Years ago, I was on a business trip to Madrid, Spain and Paris, France. I visited the two largest banks in each country and toured their "flagship" branches. BNP's branch stands across from the great opera house in the middle of Paris. As I toured the building, there were many different technology stations throughout but one section had small kid size chairs and plush bean bags to recline on- all while sitting in front of computer screens. Likewise, the BBVA branch in Madrid had areas for kids to create their own online avatars and personas and use them on the big TV screens placed in front of oversized couches. I inquired of both locations the same series of questions. What was the purpose for this seemingly out of the ordinary placement of tools and technology for kids? Why would they utilize significantly expensive real estate to cater to children who were certainly not their largest depositors? This couldn't merely be a glorified waiting area while their parents transacted business at the counters, could it?
It's Not You, It's Me...
At both locations, I was given very similar answers for these seeming anomalies. I was told that the bank had found, through research, that children had a very bad image of who the financial institution was and what they were there to do. Children looked at the bank as the enemy- one who withholds money- the thing that allows their parents to purchase their toys, games, clothing, and food. In the minds of the youngest generation, BNP and BBVA, along with the rest of the banking world, were the pariahs of society. The ones to be cast out. The banks were the impediment to a more harmonious world where these children could see their parents happy and thriving. No credence was given to the political or social conditions each country faced, nor personal choices of the adults. No- society had successfully identified the "Bad Guy" and it was the bank. If only they would let loose their iron fist clutching the Euros so desperately needed by the families they enslaved. To this understanding, the banks responded. They began campaigns tailored to changing the perception of the youngest generation. They created games that dealt with financial concepts. They used popular methods to gain familiarity with them- from avatar creation to advertising in video games. They would even go to great lengths to build programs wherein kids could participate in the world of credit with their own plastic and their own "limited" accounts. All the while, the banks knew that those "limited" accounts and the small balance pre-paid cards would eventually turn into full customers tied to their institution.
This concept became so pervasive that papers were written on the topic. A formal name was given to the idea-Gamification. It was the concept of taking a seemingly dull and boring topic- in this case financial well-being, and attracting children to it by making games of and about the world of finance with the intent of hooking them in early to make lifelong customers. Institutions were measured on how effective their methods were. This was a new frontier. No longer was it enough for the teller to give a kid a lollipop while they waited for their mom or dad to deposit a check. Now they needed to sign the child to a pre-paid card, replete with the child's name in cartoon fashion emblazoned upon it. What message did it send to the youth? I now have purchasing power! I can do anything! I am like my parents! I don't need to "see" money to understand value- it is unlimited value behind the plastic with my name in bubble letters.
It Doesn't Take a Village
Gamification was about indoctrinating the next generation despite what their parents believed. It was about the institution taking control of the image and slowly molding it within the young minds over time. No longer were the banks going to rely on the guidance of parents and family to steer children into good financial behavior. No- they were attacking them where they knew it would have the most effect- in the fun and games. They decided to play the long con, as they say in the movies. They knew these kids would not be full customers with significant average daily balances for many years to come, but they knew that if they didn't start to groom them now, it would be a lost cause later. So, they did what they needed to do in order to get in lockstep with their future depositors or loan holders or interest payers. The banks insidiously offered these impressionable minds the equivalent of candy from the back of a windowless van.
Is there value in kids learning principles of finance? How a bank works? What happens when a
loan is taken out for a mortgage? Absolutely- yes. However, the problem lies not in the truth of
the process or the financial world but in the bias with which it was being delivered. There were principles being taught but they were through the lens of an interested third party. The bank was going to skew the messaging to ensure they retained their "good image"- even at the expense of parents. Gamification created children who were caught between a form of truth being given to them by powerful entities, and what often amounted to poor knowledge of the financial system from their parents. It stood to reason that in the absence of solid truth from home, these kids would accept information from these banks through games as reality, all the while the parents were abdicating their right and authority to teach their kids facts, due to their own lack of knowledge.
This is Not A Game
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? This is the exact scenario of what is going on with regards to the
spiritual realm. We, as parents, are watching an active campaign by the enemy to hook our kids early by appealing to everything that is fun and cool and creating a biased view of what is
actually happening. They are glorifying witchcraft, equating spells and incantations with "good
power", and blurring the lines between the living and the dead, good and evil, and right and
wrong. There is no greater example of this then to walk into a toy store and see Ouija boards being sold with games and puzzles. How many stories have been written of people who, after a seemingly innocent encounter with a Ouija board, ended up being terrorized by spirits in their home? It appears everyone knows someone or has heard a story of someone who this has happened to.
