Etidorhpa was written by John Uri Lloyd in 1895, a pharmacognocist and pharmaceutical manufacturer. Concepts include practical alchemy, secret Masonic orders, a Hollow Earth theory & the concept of transcending the physical realm… allegorically through marijuana, opium, nightshade, henbane, jimsonweed, & psilocybin. There is a chapter which mentions ideas similar to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, even though it predates him.
A Freemason known only as ‘I-Am-The-Man’ sacrifices his way of life & is initiated into the Inner Earth. Starting in a cave he meets a strange eyeless androgynous humanoid. It takes The Man on a bewildering journey below the Earth, penetrating the ‘Unknown Country’. As they get deeper, light becomes stronger, there are no shadows & gravity’s force lessens. The Man looks younger, loses weight & develops an effulgent light ring around him. They leap like astronauts & see unusual sights such as gigantic mushrooms & mountains made of large salt crystals, encounter extinct dinosaurs & huge insects. They come to a huge sea which they traverse at incredible speeds in a small boat without wind. The atmosphere’s richness nearly eliminates hunger & sleep. His heartbeat & breath almost cease & communication becomes telepathic.
After traversing the sea, they come to a great precipice where they plunge falling blissfully for hundreds of miles until they reach the planet’s gravity center; The Man is weightless & the beating of his heart ceases. They then effortlessly dock onto the inner Earth surface where the Man meets his next guide. Here Etidorhpa abruptly ends.
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