In early January, soon after I finished TP for the first time, I was reading RAWs 'The New Inquisition' on my first break.  One of the things it deals with is synchronicity and the possibility that somthing more than just chance is at work there. 

On my second break I switched to his 'Schrodinger's Cat Trilogy', I was on the second volume, 'The Trick Top Hat', when I came across the following (pages 280-281 in the Dell combined edition); "333. The number of the Mighty Devil Choronzon... Choronzon, the Lurker at the Threshold, who drove back any occultist who tried to push open the final door, cross the boundary of the unmarked state." ... ""Choronzon" was a mind-construct of the primates specializing in the Enochian version of Cabalistic Magick. Talking out of two sides of their mouths at once, as was typical of primate mystics, the Cabalists said that Choronzon was the astral embodiment of all illusions and deception on Terra (especially all the egotism and malice).  They added that Choronzon was also the part of the psyche of the student which had to be faced and conquered before Illumination was complete. When asked whether Choronzon was then outside or inside they usually answered "Both".

"Wow" I thought to myself "that really is weird."  I was reflecting on this when I went back to work (bookstore) and started shelving books.  In the poetry section I looked up, on the top shelf was 'The Selected Poems of Paul Blackburn' almost dirrectly below it was 'The Annie Poems' by Anne Cameron.

I'm generally a bit of a lurker myself, on the boards if not the threshold, but this chain of events led to join this forum as it seemed like I was 'meant' to or at least that I was being pointed in that direction, by my mind if nothing else.

 Well back to work, boy the marks,  I mean the customers are high maintenence this morning. What do they thing, I'm here too serve them or somthing... Never mind.

rb

"It's not so bad as long as you can keep the fear from your mind." - D. Cooper

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer." - P. Atreides

"Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe" - L. tzu

You could not have picked a better author for delving into the great mysteries of life. This world is a lesser place since Mr. Wilson passed away!

I first discovered his writings when I first read "Schroedinger's Cat Trilogy" (the same combined edition you're reading) when I was a teenager. He's my favorite author, and SCT is my favorite trilogy of books (with "The Illuminatus! Trilogy" a close second place). Wilson's own description of it being a "guide to scientific shamanism" is very apt. If you really get into it, by the end of the trilogy it begins to gnaw at your sense of identity. After I had finished it, I found myself experiencing deja vu and lucid dreaming much more often, not to mention a growing sense of self-awareness after the trilogy keeps making you question the fundamentals of your day-to-day reality (and what it is in you that questions reality). I also recall having brief moments of some form of bibliomancy, but instead of fortelling future events, I found 'coincidences' of opening books at random and finding synchronous parallels and meanings in what should be unrelated books (similar to what you described).

Since reading SCT and TI!T, I think I've read about 15 to 20 more of his books, fiction and non-fiction. All were worth reading, but none were as mindblowing as SCT and TI!T. I can't recommend those two trilogies enough. If the public school system made them required reading in order to get a high school diploma, this world would become a significantly different place. Fewer drones walking the streets, and more "awake" people thinking thrice about the daily reality they take for granted.

Even Jim Morrison talked about the Lurker at the Threshold in some form or another. I haven't seen it in awhile, but I recall in Oliver Stone's "The Doors" Morrison talking about that seven-mile-long snake in some of his lyrics, and how you had to face the snake without any fear. If you succumbed to your fear, the otherworldly serpent would devour you (not unlike the Black Lodge's inhabitants). But if you were fearless, you'd ride the snake, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Val Kilmer was explaining that to Kyle MacLachlan in the film. They don't refer to it as Chronozon by name, but I think it's pretty much the same archetype, just reflected through the eyes & voice of a different culture (or "reality tunnel" as Wilson called it).

Thanks for the reflection Chainsaw.

I'll admit that when I read the Ill. Tril. my main response was 'Huh?' but I think it's time for me to read it again.  The SCat3 was great but I admit that I found The New Inquisition to have a greater effect on me, but that's me.  I generally read fiction to escape and  non to engage.   My favorite line from NewIn is "Certitude is seized by some minds, not because there is any philosophical justification for it, but because such minds have an emotional need for certitude."  I read that and thought 'that's exactly right and gets us into so much trouble.'

I wonder is Chozaron (Sp?) a 'historic' figure in magic?  I also seem to remember some kind of threshold lurker or dweller some place in H.P. Lovecraft although it might have come from the Call of Cthulhu (SP? stupid mythic figures and their hard to spell names) game system.

Anyway the inner protastant (Sp? stupid religion and its ditto) is telling me to get back to work and somebody has to keep this economy proped up.

rb

"It's not so bad as long as you can keep the fear from your mind." - D. Cooper

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer." - P. Atreides

"Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe" - L. tzu

Hooray! A copy of Cosmic Trigger Volume 1 (New Falcon, 7th printing, 1991) came in while I was away.  I am enjoying having my mind blown. 

Early possible parallel; the Chapel Perilous and the red room.

rb

"It's not so bad as long as you can keep the fear from your mind." - D. Cooper

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer." - P. Atreides

"Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe" - L. tzu