Communication from E.C.C.O. (maybe)

Coincidence Control Publishing plan to reprint an unabridged version of Programming and Meta-Programming in the Human BioComputer on May 15 2014.

Press Kit

Portland, Oregon, March 2013: “In the realm of the mind, there are no limits.” Over forty years have passed since Dr. John C. Lilly’s experiments into neurobiology, altered states, artificial intelligence, and dolphin communication inspired him to write these words. Now, a decade and a half into the 21st century, we still cannot fully comprehend the true depths of the human consciousness. Yet there is a strong sense that breakthroughs may be just over the horizon.

With this in mind, it’s worth taking note of the new, unabridged edition of Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer, being released in May. This long out-of-print classic from 1968 by famous “fringe” scientist and floatation tank inventor Dr. John C. Lilly explores the unlimited potential of the human mind.

The book acts as a sort of “operating manual” for our brains, drawing on experiments Lilly carried out in the late 1960’s during his time at the National Institute for Mental Health. By pushing his body and brain outside of their normal limits, Dr. Lilly was able to explore and map an enormous range of altered states of consciousness. Using these experiments to develop theories on how the mind is structured and programmed, Dr. Lilly outlined ways to overcome mental roadblocks and reprogram the way we think for the better.

With over 25 years having passed since the last unabridged printing, the full work has been widely unseen by the general public, even those interested in Lilly's work specifically. This new edition allows for Dr. Lilly’s research to be appreciated in a wildly different scientific and cultural climate - one likely to be far more accepting. With vast advancements in our understanding of brain function, as well as computing and artificial intelligence, the theories laid out in this work, formerly considered “fringe,” can now be appreciated for what they are: groundbreaking, innovative, and highly intriguing investigations into the nature of the human mind by a scientist ahead of his time. Coincidence Control Publishing (CCP) reports that they had to go to great effort to obtain the rights to the unabridged version, and are thrilled to offer a full reprinted edition to the modern-day community. Graham Talley, one of the owners of CCP, thinks the work is perfectly in tune with the current desire for positive self-change and biohacking, saying: “We are a generation who is enthralled with biohackers like Tim Ferriss, making Lilly’s intense forms of personal experimentation and optimization from over five decades ago more relevant now than ever.”

Can't detect a price on their website, yet...but used copies of earlier editions seem to get offered on Amazon for hundreds of dollars/pounds.

Always assuming this cheap paperback / Kindle edition is one of the abridged versions.

"In ones life there can be peculiarly appropriate chains of related events that lead to consequences that are strongly desired. After such experiences, one wonders how such a series of events developed; sometimes there is a strong feeling that some intelligence (greater than ours) directed the course along certain lines which It/He/She was/is programming. Several years ago, I enunciated a format for such concatenations of events, somewhat: 

"There exists a Cosmic Control Center (C.C.C.) with a Galactic substation called Galactic Coincidence Control (G.C.C.). Within which is the Solar System Control Unit (S.S.C.U.), within which is the Earth Coincidence Control Office (E.C.C.O.). The assignments of responsiblities from the top to the bottom of this system of control is by a set of regulations, which translated by E.C.C.O. for humans is somewhat as follows:" 

 E.C.C.O.

G. Spencer-Brown has reached his 90th year

This man is mostly known for his enigmatic yet accessible book, The Laws of Form. If you don't understand the maths, you may enjoy the verbal interpretations, especially if you treat them as some kind of poetic language, rather than something literal (can anyone really translate maths into words?)

Here you can find him talking to the AUM Conference in 1973, at Esalen, introduced by John Lilly.

You can easily Google plenty of interesting and interactive sites based on The Laws of Form - we have offered links to them in the past, e.g. The Markable Mark, which has practical tools to play with.

It can prove hard to find copies of the more poetic books he wrote under the name James Keys: i.e Only Two Can Play This Game [Julian Press, 1972], 23 Degrees of Paradise [Cat Books, 1970], etc) but they seem like a necessary compliment to his more technical work.

