Tantra-Induced Delusional Syndrome ("TIDS")

[American Dream]

ACID DREAMS, THE COMPLETE SOCIAL HISTORY OF LSD: THE CIA, THE SIXTIES, AND BEYOND

...Hoffman was high on acid when he ran on stage at Woodstock to deliver his political rap about the plight of John Sinclair, Pig Nation, and the whole shtick. Just as he started to talk, the microphone went dead, and Peter Townshend, leader of the Who, bonked Hoffman over the head with his electric guitar. So much for the grand alliance of cultural and political rebels that the Yippies were trying to forge under their banner. The two factions were at odds once again, reflecting the old split within the youth movement that became impossible to reconcile as the decade drew to a close.

The once fruitful dialogue between head culture and activist politics had degenerated into acrimonious word-slinging. Jann Wenner, publisher of Rolling Stone, the one national magazine that came out of the Haight-Ashbury subculture, dismissed the New Left as "a completely frustrating and pointless exercise of campus politics in a grown-up world." Wenner believed that rock and roll, in and of itself, would bring about the millennium. But the mystical aggrandizement of rock as "the magic that can set you free" concealed the fact that it was just another form of entertainment for most people. While Woodstock showed the vast size of the rock audience, it also symbolized the rapid growth of the music industry, which by 1969 had become a billion-dollar enterprise. Rock and roll was a victim of its own success, and the new music, despite its frequent anti-authoritarian overtones, was easily coopted by the corporate establishment. At one point Columbia Records actually ran an advertising campaign based on the moneymaking slogan, "The Man can't bust our music."

Economic factors had little to do with the original impetus of acid rock -- a vital, seething outburst that blew apart the established world of record company rules. The bizarre, twisting rhythms of the early psychedelic bands were too long and formless for AM radio airplay, so there was little national exposure for this type of music. It wasn't until after the major record companies swooped down upon the Haight and used their formidable financial clout to sign, record, and promote the most successful acid rock performers that the San Francisco sound was reduced to formula. Earsplitting volume and light shows became standard fare at concerts. "It's like television; loud, large television," Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead said of acid rock after it became institutionalized. "It was a sensitive trip, and it's been lost. ... [It] hasn't blown a new mind in years."

The capacity to absorb its critics is among the chief characteristics of American capitalism, and one of the keys to its enduring hegemony. Although they begin by posing a symbolic challenge to the status quo, rebellious styles invariably wind up creating new conventions and new options for industry. Even long hair -- the outstanding symbol of revolt in the 1960s (at least for men) -- proved to be a commercial bonanza for hairdressers: $20 a clip and everyone could look like their favorite rock star! By the turn of the decade the counterculture had millions of visible adherents. Rock and roll, drugs, and hip fashion were incorporated into the social mainstream like so many eggs being folded into batter.

The Yippies and their allies in the youth movement tried to resist this trend by promoting the myth of a unified counterculture. "We are a people ... a nation," said John Sinclair. This unique psycho-geographical entity had its own media, its own music and dance, its own youth ghettos and communes; moreover, its citizens were involved in a struggle for national liberation against the "fascist pigs" of the Mother Country. Abbie Hoffman called the budding youth colony "Woodstock Nation," and in his book of the same title he blasted the movie Woodstock for extolling hip capitalism while steering clear of politics. He and his cohorts felt it was high time for the hippies to grow thorns and defend themselves and their life style, which had come under increasing attack. There was even talk of forming the Woodstock People's party, which would serve as the militant vanguard of the psychedelic liberation front.

Such a notion was yet another example of the megalomania of the younger generation, which blithely "mistook its demographic proliferation for real political power," as Stanley Aronowitz put it. (We Are Everywhere was the title of Jerry Rubin's second book, which he dedicated to the Weather Underground.) In their stoned hubris the Yippies, the White Panthers, and the Weatherpeople misread the depth of the cultural revolution and its impact on the political situation in America. Their delusions about the omnipotence of the Movement derived in part from their experience with psychedelic drugs. They believed that LSD contained an intrinsic revolutionary message; such a notion, however, was essentially an amplified reflection of their own political inclinations. ("Woodstock was political because everyone was tripping," said Karl Crazy, a member of the YIP steering committee.) Like so many others, the turned-on activists succumbed to the perennial "LSD temptation" and assumed everyone else would have similar insights while buzzed on acid. "I didn't have a sense of how unique I was," John Sinclair later recalled. "I projected so much for so many years that it blinded me from seeing it.... LSD did that, you know what I mean -- 'Everyone is one, and da-da-da.' ... I just thought that this is how I got to where I was, and I figured everyone was in the same place.... I was so deep into it, I didn't see what was going on."

When Sinclair first turned on in the early 1960s, there was a prevailing sense among hip pioneers that acid should be used for initiation, in the way that Huxley implied when he spoke of opening the doors of perception and widening the area of consciousness. Sure, getting high could be loads of fun, but it was rarely a matter of just kicks, a pure recreational buzz; the era demanded more than that. "Drugs had a lot to do with placing people in a historical context -- of placing people in a radical position," wrote George Cavaletto for the Liberation News Service. "Using drugs was the revolutionary first step a lot of people took."

By the late 1960s, however, so many people were getting high that the identification of drug use with the sharper forms of cultural and political deviance weakened considerably. Instead of being weapons in a generational war, marijuana and LSD often served as pleasure props, accoutrements of the good life that included water beds, tape decks, golden roach clips, and a host of leisure items. High school kids were popping tabs of acid every weekend as if they were gumdrops. And much of the LSD was like candy -- full of additives and impurities. The physical contamination of street acid symbolized what was happening throughout the culture. "The pill was no longer a sacrament," said Michael Rossman, "but a commercial token, stripped of its essential husk of love, ritual and supportive searching community."

Many people who tried LSD for the first time during this period indulged their appetite for altered states in a confused, unfocused, and self-destructive manner. This was certainly the case when a horde of young people flocked to the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California, in December 1969 for a free rock concert featuring the Rolling Stones. With the crowd came the dealers, selling every type of drug, including large quantities of LSD. Mick Jagger floated over the stoned throng in a helicopter with the High Priest himself, Timothy Leary, who was then awaiting trial for his marijuana bust in Laguna Beach the previous year. Even with the long arm of the law preparing a stranglehold for him, Leary still flashed that giant lighthouse of a smile wherever he went. His effusive demeanor gave no hint of a man destined for prison as he and Jagger landed at Altamont. They emerged together, with Leary grinning and waving the peace sign.

Security for the festival was entrusted to the Hell's Angels, who busied themselves guzzling their allotment of beer and eating acid by the handful. Fights broke out near the stage while the Angels faced down a crowd of a quarter to half a million. To make matters worse, there was some contaminated LSD circulating among the audience, but the scene was so violent that people were freaking out regardless of what type of acid they took. The paramedics and physicians from the Haight-Ashbury and Berkeley free clinics treated so many bummers that they ran out of Thorazine in half an hour. Thousands of others suffered cut feet, broken bones, head wounds, and worse as the Angels went on a rampage.

Into this maelstrom walked the Rolling Stones. Leary sat at the side of the stage brooding over a vast sea of bad trippers as they launched into their set. The violence reached its inevitable climax while the Stones did "Sympathy for the Devil," their song about everyone being implicated in life's evils, the sinner and the saint as two sides of the same coin. An eighteen-year-old black named Meredith Hunter was knifed and stomped to death by a gang of Hell's Angels. He was one of four people who died at Altamont. But Jagger couldn't see anything more than swirling shapes and shadows, and the Stones continued to play, at times with amazing beauty and urgency, even as fights erupted in front of them.

Things went from bad to worse as the decade drew to a close. The week of the Altamont fiasco, Charles Manson and his "hippie" followers were arrested and charged with the murder of Sharon Tate and four of her friends. The glamorous young film actress, wife of director Roman Polanski, was eight months pregnant with her first child. She was stabbed forty-nine times with a butcher knife in July 1969, and the walls of her mansion in Bel Air, California, were smeared with slogans written in the blood of the victims. Sensational tales of black magic, hypnotism, and intimidation by spell-casting were played up in the national media, which fastened on the Manson case as if the entire youth culture were on trial.

The newspapers made much of the fact that Manson had once been a familiar figure in Haight-Ashbury and that he and his family used acid and chattered about revolution. The lawyers for the defense tried to blame the slayings on the deleterious effects of hallucinogenic drugs -- an argument that had about as much credence as the notion that LSD was responsible for generating the good vibes at Woodstock. If the Tate killings showed anything, it was that acid has no implicit moral direction. The Manson affair was a vivid refutation of the sixties myth that anyone who took LSD would automatically become holy or reverential or politically conscious or anything else except stoned.

The canonization of Manson by certain segments of the counterculture was a measure of how desperate and bitter people had become in the final days of the 1960s. Jerry Rubin confessed that he fell in love with Manson's "cherub face and sparkling eyes" when the accused murderer appeared on television. Tuesday's Child, an underground paper in Los Angeles, named him Man of the Year and ran his picture with the word "hippie" as the caption. The Weathermen went a step further by lauding Manson as a heroic, acid-ripped street fighter who offed some "rich honky pigs." "Dig it!" exclaimed Bernardine Dohrn. "First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them, then they even shoved a fork into a victim's stomach! Wild!" The Weatherpeople proclaimed 1970 "the Year of the Fork" in Manson's honor.

Dohrn's remarks, which she later came to regret, were made at the drug-crazed Wargasm conference, otherwise known as the National War Council. Held in Flint, Michigan, over the Christmas holidays in 1969, this meeting was the Weathermen's last public fling before dropping out of sight, a farewell to the shattered remains of SDS and the old Movement, and a final appeal for comrades to join their underground crusade. There was general agreement that armed struggle was necessary to smash the "imperialist motherfucker," and much of the discussion focused on possible terrorist actions. Someone proposed attacking the Strategic Air Command base outside of Dayton, Ohio, to knock out an H-bomb. "It's time to get down," the Weather Bureau declared. "Any kind of action that fucks up the pig's war and helps the people win is a good kind of action."

http://www.american-buddha.com/aciddreams.9moon.htm

[American Dream]

http://jayalalita.tumblr.com/post/52757152120

[American Dream]

http://www.american-buddha.com/aciddreams.10bitter.htm

ACID DREAMS, THE COMPLETE SOCIAL HISTORY OF LSD: THE CIA, THE SIXTIES, AND BEYOND

A Bitter Pill

Tim and Rosemary arrived in Algiers with great expectations. "Panthers are the hope of the world," he wrote to Allen Ginsberg. "How perfect that we were received here and protected by young Blacks. Algeria is perfect. Great political satori! Socialism works here.... Eldridge is a genial genius. Brilliant! Turned on too!" The Panthers were also enthusiastic. At a "solidarity" press conference, they announced that "Dr. Leary is part of our movement," having previously been active "among the sons and daughters of those imperialist bandit pigs."

The alliance between Cleaver and Leary was hot news, and Algiers was suddenly crawling with media. But the much-publicized meeting of the minds quickly degenerated into a battle of egos. Leary didn't like Cleaver's heavy-handed security measures. All visitors were frisked -- even Leary's friends -- and drugs were banned from Panther headquarters except on rare occasions when Cleaver said it was okay to get high. In his discussions with Cleaver, Leary emphasized that "you've got to free yourself internally before you attempt to free yourself behaviorally." The Panthers, however, were not receptive to Leary's "spiritual" politics. Nor were they keen on his idea of inviting draft resisters, antiwar activists, hippies, rock stars, Weatherpeople, and other dissident groups to broadcast a "Radio Free America" program throughout Europe. Cleaver had no intention of providing a forum for a multitude of voices on the left. He was quick to brand nearly everyone else "revisionist," heaping ridicule on Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, LeRoi Jones, and white radicals such as Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. Soon would come the split with Panther leader Huey Newton, fomented in part by FBI subterfuge.

The FBI was also responsible for stirring up tensions between Leary and his hosts. An undercover operative who had infiltrated the New York chapter of the Black Panther party sent a poison pen letter to Cleaver urging him to discipline Leary for his cavalier, individualistic behavior. Tim and Rosemary were busted at gunpoint at Panther headquarters while black CIA agents who had penetrated Cleaver's entourage monitored the situation. A CIA document dated February 12, 1971, reported that "Panther activities have recently taken some interesting turns. Eldridge Cleaver and his Algiers contingent have apparently become disenchanted with the antics of Tim Leary.... Electing to call their action protective custody, Cleaver and company, on their own authority, have put Tim and Rosemary under house arrest due most probably to Leary's continued use of hallucinogenic drugs."

Leary had smuggled twenty thousand hits of LSD into Algiers and was planning to turn on all of Africa. This scheme didn't impress Cleaver, who was fed up with Leary's stoned gasconades. "Something's wrong with Leary's brain," the Panther chief declared in a communique to the underground press. "We want people to gather their wits, sober up and get down to the serious business of destroying the Babylonian empire." As far as Cleaver was concerned, the psychedelic counterculture would henceforth be considered quasi-political, if not downright dangerous. When he spoke of LSD, he invoked the specter of drug-induced totalitarianism. "To all those of you who look to Dr. Leary for inspiration and leadership," Cleaver concluded, "we want to say to you that your god is dead because his mind has been blown by acid."

Leary, for his part, felt he had come up against a new kind of chauvinism -- revolutionary chauvinism -- and he wanted out. But not so fast. He could leave -- at a price. Once again the Brotherhood of Eternal Love came to the rescue, chipping in $25,000 to facilitate Leary's release. As they scrambled to get out of Algiers in early 1971, Tim and Rosemary were aware of the gravity of their predicament. They had no legitimate travel papers and additional advance money for Leary's book on his prison escape (Diaries of a Hope Fiend) was not forthcoming. Whoever could help them at this point became an instant ally. A British woman employed as a stringer for Newsweek introduced the Learys to a well-educated Algerian bureaucrat named Ali, who made no bones about his association with the CIA. Ali promised to arrange exit visas for them. Rosemary wondered if they could trust such a man. "He's liberal CIA," Tim assured her, "and that's the best mafia you can deal with in the twentieth century."

The fugitive couple fled to Switzerland, hoping to obtain political asylum. Leary spent the first six weeks in jail while Swiss officials reviewed his case. Life behind bars was relatively pleasant thanks to a mysterious benefactor named Michel-Gustave Hauchard, who provided Leary with fine wine and assorted delicacies during his incarceration. Described by Leary as a tall, silver-haired gunrunner, Hauchard had strong enough lines into the Swiss council to secure Leary's release from prison. He also had the funds to bankroll Leary in the high style to which he had become accustomed. Leary nicknamed him "Goldfinger" and accepted an invitation to stay in Lausanne at his luxury penthouse with an exquisite view of the lake. In return Tim merely had to sign away half the money from his forthcoming book to Hauchard.

While in Switzerland, Leary was treated to gourmet lunches, dinners at expensive restaurants, and weekend parties with wealthy foreigners. Old friends such as Billy Hitchcock dropped by to visit. Leary also contacted Dr. Albert Hofmann, the Sandoz chemist who had discovered LSD nearly thirty years earlier. They met for the first time at a cafe in Lausanne. Hofmann told Leary about his informal "wisdom school" centered around psychedelic sessions with leading European intellectuals, including Ernst Junger, the German novelist and mystic. Leary asked Hofmann about the dangers of LSD, and the elderly scientist insisted there was no evidence of brain damage caused by the drug. The only dangers, he maintained, were psycho- logical and could be avoided by supportive conditions. In the final analysis Dr. Hofmann affirmed the importance of LSD as an "aid to meditation aimed at the mystical experience of a deeper, comprehensive reality."

Leary's legal status remained ambiguous during his eighteen-month sojourn in Switzerland. He was without a valid passport, but he had money, which is tantamount to a passport for a man on the run. When Bantam Books came through with his $250,000 advance (half of which went to Hauchard), Leary bought a spiffy yellow Porsche and a state-of-the-art stereo system. He traveled from one Swiss canton to the next, each allowing him to stay for just so long. His insecure and terminally jangled lifestyle was wearing on Rosemary's nerves. For seven years they had been together through high times and the all too frequent cycle of arrests, trials, convictions, jail, escape, and flight. While Tim was convalescing in a hospital after a minor operation, Rosemary had a love affair with an old friend. Leary was high on acid when he found out what had happened, and he told his wife to pack her bags and leave. It was a final break; he would almost never mention her name again.

With Rosemary gone, Leary was no longer moored to any kind of personal stability. He was floating in his own version of a Fellini film, accompanied by a half-desperate circus of wired, burned-out dopers, self-styled revolutionaries, informers, journalists, and starfuckers. Besides the mysterious Hauchard, various smugglers and power peddlers offered him deals that only further confused the issue of who his friends really were. Weary of a life in constant flux, perhaps a little bored at age 50, Leary was ready for a change of scene. Soon a woman would enter his life who could have walked off a page of a Thomas Pynchon novel.

It's not clear why Joanna Harcourt-Smith was so intent on tracking Leary down. Born in Saint Moritz, she was a young globe-trotting adventuress who'd been married twice before she met Leary. Her father was a British aristocrat and her stepfather one of the wealthiest men in Europe; she was also the niece of Simon Harcourt-Smith, a London publisher.

In the fall of 1972, Joanna met Michel Hauchard for drinks in New York. Hauchard, her ex-lover, bragged that he "owned" Timothy Leary, openly waving the check from his book advance. Joanna boarded the next plane to Geneva, and arranged to meet Leary at a nearby cafe. Tim was immediately attracted by her wit and sexy smile. As they drove back to Leary's pad, Joanna reached into her pocket, pulled out two hits of windowpane acid, swallowed one, and said of the other, "Whoever eats this will follow me." Leary gobbled the psychedelic, precipitating an all-night session of lovemaking, speaking in French, and overall grokking. The next morning, Tim told his housemates that he had found his perfect love.

Joanna filled a void in Leary's life created by the chaotic events and uncertainties of two years on the lam. She and Tim became almost a single entity. They tripped together, took long baths in a big tub, living only for the moment. But there were still problems with the Swiss authorities. Leary had been denied asylum three times, and he was tired of pleading his case from one canton to the next. Hauchard told him that it wouldn't be safe to stay in Switzerland much longer.

With some prodding from Joanna they decided to drive off in his yellow Porsche for a "honeymoon," even though they were not officially married. In Austria, they were joined by Dennis Martino, whom Leary had met a few years earlier in Laguna Beach through the Brotherhood of Eternal Love. (Martino's twin brother, David, was married to Leary's daughter, Susan.) Martino had participated in numerous drug smuggling operations for the Brotherhood until he was busted for selling marijuana. After serving six months in prison, he jumped probation and fled to Europe.

By this time a federal task force composed of thirteen agencies -- including the FBI, CIA, BNDD, IRS, Customs, and the State Department -- was gearing up for a major crackdown on the Brotherhood. Operation BEL, as the Brotherhood sting was called, scored its first major victory in August 1972, when narcotics agents arrested forty people in three different states. The predawn raids were ordered on the basis of twenty-nine secret indictments handed down by an Orange County grand jury. They marked the culmination of a year-long investigation that netted a million and a half LSD tablets, two and a half tons of hashish, thirty gallons of hash oil, and $20,000 in cash. Cecil Hicks, the district attorney of Orange County, fingered Leary as "the Godfather" of the largest drug smuggling network in the world and vowed to press for his extradition from Switzerland. "Leary is responsible for destroying more lives than any other human being," Hicks declared.

