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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

New from Hilaritas: 'Elevated: Cannabis as a Tool for Mind Enhancement'



A book announcement from Hilaritas Press, and this time it's not a Robert Anton Wilson reprint: "Hilaritas Press announces the publication of Sebastián Marincolo’s astounding exploration beyond medicinal use, beyond recreational use and into the realm of mind enhancement, Elevated: Cannabis as a Tool for Mind Enhancement. We think RAW would have loved this book (kinda one of our guiding principles around here: 'Would RAW have loved this?')"

12 comments:

Eric Wagner said...

Shucks, Barnes and Noble seems to have it as an ebook but not as a paper book.

Branka Tesla said...

Bought two copies, one for me and one for Michael Pollan who lives 10 min away from me and want to make sure he gets the book. Sebastian also mentions Pollan. I also enjoy a slight German melos in the background of English language. Very beautiful and inviting cover for the book and photographs inside the book by Sebastian. Good job Hilaritas Press !

michael said...

I feel lucky to be associated with this book. If you have ever wondered about the missing literature about all the possible upsides of using cannabis, this book is a MUST for you.

It's a tremendous work and I hope we've done Sebastian justice here. In a sane - or sanER - world, this book would be a Big-Assed Freakin' Deal.

Eric Wagner said...

Michael Johnson's introduction kicks ass. I look forward to reading the whole book.

Hugh said...

I was already planning to purchase this, but this high praise has bumped the book up on the ole TBR list.

Hugh said...

Anyone know if Marincolo knows/likes RAW's work?

michael said...

Hugh- When I first introduced Sebastian to Hilaritas Press, he didn't seem to know who RAW was, but now he LOVES RAW and has been reading him.

The first manuscript I read/edited of Elevated had no mention of RAW, but the new book quotes him in at least one place and cites him among a long list of writers who used cannabis for creativity.

Eric Wagner said...

Thank you for sharing that, Michael.

Hugh said...

Wow. Great background, Michael. I actually read your intro on the Scribd version last night. Well done, sir. I have a feeling I'm really going to enjoy this.

I saw McKenna on your recommended reading list on a recent pyschedelics post here. I would have loved to have had something from him specifically devoted to cannabis, since that (I think?) was his main squeeze. I thought the cannabis chapter in Food of the Gods was okay. His YouTube vids on cannabis are out of this world though!

It goes without saying, but cannabis is "the shit". What an amazing plant.

Hugh said...

I'm also always on the lookout for interesting cannabis books. Not sure if you've come across Daniel McQueen, but he runs a "psychedelic cannabis" clinic in Colorado. You can hear him talk about the topic on a number of podcasts. I found it really interesting. I read his book and that it was decent, though I enjoy listening to him discuss the topic more.

At one time I owned Mountain Girl's book on how to grow cannabis outdoors. I wouldn't call it essential reading, but the Dead connection definitely amped up my enthusiasm.

I've always meant to read two others: Dying to Get High (mainly for the RAW history), and Chris Bennett's Liber 420. Any experience with either of those, Michael?

michael said...

Hugh- Glad you liked the Foreword to Elevated!

I always thought cannabis was a bigger part of Terence's life than most of his talks let on, and when I read Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss it pretty much confirmed it. There's a scene Dennis describes, where in the late 60s or early 70s, when Terence was in Tussman's school at Berkeley: he'd smoke weed then talk and talk and people just listened to him, spellbound. His idiosyncratic voice didn't hurt, either.

All those spellbinding early tapes of Terence giving talks on psychedelics and other topics - weird books, hyperspace, Joyce/McLuhan, UFOs, butterfly hunting in Indonesia, etc: no doubt he was high and riffing on the subject like a jazzy talking virtuoso.

I haven't yet read either Bennett or Dying To Get High...I don't think my extended local library system has those (or they're listed as "missing" in the catalog). Somehow I'll find those, though.

I also don't know Daniel McQueen. Thanks for the info!

Kansan1225 said...

I thought this book was half baked. SM’s earlier works and the derivative book written by another guy were much better.