Wiki lists him as a polymath: "He describes himself as a "mathematician, consulting engineer, psychologist, educational consultant and practitioner, consulting psychotherapist, author, and poet."

 Personally, I would love to find out more about his interactions with R.D.Laing.

 Still, this remains a birthday greeting, and not a definitive site of cross-references.

For RAW fans, of course, you may recognise an assortment of chapter sub-headings and references cut up into the Schrodinger's Cat trilogy... "That which is not allowed is forbidden", etc.

LIVING IN A NOVEL


Let there be a form distinct from the form.
­G. Spencer-Brown, Laws of Form

-0-

"Choronzon" was a mind­construct of the primates specializing in the Enochian version of Cabalistic magick. Talking out of two sides of their mouths at once, as was typical of primate mystics, the Cabalists said that Choronzon was the astral embodiment of all the illusions and deception on Terra (especially all the egotism and malice). They added that Choronzon was also a part of the psyche of the student which had to be faced and conquered before Illumination was complete. When asked whether Choronzon was then outside or inside, they usually answered "Both." This reply made no sense at all until G. Spencer Brown published his Laws of Form.

-0-

He exhaled a fog of cannabis molecules and returned his attention to his favorite
bedtime reading, Brown's Laws of Form:

To cross again is not to cross

-0-

FORM: In the sense of G. Spencer Brown, a mathematical or logical system necessary

to systematic thought but having the inevitable consequences of imposing its own deep

structures upon the experiences packaged and indexed by the form. See: The Copenhagen Interpretation

-0-

Footnote:

The opening line of LOF is "The theme of this book is that a universe comes into being when a space is severed or cut apart" .

You may find parallels in Zen Buddhism, in relation to the idea of the Mutual Arising of Opposites:

When you cling to a hairbreadth of distinction,
 heaven and earth are set apart.
 If you want to realize the truth,
 don’t be for or against.

There are other translations of this idea from the Xinxin Ming...

See also:   Sanskrit - Pratītyasamutpāda

A useful reference site on Observer Web

Good summary of LOF in Wikipedia

Cuttingup Space, Part 2: The Laws of Form  on the  Particulations blog

A design for an experimental course, with LoF as the focus.

The H.E.A.D. Revolution (RAW Lecture 1988)

"The HEAD Revolution - Hedonic Engineering And Development - began with the psychedelics and bio-feedback machines of the 1960's, then graduated to Lilly float tankes, scientific study of yoga, and neo-reichian body relaxation and neuro-awareness teques. Describing the latest brain-change machines, Dr. Wilson argues that Hedonic Engineering has come of age and we are the first generation in history to have the capacity to tap the full potentials of our brains and graduate from humanity to superhumanity.

RAW lecture given on 03/04/1988, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Everything you know is wrong!!

A Very Sirius Production"

Great Minds

The autobiography of Kary Mullis - Dancing Naked in the Mind Field - rewards a quick reader.  He spends very little time on his childhood, or his parents, or relationships - but presents a series of thoughts, challenges, teases, and rants - in a lucid, humorous and provocative way.

He won a Nobel Prize in biochemistry, but remains quite clear that much of what we call Science still needs querying.  He searches for the original citation that HIV causes AIDS, and can't find it; he suspects climate change scientists of a greater interest in funding than in a scientific approach; he remains dismissive of most of the pseudo-science of diet that so many of us find addictive; he remains totally unashamed of his experiments with drugs, most particularly LSD - and blatantly loves women and surfing. In terms of people holding down jobs than contributing usefully to society, he also points at the Prohibition Police, who, having lost their main focus of illegal alcohol turned their attention to (then legal) marijuana, rather than disband the no-longer needed bureaucracy, funding channels and hierarchy of jobs.

