Prometheus Rising Book Review

Introduction

“What the Thinker Thinks the Prover Proves.”

This is the most basic idea of Robert Anton Wilson’s Prometheus Rising. Starting as a Ph.D. dissertation called Тhe evolution of Neuro-Sociological Circuits: A Contribution to the Sociobiology of Consciousness, the book is regarded as the most prominent work on Timothy Leary’s 8-circuit model. Bridging the wisdom of geniuses like Crowley and Gurdjieff with Yoga, Christian Science, New Thought, and quantum theory, the book provides an encyclopedic explication of the world and the human species. Focusing on human consciousness, Prometheus Rising examines humans’ evolution from vаrious perspectives while finding common grounds and building on that. Since discussing the entire book would be inappropriately long (in this video), I’ll examine a few of my favorite ideas.

The Thinker and The Prover

Alluding to N.Hill’s gem that “What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve…,” chapter one elaborates on the notion that the mind is divided into two. A concept by Leonard Orr that views one as the ‘Thinker,’ whereas the other as the ‘Prover.’ Using brain and mind (somewhat) interchangeably, Wilson regards the first as the leader who ‘thinks’ and ‘believes.’ The second, he adds, is the follower, doing everything possible to justify/prove the thinker is correct.

“(…) if the Thinker thinks passionately enough, the Prover will prove the thought so conclusively that you will never talk a person out of such a belief, even if it is something as remarkable as the notion that there is gaseous vertebrate of astronomical heft (“GOD”) who will spend all eternity torturing people who do not believe his religion…”

p.5

Comment

While different, this reminds me of the ’emotional’ and ‘rational’ brains. Specifically, how the first makes the decisions and the second rationalizes and justifies them. To learn more about that, check the works of Baba Shiv and Judson Brewer, such as my video How to Collaborate with your Nephesh. 

The Law of Attraction

After introducing the Thinker and the Prover, Wilson gives the most notorious exercise in the book. 

“Visualize a quarter vividly, and imagine vividly that you are going to find the quarter on the street. Then, look for the quarter every time you take a walk, meanwhile continuing to visualize it. See how long it takes to find the quarter…”

p.7

IMHO, and based on modern research, this explains the Law of Attraction. Utilizing it doesn’t necessarily mean you become a magnet for specific things and people. It implies you increase awareness of what’s already there, attuning your mind to the right stuff. And to a vast extent, that’s (also) how magick works. Although magick’s effects could be much more drastic and in the face. Let me know if you agree.

Science and Objectivity

Prometheus Rising challenges the belief that ‘science is always objective.’ Exemplifying episodes from the lives of Tesla, Einstein, and Edison, the book shows how scientists are often as passionate and prejudiced as painters and other people of art.

“Science achieves, or approximates, objectively not because the individual scientist is immune from the psychological laws that govern the rest of us, but because scientific method — a group creation — eventually overrides individual prejudices, in the long run…”

Comment

IMHO, all this goes hand in hand with the more popular Thomas Huxley nugget:

“Science is nothing but trained and organized common sense…”

— Thomas Huxley

It also alludes to what I covered in my review of Mark Stavish’s Egregores.

True Religion

When explaining ‘How to Brain-Wash Friends & Robotize People,’ Willson adds that based on how they are conditioned/imprinted, humans have vastly different beliefs and perceptions of reality. The universe is complex and large enough, and the ego is sufficiently self-centered. So no matter how absurd they seem, those beliefs make solid sense to those living in their reality tunnels. 

” What the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves . . .
whether you are living in a Christian reality tunnel, a Mansoid reality tunnel, an immortalist reality tunnel, a vegetarian reality tunnel, a Rationalist reality tunnel. . .
Everybody has the only true (true) religion…”

p.154

Prometheus Rising introduces the concept of “reality tunnels,” which later becomes (pretty much) the main discussion of Quantum Psychology. Reality Tunnels are made of the subjective filters through which you perceive and interpret reality. Wilson offers that recognizing and challenging your reality tunnels helps to expand your horizons and open to new possibilities. And as bolded on page 218.

“Reality” is the temporary resultant of continous struggles between rival gangs of programmers…”

Reality Modeling

RAW emphasizes that our perception of reality is a subjective model rather than an objective truth. Elsewhere he notes it takes several generations to prove the validity of any scientific discovery. To help gain a broader understanding of reality, the author encourages us to explore different models and perspectives, adopt a more flexible mindset, and cultivate multiple viewpoints. 

Comment

Also adopted by LHP classics like the Essential Guide and the Psychopath’s Bible, one example is for magickal people and paranormal enthusiasts to dedicate a period to reading the Skeptical Enquirer. Another is to enter and stay in a reality tunnel utterly different from your default one. Using such an approach, IMHO, you can adopt the preferred-by Setians perspective viewing Aeons as reality tunnels to temporarily avail of. Let me know if you agree.

Scientific Skepticism

Prometheus Rising stresses the importance of the practical application to help determine whether the written in it applies to you. For this, each chapter is followed with a list of exercises to help you test the information’s validity and approach things like a scientist. 

