Description
Book SynopsisA bold exploration of modern psychedelic culture, its history, and future
• Examines 3 modern psy-culture architects: chemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, mycologist-philosopher Terence McKenna, and visionary artist Alex Grey
• Presents a “History of Visionary Art,” from its roots in prehistory, to Ernst Fuchs and the Vienna School of the Fantastic, to contemporary psychedelic art
After the deaths of Jerry Garcia, Timothy Leary, and Ken Kesey, it appeared that the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s had finally been suppressed. But the opposite was occurring, evident in the popularity of transformational festivals like Burning Man and BOOM!, the media coverage of ayahuasca use, and the growing number of celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires readily admitting the benefits of microdosing. Along with the return of university research, the revival of psychedelic philosophy, and the increasing popularity of Visionary Art, these changes signify a widespread psychedelic cultural revolution.
Speaking from the forefront of this new revolution, James Oroc explores 21st-century psychedelic culture through three of its main post-1960s architects: chemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, mycologist-philosopher Terence McKenna, and visionary artist Alex Grey. Examining their work in depth, he also explores the work of DMT researcher Rick Strassman, MAPS founder Rick Doblin, consciousness researcher Stanislav Grof, author Daniel Pinchbeck, and new visionary artists such as Amanda Sage and Android Jones. He investigates the use of microdosing in extreme sports and the transformed understanding of spirituality that arises from the psy-trance festival experience. He presents a “History of Visionary Art” from its roots in prehistory and antiquity, to Ernst Fuchs and the Vienna School of the Fantastic, to contemporary psychedelic art and its importance to visionary culture.
The author explains how psychedelics are powerful tools to examine the Ego and the Shadow and induce transpersonal experiences. Building on anthropological evidence for the role of plant-entheogens in the development of human culture, he proposes that our ongoing psychedelic revolution is seeding the beginnings of a new Visionary Age.
Trade Review“Fantastic job on resurrecting psychedelic philosophy!! Huxley and Hofmann are smiling.” * Alex Grey, artist and author of Sacred Mirrors and Net of Being *
“Compelling, adventurous, and visionary, this book is packed with fascinating and useful information and inspiration. James Oroc is a fine storyteller as he leads us through a twisty tale that is part personal odyssey, part well-researched ramble through the past and present of psychedelic art and culture, and part love letter to humanity and our potential for awakening to the wonder and beauty of life.” * Stephen Gray, author of Cannabis and Spirituality *
“James Oroc’s book is a timely reminder to translate our psychedelic visionary insights into action: to make our minds manifest. Oroc proposes that we can create the future we want to live.” * Casey William Hardison, writer, former LSD chemist, and cognitive liberty activist *
“An important and fascinating book for anyone interested in the bold psychedelic visionaries whose work and legacies will continue to shape and be felt by our culture for generations to come. Oroc explores the practical application of psychedelics in the modern world and advocates the immense value that they bring.” * Alex Seymour, author of Psychedelic Marine *
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The New Psychedelic Revolution is the most comprehensive book covering emerging psychedelic culture, from the interaction entheogens, to visionary art and psychedelic culture. It’s definitely worth the read, and I can assure that you’ll gain insights are hard to find elsewhere without direct experience!" * Allana Kali, Spiral Nature *
Table of ContentsPART ONE
The Second Psychedelic Revolution
1 The End of Acid?
2 Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin: The Godfather of Psychedelics
3 Terence McKenna: The Rise of the Plant Shaman
4 Alex Grey: The Mystic-Artist
5 A Short Psychedelic History of the World
6 A New Earth? The Dawn of the Visionary Age
PART TWO
What Can Entheogens Teach Us?
Psychedelic Culture in the Twenty-first Century
7 Where Is God in the Entheogenic Movement?
8 5-MeO-DMT: Visions of a Quantum God
9 The Future of Psychedelics
10 Psychedelics and Extreme Sports
11 What Can Entheogens Teach Us? Introducing the Oroc Entheogen Scale
12 Living in Dangerous Times
PART THREE
Dreaming of the Light
A Brief History of Visionary Art and Culture Introduction: What is Visionary Art?
13 Primitive and Ancient Visionary Art
14 Visionary Art in Medieval Christianity and the Renaissance
15 The Genesis of Visionary Art: William Blake and the Romantics
16 Studies in Light: Impressionism, Van Gogh, and the Birth of Modern Art
17 Surrealism, Salvador Dalí, and the Roots of Modern Psychedelic Culture
18 Post–World War II: Ernst Fuchs and the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism
19 Psychiatry’s Darling: The (Brief) Science of Psychedelics and Creativity
20 The First Psychedelic Revolution: Art in the 1960s and 1970s
21 Modern Art in the 1960s: Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol
22 The Architects of Contemporary Visionary Art: Robert Venosa and Alex Grey
23 The Collectors: Mark McCloud and Jacaeber Kastor
24 New Psychedelic Tribes: BOOM! and Burning Man
25 Performance Art and Psychedelic Culture
26 The Birth of Transformational Festivals and Visionary Culture
27 The InterDimensional Art Show and the Tribe 13 Collective
28 The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
29 New Perspectives: MOKSHA, Alchemeyez, and The Temple of Visions
30 A FractalNation
31 Beyond 2012: Creating the Visionary Age
32 Akshardham: The Visionary Wonder of the World
33 Dreaming of the Light: The Promise of Visionary Art and Culture
34 The Furtherrr Collective and Other Important Contemporary Visionary Artists
PART FOUR
Accidental Ingestions, Amazonian Overdoses, and Other Reports from the Front Lines 35 A Pilgrimage to the Dance Temple: My Journey to BOOM!
36 An Accidental Visionary Experience
37 The Psy-Fi Chronicles: A Harsh Encounter with Rapé
38 A Death on the Playa Acknowledgments Bibliography Index
