I was glad our last class gave rise to a discussion about the influence of psychedelics in our cultural consciousness. The initial style of the Rick Griffin reading is a vignette that paints a visceral picture of rebellious California revolution. I was reminded of On the Road when reading the sequence on the car crash. The continuous 'clicks' bring a hypnotic continuity to the piece. I could feel myself standing face to face with someone who I imagine to be very much like myself.
The article employs impressionistic and psychedelic lenses which are a meta-representation of how the author most likely envisions the superlative life of Rick. This "post-modern" manner of prose involves a more fluid form of language that is as rhythmic as it is descriptive. The seemingly disconnected, protruding imagery, snippets and metaphors create a mandalic trope of continuity leading back to one, basic idea. An idea probably best described by Griffin himself in the quote at the beginning of the article,
"Having transcended the seven evolutionary superuniverses of time and space which circle the never-beginning, never-ending creation of divine perfection, Murphy arrives at the heart of the eternal and central universe of universes on the stationary isle of paradise....it is here our story opens..."
It seems the trip always comes back to the tripper's mind and no where else. The acid test can never be truly passed because the illumination and new perspectives created by such a test still leave us with the air of separation, loneliness and subjectivity that begets spiritual seeking and rebellious action in the first place.
Hayden -
ReplyDeleteExcellent response to the Griffin reading. I like the Beat connections you're making. Very insightful reading of the article and well-written commentary.
- Trey