Orgone

A universal life force hypothesized by Wilhelm Reich, supposed to emanate from all organic material that purportedly can be captured and used to restore psychological well-being.

Reich claimed to have created a new science (orgonomy) and to have discovered other entities, such as bions, which to this day only orgonomists can detect. Bions are alleged vesicles of orgone energy which are neither living nor non-living, but transitional beings.

Orgone energy is most abundant in organic substances such as water, wood, soil, plants, and animal fur such as wool. Reich believed that orgone energy is visible to the human eyes, as blue or bluish gray, such as the color of a healthy blue sky. Orgone energy was said to be seen from satellites as a ring of unknown depth revolving around the earth (and other planets) from west to east. Reich hypothesized that when the orgone ring around the earth changes rotation from east to west instead of west to east, the orgnonotic content is at its lowest point. Like any other energy, orgone was said to be measured thermically, electroscopically and even on the Geiger-Muller counter, or with x-ray photography. Sexuality was itself said to be an expression of orgone, an energy of life-force. Blocking it up with social taboos and ideological nonsense could only lead to harm -- for the individual and for society. (Reich later wrote a paper linking sexual repression to the rise of fascism.)

Beat poet Allen Ginsberg was so impressed with the psychosexual theories of Wilhelm Reich that in 1948 he wrote Reich a letter, asking him to recommend a therapist. Ginsberg's close friend, and fellow homosexual, William S. Burroughs thought little of "genital Reichians" (most of whom believed heterosexuality was a man's natural, healthiest sexual expression). Burroughs' warned his friend, "When a man gets too straight, he's nothing but a goddamned prick." Several years later, during his time in North Africa, Burroughs was experimenting with an Orgone Box of his very own.

Role-Playing Themes from Orgone Energy

Is orgone a real science or a pseudo-science? Charmwarpers may or may not believe it exists, but truth is hardly an obstacle for making such an argument. If psychic powers actually exist, could orgone somehow be involved?

In some Tantric traditions, "sexual energy" can be blocked if the subject is burdened with guilt or sin -- two concepts that are unpopular among many Puzzlebox denizens. By contrast, orgone is said to be released or to manifest around healthy life processes, including sex.

Orgone energy is said to be blue in color. There are various characters in the Puzzlebox who are blue. Is this coincidence?

Characters Associated with Orgone

• Camilla claims to be sensitive to orgone, among other things.
• Frostbyte is of near-perpetually good cheer, is constantly fucking, and is bright blue. Coincidence? I think not.
• Echo has at least one form which glows with blue energy, even sometimes imparting that glow to people and things that make contact.

Literary References

In Bryan Talbot's Heart of Empire, part of the Luther Arkwright series, orgone energy is a fuel for the post-humans' psychic powers. Most of the story takes place in a faux-Victorian setting, used for ironic effect.

Orgone energy, when focused, was supposedly able to break up cloud formations. Kate Bush wrote the song and album "Cloudbusting", which makes reference to "organon." In the music video, Kate acts alongside a man who builds a machine that points long cylinders towards the clouds, but who is arrested and taken away to prison, much like the real Wilhelm Reich.

More Information

• [Rotten.com: Wilhelm Reich]

• [The Skeptic's Dictionary: Orgone]

• [Cloud Busting and Orgone Energy]

• [Kate Bush - Cloudbusting: Introduction]