Join My Cult!

Humming · 07-26-2005, 04:14 AM

I recently finished this intricate and mind-bending experimental culture-jamming novel. The scope and artistry of it is quite impressive; I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in cultural subversion, art, philosophical discussions of reality, drugs, shamanism, the occult, and strange, impossible, beautiful narratives. This one is absolutely a must-read!

You can check out the Join My Cult! website and order the book at www.joinmycult.org. Here is a review by LVX23:

Join My Cult! Please!
posted by lvx23 @ 1:13 pm
http://www.barbelith.com/topic/21019

When confronted with disorder the brain will attempt to overlay some form or pattern to make sense of the chaos. The meticulous geometries often accompanying psychedelic hallucination are one example of this phenomena. The brain, it seems, is an organizing device that recoils at disorder and attempts to subdue it with it’s own imposed sensibilities. Such is the experience of reading James Curcio’s mindwarping novel, Join My Cult!

Alexi and Ken are two teenagers in suburbia trying to cut through all the normalcy and order of their lives by investigating the arcane and occult. Their deepening investigations into the nature of reality and the hive mind begins to reveal the seeming existence of an enigmatic cult: The Mother Hive Brain Syndicate. Johny, another teen trying to sort his way through a world increasingly inconsistent with what he’s been raised to believe, also discovers the fiendish machinations of MHBS. Meanwhile, Agent 139 and Jesus (and later, Agent 506) are clearly agents of MHBS hell-bent on completely eradicating the status quo consensual reality through an increasingly severe rash of pranks and thoughtcrimes, culminating in the destruction of a Lenny’s diner. Behind them all looms the mysterious mystic Aleonus de Gabrael - sort of a younger, more vital Alan Moore, or a more overtly revolutionary Aleister Crowley - guiding and educating the whole lot, possibly as the head of MHBS and it’s affiliates.

What are the aims of this counter cultural eso-terror organization? Cuciro never makes it quite clear and it’s uncertain whether or not they even exist, but that’s all part of the game. The narrative is fractured and hallucinogenic, veering from coherent tales of Alexi and Ken’s experiences guiding their group into uncharted waters, then diving into unhinged dreams, alien/entity encounters, psychedelic journeys, schizophrenic agitprop confrontations by Jesus and Agent 139, and then swinging back into deeply revealing and compelling thoughts on magick and reality. Indeed, the most astounding current within Curcio’s work is the depth and practicality of his understanding of those technologies commonly referred to as The Occult. Within the more sober dialogues Curcio presents an ontology that reaches into the soul and reveals to the reader the error of history and the path to its redemption. These insights are the unshakable foundation of a house that’s quickly falling into the ground.

The work above all is Abyssal. It’s fractured like the mirror of Self that recurs throughout the novel, plunging into the depths of madness. The sober voice of Aleonis is the only light through the dark night, impelling us to break the mirror but also telling us how to put it back together again. Solve et coagula. The characters are at once illusory and amorphous, difficult to pin down and understand, then suddenly and surprisingly rich with inner turmoil and suffering, deeply human and alive against the howling wind. Amidst the chaos, the heartfelt moments of confession and intimacy anchor the characters and remind us that they’re human too, in spite of the extremity of their divorce from the consensus. And it’s this intimacy, this thirst for community and a sense of one’s tribe, that Cuciro is begging us to acknowledge within ourselves and to make manifest in an increasingly lonely and fragmented world.

At times the story hints at science fiction or some alien technology wielded with possibly sinister motives by the Mother Hive Brain. As all visions do, the narrative continuously fades from dreamscape to hallucination to schizophrenia, so any real attempt to follow some of these literary devices ultimately fails. In other words, don’t expect Join My Cult! to answer as many questions as it raises. Seemingly important elements of the story that are introduced early on are completely abandoned in the later half. Diverse characters begin to overlap and appear to be the same, possibly all of them only a single being reflected through multiple selves. Maybe it all happened, or maybe it was all a hallucination of Alexi’s. Like Wilson & Shea’s epic Illuminatus! (to which Curcio’s work has already been compared by Peter Carroll) the journey is more important than the destination.

Join My Cult! will surely baffle many readers and annoy others, but it should nevertheless be standard reading for anyone questioning the world they’ve been told is real when their experiences plainly contradict it. Consume it like a drug or a hypersigil. Just take it in, don’t get too caught up in finding patterns, and let it seep into your blood and work it’s magick. Join the cult, but know that, as Gabrael says, “the real order that doles out initiation, that creates the kind of synchronicities that brought you here and will carry you on to the next step of your mission, is the Universe itself.”

Join My Cult! by James Curcio, New Falcon Publications, 2004

[ July 26, 2005, 05:17 AM: Message edited by: Humming ]

SecondSun · 07-26-2005, 04:47 PM

Sounds interesting. I wonder if anyone can help me decipher the sound bite on the website... It sounds like he's saying "I am a neurosurgeon..."

Oh and I think an extra period slipped into the url you provided.