“Sad is to say, you’ll never understand anything by merely reading a book about it. That’s why every science course, laboratory experiment, and every consciousness-liberation movement demands the practice of yoga meditations, confrontation techniques, etc., in which the ideas are tested in the laboratory of your own nervous system…”

p.7

Comment

Similar prescriptions are included in various occult and self-help classics. Whether it is magick or personal development, such advice is priceless, as it prevents being one of the people aiming to collect all the books and memorize all correspondences while doing very little work. And the example coming to my mind first is Israel Regardie’s The One Year Manual:

“Reading does very little to bring one to any kind of realization of one’s divine nature…” 

The One Year Manual Preface: p. XI

A slight issue with Prometheus Rising is that some exercises aren’t just plain unhealthy but also not legal in most places…’ So make sure to not do stupid stuff.

Brains and Computers

Prometheus Rising views the brain as a so-called bio or electro-colloidal computer. This isn’t to say that the brain is a computer. But to instead model it as one. Like actual computers, including hardware components and software programs, brains have their “hardware” and “software” counterparts. The first is inside our skulls, whereas the second could be anywhere, identically to computer software possibly existing on various storage devices, a piece of paper, the developer’s mind, etc. 

Comment

On page 259, Wilson adds that the programmer is ‘bigger’ than the program. And this reminds me of books on magick reiterating the map is not the territory. 

Dieting

Being a biohacking pioneer, Wilson recognizes that, like using mind-altering drugs, switching from one diet to another causes changes in brain chemicals. Now, this is primarily utilized in personal development and biohacking. Namely, availing of various fasting and ancestral eating protocols to enhance mood, longevity, and performance. 

Brain Software

Potentially being everywhere and anywhere, the “brain software” Prometheus Rising clarifies encompasses all the content we have ever consumed. Also, the things we interacted with and impacted us. It recognizes the ‘sets of programs’ as being divided into four parts. 

1. Totally hard-wired instincts called Genetic Imperatives. 
2. Imprints or non-negotiable parts of your personality and somewhat hard-wired programs designed by the brain. 
3. Conditioning or built-on-the-imprints readily changeable programs. 
4. Learning that’s even easier to change than conditioning.

The Education of the Future

“Are traditional schools very much like mini-prisons? Do they stifle imagination, cramp the child physically and mentally, and run on various forms of overt or covert terrorism? Of course, the answer is an unambiguous yes; but such schools are necessary to train people for roles in the ordinary office or factory or profession, which are also very much like mini-prisons, stifle imagination, cramp the person physically and mentally, and run on terror (threat of loss of bio-survival tickets, in the form of pay-checks or tenure.)…”(…)

“Traditional child-rearing began to falter only when society began to enter into the present period of accelerated change and technological omni-transformation of all traditional values…”

p.123

Wilson notes the permissive child-rearing movement succeeded only partially as society proceeded to think it needed human robots. Confronting that, the author promises that utopian child-rearing will advance as society evolves out of authoritarianism. When that happens, there will be a demand for humans who are not robots but are capable of genuine creativity, innovation, and exploration, and also of ones who are not narrow-minded, docile, and bigots. 

Comment

IMHO, this time has already come considering the rise of the creative solopreneur and the content creator. According to experts in the creator economy, these are the people AI won’t be able to replace. And that’s evident by the numerous creators providing value, such as the various online platforms for education and training not found in typical schools. The same applies to the recent wave of creators defying the ‘niche dogma’ in favor of permanent reinvention and providing value based on all their interests and proficiency. Let me know if you agree, such as if you’d appreciate it if this channel evolves in such a direction. 

Imagination

Prometheus Rising emphasizes imagination’s role in human perception and self-transformation. It views it as a primary tool for shaping your whole life experience. And this includes beliefs, desires, and expectations. Like the New Thought scholar Nevil Goddard claiming imagination is GOD, Wilson explains harnessing its power lets you construct your own reality and break free from limiting reality tunnels. 

Creative Visualization

One method is creative visualization. Said differently, that’s imagining desired outcomes and goals being achieved. Another is by taking advantage of imagination’s playful nature and adopting childlike curiosity, which is the driving force of the modern creator. Creative visualization, the author explains, connects with your inner being while breaking the programming of the earlier mentioned prison-like schools. Also, to improve your relationship with your Nephesh as the curiosity gets your child-self on board by putting it into action. And the best way to do it is by combining it with pranayama.

The Future

While these are well-utilized by self-improvers and New-Agers, Wilson goes further using meta-programming and re-imprinting. He advises incorporating sensory deprivation, affirmations, meditations, and ritual magick. By taking advantage of these, you can actually reprogram your imagination. Elsewhere the author notes, in the ‘truest’ meaning of the word, Masons are the actual builders of the Future. Besides making me think of leading researchers in longevity, biohackers, value-creators, and tech engineers, that also reminds me of how Dion Fortune uses the word Illuminati. Let me know if you agree.

Prometheus Rising ends with a quote from Barbara Marx Hubbard:

“The Future exists first in the imagination, then in will, then in reality…”

I think this goes best with Wilson’s:

“Reality is what you can get away with…”

But that’s just my opinion. Feel free to let me know if you agree.

Thank You For Your Time!