By: Ben Johnson
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| I have decided to like everything about this. |
I’m not usually one to be taken in
by new age anything, or spiritualism anything, or mysticism anything, or
certainly anything where a random hippie with six remaining functioning brain
cells preaches about self-actualization between bouts of compulsive high-pitched
laughter. But I went through a breakup recently, and at the very apex of my
melodramatic “I don’t deserve to be loved” self pity, at the exact moment when
I was actually physically collapsed and on my knees in an embarrassing
performance of despair, I got a text from my friend Lexie, who recommended
Kaypacha. I could not possibly have been more susceptible.
I don’t know how late to the party I
am on this guy. I have a feeling it’s medium late. I have a feeling this will
reach a few people who’ll be like “oh yeah, eye roll, welcome to me in 2014.”
If you’re not one of those people: there’s this guy on the internet named Tom
Lescher, who calls himself Kaypacha and is a weird new age hippie who is really
into astrology and lives in Costa Rica, of course, because of the weird
gravitational pull Costa Rica exerts on this type of person. He puts out this
weekly YouTube video called the Pele Report.
Here’s what happens in the average
Pele Report: Kaypacha, off camera, talks at length about what’s happening
astrologically, like where the planets and various heavenly bodies are, and
what degree aspects they’re in, and he uses a bunch of gobbledygook astrological
terminology about 60 degree T-squares. Usually he bitches and moans a little
about how important astrology really is and how people don’t like this part of
the Pele Report, but that it’s important to him. You feel kind of bad for the
guy.
The hardcore astrology portion of
the Pele Report lasts about 8-10 minutes, and, here I’m going to maybe sound harsh
here to anybody who’s actually really into this stuff, is also complete
ridiculous made up horseshit. I’m sorry. It is. If it makes you feel any better
(and it should) religions, human culture, a great deal of science, and the entire
economy of the world is also complete ridiculous made up horseshit. So even
though I believe this thing you care about is stupid, I also firmly believe
that it’s not essentially much stupider than anything else. Kaypacha, who seems
like a solid enough dude, is really into it. A lot. He could talk about it
nonstop for much longer than his customary 8-10 minutes, and I always get a
sense he kind of wants to.
Even though I find the opening
astrological portion of the Pele Report to be utter guff, I always watch it.
The whole thing. It has a lulling, soothing effect. His babble allows me to
turn my brain off for a few minutes while he fills it full of empty mush. It’s
like a form of forced meditation, which is great for me because I tend to only
meditate if and when I’m forced to. I get a majority of my meditation regimen
done while in line at the post office. I’m a highly efficient meditator.
At this point in the Pele Report,
Kaypacha steps in front of the camera to share his thoughts on what recent astrological
events mean in people’s lives. The theme is mostly that there’s a necessary
push and pull between one’s most elevated self and one’s earthly survival
instincts, and that causes a lot of tension and pain and worry, and that’s to
be expected and accepted and forgiven. He ties it to whatever’s happening in
the sky at any given moment, but that’s the basic truth he’s peddling, and it
never doesn’t bear repeating, because life is always weird and difficult.
Of course this part of the Pele
Report is also complete horseshit, the kind of universally applicable but
specific-seeming horseshit undergirded by the Forer Effect and the various
human cognitive
biases that form the entire basis for astrology and mentalism and all
kinds of guru cons long and small. But it’s good horseshit. I like his
horseshit.
What makes Kaypacha compelling is
that he’s equal parts wise and impossible to take seriously. He says things
like “forgive yourself for being born,” which is both pithy and a good thing to
keep in mind, and then follows that with a straight-faced recommendation that
you unwind from the stress of your life by playing as much didgeridoo as
possible. Coming from him this is as translatable “your version of didgeridoo”
actual good advice as it is simultaneously just about the whitest white person
appropriation of native Aboriginal culture horseshit you’ve ever heard in your
life.
You can’t get too mad at a guy whose
whole thing is self-acceptance. There’s no point. He’s out there exploring the
deep space of just how unconditionally you can love yourself. I keep myself on
a very short leash, so I find it strangely inspiring to see this guy out there
posting weekly 25 minute YouTubes about astrology from some compound in Costa
Rica while wearing an entire craft fair’s worth of homemade jewelry. Even as I
can’t help but also think “Oh God, this guy probably hasn’t worn underwear for
at least a decade, Oh God, he probably has tantric sex with this wife he keeps
mentioning, Oh God, he probably looks deep into her eyes and, like, breathes in
her soul essence, Oh God, I’m gonna puke.”
Anyway, that’s what I’m into now. I
loyally watch an astrology video every week. Life is weird, and help and wisdom
can come from anywhere. You can click here if you
want to watch some of this dude’s videos. You’re going to want to stop watching
it while he’s talking about astrology. Don’t. Watch the whole thing.
Namaste aloha so much love.
@itisbenjo
