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{{short description|Hypothesis by Timothy Leary}} {{short description|Philosophical concept by Timothy Leary}}
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{{About|Timothy Leary's model of consciousness|other models of consciousness|Models of consciousness}}
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{{missing|scientific opinion about this hypothesis|date=September 2019}}
The '''eight-circuit model of consciousness''' is a ] proposal originally described by ], later expanded on by ] and ], that suggests "eight periods and twenty-four stages of neurological evolution".<ref>Leary, T. (1987). Info-Psychology. New Falcon Press, Los Angeles. Page xii</ref> The eight circuits, or eight systems or "brains", as referred by other authors, operate within the ]. Each corresponds to its own ] and subjective experience of reality.<ref>Leary, Wilson, Alli, et al. (1977-95)</ref> Leary and Alli include three stages for each circuit that details developmental points for each level of consciousness.<ref>Leary, T. (1987). ''Info-Psychology.'' New Falcon Press, Los Angeles. Seventh Printing, (2011). Page 16.</ref><ref>Alli, A. (2009). The Eight-Circuit Brain. Vertical Pool publishing, Berkeley, CA. Page 42.</ref><ref>Leary, T. (1979) ''Game of Life.'' New Falcon Publications. Phoenix, AZ. 2nd Ed. (1993). Pg. 48.</ref>
==Overview==
The first four circuits concern themselves with life on ], and the survival of the human species. The last four circuits are post-terrestrial, and concern themselves with the evolution of the human species as represented by so-called ], ], ] experiences, ] states of mind, and ] abilities.{{Cn|date=May 2023}} The proposal suggests that these altered states of consciousness are recently realized, but not widely utilized. Leary described the first four as "larval circuits", necessary for surviving and functioning in a terrestrial human society, and proposed that the post terrestrial circuits will be useful for future humans who, through a predetermined script, continue to act on their urge to migrate to outer space and live extra-terrestrially.<ref>"Info-Psychology," Chapter 12, Timothy Leary, 1994, New Falcon Publications, Phoenix, Arizona, USA</ref> Leary, Wilson, and Alli have written about the idea in-depth, and have explored and attempted to define how each circuit operates, both in the lives of individual people and in societies and civilizations.


The '''eight-circuit model of consciousness''' is a ] originally presented as psychological philosophy (abbreviated "psy-phi"{{sfn|Davis|2019|p=251}}) by ] in books including '']'' (1973) and ''Exo-Psychology'' (1977), later expanded on by ] in his books '']'' (1977){{sfn|Wilson|1977b}} and '']'' (1983), and by ] in his books ''Angel Tech'' (1985) and ''The Eight-Circuit Brain'' (2009), that suggests "eight periods " within the model.{{sfn|Leary|1994|loc=p. xii}} The eight circuits, or eight systems or "brains", as referred by other authors, operate within the ]. Each corresponds to its own ] and subjective experience of reality.{{sfnm|1a1=Leary|1y=1977|2a1=Wilson|2y=1977|3a1=Wilson|3y=1992|4a1=Alli|4y=2008}} Leary and Alli include three stages for each circuit, detailing developmental points for each level of consciousness.{{sfnm|1a1=Leary|1a2=Wilson|1y=1993|1p=48|2a1=Leary|2y=1994|2p=16|3a1=Alli|3y=2009|3p=42}}
The term "circuit" is equated to a metaphor of the brain being ], and the wiring of the brain as ].<ref>Wilson, R.A.(1983). ''Prometheus Rising.'' New Falcon Publications, Reno, NV. Twenty-first Printing, (2009). Pgs. 33-41.</ref><ref>Leary, T. (1979) ''Game of Life.'' New Falcon Publications. Phoenix, AZ. 2nd Ed. (1993). Pg. 4.</ref> The comparison of the brain to computer hardware and wiring has been replaced with models describing the different functions of brain networks and how they interact with each other.<ref>Karrer TM, Kim JZ, Stiso J, Kahn AE, Pasqualetti F, Habel U, Bassett DS. A practical guide to methodological considerations in the controllability of structural brain networks. J Neural Eng. 2020 Apr 9;17(2):026031. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/ab6e8b. {{PMID|31968320}}; PMCID: PMC7734595.</ref>


The model lacks scientific credibility and has largely been ignored in academia.<ref group=n name="Kaiser1" /><ref group=n name="Higgs" />
Leary used the eight circuits along with ] to explain the evolution of the human species, the personal development of an individual, and the ] of all life.<ref>Leary, T. (1979) ''Game of Life.'' New Falcon Publications. Phoenix, AZ. 2nd Ed. (1993). Pg. 86.</ref><ref>Leary, T. (1987). ''Info-Psychology.'' New Falcon Press, Los Angeles. Seventh Printing, (2011). Pg. 5.</ref>


==Background==
==The Eight Circuits==
At the end of 1967, Leary moved from the sprawling 64-room mansion on the ] in ], where he and others had engaged in psychedelic research sessions, to ], and made many friends in Hollywood. "When he married his third wife, Rosemary Woodruff, in 1967, the event was directed by Ted Markland of '']''. All the guests were on acid."{{sfn|Mansnerus|1995}}
Each circuit listed has each name from Leary's book ''Exo-Psychology'' after the preface,<ref name="auto">Leary, T. (1977). ''Exo-Psychology''. Starseed/Peace Press, Los Angeles. Pg. 14 not numbered</ref><ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/exopsychologyman00learrich|title=Exo-psychology : a manual on the use of the human nervous system according to the instructions of the manufacturers|first=Timothy|last=Leary|date=September 6, 1977|publisher=Los Angeles : Starseed/Peace Press|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> and Wilson's book '']'' pgs.196-201.<ref name="auto2">Wilson, R.A. (1990). ''Quantum Psychology''. New Falcon Press, Tempe, AZ. Page 196-201</ref> Note: In other books from Leary, Wilson, and Alli, the eight circuits have different names due to different interpretations and findings of each author. Please reference bibliography section for other works on labeling of each circuit.


In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Leary formulated what became his eight-circuit model of consciousness in collaboration with writer ]. The essay "The Seven Tongues of God" claimed that human brains have seven circuits producing seven levels of consciousness. This later became seven circuits in Leary's 1973 monograph '']'', which he wrote while he was in prison. The eight-circuit idea was not exhaustively formulated until the publication of ''Exo-Psychology'' by Leary and ]'s '']'' in 1977. Wilson contributed to the model after befriending Leary in the early 1970s, and used it as a framework for further exposition in his book '']'', among other works.<ref group=n>{{harvnb|Wilson|1992|p=6}}: "The eight-circuit model of consciousness in this book and much of its future-vision derive from the writings of Dr. Timothy Leary, whose letters and conversations have also influenced many other ideas herein."</ref>
===Terrestrial===
====First Circuit====
Leary referred to this as the Vegetative-Invertebrate Circuit and Wilson referred to it as the Oral Bio-Survival Circuit.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}


==Overview==
This circuit is concerned with nourishment, physical safety, comfort and survival, ], cuddling, etc. It begins with one spatial dimension, forward/back.<ref>''Prometheus Rising'', pg. 47</ref>
Of the eight circuits in this model of consciousness, the first four circuits concern themselves with life on ], and the survival of the human species. The last four circuits are post-terrestrial, and concern themselves with the evolution of the human species as represented by so-called ], ], ] experiences, ] states of mind, and ] abilities. The proposal suggests that these altered states of consciousness are recently realized, but not widely utilized. Leary described the first four as "larval circuits", necessary for surviving and functioning in a terrestrial human society, and proposed that the post terrestrial circuits will be useful for future humans who, through a predetermined script, continue to act on their urge to migrate to outer space and live extra-terrestrially.{{sfn|Wilson|1977|p=204}} Leary, Wilson, and Alli have written about the idea in depth, and have explored and attempted to define how each circuit operates, both in the lives of individual people and in societies and civilizations.


The term "circuit" is equated to a metaphor of the brain being ], and the wiring of the brain as ].{{sfnm|1a1=Leary|1a2=Wilson|1y=1993|1p=4|2a1=Wilson|2y=1992|2pp=33–41}}
This circuit is ] early in infancy. The imprint will normally last for life unless it is re-imprinted by a powerful experience. Depending on the nature of the imprint, the organism will tend towards one of two basic attitudes:
*A positive imprint sets up a basic attitude of trust. The organism generally considers the environment benign and accepts and approaches. This is equivalent to a default life position of "you're okay" in the ].<ref name="auto6">Prometheus Rising, pg. 74</ref>
*A negative imprint sets up a basic attitude of suspicion. The organism generally regards the environment as hostile and flees and avoids. This is equivalent to a default life position of "you're not okay" in the ].<ref name="auto6"/>


Leary used the eight circuits along with ] to explain the evolution of the human species, the personal development of an individual, and the ] of all life.{{sfnm|1a1=Leary|1a2=Wilson|1y=1993|1p=86|2a1=Leary|2y=1994|2p=5}}
This circuit is said to have appeared in the earliest evolution of the invertebrate brain and corresponds to the reptilian brain of ]. This circuit operates in essentially the same way across mammals, reptiles, fish, primates and humans.<ref>''Prometheus Rising'', pg. 96</ref>