[ July 26, 2005, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: SecondSun ]

Humming · 07-27-2005, 03:09 AM

The "I am a neurosurgeon" part is from the book, basically a metaphorical phrase to help one de-condition and then reprogram, re-imprint, one's brain; it's along the same lines as the thesis of Timothy Leary's book "Change Your Brain".

[ July 27, 2005, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Humming ]

SecondSun · 07-27-2005, 08:57 AM

Hmmm... I wonder if this book might not be safe for me given my psychotic tendencies. I like how the author/authors(?) present the book as if it is a true story, as if the "cult" really exists besides as an elaborate art project by some obviously very gifted individuals. I'll probably buy it as soon as I get a job and have some money to spend. Thanks for bringing this to the board. It's one of the more interesting things I've seen in a while.

[ July 27, 2005, 09:58 AM: Message edited by: SecondSun ]

Humming · 07-27-2005, 09:06 AM

"I like how the author/authors(?) present the book as if it is a true story, as if the "cult" really exists besides as an elaborate art project by some obviously very gifted individuals."

Make no mistake, the cult DOES exist.... Indeed, the author told me that the book was easy to write because most of it actually happened. The Mother Hive Brain is similar in conception to the organizational structure of Project Mayhem in "Fight Club", a dis-organization that is totally decentralized yet quite efficient. You choose your own level of involvement.

As James Curcio writes in the book, anyone can be an Agent of the MHB if they understand the goals and aspirations of the group: cultural subversion for the betterment of the world through art, intelligence, inter-personal inter-connectivity, and media infiltration.

I'm glad you've found it to be interesting, SecondSun. I'd like to hear your reaction to it if/when you read the book.

Agent 117 · 07-28-2005, 07:39 PM

I assure you about a good 90% of that book is true. My presence alone should dictate this.. The MHB is allways watching. We are many.

Assume nothing,

Re-Learn Everything..

-Agent 117

SecondSun · 07-29-2005, 10:24 PM

Hmmm... Now I don't what to think. But I guess that was the point.

Now I'm not sure if I like these MHB people after all. They seem just a little diabolical. Well, anywho, if any of you Mother Brainies get a chance to start a cultural chain reaction please do so cause the current one is getting just a little dowdy.

Humming · 08-03-2005, 01:42 AM

Diabolical? Maybe. I'd say that intentionally mysterious might be a closer approximation though.

These people have a theatrical flair for the absurdly melodramatic: it makes things more interesting and it's a good way to get peoples' attention.

But regardless of whether or not you decide to "convert", the novel is fascinating....

07-26-2005, 04:14 AM	#1
Humming Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 598	I recently finished this intricate and mind-bending experimental culture-jamming novel. The scope and artistry of it is quite impressive; I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in cultural subversion, art, philosophical discussions of reality, drugs, shamanism, the occult, and strange, impossible, beautiful narratives. This one is absolutely a must-read! You can check out the Join My Cult! website and order the book at www.joinmycult.org. Here is a review by LVX23: Join My Cult! Please! posted by lvx23 @ 1:13 pm http://www.barbelith.com/topic/21019 When confronted with disorder the brain will attempt to overlay some form or pattern to make sense of the chaos. The meticulous geometries often accompanying psychedelic hallucination are one example of this phenomena. The brain, it seems, is an organizing device that recoils at disorder and attempts to subdue it with it’s own imposed sensibilities. Such is the experience of reading James Curcio’s mindwarping novel, Join My Cult! Alexi and Ken are two teenagers in suburbia trying to cut through all the normalcy and order of their lives by investigating the arcane and occult. Their deepening investigations into the nature of reality and the hive mind begins to reveal the seeming existence of an enigmatic cult: The Mother Hive Brain Syndicate. Johny, another teen trying to sort his way through a world increasingly inconsistent with what he’s been raised to believe, also discovers the fiendish machinations of MHBS. Meanwhile, Agent 139 and Jesus (and later, Agent 506) are clearly agents of MHBS hell-bent on completely eradicating the status quo consensual reality through an increasingly severe rash of pranks and thoughtcrimes, culminating in the destruction of a Lenny’s diner. Behind them all looms the mysterious mystic Aleonus de Gabrael - sort of a younger, more vital Alan Moore, or a more overtly revolutionary Aleister Crowley - guiding and educating the whole lot, possibly as the head of MHBS and it’s affiliates. What are the aims of this counter cultural eso-terror organization? Cuciro never makes it quite clear and it’s uncertain whether or not they even exist, but that’s all part of the game. The narrative is fractured and hallucinogenic, veering from coherent tales of Alexi and Ken’s experiences guiding their group into uncharted waters, then diving into unhinged dreams, alien/entity encounters, psychedelic journeys, schizophrenic agitprop confrontations by Jesus and Agent 139, and then swinging back into deeply revealing and compelling thoughts on magick and reality. Indeed, the most astounding current within Curcio’s work is the depth and practicality of his understanding of those technologies commonly referred to as The Occult. Within the more sober dialogues Curcio presents an ontology that reaches into the soul and reveals to the reader the error of history and the path to its redemption. These insights are the unshakable foundation of a house that’s quickly falling into the ground. The work above all is Abyssal. It’s fractured like the mirror of Self that recurs throughout the novel, plunging into the depths of madness. The sober voice of Aleonis is the only light through the dark night, impelling us to break the mirror but also telling us how to put it back together again. Solve et coagula. The characters are at once illusory and amorphous, difficult to pin down and understand, then suddenly and surprisingly rich with inner turmoil and suffering, deeply human and alive against the howling wind. Amidst the chaos, the heartfelt moments of confession and intimacy anchor the characters and remind us that they’re human too, in spite of the extremity of their divorce from the consensus. And it’s this intimacy, this thirst for community and a sense of one’s tribe, that Cuciro is begging us to acknowledge within ourselves and to make manifest in an increasingly lonely and fragmented world. At times the story hints at science fiction or some alien technology wielded with possibly sinister motives by the Mother Hive Brain. As all visions do, the narrative continuously fades from dreamscape to hallucination to schizophrenia, so any real attempt to follow some of these literary devices ultimately fails. In other words, don’t expect Join My Cult! to answer as many questions as it raises. Seemingly important elements of the story that are introduced early on are completely abandoned in the later half. Diverse characters begin to overlap and appear to be the same, possibly all of them only a single being reflected through multiple selves. Maybe it all happened, or maybe it was all a hallucination of Alexi’s. Like Wilson & Shea’s epic Illuminatus! (to which Curcio’s work has already been compared by Peter Carroll) the journey is more important than the destination. Join My Cult! will surely baffle many readers and annoy others, but it should nevertheless be standard reading for anyone questioning the world they’ve been told is real when their experiences plainly contradict it. Consume it like a drug or a hypersigil. Just take it in, don’t get too caught up in finding patterns, and let it seep into your blood and work it’s magick. Join the cult, but know that, as Gabrael says, “the real order that doles out initiation, that creates the kind of synchronicities that brought you here and will carry you on to the next step of your mission, is the Universe itself.” Join My Cult! by James Curcio, New Falcon Publications, 2004 [ July 26, 2005, 05:17 AM: Message edited by: Humming ] __________________ ~ Anything that you imagine will eventually become true. ~