Leary felt the heat from Operation BEL as he pondered his next move in Europe. Further complications arose when Joanna grew weak and yellow with hepatitis. She refused hospitalization, telling Leary that unless they kept traveling, American agents would catch up with them. The wandering fugitives were short on cash, but Joanna suggested they head east, perhaps to Ceylon, where they could rendezvous with some of her friends and charter a yacht. An idyllic life in the South Seas was envisioned. But first, at Joanna's insistence, they would stop in Afghanistan, a country that had no extradition treaty with the US. Martino was in contact with some hash smugglers there, and Joanna said she knew the royal prince. Certainly he'd help them get to Ceylon.

The decision to fly to Afghanistan proved to be a fatal mistake. Kabul, the capital city, was swarming with American narcotics police who were investigating the hashish smuggling ring associated with the Brotherhood of Eternal Love. The three were taken into custody while Terrence Burke, a former CIA agent assigned by the BNDD to work on the Brotherhood conspiracy case, convinced the Afghan authorities to deport Leary.

In an unusual display of largesse Joanna was permitted by US officials to accompany Leary on a flight to Los Angeles at a cost to taxpayers of $1,086 for her one-way first-class ticket. Why this was done, neither the State Department nor the BNDD was willing to say. Perhaps it was Joanna's reward for leading Leary into a trap. Although she had known him for only a month, it was Joanna who persuaded Leary to leave Switzerland and embark on a whirlwind tour that ended with the debacle in Kabul. Tim never suspected that she might have had anything but the purest of motives for seeking him out. A few hours before they landed in the States, he took out pen and paper and scribbled a note that would serve as Joanna's introduction to radical circles in America: "The right to speak for me I hereby lovingly give to Joanna Harcourt-Smith, who is my love, my voice, my wisdom, my words, my output to the world. "

On January 17, 1973, four days after being nabbed in Afghanistan, Timothy Leary stepped off a plane in Los Angeles and looked out at fifty helmeted policemen with riot guns lining the path to the Volkswagen bus that would take him away. When BNDD agent Burke formally placed him under arrest, Leary responded by flashing his trademark ear-to-ear smile to the camera crews. But it was little more than a mask, for the High Priest was actually in quite a fix. In addition to the grand jury indictment alleging his involvement with the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, he now had to answer for his prison escape. Leary was in no position to scoff at these charges. With bail set at $5,000,000 (the highest ever for an American citizen), the Justice Department looked forward to Leary's escape trial as a means of getting at one of their prime targets: the Weathermen, whose members topped the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.

The escape trial began in March, 1973. The jury took less than two hours to return a guilty verdict, and Leary was sentenced to five years in addition to the twenty he was serving when he escaped. This time it would be hard time at Folsom. Undaunted, Joanna predicted that Leary would be out of prison in a few weeks. "We'll simply leave our bodies.... We believe in miracles," she told a reporter. "Timothy Leary is a free man.... He's stronger than ever. He's happy."

Joanna rented an apartment on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco and proceeded to organize a Leary Defense Committee. Fundraising benefits were held in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, but she squandered all the money on cocaine, jewelry from Cartier's, and long-distance calls to her mother in Spain. Joanna's erratic antics and high-rolling lifestyle alienated many of Leary's friends. When Allen Ginsberg, accompanied by Joanna and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, visited Tim in Folsom, he warned that she might be some kind of "double agent." Joanna looked at Tim and sloughed it off. "Oh, you know, he just hates women," she said, apparently in reference to Ginsberg's homosexuality. Leary asked Ginsberg if he would take over the defense committee, but Ginsberg was unable to assume such a heavy responsibility. In exasperation Leary threw up his hands as if to say, "Even if she is an agent, she's all I've got."

In November, 1973, Leary was transferred from Folsom to Vacaville Prison, previously the site of an extensive CIA drug testing program. While in Vacaville, he learned that Dennis Martino had been working as a government informer and that he and Joanna were having a relationship. Martino had struck a deal with the BNDD after they were busted in Kabul. As an undercover narc he was instrumental in arranging the arrests of at least two dozen people, some of whom were old associates from his dope-dealing days with the Brotherhood. His diligent service earned him some brownie points, but Martino's controllers refused to let him off the hook until he persuaded Leary to cooperate with the feds.

For Leary the confirmation that the people closest to him were working with his captors had to be a terrible blow. Joanna privately maintained that she was really a double or triple agent. According to Martino she routinely met US marshals at the door of her Telegraph Hill apartment in the nude, hoping to catch them in compromising situations; Martino hid in an adjacent room and taped the conversations. Joanna later told Ginsberg that she was monitoring the feds so she could blackmail them by threatening to make public the various "deals" they had proposed for Tim's release.

Leary, meanwhile, had begun to wither under the systematic pressure exerted by his most intimate contacts. Little by little Joanna and Martino brought him closer to the break desired by his jailers. The turning point came in April 1974. Leary indicated he was ready to talk. The FBI made it official when they pegged him with the code name of the songbird, "Charlie Thrush."

Leary defended his decision to collaborate with the feds by invoking the spectacle of Watergate. He compared his own situation with that of President Nixon, who would soon face impeachment for obstruction of justice and conduct unbefitting a chief of state. "You've got to tell the truth," said Leary.

I can't condemn Richard Nixon for shutting his mouth because I'm shutting my mouth. I'm not getting paroled until I'm rehabilitated. I'm not getting out behind the lawyers. I've had a chance to analyze, as a psychologist, Nixon's downfall. I've had a chance to see that I'm locked up because of the way I played secrets. I know some people might get hurt. But if I can tell my story and get it all out, karmically, I think I'm free within. And if I'm free within, it will reflect without.... When I look at Socrates, I see that all they wanted him to do was just say he was sorry. He didn't have to drink the hemlock. Maybe if the offer was poison, I'd take that, I don't know. But it is prison. I'm a rat in a maze, staring at the door, looking for another door and there isn't one. Like it or not, when you're in the prison system, you come out through the system, unless you escape, and that didn't work."

Leary was grilled by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), but most of the information he gave was already common knowledge among law enforcement experts. But the feds had other uses for Leary. They wanted his assistance in setting up the arrest of George Chula, an attorney who had previously defended both Leary and the Brotherhood of Eternal Love. Leary told a grand jury that Chula had given him a small chunk of hash when they met at the Orange County courthouse the previous year. Joanna also gave damaging testimony, describing an encounter with Chula wherein he allegedly offered her marijuana and cocaine. When asked why she was testifying, Joanna told the grand jury that she found 99% of the drug culture "to be dishonest, lying people [who didn't know] where they were coming from and where they were going." Chula was subsequently convicted of a minor marijuana violation and served forty-five days in jail.

"LEARY WILL SING," declared a Chicago Tribune headline. Soon there were rumors of a massive grand jury circus, with Leary fingering many of his former associates. After all, one of the main reasons the authorities went to such trouble to have Leary inform was to let everyone know about it in order to create fear and distrust among political and cultural activists. Also, it would be a way of trashing their values -- the High Priest would turn out to be a fighter for his own skin just like everybody else. The media had always latched onto Leary as the one figure who personified the psychedelic movement, and by exposing him as a fink the entire subculture was implicitly discredited.

Although he insisted he was innocent on the "karmic" level, those who felt threatened by his actions took a different view. "I'm digesting news of Herr Doktor Leary, the swine," wrote Abbie Hoffman, who went underground after being busted for cocaine possession (which he claimed was a police setup). "It's obvious to me he's talked his fucking demented head off to the Gestapo.... God, Leary is disgusting. It's not just a question of being a squealer but a question of squealing on people who helped you.... The curses crowd my mouth. ... Timothy Leary is a name worse than Benedict Arnold."

Out of anxiety as much as a desire to get the facts, a unique press conference was called at the Saint Francis Hotel in San Francisco on September 18, 1974. It was sponsored by a group calling itself People Investigating Leary's Lies, or PILL. A panel of counterculture heroes organized and moderated by journalist Ken Kelley addressed an audience of nearly two hundred. Jerry Rubin spoke first, reciting the facts as he knew them. It was a loose chronology and not much was certain. Rubin wondered what had really happened to Leary. Was he brainwashed in Vacaville -- a prison with a reputation for behavior modification abuse of its inmates? Had only a phantom Leary survived? Or did his finking demonstrate that he never really took his politics seriously? "He may have gotten frightened -- experienced an ego break," Ram Dass suggested, "or he may have lost control under the pressures of prison and developed a direct paranoid state where the ends justify the means."

When it was Allen Ginsberg's turn to speak, he began by chanting OM for a few minutes. He had written something for the conference called "Om Ah Hum: 44 Temporary Questions on Dr. Leary." These questions, ranging from witty to paranoid, brought out all the contradictions Leary's informing posed for the New Left. Ginsberg's open-ended tirade went in all directions, and that was its purpose -- not to defend the informer, but to illustrate that the left versus right conflicts of the 1960s were no longer black and white, if they ever had been, and that the gaps in Leary's recent history made it imperative not to simply denounce him.

"Should we stop trusting our friends like in a Hotel room in Moscow?" Ginsberg asked.

Is he a Russian-model prisoner brought into courtroom news conferences blinking in daylight after years in jails and months incommunicado in solitary cells with nobody to talk to but thought-control police interrogators? ... Is he like Zabbathi Zvi, the False Messiah, accepted by millions of Jews centuries ago, who left Europe for the Holy Land, was captured by Turks on his way, told he'd have his head cut off unless he converted to Islam, and so accepted Allah? Didn't his followers split into sects, some claiming it was a wise decision? ...

Is Leary exaggerating and lying to build such confused cases and conspiracies that the authorities will lose all the trials he witnesses, and he'll be let go in the confusion? ... Is he trying to clean the karmic blackboard by creating a hippie Watergate? ... Is Joanna Harcourt-Smith, his one contact spokes-agent, a sex spy, agent provocateuse, double agent, CIA hysteric, jealous tigress, or what? ... Will citizens be arrested, indicted, taken to jail for Leary's freedom? ... Doesn't the old cry "Free Tim Leary!" apply now urgent as ever?

A can of worms had been opened. Paranoia was rampant among radicals who feared that Leary might be talking about any number of people he'd been in contact with over the years. Some blamed Leary for being a turncoat, others directed their anger at the government and the criminal justice system. The discussion grew increasingly acrimonious as the afternoon wore on. There for all to see were the signs of disintegration -- fear, backstabbing, confusion, resentment, animosity. "The 1960s are finally dead," said Ken Kelley after the conference adjourned. "That was just the funeral."

[American Dream]

An accurate investigation would have shown that sizable amounts of street acid first appeared around college campuses and bohemian enclaves in 1965. This was an exceptionally creative period marked by a new assertiveness among young people. LSD accentuated a spirit of rebellion and helped to catalyze the expectations of many onto greatly expanded vistas. The social environment in which drugs were taken fostered an outlaw consciousness that was intrinsic to the development of the entire youth culture, while the use of drugs encouraged a generalizing of discontent that had significant political ramifications. The very expression of youth revolt was influenced and enhanced by the chemical mind-changers. LSD and marijuana formed the armature of a many-sided rebellion whose tentacles reached to the heights of ego-dissolving delirium, a rebellion as much concerned with the sexual and spiritual as with anything tradition ally political. It was a moment of great anticipation, and those who marched in that great Dionysian rap dance were confident that if they put their feet down on history, then history would surely budge.

But the mood had changed dramatically by the end of the decade, and the political fortunes of the New Left quickly plummeted. There were many reasons for this, not the least of which involved covert intervention by the CIA, FBI, and other spy agencies. The internecine conflicts that tore the Movement apart were fomented in part by government subversion. But such interference would have been far less effective if not for the innate vulnerability of the New Left, which emphasized both individual and social transformation as if they were two faces of an integral cultural transition, a rite of passage between a death and a difficult birth. "We had come to a curious place together, all of us," recalls Michael Rossman.

As politics grew cultural, we realized that deeper forces were involved than had yet been named, or attended to deliberately. We were adrift in questions and potentials. The organizational disintegration of the Movement as a political body was an outer emblem of conceptual incoherence, the inability to synthesize an adequate frame of understanding (and program) to embody all that we had come to realize was essential for the transformation we sought.

An autopsy of the youth movement would show that death resulted from a variety of ills, some self-inflicted, others induced from without. There was the paramilitary bug that came in like the plague after Chicago, a bug transmitted by provocateurs and other government geeks who were welcomed by the Movement's own incendiaries. A vicious crackdown on all forms of dissent ensued, while domestic violence played on the TV news as a nightly counterpoint to the appalling horror of Vietnam. It was the war, more than anything else, that drove activists to the brink of desperation. If not for the war, the legions of antiauthoritarian youth would never have endured the totalitarian style of the dogmatic crazies and the militant crazies who combined to blow the whole thing apart.

"What subverted the sixties decade," according to Murray Bookchin, "was precisely the percolation of traditional radical myths, political styles, a sense of urgency, and above all, a heightened metabolism so destructive in its effects that it loosened the very roots of 'the movement' even as it fostered its rank growth." In this respect the widespread use of LSD contributed significantly to the demise of the New Left, for it heightened the metabolism of the body politic and accelerated all the changes going on -- positive and negative, in all their contradictions. In its hyped-up condition the New Left managed to dethrone one president and prevent another from unleashing a nuclear attack on North Vietnam. These were mighty accomplishments, to be sure, but the Movement burnt itself out in the process. It never mastered its own intensity; nor could it stay the course and keep on a sensible political track.

During the intoxicating moments of the late 1960s, many radicals felt they were on the verge of a cataclysmic upheaval, an imminent break, a total revolution. In their dream world apocalypse was never far away. The delusions of grandeur they entertained were amplified by psychedelic drugs to the point that some felt themselves invested with magical powers. They wanted to change the world immediately -- or at least as fast as LSD could change a person's consciousness. By magnifying the impulse toward revolutionism out of context, acid sped up the process by which the Movement became unglued. Even activists who never took an LSD trip were affected by this process.

The use of LSD among young people in the US reached a peak in the late 1960s, shortly after the CIA initiated a series of covert operations designed to disrupt, discredit, and neutralize the New Left. Was this merely a historical coincidence, or did the Agency actually take steps to promote the illicit acid trade? Not surprisingly, CIA spokesmen dismiss such a notion out of hand. "We do not target American citizens," former CIA director Richard Helms told the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1971. "The nation must to a degree take it on faith that we who lead the CIA are honorable men, devoted to the nation's service."

Helms' reassurances are hardly comforting in light of his own role as the prime instigator of Operation MK-ULTRA, which utilized unwitting Americans as guinea pigs for testing LSD and other mind-altering substances. During Helms's tenure as CIA director, the Agency conducted a massive illegal domestic campaign against the antiwar movement and other dissident elements in the US. The New Left was in a shambles when Helms retired from the Agency in 1973. Most of the official records pertaining to the CIA's drug and mind control projects were summarily destroyed on orders from Helms shortly before his departure. The files were shredded, according to Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, chief of the CIA's Technical Services Staff, because of "a burgeoning paper problem." Lost in the process were numerous documents concerning the operational employment of hallucinogenic drugs, including all existing copies of a classified CIA manual titled "LSD: Some Unpsychedelic Implications."

What was Helms trying to hide? The wholesale destruction of these memoranda suggests there may have been a lot more to the CIA's LSD program than the revelations that came to light during the post Watergate housecleaning of the mid 1970s. Of course, it's highly improbable that the CIA would ever have drawn up a "smoking gun" document describing the details of a plot to dump millions of hits of acid on the black market. Nor is it likely that the Agency anticipated the catalytic impact of LSD and its disruptive effect on the youth movement. The CIA is not an omniscient, monolithic organization, and there's no hard evidence that it engineered a great LSD conspiracy. (As in most conspiracy theories, such a scenario vastly overestimates the sophistication of the alleged perpetrator.) If anything, it seems that a social phenomenon as complex and multifaceted as the psychedelic subculture was beyond the control of any single person or entity.

But there's still the puzzling saga of Ronald Stark, which begs for some kind of explanation. How does one distinguish between an international confidence trickster and a deep-cover spy when both professions are based on pretense and deception! Stark was a man who thrived in a clandestine netherworld where "facts are wiped out by artifacts," as Norman Mailer wrote of the espionage metaphysic, and "every truth is obliged to live in its denial." He appeared on the psychedelic scene like a meteor and produced more acid than any other underground source from 1969 through 1972. While pursuing his exploits as an LSD chemist, he communicated on a regular basis with American embassy personnel, and on numerous occasions he hinted of ties with the intelligence community. At one point he told an associate that he shut down his LSD laboratory in France on a tip from the CIA. He also haunted the radical fringes of Paris, London, and Milan during the heyday of the youth rebellion.

What does it all mean? Was Stark a hired provocateur or a fanatical guerrilla capable of reconciling bombs and LSD? When did the CIA learn of his role as a drug dealer, and was his activity tolerated because he passed information on the counterculture and the radical left to the Agency? [1] Although it is highly improbable that the CIA would have gotten involved in trafficking street acid as a matter of policy, it's not at all certain that stopping the flow of black market LSD was a particular priority either. Perhaps the best explanation is that certain CIA officials were willing to condone Stark's exploits in the drug trade as long as he functioned as an informant.

Stark's name surfaced once again in 1982 when he was arrested in Holland on charges of trafficking hashish, cocaine, and heroin. The following year he was deported without fanfare to the United States, where he was still wanted on drug charges stemming from the Brotherhood of Eternal Love conspiracy case. The entire matter was handled so discreetly that the press never learned of his return. Stark spent a few months in a San Francisco jail until charges were dropped by the US Justice Department, which claimed that too many years had passed to prosecute the case. In December 1984 he died of a heart attack, leaving others to ponder his ambiguous legacy.

Above all Ronald Stark remains an extraordinary international enigma. "A genius, but a tortured soul" -- that was how an Italian magistrate described him. Even if he was never anything more than a brilliant private operator, his remarkable career illustrates the tangled web of espionage, crime, and extremist politics that is so much a part of the secret history of LSD a story as wild and perplexing as the drug itself. Indeed, as Hunter Thompson wrote, "History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of 'history' it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time -- and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened."

http://www.american-buddha.com/aciddrea ... piracy.htm

[American Dream]

http://www.levity.com/aciddreams/sample ... irony.html

The Central Irony of LSD

The central irony of LSD is that it has been used both as a weapon and a sacrament, a mind control drug and a mind-expanding chemical. Each of these possibilities generated a unique history: a covert history, on the one hand, rooted in CIA and military experimentation with hallucinogens, and a grassroots history of the drug counter-culture that exploded into prominence in the 1960s. At key points the two histories converge and overlap, forming an interface between the CIA's secret drug programs and the rise and fall of the psychedelic movement.

The LSD story is inseparable from the cherished hopes and shattered illusions of the sixties generation. In many ways it provides a key for understanding what happened during that turbulent era, when political and cultural revolution erupted with full fury. And yet, as the decade drew to a close, the youth movement suddenly collapsed and bottomed out, leaving a trail of unanswered questions in its wake. Only by examining both sides of the psychedelic saga--the CIA's mind control program and the drug subculture--can we grasp the true nature of LSD-25 and discern what effect this powerful chemical agent had on the social upheavals of the 1960s.

An excerpt from Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties and Beyond, by Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain
The Acid Dreams web site: http://www.levity.com/aciddreams/

[American Dream]

Thrive as Holy Scripture: The Emerging Religion of “Conspirituality.”


In a few articles on this site (and also in one on my other blog) I make an argument that the movie Thrive is largely a religious document. It is a statement of faith by Foster Gamble, and a plea to its viewers to adopt the same religious faith, which is a synthesis of New Age concepts, conspiracy theories and far right-wing Libetarian political ideology. Thanks to a recent article in the Journal of Contemporary Religion, not only does this idea have academic support, but the faith that Thrive advances now has a name: “conspirituality.”

