Philip K. Dick
Portrait by Pete Welsch
Washington, DC
Most people know Philip K. Dick (PKD) by way of two main venues- either his science fiction novels or his movies (Minority Report, Blade Runner, etc). If fact, he is more famous now then he ever was in life. Such is the nature of being a visionary- the art world is rife with this. The thing I find fascinating about PKD though, is something most people have never heard about. PKD had many mystical experiences and he wrote about them.
His first encounter happened in Feb. 1974 and what followed would direct a line of inquiry for the rest of his life. After oral surgery and under the influence of sodium pentothal, he opened his door to a delivery girl who was wearing a gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a fish- an early Christian symbol. The sun glinted off the fish producing a pink beam. The resulting mystical experience involved an encounter with an intelligence which allowed PKD to receive wisdom and clairvoyant messages. Throughout Feb. and Mar., the experiences continued with visions and more encounters. At one point while in trance, PKD received detailed medical information about his son and a life-threatening condition. Rushing the baby to the hospital, doctors indeed confirmed the condition and saved the boy.
In the years of exploration and searching that followed, PKD kept detailed journals, totaling some 9000 pages. Whittled down to 900 pages, Exegesis is a collection of his mystical experiences and the author’s attempts to make sense of what was happening to him. It makes for fascinating reading. There is real passion and honesty in his efforts to understand and deal with what was going on. On one hand, it’s very inspiring but on the other, it’s unsatisfying too. PKD never really accepts any one answer and scholars who view the material are also at a loss. What really happened to PKD during the period known as 2-3-74 (and after) and what did it mean?
PKD’s last novel was entitled The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. It is considered to be one of his best, and truly, it is a metaphysical work. Reading Exegesis and then Transmigration, the reader is encouraged to search for their own answers and fully engage the mind. Happy reading!
ellisnelson 
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Good post. I love PKD and have reviewed many of his books on my site. I admit to being a bit biased toward his earlier works, but this period is good as well. Thanks!
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Great interview. I enjoyed this immensely. As a writer of ghost stories and paranormal, although I think much lighter than Mr. DIck, I was fascinated.
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Glad you liked it!
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Just plain great to see someone writing about PKD. What’s crazy is that you can approach him from so many points of reference–futurist, genre, psychological, spiritual, technological–but what remains in any of those approaches is the keen feeling (that I also get reading Melville and Transtromer) of an authentic encounter with existence and its biggest questions for us as human beings. I’m glad I found this!
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Thanks, Jeff!
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Excellent review. Dick has been pushed into the shadows over the past decade and really needs to be widely read again. I was a fan of his mainstream novels too. One favorite is “The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike.” His sense of humor should also be remembered. I always got a kick out of his character Jim The News Clown that popped up in several books. He only got a mention but when you turn on local news in any market you can see that Dick was prophetic.
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Well thanks for stopping by and it got me checking out your stuff. Very interesting and great review. It is timely because of recent conversations. PKD struck me as a man who was on to something….I don’t really know his work in its fullest, but every time I do encounter some of it, it all comes spilling in. But the one thing, which I was telling my sister just this Thanksgiving, was how PKD had this insight and brought to it a feeling as though there was a kind of conspiracy about it all. Its like the Matrix movies where its all being run by these beings….but the one soft turn I would make conceptually is that we are those beings in all actuality and that PKD was chasing his own conspiracy. This is not a criticism as much as it might seem so; I was once much like him so I can relate, but the day came when the veils slipped a little further and I had to admit there was no agenda behind the curtain save for what we create. But PKD nonetheless is a great writer of this stuff and I do like what they did with his stories in some ways. I’d like to know the PKD absent the conspiracy now, but by then his stories and their movies wouldn’t sell because all the struggle would have been realized for what it is.
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Ellis, I nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award – which you may receive if you want to, there is no obligation. The “Instructions” are in my post about it! I love the way you dig out these gems behind peoples’ backs.
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Thanks Jane!
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Ellis is really do have a wonderful ability to draw from the environment to which you are directed, the ease of which a wick draws a flame when lit. it is not the first time in this present or past incarnation. I as always wish you well and the liberating direction you are going for yourself and for others who benefit from the wellness of your intention.
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Thanks Russell. Always appreciated. 2014 marks the undertaking of an effort to shine the light on others and their work. We’ll see where it leads.
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Beautiful
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This is right in my wheelhouse. Thanks for the info!
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PKD is one of my favourite authors, VALIS and The Man in the High Castle being the best I have read (many times each) to date. Thanks for the insight, I had no idea he wrote about these other experiences and I hope to track down those books you mentioned.
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I have always been amazed by how prolific he was as a writer. His body of work is a pretty amazing feat. I am glad you blogged this as I did not know this about him. Several writers were/are of the mystic vein. Victor Hugo comes to mind as another example. I just put this on my reading list. Thanks!
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I hope I can find Exegesis and Transmigrations, this all sounds very interesting.
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Ellis – synchronicity at work here. Thanks for the review and heads up.
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I’ll have to add these to my must read lists. Will share with my husband as he is a fan of this author. Thanks for this interesting review.
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Enjoyed your stories online and am just about ready to dig into your book. Looking forward to doing the interview!!
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The novel Valis is a sort of fictional telling of this. Very weird work.
Tremendous imagination he had.
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Just read “Radio Free Albemuth” I am fascinated with him. Thanks for the article! I didn’t know of his journals.
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Fascinating, thanks Ellis.
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Very nice, was unfamiliar with his mystical experiences.
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I look forward to reading Exegesis. It sounds fascinating. Thanks!
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Great articles. Made me purchase his book, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Hope it good!
Elizabeth
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BTW-I read your book during the move. Provided a much needed respite. Looking forward to interviewing you!!
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Interesting.
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