History is replete with uncanny artistic predictions, from da Vinci’s flying machines to Huxley’s brave new world. But what if these weren’t lucky guesses or logical extrapolations? Eric Wargo proposes a mind-bending alternative: artists as unwitting oracles, channeling tomorrow’s realities through today’s creations.

Eric Wargo’s groundbreaking work on precognition and artistic creativity has opened up fascinating new perspectives on the nature of inspiration and the role of artists as potential seers or prophets. His theories challenge conventional notions of time, consciousness, and the creative process, suggesting that artistic expression may tap into future information in ways that reveal profound insights about reality and human experience.

Wargo’s Background and Key Ideas

Eric Wargo holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Emory University and works as a science writer and editor in Washington, D.C. His academic background provides a multidisciplinary lens through which he explores unconventional ideas about time, consciousness, and creativity. Wargo’s key works on precognition and artistic prophecy include Time Loops, Precognitive Dreamwork and the Long Self, and most recently, From Nowhere: Artists, Writers, and the Precognitive Imagination.

In From Nowhere: Artists, Writers and the Precognitive Imagination, Wargo discusses how writers and artists have at times apparently tapped into precognitive knowledge of future events. He gives numerous examples of authors and artists whose writings almost identically match future events, referring to this phenomenon as “artistic prophecy.” Wargo posits that writers and artists from ancient times traditionally attribute most original creative ideas to a supernormal or paranormal origin.

At the core of Wargo’s theories is the concept of precognition – an awareness or knowledge of future events before they occur. He argues that precognition is not just an occasional anomalous phenomenon, but an inherent aspect of human cognition and creativity. Wargo proposes that our brains operate across a four-dimensional space-time continuum where past, present and future coexist simultaneously. This aligns with the philosophical stance of eternalism, which views time as a static block universe rather than a linear progression.

Wargo believes that precognition is likely an inherent but unrecognized component of regular cognition. His theory incorporates rigorous scientific research as well as anecdotal accounts. He believes that many authors and artists throughout history have essentially received ideas from their future selves. This concept challenges our traditional understanding of creativity and inspiration, suggesting that the creative process may be far more complex and mysterious than we previously thought.

Examples of Artistic Prophecy

Numerous historical examples support the concept of artistic prophecy, where creative works seem to foreshadow real-world events with remarkable accuracy. Wargo offers a tremendous deal of evidence to strongly suggest that precognitive and nonlocal streams of information are often involved when art predicts real life. These are just a few of the many examples Wargo gives of artists and authors tapping into precognition for creative inspiration:

Futility

The best known example is the 1898 novel “Futility” by Morgan Robertson. Futility tells the story of the Titan, the largest ocean liner ever constructed. Among the Titan’s passengers are several of the world’s elite wealthy finance tycoons. The Titan hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic in April on a trip between New York and Liverpool, and nearly everyone on board dies due to a shortage of lifeboats. 

These events transpired in real life fourteen years later in April 1912 when the RMS Titanic (based in Liverpool) went to its grave after hitting an iceberg and killing most of its occupants due to a shortage of lifeboats. The Titanic’s maiden voyage was nearly identical to that of the fictitious Titan from Robertson’s novel fourteen years earlier. Before learning about the Titanic disaster, Robertson had previously attributed his creative muse to some supernatural power. 

Robertson reported experiencing weird coincidences repeatedly before learning about the Titanic disaster. The main character in Robertson’s novel is an alcoholic seaman who has an uncanny ability to predict perils in the water. Wargo points out that his appears to be a self-portrait, as Robertson may well have had a proclivity towards precognition.

Barbary Shore

Norman Mailer published “Barbary Shore” in 1951. The novel was about a writer living and working in a Brooklyn Heights rooming house rented by other artists. One of these neighbors ends up being a KGB spy. Years later, Mailer rented a room in Brooklyn Heights to begin writing a new novel. Mailer came across a headline in the New York Times, detailing the arrest of a KGB agent operating a spy ring from his office building. The KGB agent was one of his neighbors, just as in the novel he had written years earlier. This uncanny parallel between Mailer’s fiction and his later real-life experience exemplifies the kind of artistic prophecy Wargo explores in his work.

White Noise

Don DeLillo published “White Noise” in 1985. White Noise is about an “airborne toxic event” caused by a chemical spill. A few months later, the Union Carbide plant chemical spill in Bhopal, India, claimed thousands of lives and injured hundreds of thousands more. The eerie similarity between DeLillo’s fictional disaster and the real-world tragedy in Bhopal raises intriguing questions about the nature of artistic foresight.

