Heaven & Hell

In 1953, in the presence of an investigator, Aldous Huxley took four-tenths of a gramme of mescalin, sat down and waited to see what would happen. When he opened his eyes everything, from the flowers in a vase to the creases in his trousers, was transformed. Huxley described his experience with breathtaking immediacy in The Doors of Perception. In its sequel Heaven and Hell, he goes on to explore the history and nature of mysticism. Focusing on how science, art, religion, literature, and psychoactive drugs can expand the everyday view of reality and offer a more profound grasp of the human experience. Huxley’s essays “The Doors of Perception” and “Heaven & Hell” ushered in a whole new generation of counter-culture icons such as Jackson Pollock, John Cage, Timothy Leary and Jim Morrison.