Written over an extraordinary twenty-two years, Ariel & Electra draws on R.Merlin's experience as a laser artist, working Druid, and occult initiate, as well as his passion for the Eleusinian Mysteries.
And, while he wryly suggests it be listed under "sex, drugs, rock/n/roll, lightshows and magic in space," (and, truth be told, all those things are in there), the novel is really about the evolution of consciousness.
Set in a hopeful near/future time, Ariel & Electra covers the adventures of a ship-full of visionary artists and, ultimately, the world-changing mind-altering art that they intend to create.
Within the framework of the story, we find ourselves in the later stages of the Great Migration, the widening-out of the human drama into the planets and moons of our solar ecliptic plane. And with this, our newly expanded point of view, humankind's perspective has widened as well. Some of the more evident changes can be seen in our Earth, now a garden spot, with a restored atmosphere and many natural wonders preserved and restored likewise.
A less evident (though more relevant) consequence of the Great Migration is a system-wide rise in our collective desire for the evolution of human consciousness. This blooming of sanity brings about a rampant rise in popular shamanism and the attendant altered states that ensue. This, in turn, leads directly to the emergence of a Spacer Culture, characterized by the conscious use of technology, and more importantly, the technological enhancement of consciousness...
Envision along, if you are so inclined...
What would your world be like if the pursuit of entheogenic experience were celebrated and encouraged? If new forms of mind-expanding experiences (and chemistry) were generally lauded and praised, were a vital part of the cultural landscape? If personal body mods could be achieved solely through visualization? If the internet carried sites with coded keys that ultimately led you to a secret magical society on the Moon?
What would it be like to awaken every day to the wilds of volcanic Io, the orange sulfur moon of Jupiter, beautiful beyond recounting...
Into this world we will now toss a spray of greeny crystals, a mind-altering substance an order of magnitude more powerful than anything extant hitherto, leading our crew to plan an evolutionary leap, embark on an unprecedented adventure of the mind, and frame up the greatest and most shamanic temple event in the history of humankind...
