From: locklin@titan.ucc.umass.edu (SCOTT C LOCKLIN)
Subject: Re: Robert Anton Wilson (was: Re: Satan)
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 01:26:38 GMT
X-Posted-From: titan.ucc.umass.edu
X-Posted-Through: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <1992Aug13.141623.385@cine88.cineca.it> petruz@uqbar.cirfid.unibo.it (Petruz Boonenkamp) writes:
>In article <1992Aug11.150433.29253@spdc.ti.com> achenbac@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Jeff Achenbach) writes:
>>>(unless you read R.A.Wilson's books which I doubt)
>>
>>Titles/ recommended reading?
>
>He he.  I STILL think the idea of an alt.wilson group or something would
>have been good.  Anyway:
>
>Falcon Press/Golden Dawn, 1209 South Casino Center, Suite 147, Las Vegas,
>NV 89104, (702) 385 5749, publishes quite a few of his best nonfiction:
>
>Cosmic Trigger
>Cosmic Trigger, volume 2 (really his autobiography)
>Sex and Drugs
>Wilhelm Reich in Hell (a theatrical piece)
>Prometheus Rising
>Coincidance
>Ishtar Rising: Book of the Breast
>
>There's also lots of other books of his, such as "The New Inquisition", which
>*I thought* Falcon Press publishe{s,d}, but they're not in the list I have
>here.  He also edits himself a Newsletter, "Trajectories", supposedly about
>Our future in space, Nanotech, Artificial Intelligence, Parapsychology,
>Longevity, etc.; 20 $/year, originally quarterly but now perhaps monthly;
>Permanent Press, PO Box 700305, San Jose, CA 95170 (I haven't seen the
>newsletter, so check yourself).
>
>Reading suggestions about Wilson's nonfiction: "Cosmic Trigger" vol 2 is
>a good place to start, vol. 1 is reasonably general; each of the other
>is quite specialized in its own way (e.g. forget Coincidance unless you
>have at least SOME interest in James Joyce).
>
>Wilson's fiction is, I believe, even better reading.  The absolute must
>in this field would be "Masks of the Illuminati" (Joyce, Einstein and
>Crowley in a short significant novel).  "The Earth Will Shake" and its
>follow-up "The Widow's Son" are great.  "The Trick Top Hat", "The
>Homing Pigeons", and "Shrodinger's Cat" trilogy is a major work.  His
>original claim to fame, the "Illuminatus!" trilogy written with Shea,
>is also VERY entertaining.  Unfortunately I don't know the publishers
>for these and other fiction works.
>
>>   Not that it should matter, but lest you take me for a fundamentalist, I
>>am a confirmed atheist and have no use for deities in any form.
>
>Wison is an Onthological Terrorist, well determined to undermine your
>ideological certainties as well as any fundamentalist's (or satanist's,
>for that matter!).  He manages to jump with assurance and panache
>between the "reality-tunnels" of Jung, Leary, Conspiracy Fans, Pagans,
>Rationalists, Freemasons, Crowleyists, Reichians, and many others,
>jumbling them all up and determinedly tearing down barriers all around.
>NOT recommended if you want to stick to Your Certainty of the One True
>Way, whatever it be, as it MIGHT happen that he should shake it up...
>
>Oh BTW -- I don't see any particular relevance of Wilson's work to
>Satanism (I may have missed something?).  The Ringmaster in "Wilhelm
>Reich in Hell" looks modeled rather after Rehnquist or something, and
>does NOT appear to be a particularly liberating figure (he can't even
>be REALLY evil all the way -- when he masturbates to fantasies of
>Marylin Monroe, it's VERY hard not to feel pity for him).  Anyway, so
>I added rec.arts.books to the Newsgroups headerline, and maybe
>discussion should go on there to avoid boring alt.satanism readers,
>unless somebody CAN please point out the relevance (I shamefacedly
>admit I haven't followed previous discussion there, not being a regular
>reader, just my eyes grabbed a Wilson reference and I took my clue from
>it...)

Its relavance (I brought it up in the first place) is that reading Wilson
helps one come to terms with his/her own reality tunnel, he shows you you're
trapped in your way of thinking and helps you find the way out. 
His writing is relavant for ANYbody who is trapped in dogma, neophyte Satanist
Xtian, bhuddist whatever. The whole Magick thing is seen in a different light
after reading Wilson and so on... Most of his attitudes could be considered
satanic in the true sense (although he refuses to be trapped in the dogma &
labels that go with Satanism) and many of his fictional charachters could be
considered satanic, (Hagbard Celiene, Aliester Crowley, Sigsmundo Celiene ect.)

The whole "satanic image" is of fire & human sacrifice. The proper attitude is
far more Wilsonian than Miltonian(Milton paradise lost).

-Scott