As the record of an interesting life, this joins the books of Richard Feynman (who loved playing bongos, became fascinated by locks, etc - while working in Quantum Physics), and John Lilly (one of the really far out scientists), and even Bucky Fuller (although perhaps the science community might think of him as an engineer if they think about him at all.)

Be prepared for jokes and surprises, too.  He describes what he still considers might have be described as an alien abduction, and defends astrology as something he finds works, whether or not we can understand how - comparing it to other areas of folk wisdom (like herbs that work, which we don't accept or use until we can extract the active ingredient).

Kary Mullis also offers an interesting reading list on his website.

A very refreshing mind to spend time with.

If you don't feel like reading, maybe check him out on the ever-intriguing TED Talks.

Mavericks of the Mind (Second Edition)

(Please post and redistribute. :) ~DJB)

Dear Friends,

I am happy to announce the launching of the second edition of my book,
Mavericks of the Mind, which was just recently published by the
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

Just in time for the Holy Daze!

Loaded with new material--a new introduction, additional interviews, as
well as new photos and artwork--the second edition of Mavericks of the
Mind also includes the transcripts from the events that brought together
interviewees from the book to debate philosophical topics in roundtable
discussions. This stimulating collection features in-depth conversations
that Rebecca Novick and I did with accomplished thinkers, such as
Terence McKenna, Laura Huxley, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, John
Lilly, Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, Rupert Sheldrake, Riane Eisler, and Robert
Anton Wilson.

The interviews explore such fascinating topics as the frontiers of
consciousness exploration, how psychedelics effect creativity, the
relationship between science and spirituality, lucid dreaming, quantum
physics, morphic field theory, interspecies communication, chaos theory,
and time travel.

Copies of the book are available on Amazon for $22.95. To order a copy
today go to: http://alturl.com/idhbw

Wishing you a most joyous holiday season. May 2011 bring you many
unexpected delights.

Warm Greetings,

David Jay Brown

Reviews:

"When it was first published, Mavericks of the Mind was more than a
breath of fresh air -- it was a hurricane of ideas and visions perfectly
tuned to the time. This 21st century expansion pack will ensure that
these maverick spirits--many of whom have now passed on-- will continue
to channel the mindscape beyond the bend." --Erik Davis

"This is a fine collection of original thinkers, an important national
resource. Everyone who wants to stay current with information from the
outer perimeters of consciousness exploration should read it." --Jerry
Garcia of the Grateful Dead

"Depending on how one chooses to view it, this aptly named book is
either a potpourri of strange and wonderful ideas or a collection of
far-fetched suppositions. ...there will certainly be readers interested
in this volume's unique subject matter." --Library Journal

"This is a fine collection of original thinkers, an important national resource. Everyone who wants to stay current with information from the outer perimeters of consciousness exploration should read it."  --Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead

Twenty Twelve Line Verses to 'the tale of the tribe' (v3.0)

Twenty Twelve Line Verses to 'the tale of the tribe' (v3.0) by Fly Agaric 23

To be printed as TWENTY TRIANGLES to construct a Icosohedron.(Gazebatron)
Thanks to Mark Pesce for kicking fwd/ this launch into 'hyperspace'

Gym

Joyce

Oilysseas

Metempsyfic

Portrait Prosody

Epiphany Process

Mudernism Quarkitect

Iconoclaste Cosmologist

Holographish Cubed Earwicker

Waking Finnegan Stephen Deadalus

Vicorecourse Bruwnitsche IbsenPound

Ubermatrix Holocalips Translittering

Fly On The Tale Of The Tribe: A Rollercoaster Ride With Robert Anton Wilson 

by Steven James Pratt 

Link: http://a.co/gOGNKyV

Chapel Perilous online course

The concept of Chapel Perilous, a weird kind of limbo, period of transition, purgatory, etc turns up in RAW's work a lot, but (rather like the Grail) it proves illusive when you try to research it.

