Prometheus Rising

Reading the reviews posted here is joyous to me. My favorite reviewer comment is: "if you've made it this far, just do it!" I remember the day I ordered Prometheus Rising (it was January 2007, possibly even the very day RAW died). I don't remember what led me to the book, but I know my life can be roughly divided into pre- and post-Promethus Rising periods. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

edit: I just realized that this review was written nearly 10 years to the day that RAW died and I purchased Prometheus Rising. Just a synchronistic serendipity that I felt compelled to acknowledge.

"Prometheus Rising" is the second essential piece of reading in the Wilson opus, after the "Illuminatus!" trilogy and, if you read no more of his work, this book will tell you all you need to know. Where "Illuminatus!" is a version of his philosophy disguised as a novel, "Prometheus" is the distillation of model agnosticism in plain old black and white. Given with humor and wit, this is one book that will shake you right out of your preconceptions and get you looking at everything in very different ways.
And, as another reviewer mentioned, you WILL find lots of quarters, making this one purchase that's essentially free. Think we're kidding? Read the book, and you'll learn otherwise...

Have you ever wondered what makes you tick? Allow this author to spell out for you an interesting map of life. This is a delightful book, and it has the potential to take you out of your own head, and look at yourself. It is a workbook of sorts with exercises that make Wilson's points more tangible. This book seems quite unique, and I have not seen anything else like it. This is a good one to read several times. You can read this one slowly, over the course of weeks, months, or dare I say years. I especially like the author's scientific and unexpected linear approach to concepts such as the way our brain operates. It is difficult to deny the long list of disturbing truths in this book.

This book simply covers areas such as drugs because most people are simply too narrow minded, thanks to the Corporate Industrial Military Complex that would prefer to create weapons out of drugs such as LSD, and or use such drugs to brainwash people by secretly slipping these drugs in. For all the bluster and bluff of the Nixon and Reagan "war on drugs" not to mention the callous behavior of the Clintons and now Bushs drugs should be decriminalized. People need to feel good, feeling good should not be a crime, only bad behavior, violent behavior, which this book works very hard to explain. Since the FCC has literally banned any positive mention of drugs currently illegal, they have effectively brought about a modern Inquisition against knowledge and evolution.

But this book explains this in a witty and articulate manner, unlike anyone I can recall in the modern era. Since most people would rather hit someone over the head than listen to what they say with a very sympathetic ear they will usually fear this book or throw it on a bonfire. If science essentially represents a monopoly of information than whoever controls the media controls the information and thus the science. So yes the earth does revolve around the sun and yes drugs such as LSD can in the proper setting and set bring about positive outcomes. Where are those stories in the media? Oh yeah they can't take place simply because they have been banned. As, Bill Hicks would say, where's my commercial. Maybe we have something yet to learn from these forbidden fruits.

Prometheus covers such timely topics as the monopolization of knowledge, military power, land and the issuance of currency. Genetic Imperatives, Imprints, Conditioning and Learning. He talks about modeling the brain with computers and goes into detail about "what the thinker thinks the prover proves." An excellent book about subjects that are not the least bit ordinary to people that have undergone the same experiences, but might seem confusing to those less experienced with the subject matter or those less willing to comphrehend forbidden knowledge.

As is the case with all Robert Anton Wilson books, this is a swift kick in the pants to your preconceived perceptions.
Which is its problem, because it makes it seem more important than it really is. If you already know how to think for yourself, you don't especially need this book. It's a really entertaining book, and it makes connections you probably haven't thought of, but it's goal is very simple.
Start thinking, stupid!
The exercises are rather fun and informative. I doubt many people will come to the same conclusions Wilson did, but who cares? I know Bob sure doesn't. "Think for yourself" and "Stop believing all your dumb ideas" are the main points he's trying to get across. Yes, those points are contradictory.
My only advice to somebody picking up this book is to ignore or change the first exercise. Look for pennies or nickels. Those you will find. Quarters are too valuable and useful for people to ignore, so they pick them up. Darn people and their fondness for clean clothing and video games!