07-27-2005, 03:09 AM	#3
Humming Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 598	The "I am a neurosurgeon" part is from the book, basically a metaphorical phrase to help one de-condition and then reprogram, re-imprint, one's brain; it's along the same lines as the thesis of Timothy Leary's book "Change Your Brain". [ July 27, 2005, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Humming ] __________________ ~ Anything that you imagine will eventually become true. ~

07-27-2005, 09:06 AM	#5
Humming Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 598	"I like how the author/authors(?) present the book as if it is a true story, as if the "cult" really exists besides as an elaborate art project by some obviously very gifted individuals." Make no mistake, the cult DOES exist.... Indeed, the author told me that the book was easy to write because most of it actually happened. The Mother Hive Brain is similar in conception to the organizational structure of Project Mayhem in "Fight Club", a dis-organization that is totally decentralized yet quite efficient. You choose your own level of involvement. As James Curcio writes in the book, anyone can be an Agent of the MHB if they understand the goals and aspirations of the group: cultural subversion for the betterment of the world through art, intelligence, inter-personal inter-connectivity, and media infiltration. I'm glad you've found it to be interesting, SecondSun. I'd like to hear your reaction to it if/when you read the book. __________________ ~ Anything that you imagine will eventually become true. ~

08-03-2005, 01:42 AM	#8
Humming Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 598	Diabolical? Maybe. I'd say that intentionally mysterious might be a closer approximation though. These people have a theatrical flair for the absurdly melodramatic: it makes things more interesting and it's a good way to get peoples' attention. But regardless of whether or not you decide to "convert", the novel is fascinating.... __________________ ~ Anything that you imagine will eventually become true. ~

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07-26-2005, 04:47 PM	#2
SecondSun Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 229	Sounds interesting. I wonder if anyone can help me decipher the sound bite on the website... It sounds like he's saying "I am a neurosurgeon..." Oh and I think an extra period slipped into the url you provided. [ July 26, 2005, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: SecondSun ]

07-27-2005, 08:57 AM	#4
SecondSun Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 229	Hmmm... I wonder if this book might not be safe for me given my psychotic tendencies. I like how the author/authors(?) present the book as if it is a true story, as if the "cult" really exists besides as an elaborate art project by some obviously very gifted individuals. I'll probably buy it as soon as I get a job and have some money to spend. Thanks for bringing this to the board. It's one of the more interesting things I've seen in a while. [ July 27, 2005, 09:58 AM: Message edited by: SecondSun ]

07-28-2005, 07:39 PM	#6
Agent 117 Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: nowhere Posts: 1	I assure you about a good 90% of that book is true. My presence alone should dictate this.. The MHB is allways watching. We are many. Assume nothing, Re-Learn Everything.. -Agent 117

07-29-2005, 10:24 PM	#7
SecondSun Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 229	Hmmm... Now I don't what to think. But I guess that was the point. Now I'm not sure if I like these MHB people after all. They seem just a little diabolical. Well, anywho, if any of you Mother Brainies get a chance to start a cultural chain reaction please do so cause the current one is getting just a little dowdy.