Monday 15 June 2009

In pursuit of the Imagination


Having survived and seriously enjoyed the high weirdness, droning music, wild visuals, riveting talks and fascinating films of the (oddly timed) Equinox Occult Festival this weekend I managed to poach the acclaimed writer Erik Davis to come and talk at the October Gallery. The author of cult classic TechGnosis: Myth, Magic and Mysticism in the Information Age, Erik will be taking the audience on an eloquent journey through the liminal zones of consciousness in pursuit of the imagination. Who knows what will happen if we get there. Tuesday, 30th June, as part of the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness lecture series.


October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AL

(Tel: 44 (0)20 7831 1618). – email: rentals “at” octobergallery.co.uk

RSVP so that we can anticipate numbers – Please book in advance by credit card to guarantee a place or pay on the door.

Entry £7 /£5 Concessions, Arrive 6pm for a 6:30pm Start - Wine available


Erik Davis - Imagination is what you are!


One of the most vital aspects of human consciousness is the dimension of the imagination, a broad domain that can be said to include the overlapping worlds of dream, fantasy, creative visualization, hallucination, and the spectres and phantasms of the paranormal. Any genuine engagement with spirituality and religious experience must take the imagination seriously. This is also true of any attempt to engage nature on a holistic level, for it is through the imagination that nature speaks, and the wilderness without can touch the wildness within. In this talk, Erik Davis will explore different theories and practices of the imagination, and will relate them to visionary experience, magic, dreams, and our ordinary engagement with “reality.” An engaging and entertaining speaker, Davis will follow his talk with a discussion.


Erik Davis is the author of the cult classic TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Information Age, also The Visionary State: A Journey through California’s Spiritual Landscape, and a critical volume on Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. A frequent lecturer at universities and festivals alike, Davis has contributed articles and essays to scores of books and publications, and posts regularly at www.techgnosis.com. He lives in San Francisco with his wife.