Cosmic Trigger deals with a process of deliberately induced brain change. This process is called 'initiation' or 'vision quest' in many traditional societies and can loosely be considered some dangerous variety of self-psychotherapy in modern terminology. I do not recommend it for everybody. The main thing I learned in my experiments is that 'reality' is always plural and mutable. -- From the Preface
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Wilson managed to reverse every mental polarity in me, as if I had been pulled through infinity. I was astonished and delighted.-- Philip K. Dick, author of Blade Runner "Erudite, witty and genuinely scary " -- Publishers Weekly "Robert Anton Wilson is one of the leading thinkers of the modern age." --Barbara Marx Hubbard, Committee for the Future "Dazzling the most thrilling tilt-a-whirls and daring loop-o-planes on the midway of higher consciousness." -- Tom Robbins "What great physicist hides behind the mask of Wilson?" -- New Scientist "The man's either a genius or Jesus." -- Sounds (London) "We've needed this for a long time " -- Henry Miller, author of Tropic of Cancer -- Author Reviews
About the Author
Novelist, teacher and former Playboy editor, Robert Anton Wilson is the author of the Cosmic Trigger trilogy; the Illuminatus! trilogy (with Robert Shea); the Schrodinger's Cat trilogy; the Historical Illuminatus series; Sex, Drugs & Magick; Prometheus Rising; Quantum Psychology; Coincidance; Email to the Universe; and many other works.
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79 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First, let me say that this book is thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, multi-layered, and completely worthy of all the praise that it's been given. Why am I giving "Cosmic Trigger" only 4 stars? Because not everybody will be ready for it. And even those who are will need to read it more than once for the full effect. Like James Joyce, who RAW seems extremely fond of quoting and whose "Ulysses" I suspect he seeks to emulate, Wilson has written a book that you just can't take in all at once.
One of the deeper "surface" lessons, the one Wilson shouts the loudest and at the same time refuses to do any more than tease you with, is that you have to decide for yourself what to believe -- but that deciding to believe anything limits what you will be able to observe in the world around you. This is heavy stuff, and ground-breaking to the average reader. As such, I've walked away from reading sessions alternately convinced that:
* Wilson is completely serious about all and sundry, straining to persuade you to approach the world with a more open mind; and
* Wilson is shoveling good-sounding but meaningless drivel on his readers for the sole purpose of a good belly laugh.
But even in this he's got a multi-layered agenda. Interpreting the book in line with one of the theories above -- as an earlier reviewer has done, with the former -- goes completely against the point of the book. WILSON IS NOT TRYING TO MAKE YOU BELIEVE. He presents no evidence nor standards of evidence (which the earlier reviewer did correctly note), EXACTLY BECAUSE his entire "surface" thesis is that one must constantly question THEIR OWN beliefs, within their own frameworks and based on their own observations (which the earlier reviewer seems to have missed).
Wilson's like that. Labyrinthine but consistent. Except he isn't, really. He ... Oh, just read the book.
In conclusion, this is a work that has earned a place on my bookshelf ... although I might have to wait a while to re-read it. "Cosmic Trigger" is a great foil to dogma of all stripes, but going through it too many times in succession makes it a piece of dogma itself, and the message gets lost.
70 of 82 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a rambling account by R.A.W. that winds together accounts of the author's life in the 70's and his association with other 60s-70s drug and occult counter-culture figures (especially Timothy Leary) - to put forth a strange theory about aliens seeding life here on Earth and guiding our evolution (in consciousness) so that ultimately we can join them as immortal space beings.
In the process of spinning this "theory" Wilson touches on everything from the Illuminati, mythology, religion, psychology, physics, the occult, etc.
This is my first exposure to Wilson and in this book he comes across as highly intelligent and well read, but also very ego-centric and paranoid.
Also, - he makes the excellent point about how our sensory perception is intricately associated with our specific chemical biology - thus hallucinagenic drugs (chemicals) alter our perceptive ability and open us up to perceiving reality in a whole new way. And it's hard not to agree with that up to a point because we, as physical beings, are awash in a cosmic sea of signals, and are only consciously aware of a tiny, tiny percent of all of that information that is around us. However, Wilson, at least in this book, never seems to question the validity of the extra information that is processed when you wack your brain out on drugs and every conceivable occult activity. Nor does he seem to question very seriously the bizarre conclusions he reaches based on this information received. And while acknowledging Leary's ideas regarding the dose, set and setting as having a strong effect on one's experience with psychedelics Wilson didn't seem to catch on that this whole UFO-alien scheme could simply have been the result of a bunch of overworked imaginations and wacked out perceptive abilities operating in a very free-thinking, government hating, ego-centric, paranoid "set and setting".
This myopic approach also is evident to the reader in that Wilson seems to raise every coincidence in his life to the spiritually significant level of "syncronicity". For example, several times during the book he mentions that it is a meaningful coincidence of great import that his daughter's first menstrual cycle came on the same day that Timothy Leary was arrested in Afghanistan?! But he never mentions WHY this coincidence is meaningful. Similarly, he is convinced that "23" is an important number in his life so any day, date, book, time, place, story, picture, conversation, etc. that includes the number 23 in any way, shape or form is taken to have some special "meaning". And because 2 + 3 = 5, the number 5 is treated likewise - as are the numbers 33,333, 666 and others. A plethera of symbols are also given meaningful status (birds of prey, etc.) So it's not hard to see why Wilson can find sychronicities wherever he looks.
It's also interesting to note that the book is packed with wild assertions about where science would be at the turn of the century (year 2000) such as people living hundreds of years, commuicating routinely via telepathy, and regular space travel via spaceships to other planets. These things, obviously having not occurred could be forgiven as overly optimistic imagining, but to the extent that they are all part and parcel of his alien theory they cast doubt on the validity of much of what he says.
