Interview with Lubomir Arsov

On In-Shadow, Kingdom, Spirit, Truth, Sovereignty, Soul Harvesting and much more.

“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” -C.G. Jung

“There is something not right, no matter how much this rightness is supported by public opinion or moral code. – C.G Jung

---

I was pointed to In-Shadow by @Inversionism on X, about 1 year ago.

It had an effect on me. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched it.

It was such a relief to realise that there was someone out there that “got it” at such a deep level but was then able to express it so profoundly in art.

I wrote about it in Sept 2023.

In-Shadow

It, and its follow up Kingdom, are recommended viewing.

Both are created by Lubomir Arsov I’m and very grateful for the opportunity to create this interview with him.

With thanks and appreciation to Lubomir Arsov.

---

6 years later and more people understand this video - @fantasticpeeks

1. Lubomir, I’d love to start with your background. Can you share a bit about your journey and how it led you to become an artist and storyteller? How have your personal experiences shaped the themes in your work?

I've always been moved and interested in visual storytelling. I had a specific talent for drawing from early on, and I got into comic books and animated films. Something about moving drawings really inspired me. Piecing images together has always stimulated my imagination and emotions, and realizing I could potentially make a living doing that, narrowed my focus on making it happen.

As far as personal experiences go, I've had a genuine curiosity about the hidden aspects that lurk beneath everyday reality, and have been exploring metaphysical questions for a while. But perhaps an inherent need for clarity, dignity, and truth is what has inspired my personal work the most. Art helps me discover and express my inner preoccupations by externalizing them.

2. Had you created anything similar to In-Shadow before making it?

Actually, yes. In my third year of school, I made a short film—which isn't available anywhere—that was super crude and amateurish. It was about a neglected boy who was stillborn and grew up as a zombie. As revenge against the world, he invented television to zombify everyone else and turn them into someone like him. That was the very first story I wrote and animated. But In-Shadow was my first foray into independent filmmaking.

“If everything around seems dark, look again, you may be the light.” ― Rumi

3. Your film IN-SHADOW: A Modern Odyssey has been described as a powerful exploration of our collective unconscious. What sparked the idea for this project?

As I began delving deeper into the machinations of the world and "waking up" around 2008, I went through about five years of paranoia, withdrawal, shock, and despair—all the emotions we experience when the curtain of normalcy starts to withdraw. During this time, I was also going through my apprenticeship in animation, working on formative jobs and projects in the field, in various departments. As my skill set expanded, my desire to use it for real, substantial storytelling that was aligned with my own soul became a stronger pull.

There was a strong urge for me to convey my emerging view of reality through my unique visual lens. I had the feeling that what I could offer wasn't being presented at the time within this field—which was much smaller than it is now. Today, we have many more participants, talented investigators, and translators of what's going on in the world. I thought that creating a visual tapestry to convey the situation as I saw it—as completely as I could within a short duration—was necessary. It was also a personal calling that needed to be executed. The urge to quit my work and make it became so strong, that to deny it no longer seemed like an option.

4. What event triggered your awakening?

Awakening to the geopolitical conspiratorial worldview happened through a documentary on 9/11. A friend of mine had been sending me things for years, but I had my "normie" lenses on, and my soul wasn't yet ready to take the plunge. But there was something about (it may have been an Alex Jones documentary) the two hours I spent watching, I was just ready to really consider that what was projected as reality and history, could be different than what I thought they were. So yeah, like many of us, it was those two twin towers that came down – the twin pillars forming the gate of initiation into the other world.

5. IN-SHADOW touches on some deep and complex themes—psychological, spiritual, even parapolitical. How do you go about balancing all these elements within the film’s narrative?

Well, what I term “reality” is a synthesis of all the layers of perception we employ, and the artifacts therein. For me, they've always been inseparable. First, the worldly, parapolitical realm; second, the psyche—the psychological and mental aspects; and third, the transcendent, the spiritual—the greater game within which it all occurs.

