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Guest speaker: Rob Harper

PROGRAM NOTES:


Date this live salon was recorded: February 3, 2020.

Today's podcast features a recording from last Monday's live salon where our guest was Rob Harper, the creator of a new documentary titled "Journeys to the Edge of Consciousness." The film features three men whose psychedelic journeys have had a profound impact on our world. These men are Alan Watts, Timothy Leary, and Aldous Huxley. After the interview with Rob, I play a short recording from earlier podcasts that featured these three men. Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of what pioneers they were and how relevant their ideas are yet today.
Journeys to the Edge of Consciousness
 

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Podcast 643 – “Journeys to the Edge of Consciousness”

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna 

 

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The session begins with a discussion about the nature of the Big Bang and its relation to philosophical concepts, specifically Kant's notion of space as an a priori function of consciousness. Terence questions the traditional metaphor of the Big Bang as an explosion in empty space and suggests a more accurate understanding as the creation of time, space, and matter simultaneously. They argue that this event is highly improbable and that science's request for belief in such an event is akin to asking for a miracle.The conversation then shifts to the notion of the universe as a process of novelty condensation and explores the idea that the universe might be much older than currently believed, possibly around 17.5 billion years. Terence critiques current cosmological theories and highlights issues such as the discovery of stars older than the universe. They suggest that the universe's true age and nature might be significantly different from mainstream scientific consensus, emphasizing the chaotic and competitive nature of scientific research and the limitations of formal systems in generating all true statements within a system.Finally, Terence touches on the evolution of consciousness and language, challenging the idea that speech is a natural human ability. They propose that language, defined broadly as the coordination of details about the present to create a model of the world, predates speech and has deep roots in animal behavior. The discussion includes the role of psychedelics in early human development, particularly how psilocybin may have influenced social, sexual, and cognitive behaviors, leading to the emergence of complex consciousness and culture. The narrative underscores the impact of psychedelics on early human societies and their eventual decline, leading to the development of agriculture, hierarchy, and modern civilization.SUGGESTED READING: The Spirit of the Internet: Speculations on the Evolution of Global Consciousness (Free PDF copy)

Podcast 703 – McKenna and the Big Bang


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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna 

 

PROGRAM NOTES:












In this talk, which was given in October of 1995, Terence McKenna talks about his concept of thinking about various cultures in the same vein as computer operating systems, complete with viruses. He says, "Your operating system determines what world you are living in." -McKenna



He then goes on to equate a clash of cultures to a clash of operating systems. It sounds elementary, but it does seem to give me a better way to think about world affairs. Of course, I'm more of a geek than a historian. This metaphor may work for you as well.



Recommended ReadingThe Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemmaby Mustafa Suleyman (CEO of Microsoft AI, majority shareholder in OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT.



Podcast 702 – Hacking Reality


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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna 

 

PROGRAM NOTES:








Among other things, Terence McKenna talks here about several books that now seem to have been forgotten. And then there is his story about his brother's vision of bonding psychedelics with our DNA to launch a permanent trip "on the natch". The Timewave makes an appearance also. All-in-all, it's a fun ride from a young Terence McKenna.



Had you taken Terence's advice and picked up a remainder copy of the Codex Seraphinianus for $19, that would bring you about $600 today. Not bad advice, I'd say.



Codex seraphinianus Hardcover – January 1, 1983 ($650)



It may be hard to do, but if you take yourself back to 1988, where you didn't know what would happen in 2000 or 2012, you can see how appealing the idea of the Timewave was back then. …. he admits that he was "hearing voices" … but, nonetheless, when he goes into his poetic description of the Timewave it seems to me that there is still something about the nature of time that remains undiscovered.

Podcast 701 – Return of the Timewave


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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna 

 

PROGRAM NOTES:











We return once again to the land of Terence McKenna's workshops.



As you will hear, his question and answer format leads him into telling some of the old stories we heard early on in Terence's talks but some of which were dropped later on. As far as I can remember, this is the only time he talked about taking psychedelic substances in his dreams.



Podcast 700 – Plants That Talk


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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna 

 

PROGRAM NOTES:











In this talk, Terence approaches the topic of how little of what was considered to be established science 100 years ago has now been overturned.



One of the things he says in this talk may resonate with you is where he says, "You could almost describe psychedelics as enzimes for the activity of the imagination."



The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow



The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler



Podcast 643 – “Journeys to the Edge of Consciousness”

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