Belsebuub dot com was one of the first websites to highlight an Orwellian attempt to censor spiritual information in the UK. This occurred in 2013, when the government of UK Prime Minister David Cameron made headlines mandating that British ISPs implement restrictive web filters, justifying the edict with concerns over children being exposed to inappropriate information.

While moderating children’s internet use is a valid concern for any responsible parent, independent investigations quickly revealed that the proposed filters would cover a broad array of unrelated categories, including “esoteric material.” This ambiguous term could be interpreted to include many spiritual websites. An author writing on Belsebuub dot com, collected several accounts of spiritual websites already being censored on public hotspots in the UK because they fell into the category of “Alternative Spirituality/Belief,” making it clear that spiritual information is truly in the cross-hairs of these censorship schemes.

In The Guardian, author Cory Doctorow decried the new policy as “unaccountable censorship,” which it most certainly is. However, as noted on Belsebuub dot com, the targeting of spiritual information is not merely a byproduct of an overly zealous filtering system – it is a symptom of a broader agenda to deliberately limit access to alternative spirituality. Web filters in the name of protecting children are acting as a “Trojan horse” in the war on consciousness, allowing a censorship regime targeting alternative spiritual information to silently slip through the gates.

The Increasing Cyber-Segregation and Cyber-Suppression of Alternative Spirituality

Matthew of The Conscious Reporter notes how some popular web filters already enforce “cyber-segregation” between websites about alternative spirituality and those about mainstream religions, demonstrating an inherent prejudice. For example, Fortiguard and Blue Coat – two web filtering services used by large numbers of schools, enterprises, mobile operators, and homes – both have separate categories for “alternative spirituality” and mainstream religions. Alternative spirituality is placed in the “adult/mature” grouping (alongside topics such as gambling, weapons, and pornography), unlike the religion category, which is presented as “Personal Interest” or something similarly benign and neutral. Additionally, alternative spirituality categories are often included in the set of topics that are filtered by default (i.e., using the implicitly recommended settings), whereas “religion” is generally not.

Placing alternative spirituality next to mature and controversial topics encourages a sense of guilt by association, and the descriptions given for the alternative spirituality categories reinforce that perception. Matthew notes how these descriptions contain loaded and biased language referring to “voodoo,” “curses,” “Satanism,” and “witchcraft” – all words that can easily evoke stigma and make it seem that all sites in that category are dark or demonic.

However, the reality is far from the description. The range of sites falling into this category is incredibly broad. In his testing, Matthew discovered that the “Alternative Spirituality/Belief” filters block a wide range of sites from paganism and Wicca, to the new age, Falun Gong, David Icke, and UFOs. Belsebuub dot com and (ironically) consciousreporter dot com itself were also filtered by Blue Coat under the alternative spirituality category.

So here we have a category being presented as equivalent to violence and pornography and described using loaded language to evoke fears of Satanism and voodoo, and yet the sites blocked under that category include a whole host of harmless options including various alternative, new age, and metaphysical topics.

All of this invites a few questions. Why is this happening? Why are web filters going out of their way to filter out alternative spiritual options? And whose interests would that serve?

What is esoteric knowledge?

Merriam-Webster defines esoteric as something “designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone.” While this definition could apply to specialized knowledge across any discipline, esotericism is also commonly understood to refer to knowledge about the hidden or non-physical side of life, such as the nature of consciousness, the soul or spirit, supernatural or paranormal phenomena, other dimensions of existence, near-death and out-of-body experiences, mysticism, enlightenment, and much more.

Indeed, esoteric knowledge could be said to encompass all of the “big questions” that many of us have considered at one point or another, such as:

Does god or divinity exist?

Is there life beyond the physical body?

What is our consciousness, and where does it come from?

What is the purpose of life?

Today, there are, broadly speaking, two socially-acceptable ways to answer such questions.

Many seek to answer them in purely materialistic terms, appealing to science, even though science cannot yet in any way solve the nature of consciousness or provide an explanation for the thousands of people who have had near-death experiences. On the other hand, established organized religions offer belief systems with their own sets of answers. These established belief systems are generally considered respectable in our society, whereas alternative ideas often are not – a prejudice reflected in the web filter categorization as described above.