It's always felt incomplete and unwise to zoom in on just one of these and see all of reality through that singular lens. My exploration of myself and my own spirituality—with the aid of ancient introspective technologies like meditation, and of course, with the help of certain entheogens and plant medicines—has allowed me to weave all those perspectives into my perception of the world. Naturally, this integration makes its way into my art.

I haven't been consciously systematic in employing all three layers in the way you've outlined, but because they're such a great part of how I see the world, they naturally find their place in my work. I simply can't separate them; they're so intertwined. My objective with both In-Shadow and Kingdom was to give as complete a picture as I could at that time—one that is also legible to both a mainstream and an uninitiated audience. In giving that complete picture, I had to situate the whole story—the entire presentation—within those three layers.

6. The film has really resonated with a global audience. In your view, what is it about the story that hits home with people on such a profound level?

I think it's because it delves into the completeness of the whole journey. It brings up feelings of dread, hopelessness, and anger, but it also aims to situate everything within the greater truth of the evolution of consciousness. This greater, mysterious journey of being human—being a unit of consciousness within this cosmos—is something that wasn't widely represented in art at the time.

I believe the underlying truth beneath everyday reality wasn't being addressed. So, seeing this alternative lens presented with seriousness and artistry really captured people. The main thing I've observed is that the piece validated a lot of people's feelings of isolation and loneliness, and their perspectives, which are often at odds with the mainstream curated narrative. Recognising that, and seeing the multitude of others who resonate with what the film presents, creates a great sense of relief and kinship.

7. In IN-SHADOW, the theme of injections, especially concerning childhood, is quite striking. When did you first start questioning vaccines and the mainstream narrative around childhood vaccination? What personal experiences or research led to that awakening?

As my curiosity led me on this journey into what's actually happening—not only in the world but in our reality—I began to see that there wasn't just an earthbound agenda across multiple institutions that was weakening human beings as a byproduct of commerce and capitalism gone astray. Possibly, there was a deeper reason: to manage human beings like cattle, to weaken them so they don't create but instead remain impoverished and continue following.

In observing how humans were being weakened, one of the things I noticed was the implementation of very strange artificial means—in the form of inoculating a pure, healthy, vibrant, promising body – a freshly incarnated soul – with unnecessary poisons. The soul cringes when witnessing this – there's an instinctual inner contraction we should be listening to, but we override that due to heavy propagandising.

But, despite the meticulous and skilled obfuscation of the topic through campaigns of disinformation, intimidation, and medical corruption – hard proof of the incredible damage of malpractice was available back then.

While weaving the greater story within In-Shadow of the human within this world system, it was, of course, going to be part of it. I remember that one shot of the baby with the injections—I felt that I might be crossing a line because the Overton window was definitely not even close to being reached. I also wanted to remain employable within the animation industry. But my inner defiance and sense of grave injustice was stronger than my concerns. I remember I had put a little note on my corkboard beside my desk that said something like "Relentless. Merciless. Truthful." I wanted those themes to be present throughout the whole of In-Shadow, and I'm very glad I kept it in.

Unbekoming: That moment is indeed relentless and merciless. Personally, I think the film would have been entirely different without it.

I agree. Interestingly, that particular shot is a point of contention for some people. They seem to really connect with In-Shadow up until that moment, and then it's just that one scene that they find disappointing and are very offended by.

8. From your perspective, what role does art play in revealing and transforming our collective unconscious?

Art concentrates within its presentation—regardless of the format—the most vital and important elements of a situation, event, or the dynamics between our inner and outer worlds. In doing so, it presents these aspects in a way that's understood on a deeper, visceral level. Art can bypass the usual critical faculties of the mind, which try to make sense of and pattern-match reality, organising it in familiar ways.

When art is skilfully executed, it can speak more directly to the higher self or the soul, ultimately inspiring self-revelation. The revelation actually occurs within the individual, prompted by the art. That's when art becomes sublime and ecstatic—because there's an inner realisation of some greater truth that's symbolised by the art, which serves as a signpost for something real and true.

