Prometheus Rising (15 page)

contact with other tribes having different values—are the

taboos concerning
the right way to reproduce.
If one nation

insists that the head of state must marry his sister, and another

insists that he must not, both are acting on the assumption that

the right way
must be found and rigorously enforced.

There are unknowns in the area of
sexual attraction—
He likes

Her, but She doesn't like Him.

There are unknowns in the area of
mating—
a young couple

can make love once, and the woman becomes pregnant, yet

another couple make love for three years and the woman remains

barren. Very puzzling and frightening for primitives, in New

Guinea or New Jersey.

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GODS AND GODDESSES ARE SEXUAL AND GENETIC

PROGRAMS EXPRESSED IN PRIMITIVE SYMBOLS

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729

There are unknowns in the area of
reproduction—
why twins?

Why three boys in one family and three girls in another? Why

miscarriages and stillbirths?

There are unknowns in the area of
inheritance—
"Why doesn't

my son look like me?" many a domesticated primate has wondered

uneasily, leading to a great deal of paranoia and male

chauvinism.

There are unknowns in the area of
genetic drift—
modern

researchers recognize twelve or more variables, but still have

more questions than answers.

There are unknowns in the area
of future evolution—
"Where

do we come from, what are we, where are we going?", the title

of Gauguin's greatest painting, is the basic ontological question;

the totem-pole, like the treatise on sociobiology, is an attempt to

answer.

Amid all these unknowns—of sexual attraction, mating reproduction,

inheritance, genetic drift, future evolution—the shamans

of every tribe try to establish guide-posts to tribal (gene-pool)

survival.

Thus "morality" is invented.

Sexual attraction, mating, reproduction, inheritance, genetic

drift and future evolution are all
stochastic
processes. (That is,

processes in which, out of a random series, some "intelligence"

or something that can be metaphorically conceived as an intelli-

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gence, is selecting a final outcome.) That these stochastic processes

overlap, as shown in our diagram, is intuitively obvious;

and it is also obvious that the future is being "selected" every

step of the way.
1
Taboo and morality are tribal attempts to govern

the random element—to select the desired future.

"Morality" attempts to control the stochastic evolutionary

process at two points—interfering between sexual attraction and

sexual consummation (Mating) by taboos and commandments,

or else interfering between mating and reproduction. The latter

case is represented by infanticide a widespread birth-control

measure always justified by the local shamans on magical

grounds, e.g., the infants selected for sacrifice are breach births,

or birth-marked, or twins, or in some way stigmatized by the

"gods." The actual function of such practices, of course, is population

control; and such customs are most common on isolated

islands where runaway population would be a disaster. Similarly,

the Judaic taboos functioned to channel all sexuality into

increased population, since the ancient Jews were surrounded by

large and pugnacious Empires eager to conquer them; they

needed more boys for soldiers and more girls to breed soldiers.

The most "idiotic" and "superstitious" taboos, from the

Rationalist viewpoint, always had
some
function when invented.

For instance, the most "pointlessly" elaborate (non-genetic)

"incest" taboos, in which virtually everybody in the tribe

becomes unavailable sexually to everybody else, force
exogamy

(marriage outside the tribe). This creates affectional alliances

(family ties) between tribes and decreases warfare. Something

like this primitive exogamy survived into very recent times, in

the custom of marrying one royal family to another.

Every form of "morality" is, of course, irksome on some level

to everybody, because no individual ever has
exactly
the sexual

imprint desired by the tribe. The more sophisticated totem-cults

(the "higher" religions, so dubbed by themselves) take account

1 That the whole chain is "intelligent" or manifests "intelligence," is the

Lamarckian heresy which Darwinians have never quite been able to

kill; every time it is buried, it rises again in new form. Two most able

recent arguments of the neo-Lamarckian or meta-Lamarckian

position, which the reader is cordially urged to read, are Timothy

Leary's
The Game of Life
and Gregory Bateson's
Mind and Nature.

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of this by the doctrine of atonement. In one form or another, this

allows the individual to be ritually "forgiven" periodically for

not being the perfect sexual robot decreed by tribal morality.

This becomes hilarious only when one realizes that most of

what domesticated primates are asking their priests to forgive

them for consists of what Kinsey so accurately called "normal

mammalian behavior."
1

Time-binding (the transmission of symbols and tools across

generations) begins on the third circuit. Acute
consciousness

time
is, however, intensified on the fourth circuit.

1
This only refers to the silly and inferior religions of other people, of

course, and has no reference to the Sublime Truths of the reader's

own religion.

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The principle function of the socio-sexual circuit, in the

higher primates, is to form an
adult personality—
a parent.
1
By

definition, the parent is one who cares for the young of the

species; by genetic necessity, the parent also cares
about
the

young. In symbolizing humans, this means planning, hoping and

having aspirations. In the language of the mystics, this means

being "attached" and "trapped on the wheel of karma"; the first

effort in most mystical traditions is to break this fourth-circuit

attachment by taking a vow of celibacy.