The question is why? Why would households still think it ok to continue to trifle with spiritual weapons? It goes back to the idea that today’s “average” Christian doesn’t put any stock in the supernatural. It is dismissed and derided. Yet, we will believe (as fundamental tenets of our faith) that a virgin birth occurred, that somehow a man’s death during the era of the Roman Empire has the power to invisibly remove non-physical offenses toward a Deity we have never seen, and that we have a part of us that is eternal which escapes the bounds of time and space. But, there can’t possibly be something attached spiritually to a parlor game. That seems to be a bridge too far for this generation.
Parents need to realize quickly that if they are not on offense in this game, they are already losing. If you are not confronting the enemy, the enemy is gaining ground in your child's life.
Most at this point would say, "yes, but I don't let my kids play Dungeons and Dragons or mess around with Ouija boards." Well, that is good, but let me assure you, it is permeating every area in your child's life. Let's go deep on one area- one toy- one version. Below is a Limited Edition Barbie, part of a set created by an artist named Mark Ryden. Many have an initial hesitancy to the overall artwork but it may go no further than that. We need to explore the intent. Remember an important point I have said before- Just because symbolism means nothing to you, doesn't mean its meaningless. There is a purpose why someone put it there.
#1 -Barbie's Purse is Raw Meat- Why would raw meat be included in a picture of a child's toy? Raw meat represents a low view of mankind. It strips the dominion and authority we have from God and reduces humanity to the level of the beasts of the field. It communicates value and worth- no more than common cattle.
#2-There is a Meat Shop with a Skeleton Selling Meat Advertised in Cyrillic-
The word in Cyrillic is "Animals". Interesting that this reinforces the overall concept that anything with meat should be considered animals- including humans. One other point to note about this is that symbolically, the buying and selling of meat has dark connotations to trafficking.
#3- A Single Eye Above the Arch- Countless books have been written on the significance of the "All-Seeing Eye", the Eye of Ra, the Third Eye, etc. Mountains of articles have been produced detailing the number of celebrities photographed with one eye covered. Variations in theories include the representation of the unconscious mind, the. inner being, the enlightenment of knowledge apart from God, wisdom that has come to humanity outside of God, etc. The illuminati and Freemasons both see the Eye as a symbol of power, intelligence, and being part of the club.
#4- The Arch of Baal- You may remember a few years ago that replica arches from Palmyra were placed in large cities across the world with no explanation. The Arch of Baal represents the power, fertility, and child sacrifice aspects of the ancient deity worshipped in Mesopotamia and the surrounding areas. Compare the pictures below if you question whether this is representative of the same arch. This is a spiritually charged structure that has meaning and purpose.
#5- Honey Bees- These are always explained away as representative of industriousness and hard work. However, they are long known to symbolize the idea that the majority of humanity is operating only to serve. Serve Isis (Egypt), Serve the country (Napoleon) or serve the Queen- or the "ruling class". Once again it is a way to reduce the sanctity of human life. It represents the worthless existence of people and that they are there to do the bidding of those who are in positions of authority. This is especially troubling in the context of trafficking, child exploitation, and ritualistic behaviors within a child's toy.
#6- The Clock Reads 3:55- Certainly a clock will read 3:55 twice a day, however, within a work that contains so much symbolism, it stands to reason the clock does as well. Interestingly, the number 355 represents a character within a comic book turned TV show called Y: The Last Man. The plot centers around Yorick- the last man on Earth after a pandemic kills all males, leaving women only. Before you dismiss this relationship, note the virus design on Barbie's dress, along with the starfish symbols both on the clocktower and the dress, which has a strong Lesbian connotation, among other things which we will discuss in the next point. The number 355 also represents the first American woman spy in the Revolutionary War.
#7- The Starfish- A modern use of the term starfish has to do with an unwilling or unresponsive partner- one who just "lays there". I won't go into further detail, but again, this symbolism within a framework which contains other thinly veiled references associated with child trafficking, it is hard to brush it away.
#8- Swirl on Barbie's Dress- These types of swirl patterns have been identified as symbols used in the exploitation of children with adults. See examples here. One might say, "Ok- now you are reaching too far on these." Really? Please give me a logical explanation why that symbol would be on a picture of a Barbie doll marketed to pre-teen girls. I'll wait.
#9- The Building Number 333- This number is strongly related to the occult through Aleister Crowley, one of the leading influencers in the early 1900's in the occult movement. First- the number represented a demonic entity called Choronzon, who is over the abyss, according to occult beliefs. Crowley states that a very important book in the Thelema religion, which he wrote, was called Liber 333 (The Book of Lies) and was given to Crowley by Choronzon. Not incidentally, the book, according to Crowley was written "by inspiration of Dionysus, each chapter at lunch or dinner". Why is this troubling? Dionysus was a Greek god whose cult followers were FAMOUS for eating raw meat as part of their worship rituals. (What is the vendor outside the building in the Barbie artwork?)
