Having finished the double pack of The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell I can honestly say that Huxley, despite all his carefully chosen language (great vocabulary!) still managed to present a basic and compelling argument. I learnt several useful things including:
1. People really do dream in black and white (I thought that was a folktale, or people just not being able to remember their dreams!)
2. My beautiful, intensely colour and detail saturated world is, perhaps, not for everyone.
3. To be very careful what trousers I'm wearing if I ever come down with ergot poisoning.
4. That unique perceptions of the world during a time of oppressive conformity = mental instability. Gee thanks Aldous.
This morning I read through #11 The Book of the Law by Uncle Al. This is the first quasi ersatz entry. I almost -know- I've read this before in my misspent youth. Or possibly I've never read it in its entirety and have just suffered through myriad quotations all these years. Well, hard to say, really. The edition I have contains a scan of the original manuscript and it is truly incredible. It is actually possible to see the change in handwriting where his stream of consciousness is interrupted by his own preformed thoughts. Nifty. It is an impressive manuscript, both for its coherence under gruelling psychological circumstances (3 days of trance? no thanks!) and for its eloquence.
"For I am divided for love's sake, for the chance of union."
6 years ago
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