However, what if you wish to explore these questions yourself in a direct or experimental way? What if you want to meditate to explore the nature of consciousness, or practice techniques for astral projection to explore out-of-body experiences, or discover whether there is any truth to paranormal phenomena such as telepathy, or simply seek out alternative viewpoints on the purpose of life?

Now you’ve gone into the realm of the esoteric. As noted on Belsebuub dot com,

Anyone who gains experience through remote viewing, telepathy, altered states of consciousness, prayer, visions, dreams, religious or mystical experiences, psychic and paranormal phenomena, self-knowledge, or who has a supernatural experience of any kind, etc. whether for good or bad purposes (because it’s possible to do both), is accessing normally hidden, or esoteric information about life and reality.

Esoteric Knowledge Is All Around Us

If those behind web filtering schemes have their way, information about such experiences, which are a core part of our history and human identity, would be blocked and stripped away from millions of people.

There are so many areas of history, science, art, and literature that are influenced by esoteric knowledge.

Esoteric knowledge runs through the most powerful echelons of societies, from ancient Egypt, India, and Sumer up to the present day. Several Founding Fathers of the United States (including George Washington) were members of the Freemasons, a well-known esoteric society, and masonic symbolism is common in Washington DC and in American public life, such as the all-seeing eye appearing on the US bank note.

Many aspects of science, medicine, and mathematics have their roots in the work of ancient philosophers who were both mystics and scientists, such as Hippocrates, Pythagoras, or Paracelsus. The roots of chemistry go back to the work of medieval alchemists, deeply mystical thinkers whose complex treatises are rife with spiritual symbolism.

Esoteric practice and symbolism are described in the sacred texts of many spiritual traditions, such as Taoism, Hinduism, and Hermeticism, as well as in many suppressed Christian texts such as the Gnostic Gospels.

The esoteric is also universal in world literature across the ages – from visits to otherworldly realms in the Odyssey, Aeneid, and Divine Comedy to encounters with supernatural beings and fairy lands in Celtic tales.

The visual arts show countless examples of visions, divine beings, and spirits of nature. Music, too, has been deeply influenced by esotericism: the music of Hildegard von Bingen describes divine visions and mystical experience and Mozart’s work contains elaborate masonic symbolism (for example, in The Magic Flute).

Fast forward to the present day, and inverted and dark esoteric imagery has become completely ubiquitous (often accompanied by graphic scenes of violence and sexual imagery) in the music industry and is also common in television and movies. We can also consider the widespread use of esoteric symbols in fashion and the esoteric symbols embedded in many flags and insignias of government agencies.

Belsebuub’s wife noted on Belsebuub dot com that esoteric knowledge can be used as a force for good or as a tool for dark agendas. Many of these esoteric symbols are deeply spiritual at their root but have been inverted or distorted to serve a more sinister purpose. For example, ancient symbols such as the pentagram, swastika, and cross all have their origins in sacred teachings but have been hijacked and used as instruments of darkness in various ways.

From this perspective, the rampant use of esoteric symbolism in official institutions and in popular culture is one of the most telling indications of the power these symbols have. And according to Belsebuub, this use of symbols is a way for a hidden elite with a dark knowledge of esotericism to influence and control society.

Esoteric Knowledge Used by Elites

Mark (who wrote with the name Belsebuub) spent nearly 30 years exploring spirituality. He withdrew from public life in 2010.

Belsebuub stated that esoteric knowledge has its roots in higher dimensions and can be acquired by modern spiritual seekers who use out-of-body experiences to access it directly from its origin.

In other words, esoteric information can enable someone to gain direct access to spiritual knowledge. And this, Belsebuub explained, is precisely why those who have power and control in society wish to restrict people from accessing it for beneficial purposes, and keep their own use of it under the radar.

Belsebuub’s wife likened the contrast between good and sinister uses of esotericism to the contrast between the Jedi and the Sith in the Star Wars universe (which was greatly influenced by creator George Lucas’s study of ancient myth and religion).

In the Star Wars universe, the Jedi use the “light” side of the force out of love and compassion, in order to maintain freedom, peace, truth, and justice in society. The Sith, on the other hand, tap into their anger, hostility, hatred, and lust for power while accessing the “dark side,” which they use to enslave and control populations.