This book has probably helped me more than any other I have ever read, and although claiming that it is one of the most important books written would sound like hyperbole, I don't think it would be an exaggeration to suggest that it is surely one of the most relevant overviews of our situation; of evolution on a global scale, and development on an individual level. I have read lots of material covering similar areas -- including a lot of Wilson's other output -- and have experimented somewhat with some of the techniques, but before getting hold of a copy of this book I was still intermittently frustrated and neurotic as a person, once the 'insights' or 'illuminations' wore off.

Reading this (while (and this is important) keeping my mind as 'open' as possible and allowing myself to critically analyze MY OWN particular favourite models through which I view things) gave me so many exciting, optimistic insights. For example, I soon realized that although I was not trapped in one dogmatic reality tunnel (partly because of my reading of other Wilson materials, as well as other linked sources such as Timothy Leary, Nietzsche, and Korzybski, and probably myriad other environmental, genetic reasons, etc.) I would still compulsively rationalize on many levels, and noticed with clarity that this was mainly down to my resitence to my own imprints on the emotional circuit and a SEEMINGLY instinctive need to think things through on a scientific-rational level where other models would have been more appropriate.

I've been interested in Leary's eight-circuit model of the brain for quite some time, and before reading this book I felt almost sure that I understood it almost entirely -- from both Leary's writings and Wison's own elucidations in Cosmic Trigger and elsewhere -- but while reading Prometheus Rising I began to understand the model in a much wider sense, noticing that my previous understanding had been largely 'intuitive' in comparison. (I'm aware now that it's very possible that I still don't understand it as fully as I could, and so next time I read this book or something similar I will remain open to the possibility that I still have much to learn).

The way in which Wilson adeptly links so many areas of enquiry to form coherent and workable models means that, for one thing, I began to understand the process of evolution -- which is still going on right NOW, of course -- a lot more clearly. Also, the exercises helped me gain a deeper, more practical, understanding of relativity; a more powerful knowledge of who the 'master' is who 'makes the grass green', to use the Zen riddle Wilson is fond of quoting for this purpose. Also, the beautiful pantheistic feeling I recently experienced through the use of transcendental meditation and a particularly potent strain of marijuana, began to make a lot more sense in a way that was less abstract and intuitive than my interpretation at the time it occurred.

There are many valuable lessons you can choose to take from this book; lessons that, if understood properly, will almost certainly help you become happier, more optimistic and capable of learning more things than you may have thought possible. It might also make you more compassionate and forgiving, especially if you take up yogic or meditative excerises. Also, as mentioned in other reviews, and linked to these other topics, are fascinating explanations of brainwashing techniques that could well help you realize just how powerful imprinting is on the brains of high primates like ourselves.

These are just my own personal views, of course, so the best thing to do would be to read this book yourself. Even if you think everything I've written is gibberish, you may be surprised to find that it's an interesting, vibrant and intelligent book. Don't, though, assume that you've understood everything the book has to say the first time you read it. You may find it helpful to at least consider the possibility that you've let your pre-conceived ideas get in the way and that there is a lot you haven't let yourself understand. Don't be afraid to be critical of yourself: there's no shame in admitting you conceivably might not know everything there is to know! Just for fun, if you reach a part of the book and find yourself dismissing it as 'nonsense', try instead to entertain the possibility that the writing is actually perfectly lucid, and that it's your understanding that is flawed or too superficial. Okay, that might not SOUND like a fun thing, but try it!

For people who are already familiar with these kinds of ideas and inquiry, I'd definitely recommend this. It might serve you well as a manual for self-directed brain change so that you can better prepare your higher circuit functioning when this evolution thing really gets interesting! (It's speeding up right now, remember, so what better time to try and prepare yourself for a wider, more optimistic reality?)

This review is probably overly dry and serious, and doesn't do justice to the book's fun, exhilarating tone. If you do, for whatever reason, find some of the ideas frightening or overwhelming in any way, always remember that you don't HAVE to interpret them in that manner, and perhaps consider working on your first four circuits to remove any neuroses before you delve further into higher circuit models. Other than that, HAVE FUN. I'm confident that this book will one day be considered massively important -- as well as Wilson's other works and the writings, models and experiments of Timothy Leary -- and I hope that by recommending it I will in some tiny way help speed that process. You can also be part of that, of course. Help wake the world!

