Peter Lamborn Wilson (Hakim Bey)

Table of Contents

T.A.Z. - Reviewed by Psyche
Immediatism - Reviewed by Psyche
Green Hermeticism - Reviewed by Psyche

Title:	T.A.Z.
Subtitle:	The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism
Author:	Hakim Bey
Publisher:	Autonomedia
ISBN:	0936756764
Original Anti-Copyright:	1985
Edition:	1991
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche at spiralnature dot com
Category:	Anarchy, Philosophy, Chaos
Review:	Have a couple of dictionaries standing by, or be sure to have a few dozen bookmarked online while reading this, for if you're to appreciate Bey's prose, you're likely to need 'em. He writes in a strange way, obviously highly intelligent, but rambling, and if you're not quite sure what he's on about, it's just going to seem worse. There are a lot of ideas in here, based on things I'm not very familiar with, such as Sufism and dadism - some of which are at least partially explained, but this is one of those books you need to read, and then come back to later and see how it compares. Certainly on the first go struggling somewhat to get a feel for how his mind works on paper. It's a very inspiring work, which he may loathe to hear, but I intend to do something about it. I recommend reading it to anyone interested in expanding their interests and testing the limits of one's mind. Agreeing with everything he presents isn't necessary, but thinking about it is - doing even better. Highly recommended reading.
Review submitted:	01 October 2002

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Title:	Immediatism
Author:	Hakim Bey
Publisher:	AK Press
ISBN:	1873176422
Original Anti-Copyright:	1994
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche at spiralnature dot com
Category:	Anarchy, Philosophy, Chaos
Review:	A collection of relatively short essays all circling around a specific subject: immediatism, in both senses of the word; both as immediate, now and without mediation. It's a way of life that appeals to me, and likely to any other sensualists who find the stale repitition of pre-formed media dull. You're likely able to enjoy this work with only one dictionary at your side, though of courseit does still give you a lot to think about, and even more to put into action. The style is easy and more readily accessible, the suggestions and manifestos are more likely to become realized in a smaller environment. It's become another book on my recommended reading list.
Review submitted:	01 October 2002

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Title:	Green Hermeticism
Subtitle:	Alchemy and Ecology
Author:	Peter Lamborn Wilson, Christopher Bamford, and Kevin Townley
Publisher:	Lindisfarne Books
ISBN:	9781584200499
Original Anti-Copyright:	2007
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche at spiralnature dot com
Category:	Alchemy, Hermeticism, Ecology, Magick
Review:	In 2003 Peter Lamborn Wilson gave a lecture titled “The Sacred Theory of the Earth” at a conference held in New Paltz, New York. This talk inspired a series of lectures and the coining of a new term “Green Hermeticism”. The lecture given at the first conference became the first chapter of the present work, “The Disciples at Sais: A Sacred Theory of Earth”. Here he discusses the work of Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg), an early Germanic Romantic poet and philosopher, and contextualises him in terms of defining a new spiritual ecology linked to alchemy and Hermeticism. In “One the All”, Editor in Chief of SteinerBooks and Lindisfarne Books, Christopher Bamford, discusses creation myths, though I found his overview of alchemy more enlightening. He writes: “Hermetic science is…a discipline of mind and body. Rather than the objectification and control of the known by the knower, it seeks unification and identity- thereby transforming the knower and the known as perceived and experienced. The “object” is conceived of as a symbol. Everything observable is a symbol. Every symbol is observable”. But note that a symbol or phenomenon, though observable, is not “repeatable” in the sense that ordinary science depends on repeatability. Each observation or empirical confirmation is unique, single: an act of grace manifesting in the confluence of the right gesture at the right moment. Hermetic science strives for a known in the symbol through the act of knowing.” In the title lecture and essay, “Green Hermeticism”, Wilson gives a lucid analysis of Hermetic history, noting “[s]syncretism values the fortuitous mistranslation just as Hermeticism values certain false etymologies based on cabbalistic wordplay. The whole Renaissance science/art of emblemology arose from the appropriation and mistranslation of hieroglyphs”. Wilson covers a lot of ground, intertwining various themes such as architecture, Renaissance and modern science with alchemy, fleshing connections with his ever-artful prose. Reading Wilson as Hakim Bey is a kaleidoscopic delight, and his use of language here is as charming and electrically articulate. From Greek science to Hermetic alchemy to European science – and back again. Wilson writes, “If modern science’s origins lie in Hermeticism then post-modern science now begins to sound like alchemy again, with its cyclotronic transmutation, mystical quantum leaps and chaotic attractors.” Seeking to “reclaim” scientific advances, Wilson writes “On the level of technology Hermeticism should lay claim on an empirical basis to everything it can use – once it’s been subjected to the basic Luddite test: whether or not it “harms the commonality”. Further, he encourages appropriating “all the weirdest and most wonderful findings of quantum mechanics, chaos and complexity, mind and consciousness studies, biology, herbalism and ethnobotany, neurochemistry and psychedelic research, ecology and related sciences (geomorphology, etc.), the Gaia hypothesis and so on. A coherent hermetic approach is needed, especially a framework for new categorizations of knowledge.” Candid about the “objectivity” of the Romantic appeals he makes, Wilson notes, “Rosicrucianism may never have existed in the literal terms of the original manifestos, but it certainly proposed a social program – based on tolerance and altruism – with revolutionary implications.” Bamford’s second piece, titled “Quilting Green Hermeticism”, covers several loosely-related esoteric topics, weaving in alchemical and inspirational works by other authors. The book concludes with an essay by Kevin Townley titled “The Manufacture and Use of Planetary Tinctures”, a brief essay on spagyrics and practical alchemy. Green Hermeticism represents an interesting landmark as a recombining spiritual ecology with the Hermetic arts, a solve et coagula of environmentalism. Its themes are diverse, but important to those seeking ways to synthesize magickal and mundane approaches.
Review submitted:	31 January 2008

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