ISHAM COOK

At the risk of coming off as eccentric or outrageous, or better yet, as practical, in the following I propose five steps toward personal emancipation (more important in these Orwellian times than ever!). This post will be regularly expanded and eventually turned into a book, in which I will delve into the history—going back to the Enlightenment and the French Revolution—of these intertwined ideas.

My steps are different from what you might expect in a typical self-help guide in that each presents the same paradox: while some people will find them a snap, others may find them daunting or simply untenable. But they are all attainable with a little shift in perspective.

The five steps are progressive: it’s advised to proceed through them in order, though which steps one finds easy or difficult will be a matter of individual personality, and one can start anywhere. They link together, build on and mutually reinforce each other.

STEP 1: GO NAKED

Open your body to others. Go naked at home and outdoors as well, wherever risk of arrest is low. Not just when alone but with everyone—family, friends, and select guests. Announce in advance your intention to do so; the purpose is not to shock but to liberate living space. Invite (rather than insist) others to do the same by setting an example. And of course, sleep naked; don’t advertise the apparel industry’s unnecessary product known as pajamas.

If this sounds like imposing our private matters where they’re not wanted, recall that our homes have long been invaded by the cultural ideology of body shame, and we need to combat it with body freedom. Take off the state’s clothes.

This has nothing to do with sex (that’s covered in Steps 2 and 3) but with kicking oppression out of the house. If you’re European, you’ll probably find naturism—the nudist life—easier to grasp; the Germans have been practicing FKK (Freikörperkultur) for over a century. International naturism symbol above.

STEP 2: BE PANSEXUAL

Open yourself to other bodies. Be bolder than a bear hug: sleep with people because you like them, without regard for gender, age, ethnicity, or any other prejudice. Entertain the idea of sexual generosity. This does not mean that we should sleep with everyone, of course, but the point is one’s sexual “orientation” need not be a barrier to sexual expression.

Traditionally, there was one universal straitjacket: heterosexuality. Today, we have five more or so to choose from: LGBTQ+. Remove the straitjacket: it’s superfluous. Don’t pin yourself down to a single “orientation” (especially when it allows the state to pin you down). Be fluid and elastically erotic.

Two taboos must be retained: incest (how strictly incest among consenting adults is defined is up for debate) and sex with minors (though teenagers close in age should be allowed to do as they wish, as they will in any case). Pansexuality symbol above.

STEP 3: BE POLYAMOROUS

Open your house to others. Dismantle the monogamous nuclear family structure, which is nothing other than the authoritarian state replicating itself in miniature by the millions, with all, conveniently for the state, being isolated from each other to prevent interaction and organization. Communal polyamory unfolds the household to accommodate more than one family, with communal kitchen, living room, and other shared spaces, while separate bedrooms can be maintained. With this act of domestic liberation, the horizontally extended family enables the pooling of labor, resources, and wisdom and the raising of children in a more socially convivial environment.

Sexual polyamory follows naturally from communal polyamory by turning the bedroom into a shared space as well. How multiple couples work out the often-complex intimacy arrangements is entirely up to them.

An easier option for some is romantic polyamory: multi-partner intimacy without the sex. The polyamory symbol above.

STEP 4: EXPLORE PSYCHEDELICS

Open your mind to plant wisdom. The natural mind medicines (psilocybin, mescaline, ayahuasca, cannabis, etc.) have been used for enlightenment purposes for thousands of years. Their illegal status in the modern age, due to the state’s arrogating the right to dictate which plants—freely proffered by nature—we may or may not cultivate and consume, is a crime against human freedom and decency.

Fortunately, there has been a collective turnaround in recent years, as their legally sanctioned use in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD is gaining acceptance. Psychedelics expand consciousness and awareness and can be life-changing and transformational—and frightening (to quote Terence McKenna, “If you’re not scared of psychedelics, you haven’t taken enough”). They are not for everyone, but the risks can be minimize with homework and guided use.

They also powerfully enhance empathy and creativity, while cannabis (steadily being legalized) is the greatest of aphrodisiacs. The mushroom symbol stands for all psychedelics.

STEP 5: CONCEPTUALIZE FREEDOM

Open your mind. This step is placed last, as theory follows from practice; mastering Steps 1-4 better prepares one to tackle Step 5 (some may navigate Step 5 with seeming ease while balking at Steps 1-4). Conceptional freedom involves critically imagining and constructing your own understanding of freedom independently of the state’s definition of the term.

The big step for many people is deprogramming religious indoctrination. However, atheism does not by itself constitute liberation from dogma, as atheists may be just as bound by prejudices (nationalist, racist, sexist) as the religious; and atheists are often just as monogamous as everyone else (the religion of Monogamism). To build character free of a rigid personality structure, uproot internal prejudice and bias in all its forms.

Conceptual freedom can alternatively be understood as psychic, psychological or intellectual freedom; you must invent your own understanding of it. The wellness symbol above serves our purpose, but true mental freedom goes deeper than the often-superficial New Age notion of “wellness.”

INTEGRATING THE FIVE STEPS: MASSAGE

Go naked together in your communal, polyamorous family household, while being inclusive and respectful toward others. Open yourself to simultaneous romantic and/or sexual arrangements with more than one person, while striving to overcome jealousy and possessiveness (the enslavement urge). With the aid of psychedelics, reinvent yourself; replace prejudice and blockage with productivity and creativity.

Finally, enrage the capitalists by paying nothing to embark on the five steps. They’re absolutely free! (Even the botanical medicines of Step 4 are free if you grow your own.) The best things in life are often free.

As a technology of the body rather than of emancipation per se, massage is not included in the five steps. But it is a perfect site and activity for applying the five steps. It is ideally performed 1) with both giver and receiver fully naked; 2) without discrimination regarding gender, 3) without monogamous or dyadic limitations, 4) with psychedelic experimentation, and 5) with conscious cultivation of the value of human touch. The massage symbol above.

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Related posts by Isham Cook:
Loving many: Polyamorous self-actualization
Music for massage, meditation, psychedelics, and sex
Datura and the psychedelic Tao
Transgressions: From porn to polyamory
Confucius and opium
My problem with the atheists (it’s not what you think)
Sexual Fascism: Essays

Also by Isham Cook:

THE TAO OF POISON
“The bold characters, kinetic plot, and rich sense of atmosphere make this epic tale a studied contemplation of how beauty can usher in tragedy and sorrow.” — BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly