Review: Psychedelic Journal XXIII-The Discordian Issue.

Issue 23 of the Psychedelic Press journal examines Dicordianism from both a historical and cultural perspective. Along the way writings encompass the magickal, artistic and, of course, the personal transformative effects of this paradigm-shifting philosophy.

The journal includes contributions from nine contributors as well as a wonderful introduction and overview by the editor, Nikki Wyrd.

As a reader might expect from a publication focused on topics such as chaos and imagination, the chapters comprise of outlooks and experiences which might seem disconnected on the surface level but which all demonstrate the humour, the consciousness expanding results and, not least, the courage of the Discordian outlook.

The first included writer, Havelock Ellis, demonstrates the exploratory nature of Discordian thinking by describing his first encounter with mescaline. This account from 1898 details the psychedelic effects of mescaline on Ellis and his friends. Ellis experiments with music and visions, at times seeming to transition to symptoms of synaesthesia and profound wonder.

This merging of what is supposedly real and lesser-accessed psychological dimensions underpins the writing of John Constable aka John Crow as he recounts the origins of his play The Southwark Mysteries and the continuing evolution of his exploration of the number 23.

I was reminded of the anonymous poem, Tom o Bedlam, and in particular the following verse:

“With a host of furious fancies
Whereof I am commander,
With a burning spear and a horse of air,
To the wilderness I wander.
By a knight of ghosts and shadows
I summoned am to tourney
Ten leagues beyond the wide world's end::
Methinks it is no journey.”

The journal goes on to cover the experiences and origins of Discordianism and culture from the 20^th century and into the 21^st. Although, it must be remarked that linear time itself seems a trite way to measure reality and memory in this context. As John Crow writes, “The number 23 opens doors and pathways. It’s the key to creative breakthroughs and magickal connections.”

Ben Graham writes about synchronicities and his own personal journey. From science fiction to Zen to his eventual discovery of Discordianism and metamodernism, Ben charts the stages of his spiritual quest, writing, “I needed a faith that let me stay open-minded and questioning; an open-source religion that recognised absurdity and could incorporate all of the countercultural vision I’d been devouring all my life.”

Adam Gorightly pulls us back to the origins of the Discordian adventure and the influence of Robert Anton Wilson, Greg Hill, Kerry Thornley and Robert Shea. Gorightly also cites the influence of Bob McElroy and Dr. Robert Newport.

Magickal and recurring motifs and synchronicities abound until the poignant description of a Discordian reunion at a performance of Illuminatus! years later.

Catherine Kneale asks what happens when we step off the conventional storyboard and reassemble life narrative ourselves. As is often the case with shamanic initiations, sometimes these events are not planned and we are left with a world view which separates us from the consensus reality and game-plan.

I was struck by the call to constantly revise our interpretations which reminded me of Evelyn Underhill’s seminal book Mysticism, although this might be a personal observation based on my own revisionism!

Speaking of perspective, David Lee’s essay explores the folk theology and psychedelic gnosis of RAW and the roots of his MMA (Multi-model Agnosticism) leading to Lee’s own later experiences with Chaos Magick.

Adrian Reynolds leads us through the sometimes clinical labyrinth of NLP from a Discordian perspective, or is that the other way around?

As Heinlein writes in Stranger in a Strange Land;

                  “That's the odd part. It's not really a church."

                   "What is it?"

                   "Uh, primarily a language school.”

Andy Gell and Greg Hill complete the journal with an imaginative, fourth wall smashing, piece and a recounting of a mescaline experience from 1965.

The Psychedelic Journal is available from Psychedelic Press here.