Once again, the Speculative Fiction Showcase is delighted to welcome our occasional regular, A.E. Williams. As always, all views are the writer's own.
WE LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES
As you may have heard, there was a Sacred
Mushroom Summit held up here in Gainesville, Florida the weekend of 9/11.
It was the first time such an event of
this type was attempted, from what I have been able to gather.
Your obedient author was interviewed by
The Gainesville Sun, and even quoted, which was no mean feat. Of course, the
quote was immediately forgettable, as such things go.
But several interesting things occurred,
that, when viewed through a particular lens, present a picture of odd
synchronicity.
Let me illuminate you…
ALICE DOESN’T DINE HERE ANYMORE
Mushrooms and
psychedelics are undergoing a rebirth of sorts, in the psychiatric and medical
fields of late. Even Newsweek recently did a cover story of how these
relatively humble fungi are being re-evaluated in light of the pandemic. Many
authorities are now concerned about the effects caused by global isolation,
government mandates that change hourly and the general depression and boredom
being experienced collectively by humanity. Within this context, it has been
found that micro dosing of certain compounds found naturally in some
hallucinogenic plants are providing positive results.
The sampling
sizes are no longer just statistical outliers, either. Even such staid bastions
of conservatism, such as Harvard, are proclaiming the benefits of LSD, DMT and
psilocybin for treating depression.[1]
Of course, in
their tradition of remaining staid and conservative, the Harvard article has
its customary disclaimer:
“All in all,
it is still far too early to say whether microdosing is a viable way to harness
the potential of psychedelics for mental health treatment. Much more research
needs to be done to understand not only how it works, but what the potential
consequences and side effects are. If clinical trials confirm the safety and
efficacy of microdosing psychedelics, these could represent a new avenue for
mental health treatment. (sic)[2]”
But from where I was standing, (in front of an audience of experts with this kind of thing, giving presentations on quantum mechanics, multiverse theory, the portrayal of altered states in speculative fiction and the dangers of believing just anything) it was evident that Harvard was far behind the times.
GO ASK ALICE
Actually, ask
Larry and Richard Siegal, Tom Lane, Pat High, Greg Lake and many others who
attended the event for their perspectives on such cautious approaches.
While it is
tempting to dismiss this research as the secret desires and fever dreams of a
lost Hippy Generation, whose own fear and loathing has turned inwards during
the pandemic, the fact remains that a solid and peer-reviewed body of knowledge
has been published since the 1960’s.
Unfortunately,
most of this did not occur in the United States. The history of racist and
social persecution that began with alcohol, spread to cannabis, and engulfed
all manner of medicines into the arcane Schedule mandated and enforced by the
DEA has not ended, it seems.
The statistics
presented at the Summit underscored the way that a patchwork of outdated, racist and
oppressive laws continue to repress research in many states. The effects of
these laws separate the classes, break up families, destroy lives and are
applied in a random and unfair manner.
The Siegal
brothers, renowned in their field for expert psychotherapy that includes
treatment for depression, sexual disfunction and relationship counseling,
illustrated this in their two presentations.
At times
infuriating, but always illuminating, the two men presented evidence that described
concerted attacks on blacks, Latinos and the poor by both the Federal
Government and the financial barons of the Prohibition era, that persist to
this day.
As one example,
they detailed the establishment of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. Led
by the apparently insane[3]
Harry J. Anslinger, this department mandated the control of drugs and cannabis.
Anslinger was married to the niece of Andrew William Mellon,[4]
of Mellon bank fame, and was aided by William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper
magnate.[5]
The legality of
these racist laws, (every one of which was laced with a cynical treatment of
legal citizens of the United States as dire as that of the Dred Scott decision),
is only now being challenged. Thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and the
ability to compile research and public records regarding this unfair treatment,
some justice is finally coming to those whose lives were adversely impacted.[6]
FUN
GUYS
Tom Lane and
Greg Lake gave presentations of some note.
Tom is a degreed
forester, who shared his remembrance of and respect for the mysterious curandera
Maria Sabina.
He regaled the
audience with stories of how he had partaken of the sacrament of the psilocybin-laced
mushrooms during devout rituals of the Sacred Heart, which resulted in a
transcendental experience of deification into the serpent god Quetzalcoatl. His
research of various codex and stella regarding this mythology is formidable,
and he has published a book on the matter.