9. Your latest project, KINGDOM, is said to map out a path of empowerment in a visceral way. Can you dive into the concept behind this new work?

Yes, between In-Shadow and Kingdom, I was actually hired to make a short film—it was an episode in an animated anthology called The Forest King. It dealt with themes like technocracy, smart cities, and soul harvesting by AI, touching on the darker aspects of our modern world. I have a penchant for exploring dark themes, and I think it's necessary because we need to be aware of the terrain to clear the fog of war and navigate it wisely.

However, I also saw that our culture was becoming more knowledgeable about this darkness. What we needed wasn't just to perpetually point at the shadows lurking around us, but to become empowered and capable of real action—not coming from neurotic wounding, but from actual soul empowerment. I felt that was the next logical step to serve in this process of collective evolution.

As an artist, I love to explore all kinds of themes and just make art, but we're in such a time that I feel a personal duty to contribute in a way that is constructive. I wanted to move beyond just making art and create something that is applicable—something that inspires a visceral, embodied inspiration.

During the COVID moment, there was such a crescendo of palpable oppression in the noosphere that gave me an urgency to put something out. For a year before I made Kingdom, ideas were coming to me, but it wasn't the right time due to my life situation, to commit to making anything. At one point, I just began making Kingdom out of indignation – making it on the side, while directing The Forest King. Of course, I didn't finish it in time for the COVID moment; it took me much longer than I anticipated. However, I still felt it was necessary to release it because these moments aren't going to end. There's a lot of power and resources behind the movement toward centralisation and the dulling of the human spirit.

The only antidote to that is powerful, independent, sovereign, and capable human beings. To ignite that, I worked with my own personal symbols and translated my personal journey—which is also the archetypal collective journey—in a way that isn't too clichéd or familiar, yet legible enough for people to feel it, know it, and employ it in their lives. That's how Kingdom came about.

I wanted to chart a path where there's individual responsibility to clear our inner debris and obstructions, to get up from our knees, and to walk toward empowerment courageously despite all the adversity coming at us—which is just a part of this reality. Then, to unite as individuals—not as mindless cogs in a collective—but to choose collectively to cohere into a powerful unit through being individuals. Through a new vision, we can create the new.

But more than anything, it's not about preaching these points. It was about creating a deeply visceral experience that is felt. Awakened warriors bringing in the Kingdom of God – the final and inevitable outcome of most of our world's mythologies.

10. How does KINGDOM build on the ideas you explored in IN-SHADOW, and what fresh insights are you hoping to bring to the audience with this new piece?

Well, IN-SHADOW proposed an alternative view of what life might be—a certain darkness lurking beneath culture, the collective psyche, and what we perceive as everyday life. It was meant to shake up and jar people out of their slumber, especially those not yet privy to these issues. My intention was to be relentless and somewhat merciless as I wove together all these elements to create a sum total of a jarring experience, hoping it would shake up one's own shadow and inspire a desire to transform and look deeper.

Having done that already, KINGDOM uses some of the same symbols but now shows the way to actually undergo that transformation. IN-SHADOW raises a lot of questions among its audience—like, "Okay, great, we see how bad things are, but what do we do about it?" And of course, there are many answers. We have a lot of systems, approaches, and traditions available now, and there's so much work to be done. One way I felt I could contribute was to clearly show the inner journey in a visceral and experiential way. Not talk about it, but serve it as a mirror of actualisation.

11. In your artist statement, you’ve said “art is medicine” and “a story is a transformational experience.” Could you unpack that philosophy a bit for us? How does it influence the way you approach your work?

