Alex Jones, Elves, and Beyond

 Professional fear-monger Alex Jones recently went viral with a rant that has been universally derided as balls-out crazy, wherein he discusses his theory that the Power Elite/Illuminati/New World Order overlords are coming into communication with extra-dimensional beings through the inhalation of that most Reality-Shattering of molecules: DMT.
 Here's a condensed version, for some reason haunted by the floating heads of Louis Wain's psychedelic cat paintings.

You're not ready for it!

  To sum up: Alex "Bullhorn" Jones tells us that the 'Elite' are in contact with extra-terrestrials who are giving them access to advanced technology. Through the use of psychedelics, they open lines of communication with Another Realm and use the information which comes through from the Other Side to gain knowledge and power, and building devices such as the Large Hadron Collider at the behest of these Otherworldy Contacts.

 Those familiar with my work with the Out There Radio and Disinformation Podcasts will know that I have no great love for Alex Jones. I once referred to his atrocious film End Game: Blueprint for Global Enslavement as a 'qlippothic sludgefest through the darkest possible interpretation of reality'. I should be very clear, however, that I do not rule out all, or even most of Alex Jones' World View. In fact, we share a common methodology, drawing connections between seemingly unrelated events to paint a sweeping Big Picture. The only major difference between us is in the interpretation of these facts, which causes our Pictures to diverge so wildly. Alex Jones paints with the sharp strokes of fear in a dark palette of paranoia. I choose instead to use the brighter colors of humor on an under-painting of Neurological Agnosticism.

 Just days ago I picked up Cosmic Trigger I : Final Secret of the Illuminati for the first time in years and re-read the process by which my hero-and-mentor-ex-libris Robet Anton Wilson broke open his own mind through the use of hallucinogens. He describes visions of the Green Spirit Mesaclito, telepathic communication with Tim Leary, and the apparent reception of extra-terrestrial signals from the Dog Star Sirius. Within 48 hours I found myself unexpectedly listening to Alex Jones hysterically grumble about the very same subjects, but as if reflected in a dark fun-house mirror. I had no choice but to chuckle at the apparent influence of John C. Lilly's hypothetical Cosmic Coincidence Control Center in bringing these events into Synchronous Space-Time for me. As anyone who has read The Illuminatus! Trilogy knows, these sort of 'coincidences' are tremendously typical of those who dip their toes in the waters of The Conspiracy.

 What really blows my mind about Alex's video is the degree to which people watching it have used is to demonstrate how incredibly crazy he is. However, contrary to popular opinion, the general idea that he discusses of DMT users believing that they come into contact with Otherworldy Beings is no fabrication of Jones' twisted worldview. Consult the works of Terence Mckenna, Jeremy Narby, and Graham Hancock for a veritable plethora of example of the use of DMT and other hallucinogens throughout history to the modern day. An incredible number of these accounts have in common the experience of coming into contact with what Mckenna refers to as "Self-Transforming Machine Elves." These Beings will transport the DMT user to different dimensions, take them aboard spacecraft, show them the Universe or themSelves, impart prophecies and even technological knowledge (of varying degrees of plausability). Those who prefer to believe that these experiences are purely hallucinatory do so at the peril of Leaping to Conclusions. Let us not forget the fact that the double-helix structure of the DNA molecule appeared to Francis Crick under the influence of LSD, and that Kary Mullis developed the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique under the same influence.

Given the prevalence, similarity, and powerful results of such experiments, it seems to me that there might actually be Something Going On with the sorts of experiences reported by shamans, mystics, magicians, and physicists throughout history. However, one instantly gets oneself into hot water when one starts to conjecture as to what exactly is going on here. Looking at these stories, one might conclude that :

 a) The users of these techniques of consciousness expansion are all stark-raving mad.
 b) The users of these techniques of consciousness expansion have come into contact with Extra-Dimensional Beings with access to advanced scientific and technological knowledge.
c) The users of these techniques of consciousness expansion are being manipulated by Demons.
d) The users of these techniques are coming into contact with previously-unexpressed aspects of their own Psyches, areas of the mind with have savant-level access to advanced scientific and technological knowledge.
e) And so on and so on, or any combination of the above.

 Alex Jones' answer is just one of many, and by no means the wackiest. It is important to realize that in this, as in everything else, there is an incredible danger in ascribing to a Model That Explains It All. This danger, of course, is the unavoidable pitfall of ignoring data which does not fit into one's pre-existing beliefs, and clinging to the data which does. The resulting belief-structure is inevitably selective and arbitrary. The only way to avoid this pitfall is to entirely throw out the idea of reducing "Reality" to any single interpretation.

 It is much safer and saner to approach the description of such outlandish theories (and the description of "Reality" in general) from the standpoint of General Semantics, which states that all interpretations of data are abstractions from Reality, and that no model which can be created will fully encompass this reality. Judgement on what this reality really is should be suspended in favor of comparing the descriptions of these models in terms of utility. This will avoid a great deal of cognitive dissonance, and allow for the creation of multiple models to describe individual events, a far more flexible and adaptable approach to World-Building.

 Alex Jones lives in a dark and fearful reality wherein the Power Elite are a shadowy cabal that manipulates world affairs from behind the scenes, and they use ancient techniques of consciousness expansion to increase their power, gain dominion over the earth, and enslave mankind. The Illuminati are the most important and powerful beings in this reality, and they are against us, building the world according to their Visions. But this reality tunnel he has created is one of an unlimited number of interpretations, any of which might be horrible, wonderful, frightening, interesting, useful, useless, dull, confusing, beautiful.

But remember, remember, remember that all of them are models, descriptions, paintings, and that none of them are TRUE.

In the spirit of playful Interpretation, like Robert Anton Wilson, I choose to embrace one of the more useful, engaging, and empowering interpretations-- that my life is my own and no other's to direct and control, and that my mind is a tool to use and alter through the ancient and modern techniques of consciousness expansion to increase my own personal power, knowledge, and happiness and that of those around me. I claim kinship with any who feels the same. The Illuminati are the most important and powerful beings in this reality, and They are Us, building the world according to our Visions.

"When you define the Power Elite as somebody else, I view that as a Loser Script."
- Robert Anton Wilson