One of the areas within the Integral movement that I think needs to be expanded is fiction. Within the arts, we have seen much creativity on the musical and graphic side, Alex Grey and Stuart Davis are good examples, but we haven’t really had a major piece of fiction (novel, play or film) capture the essence of the movement.
Not surprisingly, a synchronistic moment occurred with our friend Andrew Cohen. He was on a plane, coast to coast flight, and someone had left a book in the seat pocket in front of him. He began to read the book, finishing it that night. I got an email the next day, telling me he had bought the book for me and it should arrive by mail in a few days, he told me to read it, that it made a lot of sense in the context of “Consciousness Evolution”.
Before I began Cactus Land, I expected something more psychological, or obviously metaphorical, but on the surface this book is nothing of the sort. I think a better adjective would be “apocalyptically surreal” or maybe “integral magic realism”. Imagine a world, in the near future, where the symbols of the unconscious come to life. The dance between the un-surfaced elements of the unconscious and culture takes shape in the form of world events and bizarre occurrences. From an Integral standpoint, it parallels the shift between first tier Green Pluralistic and Second Tier Teal Integral.
In Cactus Land we see a society very similar to Western Europe begin to dissolve into chaos. Wars, terrorism, immigration, propaganda and problems with energy finally take their toll. As events come close to their climax, supernatural things happen, setting the stage for the apocalyptic ending which I see, as well as the author, as the shift in human consciousness. I should prepare readers for the fact that there are some very violent scenes and the end of the book is something that will stay for with you for a while.
I wanted to start this new series of articles, Integral Fiction, with Cactus Land because I think that it has the potential to become a cult classic. The kind of book people will read for generations. It certainly moved me and Andrew, and I think that is a good start for a book. I highly recommend it. Below I have attached a link to the book and Mr. Bonomo’s blog.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ROBERT BONOMO’S NOVEL, CACTUS LAND ON AMAZON
ROBERT BONOMO’S BLOG
Ken Wilber is the world's leading “integral” philosopher. The author of such titles as A Brief History of Everything (1996) and A Theory of Everything (2000), his philosophy integrates body, mind, soul, and Spirit with self, culture, and nature. Integral philosophy is rapidly becoming a powerful presence in fields as diverse as politics and spirituality, psychology and business, medicine, and art.