==Criticism==
Wilson equated this circuit with the ] in the Freudian theory of ], and proposed that this circuit is activated in adults by strong ]s.<ref>''Prometheus Rising'', pg. 47-48</ref>
Many researchers believed that Leary provided little scientific evidence for his claims. Even before he began working on psychedelics, he was known as a theoretician rather than a data collector. His most ambitious pre-psychedelic work was ''Interpersonal Diagnosis Of Personality''. The reviewer for ''The British Medical Journal'', H. J. Eysenck, wrote that Leary created a confusing and overly broad rubric for testing psychiatric conditions. "Perhaps the worst failing of the book is the omission of any kind of proof for the validity and reliability of the diagnostic system," Eysenck wrote. "It is simply not enough to say" that the accuracy of the system "can be checked by the reader" in clinical practice.{{sfn|Eysenck|1957}} In 1965, Leary co-edited ''The Psychedelic Reader''. Penn State psychology researcher Jerome E. Singer reviewed the book and singled out Leary as the worst offender in a work containing "melanges of hucksterism". In place of scientific data about the effects of LSD, Leary used metaphors about "galaxies spinning" faster than the speed of light and a cerebral cortex "turned on to a much higher voltage".{{sfn|Singer|1966}}

====Second Circuit====
Leary referred to this circuit as the Emotional-Locomotion Circuit and Wilson called it the Anal-Territorial Circuit.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Exo-Psychology,'' table of contents</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">''Quantum Psychology,'' pgs. 196-201</ref> This circuit is imprinted in the toddler stage. It is concerned with domination and submission, territoriality, etc.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

The imprint on this circuit will trigger one of two states:
*Dominant, aggressive behavior. This imprint creates an ']' social attitude. Equivalent to the 'top dog' position in the model of ], to 'I'm OK' in the ], and to ] in the model of ].<ref>Wilson, R.A. ''Prometheus Rising'' (1983). New Falcon Publications, Tempe. Page 79.</ref>
*Submissive, cooperative behavior. Equivalent to the 'bottom dog' position in the model of Fritz Perls, to 'I'm not OK' in the life positions model and to Nietzschean "]".

This circuit is activated by ]s such as ], ], and ]s.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} This circuit appeared first in territorial vertebrate animals and is preserved across all mammals. It corresponds to the mammalian brain of ]. Wilson equated this circuit with the ] in the Freudian theory of ].{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

The first and second circuits both imprint in a binary fashion: trust/suspicion and dominance/submission.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://deoxy.org/raw1.htm |title=The grid of Circuits I and II creates four quadrants |access-date=2012-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619210542/http://deoxy.org/raw1.htm |archive-date=2012-06-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Thus there are four possible ways of imprinting the first two circuits:

*Trusting 1st circuit and dominant 2nd circuit. ]. Friendly strength in the ]. ] in the ].<ref name="auto1">Wilson, R.A. "Prometheus Rising" (1983). New Falcon Publications, Tempe. Page 73.</ref> Choleric in the ].<ref name="auto1"/>
*Trusting 1st circuit and submissive 2nd circuit. ]. Friendly weakness. ] in the four elements model. Phlegmatic humor.
*Suspicious 1st circuit and dominant 2nd circuit. ]. Unfriendly strength. ] in the four elements model. Sanguine humor.
*Suspicious 1st circuit and submissive 2nd circuit. ]. Unfriendly weakness. ] in the four elements model. Melancholic humor.

====Third Circuit====
Leary called this the Laryngeal-Manual Symbolic Circuit and Wilson the Semantic Time-Binding Circuit<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
This circuit is imprinted by human symbol systems. It is concerned with language, handling the environment, invention, calculation, prediction, building a mental "map" of the universe and physical dexterity.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

This circuit is activated by ]s such as ]s, ]s, ], and ].{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} This circuit supposedly appeared first when ]s started differentiating from the rest of the ].

Wilson, being profoundly influenced by ], writes of this circuit as the "time-binding circuit". This means that this circuit's contents, including human know-how, technology, science and so on, are preserved ]tically and passed on from generation to generation, constantly mutating and increasing in sophistication.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

====Fourth Circuit====
Leary called this the Socio-Sexual Domestication Circuit and Wilson the Socio-Sexual Circuit.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/>
This fourth circuit is imprinted by the first ]-mating experiences and local tribal moral standards. It is concerned with ] (instead of sexual reproduction), local definitions of "moral" and "immoral", ], rearing of the young, etc. The fourth circuit concerns itself with cultural values and operating within ]. This circuit is said to have first appeared with the development of tribes.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

===Post-Terrestrial===
====Fifth Circuit====
This circuit, called the Neurosomatic Circuit,<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/> is concerned with neurological-somatic feedbacks, feeling high and blissful, somatic reprogramming, etc. It may be called the rapture circuit.<ref>Leary, T., "Neurologic" (1973). Starseed Publications, San Francisco.</ref>

