Walt's "The Perennial Solution Center"

[Brian Olewnick]

I haven't seen Walt registered yet, but....

Anyone besides me and SQDCSteve (another JC no-show at the moment) read this yet? I finished it the other day--an excellent, often thought-provoking read. Didn't even mind the errata.

Walt's essentially structured a three-way back and forth on philosophical questions of a broadly religious nature. The action takes place in the form of a play-like dialogue between Rabi, a kind of counselor at a philosophical summer camp and two of his "students", Paul and G. They've come to this retreat with their own sets of issues, prejudices and the like, hoping to find, if not answers, pathways toward possible answers. Rabi discusses issues with them, often with lengthy quotations from various tracts ranging from eastern mysticism to Sartre to the Incredible String Band. He's kind of a pain in the ass, offering sometimes woozy advice, seemingly open to various approaches while retaining some fairly set opinions that belie his openess. Paul and G. (a female character) present him with problems, argue a bit amongst themselves, try to catch Rabi in contradictions and so on, eventually, grudgingly, agreeing that they've derived some benefit from the summer's ordeal.

Walt's very much in his BWTFDIK mode here, offering extremely fair minded views of both sides (or more) of this or that debate. I throughly enjoyed the banter and learned a great deal besides (philosophy of religion not being one of my strong points). I won't go into specific arguments at this point unless other readers want to join in. But I just wanted to congratulate ol' Walt for the fine job he did and strongly recommend it to all interested parties.

[moneyp]

I'm waiting for the Classics Illustrated version.

(Actually, I understand there's a new version coming out fixing some errors. I'll definitely be picking it up.)

[tippy]

Are you talking about Walter Horn? Is this a new book? Sounds interesting to me. I'll pick it up and check it out this summer. Good job, Walt.

[Brian Olewnick]

Yes, Squire Horn. I think it was booksurge.com where it was available although he's putting out a re-issue without the errata that bugged him a bunch.

('bout time you showed up here, Ms. Tip!)

[walto]

I'm heeeeeeeere!

Thanks for the nice review, Brian. Glad you enjoyed it (& I wonder if you'll be the only person ever to finish it).

BTW, do you think the final chapter deneument is over the top?



Please notice that I haven't left any words at this new site.

[tippy]

Did I miss the official "Where's Walto?" entry?

In the early 70s my mom used to make freedom fries (a woman ahead of her time) with a Waltomatic.

[walto]

One other thing. SqD isn't just supposed to read it, he's supposed to get his WHOLE reading group to buy it (whether they ever read it or not). And maybe get me some time on TV all over California when this war and basketball coverage dies down.

<i>Now that my sales have hit double figures, I'm thinking big.

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Sorry Walt, but I just have to ask Tippy: Did your Mom ever use the Bass-o-matic?

[tippy]

Only on very special occasions, Dennis.

[walto]

>>In the early 70s my mom used to make freedom fries (a woman ahead of her time) with a Waltomatic.<<

That was ME! I really enjoyed that time with her.

[Brian Olewnick]

Walt, since I identified most strongly with Paul (the most skeptical of the trio), I was a bit...disappointed in his extracurricular problems to the extent that they may have been in any way presented as a (or one) reason for his current state. But, of course, that's perfectly fine to expect that in a "real life" character. In a book like this, I tend to view the characters as sort of abstract crystalizations of a certain stance and only want so much intrusion from their lives outside the setting. At least, in his last passage, he seems to retain a healthy amount of skepticism.

Obviously, you may have chosen not to allow any neat resolution either in their quests or in the reader's comfort level with them which, again, is fine. To that extent, the denouement doesn't bother me at all. I still sometimes feel like giving Rabi a good slap. Very nice guy and all, just a little bit smug for my tastes.

[achilles]

where can one buy Walt's book?

[walto]

Thanks for your interest, achilles. (Hey, you're a teacher, right?--it'd make a heck of course book! Suitable for anything from Eastern Studies or Home Ec. to Gym, Shop and, of course French lit.)

Anyhow, PSC should be available again (even for the purpose of kindling) in two or three weeks at booksurge.com and alibris.com. Another couple weeks after that it should be at half.com, barnes&noble.com and amazon.com.

& thanks to Brian for his interesting response.

[achilles]

i'll look for it, walt.
Good for you!

[walto]

For those who care, it's now for sale again at booksurge.com, in its revised (extremely today) edition.

[Tom Storer]

I'm going to order it. From Brian's description, it sounds just like a message board.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Now that the summer has ended and we've finished reading our mysteries and celebrity biographies, it's time to turn our attention to more substantial fare, something to help fortify us for the inevitable bleak Novembers of our souls that must follow. Let me recommend for that purpose, Walter Horn's book!

Set in a fictional retreat in the northeast, we follow a series of dialogues and three-way conversations between two paying customers -- seekers after truth and remedies -- and the resident guru. The conversations usually draw heavily upon the existing literature of mysticism and spirituality, and many of them take place in the retreat's library, where the characters can take the source books from the shelves and quote from them at length. Walter's sources are from all ages and many traditions, and this wonderful collection of quotes is one of the book's great treasures. I especially like the many apt and eloquent passages from Emerson: these have the cumulative effect of identifying American Transcendentalism with the great mystical traditions of the world, thereby reminding us that the contemplation of the mysteries of life and existence are not a recent foreign import, but instead have deep roots in American society, and have produced uniquely indigenous flowerings.

