Chapel Perilous has taken its toll on me and indeed, my cosmic trigger finger is broken.
For readers not familiar with "Chapel Perilous" I will give Robert Anton Wilson's definition of that god forsaken place.
"In researching occult conspiracies, one eventually faces a crossroad of mythic proportions (called Chapel Perilous in the trade). You come out the other side either stone paranoid or an agnostic; there is no third way. I came out agnostic.
Chapel Perilous, like the mysterious entity called "I," cannot be located in the space-time continuum; it is weightless, odorless, tastless and undetectable by ordinary instruments. Indeed, like the Ego, it is even possible to deny that it is there. And yet, even more like the Ego, once you are inside it, there doesn't seem to be any way to ever get out again, until you suddenly discover that it has been brought into existence by thought and does not exist outside thought. Everything you fear is waiting with slavering jaws in Chapel Perilous, but if you are armed with the wand of intuition, the cup of sympathy, the sword of reason, and the pentacle of valor, you will find there (the legends say) the Medicine of Metals, the Elixir of Life, the Philosopher's Stone, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.
That's what the legends always say, and the language of myth is poetically precise. For instance, if you go into that realm without the sword of reason, you will lose your mind, but at the same time, if you take only the sword of reason without the cup of sympathy, you will lose your heart. Even more remarkably, if you approach without the wand of intuition, you can stand at the door for decades never realizing you have arrived. You might think you are just waiting for a bus, or wandering from room to room looking for your cigarettes, watching a TV show, or reading a cryptic and ambiguous book. Chapel Perilous is tricky that way."
This is what the owner of this web-site had to say about Chapel Perilous.
"Matt, you have stumbled into what Robert Anton Wilson calls Chapel Perilous, a psychological head-space wherein you are privy to certain clues the universe is always giving about itself. It is not abnormal. You have a curious, intelligent mind just like me and millions of others, and you have not been afraid to ask the right questions of yourself and your world. The answers are admittedly confusing. Why? Because the universe isn't simple!!!! And I'm not sure we can fully comprehend all of its workings in this lifetime. Does any of that make sense to you? Do you see that you are perhaps more priveleged than some of the others around you, who only see the dull drab colors of the world they live in? That's right you are an initiate in Chapel Perilous and it is now up to you to find the strength to NOT have your questions answered in the English language or any other. The answers are nebulous."
I entered Chapel Perilous about 2 or 3 years ago and I didn't know where I was had a specific name until about 9 months ago. You see, I missed the "BEWARE OF DOG" sign on my way through the gates and I certainly didn't enter with the wand of intuition, the cup of sympathy, the sword of reason, or the pentacle of valor. All I entered with was a six pack of Milwaukee's Best and a grilled cheese sandwich. Luckily I escaped in time with out losing my heart and sanity, at least I think I escaped in time. I didn't find the goal in Chapel Perilous but I did get a glimpse of it "the Medicine of Metals, the Elixir of Life, the Philosopher's Stone, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness" thingy that Wilson speaks of as I ran limping out of the Chapel's gates.
So you may wonder how me taking down my story is going to get me out of Chapel Perilous. Well, its because like Wilson says "there doesn't seem to be any way to ever get out again, until you suddenly discover that it has been brought into existence by thought and does not exist outside of thought."
My story describes my adventures in Chapel Perilous and I want to forget that place right now. By taking down my story about my experiences in Chapel Perilous, I in turn expel the influences of Chapel Perilous from my life, or at least thats what I'm hoping for.
Once my cosmic trigger finger is healed I plan to give old Chapel Perilous another go round, but not right now. So as of now, "my cosmic trigger finger is broken" will not be available to the public.
If you haven't read Cosmic Trigger then you're probably wondering what the hell I'm talking about. And perhaps my semi-incoherent ramblings have made you interested in this place called "Chapel Perilous" and some book called "Cosmic Trigger".
If I have, and you are now contemplating going down to Barnes and Noble and picking up a copy of the book I have some advice: DON'T DO IT! It ain't worth it my friend! Stay in the Matrix! Oh I'm sure you're thinking "oh it's just a book, what's the big deal". But I promise you dear reader, Cosmic Trigger is no ordinary book. Cosmic Trigger changes lives and if you do decide to read it be prepared to be changed. Some people might even argue that the book choose you to read it!
This is the warning from Wilson about Cosmic Trigger
"Cosmic Trigger deals with a process of deliberately induced brain change. This is called 'initiation' or 'vision quest' in many traditional societies and .. a dangerous variety of self-psychotherapy in modern terminology. I do not recommend it for everybody.. The main thing I learned is that 'reality' is always plural and mutable'"
This is the warning from the owner of disinfo.com
"What can I say about Bob Wilson that hasn't already been said? I guess I'll just keep it personal: I read Wilson's 'The Cosmic Trigger' at precisely the time in my life that I needed it most. RAW's brutally honest (Who else would admit to this stuff??) recounting of his 'crash landing' into the abyss of Chapel Perilous and self-induced brain change (some dare call it magick) was just what the doctor ordered, otherwise I'd have thought I was going mad (and maybe I did, of course. You never know for sure...). If you've ever had the kind of things happen to you that happened to Wilson (who kept his head on straight and his sense of humor about him), you'll know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't, who's to say they won't start happening to you NOW?
When you're ready, they'll come for you... Enter [Chapel Perilous] at your Own risk."