Platform

Michel Houellebecq published his novel “Platform” in 2001. The story features a terrorist attack at a Thai resort where Islamic terrorists use a van filled with fertilizer explosive to kill 200 people in a nightclub. A real Islamic terrorist attack occurred one year later in Bali when a car bomb killed 202 people in two nightclubs situated next to one another. Although the location differed from the novel’s setting, it remained Asian, with striking similarities in other details. Tragically, an Islamic terrorist attack killed Houellebecq’s friend thirteen years later. This series of events underscores the complex and sometimes unsettling nature of artistic prophecy.

Melovivi

Franketienne published his play “Melovivi” in 2009. The play was about two people trapped in rubble after an unknown disaster. A 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti where Franketienne lived just a couple months later, with thousands trapped in rubble just as in Franketienne’s play. Franketienne believes that his play was a premonition. This case is particularly striking due to the short time span between the artistic creation and the real-world event it seemed to predict.

The Eyes of Darkness

Dean Koontz published “The Eyes of Darkness” in 1981 under a pseudonym. He re-published it under his real name in 1989 after the fall of the Soviet Union. The republished version featured a viral bioweapon developed at a lab in Wuhan, China. The novel is set in 2020. Wuhan, China, was the origin of the 2020 Covid pandemic, just a few blocks away from a virology lab using SARS-CoV-2 for gain-of-function research. The specificity of Koontz’s prediction, including the location and year, makes this one of the most striking examples of apparent artistic prophecy.

Marooned

Martin Caidin published his novel “Marooned” in 1968. The novel focuses on an Apollo mission malfunction that requires constant help from ground control. A nearly identical event occurred just two years later when an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13. Caidin was interested in psychic phenomena and believed he had prophesied the event. This case is particularly intriguing as it involves a highly technical and specific scenario that came to pass in reality.

Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick wrote a story in 1962 about entrepreneurs building an android simulacrum of Abraham Lincoln. The story remained unpublished due to not being able to find an interested publisher. Disneyland unveiled its animatronic Abraham Lincoln just two years later. Dick interpreted this as evidence of precognition. Dick’s story also involved a young makeup artist hired to make the Lincoln simulacrum look more realistic. A decade later, Dick learned that one of his neighbors worked as a makeup artist, hired to enhance the realism of Disneyland’s animatronic Abraham Lincoln. This multi-layered example of apparent precognition in Dick’s work aligns with his lifelong interest in altered states of consciousness and paranormal phenomena.

The Simpsons: A Modern Oracle

While Eric Wargo’s work focuses primarily on literature and fine arts, the phenomenon of artistic prophecy extends into popular culture as well. A striking example of this is the long-running animated series “The Simpsons.” Since its debut in 1989, the show has gained a reputation for seemingly predicting numerous real-world events with uncanny accuracy.

Some of the most notable predictions include:

• Donald Trump’s presidency (predicted in 2000, 16 years before it happened)
• The discovery of the Higgs boson particle (predicted in 1998, 14 years before its actual discovery)
• Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox (predicted in 1998, nearly two decades before the actual merger).

The show also appeared to foresee technological advancements like smartwatches, autocorrect, and video calling.

The specificity of these predictions is particularly striking:

1. Donald Trump’s Presidency: A 2000 episode titled “Bart to the Future” featured Lisa mentioning Trump as a former president, which came true 16 years later. Moreover, a 2015 short titled “Trumptastic Voyage” depicted a “Trump 2024” sign, foreshadowing his potential candidacy for a second non-consecutive term.
2. Higgs Boson Discovery: In a 1998 episode, Homer is shown in front of a blackboard with an equation closely resembling the formula for the Higgs boson particle, discovered 14 years later in 2012.
3. Disney-Fox Merger: A 1998 episode showed characters watching a news segment about a major studio acquisition, which materialized in 2019 with Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox.
4. Political Events and Social Movements: The series has made eerily accurate predictions regarding political events, such as the outcome of the 2016 election and civil unrest. An episode from 1999 titled “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson” depicted scenes reminiscent of the January 6 Capitol riots, showcasing characters engaging in chaotic behavior akin to real-life protests.

While some of these “predictions” can be attributed to educated guesses or logical extrapolations of current trends, the sheer number and specificity of accurate forecasts have led many to view “The Simpsons” as a modern-day oracle. This phenomenon aligns with Wargo’s theories about the precognitive potential of creative works and raises intriguing questions about the nature of inspiration in popular media. It suggests that the mechanisms of artistic prophecy Wargo describes may be at work not only in high art but also in mass entertainment, potentially tapping into collective consciousness or future cultural trends on a broader scale.

