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Rating: 
Summary: A review of the science . . .
Review: I am totally blown away by Leary, his intellect, large cahones, especially his humor. He is like a volcano of creativity. But then I don't use the chemical stimulants that he does (did) so that plays a big part in how things are accomplished.However as far as his science let me say that Tim appears to be an intuit and not a scientist. And let me jump to the chase and be specific in criticism of the 8-circuit theory. Tim is exactly right through level four. How do I know? Well, it's unpublished sitting here half written but if the title sticks it will be called Neo Everything. Anyway I've spent sixteen years at it from a biological-evolutional perspective of Tim's subject, so take it as you will.
I count 16 such circuits, and I have a solid underlying theory to prove it. At the very least there are twelve, consistent with Western astrological -slash- NeoPlatonic "math." Twelve have been well known since before J. C. Biblical times. Leary has taken the first four, literally Aries through Cancer, skipped the next eight (Leo through Pieces) and cuts directly to transcendent or semi-transcendent states which are really a lack of order -- allowing the remaining order to function with less self-inhibition -- a semi-psychic-break (with color) kind of semi-super-fluidity of experience. Anyway he gets it right, though he leaves out far more than he includes. Please excuse but I'm using the old language. I indeed use language similar to Leary's: survival for Aries for example.
This stuff isn't hard -- Leary makes it easier and more experiential than it is, however. He sees the "circuits" through a mystical filter of self-construction over which we have (ultimate) control. This could only be true in the most fantastic Ideal of being carefully engineered by gods as "divine" . . . but then there is the problem of who created the gods?
Somehow the difficult task of dealing with evolutionary theory (bio-engineering solution-opportunity basically) does not occur (what need?) in the context of the divine and wonderfully peak experience that Dr. Leary so adores.
Perhaps it's just a confusion. Leary's experiential review is a valid and entertaining simplification that I would guess appeals to more people than a far less warmly colored study of Reality.
Rating: 
Summary: Psychotherapy for the Psychonauts convenience
Review: I know I'm pretty liberal with the 5 star thing on amazon.com, but if I had to revise all of my previous reviews, this one would still get 5 stars. For me, this book represents an amalgamation of all the information our civilization has accumulated over the last century or so.
Based on a solid foundation of science and psychology, chemistry and biology; this book offers your every day average psychonaut the opportunity to understand both personal evolution and the evolution of humanity, as well as where we may be going. Most comprehensive in nature, the human organism take the form of an advanced bio-computational organism of eight circuits that draw from Freud, Jung, Tranactional Analysis, Darwinian evolution, Neurophysiology, psychopharmacology, and an entarouge of Leary's personal research.
As with all of Leary's books the reader should take the presentation of facts lightly. Not to say that they are false or improperly assumed details, only that it is all informtiaon filtered through the understanding of Leary himself. My use of this book - used as companion to Angel Tech, Promethius Rising, and a host of other 8-circuit oriented books - has me re-structuring the entire system from my own point of view, and relating each ciruit to all areas of my life, as well as using it as an interpretation method for better understanding of yoga, magick, science, and psychology. As a whole any book that prompts the user to better understand themselves from a wholistic point of view has my thumbs up.
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