Podcast 387 – “February 1994 Workshop Introduction”

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna

Chan Kha pool in Palenque, MexicoPROGRAM NOTES:

[NOTE: All quotations are by Terence McKenna.]
“Psychedelics, by metling assumptions, by destroying the expectations of rigid educations creates a fluidity of possibility that may allow answers to emerge. And it’s the only thing that I’ve seen that operates on a time scale sufficiently short to have an impact.”

“Language is a strategy for binding time.”

“The other thing is that biology works. It’s very successful. It’s been around more than a billion years. Civilization doesn’t work. It’s been around 10,000 years, and it’s on the brink of meltdown.”

“We fabricate ideas out of matter. No other creature does that.”

“One of the unique things that is happening on the planet is that the fate of all life is becoming hinged to the decisions made by a single species.”

“If there’s not free will, then thinking is meaningless.”

“But all we have to do is hit one speed bump, and democratic values are down the drain.”

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Posted in Consciousness, Creativity, Culture, Evolution, Future, Imagination, Language, Psychedelics, Terence McKenna (mp3).

10 Comments

  1. @Andie,Thanks for the vid share!

    Slightly off the topic of sci-fi, but back to the orwellian present… here’s some more tools for gmailers and others wishing to re-instate their privacy privileges [all good links, Lorenzo; no spam]:

    https://github.com/toberndo/mailvelope/releases
    http://www.mailvelope.com/help#basics
    http://www.gpg4win.org/doc/en/gpg4win-compendium_7.html
    http://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html
    http://getfoxyproxy.org/mozilla/faq.html

  2. Oh my gush. And I do have some time squared away to click on yr generously provided link and indulge.
    A hearty thanks be unto you darling Lorenzo.

  3. floozyjoon, I’ve developed a great (greater than before) interest in sci-fi, especially in what TM once described as “technopaganism”, in his lecture named: “techno-pagans at the end of time (or was it the end of history?). Thanks to his perspectives and places like Lorenzo’s salon and the rest of the “cyberdelic space” it shouldn’t be unusual for psychedelic “initiates” to think there should be more psychedelic ideas and themes showing up in sci-fi. I’m not up to date with new authors, however. I don’t know any new “psychedelic” fiction per se, other than the ones already mentioned (can’t remember more right now… maybe The Golden Age by John C. Wright?).
    I’m aspiring to write a novel or a short story, perhaps including Terence and other psychedelic thinkers as some part of a technopagan, pseudo-religious mythology as far into the future as my imagination can take me. But it’s hard to gain inspiration as of late.
    Feel free to leave some contact info if you want to discuss these things. I’ll debate you about anything Terence, as I’ve reviewed virtually all of his lectures and talks, many times over…

  4. I agree and do practice , finding more than one source. I’d also be interested in hearing a debate featuring Terence. Does any such thing exist?
    Thank you for the reading suggestion Lorenzo! I will be adding that gem to the tippy top of my continually lengthening reading list.

    [COMMENT by Lorenzo: While not exactly debates, the Trialogues with Ralph Abraham and Rupert Sheldrake would probably interest you.

    http://www.matrixmasters.net/salon/?cat=77

    There are a few of them where Ralph takes Terence head-on and challenges some of his more far-out ideas.]

  5. Nah, you’re not an addict.

    Terrence has a lot to say and most of what he says is well researched, well considered, and exceptionally eloquent.

    You need to listen to him quite a lot to get an idea of what he’s talking about.

    Also, you need to be getting your knowledge from more than one source in order to get the greatest perspective. So although Terrence is a great source, be open to other insightful sources as well.

  6. Thanks for another awesome Terence lecture, I can never get enough. This was recorded during the month i was born!

  7. Is it just me or have many of McKenna’s ‘memes’ diffused throughout society? I wouldn’t be surprised if many authors have been influenced by him, whether knowingly or not.

  8. Can anyone tell me if there are any sci- fi writers heavily influenced by T- Mac? I kind of NEED to read them if there are.
    Also, is it really bad if I find myself sitting at the feet of Mr. McKenna ALOT? I have been ernestly trying to not adopt a guru but rather just find perspectives that i value. His is just one of my favorite perspectives!!
    i think I’m asking if I’m an addict?
    Puh. Someone please respond.

    :p

    [COMMENT by Lorenzo: There have been several talks in which he mentioned sci-fi. However, the only one that I clearly remember is “Permutation City” by Greg Egan. He was a big fan of Egan’s writing, and always recommended starting with “Permutation city” when getting into Egan’s work. I’ve read it twice and LOVE IT! http://astore.amazon.com/matrixmasterscom/detail/006105481X . . . as for being an addict, well, what does that say about me? :-)]

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