According to Wargo, creative people who demonstrate this kind of precognition may do so repeatedly throughout their lives and published works. This pattern suggests that certain individuals may have a heightened capacity for tapping into precognitive information, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Mechanisms of Artistic Prophecy

Wargo proposes several potential mechanisms through which artists may access precognitive information:

Predictive Coding: This theory suggests the brain is constantly generating predictions about incoming sensory data based on past experiences. Mental models update when they violate predictions. This process may create heightened awareness of future possibilities, allowing artists to intuitively grasp emerging concepts or trends. In the context of artistic prophecy, predictive coding might enable artists to extrapolate future events or societal shifts based on subtle cues in their present environment.

Altered States of Consciousness: Many artists utilize meditation, dreams, or other altered states to access deeper layers of creativity. In these states, the subconscious mind may become more active, facilitating connections between seemingly unrelated ideas that align with future realities. These altered states might provide a conduit for precognitive information to enter the artist’s awareness, manifesting in their creative work.

Intuition and Subconscious Processing: To synthesize disparate information into coherent ideas, artists frequently rely on intuitive leaps and subconscious processing. This allows them to draw upon accumulated knowledge and experiences in ways that transcend linear reasoning. The intuitive aspect of creativity might be particularly conducive to precognitive insights, as it bypasses the logical filters of the conscious mind.

Dreams as Precognitive Insights: Wargo emphasizes dreams as a rich source of precognitive information. Artists who keep dream journals may tap into symbolic representations of future events encoded by the subconscious mind. The symbolic and non-linear nature of dreams may be particularly well-suited to conveying precognitive information, which might not fit neatly into our waking logic.

Emotional Resonance: The emotional component of subconscious processing guides artists toward themes and ideas that resonate on both personal and collective levels. This may help them adapt to emerging cultural undercurrents. Emotional resonance might serve as a kind of intuitive compass, directing artists towards themes and ideas that will become significant in the future.

Time Loops and Retrocausality: Wargo’s concept of “time loops” suggests information can flow backwards in time, with future events influencing past ones. This allows for the possibility of genuine foreknowledge expressed through art. As Wargo states, “Sometimes the future causes the past, which causes the future.” This provocative idea challenges our linear conception of time and causality, opening up new possibilities for understanding artistic inspiration and creativity.

Shamanic Origins and Altered States

The first artists were shamans who used cave paintings in rituals, says Wargo. Early shamans believed that the supernormal nature of creativity was self-apparent. Shamans used dreams, trance-states and drugs to inspire their paintings and rituals. Modern research in dreams and altered states of consciousness document instances in which human subjects appeared to be able to witness and foretell of future events during such states. Wargo reminds us that people often compare artists to shamans.

This connection to shamanic practices highlights the long-standing association between creativity and altered states of consciousness. Many artists throughout history have reported accessing deeper wells of inspiration through dreams, meditation, or other non-ordinary states of awareness. Wargo’s work suggests that these altered states may facilitate access to precognitive information, allowing artists to tap into future events or emerging cultural trends.

The shamanic perspective on creativity also emphasizes the role of the artist as a mediator between different realms of reality. In this view, the artist serves as a conduit for information and insights that transcend ordinary perception. This aligns with Wargo’s concept of artists as potential prophets or seers, capable of glimpsing future realities and expressing them through their work.

Implications for Creativity and the Artistic Process

Viewing artistic inspiration through the lens of precognition and time loops has profound implications for how we understand creativity:

Rethinking Inspiration: Rather than emerging solely from past experiences or present observations, inspiration may arise from an interplay between conscious and subconscious awareness across past, present and future. We can view artists as conduits for information that surpasses conventional temporal limitations. This perspective invites a more expansive and mysterious understanding of the creative process.

Non-Linear Causality: Artistic prophecy introduces the idea that future events can shape present decisions and creative impulses. This challenges linear notions of cause and effect and suggests that the creative process may be far more complex and interconnected than we previously thought.

Collaborative Creation: If artists tap into collective consciousness or future cultural trends, artistic creation becomes a collaboration between individual expression and larger transpersonal forces. This idea resonates with concepts of the collective unconscious and suggests that creativity may be a participatory process involving both individual and collective elements.

