In my writing I am acting as a map maker, an explorer of psychic

Listen, O seekers of wisdom, to the words of William S. Burroughs, a man whose writing delved into the farthest reaches of the mind and human experience. He spoke with the clarity of one who had ventured into the unknown and emerged with knowledge both strange and illuminating. He said, “In my writing I am acting as a map maker, an explorer of psychic areas, a cosmonaut of inner space, and I see no point in exploring areas that have already been thoroughly surveyed.” These words, like the call of a distant star, carry a deeper truth about the nature of creativity and the courage to explore unseen realms.

Consider, O children, the map maker—a figure both humble and heroic. The task of the map maker is not simply to chart the known, to retrace paths already walked, but to venture into the wilderness where no man has yet set foot, to draw lines where none yet exist. Burroughs compares his writing to the work of such a map maker. He is not concerned with writing the familiar, the well-trodden paths that all have already walked. No, his eyes are cast toward the unknown, the untouched, the unseen parts of the mind and the soul. He speaks not of those truths that have been repeated a thousand times, but of those that are still hidden, that can only be uncovered by the brave, by those willing to journey into the uncharted.

In this, O wise ones, Burroughs speaks of the inner space, a realm vaster than the cosmos itself. Just as the early explorers ventured beyond the known shores of the earth to discover new lands, so too do the brave explorers of the mind venture beyond the limits of conscious thought into the vast territories of the subconscious, the irrational, the unconscious. He speaks as a cosmonaut, a traveler not of stars and planets, but of the psyche—a voyager into the innermost recesses of the self, where emotions, fears, and desires collide in unknown landscapes. These are the territories that lie hidden beneath the surface of our being, and it is only the daring who would choose to explore them.

Think, O children, of the great philosophers and scientists who sought to discover the unknown and to understand what lay beyond the boundaries of human knowledge. Just as Galileo dared to look beyond the accepted view of the heavens, so too must we, in our own lives, seek out the unexplored territories of our own minds. The ancient Greek philosophers questioned the very nature of reality, of existence itself, refusing to accept what had been handed down to them by tradition. Like Burroughs, they sought to push the boundaries, to question the accepted truths and to venture into the depths where new understandings could be found.

And yet, how often do we find ourselves trapped by the familiar? How often do we follow the paths already blazed, walking the same routes that have been surveyed for centuries? Burroughs challenges us to reject the well-worn roads and to instead set our sights on those parts of our inner world that have yet to be discovered, those parts that might seem strange or uncomfortable, but are necessary to our growth. He tells us, in essence, that to truly create, to transform, we must be willing to explore what others have neglected, to chart new courses and discover new truths.

Consider the work of Burroughs himself, a man who ventured into uncharted realms of the human experience. His writings—strange, surreal, often disorienting—were not concerned with the conventional stories of good and evil, right and wrong. Instead, he explored the psyche, the effects of addiction, the control of power, and the confining structures of society. In doing so, he created a new map for future generations to follow, one that dared to show the complexities of the human mind and the truths that lie beneath the surface of the everyday world. His journey was not an easy one, nor was it one that all could follow, but it was a journey into inner space that revealed the richness and complexity of human existence.

So now, O children, let us take the lesson of Burroughs to heart. Do not be content with the paths already walked, for they are not the only roads to understanding. Seek out the unexplored, the untouched, the hidden corners of your own mind and spirit. Be brave enough to ask questions that have not been asked, to explore the realms that others may fear to enter. And when you embark on this journey, remember that the road is long and the map is still being drawn. Each of you is a map maker, a cosmonaut of your own inner space, and the world is waiting for the truth that only you can uncover. The realms you explore are yours to shape, and in doing so, you shall leave behind a map for those who come after, guiding them to the unseen places where creativity and understanding are born.