"23" Coincidences

July 19, 2006 9:54 PM

Where can I find William Burroughs, Robert Anton Wilson's and other's written pieces of "23" coincidences on-line?

I just had a "23" coincidence. Where can I find the William Burroughs piece on "23" coincidences? I also know Robert Anton Wilson did a similar thing in his "Cosmic Trigger" series. Are there more out there? Ane where can I find them on-line?

posted by goalyeehah to writing & language (5 comments total)

I'm not sure, but this article and this wikipedia entry seem like a good place to start.
posted by LimePi at 10:15 PM on July 19, 2006

This article has some, and lots of dead links you could look up on the Internet Archive if you have more patience than I.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 11:09 PM on July 19, 2006

Right here.

When in college, I clearly remember the evening I was reading a book from the "Illuminatus" trilogy. A character goes on and on about coincidences involving certain numbers, especially 23, to a listener who (like me, the reader) remains unconvinced. To prove his point, he concludes by pointing out that the very conversation is taking place in a building whose address, 2224, implies the number 23 by surrounding it. The listener is impressed.

As was I- I was reading it in my off-campus home, at 2422 Dorrington Street. Creepy.
posted by carterk at 11:31 PM on July 19, 2006

There is a Russian language Live Journal site, dvadzat_tri, that tracks any appearance of the number 23. Some of the posts (that I can understand, anyway) are kinda lame, but there are also some "classic" examples that are cited in the wikipedia, such as the Super Mario Bros. and One Hour Photo screen grabs. Pretty much any mention of a 23 gets posted there, but I don't know what the motivation is behind it. There looks to be an explanation on the profile page, but I don't speak the language.
posted by sciatica at 12:07 AM on July 20, 2006

In the Principia Discordia. Get the inside story about the Law of Fives. You might also meditate on Crowley's poem "Skidoo" and his explanatory text from the Book of Lies. It is on page 23 if you scroll down that link.
posted by McGuillicuddy at 2:47 AM on July 20, 2006