When this circuit is activated, a non-conceptual feeling of well-being arises. This has a beneficial effect on the health of the physical body.<ref>Wilson, R.A., "Quantum Psychology" (1990). New Falcon Publications, Tempe. Page 198</ref>

The fifth circuit is consciousness of the ]. There is a marked shift from linear visual space to an all-encompassing ] sensory space. Perceptions are judged not so much for their meaning and utility, but for their aesthetic qualities.<ref>Leary, T., "Neurologic" (1973). Starseed Publications, San Francisco. Page V-1.</ref> Experience of this circuit often accompanies an ] turn-on, a rapturous amusement, a detachment from the previously compulsive mechanism of the first four circuits.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

This circuit is activated by ecstatic experiences via physiological effects of ], ], ] and ]. Robert Anton Wilson writes, "Tantra yoga is concerned with shifting consciousness entirely into this circuit"<ref name="auto5">Wilson, R.A. "Prometheus Rising" (1983). New Falcon Publications, Tempe. Page 41.</ref> and that "Prolonged sexual play without orgasm always triggers some Circuit V consciousness".<ref>Wilson, R.A. "Prometheus Rising" (1983). New Falcon Publications, Tempe. Page 184.</ref>

Leary describes that this circuit first appeared in the ]es, with the development of leisure-class civilizations {{circa|2000&nbsp;BC}}.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

====Sixth Circuit====
Leary labelled this the Neuro-Electric Circuit and Wilson called this the Metaprogramming Circuit.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/> Timothy Leary listed this circuit as the sixth, and the neurogenetic circuit as the seventh.<ref>Leary, T. (1977). "Neuropolitics". Starseed Peace Press, Los Angeles.</ref> In his '']'', Wilson reversed the order of these two circuits,<ref>Wilson, R.A. ''Prometheus Rising'' (1983). New Falcon Publications, Tempe.</ref> and described neurogenetic circuit as the sixth circuit, and the metaprogramming circuit as the seventh. In ''Quantum Psychology'', published later, Wilson reverted the order back to Leary's original schema.<ref>Wilson, R.A. (1990). Quantum Psychology. New Falcon Press, Tempe, AZ. Seventh Printing, (2003). Page 199-200</ref>

This circuit is concerned with reimprinting and reprogramming the earlier circuits and of perceiving the relative (versus absolute) nature of the "realities" perceived by them: the sixth circuit becomes aware of itself. Leary thought that this circuit enables ]. He believed that the circuit was activated by 50-150&nbsp;μg ], moderate doses of ], ]s and meditation/chanting especially when used within in a group or ritual setting. Leary estimated that this circuit came "online" in 500 BC.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

====Seventh Circuit====
Leary referred to this as the Neurogenetic Circuit. Wilson called this the Morphogenetic Circuit.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/> (Wilson here made reference to ]'s ] theory.) This circuit is the connection of the individual's mind to the whole sweep of evolution and life as a whole. It is the part of consciousness that echoes the experiences of the previous generations that have brought the individual's brain-mind to its present level.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

It deals with ancestral, societal and scientific ]-]-brain feedbacks. Those who achieve this mutation may speak of ], ], ] etc.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web |url=http://deoxy.org/cc-chap4.htm |title=CyberCraft Chapter 4 |access-date=2012-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210037/http://deoxy.org/cc-chap4.htm |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It corresponds to the ] in the models of ]<ref name="auto5"/> where archetypes reside.

Activation of this circuit may be equated with consciousness of the ] in his aspect of Life as a whole, or with consciousness of the ], in which the ] is considered as a single organism.<ref name="auto4"/>

Proponents of the Eight Circuit model believe that it is activated by 200-500&nbsp;μg ], higher doses of ] or ]s, and by ].{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

The circuit, according to the model, first appeared among the ] in the early first millennium and later reappeared amongst ] sects.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

====Eighth Circuit====
Leary referred to this as the Neuro-Atomic Metaphysiology and Wilson as the Non-Local Quantum Circuit.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>''Quantum Psychology'', pgs. 196-201</ref>
The eighth circuit is concerned with ], ] (information from beyond ordinary ] awareness which is limited by the ]), illumination. Some of the ways this circuit can get activated are: ], ], high doses of LSD and, according to Wilson, almost any dose of ketamine.<ref name="youtube"> 01/12/2018.</ref>

==Leary's contribution==
Leary stated that the theories presented in ''Info-Psychology'' "are scientific in that they are based on empirical findings from physics, physiology, pharmacology, genetics, astronomy, behavioral psychology, information science, and most importantly, neurology."<ref>Info-Psychology, pg 8., seventh printing, 2011 or Info-Psychology, pg. 7, third printing, 1992</ref>

Leary called his book "science faction" or "psi-phy" and noted he had written it "in various prisons to which the author had been sentenced for dangerous ideology and violations of Newtonian and religious laws".<ref>''Info-Psychology,'' p7.</ref>

Although Leary propounded the basic premise of eight "brains" or brain circuits, he was inspired by sources such as the ] '']'' system.

