I am pleased to announce the publication of my book “Alcove of Dreams”.
This volume, the 1st of 3 planned for the next couple of years, concentrates on various collage pieces that I have produced over the last 25 years, along with some other examples of my art… 6 years in the making, several iterations and stylistic changes, I hope this volume captures your attention to the possibilities of collage in the present era.
Nearly 200 pages of art, Alcove of Dreams also includes several pieces of my writings spanning events over the last 58 years.
I want to thank Mike Crowley, P.D. Newman & Rob Schultheis for their encouragement given in this process.
Gwyllm
$42.50 Price
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To Purchase Alcove of Dreams click on this:
We are proud to present our new 2nd edition of The Hasheesh Eater & Other Writings!
(From The Archives)
Chronology of the Life of Fitz Hugh Ludlow
Reviews Of “The Hasheesh Eater” (From the 1850’s on)
What shall They do to be Saved?
The Apocalypse of Hasheesh
The Vision of Hasheesh – Bayard Taylor
The Vial of Dread
E Pluribus Unum
(Inclusive of 11 additional illustrations not included in the first edition!)
232 Pages, 30+ Unique Images. Crafted Details on Each Page.
Soft Cover Edition! $45.00/Inclusive of $6.00 Shipping! (US Only):
The Hasheesh Eater & Other Writings 2nd Edition Soft Cover
An abbreviated version of Gwyllm’s talk from the Ashland Oregon “Exploring Psychedelics” Conference May 24-25th 2018, covering all salient points… (All Artwork from “The Hasheesh Eater & Other Writings” – All Original Artwork, Book Designed & Compiled by Gwyllm Llwydd)
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Reviews:
2010
The suggestion that Pythagoras received inspiration from cannabis was first put forth by the 19th century author and hashish experimenter, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, who suggested elements like Pythagoras hearing his name called out in the gurgling of a stream along with taking on the identity of deities and other events, indicated, as in Ludlow’s own experience with the drug, intoxication with hemp “It would be no hard task to prove… that the initiation to the Pythagorean mysteries, and the progressive instructions which preceded it… consisted in the employment… of hasheesh” (Ludlow), 1856). Pythagoras based his system around the hemp using Thracian Orphic teachings, and he himself can clearly be described as a shaman-as Pythagoras allegedly had the ability to leave his body while in trance. – Chris Bennett /Cannabis and the Soma Solution
1998
Twenty-one year old Fitz Hugh Ludlow became the best-selling author ofThe Hasheesh Eater in the years before the Civil War. His bestseller related his visionary experiences with large, oral doses of hashish, along with his religious, philosophical, and medical reflections on the altered states they produced. He became a celebrated figure in the Bohemian circles of New York City, along with such friends as Walt Whitman. A short-story writer, a drama and music critic, and a journalist, he mingled with the high society of New York while dissolutely wandering among the disreputable hard-drinking literati. Traveling west, he talked politics with Mormon leader Brigham Young and traded witticisms with Mark Twain in California. Ludlow later wrote perhaps the first great novel on the theme of alcohol abuse. He then became a leading expert in the treatment of opium addiction after the Civil War. “Drinking buddy of Whitman and Twain, New York Bohemian of the Sixties (the 1860s, that is), pioneer psychedelic psychonaut and frontier Pythagorean, America’s first Hasheesh Eater and confessional junky.” – Hakim Bey/Review of Pioneer Of Inner Space – The Life Of Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Hasheesh Eater By Donald P. Dulchinos
1992
“After Bayard Taylor the next great commentator on the phenomenon of hashish was the irrepressible Fitz Hugh Ludlow. This little-known bon vivant of nineteenth-century literature began a tradition of pharmo-picaresque literature that would find later practitioners in William Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson… There is in Ludlow’s cannabis reportage a wonderful distillation of all that was zany in the Yankee transcendentalist approach. Ludlow creates a literary persona not unlike the poet John Shade in Nabokov’s Pale Fire, a character who allows us to see deeper into his predicament than he can see himself. Part genius, part madman, Ludlow lies halfway between Captain Ahab and P.T. Barnum, a kind of Mark Twain on hashish. There is a wonderful charm to his free-spirited, pseudoscientific openness as he makes his way into the shifting dunescapes of the world of hashish.” – Terence McKenna/Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge New York: Bantam
1970
“Ludlow takes an honored place in the stoned procession of dope adepts that stretches from the author of the Vedic hymns to William S. Burroughs.” – Archivist Michael, ‘’America’s De Quincey’’
“The alchemic-shaman tradition of Paracelsus, Ludlow, and William James…” – Timothy Leary
1910
“Deeper and clearer is the information to be gained from the brilliant studies of Baudelaire… and Ludlow…”- Aleister Crowley
1864
“If Fitz Hugth Ludlow, author of The Hasheesh Eater, comes your way, treat him well.” – Mark Twain
Definition of Hashish/Hasheesh
: the concentrated resin from the flowering tops of female hemp plants (Cannabis sativa or C. indica) that is smoked, chewed, or drunk for its intoxicating effect — called also charas, hash; compare bhang, marijuana
This project started in all reality in 1975 when I first purchased the brilliant edition of “The Hasheesh Eater” put together by Michael Horowitz (Timothy Leary’s Archivist) with the collage art from one of my great influences, Wilfried Sätty. I stumbled upon it in a bookstore in Venice California, and it changed my life. The writings combined with the art spoke deeply to me. It has been my constant companion ever since. The combination of written word, image meshed brilliantly in my mind.
