My Cosmic Trigger (Vol. 1): High Strangeness in Theory in Practice
This is the first volume in the My Cosmic Trigger book series, which commenced a quarter of a century ago when My Cosmic Trigger Finger is Broken was self-published online. Matt Vaughn’s original manuscript was, roughly speaking, Robert Anton Wilson fan non-fiction as the author had encountered comparable paranormal phenomena as Wilson, which were explored in his Cosmic Trigger Trilogy. Both authors experienced potential contact with ultra-terrestrials, cryptids, and/or archetypes from the collective unconscious, a multitude of mind numbing synchronicities, and consciousness expansion through mystical and shamanistic practices. This plethora of extraordinary incidents opened them up (as it would anyone) to cosmic intricacies of nature and the fluidity of reality.
High strangeness is a subset of the paranormal domain, involving the intersection of multiple paranormal phenomena; such as Bigfoot and UFO sightings occurring in the same geographic location. This highly strange coalescence demonstrates reality is more bizarre than we can imagine and the tapestry of paranormal weirdness makes a simple UFO sighting tame by comparison. Within the pages of this volume Vaughn endeavors to unravel the theories and practices underlying high strangeness in general, while weaving a captivating narrative around his own firsthand experiences with the phenomena.
This book serves as an excellent entry point for individuals venturing into the realm of high strangeness for the first time, providing a comprehensive introduction, including: a historical background on the subject; discussion of the best researchers in the field, past and present; and a survey of the theories as to why these phenomena occur.
Moreover, it is an indispensable addition to the collection of any seasoned researcher, as it offers not only a historical overview of the phenomenon but also insightful analysis into the cosmic mechanisms underlying high strangeness and presents how the phenomena manifested in the author’s life, providing a substantial path into learning about these phenomena in a deeper way.
This book stands out by presenting a fresh perspective and new approach to the exploration of high strangeness, while beginning to elucidate a magick of high strangeness. Both endeavors aim to ensure that one's encounter with the phenomena has a positive impact on their life, rather than merely contributing to further instability and confusion. The focus of the My Cosmic Trigger project is on providing guidance and insights that enable individuals to navigate their experiences with a sense of empowerment and clarity, fostering a constructive and transformative relationship with the phenomena rather than being overwhelmed by it.
This volume in particular (and the overall series in general) is intended to be a guidebook for people going through high strangeness initiations of the type shown in Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger and in the documentary series Hellier. If you are going down the rabbit hole for the first time or the twenty third, My Cosmic Trigger is here for you.
My Cosmic Trigger transcends a mere book series; it is a multifaceted multimedia project. Accompanying this endeavor is The Matt Vaughn Show podcast, where each chapter will be thoroughly examined and expanded upon. Recognizing the potential that each chapter could be a book in and of itself, this audio guide serves as a valuable resource, delving into the intricacies of each chapter in greater depth and detail.
Readers and listeners will also have the opportunity to interact with the material in a more meaningful way, through mycosmictrigger.com. For example, Vaughn encourages readers to send in their own stories of high strangeness to crowdsource the unraveling of this cosmic mystery. More broadly he encourages participation in the My Cosmic Trigger hypersigil because it is through the transformative act of experiencing the hypersigil that we each pull our own individual cosmic triggers. For those looking to ‘find the others’, experience a community of like minded individuals, and more fully delve into the magick of high strangeness, Vaughn offers his group: the Çhaplains Öf Peril.
About the Author
Vaughn has been a practicing psychotherapist for the past 15 years, working with clients from over 30 countries in his private practice and he has also worked in notable mental health and addiction treatment centers in the U.S.A. He received his MA in psychology from the University of West Georgia which was started on orders of Abraham Maslow (a founding father of Humanistic Psychology). The psychology program at UWG is one of the only humanistic and transpersonal oriented departments in the world. It has featured such luminary professors as Raymond Moody (who coined the term Near Death Experience in Life After Life), William Roll (world renowned parapsychologist), Mike Aarons (Maslow’s student and a co-founder of the humanistic psychology movement), Tobin Hart (The Secret Spiritual World of Children and Simon and Schuster’s The Four Virtues) and Larry Schor (2004 Georgia counselor of the year and mentee of the Canadian Timothy Leary, Duncan Blewett, author of The Frontiers of Being).
Thinkers closely affiliated with the program are represented in the special collections of the college’s library, which include the personal papers of: Sidney Jourard (leading force in humanistic psychology movement, The Transparent Self), Stanley Krippner (a founding father of Transpersonal Psychology and pioneering dream researcher), and Ingo Swann (psychic, artist, co-creator of remote viewing, Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy).
Vaughn has been a practitioner of mystical and shamanistic spiritual approaches for 25 years; from around 1999 to 2002 he personally studied with Allen Greenfield (author of Secret Cypher of the UFOnauts and featured in the Hellier documentary series). He has been researching the paranormal for 35 years; Vaughn’s elementary school librarian tried to intervene with his parents when she discovered he was researching the Satanic Panic of the 1980s.
He has been practicing Stand-Up comedy since 2011, performing extensively in Atlanta and Istanbul; sharing the stage with Margaret Cho (Grammy and Emmy Award nominated stand-up comedian and actress) and performing with notable comedians- Ari Shaffir (Double Negative, Netflix) and Joe Zimmerman (Smiling at Wolves which reached number two on the iTunes comedy charts) on his podcast.
Vaughn has been podcasting since 2006 and in 2010 he started producing The BOB Show which is still active. He co-hosts the show with Magus of the Para-modern age, Bob Dobbs (Phatic Communion with Bob Dobbs). Dobbs was archivist of Marshall McLuhan (father of media studies) and Donald Theall (McLuhan’s first Phd student, author of The Virtual McLuhan) crowned Dobbs the “new McLuhan” shortly before his death in 2008. He is now focusing on his podcast, The Matt Vaughn Show which has featured interviews with culturally significant individuals such as David Thibodeau (survivor of the Waco siege).
Vaughn is a multi-dimensional artist: a poet (2 self published collections of poems, runner up in the 2020 Istanbul Poetry Slam), screenwriter, painter, and member of the Costa Rican avant garde rock band, Parapunk. He is also avid outdoorsman working to create sacred space on his land in Western North Carolina and Turkey. To learn more go to- mattvaughn.onuniverse.com.