Leary claimed that among other things this model explained the ], where the mainstream was said to be those with four circuits active and characterized by Leary as tribal moralists and clashed with the ], who were then said to be those with the fifth circuit active and characterized as ] and ]. {{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Leary's first book on the subject, ''Neurologic'', included only seven circuits when it was published in 1973. ''Exo-Psychology'', published in 1977, expanded the number of circuits to eight and clarified the subject. In it, he puts forward the theory that the later four circuits are "post terrestrial;" intended to develop as we migrate off this planet and colonize others.<ref>{{cite book |last= Leary|first= Timothy|date= 1977|title= Exo-Psychology|url= https://archive.org/details/manexopsychology00learrich|location= Los Angeles|publisher= Starseed/Peace Press Inc.|page= |isbn=0-915238-16-0}}</ref> Once we begin space migration, according to Leary, we will have more ready access to these higher circuits. ''Exo-Psychology'' was re-published as revised by Timothy Leary with additional material in 1989 under the title ''Info-Psychology'' (New Falcon Publishing).

==Other authors on the eight circuits==
], the eight circuits are sometimes related to the eight rays of the ]]]
Leary's ideas heavily influenced the work of ]. Wilson's 1983 workbook '']'' is an in-depth work documenting Leary's eight-circuit model of consciousness. Wilson's unproduced 1993 screenplay, '']'', published as a book, uses and explains the model. Wilson, like Leary, wrote about the distinction between terrestrial and post-terrestrial life.

The 1987 ''Angel Tech'' by ], is structured around the Eight-circuit model of consciousness, while his 2014 book ''The Eight-Circuit Brain'' expands on this material. Alli defines the word angel as "a being of light" and tech from the word "techne" meaning "art". The title is defined as "the art of being light".<ref>Alli, Antero. (1985) ''Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection'' New Falcon Publications, Tempe.</ref> It includes suggested activities such as ]s and construction of ] card collages associated with each circuit and imprint.

The model is fairly prominent in ]. It has been discussed in ''Chaotopia!'' by Dave Lee, a leading member of the chaos magic order the ], an order to which Leary and Wilson were granted membership. {{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}

Rolf Von Eckartsberg also appears to have been influenced by the model.<ref>Von Eckartsberg, R. (1981a). "Maps of the mind". In Valle, R. & von Eckarsberg, R. ''The metaphors of consciousness''. New York: Plenum Press.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.earthportals.com/Portal_Messenger/bohm2.html|title=Rolf Von Eckartsberg|website=www.earthportals.com}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
* ]
*]
* ]
*]'s "]" (1950)
*] * ]
* ]
*]
* ]
*]
* ]
*'']''
*]
*]


==References== ==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist |group=n |refs=
<ref name="Higgs">Cultural historian ] states that Leary hoped to rebuild his academic reputation by pivoting away from psychedelics and toward speculation on human evolution, but that " attempt at scientific credibility was doomed to fail, partly because he was the infamous Timothy Leary and his reputation would always tower over him, but mainly because it simply isn't good science to create a theoretical model and claim that it represents different things at the same time. This thinking was, essentially, occult or mystical, and would never be taken seriously by the establishment." {{harvnb|Higgs|2006|p=236–237}}</ref>
<ref name="Kaiser1">{{cite book |editor-first1=David |editor-last1=Kaiser |editor-first2=W. Patrick |editor-last2=McCray |year=2016 |title=Groovy Science |chapter=Timothy Leary's transhumanist SMI^2LE |pages=238–262}} "A once-promising researcher who abandoned the protocols of mainstream psychology for notoriety... / ''Neuropolitics'' and ''Exo-Psychology'' were clear signs that Leary had strayed far from O'Neill's comparatively straightforward ideas, which were grounded in optimistic yet measured extrapolations of 1970s technology. It's difficult to determine exactly how people responded to Leary's two books. Contemporary responses were relatively rare and memories today are hazy. / Leary incorporated another fringy ingredient besides space settlements and drug-enhanced mental capacity into his formulation for SMI^2LE. / Was Leary's SMI^2LE program an example of 1970s 'groovy science'? Can we even call it 'scientific'? Leary presented few technical details, provided no blueprints for its realization, and shrouded his ideas in cryptic references to quantum fields and neurological circuits of consciousness. In these ways, he differs sharply from 'visioneers' like O'Neill who grounded their ideas about the technological future on detailed engineering studies and who published and occasionally presented research in professional scientific venues. / Leary's ideas tapped into a potpourri of fringe sciences, including ''est'', quantum consciousness, space habitation, and other topics that spanned physics, psychology, and the paranormal."</ref>
}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}


