The Palm Tree Garden of Philip K. Dick Audiobook By Paul Rydeen cover art

The Palm Tree Garden of Philip K. Dick

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The Palm Tree Garden of Philip K. Dick

By: Paul Rydeen
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About this listen

 Philip K. Dick was a science fiction writer whose most common theme was "what is reality?" He often set his novels in unstable universes where the most solid of circumstances could soon turn hazy and finally disappear. He read quite widely, especially in philosophy and theology. Near the end of his life he found himself living in one of his own novels - his whole world fell apart all around him and took him with it. Although he never was quite sure what happened, he spent long hours agonizing over every possibility. "Palm Tree Garden" refers to a Garden of Eden of sorts and is a metaphor for the ideal state towards which Phil strove after temporarily losing touch; "Black Iron Prison" is Phil's gnostic metaphor for the existential situation in which we all find ourselves by virtue of being alive and trapped in this imperfect physical universe. Call him crazy, call him a charlatan or just a good story teller - Phil may not have been a literal contactee, but he definitely had something weird happen to him, and it's all recorded painstakingly in the books mentioned above. Phil glimpsed the Palm Tree Garden once, while staring at the letter Y in the Greek word ICHTHYS, which was printed within an outline of a fish - the early Christian symbol of Christ. In the various mystery schools going as far back as Pythagoras, this letter is used to represent a yoke between heaven and earth. Phil also glimpsed the deceptively named Cave of Treasures, a glittering cavern beneath the Garden which contains great wealth for those who choose to partake of it. This Palm Tree Garden is a collection of essays and other writings exploring Phil's visions from every possible angle. Since his reading was so wide, we can only assume that numerous archetypes are hidden in his writings, waiting to be exposed. A few of the authors here have had similar things happen to them; the rest have found parallel accounts in the books of others - like John Dee, H.P. Lovecraft, UFO contactees, mystics, ecstatic monks, gnostics, the occult, kabbalah, masonic lore, mythology of primitive peoples, etc. Why not form a Church of VALIS, with Phil as its chief prophet, or maybe an Order of the Pink Beam? Deciding that most PKD fans would resist this sort of deification of things science-fictional, I instead opted for a loosely-defined collection of works focusing on VALIS and VALIS-like experiences. "VALIS Contactees Wanted," to quote from one of the several ads I placed. And indeed, I found them. The respectable world of Jungian interpretation has had their turn, and VALIS knows that science fiction fandom has had theirs; now it's OUR turn. Rather than obscure the fact that Phil was a crank, I have reveled in it. Phil never disregarded any possibility, no matter how kooky it sounded. What more legitimate approach could there be? Taking literally Phil's stories of extraterrestrial and/or supernatural contact, I sought those whom VALIS had summoned, and - perhaps more intriguingly - those who had taken the initiative to contact VALIS themselves. Both approaches make for interesting reading, as you shall soon see. The Head Apollo has returned, brothers and sisters, and the Buddha is in the park. You may take the following pages as evidence, for you now hold in your hands the Most Holy Book of the First Church of VALIS, and the founding charter of the Ancient and Illuminated Order of the Pink Beam. The time you have waited for is come. The work is complete; the final world is here. He has been transplanted and is alive.
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