Emoji-Me, Emoji-Me-Not, Emoji-Me, Emoji-Me-Not
Gobble Gobble Gobble
In 2017 I traveled to Egypt and posted a photo on the internet poking fun about Egyptians telling the future with the first “emoji” hieroglyph.
The Egyptologist assured me this meant something with regards to the Lord of Upper and Lower Egypt, but I think inside she was laughing too.
It reminded me of how much Pac-Man was a precursor to the modern-day emoji man, definitely related, digital ancestors. It’s no coincidence the colors on display evoking the idea of a friend, not foe.
The hieroglyph I spotted in the Valley of the Kings must be their ancient father.
As such, I hereto introduce Lord Pac-Man, eater of information, traveler of the airwaves, the ultimate loosher -looshing, he’s full of hot air, his root chakra is out of control, driven into a state of consuming all in his path, the shadow of the sun as destroyer, destined to be inked in stone, the sacred clown shouting a warning in symbology to the future: Say NO to the all-consuming information Battlefield…or shall I say Babblefield!
Little did I know in such a short time, just how much emojis and memes would take over the world…forever reminding me of wasted hours playing Pac-Man. Thankfully I left my video game playing days in the 80’s, but oh boy now we are so lucky to have Tik-Tok, Twitter and “Insta-Gram.” (yes, I’m half-joking).
It’s all about that instant gratification, no matter how you “slice it.”
Pac-Man emoji man, hopping around in timelines, jumped straight out of the Valley of the Kings and into my phone.
The world has already lost its ability to spell since spell-check came about, now with the temptation of AI to write everything for you, we’re headed for an even bigger communication disaster.
If the collective consciousness continues down this path, I’m thinking it will be more pointing and nodding than telepathy “headed” our way.
Pac-man has an insatiable desire to consume, what is he eating?
White Pellets: In the p(Harm)aceutical industry, popping a pellet has become a way to avoid bad habits while placing false hope in a little white pill that might stop symptoms, while creating a whole new lot of them at the same time. Even in the alternative health world, the idea of a quick fix aligns with this same representation. Popping pellets like rats in a maze, are we in a video game, is it time to go another way?
Information: The digital world of more-more-faster-faster information has created an insatiable hunger for consuming data, online shopping where your purchase can arrive the same day, and/or touch points of searching endlessly without ever stopping to think, to read, to contemplate, to learn and apply in real life.
The new rage of those Virtual Reality headsets turning people into a walking Pac-Man. The stone emoji from times long ago, now animated by something completely outside of self. Another leap, this time out of the phone and onto the human, the joker is born…and that won’t end well.
Points: The addiction inside the game itself is to accumulate the most points. Not unlike life, the ever-circling wheel of Groundhog Day (wake up, work, achieve, eat, sleep, repeat), can be seen in the game of Pac-Man and the Game of Life. What do you actually gain in the fulfillment of consuming all of that stuff, in winning that award, in filling up with information in an infinite digital black hole where no human could possibly discern the amount that is useless versus useful.
While I don’t really know the connection between the laughing hieroglyph, Pac-Man, and the emoji mayhem that has become the “norm” in communication (along with memes), what I do know is that beneath it all deeper constructs of the human psyche transcend time and speak to our subconscious symbolically.
From sneaky marketing tactics to the study of occult symbols, there is always more at “play” than what may seem innocent on the surface. The ghosts in the machine are the shadow of himself he's running from, chasing his own invisible tail through the maze of endless distraction, unfinished business and fears. Are you caught in the maze or choosing to make life aMAZ(E)ing?
Deep truths hide in symbols, can you step into both the logical and creative in order to see their messages for you?
Humans are meaning making machines in a sense, often controlled by negative emotions and an imbalance of the internal mechanisms that connect mind, body and spirit.
The “flow” of truths inherent with divine law and human nature await our discovery of the inner cipher of knowing, and it’s always there symbolically no matter the time on the clock…the writing on the wall…. the hieroglyph…. the emoji…. the Pac-Man…. what is eating at you? What are you eating energetically?
I certainly used to play this game a lot as a kid. It’s addicting for a reason, “just one more game mom!” and I wonder how it shaped the indoctrination of my youth.
Symbols are also Cymbals, a clash, a clink, a nod to pay attention to what is shaping your reality, what lives in the subconscious that is trying to come into awareness and what are we mindlessly consuming, empty calories like the little white dots…. empty communication like the little yellow emojis and how can we stop chasing what will never fill us up?
With Love,
Angela Morris
The Irrational Sage
There's no emojis on the desktop substack. :(
When Pacman hits the power up he can chase and eat those ghosts that follow him around trying to take his life though! And the power up is the non white pellets, but the plant medicines that alter reality to see beyond! An opportunity to level up...but ultimately its just the glimpse to do more inner work to exorcise the ghosts of the past. and break outside the limiting boundaries of the game itself.
"Babblefield." Good one! Also excellent ...
"The addiction inside the game itself is to accumulate the most points. Not unlike life, the ever-circling wheel of Groundhog Day (wake up, work, achieve, eat, sleep, repeat), can be seen in the game of Pac-Man and the Game of Life. What do you actually gain in the fulfillment of consuming all of that stuff, in winning that award, in filling up with information in an infinite digital black hole where no human could possibly discern the amount that is useless versus useful."