Eric Wagner (author of An Insider's Guide to Robert Anton Wilson) - if you don't like Amazon, see it at New Falcon Publications) - intends to run a course on the subject (if enough people show up) and posted this intriguing and tantalising summary on the Forum.


The Pentacle of Valor

Week One Cosmic Trigger Preface to the New Edition, Forewords, pg. 3 – 52

Conspiracy of the Week: Subterranean Worlds

Late Beethoven Pick: The Hammerklavier Sonata, Op. 106

Introductions; memorize the Crowley quote on page 18.

Does Apocalypse Now provide a useful model of Chapel Perilous? Dobbstown?Possible meanings of “Rising organ music.”
Agnosticism, Angels and Demons and the Illuminati, etc.

Week Two Cosmic Trigger pg. 52 – 114

Conspiracy of the Week: Tampa Bay: Chemical Warfare

Late Beethoven Pick: Piano Sonata in E, Op. 109

Korzybski, Joyce and the economy, etc.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Permanent Fifth Circuit, casting spells and Info-cinema, etc. Alan Watts, D. T. Suzuki, zen and the eight circuit model, etc.

The Cup of Sympathy

Week Three Cosmic Trigger pg. 114 – 180

Conspiracy of the Week: The Terra Papers

Late Beethoven Pick: Piano Sonata in A Flat, Op. 110

John Lilly, dolphins and limits, etc. Dr. Leary and the 21st century, etc. Why Beethoven? Egypt, Crowley and the Grateful Dead, etc.

Week Four Cosmic Trigger pg. 181 – 247

Conspiracy of the Week: THELEMA, yup, welcome to Chapel Perilous

Late Beethoven Pick: The Ninth Symphony (of course)

Crowley’s relevance today. Sufis, fake Sufis, kabbalah and quantum mechanics, etc. Sirius, Mumbo Jumbo and Pynchon, etc. The tarot, The Game of Life, Jess Karlin and education, etc.

The Sword of Reason

Week Five I, Wabenzi pg. 1 – 113

Conspiracy of the Week: Kerry Thornley

Late Beethoven Pick: Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111

I hope you’ve gotten a copy of I, Wabenzi.

Have we any Wabenzi in the class? Not I, alas. Illumination, the lack thereof, 2012, etc. The Cosmic Schmuck Factor.

Week Six I, Wabenzi pg. 114 – 227

Conspiracy of the Week: The Three Tramps

Late Beethoven Pick: The Missa Solemnis

“How was your time on earth? What did you do there?How did it feel to you at the time?” Storytelling: Chapel Perilous as narrative process.

The Wand of Intuition

Week Seven I, Wabenzi pg. 228 – 351

Conspiracy of the Week: Tobacco Wars: Genetically Engineered Tobacco

Late Beethoven Pick: String Quartet Op. 130 and the Grosse Fugue

The heart and the third eye, etc. What do you think of Beshara, Bulent Rauf, Rafi Zabor, etc.? Bliss and ease, etc. Historicism, “a great unstoppable wave,” the 60’s, the present and the future, etc.

Week Eight I, Wabenzi pg. 352 - 472

Conspiracy of the Week: Trilateral Commission

Late Beethoven Pick: The Ninth Symphony

The role of the teacher at Beshara or Maybe Logic. Abū abd-Allah Muhammad ibn-Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-`Arabi al-Hatimi al-TTaa'i (أبو عبد الله محمد بن علي بن محمد بن العربي الحاتمي الطائي). One reality versus many. Chapel Perilous, the musical.

Course texts:

Cosmic Trigger: The Final Secret of the Illuminati
-- Robert Anton Wilson

I, Wabenzi
-- Rafi Zabor

8 week course
May 18 - July 12 Enrol here

Further details of this (and other) MLA courses (past and present)

"Tomorrow is our permanent address"

One of the things I most regretted about not having the complete Tale of The Tribe course with Bob - we never really got to discuss Marshall McLuhan.

He seems well out of fashion. For all his analysis of media, he probably appears difficult. Partly because of his teasing approach - trying to make you think!