#10- The House Number Design- Did you think it was a candy wrapper with 333 in the middle? Understandable-that seems very Barbie-ish. But look again. It is two snakes entwined. That's not very Barbie now, is it? Two snakes entwined- this is a caduceus. It is a symbol misconstrued by the medical field and is actually a sign that has historically been associated with trade, commerce, thieves, and liars. (What book did Crowley write associated with 333? Oh yes- The Book of Lies.)
#11- A Mandrake Root on the Front Porch- "How do you know it's not Ginger or some other root?" The artist purposefully made it to look as though the root is crossing its legs. The main characteristic of Mandrake is its similar look to the human body given it has two legs. But more concerning, is the properties which Mandrake has- anesthesia, sleep, and paralysis. In fact, scopolamine- the drug found in Mandrake commonly called Devil's Breath or the Zombie drug- is used as a predatory drug facilitating trafficking and violence.
#12- A Sign with a Human Heart- Once again, we have a connection to Dionysus- a Greek god who, according to myth, was the son of Zeus and a human woman, who is then unfairly destroyed, having only his heart saved, to then be grown again inside his father, Zeus, thereby becoming a symbol of worship to humanity and unfettered passion and partying. The highest visual element in the picture is of a human heart, which represents the opposite of Christian beliefs and, in fact, takes elements of ancient myth and legend and is completely opposite to the Judeo-Christian worldview held by so many.
What Are We Looking At?
Let us then recap this image sold by Mattel to young pre-teen girls. We can see that it clearly takes elements of the Occult, Witchcraft, paganism, Greek Mythology, Ancient Near East religions, and Freemasonry to amalgamate a patchwork of symbols intended to show to the "enlightened" a picture of young girls as low value outside their usefulness to the "powers that be" and should be used in perverted ways even to the point of forcing them against their will, all being couched in a demonic worldview that reinforces these behaviors through ritualistic supernatural means.
To the uninitiated- it's just a "crazy" looking picture with new age art styles.
There are only three options that we could accept after reading the above-
The author of this blog is seeing things that just aren't there and they are being irrational in how they view these "coincidences" of imagery.
The artist never intended any of those images to mean what they seem to mean and it is really just a stroke of pure chance that all of this lines up to tell a coherent story as it relates to a hyper-sexualized children's toy which is Barbie.
The artist had a purpose for placing all of the imagery in the picture. In fact, the belief system that the artist adheres to rewards him for openly placing such representations in front of a blind public, thereby increasing the "mainstreaming" of these ideas.
The choice is yours.
Opportunity in the Face of Adversity
But if you believe that #3 is the most likely explanation, then you are faced with another decision.
Do nothing and overlook it, waiting for your children to see it on their own and make up their own minds about it. (which could be at best a 50/50 proposition on whether they are drawn to it or away from it.)
Share it with your children and have a real conversation. Be glad that you have an opportunity to share the truth with them about who the One True God is. That you can explain to them that the God we serve doesn't hide in the shadows and try to place images where people may or may not find them. Declare to your children that our God has put all other spiritual beings under His feet and has given us dominion and authority in the name of Jesus over all of these things here on earth. Teach them that even though Jesus has defeated Death and Hell, He has given us the role of an occupying force to declare His Kingdom and to take authority over all powers and principalities and of anything that the enemy can use to try to defeat us with. You can teach your children that the world around them is unfortunately a battleground but they have the wisdom, skill, and ability through the power of the Holy Spirit to take command of these dark areas, to shine the light of the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ingrain in their hearts that "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world." Teach them to pray that God would show them areas that need uncovered so that more people could stand up for the Truth and expose the works of the enemy.
In fact, let me give you an example that may embolden someone. I have spent this article critiquing the artwork by Mark Ryden, but I need to do something more.
@MarkRyden- at what point did you lose faith in Jesus? You have tried to replace it with every mystical religion, every man-made construct just like they did with the Tower of Babel, in order to what...? Gain power? Notoriety? Influence? Whatever you THINK you are gaining by worshipping at the feet of these demonic powers, you are being lied to. There is NO future in anything they have to offer. It isn't too late, @MarkRyden. Turn back to God- He never turned away from you. Get rid of these works of the enemy and place your faith and trust in the True King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One who was, and is, and is to come.
This is the first of several articles that will be written dealing directly with the enemy's attack on Gen Z and how we as parents have the ability to combat them.
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