==Bibliography== ===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
{{more footnotes|date=May 2010}}
*Alli, Antero. ''Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection'', The Original Falcon Press; (1985) (Reprint - 2008). {{ISBN|978-1-935150-95-4}}. * {{cite book |last1=Alli |first1=Antero |author-link=Antero Alli |year=2008 |orig-year=1985 |title=Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection |location=Tempe, Arizona |publisher=The Original Falcon Press |isbn=978-1-935150-95-4}}
*Alli, Antero. ''The Eight-Circuit Brain: Navigational Strategies for the Energetic Body'', Vertical Pool Publishing; (2009). {{ISBN|978-0-9657341-3-4}}. * {{cite book |last1=Alli |first1=Antero |year=2009 |title=The Eight-Circuit Brain: Navigational Strategies for the Energetic Body |location=Berkeley, California |publisher=Vertical Pool Publishing |isbn=978-0-9657341-3-4}}
* {{cite book |first=Erik |last=Davis |author-link=Erik Davis |year=2019 |title=High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-1907222-870}}
*Leary, Timothy. ''The Game of Life'', (1979) (Second Edition, 1993), with contributions by Robert Anton Wilson. {{ISBN|9781561840502}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Eysenck |first1=H. J. |title=Interpersonal Relations |type=review |journal=The British Medical Journal |date=December 21, 1957 |volume=2 |issue=5059 |page=1478|doi=10.1136/bmj.2.5059.1478-a |s2cid=220136866 |pmc=1962952 }}
*Leary, Timothy. ''The Politics of Ecstasy'', (1970) {{ISBN|1-57951-031-0}}
* {{cite book |first=John |last=Higgs |author-link=John Higgs |year=2006 |title=I Have America Surrounded: The Life of Timothy Leary |publisher=Barricade Books |isbn=1-56980-315-3}}
*Leary, Timothy. ''Neurologic'', 1973, with Joanna Leary.
* {{cite book |last1=Leary |first1=Timothy |year=1977 |author-link1=Timothy Leary |url=http://archive.org/details/exopsychologyman00learrich|url-access=registration|title=Exo-Psychology: A Manual on the Use of the Human Nervous System according to the Instructions of the Manufacturers |publisher=Starseed/Peace Press |isbn=0-915238-16-0 |via=]}}
*Leary, Timothy. ''Exo-Psychology'', 1977.
* {{cite book |last1=Leary |first1=Timothy |last2=Wilson |first2=Robert Anton |year=1993 |orig-year=1979 |title=The Game of Life |location=Los Angeles |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-56184-050-2}}
*Leary, Timothy. ''Info-Psychology'', New Falcon Publications, (1987) (Seventh Print, 2011), {{ISBN|1-56184-105-6}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Leary |first1=Timothy |year=1994 |orig-year=1987 |title=Info-Psychology |location=Los Angeles |publisher=] |isbn=1-56184-105-6}}
*Leary, Timothy. ''What Does WoMan Want?'', (1976), 88 books.
* {{cite news |last=Mansnerus |first=Laura |title=Conversations/Timothy Leary; At Death's Door, the Message Is Tune In, Turn On, Drop In |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/26/weekinreview/conversations-timothy-leary-death-s-door-message-tune-turn-drop.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 26, 1995 |access-date=February 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216204803/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/26/weekinreview/conversations-timothy-leary-death-s-door-message-tune-turn-drop.html |archive-date=February 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}
*"Leary's 8 Calibre Brain", ''Psychic'' magazine, (April, 1976).
* {{cite journal |last1=Singer |first1=Jerome |title=Review: The Psychedelic Reader |journal=American Sociological Review |date=April 1966 |volume=31 |issue=2 |page=284|doi=10.2307/2090932 |jstor=2090932 }}
*Lee, Dave. ''Chaotopia!'', Mandrake of Oxford. {{ISBN|1-869928-88-1}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert Anton |author-link1=Robert Anton Wilson |year=1977 |title=] |edition=1st |publisher=And/Or Press |isbn=978-0-915904-29-7}}
*Valle, R. & von Eckarsberg, R. ''The metaphors of consciousness''. New York: Plenum Press.
* {{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert Anton |year=1977b |chapter=Leary's Eight Circuit Model of Consciousness |title=Cosmic Trigger |publisher=And/Or Press |isbn=978-0-915904-29-7 |chapter-url=http://www.futurehi.net/docs/8circuit.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723133512/http://www.futurehi.net/docs/8circuit.html |archive-date=2011-07-23 |via=Future Hi}}
*Wilson, Robert Anton. '']'', (1983), New Falcon Publications (Reprint - 1992). {{ISBN|1-56184-056-4}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert Anton |year=1992 |orig-year=1983 |title=] |location=Los Angeles |publisher=] |isbn=1-56184-056-4}}
*Wilson, Robert Anton. '']'', (1990). {{ISBN|9781561840717}}.
{{refend}}
*Wilson, Robert Anton. '']'', (1992) (new introduction added, 1996).