Intuition as Future-Sensing: Artistic intuition may be understood as a form of future-sensing, where creators pick up on emerging possibilities before they fully manifest. This reframes intuition as a valuable cognitive tool for anticipating and navigating future realities.

Responsibility and Ethics: The notion that art can influence future events raises questions about artists’ responsibility and the potential real-world impact of their work. If artistic creations are empowered to shape future realities, it may call for a more conscious and intentional approach to the creative process.

Expanded Notions of Creativity: Creativity may be reframed as not just original invention, but as perception and expression of information from across time and consciousness. This broader understanding of creativity opens up new possibilities for how we approach and cultivate creative abilities.

Societal and Cultural Impact

The concept of artistic prophecy has far-reaching implications for society and culture:

Reassessing Coincidence: We can re-examine previously dismissed events as coincidences to uncover deeper meaning and causal connections across time. Despite our indoctrination to dismiss such stories as mere coincidences, Wargo’s research presents a different perspective. This shift in perspective invites a more nuanced and interconnected view of reality.

Non-Linear Understanding of Time: Artistic prophecy invites a more fluid, non-linear conception of time that aligns with some interpretations of physics and Eastern philosophy. This challenges our conventional understanding of time and causality, potentially leading to new paradigms in science and philosophy.

Futurology and Trend Forecasting: Analysis of artistic themes may provide insights into emerging cultural trends and potential future events. Intelligence agencies have noted this repeated occurrence. The German defense ministry employed specialists to input stories from various novels into computers, with the aim of forecasting future areas of regional conflicts and unexpected events such as 9/11. This was called Project Cassandra. Project Cassandra successfully predicted the 2019 social unrest in Algeria two years before it occurred by studying Algeria’s literary scene. This application of artistic prophecy to real-world prediction and planning demonstrates its potential practical value.

Risk Assessment: Recognizing patterns in art that precede significant events could inform crisis preparedness strategies. By paying closer attention to artistic expressions and their potential precognitive elements, organizations and societies might better anticipate and prepare for future challenges.

Psychology and Therapy: Exploring precognitive dreams and creative insights may enhance therapeutic practices and self-understanding. This approach could open up new avenues for personal growth and healing, integrating the creative and intuitive aspects of the psyche into therapeutic work.

Cultural Studies: Examining prophetic elements in art across cultures and historical periods can reveal underlying social dynamics and collective anxieties/aspirations. This perspective enriches our understanding of cultural evolution and the role of art in shaping and reflecting societal changes.

Artist as Seer/Prophet: We can expand the role of artists in society to encompass visionary and prophetic dimensions, going beyond mere entertainment or cultural commentary. This elevated view of the artist’s role could lead to a greater appreciation and integration of artistic insights in various fields of human endeavor.

Out of Nowhere

The title “From Nowhere” is meant to convey two important distinctions:

1. The out-of-nowhere quality of precognitive inspiration.
2. There might really be no original author of an idea in a world where causal time-loops could be the rule. This concept resonates with the teachings of the 17th century Zen master Bankei, who indicated that our search for past causal origins is ultimately futile. New ideas ultimately arise from nothing, what Bankei referred to as the “Unborn,” and what other philosophers have fashioned as “pure potentiality.”

This philosophical perspective challenges our conventional understanding of creativity and originality. It suggests that the creative process may be less about generating entirely new ideas and more about tapping into a field of potential or existing information that transcends linear time. This view aligns with certain interpretations of quantum physics and Eastern philosophical traditions, which posit a more interconnected and non-linear reality than our everyday perception suggests.

The concept of artistic prophecy also raises intriguing questions about free will and determinism. If future events can influence past creative acts, how does this affect our understanding of causality and personal agency? These philosophical implications invite us to reconsider fundamental assumptions about the nature of reality, consciousness, and human creativity.

Eric Wargo’s exploration of artistic prophecy and precognitive creativity opens up fascinating new avenues for understanding the nature of inspiration, time, and consciousness. While his theories challenge conventional thinking, they resonate with longtime intuitions about the visionary potential of art. By providing a framework for understanding how creativity may tap into future information, Wargo invites us to reconsider fundamental assumptions about causality, free will, and the role of artists in society.

As we continue to explore these ideas, we may find that artistic prophecy is not merely a curious anomaly, but a glimpse into deeper truths about the nature of creativity and human consciousness. Whether viewed through the lens of science, philosophy, or spirituality, the phenomenon of artistic prophecy offers a rich terrain for exploration and discovery, promising to expand our understanding of human potential and the mysteries of the creative process.