In the same way, Belsebuub stated that esoteric knowledge can be used for individuals to awaken spiritually, help humanity, and alleviate suffering, or that knowledge can be twisted and used for selfish and destructive aims.

Belsebuub stated that many societies today are under the influence of those who would use esoteric knowledge for sinister purposes. “This spreads,” Belsebuub wrote, “like the roots of a tree from secret societies through the upper scales of power and influence in society, until its influence permeates the lives of the unsuspecting majority.”

Belsebuub’s Work on Awakening in Consciousness: How Esoteric Knowledge of Light is the Antidote to the Dark Side

Considering the pervasive use of esoteric symbols and their often-horrific contexts, it is easy to assume that esotericism is something purely dark and “satanic.”

However, Belsebuub stated that “there is a difference between white and dark knowledge – they are opposites.” The white knowledge that Belsebuub described is gained through a process of enlightenment that is “imbued in all that is created” and that can be found at the root of spiritual texts, ancient sacred sites, myths, and in the structure of the universe itself. The goal of the process of awakening that Belsebuub described is a re-unification of a person’s consciousness with their own divine Being.

From this perspective, it becomes very clear why esotericism of the light would be a strong force of opposition to those that currently have all the power and control in society.

Society wants conformity, and profound spiritual knowledge doesn’t conform and can’t be controlled; it’s usually developed by small numbers of people who don’t fit in.

~ Belsebuub

Belsebuub noted that much of humanity has become like “passive sheep” that have been domesticated, and this domestication allows people to be easily controlled. He highlights the influence of the entertainment industry, the prevalence of materialism and greed, and the pursuit of pleasure at the expense of spiritual values as factors that work together to encourage the masses to be passive and to decrease any inclination to question social norms or search for higher purpose in life.

However, Belsebuub stated that spiritual awakening truly liberates a person from the dark forces that exist within and in the world and gives access to profound knowledge in higher dimensions through out-of-body experiences. Such a person could be a force for truth and good in the world and could help others to awaken too.

Why More than Information Is Needed

Although there is a growing segment of people who are interested in alternative information and who recognize some of these dark agendas, this form of resistance can be limited if it is based solely on consuming information, unaccompanied by inner change. Information can easily be co-opted and distorted by the very dark forces it purports to expose, making it difficult for someone to determine what information is true. And as Belsebuub also noted, information does not create a change in the fundamental nature of a person – and this change is what is needed most to combat the influence of darkness.

An awakening of information about important things in the three-dimensional world, though good, is not an awakening of consciousness […] If people did become real initiates of light, even a small number in the world could create a powerful force for good. ~ Belsebuub

As this quote from Belsebuub indicates, a person who awakens in light poses a counter to the forces of darkness who wish to prevail over the world. They can no longer easily be controlled, and they have the capacity to gain experiences out of the body in order to acquire spiritual knowledge directly. This knowledge based on direct experience cannot easily be co-opted by those with power or distorted by misinformation. It is knowledge that Belsebuub explained not only allows a seeker to free themselves from dark influences but also to oppose and expose the dark agendas.

With this in mind, there is clearly a powerful motive for the powers that be to suppress the knowledge of the light that would allow people to truly “wake up.” These elite forces want to preserve the power of esotericism for themselves and do not want individuals to awaken spiritually and free themselves of the influences of darkness.

How Esoteric Knowledge Is Suppressed Today

For all of these reasons, esoteric knowledge today is being vilified and restricted, just as it has been in previous times.

The “Cult” Stigma

The rise of the “cult” concept has led to widespread prejudice against alternative spirituality. Any form of spirituality that is not part of an established religion or part of the heavily commercialized “new age” market is at risk.

Whereas oppressive laws or policies are overt and can be fought against and potentially overturned, psychological biases and social taboos are largely invisible to those influenced by them. However, the loss of freedom these biases and taboos cause is no less real and can even be more damaging. The stigma against “cults” causes many forms of helpful or benign spiritual practice and belief to be seen as socially unacceptable. This limits the spiritual options that most people will be exposed to and will have the opportunity to pursue, and therefore limits freedom of belief.