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Heffernan |first=J. |year=2017 |title=Nonlocal Nature: The Eight Circuits of Consciousness |publisher=New Falcon Publications |isbn=978-1-56184-541-5 |ref=none}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Hoffman |first=Eric |year=2021 |type=review |title=The Starseed Signals |magazine=Fortean Times |issue=407 |page=59 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Huguelit |first=L. |year=2013 |title=The Shamanic Path to Quantum Consciousness: The Eight Circuits of Creative Power |publisher=Inner Traditions/Bear |isbn=978-1-59143-848-9 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Leary |first1=Timothy |last2=Leary |author-link1=Timothy Leary |first2=Joanna |year=1973 |title=] |location=San Francisco |publisher=Joanna Leary |oclc=3006096 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Leary |first1=Timothy |year=1998 |orig-year=1968 |title=The Politics of Ecstasy |publisher=Ronin |isbn=1-57951-031-0 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Dave |year=2006 |title=Chaotopia! Sorcery and Ecstasy in the Fifth Aeon |publisher=] |isbn=1-869928-88-1 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Valle |editor-first1=Ronald S. |editor-last2=von Eckarsberg |editor-first2=Rolf |year=1981 |title=The Metaphors of Consciousness |location=New York |publisher=Plenum Press |isbn=978-0-306-40520-4 |ref=none}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert Anton |author-link1=Robert Anton Wilson |date=August 1978 |title=Neurologic, Immortality & All That |magazine=] |volume=8 |issue=72 |pages=9–11 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_green-egg_1975-08_8_72/page/n14/mode/1up |url-access=registration |via=] |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Robert Anton |year=1980 |chapter=The Eight Winner and Loser Scripts |title=The Illuminati Papers |edition=1st |publisher=And/Or Press |isbn=978-0-915904-52-5 |chapter-url=http://deoxy.org/winlose.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914021547/http://deoxy.org/winlose.htm |archive-date=2017-09-14 |via=Deoxy.org |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert Anton |year=1990 |title=] |location=Los Angeles |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-56184-071-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert Anton |year=1996 |orig-year=1992 |title=] |location=Los Angeles |publisher=] |isbn=1-56184-080-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Robert Anton |year=2020 |title=The Starseed Signals: A RAW Perspective on Timothy Leary |publisher=Hilaritas Press |isbn=978-1-952746-07-9 |ref=none}}
{{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
* {{cite web|first=Robert Anton |last=Wilson |year=2010|author-link=Robert Anton Wilson |title=8 Circuit Psychology |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy5tYVU5mFk&list=PL8F393A80E80263B3&index=1 |website=]}}
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{{Timothy Leary}} {{Timothy Leary}}
{{Robert Anton Wilson|state=collapsed}} {{Robert Anton Wilson|state=collapsed}}


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Latest revision as of 22:07, 7 October 2024

Philosophical concept by Timothy Leary

This article is about Timothy Leary's model of consciousness. For other models of consciousness, see Models of consciousness.

The eight-circuit model of consciousness is a holistic model originally presented as psychological philosophy (abbreviated "psy-phi") by Timothy Leary in books including Neurologic (1973) and Exo-Psychology (1977), later expanded on by Robert Anton Wilson in his books Cosmic Trigger (1977) and Prometheus Rising (1983), and by Antero Alli in his books Angel Tech (1985) and The Eight-Circuit Brain (2009), that suggests "eight periods " within the model. The eight circuits, or eight systems or "brains", as referred by other authors, operate within the human nervous system. Each corresponds to its own imprint and subjective experience of reality. Leary and Alli include three stages for each circuit, detailing developmental points for each level of consciousness.

The model lacks scientific credibility and has largely been ignored in academia.

Background

At the end of 1967, Leary moved from the sprawling 64-room mansion on the Hitchcock Estate in Millbrook, New York, where he and others had engaged in psychedelic research sessions, to Laguna Beach, California, and made many friends in Hollywood. "When he married his third wife, Rosemary Woodruff, in 1967, the event was directed by Ted Markland of Bonanza. All the guests were on acid."

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Leary formulated what became his eight-circuit model of consciousness in collaboration with writer Brian Barritt. The essay "The Seven Tongues of God" claimed that human brains have seven circuits producing seven levels of consciousness. This later became seven circuits in Leary's 1973 monograph Neurologic, which he wrote while he was in prison. The eight-circuit idea was not exhaustively formulated until the publication of Exo-Psychology by Leary and Robert Anton Wilson's Cosmic Trigger in 1977. Wilson contributed to the model after befriending Leary in the early 1970s, and used it as a framework for further exposition in his book Prometheus Rising, among other works.