Wilson has very little understanding of the subject he's writing about and tends to try and flash you from one subject to another and back again to convince to reader he's write. This is a brainwashing technique that works because the brain enters alpha wave states while reading, so he believes that if he overlads the reader with information he can convince you to think his way... It's sad that he resorts to such a technique because if he had simply produced evidence or theory to back up his claims he would have benifited the reader. The only people that could find this interesting are the easily lead fools that don't do research on anything.

Wilson synthesizes a lot of different theories and models in this fun little book, which was originally his doctoral thesis...At it's core, it's a how-to guide and manual for 8 different aspects of the psyche, as envisioned by Timothy Leary. Wilson takes Leary's work a step further and integrates Jung, Freud, Christian Science, Yoga, James Joyce, and many other thinkers and models into Leary's model. With the exercises he provides, this book is a great way to expand, strengthen, balance, and open your mind, all while gaining a better understanding of history and culture. This book could be LIFE-CHANGING, especially for those who are new to the world of esotericism and mysticism from which Wilson hails. Most of all, in this book, Wilson teaches the reader how to THINK like an academic, or as sharply as an academic, with a writing style that is digestible and understandable to the layperson. Definitely worth the money!

This book was recommended by a good friend, who admonished me to "Do the exercises." The results, needless to say, are amazing.

Robert Anton Wilson delivers in fine form with Prometheus Rising, citing influences by Dr. Timothy Leary's psychological explorations and studies. With a keen wit and keener insight, Wilson explorers the wiring - and miswiring - of the native domesticated primates of planet Earth. Eight circuits of consciousness explorered, explorering the consciousness our circuitry ate.

From psychology, Freud and Jung, to Dr. Leary and William S. Burroughs, Wilson carries on the tradition of the pioneers of the mind, the great Psychonauts of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Who knows.. this may be your chance to join the ranks.

So.. get the book. Do the exercises. Seriously.

If you can change yourself, you can change reality.

Wilson presents a hopeful and useful theory of mind, which is no small feat. But more importantly, he admits that the model presented, which is based off of Leary's work, isn't the Truth. "The map is not the territory."

The writing is very funny and entertaining, but perhaps academic rigour is mitigated by the hilarious style.

This book turned me from an ordinary high school sophmore into a transhumanist/philospher/artist/magician/model agnostic. Many years have passed and this book still rocks my world.

I recommend this tome as highly as any in the universe.

I first got into this book through the Illuminatus trilogy. It's don't think it's an exageration to say it changed my life. In my opinion it contains an excellent description of Timothy Leary's 8 circuit model of conciousness as well as an introduction to Jung, Freud, Crowley etc. though with a strongly Wilsonesque take on it all. The only thing that I feel jars is the unselfconcious use of the "is of identity".

One of the most illuminating books I have read. RAW removes conditioned perceptions so the reader can disengage from fabricated versions of reality. Reading 'Prometheus Rising' is like wearing glasses for the first time; suddenly everything becomes clear.

The grandfather of all secret teaching writers! (if you call them secrets of course!)
This book is totally awesome! One of my most favorite books I have ever read. This book has a lot to do with the human psychology and rethinking how we precieve are world. Explains how we are victims are own minds. How our enviroments and cultures "creates lenses in how we view reality and others" How to break those barries within are selves. Prometheus is written very well. Prometheus is a joy to read and funny, but serious at the same time! The book has a bunch of exercises at the end of each chapter that are fun to experiment with. Explains wide rage of secret teachings of the occult also...all in one book..!

This is somewhat written in response to the few negative reviews on this page. This is by no means a perfect book. It is by no means an original book. But perfection and originality are not Wilson's goal in this case.

Robert Anton Wilson was a revolutionary thinker, not because the ideas he espouses are his own work, but because he has a talent for making these ideas accessible to everyone. He was a PR guy for underrated ideas, and should be approached as such. Without his work, accumulating the same knowledge and wisdom would require years of studying Leary, Gurdjeff, Korzybski and the cryptic Aleister Crowley.

