The First Church of David Bowie, Phonomancer

Loneliness can have many causes. But they all boil down to one fact: unrealized potential. There is a person you can be in the context of a relationship with another person that you simply cannot realize in isolation. And I don't mean a romantic relationship, necessarily, although a positive romantic relationship is often foremost on people's minds, because it provides the broadest context for the expression of oneself. What I'm saying is that we're only as much of ourselves as other people allow us to be. You might be witty, kind, affectionate, sensual, passionate, poetic--whatever the qualities you most like about yourself. But without another person who can appreciate those qualities in you, they might as well not exist. You are not funny if there's no one around who gets your sense of humor. You're not an ardent lover if there's no one around who inspires you sexually or returns your interest. You're not intelligent if there's no o...

I want to tell you about my approach to working with psychedelics, because I think I'm breaking new ground. If you or someone you know is working along similar lines, get in touch. I want to talk with you. For now, at least, I'm calling this approach "phonomancy," meaning "divination via sound." If you're a recreational user, it likely won't appeal to you. If you're someone who's dipping your toe in the psychedelic water via microdosing, or someone who is primarily interested in using psychedelics to treat trauma, depression, or addiction issues, you might find the practice I'm going to describe off-putting or even alarming. That's because phonomancy is not therapeutic--it's augmentative. It's a program for developing supranormal emotional and spiritual capacities via psychological hormesis. Some risk, pain, and fear are part of the process. But that's the price of transformation. THE ORIGINAL TWO "S...

A little treacly, but a useful parable nonetheless.

Since my visions began, it's been fascinating to find art that I've always loved take on new meaning and resonance within the cognitive model I've been developing. Case in point: The Dot and the Line , a little book by Norton Juster that was later turned into a cartoon by the redoubtable Chuck Jones. The story takes place in an abstract, two-dimensional world. A sentient straight Line is in love with equally sentient (but perhaps not quite so self-aware) Dot. Alas, the Dot only has eyes (so to speak) for a wild Squiggle. Here, just watch the cartoon, it's only ten minutes long: This short film (which won an Oscar in 1965) speaks to me on many levels. My personal history has seen me play the pining Line more times than I care to count...fine, I counted, it's been ten times, at least. Ten cases of soul-crushing unrequited love. I am the Line. But I identify with the Line not just because he knows the ecstatic heights and smothering depths of ...