Have you ever encountered thoughts and ideas that makes you feel like your mind gets twisted up like a pretzel? There is one author I'd like to introduce today, whose words have this exact effect on me. I don't know about you, but I highly enjoy this sensation. It makes me feel like I'm looking at the world through a weird filter. A lot of things simply don't make sense, but occasionally the things that do, are so profound that they can change my perspective profoundly.
The writer I'm talking about is Robert Anton Wilson, a highly recognizable name from the counterculture of the 1960's, at least for the generations above me. For people my age, however, the name doesn't mean much. No wonder, if something (or someone) is not talked about they disappear from our shared consciousness. In fact, he would have remained unknown for me too, hadn't it been for my deep interest in "everything from the 60's, man" as a teenager. So after first trying cannabis, listening to The Doors, it didn't take long till I found myself reading The Illuminatus! Trilogy.
A Patchwork of Conspiracy Theories - The Illuminatus!
One of the many things Wilson did during his eventful life, was working as editor for Playboy magazine together with Robert Shea between 1965 and 1971. During this time they got to sort through and respond to letters from readers, many of which shared conspiracy theories, ranging from the Kennedy assassination to John Dillinger, and how powerful families and interest groups pull the strings behind historical events.
They combined these ideas, which were all considered far from the mainstream, even though being widely shared among believers, in a story spanning over 1500 pages in three volumes. They also added a good amount of H.P. Lovecraft references, and philosophical thought from the occultist religious fringe, such as Aleister Crowley. Most interestingly, the book is saturated with anarchist and libertarian thought, which can be a sudden eye-opener for a young reader, who initially picked up the book for its weird entertainment value.
Discordianism and Operation Mindfuck
One of Wilson's strategies, which is quite ingenious in my opinion, is to combine actually proven scientific and historic facts with the biggest, most utter bullshit. The idea is to keep the readers on their toes, lest they let down their guard to manipulation and believe whatever they're told, without even checking whether it makes sense at all. He would call this technique guerilla ontology, though characters in his The Illuminatus! refer to it as Operation Mindfuck.
Another book of his filled to the brim with guerilla ontology is Principia Discordia, the essential holy book of the discordian faith, a (more or less) pseudo religion springing also from The Illuminatus! When it comes to religious writings and their interpretations by the faithful, people tend to take them just as seriously as conspiracy theories, if not more so. This is why I enjoyed reading Principia Discordia, probably even more than The Illuminatus!
Science and Biographic Reading - Cosmic Trigger and Quantum Psychology
After reading about the deliberately obscure topics of conspiracy theories and religious thought, I was quite hooked on Robert A. Wilson. What came next, however, literally blew my mind: science! In both of his books Cosmic Trigger and Quantum Psychology (as well as many others I haven't had the pleasure to read) he explores the world of the mind, how it perceives reality subjectively, as well as the concept of reality, as it is literally created by the mind.
While in Quantum Psychology he offers practical exercises, in Cosmic Trigger he gives personal account of his own experiences in expanding his consciousness, not only by the means of LSD, as it would be typical for the 1960's counterculture. Among other things the book touches on ESP, telepathy, and other mind-over-matter practices, however the author maintains a perpetual skepticism towards all this, claiming "agnosticism" not only towards the existence of God, but everything, no matter how widely accepted or refuted.
After getting over such reactions as How weird! or Don't know about that! I could not help but adopt a similar skepticism towards all things we seem to take for granted. At the same time, I kept my mind open towards even the craziest ideas. Why not, after all? Since the world (my world, that is) is made in my mind, shouldn't I be able to make my world in the way I that I like? Still, there was this re-occurring issue of guerilla ontology. What if Wilson was just deliberately messing with my head?
Putting on this filter, I skimmed through his ideas again. They didn't change much... in fact, if anything, it helped me further strengthen my agnosticism. In the end I came away with a wonderful feeling of being completely in charge, dispite not knowing anything for sure. I retained this feeling and looking at things until the present. Looking around me nowadays, with the amount direct and indirect mental manipulation around us (fake news!) I think what's desperately needed is a good dose of Robert A. Wilson. Actually I think I should get some of his books I haven't read yet.
Join LBRY To Get Your Own Copies!
If you are interested in reading these books, you can find them on my stortebeker channel at LBRY. If you are interested in joining LBRY, please follow my invite. You may also be interested in my other book reviews in my Bibliophilia series:
My 12 Most Recommendable Permaculture Readings
Another 12 Permaculture Books - Specialized Readings
Riane Eisler – The Chalice and the Blade
William McDonough and Michael Braungart - Cradle to Cradle
Charles Eisenstein - Sacred Economics
Ken Kesey - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Charles C. Mann - 1491
Tom Wolfe - From Bauhaus to Our House
Ideas and Concepts of Daniel Quinn
B. Traven - The Death Ship and The Cotton Pickers
Books by Wladimir Kaminer
Remembering the Good Doctor Gonzo - Hunter S. Thompson
Tom Wolfe - The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Robert A. Wilson Expanding His Readers' Minds
Gary Jennings' Head-dive into Mexican History
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