At the time I was reading this, several things happened in the news that, to me, were synchronized enough to shift perspectives (vantage points, viewpoints, worldviews, positions, etc. otherwise referred to as "reality tunnels" by the author,) in the country, if not globally. And they all seemed to happen back-to-back in rather rapid succession. If nothing else, many of these were good to begin much-needed conversations on a number important topics.See if you can remember them: American Pharoah won the Triple Crown, Bruce Jenner became Caitlan Jenner, Rachel Doezal was snitched on by her parents for not being Black, Dylann Storm Roof murdered nine Blacks during a prayer meeting at a church in Charlston, South Carolina, the Supreme Court declared the marriage of same-sex couples to be legal, the Confederate Flag was ceremonially removed from the flag pole in front of the State Capital in South Carolina and put away, and Pope Francis published an encyclical that included the official papal position on environmentalism. There were probably more (like the law legalizing pot in in the State of Oregon took effect on July 1st, 2015,) but these were the big headlines that hit the news...many, if not all, that may have shook up a lot of people's "reality tunnels" referred to in Robert Anton Wilson's book. It has been an active couple of weeks while I was reading this book...I'm still trying to figure out how so many synchronicities could suddenly show up and pack themselves in while I'm reading a book on "reality tunnels" and possibilities to change them. It was so weird. This book even mentioned synchronicities at a few points in one chapter....With that mention out of the way, I want to fast-forward and say this was another one of the author's books that kind of lost me in the end. Even if it sounded logical enough that what he was proposing could happen sometime in the future, it was so wild that I couldn't follow him anymore. I won't say he's wrong or ultimately nuts, but I will say that the further I got into the last few chapters, the more unfathomable it got. I'll just say he might be on to something, but it stretched my ability to imagine what he was talking about to the point of it dissolving. Too bad. I would have liked to envision it all the way through to the end. Better yet, I would like to witness it coming to pass before I myself die. Once again, like the previous book I just got through reading before this, Quantum Psychology, I really didn't like it when he brought Eastern Religion or Eastern Philosophy into the picture. I really don't care for much that is Eastern. But with the little that I know about New Age mystical practices, I imagined how the 8-circuit theory he talks about could be superimposed over the chakra system. It could be switched on and moved through, one after the other, like this:1. The Oral Bio-Survival Circuit - The Third Chakra 2. The Anal-Territorial Circuit - The First Chakra 3. The Semantic Time-Binding Circuit - The Fifth Chakra 4. The Social-Sexual Circuit - The Second Chakra 5. The Holistic Neurosomatic Circuit - The Fourth Chakra 6. The Collective Neurosomatic Circuit - The Sixth Chakra 7. The Meta-Programming Circuit - The Seventh Chakra 8. The Non-Local Quantum Circuit - The Eighth Chakra Oops...there is no Eighth Chakra.But anyway, this is how I would imagine the order of each chakra coming into play as a person got older or whatever, if both the author and his colleague Timothy Leary (the one who actually created the 8-circuit theory) were right. The guy sounds like he's speaking from some kind of personal experience (yoga training? dropping acid? occult practices? whatever else?) as well as from the training as a Ph.D he received from Paideia, once a State-Approved alternative university in California (the highest rating given to alternative universities there.) It's innovative thinking, to say the least.
There are a number of unsubstantiated claims and predictions that haven't come to fruition in this book, but I enjoyed damn near every page nonetheless. If you have the tendency to take things too literally and are likely to be annoyed with semantics, you probably won't like this book too much. However, if you can take away major themes and ideas of a work without getting caught up with the specifics of the model being presented, you will probably find this an enlightening thought experiment. IMO, this book is for individuals that walk their own path and like to question their own thoughts and the form of the world around them. Ultimately, its about how humans map reality, interact with one another, and the way these attributes and relationships form the systems we produce and their feedback. The goal of the author seems to be to help the reader break away from conditioned biases and take control of the various levels of self by making the mind aware of its own processes. Just remember, the map is not the territory.I may very well be biased as the book covers a number of topics I spend a lot of time thinking about-- I can really relate to the way RAW thinks.I'll believe in anything! Temporarily at least...
What do You think about Prometheus Rising (2010)?
Robert Anton Wilson adopts LSD guru Timothy Leary's poorly researched "8 circuit" model of the brain in an attempt to prove that a paradigm shift in human consciousness is on the horizon.Being that the book was published in the 1980's, it is obvious that some of Wilson's zanier predictions - such as the achievement of human immortality by the year 2005 - may have been slightly off. This should hardly come as a surprise for any veteran skeptic, though. Prometheus Rising is possibly less sensitive
—Brandon T.
This book is an eye-opening analysis of Dr. Timothy Leary's eight circuits of the brain. Wilson skillfully combines theories from Freud, Jung, ancient Sanskrit texts and other philosophers and scientists from all niches, and explains them in an easy to understand and often humorous manner while summarizing their differences to each other and their striking analogues to Dr. Leary's overarching physiological and psychological paradigm. He relates historical anecdotes of mental epiphanies and enlightenment (Buddha, Jesus, Einstein, Mozart, etc.) and explains how these are all examples of the individual's transition to a higher brain circuit, which can be realized through societal conditioning, hypnosis, intense forms of yoga, hallucinogens, and brainwashing. The chapter where he explains how to brainwash someone - giving examples from cults, armies and even professional brainwashers - was especially informative and interesting. Prometheus Rising is a documentary of the masterpiece of human evolution, and a striking look into the structure of our own minds. Anyone who has always suspected that their brains are capable of so much more than perceiving our extremely myopic "reality tunnels", and either wishes to just learn more about it or actually work towards the higher circuits of the brain through metaprogramming should read this book.
—Tyler
Mam sporawy problem - jak tu zacząć recenzje tej książki? Robert Anton Wilson porusza w niej tyle tematów i zagadnień, że tak naprawde ciężko wyjaśnić to w kilku akapitach - czemu myślymi, w jaki sposób myślymy, co jest prawdą, a co nie? Czy istnieje Bóg, a może bóg; bogowie? Może nie ma boga? A może jest. A może to całe pisanie jest bez sensu? Może autor próbuję nam powiedzieć, że wszystko jest wytworem naszej wyobraźni? Albo jesteśmy produktem naszego kręgu kulturowego i wszystko czego się nauczyciliśmy w tej kulturzy służy temu, by spowolnić proces metamorfozy człowieka? A może nie? Być może kłamie lub jest prześmiewcą i pyszałkiem? Być może. Dla mnie była to książka o bardzo pozytywnym przesłaniu - może trochę chaotyczna, również ociekająca cynizmem, niemniej jednak nadal bardzo pozytywna. Mam nadzieję, że w końcu znajdę tą monetę na ulicy/ sprawie, że siłą swojego umysłu się zmaterializuje. Będe szukał dalej, dopóki dycham jeszcze na Tym świecie. Kwiat nad potokiem.
—Jakub Reginia