In January 2011, two authors—David Voas, a professor at the University of Manchester, and Charlotte Ward, an independent researcher in the field of alternative spirituality—published an article called “The Emergence of Conspirituality” in the peer-reviewed Journal of Contemporary Religion. (The cite is Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 26, No. 1, January 2011, 103-121. The abstract for the article is here but unless you have access to an academic database, you will have to pay to download the full article. If you want to see it for free, I suggest you visit a library that has a subscription to JSTOR or another academic database—it’s well worth your time). Although the article—which I only just recently became aware of—was published eleven months before Thrive’s release, I think it is extremely apposite to the film. In fact, if the article had been published after the film’s release, I have no doubt it would have been discussed as a case study of conspirituality.

The Ward/Voas article was peer-reviewed. That means that knowledgeable researchers in the field of contemporary and comparative religion reviewed drafts of it—their identities not known to the authors—and provided critical comments. Peer review is not infallible, but it is the hallmark of academia and it’s what separates publications like academic journals apart from other publications where material may or may not be independently checked. Most major trade magazines and reputable newspapers employ fact checkers, but academic journals operate on a strict system of review. It’s worth noting that virtually none of the “sources” that Foster Gamble and Thrive rely upon are peer-reviewed—such as the now-infamous BLTResearch.com, which is the film’s go-to source on crop circles.

What is “Conspirituality”?

The authors of the article have coined a new word—“conspirituality”—to describe what they see as a recently-emerging religion that melds New Age sensibilities and conspiracy theories. The best way to explain it is to quote from the article itself:

“We argue that conspirituality is a politico-spiritual philosophy based on two core convictions, the first traditional to conspiracy theory, the second rooted in the New Age:

(1) A secret group covertly controls, or is trying to control, the political and social order (Fenster).

(2) Humanity is undergoing a ‘paradigm shift’ in consciousness, or awareness, so solutions to (1) lie in acting in accordance with an awakened ‘new paradigm’ worldview.

Conspirituality is a web movement with diffuse leadership and constantly shifting areas of interest.”

Continues at: http://thrivedebunked.wordpress.com/201 ... rituality/

[American Dream]

“Zidi aur Zeher” June 2013
love, khushboo kataria

personified stubbornness and poison

in my breath there is blood
in our backs lives generational aches
hollow wailing echoes for years
beyond any hxstory books
only in oral hxstories barely surviving

http://kalisherni.tumblr.com/post/53255 ... e-khushboo

[American Dream]

The Emergence of Conspirituality, by Charlotte Ward and David Voas
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all

Abstract
The female-dominated New Age (with its positive focus on self) and the
male-dominated realm of conspiracy theory (with its negative focus on global
politics) may seem antithetical. There is a synthesis of the two, however, that
we call 'conspirituality'. We define, describe, and analyse this hybrid system
of belief; it has been noticed before without receiving much scholarly
attention. Conspirituality is a rapidly growing web movement expressing an
ideology fuelled by political disillusionment and the popularity of alternative
worldviews. It has international celebrities, bestsellers, radio and TV
stations. It offers a broad politico-spiritual philosophy based on two core
convictions, the first traditional to conspiracy theory, the second rooted in
the New Age: 1) a secret group covertly controls, or is trying to control, the
political and social order, and 2) humanity is undergoing a 'paradigm shift' in
consciousness. Proponents believe that the best strategy for dealing with the
threat of a totalitarian 'new world order' is to act in accordance with an
awakened 'new paradigm' worldview.

Introduction
The growth of industry, cities, and administrative structures has led to the
separation and specialisation of social institutions. Individuals themselves
occupy distinct roles (in the family, workplace, and community) that may no
longer overlap. This social and personal fragmentation has caused conventional
religion to become disconnected from everyday life. Alternative ideologies are
available, however, offering holistic worldviews that contest the political
pragmatism, economic rationalism, scientific empiricism, and social dislocation
characteristic of the modern age. Examples include the Romantic movement that
began in the late eighteenth century and the counter-culture of the 1960s.

In this article we focus on two forms of holistic thought that are increasingly
prevalent in the contemporary period. One is what has variously been labelled
the New Age, alternative spirituality or the holistic milieu (Heelas and
Woodhead). These groups embrace the idea of a person as an integrated whole,
with mind, body, and spirit subject to a common set of principles. The second
ideology is conspiracy theory. Here one finds a denial of contingency, the
discovery of patterns in events that might otherwise seem to be random, and the
attribution of agency to hidden forces (Aaronovitch).

A hybrid of conspiracy theory and alternative spirituality has appeared on the
internet. The existence of such a synthesis has previously been noted in
passing (Barkun; Goodrick-Clarke), but no detailed account has yet been given
of what, for the sake of convenience, we call 'conspirituality'.1

Barkun identifies three principles found in nearly every conspiracy theory: a)
nothing happens by accident, b) nothing is as it seems, c) everything is
connected. Similar principles are fundamental to much New Age thought and
alternative spirituality. These worldviews make public and personal life
respectively seem less subject to random forces and therein lies part of their
appeal.

Notwithstanding these shared principles, there is a wide gulf between the
ordinary understandings of conspiracy theory and the holistic milieu. The
former is male-dominated, often conservative, generally pessimistic, and
typically concerned with current affairs. The latter is predominantly female,
liberal, self-consciously optimistic, and largely focused on the self and
personal relationships. It is therefore far from obvious how a confluence of
these two streams could be produced.

We argue that conspirituality is a politico-spiritual philosophy based on two
core convictions, the first traditional to conspiracy theory, the second rooted
in the New Age:

1. A secret group covertly controls, or is trying to control, the political and
social order (Fenster).

2. Humanity is undergoing a 'paradigm shift' in consciousness, or awareness,
so solutions to (1) lie in acting in accordance with an awakened 'new
paradigm' worldview.

Conspirituality is a web movement with diffuse leadership and constantly
shifting areas of interest. In the nature of the case it is difficult to
estimate its influence, but it seems clear that many millions of people have
been exposed to this material, a substantial number of whom apparently
subscribe to its tenets.

In what follows we describe conspirituality and its formation, starting by
examining the parent sectors and then considering their merger. We focus on the
US and the UK. While our aim is primarily descriptive—to point to the existence
of an important branch of contemporary spirituality that is little
recognized—we also offer some hypotheses concerning its origins, current
appeal, and future prospects.

Methods
Because conspirituality appears to be an internet-based movement with a
relatively modest presence in 'real life', web ethnography is the method of
choice. The first author gathered information over three years of participant
observation, both online and at lectures and conferences. Web sites were
continuously tracked and developments noted. Hyperlinks connecting web sites
permit a type of snowball sampling, supplemented by web searches to identify
sites that are not well connected with others dealing with related topics. As
many web links and leads as possible were followed up. We believe that we
gained a comprehensive overview of the area as it relates to the US and UK.

Given the considerable range of providers (of ideas, advice, and leadership)
available, there is naturally a concern that the examples mentioned below may
not be representative of the movement as a whole. We have endeavoured to use
one or more of the following criteria in choosing which to cite: a)
demonstrable commitment to the movement's core convictions; b) high levels of
popularity, which could be confirmed by independent means; c) extent of
cross-referencing by other recognized providers; d) suitability to illustrate
particular points.

The exclusive focus on British and American English language sites and hence on
issues of Anglo-American concern is a potential source of bias. Conspirituality
is a global movement; we are aware of sites in other languages and providers
from other cultures but were unable to assess their content and scope.
References to web sites are provided to document the phenomena described.

Background information from other sources can also be helpful and Wikipedia
entries are included in the secondary material. In so doing we are simply
offering the view from the ground. What matters in this context is not what
experts regard as the best or most accurate profile of a particular personality
(for example), but what ordinary web users find when they search for
information.

New Age Spirituality
How one defines the New Age is not important for present purposes, but we will
adopt Melton's characterisation (as summarised here by Barkun):

[The New Age] includes the following elements: mystical individual
transformation; an awareness of new, non-material realities; “the imposition of
(a) personal vision onto society”; and belief in universally invisible but
pervasive forms of energy. (Melton qtd in Barkun 32) Hanegraaff has mapped the
boundaries of the New Age and the Kendal Project quantified it (Heelas and
Woodhead), but the web continues to expand it. Recent additions extending the
idea that humanity is shifting consciousness are 'lightworkers', 'starseeds',
and 'indigo children'.2 (These terms describe different types of
predestination, special talents or psychic abilities.)

The New Age remains largely feminine (Houtman and Aupers; Heelas and Woodhead).
Although some aspects of New Age thought and practice—for example, those
related to ET channellings or political change—have some kinship with
conspiracy theory, the New Age seems largely incompatible with that realm. As
an illustration it is worth considering Diana Cooper, successful within the
sectors of channelling, healing and “personal growth” (Hanegraaff 42). Cooper,3
“visited by angels” since the 1980s, has written 23 books, founded World Angel
Awareness Day and a school4 that, by 2006, had trained over 400 teachers—mainly
women5—to “spread the light of angels”. Channelling, healing, and meditations
feature prominently on her web site. Subscribers are taught that to meet energy
head-on generates resistance and that what is resisted persists; negative focus
attracts or energises negativity; criticism mirrors critics' flaws; pointing
the finger promotes 'polarity'.

On politics, Cooper's web site advises, “Give no energy to fear, darkness and
mass hysteria. Instead focus on the good, the wise and great, so that it
expands.”6 She writes that “there is a huge backlog of resistance to progressive
policies (like the gun lobby)”, but “There are things that we can do to offer
grace to clear the karma of America”. On Obama's election, she says, “The wave
of excitement in the US and throughout the world sent a wave of energy out,
which pushed Earth onto its ascension pathway.” She states that she does not
belong to any religion but acknowledges them all. As for conspiracy theory,

We have all chosen to incarnate at an exciting time when civilization as we
know it is ending and the new being founded. There will be changes and you can
look at these as frightening or an opportunity for service and growth… Be
careful what you read on the internet. If it is spreading doubt and fear move
on to a site of love and light.

The New Age Belief in a Shift in Consciousness
Much has been written about New Age beliefs in a shift (Kemp 190; Hanegraaff
107) and about the New Age's 'globalisation' and its methods (Rothstein;
Holloway). Marilyn Ferguson's book The Aquarian Conspiracy contributed to the
popularisation of beliefs in a 'new paradigm' and New Age organisations such as
the Club of Budapest7 and the Wrekin Trust8 claim to examine evidence of a
shift. Global communications, too, reinforce perceptions that a shift is
occurring, as audiences can listen on the web to Madonna discussing her
“spiritual awakening”,9 Rabbi Michael Laitman—whose web site currently ranks
within the top thousand most popular Israeli sites—urging humanity to awaken
via Kabbalah10 or New Ager Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey (who have declared
their intention to awaken people en masse through their partnership11) saying to
millions of Oprah viewers, “There's a shift happening in humanity, a shift in
consciousness, happening now”.

This rhetoric is echoed by others outside the New Age. The New Spiritual
Progressives,12 a peaceful activist movement, say that

In every faith there is a struggle happening right now between those who hear
God speaking as the force of power and domination and those who hear God
speaking as the force of healing, transformation, love and
generosity.13

Political film maker Velcrow Ripper says on his 2008 documentary
Fierce Light:

Sparked by what Gandhi called “soul force”, and Martin Luther King called “love
in action”, millions are discovering the power of taking positive, peaceful
action that comes from the heart, driven by the understanding that we're all in
this together. [i]Fierce Light captures this inspiring zeitgeist, which is being
called the largest global movement in history.14 [/i]

Conspiracy Theory
The term 'conspiracy theorist' tends to be used pejoratively. Since the advent
of the worldwide web, however, the realm of conspiracy theory has gained shape,
prominence, and even respectability. Unlike the spiritual milieu, this remains
a largely male enclave of political and scientific foci. Few good quantitative
studies have been conducted, but “American conspiracy theorists seem to be
primarily a white phenomenon; and primarily a white male phenomenon” (Ramsay
36). Of the 40 or so notable theorists who were listed on Tinwiki,15 only one
is female. In that respect, this area is typical of political activism: “that
women generally have lower levels of interest in politics than men is a well
rehearsed political fact” (Campbell and Winters 53). Activism should not be
confused with ideology or casual participation, however. Just as voter turnout
is similar among men and women, belief in conspiracy theories divides evenly
between the sexes (Goertzel 733).

An examination of the history of conspiracy theory suggests that in recent
decades it has contained four main sectors, all of which overlap and continue
to develop:

1. speculation about specific episodes
Was Diana, Princess of Wales, assassinated? Was 9/11 an 'inside job'? Barkun
(6) calls these “event conspiracies”. Most people are exposed to these theories
(even through the conventional media) and are likely to speculate to some
degree: the main difference between now and 1963, when Kennedy was
assassinated, is the web.

1. bio- and geo-conspiracies
The terms 'bio-conspiracies' and 'geo-conspiracies' are used here to describe
the large areas of conspiracist belief surrounding manipulation of the natural
world. The following examples are far from exhaustive: have diseases been
manufactured? Have cancer cures and free energy technologies been suppressed?
Is water fluoridation dangerous? Are we given the truth about genetic
engineering? Is weather manipulation possible? Most people come across these
ideas in the conventional media and from hearing about movements such as the
campaign against the use of the artificial sweetener aspartame.

1. X-Files-type conspiracy theory (Ramsay 28)
In Britain and the US, the 1950s saw the formation of UFO groups and the
expansion of counter-cultures such as science fiction fandom. Ramsay usefully
describes subsequent major influences by decade: in the 1960s, the publication
of books such as Psychic Discoveries behind the Iron Curtain; in the 1970s, the
appearance of celebrity psychics, writer Erich von Dniken, and the film Close
Encounters; in the 1980s, fascination with channelling, mind control, and alien
abduction. (Many of these interests overlap with the New Age.) Since then
conventional media and the web have further popularised and expanded these
topics.

1. the radical right's belief in a shadow government/New World Order (NWO).
Barkun (6) categorises this sector as systemic or super-conspiracy. In recent
decades, political activists in America, such as Pat Robertson and Lyndon
Larouche, have publicly espoused belief in a sinister 'New World Order'
(Robertson; Pipes). The idea that secret societies of 'Illuminati' are
conspiring to establish a NWO stretch back to at least 1797, when John
Robinson's book Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments
of Europe was published in Britain. Before the arrival of the web, this sector
appeared to be dominated in the Western world by the (American) Christian
Patriot16 movement and the Militia, the core of which formed in the 1970s. It
consists of right wing or Christian/cult groups preparing for Armageddon or
protecting themselves against the NWO, spurred by event conspiracies such as
the destruction of the Branch Davidian compound at Waco in 1993. The Militia's
popularity has peaked17 and the Patriot movement has grown:

The most distinctive feature of militia groups is that they are armed,
sometimes with war weapons. […] Their membership is overwhelmingly white,
Christian and predominantly male. […] the patriots, while including traditional
racist, anti-Semitic hate groups, have a much broader ideological constituency,
and this is exactly one of the reasons for their new success. Namely, the
ability to reach out across the ideological spectrum to unite all sources of
disaffection against the federal government. (Castells 91)

But as the web facilitates the spread of information, the Christian right may be losing any
monopoly it once might have held, or appeared to hold, over NWO theories. Web
videos of Louis Farrakhan addressing the Nation of Islam and Muammar Gaddafi
addressing the UN on conspiracist topics are easily accessible; Muslim18 and
Jewish19 NWO conspiracist web sites are springing up and other religions are
also represented.

Within much of this 'radical right' sector of conspiracy theory, New Age
spirituality is seen as a Satanic or 'Luciferic' threat.20 Recent areas of
concern include Oprah Winfrey's partnership publicising New Age teachings with
spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle:21 Tolle's pacific assertions that the global
situation arose from the collective mind's insanity enraged those who felt he
was promoting inaction in the face of the enemy22 and Winfrey's backing of
Obama confirmed to some that all three are Illuminati insiders.23 Longer
standing concerns include New Age channellers being demon-possessed or having
voices beamed into their heads by government mind-control projects.24

The Emergence of Conspirituality
Despite the shared views mentioned above that nothing happens by accident,
nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected (Barkun 4), the New Age and
conspiracy theory seem to have little in common. It is therefore a surprise to
discover that hybrid worldviews have developed and seem to be thriving. British
author and activist David Icke anticipated conspirituality in 1996:

When I meet people who are investigating the conspiracy but are not into the
spiritual, I find people full of paranoia, full of fear … because they can't
see the spiritual solutions… When I meet so many people in the New Age area … I
often find people who, so often, think that if you address the negative, then
that's really bad. You must only address the positive… But if you don't address
the negative, either the negative gets more negative or stays as it is. What
you don't do is change it.25

Conspirituality appears to be a means by which
political cynicism is tempered with spiritual optimism. It curbs the
belligerence of conspiracy theory and the self-absorption of the New Age. The
following examples illustrate this counterpoise. The first, taken from a 2007
online course in 'transformation', has a New Age weighting:

If you are not aware of the deep politics and hidden agendas taking place
behind the scenes on this planet, you may find parts of the educational
information to be somewhat disturbing. Please don't despair about this … even
the dark or negative forces out there are all a part of the cosmic dance. If we
ignore or abandon these forces, we reject a part of ourselves, as we are all
interconnected. The course provides lots of support and inspiration on how we
are already transforming these challenging places in our lives and world.26

The second is weighted towards conspiracy theory. It was taken from the Zeitgeist
Movement,27 a web site promoting global activism28 connected to Zeitgeist the
Movie,29 a 2007 web movie.30 Zeitgeist alleges, among other things, that
organised religion is about social control and that 9/11 was an inside job. The
producers claim that the movie has been viewed 100 million times.31

The elite power systems are little affected in the long run by traditional
protest and political movements. We must move beyond these 'establishment
rebellions' and work with a tool much more powerful: We will stop supporting
the system, while constantly advocating knowledge, peace, unity and compassion.
We cannot “fight the system”. Hate, anger and the 'war' mentality are failed
means for change, for they perpetuate the same tools the corrupt, established
power systems use to maintain control to begin with. […] This could be called a
'spiritual' awakening.32

Conspirituality appeared on the web in the mid 1990s. It
had offline precursors: some members of the 1960s33 and 1970s counter-culture,
the New Age, and other movements undoubtedly shared its two core convictions.
In 1987, the print-based NEXUS Magazine started publishing articles on
spirituality and conspiracist topics; the editor writes:

NEXUS recognises that humanity is undergoing a massive transformation. With
this in mind, NEXUS seeks to provide 'hard-to-get' information so as to assist
people through these changes. NEXUS is not linked to any religious,
philosophical or political ideology or organisation.34

Goodrick-Clarke cites NEXUS as an example of how “the 'alternative' movement, with its suspicion of
powerful government, big business and orthodox medicine, has proved susceptible
to conspiracy theories” (289). From NEXUS's statement, we may conclude that the
'alternative' movement, which Goodrick-Clarke defines as holding “alternative
concerns with health, environment and right livelihood” (289), has also proved
susceptible to ideas of a 'shift' and may thus be providing audiences for
conspirituality. We examine these audiences later.

The First Generation—before 2001
Conspirituality's formation divides into two stages or generations.
First-generation providers started work offline in the early to mid-1990s and
then moved online to develop web sites in parallel with offline activity.
Successful first-generation providers include David Icke, David Wilcock, and
Steven Greer.

