''Cosmic Trigger I: The Final Secret of The Illuminati'' is the first book in the ''Cosmic Trigger'' series, first published in 1977 and the first of a three-volume autobiographical and philosophical work by

Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson (born Robert Edward Wilson; January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American author, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson ...

. It has a foreword by

Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from bold oracle to publicity hound. He was "a her ...

, which he wrote in the summer of 1977. Leary, Timothy. Foreword to ''Cosmic Trigger I: The Final Secret of The Illuminati'', by

. New York: And/or (1977), pp. ix-xiii. The first volume was published without numbering, as the second volume did not appear for nearly 15 years. Wilson is perhaps best known as the co-author of the award-winning

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

work ''

The Illuminatus! Trilogy ''The Illuminatus! Trilogy'' is a series of three novels by American writers Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, first published in 1975.''Illuminatus!'' was written between 1969 and 1971, but not published until 1975 according to Robert Anto ...

''. ''Cosmic Trigger'' revisits many of the themes from that earlier work in a more autobiographical fashion. After publishing the first volume of ''Cosmic Trigger'', Wilson wrote two sequels, '' Cosmic Trigger II: Down to Earth'' (1991) and '' Cosmic Trigger III: My Life After Death'' (1995), the title of the first book retroactively changing to reflect the series.

Summary

''Cosmic Trigger I'' deals with Wilson's experiences during a time in which he put himself through a process of "self-induced brain change" as well as vignettes of his earlier life. The main discovery of this process—which, he tells us, is known in certain traditions as Chapel perilous—is that "

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

" (although a

noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, ...

in most Indo-European language systems, and therefore commonly conceptualized as being a definite, unchanging "'thing") is mutable and subjective to the

observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in co ...

. Wilson employs several models for his experiences, such as the interstellar

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...

connection, during which time Wilson enters what he refers to as a 'reality tunnel', in which he claims to communicate

telepathically Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W ...

with

extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...

residing in the

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

star system. Wilson states however, that this belief system does not necessarily have any objective truth, which highlights his main point: that all such models—whether spiritual or scientific—are just that: models, or maps, of the world, and they should not be confused with an objective, permanent reality. Throughout the book, he makes references to specific

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

personal and group experiences, yet he does not allow himself to become convinced of their reality apart from his

perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

of them. He calls this approach "model agnosticism". The book also deals with the Bavarian

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

conspiracy (which Wilson neither rejects as utterly false nor embraces as true, in keeping with his theme) and other related intrigues. The work also touches on a wide range of other subjects, from

's thoughts on brain circuits and JFK's assassination, through to Sufism and numerous occult practises.

Publication history

''Cosmic Trigger I'' was originally published by And/Or with

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

in 1977 with an introduction by

. It was later republished by New Falcon Publications. A new edition, edited and with a new introduction by

John Higgs John Higgs is an English writer, novelist, journalist and cultural historian. The work of Higgs has been published in the form of novels (under the pseudonym JMR Higgs), biographies and works of cultural history. In particular, Higgs has writt ...

, was published by Hilaritas Press on February 23, 2016. Hilaritas Press is the new publishing house created by the Robert Anton Wilson Trust.

Stage adaptation

''Cosmic Trigger'' has been adapted as a theatrical stage play by

Daisy Eris Campbell Daisy Eris Campbell (born 1978), is a British writer, actress and theatre director. Daughter of actor and director Ken Campbell and actress and therapist Prunella Gee. She staged '' The Warp'', a revival of Neil Oram's 24-hour play (which he ...

, daughter of

Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...

the British theatre maverick who staged ''Illuminatus!'' at the Royal National Theatre in 1977. The new play opened on 23 November 2014 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

before transferring to London and Brighton. Some of the costs were met through crowdfunding. Wilson's book is itself dedicated to "Ken Campbell and the Science-Fiction Theatre of Liverpool, England." The play's script was published in 2021 by Hilaritas Press as a paperback and ebook, under the title of ''Cosmic Trigger the Play''. Along with the play-text, the book features an introduction by Ben Graham as well as colour photographs from the stage show.''Cosmic Trigger The Play'' page on the Hilaritas Press website
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The trilogy

* ''Cosmic Trigger I: The Final Secret of the Illuminati'' *'' Cosmic Trigger II: Down to Earth'' *'' Cosmic Trigger III: My Life After Death''

References

External links

Excerpt from ''Cosmic Trigger I''''Cosmic Trigger'' Play websiteThe Order Of Things Website
{{Robert Anton Wilson 1977 books Discordianism American autobiographies Occult books Books by Robert Anton Wilson Works about the Illuminati