Art can be many things. My current personal ethos for the art I'd like to create is for it to be something deeply immersive—something that leaves us not only entertained but moved and inspired in a way that goes beyond the surface. I don't want to say "transformed," but yes, it's a lofty goal. I believe art should be able to reconcile conflicts within the self and potentially heal and transform. In that way, it serves as medicine—it can turn something previously unknown, hidden, or forgotten into something fresh, new, and powerful.

Art should touch a deeper place within us and activate our greater faculties. Of course, it's difficult to make art like that, because if the artist isn't able to touch that within themselves, they can't really convey it to the audience.

12. You’ve also spoken about the “shamanic archetype” awakening in the artist’s psyche. How do you see this showing up in your own creative journey?

Yes, the artist as shaman is someone who journeys into the nether worlds of themselves and the collective psyche. They try to interpret—not through fancy or illusion—but to be, in a way, spiritual scientists, seeing as accurately as possible. Then they return with what they've seen and codify it in a way that is palpable and presentable to the public at large.

The service here is that, in order to do this, a shamanic artist needs to be in right relationship with themselves, clearing away any warped lenses they may be using, to really see with clarity again. Another huge part of this is that the artistic ego can warp the whole process. If the artist is seeking fame, validation, or recognition from their work, their intention can get distorted. In fact, that can become quite evident through the work itself. Which is why I think a lot of activist art comes off as cringy – because it's produced for social approval based on safe, Empire approved issues, while pretending to be iconoclastic.

So it's very necessary that there's a certain purity and a greater mission for the shamanic artist to be in service to a greater calling. That's why there's a combination of personal will and discipline in creating the container for receiving this work and bringing it into form, but also opening up to higher inspiration and guidance to move the art where it needs to go, to serve the Great Work.

13. Your work often dives into the shadow side of both the psyche and society. How do you keep a sense of hope and purpose while navigating these darker themes?

I see all of the darkness as being part of our realm, but not the totality of it. I view it as part of the game—a challenge that essentially asks us to level up and rise above it by understanding, integrating, and overcoming it. The darkness is something I've been trapped in previously, but the more I take self-responsibility for my perceptions and the way I move through the world, the more I see the darkness as simply an actor in my own evolutionary journey.

14. As technology like AI and automation rapidly advances, how do you see the role of the artist evolving in the future?

Well, the benefits are apparent. Independent artists can create bigger productions and express themselves in ways that were previously not possible. Additionally, the previous gatekeepers of art and culture are being eliminated, which is both a good and a bad thing. Democratised expression and art are wonderful and needed, but at the same time, the overall space can become filled with noise—a lot of random and undisciplined output. So we'll see how that organises itself in the future.

The downside is that artists may become lazy. There's something about manual art—specifically in my trade, drawing—that creates a contact point between me and reality. In the act of representing things through my hand and creating these images, I come into relationship with them and begin to understand them. I'm seeking to understand them so I can convey them in a true and simple way, in a way that I choose to craft. If I bypass that step, I bypass my contact with reality. With AI, I can work from thoughts and creative impulses, but I lose contact with the alchemy that happens through manual art creation.

So that's a challenge—a challenge for all artists—to not go into a mechanized way of creating art. As I said previously, I think there will be a lot of noise, and because many of us are not disciplined in thought and vision, I think we'll just have to be wise in what we create and what we consume.

15. Sticking with the theme of AI and earlier in our conversation, you mentioned "soul harvesting." I haven't heard that term before. Could you explain what you mean by that?

"Soul harvesting" is a term I use to describe one of the potential timelines in our world—a future dominated by a technocratic smart city grid. This involves social credit score systems and a variety of biometric devices that connect people to the Internet of Things, essentially to what might be deemed an AI god.

In such a system, human beings become trapped, living according to a series of prompts—specific behaviors, thoughts, and actions they must perform to exist within these smart cities where all resources are centralized and distributed according to a blockchain system.

So why do I call this "soul harvesting"? The soul, in its truest expression as I understand it, is an outgrowth of spirit—an open-source portal of the divine. It embodies creativity, higher inspiration, and true creation and co-creation with all the elements we find on our Earth.