David Icke's web site, registered in 1996, ranks in the top 10,00035 most
popular global sites (by comparison, according to Alexa, an independent web
monitoring service, in August 2009, Hello! magazine ranked 20,724, The Guardian
newspaper 278, and the UK Labour Party 186,270). Icke's 20 books blend
conspiracy theory with spirituality. He is notorious for alleging that a shadow
government harbours the bloodlines of an ancient race of reptilian
extraterrestrials. The solution is for audiences to raise their consciousness
and awaken to love as a unifying, transcendent force. Icke writes extensively
about his spiritual awakenings and says, “We are on the cusp of an incredible
global change” (x).

American David Wilcock, who established his web site in 1998, describes himself
as a “professional lecturer, filmmaker and researcher of ancient civilizations,
consciousness science and new paradigms of matter and energy”.36 Wilcock's web
video lecture, “The 2012 Enigma”, was rated Google's Number One Viewed in
December 200837 and his site ranks in the top 50,000 most popular global web
sites. He writes that the shadow government is losing its grip; audiences
should prepare for a mass awakening in 2012, after which the regime will
founder. Wilcock writes about his spiritual awakenings and contact with
extraterrestrials and says,

The energetic transformation of our entire solar system is now under way, and
we are already feeling the effects… I am amazed at how many people blatantly
worship the negative elite with their fear… As long as we hate, fear, loathe
and distrust them, we are ensuring they still have a job acting as the
projection of our own hatred, fear, loathing and distrust… of
ourselves.38

American UFO researcher Steven Greer claims to have reached “over a
billion people”39 via conventional media and that he has briefed the Obama
administration40 and others on the truth about UFOs. Greer organised the
Disclosure Project, a 2001 initiative presenting evidence of UFOs, ETs, and
'black projects'.41 He writes that a 'rabid dog' shadow government, keeping
secrets even from presidents and CIA directors, has suppressed free energy
technology. Greer talks about his spiritual awakening and contact with
extraterrestrials. In 2006, he wrote (42, 234):

We live in a world where people polarise around either an impractical New Age
spirituality and pacifism or a traditional “us versus them, let's kill
everybody we don't understand” mindset… A certain sinister manipulation is
evident to many people. I don't have the luxury of putting all that information
aside and thinking that it's a conspiracy theory. I know it to be true… These
covert special interests want to unite and control the world through fear,
rather than uniting the world through peace and hope… We live in a time of
these extremes: very dark and very bright. We live in the time of
transformative change.

Many factors influenced audience receptivity to
first-generation conspirituality. By 1998, 82% of Americans felt the need to
experience spiritual growth (Gallup and Lindsay), while “extremely large
numbers” (Barkun 91) had been exposed to New World Order conspiracy theories
and believed the government was withholding the truth about UFOs.
Conspirituality web radio stations such as News for the Soul (established in
1997) and Red Ice Creations (formed in 2001) had sprung up to publicise
providers. In the UK, journalists such as Jon Ronson were humanising conspiracy
theorists, New Agers, and other alternative thinkers with good-natured
documentaries.

The events of 11 September 2001 were pivotal to the uptake of conspirituality.
Many people who had never held conspiracist beliefs rationalised the tragedy as
an 'inside job' designed to propagate war: in 2003, one third of Germans under
thirty believed that the US government was behind 9/11 (Knight) and at least
one opinion poll in 2006 suggested that more than a third of Americans believed
the same.42 By 2007, Texas Congressman Ron Paul43 and film director Aaron
Russo44 were publicising the 'New World Order'. In 2008, Japanese MP Yukihisa
Fujita45 lobbied the Diet on this matter and in 2009, actor Charlie Sheen called
upon Obama to reopen the 9/11 investigations.46 Millions of people find sense in
these theories.

The Second Generation—from 2002
We identify 2002 as the year second-generation conspirituality started. This
was not just because the events of 9/11 and increasing political
disillusionment were generating extra demand: by 2002, the web and access to it
and its sub-cultures were sufficiently developed to accommodate
conspirituality's expansion. Web-site building had been simplified and the
blogosphere (the network of blogs on the internet) was growing.

The 2003 war in Iraq generated still more demand: worldwide, millions marched
'for peace' rather than 'against war'. By 2004, theories about apocalyptic
events in 2012 were spreading, further uniting New Agers anticipating a shift
with conspiracy theorists and others believing a variety of scenarios. In 2005,
more than 2,000 people attended a talk by David Icke in London. In November
2010, conspiracist radio presenter Alex Jones's site ranked in the top 500 most
popular websites.47 Providers now use Facebook, Twitter, and other social
networks. It is said that an Obama avatar was recently spotted wearing a New
World Order T-shirt in the web-based virtual world of Second Life. The web
continues to develop and support alternative viewpoints.

John Perkins is an example of a second-generation conspirituality provider. His
2004 autobiography Confessions of an Economic Hitman48 was on the NY Times
bestseller lists for 70 weeks.49 Perkins exposes the shadowy US 'elite
corporatocracy', for which he once worked to destabilise smaller countries
economically. He suggests that corporate networks could be transformed to
positive purposes, stressing that many shadow government employees are 'human,
with children and grandchildren' and, despite the financial rewards,
'desperate' for the excuses protestors offer to do the right thing.50 Perkins,
who experienced a 'personal epiphany' on visiting Ground Zero, states:

We have entered one of the most important periods in human history, the Time
of Prophecies. We have the opportunity to lift ourselves to new levels of
consciousness. This time was foretold over the past centuries around the world.
Now it is up to us—you and me—to make it happen.51

A shamanic practitioner, Perkins has written books on 'personal and global transformation'.52

Project Camelot,53 another second-generation provider, offers a platform for
shadow government whistle-blowers. Its site reports ten million unique hits
since it formed in 2006. Run by a two-person team consisting of Bill Ryan and
Kerry Cassidy, Project Camelot displays a collection of video interviews
offering different views on the shadow government and the shift, including
interviews with Icke, Wilcock, and Greer. More than 1,300 site visitors have
signed its 'pledge' to end secrecy;54 a brief count indicates a ratio of three
men to one woman. This probably reflects conspirituality's wider gender ratio.
Conspirituality has spread from being a scattering of single, first-generation
providers to a large chain. It is now part of the spiritual supermarket:
clients shop around, settling upon the outlets whose interpretations of the two
core convictions best suit their own opinions and tastes.

Key Themes
Change, or transformation, is a key theme conspirituality has adapted from its
parent sectors. Clients seek to expose—depose—a shadow government. Ideas that
others are becoming 'awake and aware', or shifting in consciousness, lend
encouragement. Humanity is shifting into a new paradigm. People are 'awakening
to the truth' (we are all connected); 'remembering who we really are'
(infinitely powerful spiritual beings); 'seeing the illusion' (our
projections); 'saying no to tyranny' (assuming personal responsibility—the
shadow government exists because we allow it to). Stories of spiritual
awakenings, some dramatic, others gradual or momentary, are commonplace. The
awakening process, being subjective, is impossible to define accurately, but
providers and clients agree that this is 'a time of transformation'.

Some awakenings—such as David Icke's55—involve 'seeing' the shadow government.
These can go through two stages:56 coming to terms with the situation and
realising one's responsibility to help change it. But the continuing existence
of war and inequality demonstrates that traditional means of change—via
political protest, for example—have proved ineffective. These, along with
denial of the truth (that things need to change) belong to the 'old paradigm'.

Central to the 'new paradigm' is 'becoming the change you wish to see in the
world' (a quotation by Mahatma Gandhi frequently encountered): the inner self
must change before the outer world can. 'Spiritually conscious' ideals include
self-responsibility and independent thought—detaching from the 'mind control
matrix' by giving up TV and chemical additives, rejecting consumerism, and
anticipating earth changes. Non-violent action includes spreading information,
engaging in non-cooperation and peaceful resistance.

The forms of non-violent activism are highly varied. A UK example specific to
conspirituality is 'The Love Police', a group that tours London with a
megaphone, drawing public attention to situations considered repressive and
hugging people as they are moved on. Videos are posted on YouTube. Another
example is 'The People's United Community' (TPUC), which advocates 'lawful
rebellion' on the basis of a clause in the Magna Carta allowing citizens to
ignore the law if they feel they are being unjustly governed. TPUC states that
it is neither for nor against politics or religion, it stands for “the truth of
love and the love of truth”.57

Unification is another key theme. Social networking sites such as Facebook are
used in conjunction with the global alternative and conventional media to
publicise campaigns. The New Age concept of 'Oneness' is frequently
encountered: Icke says that he loves the shadow government because “we are all
One” (490). Hip hop artist KRS-One raps,

You can love your neighbourhood without loving poverty … there's no reason to
fear the New World Order … but first you got to unify, stop this negativity,
control your creativity.58

Non-violent revolutions demand unity. Providers claim
safety in numbers—high public profiles confer protection. People must 'join the
dots to see the truth'—the shadow government is too well-hidden to see without
combined research.

Revealing 'truth' is an additional theme that runs through the movement.
Providers and audiences ascribe power to truth. They support whistle-blowers,
campaign for governments to end secrecy, and expose and publicise suppressed
evidence. KRS One says the shadow government “can't do nothing to a person who
stands with the truth … so stop the violence, stop hating yourself, seek peace,
restore women to their rightful place”.59

Matt Bellamy, lead singer of the internationally successful band 'Muse', is
influenced by Icke and other providers and is credited in turn as an
inspiration by best-selling author Stephenie Meyer. Bellamy says that
love-based resistance “in the Gandhi sense” is the most powerful, but having to
resist “kicking a few shop windows in” is frustrating.60 In interviews he says
he is an 'atheist'; nonetheless lyrics from his track Uprising, from Muse's
number one (September 2009) album The Resistance encapsulate conspirituality:

Interchanging mind control
Come let the revolution take its toll
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(so come on)

Criticisms of Conspirituality
Barkun (96) suggests that the radical right's NWO theories reached the
mainstream via UFO literature and expresses a concern that the left might adopt
them. Goodrick-Clarke, too, suggests that “The US militias, conspiracy cults,
and New Age cultural pessimism represent varied strands of popular radicalism
that are deeply hostile towards liberalism in modern politics and society”
(289). He writes, “The endemic spread of conspiracy theories in the New Age
milieu is a disturbing phenomenon” (299) and argues that the degeneration of
New Age “open anti-authoritarian egalitarian” outlooks into anxious myths “of
hostile elites and hidden threats” is down to “cultural pessimism” and
political disillusionment. This trend, he fears, could lead to neo-Nazism.
(ibid)

Conspirituality providers and audiences would argue that racism and
anti-Semitism are part of the old paradigm, not the new. David Icke says,

We need to drop the ludicrous, childish labels of Jew and Gentile and Muslim
and all this illusory crap and come together in the name of peace and justice
for all. There is not a Jewish injustice or a Palestinian injustice, there is
simply injustice.61Proponents of conspirituality might, however, admit to
cultural pessimism and political disillusionment. As public distaste at war
continues to grow—according to 2009 polls, two in three Britons want British
troops to leave Afghanistan and one in three want them out immediately62—for
many, mass consciousness seems to be shifting and non-violent new paradigm
solutions are the best way forward.

Conspirituality's Appeal
Conspirituality obviously appeals to clients who already believe in, or
suspect, the existence of a shadow government and a shift. As Goodrick-Clarke
suggests, some of these clients will originate from within the 'alternative'
movement. To build on his definition we may look to the notion of 'Cultural
Creatives' (Ray and Anderson)—people who are spiritually and politically
idealistic and imaginative. Ray and Anderson claim that 50 million American
adults fall into this category. Moreover,

60% of Americans identify with two or more themes of the new social movements:
Greens, Women's Lib, Civil Rights, Peace, Jobs and Social Justice, Gay Lib, the
Planetary problematique, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, etc. (Ray
56).63

Conspirituality could appeal to some Cultural Creatives.64 The
counter-culture of the 1960s and 1970s may be an attractive model: Icke
promotes music from that era on his web site and discusses his ayahuasca
awakening; KRS One lectures internationally about the history of the hip hop
movement; Wilcock writes about Woodstock. The extremes of conspirituality will
deter many, but the middle ground is extensive: mass audiences bought
Confessions of an Economic Hitman, downloaded Zeitgeist the Movie, and listen to
Muse.

Providers have credentials and appear credible to many, despite promoting
beliefs that often seem bizarre to non-subscribers. They are trustworthy
accomplices, having succeeded in acceptable 'real world' careers. David Icke
was a professional footballer, BBC sports commentator, and Green party
politician, while Bill Ryan of Project Camelot was a management consultant and
his counterpart Kerry Cassidy a film maker. Steven Greer worked as the director
of the A&E department of a North Carolina hospital. Jacques Fresco, inventor of
Zeitgeist the Movie and movement, is an architect. John Perkins was a government
official.

Conspirituality's wide and free subversive range accommodates many voices and
much of interest. A research paper about David Icke says:

Icke has tapped into the utopian longings of the masses in a potentially
liberatory way. Right-wing fanatics, leftist conspiracy buffs, New Agers,
college students, and an increasingly dissatisfied and questioning public the
world over have found something deeply provocative in Icke that cannot simply
be explained away as manifestations of a collective false-consciousness,
clinical paranoia, or, as Freud would say, group hypnosis. (Lewis and Kahn
70)

Conspirituality's success also lies in its flexibility. There is no
requirement to 'join'—involvement is free and user led: to listen to a
programme regularly, revisit a What's New page or attend a conference implies
affiliation—as loose or as committed as the client decides, to a wider group.
Providers extort people to do their own research. There is no pressure to do
anything but accept, reject or adapt information according to the client's
belief threshold. It accommodates all grades and shades of belief: David Icke
gives voice to anti-New Age writings and Jean Hudon, director of the Earth
Rainbow Network,65 promotes New Age channelling, yet both remain within the
conspirituality category. The flexibility of definition that surrounds its two
core convictions is such that most subscribers are able to agree—and to agree
to differ. Costs are minimal and the entertainment value is high, as the
possibilities of the web are maximised.

The events of 9/11 exposed many to conspirituality. As rumours that it was an
inside job undertaken to start a War on Terror spread via the web66—and
continue to spread—some will have found providers, such as Icke who received
publicity for his predictions that the shadow government would undertake a
'false flag' operation around 2001 to provoke a war with Islam, more appealing
than conventional political commentators or the radical right. Surfers would
have shopped around. Those who encountered conspirituality, but had not
previously held New Age beliefs in a shift, might have focused instead on
providers' political interpretations or transposed ideas of a shift into
concerns about 'earth changes' or 'waking up to what was going on'. They might
also have been attracted, at a time of crisis, by the optimism intrinsic to
core conviction 2 (concerning a mass shift in consciousness).

Conspiracist beliefs are now commonplace.67 Cynicism about the conventional
media has increased: 59% of Americans under thirty rely on the internet for
news rather than television68 and 64% of American internet news users believe
the mainstream is biased.69 Even so, the conventional media accommodate
conspiracism:70 Harper notes a growth in popular conspiracist literature.

Michael Moore's 'politically charged'71 2004 film Fahrenheit 9/11 went on
general release and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2009, Fox News
interviewed academics about the presence of nano-thermite in the dust at Ground
Zero,72 Guardian readers followed the harassment of a reporter covering the
Athens Bilderberg meeting,73 and reports of crop circles and declassified UFO
information were widely circulated.

Thus, with interest in conspiracist topics, web news, and spirituality growing,
the future looks bright for conspirituality. If the holistic milieu grows, this
sector is likely to benefit:

Many New Age authors are decidedly ambivalent about the role played by human
action in the coming of the New Age … many New Agers apparently realise that
this view may easily breed passivity, and therefore emphasize the importance of
the human contribution. (Hanegraaff 250)

Discussion
The formation of conspirituality offers much of theoretical interest. We
suggest some perspectives for further investigation. Barkun's notion of
'improvisational millennialist' belief systems may help explain how the New Age
and conspiracy sectors could merge:

Such odd conceptual structures are apt to contain elements from more than one
religious tradition, together with ideas from the New Age, occultism, science
and radical politics. These combinations do not appear “natural” since the
elements often come from seemingly unrelated domains, such as conspiracy
theories and fringe science, or from domains that appear to be in opposition,
such as fundamentalist religion and the New Age. (32)

Barkun quotes Stephen O'Leary, noting that “The discourses of conspiracy and apocalypse … are linked
by a common function: each develops symbolic resources that enable societies to
address and define the problem of evil” (10); millennialism describes the
mechanism for the defeat of evil which conspiracy theory has located.

Barkun extends Campbell's concept of the cultic milieu to include five
varieties of 'stigmatized knowledge' (forgotten, superseded, ignored, rejected,
suppressed) that, he suggests, constitute the appeal of conspiracy theory. They
might also constitute for some the appeal of certain sectors of the New Age—for
example, Theosophy—and all of conspirituality.

Conspirituality could be called a web movement, as the web is central to its
importation of political and spiritual ideology into the mainstream. Providers
such as Project Camelot and Zeitgeist the Movie originated on the web; their
presence outside it is only just starting to grow. The concept and dynamics of
a 'web movement' do not seem to have been explored by scholars, but it is clear
that the internet greatly assists the diffusion of innovation (Rogers).

Innovators have updated or simplified existing super-systemic conspiracy or New
Age models to be disseminated by opinion leaders. As web sites became easier
to access and build, transmission and adoption were facilitated. The virtual
social networks created by web users make it possible to spread ideas very
widely and very quickly.

When exploring religion online, Larsen talks about 'outsider' surfers who
particularly like to use the web, seeing themselves as a minority or having
experienced discrimination. Helland observes that “the Internet accommodates
those religions and groups who wish to be religious outside the control of an
organised religious institution” (23). Conspirituality might constitute a
genuine 'unofficial' online religion (Helland; McGuire), as opposed to religion
online. Its 'clergy' would abhor this definition, but mystery, revelation, and
prophecy are intrinsic to it.

Conspirituality could also be seen to fit into Wallis's 'world-accommodating'
category of religious movement: the world-affirming, cultic New Age and the
world-rejecting, sectarian conspiracy milieux have merged into a
world-accommodating—arguably mainstream—hybrid. Its providers display aspects
of charismatic authority (Weber), for example, claiming to have exclusive
access to secrets from whistle-blowers or through contact with
extraterrestrials.

In terms of social semiotics, language is a leveller. Terms such as 'NWO',
'oligarchy', 'shadow government', 'negative global elite', 'Illuminati',
'corporatocracy', 'military industrial complex', and so on are interchanged to
convey the user's view or taste. By virtue of the vocabulary they use, a
teenage rap musician interested in spirituality shares common ground with
someone who believes that 9/11 was an inside job. The multiple meanings of
these terms provide practical benefits: flexibility of definition confers
inclusiveness. For example, the terms 'shift' and 'waking up' can refer to
psycho-spiritual or socio-political processes, relative or objective.

Conspirituality unites its supporters despite their differences, permitting
self-determination within a wider movement.


