods!

One of the ancient gods, like the African Anansi, was brought into the country by the Americans. Not like Wotan himself had come. Anansi belongs to the category of creator gods. He has created the African world, sun, moon and man. What he can do very well is telling and playing stories. According to the myth, Anansi was in search of the wisdom of mankind. He gathered everything, and when he had it, he came to realize that he lacked wisdom. So the US has imported a trickster, player and data collector. Symbolically, Anansi has two forms. On the other hand, he is a spider, makes a web and on the other hand he is Mr. Nancy the Gambler. Although Anansi belongs to the ancient gods, the new digitals could learn a lot from him.

With Anansi the “black” came into the country. The whites were already there and came of their own accord. The black-and-white thinking is a basic principle of the ancient gods. Where black – dark the evil side and white – bright the good side represents. Apparently StarWars was still constructed by the ancient gods. To act according to this “either – or” makes life clear. One belongs to the rich or to the poor, the beautiful or the ugly, one wins or loses, etc.
The old gods see life as a game that consists only of winning or losing. From boredom or because it makes sense for them, play the ancient gods. They play against each other and sometimes with the people. Chernobog the old Slavic god also counts himself to the “blacks” and is a player.

On their journey to the ancient gods, Shadow and Wednesday visit the Zorya Sisters, also from the Slavic Pantheon. There they meet Chernobog – the god of the “heavy industry”. Equipped with a suggestion hammer, he is responsible for the coarse. Without consideration, he takes what he needs – land, energy, slaves, etc. This is the time of the first and second industrial revolution. “Yes, then”, recalls Chernobog, people have worshiped me. Now you do not need a hammer, but a bolt gun is enough. The rise of automation (industry 3.0) is the beginning of the end of the god Chernobog. He also recognized it himself. That’s why the game is only the game – the game of dames. It is simple, consists only of black and white figures, even fields, all stones are equivalent and there is only gain or lose. A game with clear rules, defined playing field and clearly regulated beginning and end; A “finite game”. In a complex time many people wish the ancient god Chernobog back.

So it is not unexpected that Shadow was invited to a game and the agreed price was high. Divine games all have a very high price. If you are less risky and still want to play, visit the sacred cities of the players – for example, Las Vegas. The decay of the ancient gods can be observed in an analogy to the development of Vegas. The new gods no longer need such temples – they are omnipresent. The development of the Zorya sisters also points to a more than “black and white”. In mythology they were two. The evening star and the morning star determined very clearly the states of what was at night and what belongs to the day. Now they are three and have got a “night nurse”. At the latest with the serial production of the 19th century the transition blurred. In the night work is now being done and also played. With the night’s peace, it is over. The new gods have introduced globalization and there is always day and night at the same time

The clothing of the new gods is the simultaneous, colorful and regular. Sequential, black-and-white and rule-oriented gods (humans) do so very hard.

The Zorya sisters had only one task, namely to watch “Simargl” a dog chained to the small car. Monitor, control and command are abilities of the ancient gods. They have built and preserved their power over a thousand years. How will the new gods build their power? We get a little hint in the supermarket, as Shadow goes for Mr. Wednesday shopping.

Shadow goes in the electronics department between rows of televisions and screens. Everywhere colorful, moving and fast pictures. All this does not appeal to him at all; He has to buy for Wednesday “old junk” – maps, books, etc.
What old gods need. His attention is his job. But there is a new God – the Media. It does not need worship or time. What they want from people is attention and time. This is why she speaks to everyone personally. In the early days of her deity, she used broadcasting through television. With this she gained quite a lot of attention.

Now with social media, she addresses every person individually. So also Shadow, when he is suddenly addressed by “Lucy Ricardo” from a screen. She says, “I am the one who must bring them sacrifices”. She wants all attention and suggests to Shadow to work for her right away. But because he refuses, she counters: “Do not fight against the power of gravity.” Even the biggest digitization opponents use smartphones in the meantime.

The digital world, of which Wednesday says: “The goddamn information age leads to unavoidable developments.” (See the book by Kevin Kelly “The Inevitable”). Wednesday when they drive to Chicago in the car, not on the highway, of course: “These are expressions of a new language – a new vocabulary is built up”. By this he means the language of the new gods. His aversion reveals the moment he gets a mobile phone from Shadow, which he immediately throws out of the driving car. We do not need anything like that!

From the linear black and white world of the ancient gods, a colorful, complex world is now developing. Everything has secondary, remote, time-delayed effects and developments exponentially expire. The old gods had to be pledged to spend as much money on consumption as possible – cars with lots of horsepower, work up to burnout and much more.
The new gods demand our identity. We must sacrifice a part of ourselves. Similar to Bilquis, who devoured her victims to have energy for her life. The new gods arise from a transcendence. Give a part of yourself for something bigger, unknown whole.