Once a person or group has been smeared with this label, many powerful forces of society become arrayed against them. As Belsebuub noted, if you are part of an alternative spiritual group and someone takes a disliking to you,

[…] they can easily lie about you and give a totally distorted view of you and what you do in public and be supported by a huge number of institutions, religions, groups of abusive anti-cult witch hunters, atheists, the media and society in general, and if you look for justice you’ll find its priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. How are you going to withstand that? Your life will probably be ruined. ~ Belsebuub

The “cult” stigma has been entrenched and reinforced in popular consciousness through decades of association with a small number of horrific and highly vivid incidents, such as the tragedy at Jonestown. Amplified by the media, these few incidents have come to be seen as representative of all alternative spiritual groups, regardless of whether they have actually done anything wrong. Many people now implicitly assume that alternative spiritual groups are, by definition, “cults” and associate them with “brainwashing, coercion, deception, exploitation, perversion, and religious fraud.” These assumptions have become unquestioned “truths” and have been naturalized throughout society.

Any group who manifests superficial similarities to the popular conception of a “cult” – no matter how upstanding that group may be in reality – can easily be labelled as such. Even simple and harmless attributes such as having a spiritual teacher, teaching a spiritual doctrine, raising funds, performing missionary work, or promoting values that diverge from the status quo are enough to invoke this label. With it comes the burden of enormous stigma, virtually guaranteed to evoke fear and dislike from the surrounding populace.

In this way, the stigma functions as an effective restriction on alternative spiritual groups from operating and surviving. This restriction is not written into any law or official government policy but is no less severe for that. It is a restriction imposed by a conditioned society upon itself; a person who transgresses the boundaries of “acceptable” spirituality is quite likely to be censured and treated as a pariah, outcast by friends, family, co-workers, and the media.

The word ‘cult’ has now become a bigoted word that can be used to effectively strip away a person’s rights and humanity […] It’s the same method that has been used by propagandists time and again to mobilize society to suppress various groups of people, inciting bigots, bullies and ill-informed people to do the dirty work. ~Belsebuub

Restrictions on Rights and Freedoms

In some cases, the stigma against alternative spirituality has influenced official government policy, leading to overt restrictions on rights and freedoms. For example, the Chinese government places significant restrictions on “heterodox” religious entities, and the government in France has created official lists of supposedly harmful “sects.”

Although it may seem that restrictions on spiritual rights are unthinkable in freedom-loving western societies, it is clear that such freedoms can be eroded incrementally, a process that can begin with widespread discrimination towards a target group. This risk is especially significant when the rights being violated belong to an unpopular minority such as a spiritual group whose values may go against the mainstream grain.

Online Censorship

Online censorship is one of the latest tactics being used in the effort to suppress alternative spirituality and the esoteric, the UK being a prime example.

In this case, the apparent concern for the welfare of children is being used to generate a moral panic that provides cover for much more widespread censorship of completely unrelated material. This is where the danger for alternative spirituality lies.

What’s Wrong with the UK Web Filters

Opt-Out Instead of Opt-In

The UK web filtering uses an “opt-out” model that forces the user to actively choose to have an uncensored internet connection, as opposed to providing “opt-in” tools for parents to use as they see fit. This means that censorship is on by default.

Although the provision of an option may seem to respect the free choice of the user, the phenomenon of status quo bias can “nudge” users into accepting the defaults without the user having a full understanding of the implications of that choice.

Who decides what categories are “bad”?

The categories of filtered websites are ambiguous, arbitrary, and include numerous subject areas completely unrelated to child pornography. The suggestion is that all the categories include “bad” sites that should be avoided by default.

The proposed inclusion of “esoteric material” in this context is particularly troubling. The suggestion that alternative spiritual information is on par with horrific criminal acts is nonsensical and suggests a clear ideological bias.

Who decides what sites get included in a category?

The difficulty in accurately categorizing websites is also a major concern.

When it comes to “esoteric material,” the dictionary definition is so broad that virtually any kind of special-interest website could be considered as such. As noted above, many websites on completely benign topics are blocked by current commercial filters on “alternative spirituality/belief,” and as reported on Belsebuub.com sites focused on rather innocuous topics like reiki, spiritual healing, and increasing self-awareness have been blocked on public hotspots at cafes or colleges in the UK. Regardless of whether one finds those particular topics to be of interest, one would be hard-pressed to argue that they are such a threat to public safety that they should be filtered by default.

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