Would it shock you that a religious sect based in Syracuse, New York has picked up on Richard Shaver 31 years after his "ascension" and is re-publishing some of his writings in a series of pamphlets? It's true! Shaver, the man who disdained all religions and governments has become a minor saint, of sorts, among the religious revolutionaries at the Church of Gnostic Luminism, which teaches that all governments are a form of organized crime.
It really is no surprise that Shaver, who was indeed a rebel and revolutionary himself, should be picked up as a guiding light for a movement that wants all governments wiped out and replaced by the common man. The Luminist ideology is outlined in The LUMINIST MANIFESTO, written in 1995 by founder Dale R. Gowin while doing prison time for use and distribution of "plants and chemicals ... he used as spiritual sacraments." Interested readers can find out more about Gowin's arrest and imprisonment in his essay Confessions of an Amerikan LSD Eater, available at www.luminst.org.
To pare it down, however, the three Luminist axioms of a viable worldwide revolutionary consensus are:
I. Every person born on Earth is an equal co-heir of the commonwealth of Earth.
II. No collective policy is legitimate unless it has the full consent and agreement of every person affected by it.
III. Voluntary cooperation for mutual benefit is the most efficient and satisfactory basis for all economic and social relations.
In any case, back to the Luminist Shaver series ... their first offering is "I Contacted an Unknown Race" which appeared in Ray Palmer's Mystic Magazine # 12 in October of 1955. It has an introduction by Palmer in which he reminisces (yes, again) about the genesis of his involvement with the Mystery. The booklet itself is clearly printed (not just a xerox copy from the original pages), with the covers safely in plastic, just in case you want to take your booklet fishing.
The main offering in this booklet (the first in a series of Shaver Mystery lit reprints planned by the Luminists) is of great value in that Shaver describes in detail his Mantong alphabet. Nearly every newly arrived Shaver Mystery buff is curious about Mantong, of which, Shaver himself admited, "The alphabet is a strange one in many respects."
If you've ever wondered what words mean, you NEED the Mantong alphabet. We should also note that the Luminists are re printing some other interesting authors: Aleister Crowley and Algernon Blackwood, both luminaries in the world of occult and supernatural fiction. You will find several of the "Dr. John Silence" stories by Blackwood (one of H.P. Lovecraft's literary influences), as well as Crowley's "The Scrutinies of Simon Iff, a series of six short stories pubbed in 1917-18.
"I Contacted an Unknown Race" (5-1/2 x 4-1/4", 20 pages) can be purchased as part of a subscription, or individually ($4.99). A six-month trial sub of six issues is $25, with one free ish. One-year sub of 12 issues is $50.
NEWS FLASH! We were just sent a copy of the second Shaver booklet in the series: ' "A Plot Against Our Lives"
Go to the Luminist website for all the info at www.luminist.org
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