Overview

Of the eight circuits in this model of consciousness, the first four circuits concern themselves with life on Earth, and the survival of the human species. The last four circuits are post-terrestrial, and concern themselves with the evolution of the human species as represented by so-called altered states of consciousness, enlightenment, mystical experiences, psychedelic states of mind, and psychic abilities. The proposal suggests that these altered states of consciousness are recently realized, but not widely utilized. Leary described the first four as "larval circuits", necessary for surviving and functioning in a terrestrial human society, and proposed that the post terrestrial circuits will be useful for future humans who, through a predetermined script, continue to act on their urge to migrate to outer space and live extra-terrestrially. Leary, Wilson, and Alli have written about the idea in depth, and have explored and attempted to define how each circuit operates, both in the lives of individual people and in societies and civilizations.

The term "circuit" is equated to a metaphor of the brain being computer hardware, and the wiring of the brain as circuitry.

Leary used the eight circuits along with recapitulation theory to explain the evolution of the human species, the personal development of an individual, and the biological evolution of all life.

Criticism

Many researchers believed that Leary provided little scientific evidence for his claims. Even before he began working on psychedelics, he was known as a theoretician rather than a data collector. His most ambitious pre-psychedelic work was Interpersonal Diagnosis Of Personality. The reviewer for The British Medical Journal, H. J. Eysenck, wrote that Leary created a confusing and overly broad rubric for testing psychiatric conditions. "Perhaps the worst failing of the book is the omission of any kind of proof for the validity and reliability of the diagnostic system," Eysenck wrote. "It is simply not enough to say" that the accuracy of the system "can be checked by the reader" in clinical practice. In 1965, Leary co-edited The Psychedelic Reader. Penn State psychology researcher Jerome E. Singer reviewed the book and singled out Leary as the worst offender in a work containing "melanges of hucksterism". In place of scientific data about the effects of LSD, Leary used metaphors about "galaxies spinning" faster than the speed of light and a cerebral cortex "turned on to a much higher voltage".

See also

References

Notes

  1. Kaiser, David; McCray, W. Patrick, eds. (2016). "Timothy Leary's transhumanist SMI^2LE". Groovy Science. pp. 238–262. "A once-promising researcher who abandoned the protocols of mainstream psychology for notoriety... / Neuropolitics and Exo-Psychology were clear signs that Leary had strayed far from O'Neill's comparatively straightforward ideas, which were grounded in optimistic yet measured extrapolations of 1970s technology. It's difficult to determine exactly how people responded to Leary's two books. Contemporary responses were relatively rare and memories today are hazy. / Leary incorporated another fringy ingredient besides space settlements and drug-enhanced mental capacity into his formulation for SMI^2LE. / Was Leary's SMI^2LE program an example of 1970s 'groovy science'? Can we even call it 'scientific'? Leary presented few technical details, provided no blueprints for its realization, and shrouded his ideas in cryptic references to quantum fields and neurological circuits of consciousness. In these ways, he differs sharply from 'visioneers' like O'Neill who grounded their ideas about the technological future on detailed engineering studies and who published and occasionally presented research in professional scientific venues. / Leary's ideas tapped into a potpourri of fringe sciences, including est, quantum consciousness, space habitation, and other topics that spanned physics, psychology, and the paranormal."
  2. Cultural historian John Higgs states that Leary hoped to rebuild his academic reputation by pivoting away from psychedelics and toward speculation on human evolution, but that " attempt at scientific credibility was doomed to fail, partly because he was the infamous Timothy Leary and his reputation would always tower over him, but mainly because it simply isn't good science to create a theoretical model and claim that it represents different things at the same time. This thinking was, essentially, occult or mystical, and would never be taken seriously by the establishment." Higgs 2006, p. 236–237
  3. Wilson 1992, p. 6: "The eight-circuit model of consciousness in this book and much of its future-vision derive from the writings of Dr. Timothy Leary, whose letters and conversations have also influenced many other ideas herein."

Citations

  1. Davis 2019, p. 251.
  2. Wilson 1977b.
  3. Leary 1994, p. xii.
  4. Leary 1977; Wilson 1977; Wilson 1992; Alli 2008.
  5. Leary & Wilson 1993, p. 48; Leary 1994, p. 16; Alli 2009, p. 42.
  6. Mansnerus 1995.
  7. Wilson 1977, p. 204.
  8. Leary & Wilson 1993, p. 4; Wilson 1992, pp. 33–41.
  9. Leary & Wilson 1993, p. 86; Leary 1994, p. 5.
  10. Eysenck 1957.
  11. Singer 1966.

Works cited

Further reading

External links

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