What if the “self” you think you know isn’t one single person, but a crowd of selves constantly shifting, colliding, and negotiating within you? Aldous Huxley believed exactly that—and it’s one of the reasons his writing on psychology, relationships, and therapy feels so radical even today.

In the latest episode of Themes and Variations: The Aldous Huxley Podcast, Tobias Harris, Emily Reed and Robin Hull (author of Aldous Huxley for Beginners) explore Huxley’s 1937 essay collection Do What You Will. The conversation dives deep into how Huxley saw human psychology not as a static structure, but as a fluid and multi-layered phenomenon. Think of it less like Freud’s id, ego, and superego—and more like a bustling auditorium of voices competing for the spotlight.

Huxley’s life story explains why he was so fascinated by the fractured self. Born into the powerful Huxley-Arnold dynasty, young Aldous endured an avalanche of personal losses: the death of his mother, his brother’s suicide, and a devastating eye infection that nearly blinded him. These early experiences forced him to reinvent his understanding of relationships and individuality from scratch.

Unlike Freud or Jung, Huxley was influenced by thinkers like William James, F.W.H. Myers, and even Buddhist philosophy. He believed that awareness—true, embodied awareness—was the key to transcending our “ordinary” mechanical selves and connecting with a deeper, more creative consciousness.

Huxley wasn’t interested in therapy as endless talk. He wanted practices that worked. His final novel, Island, is a blueprint for holistic healing—where mental health, emotional resilience, and physical well-being are treated as inseparable. One memorable scene features a character receiving “mental first aid,” a process of verbally unpacking trauma until it loses its sting—an approach that feels strikingly modern.

While he appreciated the potential of art, Huxley loathed mass entertainment when it dulled human awareness. His essay “Silence is Golden” (from Do What You Will) skewers early “talkies” as tools of homogenized distraction. If alive today, he’d likely have a scathing critique of influencer culture and personal branding, which he might see as worship of our shallowest selves.

One of Huxley’s most arresting ideas is that humans are “amphibians,” living both on the surface (our ordinary, everyday identity) and in a deeper oceanic consciousness. For him, real growth meant breaking free from the tyranny of the superficial “I” and learning to flow between these layers with awareness.

Huxley’s voice remains urgent because he calls for something we still lack: a society built not on distraction and ego, but on awareness, balance, and genuine connection.

Works by Huxley Discussed in This Episode:

* Do What You Will (1937) – Read on Archive.org

* Beyond the Mexique Bay (1934) – Read on Archive.org

* Island (1962) – Read on Archive.org

Imagine a writer so multifaceted, his ideas ripple across politics, spirituality, and ecology decades after his death. That writer is Aldous Huxley. Known widely for his novel Brave New World, Huxley was far more than just a novelist. He was a polymath and a pacifist who believed deeply in humanity’s potential—and its peril.

In the first episode of the "Themes and Variations" podcast, hosts Tobias and Robin dive headfirst into the dazzling world of Aldous Huxley, uncovering why his insights resonate even more powerfully today.

So, who was Aldous Huxley? Robin Hull describes him succinctly as a genius and mystery, "one of the most stimulating writers of the 20th century." Born into an intellectual dynasty, Huxley’s lineage boasted great minds like Thomas Henry Huxley and Matthew Arnold. Yet, Huxley distinguished himself by living deeply within his thoughts while striving to connect profoundly with the world around him. Despite near blindness, he penned insightful works across genres, continuously challenging himself—and his readers—to embrace awareness, not merely knowledge.

Today, Huxley’s insights feel eerily prescient. His views on personal relationships, for instance, speak directly to our era of mindfulness apps and mental health awareness. For Huxley, meaningful relationships hinge on knowing oneself—an elusive quest given our ever-shifting internal states. Yet, he argued that without genuine self-awareness, authentic connection remains impossible.

Huxley’s ecological perspective was decades ahead of his time, rooted not just in political advocacy but spirituality. He argued for an approach to the environment intertwined with our inner lives and community structures, envisioning societies built around decentralized, grassroots democracy. His influential essay, "The Politics of Ecology," even defined 'ecology' for the Oxford English Dictionary. Who would have guessed a novelist—not a scientist—would shape how we understand our planet today?

At the heart of Huxley’s philosophy lay a powerful commitment to pacifism. His stance evolved profoundly after World War I, influenced by thinkers like Gandhi. Huxley insisted that true peace demands profound psychological transformation and non-violence resistance, a stance that positioned him controversially during World War II. Huxley boldly advocated meditation and mindfulness, believing lasting peace could only stem from inner transformation.

His philosophy rejects centralized power and nationalism, championing instead a world connected through voluntary collaboration.

Intrigued? Ready to dive deeper into the mind of this visionary?

Robin Hull’s new book, Aldous Huxley for Beginners, is the perfect starting point. Crafted for today's young, engaged readers, it captures Huxley’s humor, groundbreaking ideas, and practical wisdom, alongside fresh artwork and compelling anecdotes.

Why should we still read Aldous Huxley? Because, as Robin Hull shows, he speaks to the dilemmas we face today—personal, ecological, political—with unmatched clarity and depth.