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TechGnosis

The work of Erik Davis

Erik Davis is an American writer, scholar, journalist, and public speaker whose writings range from rock criticism to cultural analysis to esoteric explorations of California’s history.

I’ve been publishing stuff for over three decades, and most of it—with the exception of my books—resides on this site, which I have maintained through various iterations since the late 1990s. With Burning Shore now disseminating my fresher communiqués, Techgnosis.com acts more than ever as an archive of my work, including lectures, interviews, personal reflections, and almost a decade of the Expanding Mind podcast. Like Techgnosis itself, still in print and more relevant than ever, my stuff combines deep research with vivid writing and oracular aims that resonate through the years. For this revamped trans-temporal site, I and my team have introduced more robust searching and cross-linking of materials, as well as a roll-the-dice feature, which will hopefully allow for richer, more entertaining, and more synchronistic wanders through this wunderkammer.  — Erik

  • Books

    Blotter

    The Untold Story of an Acid Medium

    The Untold Story of an Acid Medium

    Blotter by Erik Davis is the first comprehensive written account of the history, art, and design of LSD blotter paper, the iconic drug delivery device that will perhaps forever be linked to underground psychedelic culture and contemporary street art. Created in collaboration with Mark McCloud’s Institute of Illegal Images, the world’s largest archive of blotter art, Davis’s boldly illustrated exhibition treats his outsider subject with the serious, art-historical respect it deserves...

TechnoPagans
Esoterica
TechnoPagans
May the Astral Plane be Reborn in Cyberspace

The Atmosphere of Heaven
Articles and Essays
The Atmosphere of Heaven
The universe is made of thoughts

Perception Hacking
Expanding Mind Podcast
Perception Hacking
Expanding Mind

The Gorey Details
Expanding Mind Podcast
The Gorey Details
Expanding Mind

The Cults of Burning Man
Subcultures
The Cults of Burning Man
IYKYK

Romantic Religion
Articles and Essays
Romantic Religion
Creative Imagination and the Inklings

Captain Jack’s Stronghold
Religions and Spirits
Captain Jack’s Stronghold
Ghost Dancing

Foreword: HFT The Gardener
Art and Design
Foreword: HFT The Gardener
Suzanne Treister's latest art project

Rudy Wurlitzer Interview
Articles and Essays
Rudy Wurlitzer Interview
Westerns and the Self

Chasing the Tengu
Art and Design
Chasing the Tengu
The Mystic Undertow of Vinyl Toys

A Nibble from the Dr.
Burning Shore
A Nibble from the Dr.

More on the Beatles

Ferngully
Moving Pictures
Ferngully
The jungle in film

The Tantra of Psychedelia
Psychedelics
The Tantra of Psychedelia
The Paisley Gate, from Zig Zag Zen

The Archons Are Back
Expanding Mind Podcast
The Archons Are Back
Expanding Mind

Bluetech
Music
Bluetech
The Divine Invasion

Videogames 1971-1984
Technoculture
Videogames 1971-1984
The joy of joysticks