Erewhon. The first few chapters of the novel dealing with the discovery of Erewhon are in fact based on Butler's own experiences in New Zealand where, as a young man, he worked as a sheep farmer on Mesopotamia Station for about four years (1860–1864), and explored parts of the interior of the South Island and which he wrote about in his A First Year in Canterbury Settlement (1863). In the preface to the first edition of his book, Butler specified: The author wishes it to be understood that Erewhon is pronounced as a word of three syllables, all short — thus, E-re-whon. Nevertheless, the word is occasionally pronounced with two syllables as 'air – one'. Content[edit] The greater part of the book consists of a description of Erewhon.
The nature of this nation is intended to be ambiguous. At first glance, Erewhon appears to be a Utopia, yet it soon becomes clear that this is far from the case. The Book of the Machines[edit] Characters[edit] Reception[edit] Influence and legacy[edit] See also[edit] John M. Allegro. John Allegro John Marco Allegro (17 February 1923, Balham, South London[1] – 17 February 1988, Sandbach, Cheshire[2]) was an English archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar.
He was known as a popularizer of the Dead Sea Scrolls through his books and radio broadcasts. He was the editor of some of the most famous and controversial scrolls published, the pesharim. A number of Allegro's later books, including The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, brought him both popular fame and notoriety. Training[edit] Allegro matriculated from Grammar school in 1939, though did not go on to university, as his father saw little value in higher education, so Allegro joined the British Navy, serving during World War Two and going on to become an officer. The Copper Scroll[edit] It was on Allegro's recommendation in 1955 that the Copper Scroll was sent by the Jordanian government to Manchester University in order for it to be cut into sections, allowing the text to be read. Publishing the Pesharim[edit] J.M. Mushrooms and religion. The profound importance of mushrooms in primitive religion had remained undetected until some twenty years ago, when Mr.
R. Gordon Wasson, an American banker, and his Russian-born wife Valentina first called attention to it. The new science of ethnomycology, meaning the attitudes of different races to mushrooms, began with the Wassons' puzzling over the division of Europe into two distinct camps: mycophobes (nations traditionally afraid of mushrooms) and mycophages (nations addicted to eating them). The mycophages of Europe are found in Spain, Southern France, the Balearics, Bavaria, the Balkans and Russia. Until recently we English ate only the white field mushroom psalliotis campestris, except in the Midlands where blewets were sold in the markets. But why was the scarlet mushroom (which can be easily identified with the white-spotted one now favoured by red-coated ,gnomes in suburban gardens and also associated with Father Christmas's reindeer and decorated tree) held sacred?
TIL a study gave LSD to 26 scientists, engineers, and other disciplines, and they produced a conceptual model of a photon, a linear electron accelerator beam-steering device, and a new design for the vibratory microtome, amongst others. (X-post from today. Awareness excercise : LucidDreaming. Alexandra David-Néel. Alexandra David-Néel born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David (24 October 1868 – 8 September 1969) was a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist,[1][2][3] and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was forbidden to foreigners. David-Néel wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels. Her teachings influenced beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, philosopher Alan Watts, and esotericist Benjamin Creme.
Early life and background[edit] Alexandra David-Néel as a teenager, 1886 She was born in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, and moved to Ixelles (Brussels) with her family at the age of six. Travel to India in 1890[edit] In 1890 and 1891, she traveled through India, returning only when she was running out of money. Opera singer in Vietnam[edit] From 1895 to 1897 she was prima donna with a touring French opera company in Indochina, appearing at the Hanoi Opera House and elsewhere as La Traviata and Carmen.[5] Notes[edit] Tulpa. Tulpa (Tibetan: སྤྲུལ་པ, Wylie: sprul-pa; Sanskrit: निर्मित nirmita[1] and निर्माण nirmāṇa;[2] "to build" or "to construct") also translated as "magical emanation",[3] "conjured thing" [4] and "phantom" [5] is a concept in mysticism of a being or object which is created through sheer spiritual or mental discipline alone.
It is defined in Indian Buddhist texts as any unreal, illusory or mind created apparition. According to Alexandra David-Néel, tulpas are "magic formations generated by a powerful concentration of thought. " It is a materialized thought that has taken physical form and is usually regarded as synonymous to a thoughtform.[6] Indian Buddhism[edit] One early Buddhist text, the Samaññaphala Sutta lists the ability to create a “mind-made body” (manomāyakāya) as one of the "fruits of the contemplative life". Tibetan Buddhism[edit] Tulpa is a spiritual discipline and teachings concept in Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. Alexandra David-Néel[edit] Thoughtform[edit] Modern perspective[edit] The Three Steps for Learning to Lucid Dream : LucidDreaming. The Three Steps for Learning to Lucid Dream : LucidDreaming. FILD works everytime! : LucidDreaming. FILD Effectiveness Study: Please join whether you have been successful with FILD or not. : LucidDreaming.
Drug Use Amongst Philosophers and Artists - The Phora. Consider the following passage, from Jean-Paul Sartre's 1960 existentialist blockbuster "The Critique of Dialectical Reason": Quote: There are a number of valid responses to these arguments. One might be: They sure don't make public intellectuals like they used to. Another might be: I'm not sure Sartre's arguments constitute more than a footnote to his work in "L'être et le Néant. " A third might be: What was he on? It's a good question. When he wrote the "Critique," Sartre, a lifelong caffeine fiend and serious drinker, was also frying his brains on corydrane, a form of amphetamine mixed with, of all things, aspirin. We hear a lot these days about drug abuse, but there is also such a thing as drug use—a utilitarian attitude to our body chemistry in which drugs are simply aids to productivity.
Alan watts ~ Philosophy of war. Alan Watts - Inception. Psychonautics. Psychonautics (from the Greek ψυχή (psychē "soul/spirit/mind") and ναύτης (naútēs "sailor/navigator")—a sailor of the mind/soul)[1] refers both to a methodology for describing and explaining the subjective effects of altered states of consciousness, including those induced by meditation or mind-altering substances, and to a research paradigm in which the researcher voluntarily immerses himself or herself into an altered mental state in order to explore the accompanying experiences.[2] The term has been applied diversely, to cover all activities by which altered states are induced and utilized for spiritual purposes or the exploration of the human condition, including shamanism, lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition,[3] sensory deprivation,[1] and archaic/modern drug users who use entheogenic substances in order to gain deeper insights and spiritual experiences.[4] A person who uses altered states for such exploration is known as a psychonaut.
Etymology and categorization[edit] Peter J. Psychonautics.