For those who already know a lot about the above, this book may still offer new perspective, and is worthwhile for the exercises alone.

Wilson has his own biases and it certainly is ironic that much of the book exposes the author enacting his own principle: "What the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves". However, the author recognises that he may be wrong, and is not trying to force ideas on the reader. Some negative reviews have overlooked this.

Other reviews have written the book off as pseudo-scientific, and it may be so in certain areas, but they have overlooked the utilitarian practicality of the models discussed - probably because they did not do the exercises. Prometheus Rising does not describe a complete systematic model of human consciousness, but it is a set of practical tools and models that each of us can modify according to our own unique structure and implement as a method of reprogramming our own nervous systems.

The author's emphasis is on his readers affirming or denying the ideas for themselves through the exercises contained in each chapter. The exercises are the best part of the book, and each exercise includes its opposite (I would give an example but my copy is on loan). This provides the reader with the experience of perceptions shifting to fit beliefs, which is the core idea of this book.

With regards to the more extreme ideas, such as that tall people are more logical, I would suggest that the reader consider the possibility that this is Wilson's "guerilla ontology" at work, deliberate disinformation that will only be accepted by a dogmatic reader. After all, Wilson was quite short himself.

Like with Aleister Crowley, you have to stay on your toes if you don't want to fall into the traps. Of course, we can never know for sure what he found believable, but by the end of the book you will hopefully see that it's irrelevant what Wilson believes. This book is about you. Beware of becoming a Wilsonite.

Some of the exercises are humourous, some profound, some ridiculous, but I will say this: this book is of no use unless you actually do the exercises. Only then can one be in a position to reject or accept any idea or model as (probably) true, (probably) false, useful, or useless. And regardless of whether your conclusion agrees with the author's, the journey is an experience of personal growth.

This book has changed my life, and I hope that it will do the same for you.

Oh boy. This book came to me highly recommended as an enlightening psychological self-help deal... And I am now seriously questioning the intelligence of the person who recommended it.
This is the kind of stuff that *might* sound profound and logical to people who have no knowledge whatsoever of the fields it discusses and/or lack familiarity with logical fallacies. The book is basically just a ton of untested, unsupported "Eh, makes sense to me" theories that were retrieved from deep within the colons of the author and his associates. It's the same thing Freud did (note: the human mind is not all about penises and maternal incest), but he at least gets credit for starting the *field* of psychotherapy, in much the same way that medieval alchemists eventually led to modern chemistry. Robert Anton Wilson and Timothy Leary are like people introducing their own, revolutionary theories about how to turn lead into gold in the 20th century.

Also, Leary likes to talk about anuses a lot.

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend; could not have been more satisfied.

Combines Freud & Jung, Timothy Leary, several other moral and philosophical leaders of the past to create an outstanding 'handbook for the human brain'.

Easy to read, lots of helpful images. Basically presents us with several new 'maps' by which we can undersand human psychology, the unconscious, and to steer our own lives in more constructive, uplifting and truth-seeking directions.

5 Stars! Best book I've read in YEARS.

This is absolutely my number one pick for trying to make sense of him/herself and all the other monkeys around. This book will change your life. I know that someone probably tried to sell you a Book of Mormon or Dianetics that way, but this is the real deal. Find out for yourself.

This book explains human experience in terms of biological circuits and imprints. It is one "model" of the experience and as such it is interesting and it is valid. Together with the outline and explanation of different imprints and how they are formed, Wilson provides exercises so that the reader can come to his own conclusions through his own experience. After all, the only way to truly understand something is through experience - the rest will remain mere theory and speculation.

I have conducted number of the experiments from this book, even before I picked up this book and can attest to their validity. Some were spontaneous discoveries due to my life-long interest of experimenting with influence of one's mind, beliefs and expectations upon the experiences in one's life; other experiments were inspired by reading numerous other books and wanting to find out what happens if I do this or that.

The exercises provided in this book are only a starting point, but a very good one.

It is entirely true that a person who has been meditating for years, will have certain realizations and will be able to intentionally do things which are still considered impossible to those who have not activated certain neuro-biological circuits.

