Books that can change your life: Prometheus Rising (by Robert Anton Wilson)

“Here's the crazy book that helped define my unique world views” were the words from the friend who introduced me to this book several years ago. With such an intriguing description and a recommendation coming from one of the most sui generis people I have ever met, my interest was piqued.

I used to roll my eyes whenever somebody told me that some book "had changed their lives". However, this one did it for me. It ended up changing my own outlook and the way I interact with other people, in addition to serving as an introduction to all sorts of fascinating material pertaining topics from psychedelic drugs to eastern philosophy.

(Why do a lot of the books that I read have covers that make them look like second-rate Science Fiction books? It's the content that matters, I promise!)

From the moment I finished the first chapter, called The Thinker and the Prover, I knew I was onto something interesting. It talked about synchronicity – how that once you start looking into something it feels as if the universe all of a sudden throws related information at you from unexpected places and sources.

The typical wishy-washy New Agey discourse that is so fashionable these days poses that we modify the universe with our thoughts, and that the universe is greatly preoccupied with helping you make your dreams come true, which just seems like some sort of pseudo-religious wishful thinking. What Wilson suggests in this book, instead, is the modeling of our personal universe by changing our perception of what is already out there, around us. 

In his books he provides a very helpful “starter kit” to understand how your mind has shaped the world you lived in –the one that you built almost without noticing based in your patterns, culture and preconceptions– from a psychological point of view.

Prometheus first goes through a lengthy dismantling and explaining of all the different circuits that are either hardwired in our brains as a result of evolutionary mechanisms, or acquired throughout our lives depending on our personal circumstances and background – the eight-circuit model of consciousness described previously by Timothy Leary.

By reading these chapters, one starts getting interesting insights taking a closer observation of other people’s biological and social imprints; the truly interesting part, however, is using these prompts to observe one self and do some self-study discovering what patterns, ideas and notions have taken firm hold on us, and why. One can learn to observe our own reactions and emotions by distancing ourselves from them, and it becomes really interesting and illuminating, although it is also a very humbling experience.

A very powerful outcome of reading Prometheus Rising was that it made people a lot less intimidating for me, especially those in positions of authority. Suddenly, I could understand much better why they did and said certain things, and in many cases I could see right through their motivations behind maneuvers and actions that previously used to mystify me.

In fact, it suddenly became very easy to picture most people as kids, or better said, to see the kid in them still intact, under layers of pretense “adulthood” and power play. It also helped me to become more understanding, empathetic and compassionate towards others, and I became more aware of the multitude of similarities between myself and other people that I used to perceive as vastly different.

One of the most interesting chapters in the book.

Another aspect I liked about this book is the originality of its format. Perhaps I had been reading the wrong books, but I had never encountered a book like this; full of candid caricatures and informal drawings and diagrams, and sprinkled with quotes and high-impact messages printed in capital letters.

In addition, each chapter offers a series of activities or “Exerzises” –some of which are quite interesting and fun– to experiment and gain some insight on different mental and physiological processes, as well as to help the reader identify their own preconceptions and step out of their frame of mind to observe and analyze themselves in a more impartial way. The aim of all these exercises is to help you become “less-robotized” and more of a true free thinker, liberating yourself from detrimental and useless preconceptions and hardened limiting beliefs.

The author takes occasional plunges into the pool of mysticism and the occult, but only when it’s relevant.  A. Wilson makes a good effort by comparing and incorporating common knowledge about the workings of human mind from diverse sources, from G.I. Gurdjieff and Aleister Crowley to Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud.

There are lots of strange experiments and works quoted in there that made my skeptical red-flag alarm go off a few times, though. So, as usual, one must apply some criteria and do some additional research to clarify some points when necessary – an attitude that, if practiced by everyone, would significantly reduce the amount of misinformation regarding already-confusing topics like the essence of consciousness and the way it works.

Example of the activities suggested after each chapter in the book.

Finally, a strong point of Prometheus Rising is that its intention is not only to provide a grim and cynical deconstruction of human behavior, pointing out all the deficiencies, potential pitfalls and deformations of the individual and collective mind.

While Wilson does a good job humorously exposing just how much of an irrational and stupid species humans can be, he also offers some light and hope on the improvement of the human condition.

Perhaps overly-optimistic at times, Wilson speaks passionately about the unique times that we live in now, with the unlimited flow of information and resources setting the stage for a new revolution of the mind, the next step on the evolution of human consciousness.

He also makes interesting propositions and offers intelligent arguments that prompt the reader to re-evaluate the way they perceive reality and their life situation. Robert Anton Wilson is so enthusiastic about the possibilities at our grasp for self-actualization and development that it’s difficult not to feel inspired by it.

In the end, it could be said that he is a passionate advocate for a happier, more fulfilling way of living by putting the knowledge available to us to good use, to free us and inspire us. Count me in for that!

In summary, Prometheus Rising is a very recommendable book to challenge your worldview and a swift read full of fascinating ideas.

Have you read Prometheus Rising? What's your opinion on it? Alternatively, have you ever read a book that have worked as an "eye opener", or influenced you heavily in some aspect or another? Feel free to share in the comments!

Cheers,

Irime

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Image sources: 1 and 3 are my own, the rest come from Pixabay. I added the quotes on top.