The VALIS trilogy
The VALIS trilogy is a set of science fiction/philosophical novels by author Philip K. Dick which include VALIS (1978), The Divine Invasion (1980), and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (1982). Dick's first novel about the VALIS concept originally titled "VALISystem A" (written 1976), was published as Radio Free Albemuth after Dick's death (March 1982) in 1985. Background In February and March 1974, Dick experienced a series of visions and other inexplicable perceptual and cognitive phenomena. For the rest of his life, Dick explored the philosophical implications and hypothesized about the origins of the experience, in a journal which eventually ran to hundreds of thousands of words. This work became known as the Exegesis, selections of which were published as The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Dick's leading hypothesis was that he had been contacted by a transcendental, mystical mind he called VALIS (vast active living intelligence system). In the summer of 1976, Dick completed a novel based on these so-called "2-3-74 experiences," which he titled VALISystem A. The novel was sold to Bantam Books, but after editor Mark Hurst suggested some possible revisions, Dick began contemplating a revision so radical as to constitute a new novel. The original VALISystem A was published posthumously as Radio Free Albemuth.
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- I've asked AI to help some, and maybe it's me who hallucinated it, but something that's super stuck with me from reading Philip K Dick's VALIS trilogy/Radio Free Albemuth were two dual modes: of the scorching mid-day heat of the Palm Tree Garden, a sweltering heat of the sun/that red even with your eyes closed, then at night, a sort of relief, an un-watched-over state. I enjoyed VALIS the first time a lot, but going back and finding these specific sections has a strong lure to it.
At the time it felt cute, a nice flourish. But over the years, the idea has sort of grown into me. I find that during the day, my critical mind is quite active & wants really exact precise things. Expectations can be large & slow down just letting things pour out of me. Now, this isn't the same in-between sleep/waking state as the article, but at night a lot of my concern goes away, and I can just enjoy things, work on things, uninhibited. Let it flow. Some level of tiredness can help.
I would like to be better about the flip side. I think the morning is another interesting, that a lot of people use well & love. Before the world is really awake, seizing the moment. Ursala Le Guin wrote about her daily routine, which involves waking prompty & writing writing writing. I feel like there's likely strong similarity. But also it sure feels good to have a bunch of work under your belt at the beginning of the day, right away. https://www.openculture.com/2019/01/ursula-k-le-guins-daily-...
- It's funny, man. I was on 4chan and reading Dostoyevsky waaaay back in 2008. Really wish we had a /lit/ back then :(
Edit: In case any newfriends are listening, I would also like to suggest the books of Philip K. Dick, including but not limited to A Scanner Darkly, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Ubik, and the VALIS trilogy.
- "A Canticle For Leibowitz"
"The Sparrow"
"Lord of Light"
"The Immortal"
"Hyperion"
"The Last Question"
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
"Stranger in a Strange Land"
"The City and the Stars"
"Childhood's End"
"Anathem"
"Eifelheim"
"A Case of Conscience"
"VALIS" trilogy
"The Book of Strange New Things"
"Behold The Man"
"The God Engines"
"Book of the New Sun"
"The Parable of the Sower"
"The Dosadi Experiment"
"Grass"
"Project Pope"
"Calculating God"
"Factoring Humanity"
"Jesus on Mars"
"Surface Detail
- Without your personal context, recommendations are difficult. If you like science fiction, check out "Stories of your Life" by Ted Chang; if you like historical strategies for success, check out "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene; if you like grand philosophical views of an entire life well lived and how to have one "The Glass Bead Game" by Hesse; if you're interested in extremely practical advice in how to be successful today read (believe it or not) Harvard Business Review - it is far more down to earth than should be possible. If you like cynical SciFi, read Philip K Dick's Valis trilogy - it's a failed 2nd coming of god, wreaked by modern brand marketing.
- Read Philip K Dick, specifically his Valis "trilogy": combine drugs, God's 2nd coming, it's marketing campaign competing against junk food, time travel, and God changing it's multiple minds mind way through. There's Sci Fi and then there's Mind fuck Sci Fi, which PKD is the master, after perhaps William S. Bourroughs and Stanisław Lem, both startling writers requiring one to suspend conventional thinking of expectations of reality to comprehend where they are taking you.
- I really do, thanks. It's on my todo list now, right after Philip K. Dick's VALIS trilogy and Mark von Schlegell's Venusia.