At that time, Hashish (Hasheesh) was my go-to mode of inner exploration. Fitz Hugh Ludlow’s writing mirrored some of the experiences I was going through, exploring heavens, harrowing hells, being transported to distant lands. I remember vividly in one of my own visions of sitting in a desert with a blazing sun setting in the west with the sounds of caravan bells passing just beyond my vision.
This project came out of those moments but is in its own way a homage to Michael & Wilfried’s work and the influence it had on me. I wanted to re-introduce Ludlow’s brilliant volume to our times. There are versions of the book out there, but not like this one I posit.
The project was originally assembled over two years, with the late Diane Darling helping to edit the first draft. It has been revised several times since, as other of Ludlow’s other writings were added, along with additional artwork.
The artwork is a major component of the book, along with the layout; all of it is designed to flow with the unfolding story, and it also mirrors my own explorations over the years.
Gwyllm Llwydd has long swum through the seas of Art & Entheogensia. His early artistic influences were Willifred Sätty, Max Ernst, Rick Griffin and various schools of Buddhist Mandala Art.
He lives in the Pacific Northwest and is currently working on art, publishing projects such as this one and of course the “The Invisible College Review”.
He has a long running blog, “The Hares Tale/aka Turfing” (15 years and counting!) and a Substack: “Gwyllm Llwydd’s Substack ” that is largely excerpts from writings intended to be published eventually.
He sincerely believes that community, art, love, and opening up your mind are part of the puzzle (among many) to a Brave New Exciting World.
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About The Writer:
From Wikipedia: Fitz Hugh Ludlow, sometimes seen as Fitzhugh Ludlow (September 11, 1836 – September 12, 1870[1]), was an American author, journalist, and explorer; best known for his autobiographical book The Hasheesh Eater (1857).
Ludlow also wrote about his travels across America on the overland stage to San Francisco, Yosemite and the forests of California and Oregon in his second book, The Heart of the Continent. An appendix to it provides his impressions of the recently founded Mormon settlement in Utah.
He was also the author of many works of short fiction, essays, science reporting and art criticism. He devoted many of the last years of his life to attempts to improve the treatment of opiate addicts, becoming a pioneer in both progressive approaches dealing with addiction and the public portrayal of its sufferers. Though of modest means, he was imprudently generous in aiding those unable to cope with drug-induced life struggles.
Ludlow died prematurely at the age of 34 from the accumulated effect of his lifelong addictions, the ravages of pneumonia and tuberculosis, and overwork.
We are happy to announce the publication of the Invisible College # 12, “Psychedelics & The Occult.”
This the 12th issue of The Invisible College is dedicated to our dear friend Diane Darling who passed suddenly in January.
Diane contributed frequently to the review, as well as served as editor on “The Hasheesh Eater & Other Writings”. Her contributions to the wider community don’t stop here of course. She founded the She Shaman’s Confrence, was the Editor for The Green Egg for many years as well. An amazing spirit, a friend of the deepest sort. She is missed.
From where things are at this point, this issue is the last for The Invisible College. 12 issues is a good number. We will be reissuing the older copies soon.
This is our largest edition. I think you’ll be thrilled with it all.
Bright Blessings, Thank You for Your Support!
Gwyllm
An Unveiling Video From Liba Stambollion!
Contents:
Introduction
Dedication – Diane Darling
Hakim Bey
On The Forthcoming Publication of Divine Inebriation Part 1
from Silsila (Book Two: The Cywanu Trilogy – Whit Griffin
Auntie Etha’s Cow Lip Tea (“An Early Case of the Use of a Coprophilous, Possibly Entheogenic, Fungus in African American Folk Healing”) – P.D. Newman
The Golden Path – A. Andrew Gonzalez
Hymn For The Azure Soul – Dalton Miller
Egungun Of Benin – Michael Landau
Absinthe: Artemisia absinthium – Dale Pendell
Nepenthe – Gwyllm
Acacia: the philosophical mercury of Zosimos, Paracelsus, and Newton
– Khalil Reda
Thoughts Upon the Bacchae
The Dream & Divinities Tarot – Liba Stambollion
Coda
Adios Will Penna
Truly an amazing volume of the Invisible College. 160 pages plus, with art, psychedelic mysteries revealed, poetry, and much more.
