The Eight Circuit Brain Oracle

The Eight Circuit Brain Oracle piece explores and questions the possibility of reaching new ways of thinking and expanding previously held beliefs about reality through electronic means. Participants are encouraged to contemplate the images and corresponding soundscape by actively choosing specific cards and sounds.

The eight conceptual ‘circuits’ evolve from bodily to emotional, cognitive and tribal intelligence (circuits 1 through 4) into experiences of pleasure, meta programming, numinous entities and non-locality (circuits 5-8).  The video shows a way this can be done by selecting and de-selecting various buttons in the Max patch. Making conscious selections, the participant becomes aware the Oracle cards’ effects and accompanying soundscape on thought patterns.     

Each of the four clusters (circuits 1 & 5, 2 & 6, 3 & 7 and 4 & 8) offer five possible card & sound combinations, making the chance of experiencing a unique one of a kind presentation 1 in 40. To expand on this probability, participants continued to be able to choose individual card clusters as well as alter sound combinations by selecting the Sol ~ La ~ Si ~ Do buttons on the side of the patch. 

~ Single card version ~

This piece draws on the Eight Circuit Brain model, popularized in the West by the now not so popular psychonaut Timothy Leary, designating eight conceptual ‘circuits’ in the brain in the 1960s.  The Eight Circuit Brain model provides a theory for the evolution of human consciousness. Additional authors have emphasized the way the model can be used to ‘meta programed’ the human brain and central nervous system. The eight conceptual ‘circuits’ evolve from body intelligence to emotional, cognitive and tribal intelligence (circuits 1 through 4) into experiences of pleasure, meta programming, numinous entities and non-locality (circuits 5-8).    

 Kodi crone participated in several eight week 8 Circuit Brain courses taught by author and director Antero Alli’s in San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR. These experiential courses emphasized anchoring and integrating lower circuits to trigger higher circuit experiences through ritual and creative exercises, including the creation of one’s own card deck.

The soundscapes were inspired by the Greek-Armenian philosopher Georges I. Gurdjieff, who in the early to mid-twentieth century taught an early iteration of the Eight Circuit Brain model drawing on his Law of Octaves and the general system of equal tempered musical notes.  

~ Original Eight Circuit Brain Oracle patch ~