Top 10 Top 10 Psychedelic Books

Full Lotus

Full Lotus

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What's your top 10 books of a psychedelic nature? Here's mine in no particular order:

1. The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe
2. Doors of Perception - Aldous Huxley
3. Cosmic Trigger vol. 1 - Cosmic Trigger
4. The Illuminatus Trilogy - Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea
5. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S Thompson
7. Heaven and Hell - Aldous Huxley
8. Barefoot in the Head - Brain Aldiss
9. The Tibetan Book of the Dead
10. The Bhagvad Gita
 
Food of the Gods by Terrance McKenna has some intruiging ideas as to how the use of psychedelic drugs have shaped man's evolution since pre-history.

Island by Aldous Huxley is very thought provoking and is the opposite of Brave New World in that it represents his vision of a utopian, rather than a dystopian society - fuelled partly through the use of psychedelic drugs.

Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson are my favorite sci-fi books of all time, and though not strictly psychedelic, the matrix is a 'consensual hallucination' and the breadth of Gibson's vision is quite extraordinary.

I've just attempted reading The Illuminatus Trilogy and gave up 2/3rds the way through. The prose degenerates into confusing gibberish I found, and the plot became just plain silly!

That's all I can think of off the top of my head...
 
Full Lotus, why did you list the Bhagavad Gita as a psychedelic book? isn't it a bit more than that? and tibetan book of the dead? :huh:

I haven't really read that many psychedelic books, but celestine prohecy was good. tried Fingerprints of God and was doing fine unitl i came halfway. then i got wholly confused and left it. the science of self-realisation and King of knowledge made much more sense and had so much more with which i could identify. haven't progressed to bhagavad ghita- as it is, so i'm just wondering, FL.
 
Hi Yogi, I've always been of the firm belief that psychedelia is in the mind of the beholder. There are various interesting theories and beliefs in the 'Tibetan Book of the Dead' and in the 'Bhagvad Gita' that have influenced musicians and artists in the scene. For example, the song 'Tomorrow Never Knows' by The Beatles was influenced in part by the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Just listen to the opening lines, 'turn off your mind relax and float down stream'. That's taken from it almost word for word. Timothy Leary was another person influenced by this and a book called 'The Psychedelic Experience' - 'A manual based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead', was co-written by him with Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert. The Bhagvad Gita is one of the holiest books of Hinduism and contains some very interesting verses which I will share here:

Ch 18 text 66

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.

Ch 9 text 20

Those who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly planets, worship Me indirectly. They take birth on the planet of Indra, where they enjoy godly delights.

Now I suggest everyone go and look up what 'soma' juice is.


Bom Shankar
 
full_lotus said:
Ch 18 text 66

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
Click to expand...
That is something which i agree with wholeheartedly in krishna consciousness, namely that whatever god you choose to follow, they're all the same. i'm not gonna lean on too much spiritual talk but i do agree with that view.

another interesting thing, in "chant and be happy" (i think thats the name) it says that george harris, also beatles and john lennon was influenced so much by AC Bhaktividenta that they made a song with the mantra which was released on vinyl. apparently some collectors item.

and bring on the soma juice!
 
Well, there was a single released by the Radha-Krishna Temple singers in 1969, called the 'Hare Krishna Mantra'. It was produced by George Harrison and came out on Apple Records. It even made the UK charts....I saw AC Bhaktivedanta once in 1977 shortly before he passed on, and have been visiting that temple outside London since then as well. Last time was a few years ago. A very shanti place indeed, outside of festival times that is.




Let's all drink Soma
 
No mention of Prometheus Rising dude!
Robert Anton Wilson's best by far.
Blows cosmic trigger out the water and has illuminatus for breakfast
 
I just started my Wilson's session!!!!!
It's amazing !!! I am finishing the golden apple and I read Undoing Yourself! I finish the Illuminatus! and I'm going to open Prometeus Rising!!!! :D
Know, I want to see them...I want to see the fnords!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: ;)
 
fnord, I suggest reading Principia Discordia as well. It's mentioned in Illuminatus, and I thought it was a made up book, but it really does exist. Hail Eris, All hail Discoria !!!
 
Err.. In no particular order..

1> Terence McKenna - Food of the Gods
2> Philip Pullman - Northern Lights (and Subtle knife/Amber Spyglass)
3> Carlos Casteneda - The teachings of Don Jaun/Art of Dreaming/Eagle's Gift
4> Dan Brown - The Da Vinci Code
5> Enid Blyton - The Faraway Tree
6> Irvin Welsh - The Marabou Stork Nightmares (whack!)

Not entirely sure if these are strictly psychedelic - but they sure make for an awe-inspiring read so they dooo-deee-doo-doo.... *bom*




:jump:
 
I'd add some Crowley in there ... not sure which though, possibly his articles on Absynthe have some bearing.

The Mind Possessed: A Physiology of Possession, Mysticism and Faith Healing. Sargant, William. (1974).

Oh and loads of others ...
 
Terence McKenna - Food of the Gods
Terence McKenna - True Hallucinations
Terence McKenna - The Archaic Revival
Sasha/Ann Shulgin - PIHKAL
Sasha/Ann Shulgin - TIHKAL
Rick Strassman - DMT: The Spirit Molecule
Richard Schultes - Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers
James Joyce - Finnegans Wake
Aldous Huxley - Doors of Perception
 
Is conversations with god classed as psychedelic? I really dont know how u can class somthng as being plain normal (which anything that is, is not plain normal) throught to being psychedelic.
Obviously Reconstructed's list is of psychedelic proportion, Terence McKenna is an exceptional Author and spokesman. But where does it become psychedelic? Does it have to have to mention psychedelic drugs to qualify?(we have had this discussion before havent we?)

Well anyway conversations with god is what im currently reading, im on book 2 and its a damm fine read! :D
 
yeah I'd have to agree that anything by mckenna is a great read! also 'dmt - the spirit molecule' is pretty psychedelic, by that i mean...

I'm not sure. How can a book be psychedelic? - it's not a drug acting on the mind, not a chemical reaction...

6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S Thompson
Click to expand...

wicked! i had to laugh when we read this as part of my senior english class.. analysin the bath scene for the symbolism of the white rabbit, etc... :P

I reckon a psychedelic book is one that discusses psychedelics and their implications, or ones which lead us on a spiritual journey, like paolo cohelo, the alchemist, which is very deep, as i recall.. resonances with wisdom and art -

to us forumers it's like "what's your favorite book?"

:D

Andrew
pls also see www.andrewsden.net :shrooms:
 
Agreed... It kind of assumes a psychedelic undertone the minute you post something of this nature.



We get the idea though..

:sun:









:wizard1:
 
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