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Philip K. Dick and Robert Anton Wilson: A Good Yarn

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Tyger

Paranormal Adept
.......with side trips to John Lennon, Dr John Lilly, Dr Albert Hofmann.

For those who are Sci-Fi fans from way-back, and enjoy a good yarn. nothing beats this fascinating article on Philip K. Dick and Robert Anton Wilson (and others). I know Dick's work but had never known these details, nor the genealogy of some of the ideas (e.g. The Matrix). I'm wondering how many here know this story of the two men?

Pulling the Cosmic Trigger: The Contact Experiences of Philip K Dick & Robert Anton Wilson
by AK Wilks, May 24, 2015
LINK: Pulling the Cosmic Trigger: The Contact Experiences of Philip K Dick & Robert Anton Wilson | Steamshovel Press

It's a wide-ranging article - a fun read imo. This comes towards the end, just before the Conclusion:
"Carl Jung felt the massive wave post war UFO sightings indicated “changes in the constellation of psychic dominants, of the archetypes, or “gods” as they used to be called, which bring about, or accompany, long-lasting transformations of the collective psyche.” He compared them to the “signs and wonders” that accompanied the transition from paganism to Christianity. Constantine seeing a cross in the sky and the spinning disc and lights seen at Fatima in 1917 might also fit in here."

[...]

"Jung felt that some UFO’s were real in the sense that they are picked up on radar screens and in some cases can be photographed, and McKenna felt that they were “real” in every sense of the word, though most or all were probably not nuts and bolts craft and most or all were not probably not extraterrestrial in origin. It presents another way to think about unexplained things. These alternative ideas are explored best in “Passport to Magonia” by Dr. Jacques Vallee , “The Mothman Prophecies” and “Our Haunted Planet” by John Keel, “The Archaic Revival” by Terence McKenna and “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies” by Carl Jung.

"We can perhaps tie the presentiment about LSD and the start of the UFO sightings to the end of WWII and the start of the nuclear era. Why did the experiences of PKD, RAW, Lennon and Lilly happen in the 1973/1974 era? Was it related to the Nixon drive for war abroad and a police state at home? Was there a higher danger for nuclear war or other calamity in this time frame? General Alexander Haig, in the waning days of the Nixon regime which ended on August 9, 1974, issued instructions to the military not to follow orders from the President, reportedly out of fears revolving around his drinking and mental state, and concerns he might start a nuclear war or use troops to refuse to cede power if impeached.

[...]

"Or was the 1973/1974 era also the time for a need for a change in culture and the arts, in ways that we cannot understand or explain? Was there, as Carl Jung would put it, a need for a change in the collective psyche?

[...]

"The change we want will not come from over optimism and simply waiting for God, the New Age , the UFO or LSD or any other one thing alone to rescue us. Nor will it come from over pessimism and thinking the Rockefellers and Bushes and their plutocratic ilk control the world and we are totally helpless to affect change. As RAW said those guys may think they run the world, “but I prefer to think me and my friends run the world”. He believed time would judge whether the power of money or the power of ideas would win in the long run. He felt the power of ideas would. If VALIS or something like it is actually real then it should be studied further, to find ways to connect to it, to enable it (or even just the untapped powerful parts of our brain) to assist us. But in the end it is up to us. Wilson said that any single act of love or hope could be the grain of sand that tips the scales towards utopia, while any single act of cruelty or injustice may be the grain of sand that tips the scales the other way, toward oblivion. It is up to all of us.

"As Alan Moore said in 2014 in a promotion for the “Cosmic Trigger” play, “It is time to take the safety off and pull the Cosmic Trigger.”

