Timothy Leary Biography (short)

[RAVAGE]

Timothy Leary was many things to many people, and in fact he resisted most attempts to categorise himself. He was fond of saying at these times, "you get the Timothy Leary that you deserve." Overall it is accurate to call him a philosopher and a scientist, whose underlying motivations were human communication and understanding the mind.

He lived from 1920 to 1996, and spent most of his adult life working hard to enliven the human spirit and raise the level of social consciousness. Through the 1940s and 1950s he worked as a psychologist, emphasising human interaction. He tried to revolutionise the science, and proposed radical ideas (including the concept of Group Therapy). It took almost 50 years for the APA to recognise his achievements.

When Leary was introduced to psychedelics in1960, he saw the potential for it as a new therepeutic psychiatric, a chemical brain-changer, and set out to explore its effects on the human nervous system. After experimentng on himself and with friends, he took it to the Harvard psychology department where he was employed. Trained as a scientist, he carefully designed and meticulously observed laboratory experiments studying the emotional, physical, and social effects on volunteer grad students. With a healthy stack of positive results and some experience guiding "sessions", he took it to the next level: "curing" criminals in prison.

Before any meaningful results were attained, LSD made the headlines as a dangerous new drug. Amid the frenzy, LSD was made as illegal as heroin and Leary's experiments were qiuckly shut down. He made appeals, but the establishment considered his research too controversial. Feeling he was on to something big, he sacrificed his professional career and continued the LSD research with private funding, in Millbrook, NY.

Leary continued to publicly advertise the beneficial aspects of LSD, and as the 60s began to take shape he was cast by the mainstream media into the role of an "LSD-guru". As the drug gained popularity with the counterculture, he was happy to provide instruction manuals for safe usage. He encouraged respect for the drug, and urged the practise of "set & setting" as a safeguard against "bad trips". During this time he coined the phrase "turn on, tune in, drop out", and published books with titles like "The Psychedelic Experience".

He was arrested in 1966 on drug charges, and escaped from prison in 1970. He sought asyum in Switzerland, but was recaptured by DEA agents in 1973, extradited back to America, and sent back to prison. He was finally released in 1976, when a new judge replaced his predecessor.

Moving to California, he discovered a new brain-change technology and enthusiastically promoted the upcoming computer revolution. Through the 80s he wrote computer software, continued writing books and holding lecture performances, but even though his topics moved from drugs to technology, he was still percieved as the 1960s LSD guru.

When a routine check-up revealed prostate cancer in the early 90s, Leary faced his own mortality. Appalled at the secrecy and taboos surrounding death, he resolved to illuminate the process and leave a map of what he called "Designer Dying". At 75 years old, he died of natural causes, in his own bed, surrounded by friends.

 

[RAVAGE]

short recipy for a nice trip (IT WORKS)

1) First, take a Ritz cracker.


2) Add a lump of butter or some cheese (cheddar, Jack, or Brie)


3) Top it off with a bud of marijuana.


4) Heat until the cheese is melted and the THC is activated.


5) Serve and enjoy.

LOL this is some crazy shit! TRY IT!

 

[RAVAGE]

There have been a lot of rumors, speculation, and half-truths surrounding the myth of Leary's death. Here is a place you can get some insight into the events that actually occured, by people who were actually there. Hopefully this will help set the record straight and answer some questions with facts and truths.



What were Timothy's Last Words?

At one point in his final delerium, he spoke the words "Why not." He uttered the phrase repeatedly, in different intonations: as a question, as a statement, softly, loudly, thoughtfully, ruefully, and confidently. He died soon after, and that was the last thing he said out loud.



Did Leary get his head cut off like I saw in that movie?

No. Absolutely not. That was a simulation created by profiteering filmmakers. At one point in his life, Leary was planning to have himself cryonically preserved, which would have resulted in a variety of gruesome procedures, but it did not happen. The filmmakers capitalised on this and secretly recreated the sequence without permission from Leary or his family, who were shocked and dismayed to see it on screen in graphic detail. After the movie's release, the filmmakers displayed poor taste and fueled rumours by not admitting it's falsehood, apparently to generate hype and sell tickets.


Was Leary cryonically preserved?

No. For a number of years, Leary was excited by the possibility of freezing his body in cryonic suspension. As a scientist himself, he didn't believe that he would be resurrected in the future, but he recognized the importance of cryonic possibilities and was generally an advocate of future sciences. He called it his "duty as a futurist", and helped publicize the process. Leary had relationships with two cryonic organizations, the original ALCOR and then the offshoot CRYOCARE. A few months before he died, Leary discovered some internal company memos that seriously slandered him and exposed a plan to defame Leary and exploit the situation to the benefit of Cryocare and the detriment of Leary and his family. Outraged, Leary kicked them out of his house and cancelled all his contracts.


Were Leary's ashes shot into space?

Yes. With the absence of cryonics, one of Leary's friends at Celestis quickly arranged a sci-fi blast off. Here is an excerpt from an Associated Press newswire:
Stored in the 9-by-12-inch canister with Leary are ashes of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, space physicist Gerard O'Neill, rocket scientist Krafft Ehricke and others. Each family paid $4,800 (they also get a commemorative video of the launch) to get 7 grams of their loved ones' ashes onto the rocket. The average weight of a cremated human is 5 pounds. Pegasus takes the capsule 300 miles above Earth. "The capsule orbits for a little while, 18 months to 10 years, then it will burn up in the atmosphere. It will be like a shooting star," said Celestis partner Charles Chafer.


Was Leary going to broadcast his death on the InterNet?

Leary wanted to share his experience of dying with the world, and one day he spontaneously came up with the idea of broadcasting his last moments on the world wide web. He talked about it to his friends and mentioned it in a few press interviews, which ignited a flurry of rumors that spread like wildfire through the internet community, eventually exaggerated by fans who sought attention and pretended to have inside information. Although he seriously considered and even played with the idea, when Leary's health grew worse the idea was innocently abandoned. In the end Leary requested his last hours be videotaped, but the footage was never publicly shown.


So how did he die after all?

Leary died peacefully of natural causes in his own bed on the night of May 31, 1996. He was surrounded by friends and family. After a festive wake, his body was cremated and the ashes were divided amongst loved ones. As his longtime friend John Perry Barlow writes:
Timothy Leary died unashamed and having, as usual, a great time. He made good on his promise to "give death a better name or die trying." Willingly, peacefully, and unafraid, he headed off on his last trip.