10. The Unconscious

Part 1: Chapter 7 of Trialogues at the Edge of the West. What is the nature of the unconscious, and how can we access its restorative powers? Bifurcation theory of the unconscious. Evil and the repression of chaos. Escape from evil by bringing the unconscious back. The idea of the sacred city. From psychedelic partnership phase to restrictive dominator phase. Alcohol and cultural neurosis. The age-related reestablishment of shamanic sacraments. Habituation and the unconscious. The calendar as an engine for illuminating the unconscious, through rituals and festivals. The unavailable unconscious and the maintenance of consciousness. Christmas as a child's festival. Caffeine and industrial capitalism.

Part 2 (43:43): Chapter 7 of Trialogues at the Edge of the West. Sacred plants and calendar-based rituals. Sacred sites and celestial communication. Invocation, psychedelic visions and the consciousness of the natural world. The role of dominator drugs. Denial and its dangers for our evolution. Sacred festivals. The difficulty of accessing the restorative powers of the unavailable unconscious. Lightening the dark through prayer, astrology and a resurrection of magic. The Gaian unconscious. Included in Chaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousness first published as Trialogues at the Edge of the West Chapter 7.

Cover art by Cameron Gray - Between the fifth and one