Wilson struck me as an intelligent, well-read, thinker with interesting perspectives on the meaning of life. His emotional state throughout the book seemed to oscillate between loving optimism and paranoia. And while I found his ideas a good springboard to thought, it was hard ultimately to take his conclusiond very seriously. And it was clear that, while writing this book, he was so wrapped up in his own conspiracy theories and wacky ideas that he couldn't properly step outside of that box in order to objectively evaluate them, which was strange given his obvious intelligence.
Overall it's worth reading to get a strange perspective on things and I'll probably read some related material (Timothy Leary)
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cosmic Trigger is as hard to categorize as it is enjoyable to read.Wilson ties together strands as diverse as qauntum theory,psychology,occultism and good old down to earth skepticism into a fascinating tapestry.Readers may be offended, shocked, or incredulous,but they will also be entertained and ,more likely than not,stimulated from this experience.The main strentgh of Wilsons writing is his ability to offer the reader tools to evaluate any information,and a healthy but not dogmatic skepticism.Mix in a self deprecating sense of humour and you'll have an idea of what Cosmic Trigger 1 has to offer. I believe the great strenth of Wilson is his ability to appeal to a wide range of readers without dumbing down the dialogue.This is a book that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
enigma 23
I am always amazed at those who find existence mundane and droll. It is nice to know that there are those out there who believe otherwise, if you are looking for a trip through... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Lisa Dillenkoffer
Everyone who reads this is now a Pope!
Robert Anton Wilson (android or not) is my hero! Cosmic trigger is full of cosmic fun and excitement! Buy this book!!
Published 1 month ago by Kc James
worth a read, with fairly high highs (but low lows)
I enjoy conspiracy stories and mystical concepts, and in that context, this was a good read. Wilson has an agile, broad and deep mind, and it comes through in this book. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Creator & Cognoscenti
Must read
Another "must read" book by Robert Anton Wilson. I can honestly say, if you'll read all of his books, it definitely will rewire your brain, reprogram your brain and maybe even... Read more
Published on September 29, 2009 by Tadas Talaikis
The road to eternity
Just kidding, but this book can help you take your mind back and deprogram the BS that has been infiltrating the perception of reality... Read more
Published on June 13, 2009 by Borodamus
My Favorite Book!
The pages of Cosmic Trigger contain a wealth of mini satori-like mind-blowing moments that changed my perception of just about everything. Read more
Published on October 6, 2008 by Discordia5
Then & Now
This is an excellent book and really exposes the 60s and 70s as what they were... a society that had more freedom and less worries than we could ever have (unless we drastically... Read more
Published on August 15, 2008 by A. OBrien
Far out...
Yes, "far out" are the first and last words that come to my head when I think of this most unique experience of a book. Read more
Published on September 20, 2007 by Sara Q.
Not Free SF Reader
Robert Anton Wilson is a very strange man. Here he writes about all
sorts of things, conspiracies, magic, the occult, weird happenings and
how lots of things like this... Read more
sorts of things, conspiracies, magic, the occult, weird happenings and
how lots of things like this... Read more
Published on September 2, 2007 by Blue Tyson
Final Secrets
"Cosmic Trigger" is worth reading both for its historical value and its relevance today. Many of the important figures of the 60's and 70's, like Tim Leary, J Edgar Hoover and... Read more
Published on April 3, 2007 by Steve Bartholomew
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Mullah Nasrudin once entered a store and asked the proprietor, "Have you ever seen me before?" Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cosmic trigger, space migration, winged globe, conspiracy buffs, communicating entity, dark companion, four circuits, higher intelligence Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aleister Crowley, Tim Leary, Timothy Leary, San Francisco, John Lilly, Kenneth Grant, Ordo Templi Orientis, Holy Guardian Angel, Jacques Vallee, New Orleans, Alan Watts, Bay Area, Bell's Theorem, Chapel Perilous, Naval Intelligence, Saul-Paul Sirag, Aldous Huxley, Discordian Society, Greg Hill, Kerry Thornley, Los Angeles, United States, West Virginia, Carlos Castaneda, Poor Fool New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Mullah Nasrudin once entered a store and asked the proprietor, "Have you ever seen me before?" Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cosmic trigger, space migration, winged globe, conspiracy buffs, communicating entity, dark companion, four circuits, higher intelligence Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aleister Crowley, Tim Leary, Timothy Leary, San Francisco, John Lilly, Kenneth Grant, Ordo Templi Orientis, Holy Guardian Angel, Jacques Vallee, New Orleans, Alan Watts, Bay Area, Bell's Theorem, Chapel Perilous, Naval Intelligence, Saul-Paul Sirag, Aldous Huxley, Discordian Society, Greg Hill, Kerry Thornley, Los Angeles, United States, West Virginia, Carlos Castaneda, Poor Fool New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 93
books:
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9
books
cite this book:
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- Cosmic Trigger: Final Secret of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson on 7 pages
- Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley on 7 pages
- The Sirius Mystery by Robert K.G. Temple on 5 pages
- Book of Lies by Aleister Crowley on 5 pages
- The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites & Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order (Llewellyn's Golden Dawn) by Israel Regardie on 4 pages
See all 93 books this book cites
- Cosmic Trigger III: My Life After Death by Robert Anton Wilson on 4 pages
- Rebels & Devils: The Psychology of Liberation by Christopher S. Hyatt in Front Matter, and page 281
- Buddhism and Jungian Psychology by J. Marvin Spiegelman in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Intelligence Agents (Future History) by Timothy Leary in Back Matter
- Astrology and Consciousness: The Wheel of Light by Rio Olesky in Front Matter
See all 9 books citing this book
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