A Small Gallery of some of the Art! Click on the images to enlarge:
I want to thank all who have contributed to The Invisible College over the years, either with contributions to the various issues, or by purchasing a copy or copies. It has been our profound joy to bring The Invisible College to the world.
Nearly 200 pages, a hybrid of sorts, combining my art work over the last 2 decades with chronicles of adventures along the path as well.
It has been a long time coming. I started discussing this book with Dale & Laura Pendell around 2010-2011 and started assembly 6 years ago. I gave up on it a few times, changed direction and when I finished up on the design…
Illustrations done for the Invisible College (a review I have been publishing for 15 years or more. It was started on the recommendation of the late great artist Robert Venosa & his wonderful partner Martina Hoffmann). There are sections as well for my visionary work, and for Radio EarthRites, another project spanning 17 years.
The writing covers various adventures from the mid 60’s to the present. Some of the entries are entheogenically fueled, others not so much.
This book is the first in a series of three that I have been contemplating producing. The second one is now in the works.
I will let everyone know when this edition is finally published, and available!
So Happy to announce the publication of The Invisible College #11, “Alchemy!” It has been a heck of a wait, but this is a great edition!
Sorry Shipping to Australia/New Zealand at this time is off the table due to Post Office Restrictions…
Invisible College #11 “Alchemy”
The offerings this time out is really quite nice….
Contributors: Gwyllm Llwydd Publisher, Editor & Illustrator of The Invisible College.
Perhaps one of the oldest arts that could be considered Alchemical would-be ceramics. We are featuring the ceramics of Andrea O’Reilly: “Art Of The Four Elements”… in this ancient field, which is a first for The Invisible College. P.D Newman returns to the Invisible College with an excerpt from his new book, “Angels in Vermillion”, The Philosophers Stone from Dee to DMT. It makes for a great read.
We are very pleased to present the poetry of Whit Griffin, an excerpt from his new book, “Uncanny Resonance”. Whit’s poetry is some of the very best of our current poets in the US.
We are happy to present “Psychognosis” along with the beautiful art of the author Daniel Mirante. His art work, his teaching and his understanding of the Alchemical process is nicely laid out in his article.
We are pleased to present the art of Madeline von Foerster in “Alchemy Expressed Through Surrealism” . Amazing artwork, beautifully surreal; executed in the oil and egg tempera mische technique developed by the Flemish Masters.
We have an interview with Sasha Chaitow whose new book “Atalanta Unveiled” is causing quite a stir in alchemical circles in Europe and the USA. This is quite a wide ranging interview in only the way that Ronnie Pontiac can conduct an interview. Laurence Caruana shares both his art and his journey through alchemy with us in his article “Speculum Alchemae”. The details of his Alchemical journey from the 1990’s in Montreal, to his life now in Europe. Laurence’s art is a bonus to this article, he is well known in the Visionary School, and in fact one of the founders of The Academy of Visionary Art in Vienna, now residing in France. Holly Van Fleet returns to this edition with more of her concise writings and “Alchemical Musings”.
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So, you can purchase the new edition either here, or at our new publisher, Barne’s & Noble.
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We have reached a landmark! 10th edition of the Invisible College Review, “For The Goddess”
Our first all woman offering, showcasing some amazing talents:
Poetry:
Laura Pendell (our first featured poetry, returning with new work!)
Shasta Fox
Holly Van Fleet
Articles:
Leana Alba
Hildegard Von Bingen
Art:
Carrie Ann Baade
Kim Evans
You can get your copy via the menu above, or from this link:Tenth Edition: “For The Goddess”
We are very excited about this issue, charting new territories, and moving into the next iteration of The Invisible College Review.
Order your copy now!
Thanks,
Gwyllm
Finally, after all of that wait!
Yet it was worth the wait. Watching the Review (Review now, not magazine) transform over time. Up to the last minute, edits going in, changes, images being changed out. The concept of theme, and definition of mission within the theme.
Heady times.
“Arcadia”
We think this is the best edition yet, 1/3 more pages 148 in total, without commercials, ads, that stuff. Pure Culture, Revelation, Art, Poetry, Articles.
Support the effort, the time has arrived.
The art work of such notables as Martina Hoffmann, Robert Venosa,Pascal Ferry, Noel Taylor
The in-depth articles of Alan Piper, P.D.Newman & Gwyllm Llwydd.
The Poetry of Dale Pendell, Michael Conner and more.
