Jim Morrison's Search for God

By Michael J Bollinger

Jim Morrison, in all his sensitivity and bombast blast into stardom in the late 1960s as the lead singer of The Doors. Were the beams of his star manipulated and mastered by sinister forces while he stood by rejecting authority? Did the turmoil inside the poet drive him into the spotlight only to leave him questioning its validity while secretly reaching for the hand of all he'd rejected? Michael J Bollinger examines the singers rise and fall and delves into Jim Morrison's search for what awaited him beyond deaths door.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Feb 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466911000

Michael J Bollinger

As an artist it is gratifying to have an outlet that combines written word with illustration and wraps it all up in a nice concise package, with beautiful imagery and meaningful dialogue side by side. Illustration and writing have many traits that parallel putting a puzzle together which makes the process interesting. I am a resident of Richmond Virginia and have resided here all of my life. It is an amazing place to live with a very deep history.

Book preview

JIM MORRISON’S SEARCH FOR GOD

Michael J Bollinger

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© Copyright 2012 Michael J Bollinger.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-1101-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-1102-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-1100-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012900491

Trafford rev. 02/16/2012

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Contents

OPENING

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & AUTHORS NOTE

BOOKS & ARTICLES

Lauren my Light and Love

thank you for your encouragement

OPENING

Since the poet and singer Jim Morrison’s death many years ago countless biographies describing differing aspects of his life have been produced. A side rarely explored is one that Morrison’s fame was operated by a sinister controlling force using him to spread a message of chaos and debauched biting of the apple enlightenment, leading to his ultimate destruction which shaped a platform for others to acquire wealth and continue his message.

Morrison lead a brief existence that was written in the stars. He had countless adventures and travels which were interwoven with bouts of depression that unearthed questions and exposed the fears in a man who seemed to be mounting a bold attack on the establishment and also what many at the time considered cultural limitations. In this writing we explore his angry relationship with his father, his alcoholism, symbolism in his life and his interest in ideas and things unknown to man.

Jim Morrison died in July of 1971. Had he lived could he have found the answers here in this world he so desperately sought if he had only invested himself into a search beyond a much different door?

CHAPTER ONE

HELP ME

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.

Matthew 7:7 NIV

Jim Morrison had painfully scratched the haunting words GOD HELP ME repeatedly on a page in a writing notebook only a short time before passing from this world. While saturating the paper, these powerful words reached out to a contrasting ideal and authority at a time of desperation exposing the most vulnerable part of a man in a body that was breaking down and in this moment housed a soul that was screaming for cleansing. Jim Morrison, the all American Knight would die in a French bathtub on July 3rd, 1971 under cryptic circumstances.

The force or authority Morrison had rebelled against throughout his young life only to call upon later may or may not have heard his pleas, leaving behind a weathered child who became a slave to his own devices and addictions, eventually retching and crying for Gods mercy.

Why do you call me, Lord, Lord and not do as I say?—Luke 6:46 NIV

James Douglas Morrison was born in Melbourne Florida off the Atlantic coast on December 8th, 1943 to George (Steve) and Clara Morrison. Jim was surrounded by a military structure in a strict family. Jim also had two siblings, an older sister and younger brother. The Navy family rarely remained anywhere for lengthily periods of time. A mobile family unit often encounters problems at a higher rate than stagnant units, such as alcoholism and divorce.

While traveling, a very young four year old Jim and his family drove upon a Hopi or possibly a Pueblo Indian family who were involved in a horrific car accident on a desert road. This shook the young Morrison to his core. Jim Morrison would become a world famous poet and singer allowing him to express how the vision of this bloody wreck changed his life that day. He voiced that one or two of the souls of these Native Americans had leaped into his body and being.

Witnessing this debris and wreckage may have lead to Morrison’s deep interest in Indian rituals and shamanism later in his life. As an adult he ascribed to shamanism and believed that it was important to pursue his own fantasies and bring them into existence. As the singers wild persona grew during his intense stage performances—he would become known as the Electric Shaman. As Jim’s brief career progressed it would shine an image of a Southern drawling gentleman, transient Venice Beach golden psychedelic pupil, Electric Shaman, wailing and deranged Lizard King, bearded elder of the tribe bar fly, and eventually the Parisian wino poet intellectual. Jim’s connection he shared with Native American beliefs ran a strong and unshakeable thread throughout his life.

American Indians believed that if you ignored a shamanistic child and his abilities that this could lead to schizophrenia and other abnormalities. A shamanistic child could mean that the youth has a special bond with nature, sensitivity to visualize the future—among other things. Morrison would feed off of Indian and also Pagan fantasy in his poetry, art, and later on in his music with the legendary group—The Doors, which would progress and develop into a manic manifestation of psychedelic hard rock and contemporary dreamy blues. During a PBS interview in 1969 Jim voiced an uncanny ability to visualize the future of music in the years to come. I can kind of envision one person with a lot of machines, tape set ups, singing or speaking using machines creating a wide range of music on their own. He also made stunning accurate predictions on Americas political future and on upcoming technological advances. Speaking with interviewer Salli Stevenson from the ancient 1970s rock mag Circus, he was asked about his own death, I’m still holding out for… I think science has a chance in our lifetime to conquer death, I think its very possible. Interviewer—If they did that what would happen in the spirit world? Morrison says Well they’d just have to fend for themselves. The interviewer laughs hysterically at this response. Could Morrison’s ability to deduct where things may or may not be heading by looking back at history have lead to his many prophetic theories on the future? Was he the child called to the shamanistic vocation that some believed he was?

Morrison was well informed on the occult and also had great knowledge of Dionysian worship and other spiritual rituals which alter states of consciousness. Dionysus was a supposed god. The Christian Bible shares testimony that there are demonic entities which exist to fool followers by claiming to be gods. Two viewpoints describing the same spirits in much differing context. The Dionysian state of mind was facilitated by alcohol inebriation and other mind altering chemicals, such as peyote and mescaline. Frenzied night dances were a part of the rituals and in the swirling climatic apex of the ritual animals were ravaged and torn up—then devoured. Jim Morrison’s stage act with The Doors early on involved him spinning and swirling in a chaotic dervish and sometimes ultimately landing in a pile of twisted cord face down on stage while recreating this ritual dance. At one point at an infamous Miami concert on March 1st of 1969 in which Jim was subsequently arrested for misconduct, a white lamb was brought up onto stage as if being the subject of an upcoming slaughter. Morrison stated in an interview that followed the show months later, It was purring like a kitten… I guess what they say about lambs being brought to slaughter is true… they don’t feel a thing. Later, after returning to Miami for sentencing he’d decided to drive back to Los Angeles. Visiting New Orleans he stopped at The St. Louis Cathedral and picked up a post card—The Sacrifice of the Divine Lamb, on which he wrote "Don’t worry, the end is near: ha ha," and sent it to The Doors office.

In the New Testament of the Bible the apostle Paul warned against worshiping Greek gods or idols. It wasn’t said to be the idols themselves that were harmful but the demonic forces that were using them to gain followers. Have the idols of the ancient past been reinvented and replaced with contemporary star worship and celebrity? Was Morrison now this new god who appealed to the teen set and their sense