The fourth circuit is located in the
left neo-cortex
—the newest

part of the left hemisphere of the brain It is linked neurologically

with the
genitalia
and the
breasts
(fucking-hugging-embracingprotecting

circuitry).

Persons who take their heaviest imprint on this circuit are

beautiful.
That is, their entire body has received so many sexual

neurotransmitters from the brain that they are constantly radiating

the "attractive"
mating signals
that make up our perception

of what is "beautiful" in a human being.

According to accidents of imprinting, they
can be
coldly calculating

exploiters, totally repressed Puritans or carry some other

negative traits but they always
look like
(send the signals of) the

ideal fucker-lover-protector.

Once formulated, "morality" serves as not only a check on

genetic drift but a brake against Circuit III innovation. The

1 Homosexuality (like left-handedness) is probably included in the

genetic script to serve auxiliary functions. In most primitive societies,

the homosexuals (and the left-handed) are shunted into shamanic

roles. In more complex societies they are (like spinsters and heterosexual

bachelors) usually shunted into intellectual or artistic roles,

which have quasi-shamanic functions of making, breaking or transforming

cultural signals. Those who claim any perennial sexual variation

is "against nature" are underestimating nature's variety, diversity

and economy. The "mutation" of Leonardo de Vinci, a left-handed

homosexual, was needed to break up the signal of the dying medieval

reality-tunnel and remake our perceptions into the reality-tunnel of

post-Renaissance scientific humanism. His success is registered by

the fact that a Leonardo painting is still the "norm" of what we mean

by realism, i.e., most people (including right-handed heterosexuals)

are living in the scientific-humanist "space" this man invented.

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shamans, priests etc.
define
which ideas are "moral" and which

are "immoral." Anything new — anything that will break the

tribal cycle, i.e., take us out of cyclical mythic "time" into linear,

progressive, revolutionary "time" — is usually defined, very

quickly, as "immoral."

To say that religion and priestcraft have played a conservative

role in history is an understatement. One might as well say that

bubonic plague has killed a few people, or that Hitler was a little

bit strange.
The chief role of religion has always been reactionary.

This is its evolutionary function, in the dialectic of the

circuitry of the brain.

Circuit III, unchecked, is like a cocaine monologue. You can't

remember anything, because everything is changing too fast.

This is profoundly disorienting to the average domesticated primate,

so the tribal moralists keep stability and tranquility by

acting as decelerators,

The average person, similarly, is philosophically most "open"

and "curious"
before
the adult sex role of parenthood is elected.

After
reproduction, there is little time for Circuit III speculations,

and (because of the sanctions every tribe places upon "heresy,"

i.e., new ideas) there is also little inclination.

Thus, Circuit III tends to take us out of tribal cyclical time

into linear progressive time; but Circuit IV loops us back into the

cycle again.

Homosexuals may or may not be the chief creators of cultural

innovation, as some Gay Pride advocates claim; but it is certainly

true that they have done more than their share. The reason? They

are not trapped into parent roles.

These four circuits are coded, with four permutations of each,

into the "court cards" of the Tarot deck.

Thus the Knight of Discs, representing earth/earth according

to the occultists, is the pure First-Circuit type — all sensation, all

oral demand, all viscerotonic. Behind their alchemical, Cabalistic,

theosophical jargon, most books on Tarot are describing this

type when they discuss this card. The pure undiluted "Momma's

boy."

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IMPRINTING THE SOCIO-SEXUAL CIRCUIT

A and B represent socially "good" and socially "bad" sex, according to

the tribe, Al, A2 and A3 represent individual imprints—personally

"good" sex (what the individual is imprinted to like)—and Bl, B2 and

B3 personally "bad" (what the individual doesn't like). If Axis A1-B1

is only slightly tilted, the individual is fairly "normal" (in that society).

If A2-B2 is tilted more; the individual is "neurotic" (in that society). If

A3-B3 is tilted much further; the individual is a "pervert" (in that

society).

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The Queen of Discs, or earth/water, is a mixture of first and

second circuit traits—sensational-viscerotonic-oral and emotional-

egotistic-political. You better be damned careful to call

her Ms.

The Prince of Discs, or earth/air, is a blend of first and third

circuits—oral demand and rational calculation. Probably, a very

sharp and sharkish lawyer.

The Princess of Discs, or earth/fire is first-circuit orality

mixed with fourth-circuit sexuality. This fusion of exhibitionism

with enflamed eros means she's probably starring in porn

movies. In all Disc cards, the first circuit predominates over the

others.

The Queen of Cups, or water/water, is emotion and territorial

demand. Nelson Algren had her in mind when he said, "Never

bed down with a woman who has more problems than you."

The Knight of Cups, water/earth, is emotion plus sensation.

The pure predator, marauder, thief, rapist or sociopath.

The Prince of Cups or water/air is emotion plus reason. The

humanist, humanitarian, liberal; an ideal Unitarian minister.

The Princess of Cups is water/fire: an explosive mixture of

egotism and sexuality. Scarlett O'Hara. The
femme fatale.

The Prince of Swords is air/air: all pure undiluted intellect.