This week I was given a book by a friend of my mums that she had written. Its's entitled "Wake up". To summarise it's a book of her thoughts on the "awakening" needed within the Catholic church to meet the needs of our times; climate crisis, cost of living crisis, rise of facism , dropping church attendance and role of women in the church.
I think I first heard the term "Awakening" applied to me when I going through a journey of my own in the 90's. I was having some rather unusual experiences and I didn't think I had anyone I knew that could share them with ,who would understand or relate to them. I knew I wasn't completely alone due to a book I had read by Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea called "The Illuminatus" but aside from The KLF from whom I had learned about the illuminatus and Spiral Tribe I had no other references.
I remember having theze thoughts to a soundtrack of Laurent Garniers "Wake up" and DJPC's "Insomniak"
My friend a graffiti artist named Snooze even did a exhibition entitled "wake up"
Eventually I confided in a friend whilst talking about the Illuminatus he said , you should really talk to some friends of mine. These friends turned out to be Thee Temple ov Psychik Youth . I went along to meet them. I told them what was happening and I remember Ray Eden say of "You're having and Awakening you're Waking up." In the terminology of Robert Anton Wilson I was going through "Chapel Perilous".
They encouraged me to think about my dreams , what I ate, whether I wanted to do martial arts and who and how I wanted to love.
Of course since then I read much of eastern and western thought on Enlightement.
The concept was central to "The Matrix" movie Neo literally "woke up".
In recent years the term woke has be co-opted by the right wing a insult against the "Loony left" and "libtards" However when I first heard the term it appeared to be emerging from the Black community in relation to those with Social concious and progressive views which I definately support.
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