Is VALIS real? Most seem to quickly write off the experiences of Philip K Dick and Robert Anton Wilson as products of their over active imaginations. Yet parts of their stories are verified by others and resist such easy explanations. Who or what gave Phil the information that probably saved his son Christopher’s life? What caused the accurate vision of Wilson? What caused Dr. Hofmann to ‘remember” a useless formula from years ago, which led to the (re) invention of LSD? Indeed what is the seemingly intelligent force behind evolution, that has taken us from amphibian to ape, from ape to caveman, and from caveman to Einstein, Shakespeare and Beethoven? And from there to what a 1,000 years from now? Philip K Dick said the Vast Active Living Intelligence System exists to 1) Fight the Empire in all its manifestations and 2) Exult, inspire and direct man to higher intelligence, creativity and achievement.

"Whatever we are talking about, it seems unlikely it involves entities from across the galaxy – unless such distances can be traveled instantly. And it is not clear why entities light years away would take such an interest in us. So rather than ET’s the evidence is more supportive of Inter Dimensional entities. As some quantum physicists postulate, there may be multiple dimensions coexisting with us here on Earth. They have some capacity to communicate with us. At different times in history we have called these entities Gods, men from the sky, fairies, angels or aliens. They seem to communicate to certain individuals at certain critical times in our history. They may be part of the active intelligent force that has created our planet, the life on it and has directed our evolution.

"Consider the words of Nobel Prize winning physicist Max Planck, think about the perfect rotation of our Earth around the sun, and reflect on how closely Planck’s description matches PKD’s concept of a Vast Active Living Intelligence System: “[As a hard headed physicist I tell you that] there is no such thing as matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.” - Max Planck, The nature of Matter Speech, 1944


RAW-Quote-Corrected.jpg

AK WILKS AUTHOR BIO

AK Wilks has a BA in Political Philosophy and a Juris Doctor in Law. He has worked as an attorney, researcher and writer. He is also a screenwriter. He is continuing his research into the subjects of PKD, RAW, LSD, HP Lovecraft, Crowley, the UFO enigma, contacts with higher intelligence and related subjects for a book and/or film.
 
Anyone know who the author AK Wilks is? If one goes into the comments, some interesting ideas floated. In June AK Wilks wrote:
" I am reading, researching and writing more on these topics. Possible end product being another article branching back to HP Lovecraft and the similarities between the Lam entity contacted by Crowley and the famous post war big headed big eyes ET alien seen everywhere from the cover of “Communion” and Hollywood movies. And getting more into how quantum mechanics is making the wildest science fiction seem tame. Or might even turn these ideas into a book."
 
Really interesting reading.

I am a longtime PKD reader, who read all the sci fi stuff twice and even tried the more mainstream (not scifi) books. I find his encounter with VALIS fascinating. It appears to be an encounter with something that combines the mystic & mental with something more nuts & bolts. The fact that VALIS warned him (in a beam of pink light) of his son's medical emergency is one thing. The fact that it was accurate, actionable intelligence is boggling. I am surprised this case is not better known in the UFO/Contact world.

Tyger- have you seen the new PKD series on Amazon? Man in the High Castle? Any opinions? I'm waiting for the right weekend to order it and binge watch.

There have been at least 2 PKD documentaries on Netflix, one was low quality and one was much better. Can't recall the titles:(
 
Tyger - have you seen the new PKD series on Amazon? Man in the High Castle? Any opinions? I'm waiting for the right weekend to order it and binge watch.

I saw the ads for it. Sounds interesting. But the world has so dramatically altered these days. Some of the old science fiction is quite dated. For example, not factoring in climate shift, but positing nuclear devastation of one kind or another. Assuming atheism and not the surgence of religious fundamentalism.

Were the Nazis and Japanese to have won, with the Soviets maintaining status quo, the spiritual/religious aspects would be very different. Would the Catholic Church be a viable entity? Would Islam be the counter-balance? Indeed, would religion be the underground resistance?

Maybe I'll go on Netflix myself over the holiday. I'm already down with a nasty bug. :) An idea.
 
I pause to consider the notion that some science fiction loses power as we age. I know what you mean. I like more timeless material and strive to create it. I'm not new to the notion but any insights are greatly appreciated.
 