Bobby has offered the complete version of McLuhan's Wake (with Laurie Anderson doing narrator). [but note Glandmaster's technical comment below, about the site].

I choose to watch/listen to it right now as I write. I'll probably go and buy it, so I can show it on friends' DVD players (you see! We do end up buying things, even when we can look at it online). Oh, yeah - you have to set 90 minutes aside, like a docu-movie.

In the 60s he amused me greatly. He seemed as good as Dylan at winding up journalists. He gave great soundbyte...he got slogans. He apparently gave Leary "Turn on, tune in, Drop out" (or the idea for it).

English teachers often seem to have done far more than teach one simple subject (mine did, for sure - he even understood why I had to drop out, and even wished me luck - unlike all the other teachers). I didn't know he came from a Roman Catholic position (I have my own prejudices - most of my heroes seem like lapsed Catholics - Leary, RAW, Lilly, Joyce, etc). I can't read Lord of the Rings for just that subtext from Tolkien. I didn't know it when I tried to first read it in 1972. I just felt mysteriously ill, and queasy, as I do with the Harry Potter books (which seem curiously old-fashioned with their boarding schools and 'magic powers' - but, as so often, I feel quite out-of-synch with many people. Apparently UK citizens have turned religious again, just to get their kids into the best schools. (sigh)

-There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.
Marshall McLuhan

“How can we make the world work for 100 percent of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?” — R. Buckminster Fuller

Check out John Cage talking about both of them.

McLuhan seemed curiously old-fashioned and straight, and also 'hip' at the same time. A great teacher. Whether he really 'stole' a lot of it from Bucky and Korzybski still seems an open question - perhaps we might call him a populariser.

The Phantom Captain
(click to read whole article quoted below)

But there is some evidence that this idea of the extension of man, identified by many as the core concept of McLuhan's philosophical stance, may have come from the transcendentalist Bucky. From 1960 to 1970, Constantin Dioxides, an engineer, architect, and urban planner and the founder of the Athens Technological Institute in Greece, organized summer cruises complete with cutting edge guests such as Margaret Mead, and Jonas Salk.

Many, including McLuhan, were guests more than once, but only Fuller was invited on every single trip for twelve years in a row. In The Synergetics Dictionary, under McLuhan, notes such as these were made by Fuller: "Marshall McLuhan told me the first day he met me - on one of the early Dioxide cruises - 'I am your disciple.' He held up copies of No More Secondhand God and Nine Chains to the Moon and said to me 'I've joined your conspiracy!"'

In his notes, he writes: "McLuhan has never made any bones about his indebtedness to me as the original source of most of his ideas. The 'Global Village' was indeed my concept. I don't think he has an original idea. Not one McLuhan says so himself. He's really a great enthusiast, a marvelous populariser and teacher. He has an irrepressible sense of the histrionic, like no one I've known since Frank Lloyd Wright."

Indeed, in Nine Chains to the Moon, a passage reads: "Through the leverage gained by his inanimate instrument extensions of self, he has attained an extended mechanical ability far in excess of his own integral mechanical energy content ability." He goes on to claim that the idea of "man backing up into his future" appears in his books and that Fuller's concept of the "Mechanical Extensions of Man" is the basis for McLuhan's talk of the "Electrical Extensions" of man.

Open source - interesting and relevant post...

At that time, I was cavorting with known anarchists like the composers John Cage and Udo Kasemets. I had been a fan of Cage, Bucky Fuller, Marshal McLuhan and William S. Burroughs since my teens; in retrospect, I was probably a powderkeg in search of a terrorist. As an unabashed advocate of free and unfettered information sharing, free software appealed to my young mind, it held an almost Kabbalistic hope: "You may pay for knowledge, but you should never charge for it.". Community currencies would prevail over the economics of scarcity; I devoted myself to learning, promoting and participating in the Free Software Revolution.