In these technocratic closed systems, the soul is no longer "online." Instead, people operate from their lower instinctual centers—the lower mind. There's no real creativity because it's not necessary for survival. Existence becomes about subsisting on obedience and following certain gamified prompts within this greater managerial technocratic system.

That's why some people see it as satanic—not in a strictly religious sense, but because it limits the creative spark of the human being, severing it from its divine source and keeping it in a closed, physical, material system. To me, that's how "soul harvesting" manifests in the context of AI and technocracy. The organic becomes synthetic.

16. Your films touch on the idea of synthetic creep and disconnection from the natural world. How do you think we can reconnect with our bodies and emotions in a world increasingly dominated by artificial and technological influences?

Well, there has to be a conscious choice to slow down, and understand that slowing down doesn't mean being left behind. In fact, it means going deeper into a powerful state where we pivot into agency and sovereignty, instead of constantly rushing to catch up with whatever cultural artifacts are being put out into the culture at large.

So how do we get more in touch with that? It begins with slowing down and trusting that there's something wise and substantial within us that cannot be cultivated solely through collecting outside knowledge. Recognizing that collecting knowledge dissipates in value—if we're honest with ourselves, knowledge doesn't always stick unless it's actualized and applied.

But inner knowing, intuition, and tuning in with the body—with the intuitive senses into reality—investing in that skill is something that can always get to the core of truth, as opposed to functioning simply through the mind and the faculties of reason and prior knowledge. Yes, those faculties are useful, but they're not as accurate and powerful as the inner faculties of embodied awareness.

My personal portal into this has been awakening the felt sense of my body, which is where a lot of trauma work starts happening—actually occupying more and more of the felt sense of who I am, the numb parts of my emotions, bringing in awareness and consciousness. Disciplining aberrant thoughts and emotions, embodying the soul. Of course, that takes time, but by doing so, we open up blockages and unconscious entanglements, allowing more light, awareness, and consciousness to come into the present moment. What is true only happens here and now.

In Kingdom, I've instantiated that as the final outcome: opening our vessel to such a degree that we contact divine will and start interfacing with the greater, transcendent divine will as it's filtered through our own unique abilities. That's where I see the journey becoming much more rewarding, and that's where human beings become extremely capable disruptors of this fallen world system. There's such a wealth of wisdom and abilities stored within us that are dormant and not actualized—we basically need to delve into that if we are to be overcome the overwhelming challenges we're faced with.

17. What are you currently working on, and where do you see your work heading next? And for those who are inspired by your work, how can they stay connected and support what you’re doing?

I'm currently illustrating a few book projects and getting ready to begin writing my next project, which will most likely be a future film. I'm exploring themes of transhumanism, masculinity, and brotherhood—these are powerful themes in my life right now, and I feel there's a story worth telling about them.

As for staying connected, I have a website and an Instagram account. I'm not very active on Instagram or Twitter, but I always aim to be. I did start a Substack, but it's not worth posting since I don't have plans to update it regularly.

lubomirarsov.com

instagram.com/lubomirarsov

x.com/lubomirarsov

---

---

I appreciate you being here.

If you've found the content interesting, useful and maybe even helpful, please consider supporting it through a small paid subscription. While everything here is free, your paid subscription is important as it helps in covering some of the operational costs and supports the continuation of this independent research and journalism work. It also helps keep it free for those that cannot afford to pay.

Please make full use of the Free Libraries.

Unbekoming Interview Library: Great interviews across a spectrum of important topics.

Unbekoming Book Summary Library: Concise summaries of important books.

Stories

I'm always in search of good stories, people with valuable expertise and helpful books. Please don't hesitate to get in touch at unbekoming@outlook.com

For COVID vaccine injury

Consider the FLCCC Post-Vaccine Treatment as a resource.

Baseline Human Health

Watch and share this profound 21-minute video to understand and appreciate what health looks like without vaccination.