Acknowledgements
Referees of the [i]Journal of Contemporary Religion offered valuable comments on an
earlier version of the paper. [/i]

Notes
1. Clients might reject the label 'conspirituality', seeing their political
beliefs as factual rather than 'paranoid' (Hofstadter) and disliking New Age
associations, but this movement is large enough to warrant a name.
Conspirituality, a word invented by a 'spiritually conscious, politically
charged' Canadian hip hop group, describes it succinctly.
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[American Dream]

A Mind in the Water

The dolphin as our beast of burden

BY D. GRAHAM BURNETT

Published in the May/June 2010 issue of Orion magazine



http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/ ... icle/5503/

FOR A BRACINGLY CONTRASTIVE glimpse of the bottlenose, one need only take a short drive south from the pink and green-blue towers of SeaWorld, climbing over the ridge of Point Loma on Nimitz Boulevard. A quick right turn, and Rosecrans Street peters out into a warren of armed gatehouses and federal installations. Welcome to the Bayside Campus of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), home to about seventy-five Tursiops truncatus, the majority of which are so-called “fleet animals” trained to perform military functions. Some of them deploy with the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Units (primarily in swimmer interdiction programs—i.e., the dolphins serve as underwater watchdogs), and others work with Navy Special Clearance Team One (primarily in mine detection operations—i.e., the dolphins assist in identifying and locating underwater explosives, using their natural capacities for echolocation).

Cleared through the checkpoint and clipped with a small red security tag, I make my way down to the water’s edge in the company of a minder from the Navy’s Public Affairs Office. Now and again the billowing thunder from a fighter jet—already long gone over the Pacific—momentarily forestalls communication and redlines the input indicator on my Dictaphone.

With the permission of my host, I step out onto the floating piers, where a dozen or so civilian employees pad around in flip-flops, wearing sun visors and carrying large, cylindrical, fish-filled Igloo coolers emblazoned in garish magic marker with names: Niño, Mu, Old Ben, Shasta, Belle. Here and there out of the honeycomb of docks a large bottlenose suddenly squirts from the water in a suspended vault, before splashing back into its pen, having seized a mackerel from a dockside handler. A few divers emerge from a shed, carrying their tanks and flippers; and three small center-console runabouts, battleship gray, nose in and out around the lattice of nested holding pens, license-plate-sized American flags flapping from long radio antennae.

My guide rehearses the official history and nonclassified operational specifics of the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program: Dating back to the early 1960s and emerging out of research into hydrodynamics (it was briefly thought that the study of dolphin swimming might lead to improvements in torpedo design), the Navy’s work with captive Tursiops eventually gave rise to a then-secret plan to deploy trained dolphins in Vietnam, as part of an effort to capture and/or kill Viet Cong sappers raiding the ammunition depots of Cam Ranh Bay. Though the deployment did not last for very long, Navy records accounted the program a success, and military divers continued to expand the scope of their tactical work with free-swimming trained bottlenose.

Some of the animals before me now are ready to go, should the call come. Bayside personnel pride themselves on their ability to get their Tursiops (which leap up out of the water into carrying slings on command) aboard the cargo planes—accompanied by their retinue of veterinary technicians and trainers, mobile tanks and filtration systems—in a matter of hours. Deployment specifics are classified, but mine-sweeping dolphins (often outfitted, cyborglike, with undersea cameras and other equipment) were used at the start of the most recent Iraq war, and there is every reason to think that some of the animals having their lunch right here have done a tour in the Persian Gulf. Indeed, with life spans of over forty years, it is quite possible that some of them have smelled the Mekong Delta—rumor has it that Toad, one of the beloved animals from the Cam Ranh Bay mission, is still alive, but no one will tell me where she is.

My guide, who has fielded queries from many Vietnam-obsessed conspiracy theorists over the years (Did the dolphins ever actually kill anybody? No no, they were only trained to “mark” intruders . . . ), would rather talk about the future. The latest plan is to use Navy Tursiops to ratchet up port security in the war on terror: trained bottlenose already assist in perimeter monitoring in the open water around moored military vessels at a base in King’s Bay, Georgia, and a similar arrangement is slated for deployment later this year at a Navy shipyard in Washington State, not far from Seattle. Not surprisingly, a number of animal protection groups oppose these projects, and dolphin-loving radicals from such organizations have attacked Navy marine mammal facilities on several occasions over the years, in efforts to liberate animals or damage equipment.

I descend the gangplank to the pools, and stand just a few feet from one of the animals, which rolls to its side to eye me, showing the lightest pink edging of a white belly. The gaze is steady, attentive; the body motionless. This is Belle, a military dolphin.

Wouldn’t the little girl in the pink dress on the other side of Point Loma be surprised to meet Belle? After all, she just might be a trained killer.

CONCEPTUALLY SPEAKING, San Diego’s geographically adjacent dolphin-worlds would seem to be a million miles apart. What is truly strange, then, is to discover that they are, genealogically speaking, kissing cousins.

The roots of this family tree lie buried in a set of forty-one boxes in the basement of the Stanford University Archives. These weathered files, acquired at a considerable price (rumored to touch the hem of seven figures), represent the personal and laboratory papers of the most important dolphin scientist of the twentieth century, the controversial neurophysiologist John Cunningham Lilly—the man who was, in effect, the spiritual grandfather of both the new age dolphin and its military alter ego. Lilly died in 2001, and though he is now widely reviled by those who study Tursiops truncatus professionally (working scientists have for some time tended to dismiss him as a lunatic or a charlatan), there is, in fact, no one who played a larger role in shaping modern ideas about dolphins. To the extent that Tursiops has been a hard-working Thoreauvian “beast of burden” for much of the last half century, it was John C. Lilly who put the smiling creature in harness.

So who was Lilly? His early biography offers little hint of what would be his enduring obsession with the bottlenose. Taking a degree in physics from Caltech in 1938, Lilly headed off to study medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, joining the war effort as a researcher in avionics. An early photo shows him as a rakish young scientist, smoking a corncob pipe while tinkering with a device designed to monitor the blood pressure of American flyboys—a number of whom, in those days, were actually using surfacing cetaceans for strafing practice.

After the war, motivated in large part by contact with the pioneering brain surgeon Wilder Penfield, Lilly turned his hand to neuroscience, applying the era’s expanding array of solid-state electronic devices to the monitoring and mapping of the central nervous system. Eventually appointed to a research position at the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), Lilly spent the better part of a decade conducting invasive cortical vivisection on a variety of animals, particularly macaques. In the spy-versus-spy world of the high Cold War, this kind of work had undeniably creepy dimensions. Manchurian Candidate anxieties about “forced indoctrination” and pharmacological manipulation of political loyalties peaked in the 1950s, and security establishment spooks (as well as a few actual thugs) hung around the edges of the laboratories where scientists were hammering electrodes into primate brains. Lilly later claimed not to care for that sort of thing, but in his prime as a government employee he had high-level security clearance—J. Edgar Hoover knew him by name—and was actively involved in research into brainwashing (or “reprogramming” as it was then called among the cognoscenti), sleep deprivation, and “operant control” of animals with wires implanted in the “pain centers” of their gray matter. Lilly’s papers from this period include a black-and-white photograph of two brain-wired monkeys at coitus, ostensibly being driven by remote electrical stimulation. It may have been some sort of inside joke around the lab, but maybe not.

It was about this time that Lilly learned from a European colleague, an oceanographer with military contracts to study the physiology of deep-diving, that the small toothed whales had surprisingly large brains—proportionately speaking nearly as large as those of human beings; and in absolute terms, bigger. Intrigued, Lilly got wind of an outfit in Florida—Marine Studios, which was at this time a cross between a public aquarium and an underwater sound stage for shooting swamp-thing-oriented B-movies—that had figured out how to keep bottlenose in captivity. By 1955 Lilly had found his way down to St. Augustine, in the company of a number of other researchers, to hammer some electrodes into Tursiops brains and see what happened.

This may sound flippant, but that was in fact the basic modus operandi in the early days of neurophysiology: stick electrode into brain; apply charge; observe animal; move electrode; repeat. The correlation of spasms, jerks, and eye-rolling with the position of the electrode eventually amounted to a cortical map. It was an ugly business, but the youthful Lilly was not a sentimental character. He wanted to get inside heads, and, if possible, get his hands on the steering wheel of consciousness—as can be surmised from the title of a shocking unpublished paper he prepared in these years, “Special Considerations of Modified Human Agents as Reconnaissance and Intelligence Devices,” where he noted proudly that “a technique for covert and relatively safe implantation of electrodes into the human brain has been devised”—a little hardware that would ultimately provide “push-button control of the totality of motivation and of consciousness.”

The dolphins, which (unlike people) do not continue breathing when anaesthetized, had the good fortune, for the most part, to die with merciful dispatch. One of them, however, before succumbing, made a set of wheezing phonations that Lilly interpreted as an effort to mimic the voices of the laboratory personnel. It was his eureka moment, and he would later equate it with the Copernican Revolution. For Lilly, and those who became his champions, that fateful day at Marine Studios would forever stand as the epiphany of a fundamental discovery: human beings were not at the center of the animal universe. After knocking firmly on countless mammalian brains, the energetic brain doctor finally got a reply—John C. Lilly had heard a voice.

To appreciate the rings of significance that widened from this laboratory scene, it is critical to understand that in the 1950s no one thought of whales and dolphins as “musical” or “intelligent” or—of all things—“spiritually enlightened.” At that time, the large whales were generally regarded as huge kegs of fat (useful for making soap), meat (good to feed to chickens), and fertilizer (best thing to do with what was left after you took the fat and meat), and the smaller dolphins and porpoises were mostly just a nuisance to fishermen—though bottlenose were sometimes actually hunted, since the fine oil in their jaw ducts was considered a superior lubricant for precision timepieces.

This context helps explain the furor that attended Lilly’s presentation, in May of 1958 (at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco), of a paper that made a set of dramatic claims for the intelligence and linguistic abilities of Tursiops truncatus. Despite his small and entirely anecdotal evidence, newspapers on both coasts picked up the fascinating story (Talking fish! What will they think of next?), and by the autumn of that year Lilly was writing grants for a major initiative to study cetacean communication and cognition. In a matter of months he had quit his job at NIMH, separated from his wife of two decades, and moved to the Caribbean. Initially using some of his own funds, but soon outfitted with a string of prestigious federal research awards (National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, Department of Defense, even NASA), Lilly founded his own nonprofit scientific establishment—the Communications Research Institute, or CRI—and built a dedicated dolphin laboratory, complete with holding tanks and state-of-the-art bioacoustical equipment, on Nazareth Bay at the eastern end of St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also married a woman from the Islands, a divorced fashion model named Elisabeth Bjerg.

ARCHIVE WORK IS, when you get right down to it, a pain in the ass. The chairs are hard, the room generally silent, the papers often boring. What’s worse, Palo Alto produces one perfect day after another. Time for a break. Time to do a little bodysurfing in the glorious, roiling waters of the Pacific.

An hour or so later I am tucked into my wetsuit (critical equipment for research trips) and making my way down to a small arc of sand nested at the bottom of a precipitous and eroding dune. The water is less cold than I feared, and I paddle out, feeling my neoprene skin fill with brine. A handful of hardboard surfers cork in a line about a hundred yards offshore, waiting for the combers that mount smoothly on the outside reef. By contrast, the shore break is sloppy, more up and down than straight ahead; but it still feels good to move freely in the active surf. When a fair-sized wave rises behind me, I give a kick, throwing my legs up into the curl. One stroke and I am in the churn, body stiff, chin tucked, hands out, splitting the liquid like a prow and feeling the hard sand as I am driven ashore.

Why was Lilly so amazingly successful at promoting his unlikely program of research on the bottlenose? After all, he managed to cash in upward of half a million dollars a year in grants at his peak—big money in those days. And for what? Dolphin communication? Rolling over in the spent foam of a receding wave and looking out across the heaving blue, it occurs to me that part of the answer lies right here: in the ocean and its changing meanings.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of being propelled through a slipstream in a sea surge, the rush of water seeming to lengthen the body into a fusiform streak. So natural does this watery pleasure feel, so native to the body and the mind, that one easily forgets the novelty and historical specificity of this way of experiencing the briny deeps. Granted, there have long been surfers and surf-swimmers among the traditional peoples of the Pacific islands, but it took a very long time for Anglo-Europeans to approach the sea with anything but anxiety and disgust. The beach as a locus of health and pleasure is a firmly nineteenth-century invention (before that it was a convenient place to throw garbage). And our crystalline vision of refreshing, turquoise waters teeming with beautiful fish would have had little currency before the mid-twentieth century—right about when Lilly turned to the bottlenose. Only then did the widening availability of inexpensive swim goggles and modestly safe diving equipment open leisured access to underwater vistas. Previously, the sea floor fell away in the imagination as murky and abysmal—unaccommodating, hostile, black.

The 1950s and 1960s, then, saw the emergence of a new and widespread cultural preoccupation with the undersea world, a burst of interest on which Lilly drew and capitalized, and to which he ultimately contributed. It was in a file that he had labeled, somewhat ominously, “Solitude,” that I found Lilly’s dog-eared paperback copy of The Silent World, the popular oceanic vade-mecum authored by the psychopomp of SCUBA, Jacques Cousteau, and popularized in the U.S. in the late ‘50s in connection with a successful motion picture of the same name. Significantly, Lilly had marked with care a number of passages, all of which dealt with the kinetic and tactile experience of being submerged, weightless, isolated, and sensitized by a descent into the aquatic realm.

Lilly was no diver, however. His deep fascination with these feelings hails from a very different arena: his long-standing research into that menacing corner of the human sciences known as sensory deprivation. While still working for the government at NIMH, Lilly and several collaborators developed a new technique for testing the psychological stability of human beings under sustained isolation and reduced sensory input: the flotation tank. Warm water, circulating silently through a perfectly dark chamber, buoyed a naked experimental subject over whose whole head had been fitted a latex mask attached to life-support and monitoring devices. Money for this sort of research hailed, of course, from the military, which was mostly curious how pilots and submariners (and potentially astronauts) would fare during long spells of lonely tedium. When it turned out that many subjects rapidly came unhinged in this disorienting environment, unforeseen possibilities emerged: the technology could be used in personality assessment, and perhaps also in personality adjustment. Lilly himself—fearless about self-experimentation, and already beginning to conceive of himself as a cosmonaut of consciousness—spent many hours encased in his own tanks, exploring what happened when a mind in the water was left to its own devices. The results were trippy (this was, after all, the Lilly that would later inspire the sci-fi thriller Altered States), but he was convinced that the mentally sophisticated and strong—those with what he would eventually call “wet courage”— could thrive under these conditions. One had to transcend the terror, because a kind of enlightenment lay on the other side.

Suspended in warm water, in perfect darkness, Lilly became, you might say, a brain in a vat. And he liked it. Liked it enough that he took a flotation tank with him to his new St. Thomas dolphin laboratory, where it soon became an important tool in his increasingly eccentric pursuit of cetacean intelligence. His own lengthening spells in weightless submersion led him to ponder with mounting awe the sort of mammalian brain that would evolve to dwell in the deep sea. It would be, he decided, a mind like his own, only more so: fearless, deep, and self-sufficient—an expansive intelligence in contemplation of itself. Moving to the Caribbean, Lilly mostly left the electrodes behind, and embarked on a new way of getting inside the heads of his experimental animals: rather than cracking them open like nuts and rewiring them like doorbells, he would cogitate his way in, commensurating his intelligence to theirs, becoming, through strenuous exercises of sympathetic convergence, his own instrument—more and more he wanted to “think like a dolphin.” Thus a nasty piece of Cold War psy-ops technology was launched on a new career path: as the head-trip hot-tub of psychedelia. Before long, Lilly, floating in the dark, was piping the feed from the hydrophones in the dolphin tanks to his own stereo headphones and trying to imagine what it would be like to “see” with sound. And that was pretty far out.

ON THE GRANT APPLICATIONS, however, the central research project of Lilly’s Caribbean dolphin institute was more straightforward: “communication.” At the most basic level this meant studying the phonations of Tursiops truncatus in an effort to understand if they could communicate with each other, and, by extension, if we could communicate with them. Like any savvy fund-raiser, Lilly sold his idea of intelligent and communicative dolphins to different people in different ways, and he started with those he knew best: his earliest and most important backers were in the military.

One of Lilly’s old classmates from Caltech, William B. McLean, had gone on to glory as a wizard of warcraft, developing the Sidewinder (the first functional air-to-air missile), and rising to serve as the technical director of the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) in China Lake, California. McLean was struck by Lilly’s visionary ideas, and had him out to NOTS for a briefing—where he clearly stimulated some out-of-the-box thinking. Sifting Lilly’s correspondence from these heady and secretive years, I discovered a magnificently cryptic letter from an excited Navy researcher at NOTS following up on the visit:

I have wondered whether it might not be feasible to attempt to develop some mechanical equipment that a dolphin might use . . . [and] wondered whether it might be at all feasible (and I realize that this idea may sound a little fantastic) to arm dolphins with some sort of weapon that would enable them more easily to attack shark . . .

And why not something more elaborate, like,

. . . the possibility of developing some dolphin toys, large complex mechanical devices that might be of some interest to dolphins in the open seas, that would involve some kinds of buttons to push that would generate running water, perhaps with one trained dolphin teaching others.

It is surpassingly unlikely that the Navy was contemplating mid-ocean dolphin playgrounds at the height of the Cold War. The veils of euphemism barely conceal that something considerably more germane to national defense was on the drawing boards at China Lake. Lilly himself, writing a few years later, was more explicit:

They could be very useful as antipersonnel self-directing weapons. They could do nocturnal harbor work, capture spies let out of submarines or dropped from airplanes, attacking silently and efficiently and bringing back information from such contacts. They could deliver atomic nuclear warheads and attach them to submarines or surface vessels and to torpedoes and missiles.


By 1961, the Navy had developed its own research program on dolphin communications and intelligence, and two years later a formal Navy facility for marine mammal study and training had been opened at the Naval Missile Center at Point Mugu, a little north of Los Angeles. Lilly, however, who was spending more and more time in his flotation tank trying to commune with his experimental animals, would soon be persona non grata at this facility, despite his having had a hand in its creation. The buzz-headed types had noticed that Lilly was getting a little, well, weird.

But the Navy was never Lilly’s only paymaster. Persuaded that he had glimpsed a genuine dolphin “intelligence” in the late 1950s, Lilly also succeeded in selling the nation’s nascent space administration on the idea that his dolphin laboratory could provide a model system for “breaking through” to a nonhuman mind. In the era of Sputnik this meant actual extraterrestrials, which may sound crazy now, but these issues lay on the cutting edge of national concern in those days: if we met the little green men (or, more likely, started receiving radio signals from deep space that looked to carry nonstochastic levels of information), what would we do? Lilly promised that dolphins offered a chance to rehearse, and he positioned CRI as a visionary organization conducting fundamental work in exobiology. In fact, by 1962, Lilly even presided as the “Grand Dolphin” over a kind of semiserious secret society of prominent astrophysicists, radio astronomers, atmospheric chemists, and computer engineers who called themselves “The Order of the Dolphin,” wore small, engraved Tursiops insignia (a little like a tie clip), and exchanged messages in binary code to test each others’ readiness for extraterrestrial contact.

One of these visionary “Dolphins” was a brilliant young Harvard astrophysicist named Carl Sagan, who made his way down to St. Thomas several times in these years to meet Lilly’s dolphins and muse about alternate forms of life in the cosmos.

By 1964, “Want to come and see my dolphins?” had become an irresistible invitation.

