Weird Naturalism of the Brothers McKenna
International Journal for the Study of New Religions February 20, 2017 Erik Davis
The 1971 'Experiment at La Chorrera' in Colombia, conducted by Terence and Dennis McKenna, became a legendary event in psychedelic culture. This paper analyzes the intellectual matrix of Jungian alchemy, Marshall McLuhan's media theory, and science fiction that shaped the experiment's protocols and concepts. It introduces McKenna's early unpublished text 'Crypto-Rap' as an example of 'weird naturalism.' The authors argue that the McKennas 'esotericized' media theory into an occult framework of resonance, sympathy, and apocalyptic ontology.