Mr. Lake, an
attorney, presented case studies of how contemporary religious communities are
being impacted by the current laws, affecting their ability to partake of their
sacrament.
Of particular
note were the ways that indigenous people, who use ayahuasca in their rituals,
were finding some measure of success in challenging state laws. Federal
oversight is still a thorny issue.
Another speaker
was Pat High, who gave a lecture on the care and raising of many types of
mushrooms.
Disease is a
major factor in raising a crop of fungi, and the presentation was received with
much attention from farmers in the audience. Several participants had come from
Taos, New Mexico and other similar venues.
The talks
spanned three days, and were well-received. The audience was congenial,
spirited and rapt with attention throughout. T-shirts, books and other items
were for sale by vendors. A food truck provided sustenance for the body, while
the talks provide food for the soul.
Then, there were
the odd occurrences that seemed to be coincidental.
For instance,
when I was speaking of my experiences in Teotihuacán, one of the women in the
audience remarked about having been shown a secret compartment, where a cruciform
pool of mercury vibrated during certain sacred times of the year. I was not
privy to such a thing, but did not doubt her.
A few other
members chuckled, but then Mr. Lane reassured them of its veracity. He pointed
out that, in one of his earlier talks, he highlighted the identical cruciform
shape that was sacred to the people who celebrated Quetzalcoatl and that he
knew of the existence of pool of mercury.
The audience was
suitably impressed, and so I continued.
I recalled a time
when I was blessed by a shaman, in Mexico. The following day, I traveled to the
pyramids, and specifically to Temple of the Sun. Although I didn’t choose to
climb to its summit, I did circumnavigate the immense structure.
While resting
from my walk amongst the ruins, an indigenous man walked up to me. He spoke to
me in broken English, which was still far better than my Americanized Spanish.
“Senor, I have
something, for your daughters,” he said, offering me a package, wrapped with a
cloth.
He opened it to
reveal tiny tortoises, carved from volcanic obsidian. There was one for each of
my offspring. They were about the size of my palm, and had inlaid
mother-of-pearl and turquoise.
How this man,
whom I had never before met, knew the exact number, and had the matching number
of these items is a mystery to me to this day.
Another member
of the audience spoke of being blessed by a shaman, and upon her return to her
home, finding a turquoise tortoise waiting by her door.
Weird, right?
The speakers
gave insight into their particular fields of expertise, and the enthusiastic
audience maintained a robust series of questions to challenge our perceptions.
And then came my
own meager offerings…
A.E. ATTAINS HIS OWN ALTERED STATE… EVERY. DAMNED. DAY.
On the morning
of the first day, I jumped right into the fray, with a long discussion of The
Nature of Reality.
Using mathematics,
and a smattering of quantum mechanical concepts, I presented how fractals and
the Fourier Transform go a long way in describing our perception of reality.
I showed the
possible ways that our travelling through time presents an illusion of
movement.
My contention is
that the Universe is like a long tube, of infinite length and diameter. If
sliced, like a salami, each of these individual slices are just identical
pieces of a holographic whole. As we move from one slice to the next, the
impression is given that we are moving through time. The initial direction,
from the central axis, along the slices, in any given direction, are infinitely
possible conditions. The movement to the next consecutive slice then allows a
choice of moving along that slice in any direction as well. The combination of
all of this is our perception of time. And, since we are all traveling unique
paths on this journey, it also can be interpreted to impart a degree of
divinity. This manner of existence can be thought of as an all-encompassing,
infinite series of unique experiences, being delivered, stored and catalogued
by a hive-mind consciousness.[7]
The second day I
dove headlong into how many speculative fiction authors (and directors) have
portrayed the use of nootropics, hallucinogens and psychedelics. From Gibson to
Huxley, from Chayefsky to Thompson, I catalogued a slew of books and films that
gave audiences a taste of what it might be like to “tune-in, turn-on and drop
out.” Of particular note were the Ken Russell film “Altered States,”
Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and the adaptation of the
Philip K. Dick story “A Scanner Darkly.”
This led into
some spirited audience participation regarding the actual reality of a ‘trip’
versus how they appear on-screen.
Once more,
anecdotes from various members meshed, supporting their own experiences with
random occurrences of others. This pattern would emerge again and again, and
almost seemed contrived. But the videos[8]
we recorded substantiated these weird intersections.
My final
presentation gave the penultimate example of such coincidence. It was about the
bending of reality to present a particular brand of ‘truth.’ Of how people can
manipulate others, by use of propaganda, repetition of ideas and outright
brutal force.
