What is Pronoia?

Pronoia is the sneaking feeling that the world is out to help you.

John Perry Barlow (writer and lyricist for the Grateful Dead) gave one of the first definitions of the word, defining it as, “the suspicion the Universe is a conspiracy on your behalf.” The Zippy movement adopted the idea of pronoia, defining it as the opposite of paranoia: the sneaking suspicion others are conspiring to help you, and used the Zippy Pronoia Tour to promote the pronoia outlook to the United States.

My initial awareness of pronoia began when I discovered the book Pronoia is the Antidote to Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Help You, by Rob Brezsny. Part of my attraction to this curious meme is the friendly and light way that Rob Brezsny has approached it. It’s also exciting because there hasn’t really been any extensive exploration into what pronoia truly means, so I’m intrigued to see where my personal connection with the term will lead me. The pronoia section of this journal will offer my unique relationship with pronoia as I journey through the pages Rob Brezsny has awarded us.

So far, my own attempt at a definition for pronoia includes (but is not yet limited to): Accepting the universe without fear and taking on the world with passion, uncertainty, and curiosity. As I explore the book and as my own perceptions of this exciting concept evolve, I invite you to play along and find meaning in your own way.

To set our adventure in motion, I’ll leave you with the following mediation from Rob Brezsny. If you’d like to investigate more on your own you can also check out his website http://www.beautyandtruth.com/.



Try this mediation:

Imagine that you are both the wood and the fire that consumes the wood. When you focus your awareness on the part of you that is the wood, you hurt; it’s painful to feel your sense of solidarity disintegrating. But as you shift your attention to the part of you that is the fire, you exult in the wild joy of liberation and power.

It may be tempting to visualize yourself more as the fire than the wood. But if you’d like understand pronoia in its fullness, you’ve got to be both wood and fire simultaneously.



enjoy it*