THAT WAS BECAUSE by the early 1960s Lilly and his dolphins had become a national, indeed an international, phenomenon. In the wake of the initial flurry of interest in his 1958 claims about the linguistic abilities of Tursiops truncatus, Lilly seized a trade-book contract and gave free rein to his exuberant imagination. The resulting volume—Man and Dolphin, published by Doubleday in 1961—offered an intrepid-scientific-explorer narrative of the building of the Nazareth Bay lab, together with some headline-ready suggestions about the future of human-dolphin interactions. Passages of startling weirdness (if dolphins prove as intelligent as the initial studies suggest, then “for a long time presumably they will be in the position of the Negro races in Africa who are attempting to become Westernized”) were buttressed by pseudo-technical appendices on neuroanatomy and illegible sonographs of Tursiops phonation. The book, with its tincture of Planet of the Apes fantasy and just-the-facts authority, thrust Lilly onto the national stage in earnest as the iconoclastic boffin of porpoise intelligence: an appearance on the Jack Paar Show followed, together with a photo-spread in Life magazine, talking dolphins in New Yorker cartoons, and glowing reviews throughout the national press. The initial print run of Man and Dolphin sailed off the shelves, and Lilly’s Rolodex swelled to include White House contacts, Hollywood film celebrities, and a host of enthusiasts, fans, and well-to-do hangers-on.

Inspired by Lilly’s depiction of CRI as a kind of Swiss Family Robinson outpost (Man and Dolphin played up the fact that Lilly and his beautiful new wife and their respective children all lived at the lab and participated in the research), the Florida-based Hungarian émigré film director Ivan Tors undertook to produce a film about a Lassie-like dolphin and the family it loves. The 1963 blockbuster Flipper not only gave Lilly a credit line (and research support out of the proceeds); it also gave the world its first “domestic” marine mammal—a lovable, faithful, gentle, and chuckling companion.

Another Hungarian, the physicist Leo Szilard, also boosted Lilly’s cachet in this period, citing him by name in a biting and popular satire on the nuclear arms race, The Voice of the Dolphins. This futurist tale, which emerged out of Szilard’s conversations with Lilly in the late 1950s in Washington, depicts a Soviet-American scientific research institute that departs from Lilly’s work and seemingly succeeds in communicating with dolphins; they prove to be brilliant strategic thinkers, and help steer humans away from thermonuclear devastation. (They are the Delphic oracles—get it?)

The general hubbub attracted a steady stream of high-profile visitors to St. Thomas in the early 1960s, perhaps none more important to the emerging vision of the bottlenose than the quirky and brilliant British anthropologist Gregory Bateson, already well known as an avant-garde social theorist with an appetite for cybernetics. After reading Man and Dolphin, Bateson wrote Lilly an admiring letter, pressing him to think still harder about the ways that Tursiops truncatus could serve its human interlocutors. Indulging his appetite for ethnographic speculation concerning the minds of others (together with an immoderate enthusiasm for semiotics and psychology), Bateson laid out a sweeping theory of cross-species language development: human beings, in his view, possessed a language disproportionately preoccupied with stuff. This was our joy and our pain, since the evolution of such thing-centered linguistic abilities had gone hand in hand with the extraordinary material culture of Homo sapiens, from moldboard plows to supersonic cruise missiles. Yet in Bateson’s view this same evolution had left us with a grotesquely impoverished intelligence in the domain of social relations: those intersubjective complexities, he averred, “are very poorly represented in language and consciousness.” Homo faber was, in this sense, “stunted,” and the consequences, for Bateson, were clear: war, social conflict, pervasive psychological maladjustment.

Enter the bottlenose. Permit a human-sized intelligence to develop over millions of years in a highly social animal, which—on account of its aquatic evolution—possessed no hands, and thus no real capacity to manipulate a material culture, and it was reasonable to hypothesize that the cognition of such a creature would be radically, fundamentally, pervasively social. Theirs would be a language not of things but of beings. As Bateson put it to Lilly, “If I am right, and they are mainly sophisticated about the intricacies of interpersonal relationships, then of course (after training analysis) they will be ideal psychotherapists for us.”

The Navy definitely had no need for dolphin psychoanalysts, and neither did NASA. But around the end of 1964, Lilly—whose second marriage was in free fall, and whose much-hyped research was generating nugatory publishable results—needed all the help he could get. More than ever he needed to listen to the dolphins; and he needed to hear them.

SO HOW DO YOU “break through”? Well, this had always been Lilly’s basic preoccupation as a scientist of the mind. And indeed, over the course of his decade of intensive dolphin research, Lilly can be understood to have more or less sequenced through the whole battery of Cold War techniques for dealing with a tight-lipped foreign asset held in captivity. Initially committed, in the late 1950s, to that spookish tool kit of techno-maniacal assaults on the cranium (picture a Frankenstein-like cap with electrodes penetrating the skull), Lilly gradually moved, at CRI, to less invasive approaches with his animals. But he nevertheless continued to draw on the playbook of those psy-ops intelligence services that shaped his early training in neurophysiology. For instance, by the early 1960s he was testing code-breaking techniques, having been granted access to one of the very earliest programmable electronic computers, which he used to try to sieve recordings of dolphin vocalizations for patterns, deploying the same statistical methods as Cold War cryptographers. A little later he began experimenting with “chronic contact” scenarios, which involved “isolating” a dolphin in constricted quarters with a human agent, on the assumption that a conversion of loyalties would result. To this end, Lilly even redesigned the St. Thomas laboratory with floodable living quarters, and initiated a set of long-term cohabitation experiments in which a male dolphin and a human female in a leotard and lipstick (to help the dolphin see her mouth move, of course) spent weeks interacting in a confined space. Lilly had her read Planet of the Apes to prepare for the work.

This sort of deracinating, intensive environment—colored with erotic potential—belonged, of course, to the world of counterespionage debriefings. Lilly did not explicitly advertise these dimensions of his project, preferring to talk of the need to treat the dolphin like a child, positioned to learn human language from the continuous attentions and baby talk of a new “mother.” But he was by no means unhappy when an Oedipal scene unfolded underwater: with all the inevitability of a classical drama, this newest effort at interspecies communication eventually climaxed in what is probably the very oldest form of human-animal intimacy—sexual contact.

Pressed by an increasingly desperate Lilly to recognize that she needed to open herself to the dolphin’s solicitations (and warned by him against succumbing to the blinders of her own cultural preoccupations and psychological blockages), the young experimenter eventually decided that the randy and terrifying buckings of her imprisoned subject animal were themselves nothing less than his effort to communicate. In the protocols of her experimental notebooks she recorded coming to feel that her sharp-toothed roommate was doing the best he could to solicit her in a more and more gentle manner; it fell to her to meet him halfway, stroking him to a shuddering calm.

Lilly chalked it up as a victory for interspecies contact. But Swiss Family Robinson it was not. Neither was Lilly’s final effort to hear what the dolphins were saying, which involved the use of lysergic acid diethylamide, otherwise known as LSD.

This now seems to us, perhaps, paradigmatic of the mid-’60s moment, and in this sense, inevitably, a little comic. But such a reaction trades considerably on hindsight. After all, Lilly’s use of pharmaceutical-grade LSD-25 on his experimental subjects was entirely consistent with the trajectory of his borrowings from the Cold War sciences of mind and behavior. Indeed, the drug was widely tested at Veterans Hospitals in the United States as an aid to psychotherapy, in that it was understood to break down inhibition and open pathways to hidden parts of consciousness. It was precisely these putative features of LSD that drew it to the attention of the CIA, which used this powerful psychotropic agent both with and without the awareness of human subjects in these years. As a federal researcher Lilly secured the product (which was a controlled substance) from Sandoz Pharmaceuticals under an NIMH contract, and was explicit about his intentions to give it to the dolphins. I am quite certain that no one evaluating the application would have batted an eyelash, since there were plenty of neuroscientists giving LSD-25 to captive animals in those days—including fish, dogs, and primates. It made perfect sense to try it on the animal that seemed to offer the greatest promise of cognitive sophistication.

In fact, if the project was communication—if the inhibitions and blind spots of the experimenter were no less a hindrance than the resistance of the subject, if the aim, in the end, was nothing less than the commensuration of minds—then perhaps it was the scientist who needed the LSD even more than the dolphin? Or better yet, both scientist and dolphin could take it together, and then, for the first time, really, they might come to an understanding—floating in the blue water, listening to the strange sounds echoing through their heads.

Together they were drifting over a cultural watershed. Lilly and his dolphins had tuned in and turned on.

AND, SOON ENOUGH, they had dropped out. Or, more like, been kicked out. By the end of 1965, still short of peer-reviewed publications, and with rumors of his increasingly idiosyncratic experimental practices swirling among his professional colleagues (including several who had been folded into the Navy’s rapidly expanding marine mammal project), Lilly faced devastating evaluations from a visiting board of grant examiners—an assessment of his work that effectively torpedoed his research program and shuttered the Nazareth Bay laboratory. Incensed, Lilly fell back to Miami, writing furious letters to old allies and accusing the Navy scientists of staging a military coup in Tursiops research.

Perhaps they had, but the damage was done. In the thick of a second divorce, all his grants revoked or terminated, his fancy computer repossessed by the feds, a defiant and unrepentant Lilly very publicly released his research animals back into the open water whence they had come. Claiming flamboyantly that these brilliant and otherworldly animals had finally succeeded in “reprogramming” him, John Lilly—the star neurophysiologist now turned pied piper of delphinid spiritual awakening—set out for the West Coast, became a regular at Esalen, took to wearing futuristic jumpsuits, and increasingly promoted Zen Buddhism and the mind-expanding virtues of a variety of psychopharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, a number of Lilly’s erstwhile dolphin-researcher colleagues were doing their part to help the Navy win Southeast Asia.

This strange rupture effectively established the curious double legacy of the modern bottlenose: the flower children all learned that Tursiops truncatus was an erotically liberated, spiritually profound pacifist, intent on saving humans from their materialistic, violent, and repressive lives; meanwhile, over on the other side of Point Loma, a coterie of (equally) Lilly-inspired marine mammal biologists busily worked to teach these creatures how to recognize and neutralize enemy combatants.

A caricatured view of the 1960s depicts doves and hawks facing off on opposite sides of the barricades: daisies on this side, gun barrels on that. It is easy to think of the dolphin story as similarly drawn up in ranks: the Navy’s weaponized dolphins belonged to the hawks; the stained-glass dolphin decals on VW microbuses swam with the freaks and the hippies. But what Lilly’s several lives show, what the bottlenose story shows—indeed, what a host of deeper researches into the history of Cold War military technology, computing, sexual identity, music, and the drug culture all show—is that the two sides that would later come to blows, the Cold War and the counterculture, were initially quite intimate, were born, in fact, as Siamese twins.

[American Dream]

http://blotterati.com/writing-archive/d ... eful-dead/


Deadisticism: The Magic and Mysticism of the Grateful Dead

by Matthew Rick

“They’re a band beyond description,
like Jehovah’s favorite choir.
People join in hand in hand while the music plays the band
Lord, they’re setting us on fire”
– “The Music Never Stopped” by John Barlow and Bob Weir

Centuries from now, if someone were to dig through the pages of rock ‘n’ roll history it is doubtful that they would find a 20th century musical act that would generate more mystery, curiosity and misconception than the bizarre entity known as the Grateful Dead, with its tie-dyed legions of the faithful, the Deadheads. Believed by many to be the musical “keepers of the flame” of the elusive “spirit of the Sixties,” the Dead were also, consciously and unconsciously, involved in the creation and continual reinvention of a living, growing mythical universe, filled with images, archetypes and references ranging from the mundane to the arcane.

Since their inception in 1965, the Grateful Dead had always been associated with magic, mysticism, and folklore. Even the band’s former name, The Warlocks, meant a group of male wizards. Through the years, from their legacy as the House Band at the Merry Prankster’s Acid Tests to their disbandment following the death of singer / guitarist and reluctant frontman Jerry Garcia, magic remained a vital ingredient in the Grateful Dead experience.

According to Deadhead lore, Jerry Garcia drew the band’s name from a 1955 Funk and Wagnall’s New Practical Standard Dictionary of the English Language. The definition was as follows:

grateful dead – The motif of a cycle of folk tales which begin with the hero’s coming upon a group of people ill-treating or refusing to bury the corpse of a man who had died without paying his debts. He gives his last penny, either to pay the man’s debts or to give him a decent burial. Within a few hours he meets with a travelling companion who aids him in some impossible task, gets him a fortune, saves his life, etc. The story ends with the companion’s disclosing himself as the man whose corpse the other had befriended. 1.

This definition of the Grateful Dead gives an image of the band that is closely linked to karmic retribution (or, in the more vernacular, “what goes around comes around.”) Such sentiments were evident everywhere at Grateful Dead shows, from lyrics such as “whichever way your pleasure tends, if you plant ice, you’re gonna harvest wind” to the gifting of “miracle tickets” (free tickets handed out — often by complete strangers — to ticketless heads in the lot.)

But what’s in a name? After all, Garcia merely drew the name at random from a dictionary and liked it for its weird appeal. He apparently had no knowledge that the curious moniker had roots which may date back to a passage from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The passage, included in part on the cover of the band’s first album, today graces the walls of many head shops across the nation. It reads:

Amidst the sullen Darkness
there shown a solitary Lite
For it is known
‘Neath the Sands of the Pharoahs
That deep in
the Land of Nite,
The Ship of the Sun is drawn by
The Grateful Dead.2.

Alone, a name associated with cryptic references is not enough to account for the mystique surrounding the Dead, though. There was no mistaking that they were not America’s standard Top 40 pop music fare. Even during the anti-war ’60′s, the Dead gave little lip service to the protest movements. Their early lyrics, most often the work of Robert Hunter, were more likely to sound like zen koans than New Left political rhetoric, and the music had a style that was too erratic to be easily packaged into commercial radio.

Much of this was due to their bizarre heritage. Coming from backgrounds in a diverse range of musical training and interests ranging from roots music, folk, jazz, classical, bluegrass and blues, The Dead went from being an amateur jug band to plugging in and becoming rock ‘n’ rollers. With the additional perspective lent by the infusion of LSD, and a creative space to improvise and explore new musical terrain, provided by the Merry Pranksters, an iconoclastic cadre of Beat inspired psychedelicists, the Dead began what Garcia would later describe as a thirty year “psychopharmamusicalogical experiment.” The result was a band that was much more interested in exploring their musical potential than in cutting singles.

In describing how the Warlock/GD performances at the Pranksters’ Acid Tests would change to suit the moods of the audience and venue on a particular night, Prankster Ken Kesey said, “They weren’t just playing what was on the music sheets, they were playing what was in the air. That means that the band [had] to be supple.”3.

Then there was the Cassady factor. Through the influence of Neal Cassady, the infamous Dean Moriarty of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and, later, the madman who comandeered the Prankster bus FURTHUR from coast to coast, the Grateful Dead became, in many respects, the spiritual legatees of the Beats. Similarly, the Deadheads were the natural descendants of the Dharma Bums, carrying on the rucksack revolution where Kerouac’s little St. Theresa bum left off.

During and after the Acid Tests as the band continued to play off one another’s strengths and weaknesses, they developed a sense of “misfit power” and found their analogues not in music history texts but in the pages of science fiction novels. A particular favorite was Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human, in which the main characters comprise an entity that is collectively more powerful than its component parts.

At live performances, the band discovered that this organism was made up not only of themselves, but of the audience as well. In time, a reciprocal agreement developed between them and their audience. At their best, energy was exchanged, raised to higher and higher plateaus, reach a peak or crescendo, and then taper, allowing for a safe re-entry into the trials and tribulations of everyday life, often providing new insights brought about by a change of perspective.

Although unwilling to interpret their role as a vehicle for personal transformation, the band acknowledged that they were interested in utilizing the music as a vehicle for something than extended beyond recreation.

As Jerry Garcia would later say, “I think basically the Grateful Dead is not for cranking out rock and roll, it’s not for going out and doing concerts or any of that stuff. I think it’s to get high. To get really high is to forget yourself. And to forget yourself is to see everything else. And to see everything else is to become an understanding molecule in evolution, a conscious tool of the universe. And I think every human being should be a conscious tool of the universe.” 4.

Some nights the band and audience were capable of achieving this lift-off. Other nights they were not. But year after year, this band beyond description would tour the country, playing more sold-out concerts than any other band in the known history of the universe.

Dead Tour became the natural heir of West Coast bohemianism. The passing of the torch from the Beats to the psychedelicists, through the being of Neal Cassady, is well documented in Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. When the Haight-Ashbury district became crippled by floods of homeless children and too many wolves in sheep’s clothing, the Dead moved north to Marin and Mendocino counties and the “scene” continued to thrive where it began — on the road. The road was the central spiritual metaphor that ran throughout the Grateful Dead universe. The band and fans would criss-cross the country two and three times a year, and Dead Tour became the archetypal Fool’s Journey of the Saint of the Circumstance on the Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion.

As many a Tour Head will attest, the magic of the Grateful Dead was in being present — witnessing that moment when one of the band’s legendary space jams would open up and the music would lift off into the unknown. These moments also brought with them experiences of personal revelation and a sense of connectedness, a feeling of being part of a larger whole, not unlike being cells that make up an organism.

Once these feelings began to be articulated, heads began to discover that they were not alone in these sensations and subsequently they developed a language to talk about these shared experiences. Perhaps the most common and easily accessible term was “the groupmind — the collective identity or gestalt created at Deadshows.”5.

With The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, in many ways the definitive book on West Coast psychedelia, Tom Wolfe tried to capture the mojo, the groupmind gestalt, shared between the Merry Pranksters, and, by extension, the people who attended the Acid Tests by describing it in terms of sacred geometry. The phenomena was The Unspoken Thing, which occasionally gave way to kairos — the supreme moment — a time when temporal time intersected with universal time to bring about — COSMO! — a lightning flash of illumination. Zen master satori!

“Every once in a while you get shown the light

In the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

Nevertheless, there was no way to force the mojo. The supreme moment could be coaxed along by band and audience, but there were never any guarantees.

“We can raise the sail, but we can’t make the wind come. ‘Raising the sail’ is preparing to be moved. Spirit is the wind, the sense of musical well-being, of being together. This is a unanimous process.” 6. — Mickey Hart

Magical references abound in the Grateful Dead universe, and heads frequently consult oracles and use synchronicity as signposts. In recalling his earliest travels with Neal Cassady, singer/ guitarist Bob Weir speaks of “Radio I Ching” and the words on the radio corresponding to the spontaneous raps pouring from Cassady’s mouth. In time, the Deadheads began to recognize a similar phenomena as Radio I Ching — hearing the band sing thoughts that mirrored their own consciousness. Or the outer world, as in the case where the Dead played their crowd pleaser “Fire on the Mountain” in Portland, Oregon, at about the same time that Mount St. Helens erupted for the second time in three weeks.7.

Synchronicity, or presence of “meaningful coincidences” abounds in the Deadhead cosmology. There is even an example of one such “meaningful coincidence” in a popular translation of the I Ching text. The fifty-sixth hexagram, Fire on the Mountain, is described “The image of the Wanderer.” As noted in the previous paragraph, “Fire on the Mountain” is a highly popular Dead tune. What could better describe a Deadhead than “the image of the wanderer”?

Similarly, references to Deadisticism appear in other obscure texts. The term Dead Head for example: “In the alchemical process there was a phase called the ‘Caput Mortuum,’ or ‘Dead Head,’ — the ‘Nigredo’ or ‘Blackening’ that was said to occur before the precepitation of the philosopher’s stone.”8. If taken to its natural conclusion, this would seem to imply that the Deadhead phenomena, on a universal scale, is an alchemical phase (the Nigredo perhaps describing the prevalence of self-destructive hedonism on Dead Tour?) necessary before the precipitation of universal enlightenment. (Or simply “furthur” proof of what Prankster Wavy Gravy refers to as “the Cosmic Giggle”?)

