Trash Conversations With God: On VALIS

It's fitting that Justin and Cameron's first in a series of conversations focused primarily on Philip K. Dick's VALIS trilogy begins with the I Ching hexagram of "striking out on one's own on foot" and ends with the hexagram associated with "navieté and youthful folly." But we don't find that out until the end of the episode. First, we enter a conversation about our personal experiences reading Dick's work where we encountered ourselves as characters of and in his texts, just as much as we were and are the books' readers. (When Justin read A Scanner Darkly more than a decade ago, he felt like he was reading his future; when Cameron read VALIS for the first time two months ago, she had the uncanny sense that Dick had written her past into existence.) This takes us into reflections on the prophetic narrative in Western Magick, illness narratives as a particular field and focus within the contemporary academy, and, finally, straight into VALIS itself, which is as much an honest account of what it's like to allow faith and direct experience (knowledge) lead you through experiences of delusion and awakening as it is an epic science-fiction novel. Along the way, we raise questions that Dick asked himself — What is time? What is the difference between conscious and unconscious suffering? Can one really beat fate and be redeemed and/or healed? If you can beat fate, can you speak about the victory? — as well as questions that VALIS helps us articulate, too — What is the relationship between writing and truth? What does it mean to live a good life? What, if anything, does this world know about that? We end with the I Ching reading we promised you at the episode's start, and there's some uncanny imagery happening in it, too. That instruction to set out alone, by foot, leaving one's vehicle behind as an offering? Well, that's exactly what Bishop Timothy Archer does in the third book in the VALIS trilogy. Does this end in folly? Redemption? Both? Our next episode on this trilogy, which also serves as part two to the previous "Who Is My Teacher?" episode, will be out in two weeks' time. Texts MentionedJulie Henderson's The Somatic I Ching Philip K. Dick's VALISDo Androids Dream of Electric SheepThe Man In The High CastleA Scanner DarklyExegesisThe Divine InvasionUbikAlan Chapman's and Duncan Barford's WORP FM podcast seriesC.G. Jung's The Red BookC.G. Jung's Memories, Dreams, ReflectionsAlan Chapman's Advanced Magick for BeginnersAleister Crowley's The Book of ThothOrder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does one find a teacher? What is the right relationship between student and teacher? Is there a benefit to studying under a living teacher within a tradition versus learning on one’s own, with the help of the right books at the right time? Recorded fresh off co-teaching a retreat together, Justin and Cameron follow the threads of these questions through personal reflections on their experiences teaching, a wider look at the state of education today, and an exploration of what it means to find a spiritual or magickal teacher who trusts the same thing you do. The conversation takes us through the pitfalls of academia, what lies beyond the complaints about the “personal essay industrial complex,” the grace of finding out even the bad teachers have something just for you, and acts of divination, writing, and magick as gestures that ask true questions about the nature of the soul and demonstrating its commensurate growth.Texts mentionedPhil Ford’s essay “On Jung, I Ching, and the Tarot”Liz Greene’s Jung’s Studies in Astrology Julie Henderson’s The Somatic I Ching Richard Wilhelm’s I ChingAleister Crowley’s Book of ThothAleister Crowley’s Tao Te ChingThe Exegesis of Philip K. Dick CG Jung’s introduction to Wilhelm’s translation of the I Ching Austin Coppock’s Fundamentals of Astrology coursesDemetra George’s work on Hellenistic astrologyAlan Chapman’s MagiaThe Baptist’s Head by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford Peter Kingsley’s oeuvrePhilip K. Dick’s Ubik Jessa Crispin’s The Dead Ladies Project The Passport through Hades episode “The Word Silence and Not Only in English”Register for Cameron's new tarot course "The Court Cards of the Tarot and the Work of the Soul"Order Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucifer and CassandraThere are lots of furious arguments online and in schools these days about the end of reading. Kids aren’t doing it, neither are college students, and even the so-called writers churning out hot takes in newsletters and in the Atlantic seem to be missing the mark, which is that the human capacity for thought and reading has very little to do with yelling about lack for likes and Stripe payouts. Instead, the ability to read a sentence, a tarot card, a children’s book, a canonical tome, or the stars themselves has something very much to do with the spiritual principle of looking as if to see. So what can spiritual awakening do for one’s reading ability in an age where the drama over mechanized attention is one that surely spells apparent doom? Episode Four of Wake Up, Underworld! begins with a look at such concerns before following an account of Justin’s second awakening into a conversation on the nature of demons, spiritual ancestors, and how the subversive move of “reclaiming” one’s weaknesses or evil inclinations as one’s power is only a shadow of the true realization of weakness in strength and strength in weakness. The truth of such a realization is the mystery of magickal reality, which is one reason Justin and Cameron find themselves at a loss for words when mystics or occultist podcasters try to eschew magick, on the one hand, or God, on the other. Are there specific struggles that men and women face in articulating their spiritual or magickal paths? What roles does existence seem to force us into? We tackle these questions through exploring personal relationships to myth. Finally, the conversation comes full circle as it turns toward the growing understanding that one of the first steps toward knowing one’s Self comes from learning how to read, not as an educational exercise but as a simple expression of your spiritual birthright. Texts Mentioned Rudolph Steiner’s The Incarnation of AhrimanCameron’s essay “We Are Already AI”Duncan Barford’s The Book of RazielAleister Crowley’s The Vision and the VoiceAleister Crowley’s Magick In Theory and PracticeAleister Crowley’s Magick Without Tears, edited by Alan Chapman and Duncan BarfordAlan Chapman’s “Is God to Live In a Dog?”Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, translated by Aleister CrowleyMaurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things ArePhilip K. Dick’s The Owl in Daylight For a wonderful Weird Studies conversation on PKD's unfinished work, listen to episode 90 "The Owl in Daylight" https://www.weirdstudies.com/90Alan Chapman’s Magia CG Jung’s Memories, Dreams, ReflectionsLiz Greene’s Jung’s Studies In AstrologySamuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient MarinerOrder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We begin with reflections on what’s left out of current conversations around the Odyssey after Christopher Nolan’s reboot. Is it possible to see the good news in the groundwater of contemporary discourse? How might we adopt a position of hanging back, looking as if to see, letting the message behind the messaging come through? These questions lead us into Cameron’s backstory as an investigative crime reporter receiving messages from and writing poetry alongside the dead in the Deep South of the United States. People enjoy quoting the imminently quotable Simone Weil these days — “attention is the purest form of devotion” and “to know truth is to accept death” — but what does the mystic really mean with these statements? How does proximity to death trick us, even when we’re apparently seeing beyond it, never mind accepting it? What’s the difference between performing bravado — an apparently unflinching devotion to the facts of life, in the face of death — and a strength that comes precisely from a recognition of one’s humility and madness? What’s the difference between turning a tarot card over in an attempt to know and reading the cards as part of the mystery of love? Can you honestly tell when you’re doing one thing or the other? Can you know which voice is speaking to you in the dark? We explore these questions and more in a pursuit of a “higher order of relationship altogether.” Mentioned in the show: The Odyssey by Homer The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth HindsThe Prince of Egypt "Sing for Our Time Too! The Divine Song of the Odyssey" by Mark Vernon The Red Book: Liber Secundus, Chapter Three, "One of the Lowly" by CG JungMagick Without Tears by Aleister Crowley, edited by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford Gravity and Grace by Simone WeilThe Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin"What is Spiritual Development For?" Episode 241 of Conner Habib's podcast Against Everything With Conner Habib, with guests Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford Duncan Barford's work and books, all found at Occult Experiments in the HomeAlan Chapman's MagiaCameron's writing on her newsletter "interruptions"Cameron's new book Interruption: Divinatory Essays on Illness and Narrative, published by Sul Books next weekThe title of this episode comes from Cristina Campo's wonderful essay collection The UnforgivableOrder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the relationship between mystical experience on drugs and spiritual awakening that happens when sober? What does it mean to look back upon a life of addiction, drug use, and “being the worst version of oneself” and to see that even the rock bottoms were supposed to be there? Is there a way to express the inevitability of one’s path without affirming what looks like “trauma for one’s own good?”1 What is the use of understanding one’s mundane suffering and spiritual realizations as part of a cycle of creation, an expression of a complete cosmology that we participate in, whether we’re conscious of it or not? Is there a benefit to making such a cycle conscious? We raise these questions and more in our second episode of Wake Up, Underworld!, where co-hosts Justin Little and Cameron Steele explore Justin’s backstory and one example of what it looks like to wake up in the middle of hell. Perhaps it’s the case that passing the test of faith doesn’t simply reframe your life, such that it was never a test at all. Perhaps such passage is also a powerful magick that alters Reality, changing past, present, and future altogether.Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum" Texts mentioned in the show:His Dark Materials series by Philip PullmanThe Chronicles of Narnia by CS LewisAlan Chapman’s MagiaReality by Peter KingsleyDrumming At the Edge of the Magic by Mickey HartThe Tibetan Book of the DeadOccult Experiments in the Home podcast by Duncan BarfordThe Baptist’s Head by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford“Jason Louv and John Dee’s Empire of Angels” episode of the Occult of Personality podcast by Greg KaminskyOn Drugs by Justin Smith-Ruiu“On On Drugs” essay series by Mary Jane EyreThe Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley“Trauma for Your Own Good” episode of the Worp FM podcast by Alan Chapman and Duncan BarfordThe AA Big BookThe L. Ron Hubbard series produced by The Last Podcast on the LeftPeter Carroll’s books on Chaos MagickAdvanced Magick for Beginners by Alan ChapmanDr. Rachel Elior’s academic work on mysticism and magick within Jewish cultureOrder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Anarchy with Common Sense," our first episode explores "work" -- as well as the material obsession with career, status, and money (or the lack of any of these) -- as the true opiate of the masses. We talk about the Great Work of magick as the true opportunity to grow what you care about without fighting shadows. Sometimes that opportunity comes to you through the sudden tragedy of illness; sometimes it comes to you in the only week you've had off work in years. Why is that? What is that about? The conversation explores the Great Work through the lenses of personal experience and spiritual practice, amidst the backdrop of late-stage capitalism in the West. You can find the podcast on any of your favorite podcast streaming services or on Acast. If you enjoyed listening, please like, subscribe, and share, or let us know in the comments!Texts mentioned: Magia by Alan ChapmanThe Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk and Joanna ConcegoMagick Without Tears by Aleister Crowley, edited by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford The Baptist's Head by Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford The Last Night: Anti-work, Atheism, and Adventure by Federico Campagna Be Creative by Angela McRobbieThe Red Book by CG JungThe Introduction to the Black Books, by Sonu Shamdasani and CG JungThe Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Magetao te ching by Ko Hsüan (Aleister Crowley)Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton WilsonNeurologic by Timothy Leary The Philosophy of Freedom by Rudolph Steiner Seven Lectures on Inner Development by Valentin TombergMeditations on the Tarot by Valentin TombergThe Occult of Personality Podcast by Greg KaminskyThe Qabbalistic Tarot by Robert WangThe Mystical Qabbalah by Dion FortuneOrder Cameron's book "Interruption"Read Justin's essay "Spiritus Contra Spiritum"Show Art by Beck Corriganhttps://beckcorrigan.cargo.site/about-contactMusic by Justin Little Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.