And as far as the coin experiment goes - I have friends who have found few hundred dollars lying on the street, or rather, in the subway, not ony one coin.

As the popular motto in quantum physics goes: "the expectations of the Observer determine the outcome of the experiment."

This book really puts the world into perspective, at least it did for me. Readers would be hard-pressed not to walk away from it with some sort of brain change or alteration to their reality tunnel. The exercises are nice because it puts the content of the pages into an empirically tangible medium.... and yes, you will spot a few "quarters"...hahaha...
Although it was written late in Wilson's career, I think it is a good book of his to start with because it isn't too jargon-laden. I also recommend the Cosmic Trigger series....

after poring over tons of crowley, pope pete's chaos theorems, castaneda, and a host of general new age rubbish, this is the one book that really blew my mind and presented a valid way to empower myself in ways that would never have occured to me two weeks before - even Austin Osman Spare has some hefty competition here... do what you have to, this is It.

Changed my perception of the world around me and put me in control of my life. I woke up once again. Lent a copy to a friend and am ordering another because I believe every individual needs this type of mind-opening information in their lives.

Looking for a book on magick or occultism without the mythological baggage, moral dogma, or out dated ritual? Get this book, read it, and DO THE EXCERCISES. The info in this book is that same stuff that "gurus" and cults founded by sci-fi writers charge members thousands of dollars for.

For anyone interested in consciousness and maybe even meaning in life, Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson really hits home so many points and concepts.

With Wilson's great humor and intelligent diatribes, there's no wonder this book is a must-read for any psychonaut or someone wondering about all the inner workings of Timothy Leary's 8-circuit model of consciousness.

Visualize that quarter!

-editor of refocusality.com

Robert Anton Wilson has written some incredible books, "The Crack in the Cosmic Egg", major parts of the Illuminati trilogy, and many others. This book is an expansion of Tim Leary's already well-developed description of the extant & potential stages of human evolution. Robert does bring his own humor, insight, and anecdotes to the teaching, and it is good that this lesson is out there in multiple forms -- perhaps more will hear as a result. But it isn't his most inspired work.

Here Wilson elaborates on Timothy Leary's eight-circuit model of human consciousness. This is stimulating reading for those who haven't been exposed to the concepts before; maybe like beating a dead horse for those who have. Not as enjoyable as some of Wilson's other work, but still well worth the read.

A must read for anyone interested in engaging their potential and exceeding it... Robert Anton Wilson combines pieces of Crowley's magical experiments, mixed with general semantics, quantum physics, Timothy Leary and too many other references to list... This man is brilliant...

It's hard to describe "Prometheus Rising," but the first words that come to mind are: creative, unsubstantiated, and undisciplined.

The book, at its heart, is a quest to define human evolution and emergence through "biological circuits." These circuits, even though clever, are quite shortsighted. After the 2nd circuit they cease to make any thorough progressive sense and lack any holistic cohesion that even the most elementary systems theory possesses. If one is interested in human consciousness development one is MUCH better off with the likes of Ken Wilber, Jean Gebser, Abraham Maslow, and others.

I have two sore disappointments with this book, as it IS quite apprarent Wilson is a very intelligent fellow (I'll then get to the grand irony of this work that hardly makes one able to take it seriously at all). The first disappointment is the complete lack of evidence in the book. I'd say out of the plethora points and stances the author takes, he might choose to back it up 1 out of 10 times, with research, evidence or previous theorizations. Not only scarce though, his backup is shoddy at best. He takes MANY things out of context and is incredibly presumptuous about implications of most theories he refers to. Creatively, this book is brilliant, but it SORELY lacks credibility which basically reduces a serious reader to accepting it like one would accept an airport novel. The second disappointment is the obvious drug and psychedelic ties. It's apparent the author has been involved in some sort of psychedelic exploratory phase. I have nothing against this (I went through one hell of one myself at one point). The problem is, the author has not put those experiences into context. There are constant references to "cocaine monologues," and LSD physiology. I am not saying drug experiences and references aren't important, but drug experiences tend to make people come to substantial conclusions simply by intuition and not any sound reference or evidence. This is the attitude that pervades this book unfortunately.