In my examples,
I was listing various ‘conspiracy theories’ that had actually been proven out
by time and investigative reporting to be true. These included the Tuskegee
syphilis experiments on black men, the USS Pueblo affair, and the Manhattan
project.
The audience was
amused as I ripped apart each conspiracy, pointing out that, in actuality, they
were intentional abuse of secrecy, designed to obfuscate in the name of
‘national security.’
In many of the
cases, this was indeed a factor. In an appalling number of others, it was
simply to avoid the notice of anyone who might object for moral reasons.
And, in many, it
was just purely malign intent.
We bantered back
and forth for a bit, regarding the definition of conspiracy theories, and
semantics. I pointed out that nothing I was presenting was controversial in
fact, only in the way that events were hidden, and eventually uncovered.
A few took issue
with my global warming arguments, but that wasn’t really unusual. I was
primarily using that example as how to how scientific ‘authorities’ might be
bent to political winds, as is convenient to the powers that be, as it were.
But, the moment
of true amazement arose when I was discussing the allegation that the Dalai Lama had been
receiving funds from the Central Intelligence Agency, when he was forced to
flee Tibet into neighboring Nepal. I made a joke along the lines of “Lama.
Dalai Lama,” referencing Ian Fleming’s James Bond, as portrayed by Sean
Connery, et al.
Suddenly, a
member of the audience leapt to his feet, accusing me of impugning the good
name of the spiritual leader!
When I pointed
out I was making a joke, he grew indignant, and excitedly told us that not only
did he know the ‘true’ facts regarding the matter, but that he had actually
been in the room when the Dalai Lama informed his troops that they had to stand
down! He claimed he was an actual revolutionary in the Tibetan Resistance
forces!
This caused some
degree of disruption, and it took a modicum of effort to regain control of the
discussion. In the end, I managed to table the matter until after I had concluded
my presentation.
We parted
amicably, after spending about a half-hour discussing the political
ramifications of CIA involvement.
Thus proving
that old adage that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction!
The event concluded with promises of more
Summits, and a sense of accomplishment for a job well done. I decided to look
into growing some mushrooms on my farm, possibly for a commercial venture. I
also decided to not try psychedelics anytime soon. At least, not without adult
supervision.
Certainly, I had met some very interesting
people, all of whom were life-long advocates of this particular and peculiar
tribe. I wished them well, and took my leave. Starting the Suburban, I put on
Tangerine Dream and drove away from the lush gardens of Historic Thomas Center,
spying a few ‘shrooms in between the shrubbery.
Coincidence? I think not…
I returned to the North Forty, once more
convinced that someone – or something – was out there.[9]
A.E. Williams
High Springs, Florida
October 7, 2021
[2] Man, I have ALWAYS wanted to do that! Sick!
[3] SOURCE: If you think insane is not a charitable description,
I urge you to read about
his personal attacks on jazz singer Billie Holiday. One of his
contemporaries is on record as having said “Anslinger was "so racist
that he was regarded as a crazy racist in the 1920s."
[4] For a more focused look on corruption during the 1920’s I recommend
reading more on AW. I
just do not have the space here to do it justice.
[5] Subject of Orson Welles’ masterpiece, “Citizen Kane.” Rosebud
takes on a whole new meaning in light of this revelation.
[6] That this kind of thing is still endemic in the world, and
especially the Unites States, is shameful.
[7] Incidentally, I do NOT partake of any mind-altering substances,
save bourbon, the occasional scotch and other spirits and ales and such. Oh,
and oxygen. This planet has just a tad too much for my alien constitution…
[8] I am currently working on editing these videos for inclusion on my YouTube
channel, as well as other venues. Interested parties should stay tuned here
on the Speculative Fiction Showcase!
[9] I, of course, totally ignored the bright lights in the sky as they
followed me home. I am done with that ‘probing’ nonsense.
About A. E. Williams:
A.E. Williams has a unique background of military experience, aerospace engineering and intelligence analysis. He has a varied career, from inventor to consultant, and pretty much everything in between.
Born near Pittsburgh, A.E. Williams is man of a mystery.
As a young man, Williams served the United States government in various capacities, which he then followed with fifteen years as a consultant. Williams currently resides in rural Central Florida.
He does his writing at night, usually accompanied by a bottle of Maker's Mark bourbon and a large supply of Classic Dr. Pepper and ice.
