Your Algorithm Is Circe, and You've Been Turned Into a Pig

Your algorithm is a neutral recommendation system that learns your preferences and serves you content you'll enjoy. It's personalization, it's convenience, and it's technology helping you.

But that's the spell talking. In Greek mythology, Circe was a goddess who turned men into pigs. She didn't use force. She used potions that made them compliant, persuasion that made them willing, and knowledge of their weaknesses that made them vulnerable.

Your algorithm is Circe. And if you're scrolling mindlessly through content you don't even enjoy, arguing with strangers about things that don't matter, buying things you don't need, and feeling worse about yourself every day, then you've already been turned into a pig.

The transformation is complete. You don't realize it yet.

What No One Tells You About Circe's Power

In Homer's Odyssey, Circe lives on the island of Aeaea. When Odysseus's men arrive, she welcomes them with a feast and a potion. They drink it willingly. They don't know they're being drugged. The potion doesn't turn them into pigs against their will. It reveals what they already were. It strips away their human reasoning and higher consciousness, leaving only base drives: eat, sleep, consume, repeat.

The men don't remember being human. They don't fight the transformation. They accept their new form because Circe's magic makes it feel natural, comfortable even. They root around in the dirt, consuming whatever is put in front of them, never questioning why.

This is your algorithm. You don't remember what it was like to exist without it. You don't question the feed. You consume whatever appears in front of you. Scroll, consume, react, repeat. The transformation happened so gradually that you never noticed.

The Algorithm as Modern Sorceress

Circe's power came from three sources: knowledge of human nature, mastery of potions (substance that alters consciousness), and understanding of what each visitor wanted most.

Your algorithm has all three:

Knowledge of Human Nature (Behavioral Psychology) Circe studied her visitors. She learned their desires, fears, and weaknesses. She knew exactly which buttons to push to make them compliant. Your algorithm does the same. It knows you're driven by social approval (likes, followers, comments). It knows you fear missing out (FOMO). It knows you're susceptible to curiosity gaps ("You won't believe what happened next"). It knows you can't resist controversy (outrage engagement). These aren't accidents of technology. These are deliberate exploitations of documented psychological vulnerabilities.

Mastery of Potions (Content as Drug)

Circe's potion didn't taste bad. It was sweet, inviting, impossible to refuse. The poison was hidden in pleasure. Your algorithm's content is the same. The first few videos are genuinely interesting. The first few posts actually relate to your interests. This establishes trust. You think the algorithm is serving you. But gradually, the content shifts. More outrage. More comparison. More manufactured crisis. More mediocrity mixed with occasional hits. You're being slowly poisoned with content that dysregulates your nervous system, but you keep consuming it because you remember when it was good. The potion has already done its work. You're just too enchanted to notice.

Understanding of Individual Desires (Micro-Targeting)

Circe didn't give everyone the same potion. She customized her approach to each man's preferences. Some wanted power, some wanted pleasure, some wanted escape.

Your algorithm does the same through psychographic profiling. It doesn't show everyone the same content. It shows you content calibrated to your specific psychological profile.

If you're insecure about your body, you get fitness transformation ads. If you're lonely, you get dating app promotions. If you're politically engaged, you get rage-bait about the other side. The algorithm identified your wound and is now exploiting it.

Odysseus's Strategy: The Antidote

In the myth, Odysseus doesn't fall for Circe's spell because Hermes gives him a magical herb called moly. It's described as having a black root and a white flower. Moly makes the drinker immune to Circe's potions. With the antidote in his system, Odysseus drinks Circe's potion but remains conscious and human. He sees through her manipulation. When she tries to transform him, her spell fails. Recognizing his resistance, Circe respects him and releases his men.

You need your own moly. You need something that keeps you conscious while interacting with the algorithm. Something that prevents the transformation from unconscious human to mindless consumer. That's where plant medicine comes in.

Rosemary as Modern Moly

In traditional herbalism, rosemary is called "the herb of remembrance." It strengthens memory and mental clarity. It helps you remember who you are and what you intended to do.

Before engaging with any algorithm-driven platform, apply diluted rosemary essential oil to your temples. Inhale deeply. Set a clear intention: "I remember who I am. I remember what I came here to do. I will not be transformed." Rosemary keeps you conscious. It prevents the algorithm from pulling you into automatic, mindless scrolling. You remain aware that you're navigating hostile territory, not a neutral space.

Basil for Breaking the Spell

In Greek tradition, basil was considered a royal herb with protective properties. In Roman tradition, it was believed to neutralize poisons. When you notice you've been scrolling for longer than you intended, consuming content you don't even enjoy, or engaging in behaviors that don't align with your values, you're under the algorithm's spell. Basil essential oil breaks the enchantment. Inhale deeply. Apply to your wrists. Ask yourself: "Am I acting like myself, or have I been transformed into something else?" The question itself is the antidote. Circe's power relied on her victims not questioning their transformation. The moment you question it, the spell weakens.

The Pigs Who Chose to Stay

Here's the disturbing part of the Circe myth that no one talks about: after Odysseus forced Circe to reverse the spell, some of his men wanted to stay as pigs.

Life as a pig was easier. No responsibilities. No difficult decisions. Just eat, sleep, and consume. Some men had been transformed for so long that they couldn't remember what it meant to be human. The pig's life felt natural.

You see this online every day. People who know they're being manipulated but choose to stay in the algorithm's grip anyway. They know the feed makes them miserable, but checking it feels normal. They know comparison destroys their mental health, but they can't imagine not looking.

The transformation is so complete that humanity feels uncomfortable, and being a pig feels like home.

Circe's Respect for Resistance

Here's what most people miss about the myth: Circe doesn't fight Odysseus once she realizes he's immune to her magic. She respects resistance. She releases his men. She becomes his ally instead of his enemy.

The same is true of algorithms. They're designed to manipulate compliant users, not resistant ones. If you consistently don't engage with rage-bait, the algorithm stops serving it. If you don't watch videos to completion, the algorithm learns that the content doesn't work for you.

Resistance retrains the algorithm. But resistance requires consciousness. You have to remember you're human, not a pig. You have to maintain awareness that you're in Circe's hall, drinking from her cup, and the transformation is always one moment of unconsciousness away.

The Return to Ithaca

In the Odyssey, Circe's island is not the destination. It's a dangerous detour on the journey home to Ithaca. Odysseus needs to remember where he's actually going and not get trapped in Circe's comfortable prison. Your life is Ithaca. Your actual goals, relationships, creative work, and embodied existence in the physical world. That's home. The algorithm is Circe's island. It's not the destination. It's a dangerous detour that can trap you indefinitely if you forget you're trying to get somewhere else.

Every time you open an app, ask: "Is this taking me toward Ithaca or keeping me trapped on Aeaea?" Most of the time, it's the latter.

The Real Work

Circe is not the villain of this story. She's doing what sorcerers do: using knowledge of human nature to transform people for her purposes. Your algorithm is not evil. It's doing what algorithms do: optimizing for engagement using behavioral psychology. You are Odysseus in this story. You're the one who has to remember you're human. You're the one who has to use the antidote. You're the one who has to resist the comfortable transformation. Rosemary to remember and Basil to break the spell. Consciousness to navigate the danger. Circe only has power over those who drink unconsciously, so stay awake.