The Clastrian Machine on Immediatism Podcast

The text read and discussed in these 13 podcast episodes will stand as a favorite on Immediatism. Entitled The Shamanic Trace, by Peter Lamborn Wilson, its topic is the Clastrian Machine, which consists of primitive warfare, gift exchange, and shamanism, and functions outside of the state in ways that have often prevented the state from arising and undermine it when it does. Those who tend toward classical anarchism will easily follow the analysis of the Clastrian Machine being against the state, while those who tend toward an anti-civ perspective can easily substitute the word civilization where "state" occurs in the text. While Immediatism recommends listening to all of the episodes in order to get the full benefit of the analysis and examples, the list below will include episode topics to support those who want to sample one or more episodes of interest.

1. Birth of a Notion -- The Clastrian thesis, that society opposes itself to the state. Hunter gatherer tribes the universal form of society for 99% of human existence. The state begins with the breakdown of the Clastrian machine.
https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/738-the-shamanic-trace-1-by-pet...

2. Machinations -- Primitive warfare (vs. classical warfare). Economic development.
https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/739-the-shamanic-trace-2-by-pet...

3. Wild Man -- That the essay will focus on shamanism more than warfare or economics. "Direct experience" as the authentic or valid or veridical experience is the sine qua non of shamanic reappearance; even at its most attenuated we can still recognize it as a movement of the Clastrian machine.
https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/740-the-shamanic-trace-3-by-pet...

4. Emplematick Mounds-- Examples from the "Driftless Region" of southern Wisconsin, the Mississippi River Valley. Effigy Mound culture as exemplary of holding off state formation for ~2000 years using the Clastrian machine.
4A https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/741-the-shamanic-trace-4a-by-pe...
4B https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/742-the-shamanic-trace-4b-by-pe...
4C https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/743-the-shamanic-trace-4c-by-pe...

5. Real Donnybrook-- Examples from Europe including Celtic culture.
https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/744-the-shamanic-trace-5-by-pet...

6. Unseen Tracks-- Examples from China. That Taoism preserved much of value from shamanism. That shamanism is non-ideological. That chaos escapes the system.
6A https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/745-the-shamanic-trace-6a-by-pe...
6B https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/746-the-shamanic-trace-6b-by-pe...

7. Hidden Imam-- Examples from the Arab world. Prophet Mohammed was actually a shaman. Shiite islam is revolutionary and meets certain criteria of the Clastrian machine.
https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/747-the-shamanic-trace-7-by-pet...

8. Nineteenth Century Escapism-- Fourier. Ritual magic and the occult. Hermeticism.
https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/748-the-shamanic-trace-8-by-pet...

9. The Hieroglyphic Map-- Most of hermeticism has been appropriated by the state, i.e. business and politics. Examples of the Clastrian machine near/at the present day. Vietnam. Desert Storm. The triumph of the screen. Zapatismo as a working model of the Clastrian machine. Shamanism as revived by Native groups and as pop culture both parts of the Clastrian machine. A prediction for the near future. PLW's sure knowledge that you know what he means by the "marvelous."
9A https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/749-the-shamanic-trace-9a-by-pe...
9B https://immediatism.com/archives/podcast/750-the-shamanic-trace-9b-by-pe...

Please direct feedback to Cory@Immediatism.com.

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