The Loompanics "Yellow Cover" combined 4th & 5th Edition Principia Discordia, (1979). Still in print for over 20 years.

Principia Discordia is a sacred text of the Discordian religion written by Greg Hill (Malaclypse The Younger) and Kerry Thornley (Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). It was originally published under the title "Principia Discordia or How The West Was Lost" in a limited edition of 5 copies in 1965. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This image appears on the cover of every Loompanics catalog. ... Many religions and spiritual movements believe that their sacred texts (or scriptures) are the Word of God, often feeling that the texts are wholly divine or spiritually inspired in origin. ... Discordianism is a modern, Chaos-based religion founded in either 1958 or 1959. ... Greg Hill (a. ... Malaclypse the Younger (short Mal-2) is the author of the Principia Discordia, a character in the Illuminatus! trilogy, and most likely a penname used by Greg Hill, comrade of Kerry Thornley (aka Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). ... Kerry Thornley Kerry Wendell Thornley (April 17, 1938 - November 28, 1998) is perhaps best-known as the co-founder (along with childhood friend Greg Hill) of Discordianism. ...

The Principia describes the Discordian Society and its Goddess Eris, as well as the basics of the POEE denomination of Discordianism. It features typewritten and handwritten text intermixed with clip art, stamps, and seals appropriated from other sources, possibly in violation of copyright laws. Eris is also a genus of jumping spiders. ... Discordianism is a modern, Chaos-based religion founded in either 1958 or 1959. ... A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a large, long-established subgroup within a religion that has existed for many years. ...

While the Principia is full of obvious self-contradictions and unusual humor, it contains several passages which propose that there is serious intent behind the work. Take for example a message scrawled on page 00075: "If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again." Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the ability or quality of people, objects or situations to evoke feelings of amusement in other people. ...

The Principia is quoted extensively in and shares many themes with the science fiction book The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. While Wilson was not directly involved in writing the Principia, both the letter signed "Mad Malik" and the stamps used were his. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Look up book in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cover of the collected edition The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ... Robert Joseph Shea (1933 - March 10, 1994) was the co-author (with Robert Anton Wilson) of The Illuminatus! Trilogy. ... Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (born January 18, 1932) is a futurist, libertarian, and novelist. ...

Notable symbols in the book include the Apple of Discord, the pentagon, and the "Sacred Chao", which resembles the Taijitu of Taoism, but the two principles depicted are "Hodge" and "Podge" rather than yin and yang, and they are represented by the apple and the pentagon, and not by dots. Saints identified include Emperor Norton, Yossarian, Don Quixote, and Bokonon. The Principia also introduces the mysterious word fnord, later popularized in The Illuminatus! Trilogy; the trilogy itself is mentioned in the afterword to the Loompanics edition, and in the various introductions to the fifth editions. The Apple of Discord was a golden apple inscribed with the words To the most Beautiful (or To the fairest), thrown at a wedding banquet for Peleus and Thetis. ... In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. ... A commonly used version of the Taijitu The Taijitu of Zhou Dun-yi. ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; Pinyin: ; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: ) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. ... Joshua A. Norton Joshua Abraham Norton (January 17, 1811 - January 8, 1880), also known as His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco who famously proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico in 1859. ... Yossarian, as portrayed by Alan Arkin Captain John Yossarian is the 28-year-old protagonist of the 1961 novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. ... This page is about the fictional character and novel. ... --Bokonon Bokononism is the fictional religion practiced by many of the characters in Kurt Vonneguts novel Cats Cradle. ... Fnord is the typographic representation of disinformation or irrelevant information intending to misdirect, with the implication of a conspiracy. ... Cover of the collected edition The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ...

History

The "Black Cover" Edition of the Principia Discordia (1994), published by Steve Jackson Games.

The full title of the fourth and most popular edition is PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or How I Found Goddess And What I Did To Her When I Found Her: The Magnum Opiate Of Malaclypse The Younger, Wherein is Explained Absolutely Everything Worth Knowing About Absolutely Anything. Included on page 00075 is the following note about the history of the Principia: Image File history File links {[fairuse}} File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links {[fairuse}} File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Steve Jackson Games (SJG) is a game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. ...

This being the 4th Edition, March 1970, San Francisco; a revision of the 3rd Edition of 500 copies, whomped together in Tampa 1969; which revised the 2nd Edition of 100 copies from Los Angeles 1969; which was a revision of PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST published in New Orleans in 1965 in five copies, which were mostly lost.