On the band’s side of the laminated curtain there are plenty of references to magical symbolism as well. In the early Seventies, band members and extended family began a company to do extensive tinkering with experimental sound equipment (producing such results as their legendary Wall of Sound). For the name of the company, Bear, the band’s resident alchemist, chose Alembic, an alchemical vessel wherein gold is distilled from the dross. In a 1973 Deadheads newsletter, St. Dilbert, the patron saint of Hypnocracy, used Uroborous, the ancient mystical symbol of a serpent swallowing its tail, to describe the bands viscious circle of More Gigs – Larger Halls – More Equipment – Bigger Organization – Larger Overhead – More Gigs… ad infinitum. (If the poor saint only knew how Uroborous’ hunger would grow in twenty years to follow…)

According to the largely unpopular book The Dead by Hank Harrison, Harrison claims that during this period he was making regular trips to the Warburg Institute, home of one of the world’s most extensive libraries of hermetic literature, and bringing back mystic volumes that the Dead were reading voraciously.

In addition, there is evidence that individual members of the band, to varying degrees, were interested in actively exploring and utilizing techniques that have come to be called “magical.” Though reluctant to speak of such things, fearing (perhaps quite wisely) that Tour Heads will mistakenly give unwanted weight and misunderstanding to their words, the Dead venture into specifics on occasion.

Lyrcist Robert Hunter is a poet in the manner described by Robert Graves in The White Goddess. When Hunter speaks of “invoking the muse” to produce his finest works, he insists “the muse is not a trope.”9.

“I’ve got this one spirit that’s laying roses on me. Roses, roses — can’t get enough of those bloody roses. (The spirit) gives me a lot of other good lines too, but if I don’t put the roses in, it goes away for a while. It’s the most prominent image, as far as I’m concerned, in the human brain. Beauty, delicacy, short-livedness… There is no better allegory for — dare I say it? — life, than roses. It never fails. When you put a rose somewhere, it’ll do what it’s supposed to do. Same way with certain jewels — I like a diamond here, a ruby there, a rose, certain kinds of buildings, vehicles, gems. These things are real, and the word evokes the thing. That’s what we’re working with, evocation.”10.

Apparently a similar muse was visiting Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse when they first discovered the “Skull ‘n’ Roses,” one of the most prominent Grateful Dead symbols. Skull ‘n’ Roses (or Skullfuck as the band likes to refer to it) was originally an illustration by Edmund J. Sullivan in The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a Persian spiritual text. The design was utilized by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse as the center piece of an Avalon Ballroom poster for the band in 1968. “We had been looking for something to use for the Grateful Dead. Kelley and I just looked at each other and said, ‘ There it is, the perfect picture.’ And so we designed a poster around that picture. We knew when it was finished that it was really hot because it felt right. It just fit so good with the name. The skeleton that symbolized death and the roses that symbolized rebirth and love. It just said Grateful Dead.”11.

Throughout their career, the band ventured into numerous unorthodox waters, always pushing the outer limits of what it meant to be a rock ‘n’ roll band. While never espousing a particular philosophy or belief system, they took pleasure in playing “power spots,” often on auspicious dates like solstices and equinoxes. In 1987 during the much publicized Harmonic Convergence, the Dead played Telluride, Colorado, following a set by Babatunde Olatunji. And, of course, the band played historic concerts in Egypt in 1978, where some members of the band’s extended family were even allowed access to see the Ship of the Sun.

Very few, if any, people on the Grateful Dead Tour would admit to believing that they thought Jerry Garcia was God, but the widespread belief that the Deadheads were a personality cult who worshipped Garcia persisted. This was most evident in the rumors and mystery surrounding The Spinners (more formally, The Family of Unlimited Devotion). The Spinners were a communal group of young people in peasant dresses and other austere clothing who would twirl in the hallways of Deadshows and were often seen prostrate on the floor of the venues after Garcia would finish songs.

When asked about the Spinners, Garcia replied, “They’re kind of like our Sufis. I think it’s really great that there’s a place where they can be comfortable enough to do something with such abandon. It’s nice to provide that. That’s one of the things I’m proud of the Grateful Dead for. It’s like free turf.”12.

When asked how he felt about the Jerry is God phenomena, Garcia responded with characteristic humor, “Anybody who thinks I’m God should talk to my kids.” Did he mind being the focal point of a religious group? “Well, I’ll put up with it until they come for me with the cross and the nails.”13.

Caroline Rago, formerly a core member of the Family of Unlimited Devotion, said that the idea that they believed Jerry was God was a misconception. In the Spinner cosmology, she likened him more to an avatar — describing a role similar in many respects to the one attributed to Bob Marley by Rastafarians. “He was the cosmic minstrel who provided the channel,” she said.14.

Well into his eighties, the prominent mythologist Joseph Campbell discovered the Grateful Dead. Not usually a fan of rock ‘n’ roll, Campbell’s interest was piqued by the Dead’s myth making capacity. After attending a concert and seeing the audiences interest and enthusiasm, he claimed that they were “the antidote to the atom bomb.”15.

Expressing and appreciating love and humor are perhaps the most crucial keys to understanding Deadisticism. Any attempt to describe the spiritual or transcendent qualities of the Grateful Dead without mention of the humor present on all levels, is sorely lacking. Humor is, in fact, the single most vital element in the Grateful Dead, perhaps even more crucial than the music itself. The Dead’s roots are in Prankster antics, and it is this sense of benign mischief that has been the social glue holding band and fans together through many a difficult year. “When you lose your sense of humor, it just isn’t funny anymore,” Mr. Gravy reminds.

Why has the Grateful Dead become one of the most cherished myth making faculties in the last half of the twentieth century? Perhaps because they have never tried to impose meaning or belief systems on any of their listeners. Perhaps because they recognized early on that the whole was more powerful than its component parts.

Through it all, very few people in the band’s nucleus or immediate family, were willing to offer definitive statements. If the Dead were dogmatic about anything, it was a dogmatic avoidance of dogma. Perhaps John Barlow summed up the phenomenon best. “[Deadheads] have what I consider to be one of the most positive developments in the history of spirituality: a religion without beliefs.”16.

End Notes

1. Official Book of the Deadheads, Paul Grushkin

2. This passage has often been cited as coming from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, but according to Bob Stone, it appears nowhere in the original Coptic.

3. Video short by Pete Shapiro following the video “Tie-Dyed: Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Most Deadicated Fans.”

4. Garcia: A Signpost to New Space, p. 127.

5. Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads. p. 127.

6. Grateful Dead Family Album, p. 227.

7. Grushkin, p.11.

8. Holy Blood, Holy Grail, p.82.

9. Lecture, The Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado, July, 1993.

10. Bay Area Music Magazine, cited by Brandilius, p. 150 GD Family Album.

11. One More Saturday Night.179-181.

12. Magical Blend

13. Magical Blend

14. Discussion, Light the Song: A Contemplative Retreat for Deadheads, Northfield Mount Herman

15. Campbell quote — lecture at SF State “Ritual and Rapture: From Dionysus to the Grateful Dead.” (Author’s note: This concept was not unique to Campbell. More than one psychedelicist has noted that LSD was discovered at the same time as the splitting of the atom, intensifying humanities’ spiral into the unknown. And one year before LSD was declared illegal in the United States, the Grateful Dead appeared, singing lyrics penned by a man who’d been introduced to LSD by the CIA funded MK-ULTRA program. The MK stood for Mind Kontrol.)

16. Skeleton Key, ix.

[American Dream]

May 29, 1971: Winterland

1,000 AT CONCERT DRINK LSD-SPIKED CIDER

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) – About 1,000 young people attending a rock concert featuring The Grateful Dead took an unexpected trip when their apple cider turned out to be spiked with LSD.

Alison McDonald, a Berkeley woman who attended the Saturday night concert by The Grateful Dead, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, and R.J. Fox at the Winterland Auditorium, said that during a band break an anonymous voice announced over the public address system:

“Those of you who are going to get some liquid refreshment, pass it on so your neighbor can have some.”

Miss McDonald said, “When it was passed around, it tasted like watered down apple juice – I took a sip because I was very thirsty.”

She said in less than an hour, she knew she had taken something more than apple cider.

“It was OK acid,” she said, “but I feel sorry for anyone who took more than two sips.”

Police later reported that nearby Mt. Zion Hospital treated more than 30 persons during a five-hour period who complained of going through a bad trip.

“They said they had drunk a punch-like drink that was being passed around in various containers,” a hospital spokesman said.

(from the Los Angeles Times, June 1 1971)

Thanks to snow & rain at the Transitive Axis forum.

* * * * *

The JGMF blog also quotes part of another article on this concert, from the 6/11/71 Berkeley Barb:

WINTERLAND - 'ON THE FLOOR LIKE DYING FISH'

"A girl in front of us ... fell down on the floor and started to put things in her mouth. She would pick up tin cans, papers, socks, garbage and anything else that was on the floor. She threw up all over and then tried to take her clothes off. People were freaking out all over the place. It was like people were being shot down. People would fall down and struggle to get to their feet again. One guy fell on about five people and they all fell like dominoes. ... Time actually halted as if we were dead. Jane and I were the only ones standing in a five foot radius while the people around us were squirming on the floor like dying fish."

http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2010/01/nrps-m ... nd-sf.html

http://deadsources.blogspot.com/2012/07 ... rland.html

[American Dream]

http://www.drugwarprisoners.org/tyler.htm

Tim's Story


In his own words:

I will attempt to explain how I ended up in Federal Prison with a life without parole sentence for selling LSD

My name is Timothy Leonard Tyler. I was raised in Connecticut with my mother and sister, Carrie. My father lived in Florida and I always wanted to live with him down there. Finally, when I was 16 years old I convinced my mother to let me go to Florida to live with my father. I went to high school and graduated in 1986 from Lakewood Senior High School

I was into having parties and drinking when my father went away on vacation. My father did not approve of this and I finally quit having them. One time he went to Las Vegas to get married. He had a fairly new Corvette parked in a warehouse that he was renting. I basically took his car for a ride and was involved in a small accident with it. I had to tell his wife about the car since I didn't have the money to pay for it to get fixed. At the same time that I took my father's car for a ride, he was having a minor heart attack in Vegas. He ended up staying there for a month for bypass surgery. His car was fixed before he came back. We decided not to tell him about it until he started feeling better. When we finally did tell him, he kicked me out of the house immediately.

I went back to Connecticut to live with my mother. I went to visit my sister one day in West Hartford and met her best friend. I fell in love with her. I ended up moving into the same apartment that they lived. I wasn't doing anything in particular with my life. I was working as a busboy in this nice restaurant and that was about it. I guess I was about 18. This was about 1987.

One day my girlfriend's sister told me that there was a bunch of people camped out on the lawn at the Governor's Mansion downtown. That is the first time that I heard of the Grateful Dead, and I went down to check it out. There was a guy on the sidewalk handing out free LSD. I had never taken any before but I tried it. I just basically walked around all night looking at all of the people. I saw this one guy selling gas that came out of a canister. I later found out that this gas was Nitrous Oxide (the gas dentists use to calm you, also used in whipped cream containers, hence the name, "whippit"). He had lots of people in line waiting to purchase this stuff. I had never heard of this either but I saw that this guy was making quite a bit of money. I went out the next day and bought a canister like the one he had and I bought as many cartridges as I could afford. I found out that the Grateful Dead was playing in Worchester, Massachusetts the next day, so I went there with some friends of mine. I sold all of these "whippits" that night. The next day I went to the store and bought all that they had. I sold all of them that night. I didn't know where to get any more so I had the idea to sell beer. I bought plenty of beer and sold it all. This was the third night and I still had not seen a Grateful Dead Concert.

Someone came out of the concert and asked me if I wanted a ticket to see the Grateful Dead in Rosemont, Illinois. I was having so much fun that I decided to buy the ticket, even though it was for a show in Illinois which was a day or two drive away from where I was then. A couple of minutes later, another guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to buy a case of whippits (Nitrous Oxide). I bought them and then I knew that I had to go to the next concert in Illinois to sell them. Plus I had a ticket and I wanted to see what this was all about. I went back to Connecticut where I was staying for a few days. I put some traveling things together and had my sister drop me off at the truck stop. I hitchhiked from Southington, CT. to Rosemont, Illinois in two days.

As soon as I arrived there, I started selling the whippits that I just carried half way across the country. I also had bought beer to sell and I had set up this small kid's swimming pool filled with beer and ice. After I sold all of the beer and was still selling the whippits, a security team came up to me and confiscated them from me. It was now time for the show to start and I went in.

As I walked into the concert hall there was a guy handing out LSD in the bathrooms for free. I took some and I began to really love the feeling and energy that was at this concert. The music felt and sounded better than any I had ever heard. I had never even heard of the Grateful Dead before. I decided right there that I would be seeing this band again whenever I can. The show ended and I went outside. I walked up to the first person that I saw and asked him if he knew where I could get some LSD. I was steered in the right direction and I bought 200 hits for $90. I then went to the bus station and bought a ticket to go back to CT.

Upon arriving back in CT., I sold some of the LSD to some friends. I found out that the Grateful Dead was going to play in California in two weeks. I planned on being there somehow. I asked my stepfather to borrow his pickup truck to go "on tour." He said yes and I talked my sister into going with me just for fun. She was about 17 years old. We left CT. without enough money to get there. I did have some LSD though. We made it all the way to New Mexico and ran out of money and gas. I pulled into a carnival in the middle of nowhere and sold all of the LSD that I had. Now I had enough money to get where we were going.

Before arriving at the concert, I bought all of the beer that I could afford. Then I went to the outside of the concert and sold it all. I took the truck back out of the parking lot and bought all of the beer that I could afford again. I did that one more time before the night ended.

The next night I sold beer and also bought some alcohol for my sister to sell "shots." She sold shots of Tequila and other kinds of alcohol just for the fun of it. After these three show nights, there was a break of two weeks until the next shows. My sister had a regular job as a waitress so she decided to go back to CT. and got a ride home with a trucker. I stayed at a campground and waited.

I went to the next show and sold whippits again. Then I met some friends, and decided after the shows to give them a ride back to New York on my way back to CT. On my way driving, we stopped in Reno, Nevada. I went to a casino and gambled away all of my money in just a short time. I was without gas money. I called my father who had a fireworks business in Florida and asked him for some gas money. He said that he would send me some but that I would have to go down to Florida and work for him a while to pay off my debt. He sent some money, although not enough exactly to get to CT. The people that I was with, as they were out of money also, said that they could get me a little gas money as soon as I got them to where they were going in NY. We arrived and they put $10 in gas into the truck. Somehow I coasted into the parking lot of where I lived in CT. while the truck ran out of gas.

There were no shows for a month or so now. I took a friend with me from CT and then picked up this other friend that I had met on tour from Pennsylvania, and we headed to Florida in the same truck. When we arrived there, my two friends wanted to go to Daytona Beach. They dropped me off at my father's warehouse and went to the beach with my borrowed truck. The guy that was my supposed friend from CT. ended up stealing the truck from my other friend and stranding him in Daytona Beach. He hitchhiked to where I was and we started from scratch working for my father. We worked almost everyday all day at the fireworks warehouse, and started saving money to get what we needed to go on tour. We bought a cheap old van. Then we bought five blenders and fifteen coolers. Our idea was to sell fruit smoothies once we arrived at the shows again.

We did all of this in about a month and a half time. We finally said that we were leaving since it was a couple of days away to the concert. My father offered each of us a bonus to stay at least until the Fourth of July, but we left anyway.

We arrived at this concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some guy was walking around selling LSD for $5 per hit. This is very high because LSD usually goes for $1 per hit at these concerts. My friend bought 4 hits for $20 and right before the concert started, he gave me one. We went in the concert, and in about an hour or so into it, I started to feel it. I felt what I would describe as a separation of my soul from my body. First, I was looking down at myself. Then I was looking down at the concert. Next I was looking down at the Earth. All of a sudden I saw many meteors hit this Earth and I watched my body get destroyed. When I saw this happen, it did not matter to me, because I was somewhere else which I can only describe as beautiful and heavenly. I went somewhere other than that which is considered reality. There was music there, similar to the music being played at this concert. A short amount of time later I ended up back in my body. At this point, my life was changed. I feel like I was shown something while on LSD. It might have been the future I was seeing.

I went outside and found my van and we went to the next shows which were in Wisconsin. The Grateful Dead would be playing six nights out of seven there. We were there selling fruit smoothies. My friend gave me a sheet of LSD to walk around with. I found someone who was willing to trade some opium for what I had. I never tried opium before so I traded. I then walked around asking everyone I ran into if they wanted to smoke a bowl of opium with me. By the end of that week, I had not been eating or sleeping due to the smoking of opium. I told my friend who had the van that I would see him at the next show which was in Ohio. He had about ten people in the van and there was a lot of arguing going on so I decided not to ride in my own van. At this time, I was seeing full color auras, which are the energy fields surrounding everything. I ended up getting a ride there by this truck driver.

At a rest area somewhere in Ohio I started wandering around and I left. I was walking down the road on the side of the highway and a police car pulled up to me and the officers asked where I was going. I told them that I was going the Grateful Dead concert here in Ohio. I was feeling the effects of smoking all of that opium and I told them that I was Jesus. They ended up beating me up as I was telling them that I loved them. They brought me to a mental hospital. I was looking at this doctor there and he looked evil. They put me in a room and injected me with some kind of drug. I stayed in this hospital for around 30 days. They put me on an airplane and I flew back to CT. to live with my mother temporarily.

As soon as I found out where the Grateful Dead was playing next, I decided to go again. I called three friends of mine and we decided to go to the concerts in Atlanta, GA. We arrived and I started selling beer. I bought a small plastic swimming pool and filled it with ice and beer. I sold beer right out in the open. A guy came by to buy a beer, and while he was taking money out of his pocket, a sheet of acid fell from his wallet into the swimming pool by mistake. I was selling beer with caps on them, reaching in and opening them for the customers. I was getting high on LSD. By the end of the day I was really messed up again. I was feeling that the leader of this band (Jerry Garcia) was either God or a prophet. That is when I started getting interested in what the lyrics to their songs were saying.

There were many people following this band around to try and see every concert. Most of these same people felt that this band was more than just a band.

I ended up back in CT. right after these concerts. I went up there and my mother put me in another mental hospital since I had been talking about the world ending. When I came out of the hospital this time after being there 30 days, I was at my Mother's house again and I was taking this medication that made me feel like a zombie. Every minute seemed like an eternity. It was a feeling that you would never wish upon anyone.

My sister had met a man while working at a bar in Hartford, CT. he asked her to come to Florida to live. Since I was not doing anything and taking all of this medication, I decided to go down there to live with her. I had a girlfriend while I was in CT. She was my sister's best friend. She moved in with my sister first. That is when I decided to go down there too since I missed her.

After a little while, I stopped taking this medication and I started to feel better. I started making friends down there and then I heard that the Grateful Dead was going to play in Orlando, which was not too far away, so I decided to go. I went there and it made miss seeing them and miss going "on tour."

I went back to my sister's place, and when the next tour started, I decided to go. My sister had a car and she gave it to my girlfriend. My girlfriend went with me back up to CT. to visit her family and I visited my mother. At this time, I drove to New Hampshire to buy a bunch of beer. Then we drove with the car loaded with beer to New Jersey to the shows. I set up another another pool and sold beer. This allowed me to see the shows and stay at a decent hotel all week. By the end of the week I had enough money left over to buy 91 cases of imported beer. I also rented a truck and we drove to the next shows which were in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the beer.

