Towards a Framework for Inner Space
July 13, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9781003405009-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Space punctuation Operating system |
| Key points | Argues that the psychedelic revolution's pioneers adopted Buddhist and Hindu frameworks for inner space, with Leary's 1960 mushroom experience catalyzing systematic exploration and the Good Friday experiment. |
Abstract
The pioneers of the psychedelic revolution, among them Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert, the triumvirate of Harvard PhDs, found themselves adopting Buddhist and Hindu frameworks for inner space. Leary took seven of the sacred mushrooms in a Spanish-style villa in Cuernavaca in August 1960. It was this initiatory experience which led Leary towards a systematic exploration of inner space. He gathered his friends for the journey. The new development came to be called the ‘Good Friday experiment’, and once again owed its impetus to the enthusiasm of a Harvard student - this time Walter Pahnke, young and eager, with a medical degree and a Divinity qualification from the Midwest already under his belt and currently undertaking PhD studies in the philosophy of religion. Ralph Metzner meanwhile began the lengthy task of comparing all the major accessible frameworks for the exploration of inner space.