Additionally, the "contents of this edition" note in the Loompanics edition identifies the fourth edition as having originally been published by Rip Off Press of San Francisco, California. Rip Off Press, Inc. ... For details about the famous earthquake, refer to the article 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. ...

A "Fifth Edition" consisting of a single Western Union telegram page filled with the letter M was published as an appendix to the Loompanics, Illuminet, and SJ Games re-printings of the 4th Edition.

The Principia includes a notice which purports to disclaim any copyright in relation to the work: "Ⓚ All Rights Reversed - reprint what you like." Regardless of the legal effect of this notice, the Principia has been widely disseminated in the public domain via the Internet and more traditional print publishers. Some re-publishers have claimed copyright in relation to the additional material included in their editions. Copyright symbol. ... All Rites Reversed (or All Rights Reversed) is a term from the Principia Discordia that is used generally in Discordianism and similar subcultures. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Known reprintings of the Fourth and Fifth Editions:

• Revisionist Press published a red hardcover of the Fourth Edition in 1976, adding a stamp reading "THIS WORK IS A BRIDGE SO MOVE ON THRU" to the right of the golden apple on page 00075. (ISBN 068575085X)
• Loompanics Unlimited published a version (the "yellow cover version") in 1979, adding an introduction by Robert Anton Wilson, an afterword by Malaclypse the Younger, and the aforementioned "Fifth Edition". (ISBN 1559500409)
• Illuminet Press published a version (the "purple cover version") in 1991, adding an introduction by Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst. (ISBN 096265342x)
• Steve Jackson Games published a version (the "black cover version") in 1994, adding an introduction by Steve Jackson and 20 pages of new Discordian text, mostly collected from online Discordians. (ISBN 1556343205) Steve Jackson Games also publishes Discordian and Illuminati-inspired games, such as GURPS Illuminati and the Illuminati card game.
• Ronin Publishing plans to release an edition in 2006 (ISBN 1579510299), under the title Discordia - Hail the Goddess of Chaos and Confusion. This edition features a co-credit on the cover for both Malaclypse the Younger and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst, a colour cover, and will be 192 pages in length.
• Synaptyclypse Generator plans to release a new dust jacketed, hardcover version of the Fourth Edition in 2006 including both Robert Anton Wilson's and Kerry Thornley's introductions.

Revisionist Press was an imprint of the American book publisher Gordon Press, that began in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... This image appears on the cover of every Loompanics catalog. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (born January 18, 1932) is a futurist, libertarian, and novelist. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steve Jackson Games (SJG) is a game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Steve Jackson (born ~1952) founded Steve Jackson Games in the early 1980s. ... The Generic Universal Role-Playing System, commonly known as GURPS is a form of a role-playing game (RPG) designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming environment. ... Illuminati is an unusual card game (not a Trading card game) made by Steve Jackson Games (SJG). ... Created by Chris Pramas, Ronin Publishing was a small company which published two supplements : The Book of Hunts for Feng Shui Blood of the Valiant for The Whispering Vault Mortal Magic was also prepared by the company, but it was not printed. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Malaclypse the Younger (short Mal-2) is the author of the Principia Discordia, a character in the Illuminatus! trilogy, and most likely a penname used by Greg Hill, comrade of Kerry Thornley (aka Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). ... Kerry Thornley Kerry Wendell Thornley ( April 17, 1938 - November 28, 1998) is perhaps best-known as the co-founder (along with childhood friend Gregory Hill) of Discordianism, in which context he is usually known as Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst. ... A Discordian publishing house connected with the POEE UK Resource Centre and part of the UK Discordian Society. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (born January 18, 1932) is a futurist, libertarian, and novelist. ... Kerry Thornley Kerry Wendell Thornley (April 17, 1938 - November 28, 1998) is perhaps best-known as the co-founder (along with childhood friend Greg Hill) of Discordianism. ...