That brings me to Anton Wilson's giant irony. In the first chapter he speaks that every person has two minds: the "Thinker," and the "Prover." He believes that everyone's Thinker will proceed to think whatever it likes, and through arrogance and egocentricism the Prover will find some way to substantiate the Thinker's claims. Thus, reducing all empirical or even theoretical study of ANYTHING to mere whims of personal motivation (the author usually links this motivation to power). Typical washed-up, neo-hippy contempt. Yawn...

The ironic part is this is a projection of Wilson's ideologue. This is what he does CONSTANTLY throughout the book: broad assumptions, arbitrary definition after arbitrary definition, points that circumvent issues, and meandering thought processes. It's HIS Prover trying to validate absurd claims made by HIS Thinker. In the end, it's a great big dump of postmodernist non-meaning.

There are two conclusions we can make about the author from this. Either he recognizes the the irony and paradox of his thinking: which results in a garbled nihilistic book that negates its own importance along with everything else (hardly something I care to be involved with). Or Wilson is unaware of the irony of his writing, thus making him not only discredited, but in denial...

Either way, if you've done a lot of drugs and enjoy seeking patterns in reality whether they make sense in some schematic or not, you may enjoy this book. If you're seriously concerned with epistemology, ontology, philosophy, evolution, and consciousness studies at all: this book isn't to be taken very seriously.

If you liked the first Cosmic Trigger, this is the next RAW book to buy. It contains several exercises for achieving the "brain change" talked about in Cosmic Trigger.
If you liked his other stuff, this is typical RAW...great stuff!

It's an entertaining compilation; however, even if I did not finish reading yet, I already notices that the author is too carried away to check for errors. For example, he completely screwed up the definition of positive and negative feedback. Also, calling square root a "reversed square" is somewhat unusual. That's to name a few. May be I am too much caught in a "third circuit", but small stuff like that makes me wonder how well the author researched and understood the rest of the material he so boldly manipulates with. On the other hand, this is another support of the book's major idea that whatever the "thinker" thinks, the "prover " proves (even if takes some demagogy and manipulation with the facts.) Anyway, this book is interesting, even if pseudo-scientific, addressed to the folks with a well developed sense of humor, and sometimes reminds me of Dave Barry's bragging.

This is some deep and profound stuff! It's kinda like catagorizing human behavior and why it happens the way it does. An inspiring look at new ways of looking at life and one's own outlook on it. Comes complete with practical excercises and relatively harmless but enlightening experiments.

Who cares what who thinks. If the thinker thinks it the prover proves it! By the way we are on a ball of mud flying in a circle around the sun. And our life is around 80 years or so! Never let anyone inform you of your own tastes! Live like your seat belts are broke! Buy the book and learn the reason for the season! Ho Ho HO!

I grew up reading the prophecies of these acid-tripping "futurists" like Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, F.M. Esfandiary et al., about we'd become "physically immortal" by now. How has that "immortality" worked out for these guys lately? Enough of this nonsense. They belong in the neighborhood of kooks like Hal Lindsey and Harold Camping.

Even in Geography this author is confused. About Fatima - that is NOT in Spain, but in Portugal ! - the author it is no better, as almost foreigner authors that attempt to wirte on something that is far away of them, for instance the original and official records about the complexe serial of events in 1917. But since Fatima Apparitions are a icon to millions of people, so the authors each of them try to put a little gasoline in the fire or pepper in the meat ! Of course anyone can invent what they want, since he not claims to be any astounding secret delivered by "uncovered source" that is reael but unfortunally for the Histry is not able to be identified.

Please, let's to be fair with true History: read the research books of the Portuguese historians Dr. Joaquim Fernandes and Fina d'Armada if we want to know the real and factual Fatima history.

What you think about this book is a good indication of your critical thinking skills. This book is absolutely rubbish, without any solid scientific base. A version of Neuro Linguistic Programming, amateurish psichology that would never pass peer review. Read Plato instead.

On the other hand, you can consider this as science fiction and get some fun time out of it.