In addition to the collection of quotations, another of the book's major strengths is its excellent examinations of the border territories of mysticism: religion, philosophy, psychology, biology, ethics and other fields whose areas of interest overlap those of spiritual experience. It goes without saying that mystical experiences resist description, but this problem is always compounded by the ease with which discussions of mysticism slide into theology, or metaphysics, or neurophysiology, or any of the dozen other fields that bear in some way upon the essence of subjective existence. Walter is keenly aware of the arguments against unverifiable claims by mystics, and does a fine job of picking his way through the mine fields, demonstrating which claims need to rendered unto Caesar, or Einstein, or Freud, and which remain the province of The Journeyers to The East. I think this examination of mysticism in relation to its most closely related fields is the unique and important contribution of this book.

I found the interfaces with psychology especially interesting. Most significantly, Walter identifies two beliefs fundamental to both psychology and spirituality: the belief that people of any age are capable of positive change, and the belief that awareness itself is an agent of change. Early on, he takes a look at the kind of psychological readiness an individual might need before embarking on a serious spiritual quest. Later he turns his attention to the similarities and differences between the psychological experiences of personal insight and revelations of the spirit. (Along the way, he spends too much time dismantling an absurd-on-the-face-of-it psychological theory which, while mythopoetically charming, was clearly inadequate to support a science of psychology.)

As Brian suggests above, Rabi is a bit of a prig as a guru. His preachings to Paul, true or not, surely only serve to alienate his student and squander his own energies. What can Rabi possibly tell Paul about Paul's domestic behavior that Paul doesn't already know? Far better, I think, to let Paul think it through for himself in this context -- that of coming to terms with his own death -- and come to Rabi with his own understanding of connections between these things. As an Indian guru (a Dr. Kauchick) once explained to me, "Truth is what you find out for yourself."

Also, I think Gina is suited for a different type of spiritual practice. This is a good start for her, but she is clearly not a Hinayanist by nature. Related to this, I still have a problem with the "The" in "The Perennial Solution Center," much as Paul did. I think it's a Hinayanist and Roman Catholic type of claim of exclusivity that "Does not further." Not only are there many roads to the mountaintop, there are many mountaintops, all of which touch the sky, and all of which offer unobstructed views of heaven.

The Hinayanists stopped at the Eighth Bull -- the Taoists expanded the tale to the Ninth and Tenth Bull, and returned our sedentary sage to the marketplace, where everyone he looked upon became enlightened.

In Walter's marvelously peculiar and peculiarly American mind, we also find a jolting but effective coupling of mysticism with pragmatism. Walter's spiritual truths are to be judged, he says, not by doctrine or testimony, but by the effects they have on the quality of lives of men and women. There is some of this in William James, but Walter takes it further, using it not only as a test of the legitimacy of a spiritual experience but also as an ongoing methodology, a practical awareness of the effects that one's various behaviors have on one's life, whether they impede the spiritual quest or, as the I Ching would say, "Furthers." This kind of moderating influence played by the rational and intuitive minds in monitoring one's spiritual growth is likened by Walter (correctly, I think) to Buddha's middle way. Walter's way moves one step at a time, always observing very carefully where each step leads, and the next step must always begin with where we are now.

And, like all spiritual quests, it also always ends with where we are now. As Walter's beloved Tagore writes, "... in the midst of our home and our work, the prayer rises, "Lead me across!" For here rolls the sea, and even here lies the other shore waiting to be reached -- yes, here is this everlasting present, not distant, not anywhere else."

[walto]

Wow, I said all that kind of heavy shit?! I gotta reread that while I've still got a brain cell or two left! (BTW, what's the psych theory I spent too much time criticizing?)

Thanks so much, SqD. You're the greatest. As longtime JC hangers must know by now, this would have been a better book -- calmer, wiser, less judgmental -- if you'd written it. I mean, you even know a couple gurus. To me, they're guys who look like Ben Kingsley. But as Rabi says, in the end we should do what we can...even if it ain't much.

I just have one request. Any chance of posting this at Amazon? (Yours too, Brian!) My book seems so lonely and desolate out there with only the book jacket excerpt as an "editorial review."

[Gary Sisco]

Sounds like a good winter read, Walter. I'll pick it up after I pay off my Drimala and Anomalous forays... sigh ...

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Originally posted by walto
(BTW, what's the psych theory I spent too much time criticizing?)

... Any chance of posting this at Amazon?


Woops -- I was thinking of Stace, actually, who was a philosopher dealing with mysticism, self and personality, not a psychologist.


I think I can manage to post some of this on Amazon, Walt. And a good chance that I'll be sending you my list of your errata, in case there are some you haven't caught yet. (I have the first, "dirty," edition.)


That reminds me, by leaving out those 'orgies in the hot-tub' scenes I'd suggested, I think you've really hurt your chances for commercial success here.

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally posted by Squaredancecalling Steve
That reminds me, by leaving out those 'orgies in the hot-tub' scenes I'd suggested, I think you've really hurt your chances for commercial success here.

What? You promised, Walt.

[john williams]

After having my eye on this thread for awhile I decided to order a copy. I need a good meaty read at the moment. It sounds a bit like a modern Socratic dialogue type thingy.

Being in Australia PSC will be my summer reading and I will have to forego the airport novels, thrillers nad celebrity bios.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally posted by JBW
Being in Australia PSC will be my summer reading and I will have to forego the airport novels, thrillers nad celebrity bios.

Wow, things are worse than I thought if celebrity gonads are getting their own bios! ;-)

[john williams]

Originally posted by Brian Olewnick
Wow, things are worse than I thought if celebrity gonads are getting their own bios! ;-)

Whoops!