Quotes

• "There are no rules anywhere. The Goddess Prevails" -The Discordian Society, page 00032
• "To choose order over disorder, or disorder over order, is to accept a trip composed of both the creative and the destructive. But to choose the creative over the destructive is an all-creative trip composed of both order and disorder. To accomplish this, one need only accept creative disorder along with, and equal to, creative order, and also willing to reject destructive order as an undesirable equal to destructive disorder." -Greyface and Negativism, page 00063
• "Erisians seldom pray, it is much too dangerous." -On prayer, page 00012
• "[The Ancient Greeks] cannot be trusted with historic matters. "They were," She added, "Victims of indigestion, you know." " -Eris - Greek Geneology, page 00015
• "There is serenity in Chaos. Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane." -Page 00059

The following is page 00054 of the Principia Discordia, showing the typical elements that can be found throughout the book.

Principia Discordia, page 00054

Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x922, 39 KB) Summary From Principia Discordia, Public Domain Licensing . File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x922, 39 KB) Summary From Principia Discordia, Public Domain Licensing . File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Other Discordian Works

The religion began by Principia Discordia has expanded with newer writings and illustrations found on thousands of websites. Some of this new material has been put into collections. These include Apocrypha Discordia, which contains various Discordian writings compiled by Rev. DrJon Swabey; and Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia, an evolving work edited by Reverend Loveshade that combines Discordianism with the philosophy of personism. While not a "religious" work, The Illuminatus! Trilogy, speculative fiction novels by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, popularized Discordianism with various quotes and references from Principia Discordia. Image File history File links Discordia. ... Apocrypha Discordia is a collection of various works on Discordianism, compiled by Rev. ... Cover of the collected edition The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ... Robert Joseph Shea (1933 - March 10, 1994) was the co-author (with Robert Anton Wilson) of The Illuminatus! Trilogy. ... Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (born January 18, 1932) is a futurist, libertarian, and novelist. ... Discordianism is a modern, Chaos-based religion founded in either 1958 or 1959. ...

On May 5, 2005 (5/5/5), roleplaying game author John Wick published Discordia!: A Little Game about a Lot of Chaos under his Wicked Dead Brewing Company banner. Wick credits the game's inspiration to the Principia Discordia and The Illuminatus! Trilogy. The game features the players as "Discordian Double Agents" infiltrating various conspiracy groups such as the Bavarian Illuminati, the Hashashin, and others. John Wick is a 20th and 21st century role-playing game designer best known for his creative contributions to the Alderac Entertainment Group properties Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea. ... The Wicked Dead Brewing Company is a micro brew publishing house specializing in high quality, small press roleplaying games. ... Cover of the collected edition The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ...

See also

• Apocrypha Discordia
• Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia
• Metaclysmia Discordia
• Summa Discordia
• Principia Entropius
• The Book of Eris
• The Book of Chaos and it's Virtue
• The Book of Life
• The Zenarchist's Cookbook

Apocrypha Discordia is a collection of various works on Discordianism, compiled by Rev. ... The Book of Life is a movie that was released in 1998, and was made by Hal Hartley. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Excerpts from the Principia Discordia

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Principia Discordia

• The History and Lifecycle of the Principia Discordia

The Principia Discordia is widely available on the Web from these and other sources: Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikisource – The Free Library – is a Wikimedia project to build a free, wiki library of source texts, along with translations of source-texts into any language and other supporting materials. ... Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... Wikiquote logo Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

• Page scans and transcriptions of the First Edition, including the long-missing "The Myth of Starbuck/Ichabod," at the Appendix Discordia
• Page scans of the Fourth Edition. fnord.org
• Page scans of the Fourth and Fifth Editions, with Forum and Wiki. www.principiadiscordia.org
• ZIP file of page scans of the Third Edition 23ae.com
• HTML, individual pages layout. Minimal graphics. principiadiscordia.com
• Principia Discordia with multiple introductions to the various editions. HTML, text on a single page, almost no graphics. No page separations.
• HTML, creative formatting. Lots of graphics. junkpile.demon.co.uk
• HTML, german translation. All graphics and shop. www.principia-discordia.de
• Traduction française du Principia Discordia et projecteur flash avec images et mise en page de l'original
• http://evilloop.com/principia.discordia.html - French translation
• A wikified version (work in progress) S23Wiki - Principia Discordia

The Myth of Starbuck:

• The Myth of Starbuck or The Myth of Ichabod, from the First Edition discovered in April 2006

Other Discordian works:

• Apocrypha Discordia compiled by Rev. DrJon Swabey
• Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia edited by Reverend Loveshade
• Discordia! (A Little Game about a Lot of Chaos) written by John Wick