I pause to consider the notion that some science fiction loses power as we age. I know what you mean.
Perhaps the most dated of all are television Science Fiction shows. I am thinking of 'The Twilight Zone' - they wind up being fascinating social commentary on the times that produced them. Even 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' is startlingly transparent regarding the issues of the day it is processing - though more particularly, the psyche of Gene Roddenbury.

Which brings me to UFO stories and the whole genre of abductions, etc. The imagery - and rationales - are very much tied to a time and place.
I like more timeless material and strive to create it.
The 'timeless' material seems invariably to be in the realm of fantasy with philosophical underpinnings (even political), but also just plain and simple excellent story-telling (with good characterization). Such always withstands time: Ray Bradbury and Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover novels) and Olaf Stapledon's epic works, pop to mind.
I'm not new to the notion but any insights are greatly appreciated.
Not sure what you're saying here. :confused: Explain?

There is so much a foot right now (Geo-political- economic shifts with China and Russia, Climate Change itself, extremism of all stripes) it's ripe for a creative and insightful magnum opus. :)
 
Perhaps the most dated of all are television Science Fiction shows. I am thinking of 'The Twilight Zone' - they wind up being fascinating social commentary on the times that produced them. Even 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' is startlingly transparent regarding the issues of the day it is processing - though more particularly, the psyche of Gene Roddenbury.

Which brings me to UFO stories and the whole genre of abductions, etc. The imagery - and rationales - are very much tied to a time and place.

The 'timeless' material seems invariably to be in the realm of fantasy with philosophical underpinnings (even political), but also just plain and simple excellent story-telling (with good characterization). Such always withstands time: Ray Bradbury and Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover novels) and Olaf Stapledon's epic works, pop to mind.

Not sure what you're saying here. :confused: Explain?

There is so much a foot right now (Geo-political- economic shifts with China and Russia, Climate Change itself, extremism of all stripes) it's ripe for a creative and insightful magnum opus. :)


Sorry I was unclear, but you did provide some of the mentioned insights;) I guess I meant "let's keep talking about this when ideas come up." I'm primarily a visual artist but I have written fiction for the game industry and would like to finish up a novel. I'm interested in storytelling in any media and value thoughts on such. I need to grab the first Darkover and check out Olaf Stapleton.
 
Sorry I was unclear, but you did provide some of the mentioned insights;) I guess I meant "let's keep talking about this when ideas come up." I'm primarily a visual artist but I have written fiction for the game industry and would like to finish up a novel. I'm interested in storytelling in any media and value thoughts on such. I need to grab the first Darkover and check out Olaf Stapleton.

If you've never read the Darkover novels, you are in for a treat. Let me know what you think. Maybe you'll think otherwise, but I have a hunch not.

Olaf Stapledon is the granddaddy of them all: his 'Odd John' inspired Robert Heinlein's 'Stranger in a Strange Land', and his 'Last and First Men' and 'Starmaker' stimulated the writings of Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke, and so many more of that long ago generation. ("Stapledon's writings directly influenced Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, Stanisław Lem, C. S. Lewis and John Maynard Smith and indirectly influenced many others, contributing many ideas to the world of science fiction.")

I was so impressed with Olaf Stapleton's lyric beauty (though harrowingly dense and philosophical complex prose), I committed many passages of his writing to memory, this being one -

"“Is the beauty of the Whole really enhanced by our agony? And is the Whole really beautiful? And what is beauty? Throughout all his existence man has been striving to hear the music of the spheres, and has seemed to himself once and again to catch some phrase of it, or even a hint of the whole form of it. Yet he can never be sure that he has truly heard it, nor even that there is any such perfect music at all to be heard. Inevitably so, for if it exists, it is not for him in his littleness. But one thing is certain. Man himself, at the very least, is music, a brave theme that makes music also of its vast accompaniment, its matrix of storms and stars. Man himself in his degree is eternally a beauty in the eternal form of things. It is very good to have been man. And so we may go forward together with laughter in our hearts, and peace, thankful for the past, and for our own courage. For we shall make after all a fair conclusion to this brief music that is man.”
Olaf Stapledon, Last and First Men
 
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