I set up my beer stand as usual. Then a lady came by who happened to be an undercover police officer. She was with another officer and they followed my friend back to the truck when he went to get some more beer to sell. My friend saw them and ran away. I went to the truck and ended up getting arrested. My girlfriend showed up and they arrested her also. They took us to jail. They then called our parents to make sure we were who we said we were. They confiscated all of the beer and let us go. Now I had only what money that I had already earned from selling the beer that they didn't take.

It was pretty cold outside and I was starting to feel that beer wasn't the smartest thing to sell. I was starting to feel like it may not be good Karma or something. I had an empty truck now and I needed to do something to make money to continue touring. I bought a propane stove and started selling soup out of the truck. It went real well. By the third day I had bought all of the vegetarian soup that this store had. I decided to try something different. I had always wanted to sell fried dough ever since I saw people doing it at carnivals as a child. I bough everything I needed and I did it. It went over really well. I decided to do that from then on.

As this tour ended in Miami, I decided to buy some LSD to bring back to St. Petersburg, FL. where I lived sometimes. I ran into some old friends and sold it all real fast. This made me want to get some more for them. The next shows were in California. I drove out there with a car that my sister bought me. I was sight-seeing in Oakland, California since I had a couple of days until the shows started. I went down this one street by accident and there was a guy unloading there big blue tanks out of a truck. I asked him if that was Nitrous Oxide. He said that it was. I went inside to where he was bringing it and they sold it under certain conditions to people. I bought a container which weighed a couple hundred pounds for $160 and a $200 deposit on the container. I went to a wholesale balloon place and bought a bunch of balloons with clips. I then went to the shows and sold the balloons filled with gas for $5 each. I made a few thousand dollars with this, and had bought another tank at the shows from someone who just happened to be selling one. Later that week I went back to the Nitrous place and bought 5 more tanks. There were no shows for about another month now so I rented a storage area for the month to store the Nitrous tanks. I also bought some LSD to bring back to Florida with me. I headed back to Florida, and on the way I stopped in Panama City to visit a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. He ended up introducing me to his friend, and his friend bought all of the LSD that I had. When I showed up in St. Petersburg, I had money but no LSD.

At the end of the month it was time for the shows again. I took some other friends of mine and gave them some money and my car to drive to California. I decided to fly. When I got there, I rented 3 hotel rooms. I had an idea that I was going to sell these balloons directly to people's hotel rooms. I had these little fliers printed that said "Yum Yum balloons delivered to your hotel room 24 hours per day from December 26th through January 1st. " I put the phone number of one of my rooms on the flier. This town of Oakland, CA had all of their hotels lined up in a row so you can walk from hotel to hotel easily. My friends finally showed up. We started handing these fliers out. When the show was over, we went back to the hotel room and the phone started ringing off the hook with orders. I had about six guys working delivering balloons.

I guess I started getting greedy because while they were delivering to the hotel rooms, I took my car and put a nitrous tank in it and went to this gas station where there were like a thousand people there. This was because the concert just let out and it was walking distance to where the hotels and this gas station were. I opened my trunk and sold about 50 balloons, one at a time. There was another 50 people in line waiting to buy them. All of a sudden a police car pulled up and everyone walked away. I was arrested, and since I had three hotel room keys on me, they went and raided the hotel rooms. All of my tanks were confiscated except one that I still had in storage. I posted a $1200 cash bond.

I then rented a truck and drove it to the concert with a tank in it. I had one friend fill up balloons and put clips on them in the back of the truck and I walked around with six balloons at a time and sold them. After doing this for a while, I ran into another police officer that took the balloons from me and brought me to his car. The same guy who arrested me two nights prior was there. He arrested me again. This time it was New Years and I didn't want to waste the money bonding out so I waited. This town had something set up where they usually release all of the deadheads from jail on the day after New Years. They released me and most everyone else that was a deadhead saying that we were just being detained, and if we stayed out of trouble, then nothing would happen in this case.

I went to the courthouse to find out about when my court date would be for the last charge that I posted bond for. They told me that the charges were dismissed. I ended up getting my bond money back after about a month. They had to mail it to my house.

I decided to drive with these friends of mine in my car back to Florida. I stopped in Panama City again and sold the same guy all of the LSD that I had again. This was my last time selling to him. I had other friends that lived in St. Petersburg, Florida that I could sell to which was much easier. One day this same guy called me and asked if I wanted to buy some ecstasy. He also wanted more LSD. I was going to fly to California in two days so I was unable to drive up to meet him. A friend of mine wanted some ecstasy so he volunteered to go up there to meet this guy. The problem, that I didn't know at the time, was that this guy had been arrested for selling LSD and was setting me up. When my friend showed up to trade some LSD for some ecstasy, he was arrested. Then they put a warrant out for my arrest and arrested me. They came and picked me up in St. Petersburg and brought me to Panama City. I was given an attorney and told him that I wanted to go to trial. He said that when they get the discovery together then we will see how it looks. About 30 days went by and he filed a motion to have me released on my own recognizance because they did not file formal charges against me yet. In about seven more days they brought me back to court and I was released. They said to keep in contact with my attorney and he would give me the court date. I kept in touch with him and postponed it. I purchased a used van right around this time. I then decided to fly to California to go to some more shows and get some more LSD.

While flying back into Florida, I took a few hits of LSD along with some of my friends. This other friend of mine called me and asked if I could sell him some. I told him that I would later. When I finally did meet him I had about six friends in my van with me. I gave the guy 1300 hits and he walked across the street with it and all of a sudden a van pulled up to my van and a bunch of police jumped out. I was arrested at this time and my van was confiscated. I still had the court date from Panama City. I postponed it again. Now I was in jail for about 30 days again and I told the attorney that I wanted to file a release on recognizance order since they too had not filed formal charges yet. She filed it and in about seven more days they released me. She told me that it would take 10 days to be released if I won the argument. The strange thing is that it was a Friday afternoon. I was sitting in the county jail playing cards. I said out loud to the other guys in there that if "I was released today then I would be in Massachusetts tomorrow," since that was where the Grateful Dead would be playing. About an hour later, they called my name and released me.

I was supposed to go to the ROR office on that Monday but I had better plans. I went to all of my friends that I sold LSD to and asked them for some money up front. I then went and bought two plane tickets to Boston for my girlfriend and I. We arrived and pulled into the concert. The first thing I did was buy some LSD from people that I knew there. We did not have a vehicle but I had a friend that lived in Marlboro, Mass. I told him to come pick me up. He did and took me to a friend that was willing to sell me a decent car for a sheet of LSD. I traded with him and I had my friend get the car insured and registered the next day. I told him to come with us on tour. He came with us and we started selling fried dough. We did this for the entire tour. The last show ended and the Grateful Dead were scheduled to play again in California. The following night one of the band members overdosed and died. It was unclear what was going to happen now to the band.

I went to Florida for a little while to sell some more LSD to my friends. I sold it and then flew to California to buy more. Then I decided to move from Florida to Mesa, Arizona to live. I picked this spot because I had been there before visiting a friend, that I had met at a show, and I liked the place. We lived in this apartment and I flew to California to buy LSD and then flew back. I would send the LSD to Florida to my friends and they would send me money for it. The Grateful Dead were getting a new keyboardist and planning on playing again. They went on tour through Europe. I didn't try to go since I figured that I could not get a passport due to my arrests in Florida. I never did go to court on the Florida charges. I just left Florida.

After a few months, the Grateful Dead were going to play again in the states and I decided to go. I bought roundtrip tickets for my girlfriend and friend to fly to Connecticut to visit their parents. I went to the shows which were right near my apartment. Then I met a few friends and we drove to the next shows in Denver, Colorado. At the end of these shows a friend gave me a vial of liquid LSD. I put it in my pants pocket.

The next shows were in California. As we were driving, I started to feel different and I didn't know what was happening to me. We stopped at my apartment on the way to CA. When I went to pull the vial out of my pocket I noticed that it was now empty. Then it hit me. It had opened up in my pants and soaked into my skin.

About a month earlier I had mailed some money to the Grateful Dead Merchandising to buy two tickets for the New Year's Eve show. When I arrived at my apartment I was really messed up from the LSD. I went to open my mailbox and had a vision that the tickets were there, and they were. I thought that I had two real tickets to Heaven.

I ended up calling up this friend of mine and telling him to come take all of my furniture. I gave everything away and left two cars behind. I had some money and LSD that my supposed friends ended up stealing from me. I just needed to get to the next show in Oakland, CA. That was all I thought that I needed. I had thought that the band was much more than a band. I thought that they were going to leave this Earth behind on New Year's Eve. This thinking came from the large amount of LSD that had seeped through my skin.

We arrived at a hotel and I went into the whirlpool and swimming pool. I took off my shorts and the next moment I was arrested for indecent exposure. I was really messed up still and would be for a long time to come. This was about 4 days before New Year's Day now.

On New Year's Eve, they released me. I then went to find my friends at the hotel. They had sold my tickets that they were supposed to be holding for me. I told them to give me the money that they received and I would go buy my own. They said that they were broke. I know that they had money and were lying. I had this feeling that I needed to get into this New Year's Eve concert because they were going to Heaven that night. This is what they call delusional thinking. I was really messed up, but that is how I felt at the time.

A friend came up to me and said that he could get me a ticket for $170 worth of marijuana. I went to the friends that I had been with, that sold my tickets while I was in jail, and told them to give me this amount of money that I needed, and they could keep all of the LSD that they had of mine, and I would forget about the rest that they owed me. They peeled it out quick. I figured that it didn't matter anyway since those of us inside this concert were going to Heaven tonight. I went in and walked around. I could not understand what was going on. I was really messed up on LSD. I felt like something was supposed to happen, but it never did. I felt like whatever was supposed to happen was postponed.

The show ended and I walked outside of the concert. My so-called friends were there and asked if I was going to go back to Arizona with them. I said that California is where I belong.

I went to Height Street the next day. I found some house that I could stay at as long as I was out by 7:30 am. I just woke up early each morning and went down to the street and hung out, as did many other people. I did this for a few months.

One day this lady came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go to some hot springs in southern California with her. I said yes. I went down there with her and she cooked for me and tried to help me with my mind (which was still trippin). This hot springs was a natural place with hot water running out of the earth into three big pools. She was very nice to me. Although I was still messed up, I started to feel somewhat better again. One night I took a bicycle ride to town which was only three and a half miles away. When I was coming back I couldn't find the road that lead to the hot springs. I ended up going back into town where I was arrested for trespassing. I went to jail for a couple of days. When I was released, I went back to the hot springs. Since it was day time now, I was able to find it. The problem was that this girl who had taken care of me was not there. She went to Washington State to give a friend of hers a ride home.

At this point, I finally called my mother who had moved to Florida. She wired me a bus ticket to go from California to Florida. I went on the bus and ended up getting off in Phoenix. I walked around the rest of the night. The next morning I saw and RV with a preacher preaching next to it. He offered to bring me to church. Before I went with him, I gave the bus ticket away that I had. Now I was in Phoenix and still out of my mind with no bus ticket, and nowhere to live. I went to Church. Then I went back to where I met this preacher. There were these white church busses riding around offering free rides to anyone that wanted to go to another church. I walked on one and it went to this very large church. I walked right up there on stage where there were people singing. A man came up to me and led me to a bench and asked me if I wanted to work for the church and they would provide me with a place to live. I said "yes." When the service was over I got back on the bus. They dropped me off at this shelter. I walked in and went over to a corner and lay down on the floor. Shortly after that some police came up to me. I was not supposed to be in there since I didn't sign up earlier in the day. They brought me to jail for trespassing. While I was in there, they put me in a room and gave me some type of medication which made me feel like a zombie. After a week, they brought me to court. The judge gave me time served and they released me to someone that gave me a place to stay. I had called my sister in Florida and she made arrangements for me to fly to Florida the next night.

I arrived in Florida and I felt and looked like a zombie. I decided to stop taking the drugs that they had me taking. It took me a couple of months to get back to what I considered to be normal. I now had warrants for the two prior sales of LSD charges that I decided not to go to court on. I started feeling better and a friend showed up and asked me if I wanted to go to some more Grateful Dead concerts with him. I decided to go.

All of my friends had been asking me to get them some LSD so I decided that I would get them some when I went to these shows. I went and saw some shows and brought some LSD back to Florida with me. A so-called friend of mine bought all of it, which was 1000 hits. Now I needed to go back to the shows again to buy some more. When my friend and I were leaving Florida, we were pulled over for speeding. I had identification on me, and since I had warrants, I was taken to jail in Pinellas County first. After about a month or two I went to court and they offered me 3 years probation or 18 months in state prison if I plead guilty to sales of LSD. I figured that I would plead guilty and accept probation since I still had to go to Bay County after this was over. I pled guilty and was given 3 years probation. Then I was brought up to Bay County. After about 3 months they decided to give me concurrent probation because I told them that is the only way that I would plead guilty. I didn't think that they actually had a good case against me since I was not caught with anything in their County. I was finally released and I went back down to St. Petersburg to live and do my probation.

My friends started asking me to get them some more LSD and I was really missing the Grateful Dead. I decided to go to the shows again even though I was on probation. I flew out to California to go to one of their shows. I bought some LSD and flew back and immediately sold it. I then did this again a few times. Finally, one day I decided to leave Florida since I was selling so much LSD. I told all of my friends that I was leaving including the snitch Jeff Rhodes who was setting me up. He was arrested on the state level, and instead of being a man about it, he started setting me up. I then left Florida on the day that I said I would. I went on tour. I had told my friends in Florida that I would send them LSD while I traveled around the country following the band around selling fried dough. I was addicted to the positive energy that was inside the Grateful Dead concerts. The only way to understand this would be to actually go to one of them.

I started mailing my friends LSD including the Confidential Informant, Jeff Rhodes. He was claiming that he never received anything. After taking quite a few losses I decided to mail in one envelope enough hits to cover all of my friends. I mailed 9,045 hits in an envelope to a friend of mine at his father's business. The Confidential Informant knew what day it was coming since I told him. I had no idea that he was setting me up. I had told everyone to go and pick up what was for them since it was supposed to be there the next day.

When the package was delivered, the guy who received it turned into a confidential informant on the spot. It was delivered by the DEA. The guy then waited with the DEA until people called and he told them to come down and pick up their envelope. When they did, they were arrested. Included in this was Frank Bollwage and my father. My father was just helping a friend of his acquire some LSD since his friend knew that I was the one selling it. My father ended up getting 10 years for doing that little favor in which he was held accountable for 2000 hits. Frank ended up getting five years since it was his first offense and he was only receiving 500 hits.

I ended up pleading guilty because my public defender lawyer told me that if I did then I would get 262-327 months in Federal prison. He told me that if I went to trial then I would get a life without parole sentence. I plead guilty and when I went to get sentenced he told me they were going to give me life without parole anyway. I told him that I wanted to take back my guilty plea. He said there was no way to do that. I still tried and the judge denied it and sentenced me to life without parole in Federal Prison. They charged me under the Career Criminal because they used the two prior sales of LSD convictions that I had in Florida. On one of those charges, the one in Bay County, I had pleaded no contest and the judge ordered adjudication of guilt withheld and three years of probation was given to me.

If they hadn't used these two prior charges against me (enhancement), then I would have received 262-327 months which is much better than a life sentence without parole. The law says that they actually are not supposed to use charges against you where adjudication of guilt has been withheld. I have tried to file an appeal based on this but I have been denied because in 1996 there was an anti-terrorist bill that went into effect. This made it nearly impossible to file a Habeas Corpus appeal after the one year date of which our last appeal was denied.

I actually did file a Habeas Corpus appeal on time. It was done by myself and another inmate in prison. When I sent a copy of it to my father, he showed it to another guy who is supposed to be a very good jailhouse lawyer. This lawyer read it and said that it looked like an abusive writ. He said that he could get my sentence down to around twenty years for $5,000. My father and mother paid this money. The jailhouse lawyer sent me a motion to Withdraw Without Prejudice so that I could send to the court. That was for the one that I had already turned in. The court granted this Motion Without Prejudice. Then the lawyer needed all of my state transcripts.

It took me about nine months to get everything that I needed. Then he made a winnable writ and I mailed it into the court. The court denied it based on a time limit restriction, even though it was less than one year from the date that I had Withdrew Without Prejudice my last appeal. I then filed another one to the 11th Circuit, and it was denied based on being past time restraints. That is where I now sit serving life without parole for selling LSD.

[American Dream]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/199 ... l-dead-lsd

Dea Targets Deadheads For Lsd Sting Arrests
March 28, 1994| By New York Daily News

Toni Brown of Brooklyn, N.Y., figures it was three years ago when she first noticed something weird was happening with her mailbox.

As editor of Relix, a magazine dedicated largely to the veteran rock group the Grateful Dead, she was receiving loads of mail from fans - Deadheads. Many were written from inside federal prison.

''And it was not just a few isolated letters,'' said Brown, whose magazine has become so swamped with such letters that it prints them under a new section, dubbed ''Heads Behind Bars.''

The letters Brown began seeing in 1991 were the first results of an ongoing undercover operation by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as local and state police, to target the buying and selling of LSD at Grateful Dead concerts.

The San Francisco-based band, still the top-grossing concert attraction in the country with $34 million in sales last year, currently is on a sellout spring tour. The group will play in Orlando April 3 and 4.

Independent surveys estimate that up to 2,000 Deadheads, most of them first-time offenders, have been nabbed at or around concerts through stings.

Because of mandatory drug sentences, many of these new prisoners are serving longer sentences than rapists, kidnappers, armed robbers and big-time heroin dealers.

When computing a sentence, prosecutors include the weight of the much heavier sugar cube or paper that carries the LSD.

As a result, people such as Stanley Marshall of El Paso, Texas, busted in 1988 with less than a gram of LSD, is serving a 20-year sentence - primarily because the paper that held the acid weighed 113 grams.

The DEA denies that it is targeting Grateful Dead fans.

''If they follow the Grateful Dead or if they follow Johann Sebastian Bach, it makes no difference to us,'' said Gene Haislip, head of the DEA's LSD division. ''We are an equal opportunity arrester.''

Grateful Dead members said they are ''horrified'' by the arrests and have tried to warn their fans that their concerts are not ''protected'' places. They also accused the DEA of skirting what should be its real job - tackling drugs such as crack and heroin.

''The bottom line is that it is much easier to go after a bunch of nonviolent, young, true believers who think they are giving you a ticket to enlightenment when they sell you a hit of acid, than to go after a bunch of armed crack dealers,'' said Dennis McNally, the Grateful Dead's publicist.

[American Dream]

John Lilly describes one research project involving the drug ketamine in an interview gave at 76:

The dolphin's life is probably as complicated as ours. But what about their spiritual life? Can they get out of their bodies and travel? Are they extraterrestrials? I asked those kinds of questions. Most people wouldn't ask them.

So I took ketamine by the tank at Marine World in Redwood City. I got in to the rank and I had a microphone near my head and an underwater speaker that went down into the dolphin tank. My microphone hit their loudspeaker under water. So I waited. Then I began to feel that I was in direct contact with them and as soon as I felt that one of them whistled, a long whistle, and it went from my feet right up to my head. I went straight out of my body. They took me to the dolphin group mind. Boy, that was scary! I shouted and carried on. I said, "I can't even handle one dolphin, much less a group mind of dolphins!"

So instead of that they put me into a whale group mind and when you have an experience like that, you realize that some of the LSD experiences may have been in those group minds, not in outer space at all. Since then I suspect that they're all ready to talk and carry on with us if we were not so blind. So we open up pathways to them with ketamine, with LSD, with swimming with them, with falling in love with them and them falling in love with us. All the non-scientific ways.

http://www.mavericksofthemind.com/lilly-int.htm

[American Dream]

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/trip ... s_birthday