Acéphalous, Vintagia, and New Thresholds
Updates, reflections, and future directions from the Acid Horizon collective
What you are about to read is really a message to myself, but one that contains details about which I am asked almost daily. As the listenership of the podcast continues to grow, so does the size of our inbox. And now being on the brink of fulfilling orders for those who initially supported the Acéphalous and Vintagia Kickstarter campaigns, we are often asked very similar questions in the messages we receive. So for the next few weeks or so, I will direct folks to this blogpost to provide a clear picture of how the next few weeks will (hopefully) unfold
As you read, feel free to skip to sections that pertain to your own questions or concerns. I will indulge some light therapeutic monologue in what follows, but rest assured that these effusions are not in vain. Every muffled groan of anguish is attached to some sort of “consumable”—an event, a purchase, an object of desire readied for the reticulating jaw of the masses (ok, that may be a bit dramatic, but i’m leaving it in the blog—in this frenetic moment, please permit me a modest measure of irony). Anyway, before you read, scan the entirety of this blog and view all the sections that may pertain to your interests so you don’t miss any information that may avail you in the near future.
Acéphalous: The Erotic Tarot of Georges Bataille (Deck and Compendium)
The question on everyone’s mind: when will Acéphalous and Vintagia orders be fulfilled—and will there be any surplus available for purchase? To begin, fulfillment is proceeding right on schedule, and Acéphalous decks are even running slightly ahead of plan. As of Friday of last week, I have received all of the decks for both campaigns.
The total number of Acéphalous decks will be permanently limited to 777, and we intend to circulate no more than that. From the outset, our goal was to make this a singular kind of publication—not something subject to infinite reproduction on the market. It was also conceived as the culmination of a years-long study of Bataille undertaken through a series of Acid Horizon episodes and reading groups.
In keeping with that spirit, we committed to producing 777 decks and 500 casebound compendiums, the latter of which is now essentially finalized and ready for production. Following the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign, 420 of those decks and roughly half of the compendiums were claimed by supporters. Of course, some of the remaining decks will become keepsakes for the creators and their closest collaborators. However, the greater portion of the surplus will be released through a series of events (such as the Durations Festival) scheduled from mid-October 2025 through the end of the year.
.There has been an extraordinary and somewhat unexpected buzz surrounding Acéphalous within corners of the New York and London art worlds. Owing to its extremely limited production, the deck is already being regarded as a rarity, an archival object of sorts. The confluence of Noah Trapolino’s visionary art and the ongoing philosophical work of Acid Horizon, united under the sign of Acéphalous, has already drawn the attention of discerning collectors with whom we are working. Yet, faithful to the Bataillean impulse that inspired the project, we aim to transform the particular logic of exclusivity promulgated by capitalist modernity. The release of Acéphalous should be a festival of wide and varied participation, an event of shared expenditure rather than mere possession—although we pay homage to that impulse as well, acknowledging it as part of the extended artistry that animates the project.
To that end, the deck will be made available through several distinct forms of consumption:
Ordinary Purchase. The most familiar mode of acquisition, commerce as degraded ceremony, offered at a price that balances rarity with accessibility.
Gifts to Friends and Rivals. Direct offerings to comrades, critics, and fellow travelers in left-wing media, meant to forge and fortify alliances while indulging the prestige that comes such gift-giving.
Games of Chance. Giveaways, raffles, and live events in which fate itself determines whether or not Acéphalous falls into your hands.
Ordeals of Sacrifice. Special acts of offering or surrender; details to be revealed at a later date.
Scavenger Hunts. Decks hidden in public spaces, waiting to be discovered through cryptic clues and communal play.
Sovereign Emanations. Selected decks permanently interred in architectural or archival sites, where they may be contemplated, revered, studied, worshipped, etc. rather than possessed.
Potlatch Destruction. Ritual burnings or ceremonial annihilations of decks and compendiums, honoring loss as a form of gift.
Elite Auctions. Limited sales of numbered rarities such as decks 69, 420, and 666, reserved for those who wish to indulge the beauty and rarity of Acéphalous while rewarding the creators.
In order to be prepared to receive a surplus copy of Acéphalous, there are a few social media spaces you’ll need to follow.
The first round of surplus decks will be made available on two platforms: the Acid Horizon Patreon and the LEPHT HAND Patreon. Be sure to be a paid subscriber to one or both during the months of October and/or November to be among the first to access them. Later this month, we’ll also be releasing exclusive episode content on these platforms. To reiterate, these Patreons are the most important spaces to follow if you wish to learn how to obtain any surplus items.
Additionally, follow all the social media channels listed on the Acid Horizon linktree to receive notifications whenever new decks become available.
For any surplus made available for purchase, we will use the online store on our website. Some decks will also be listed on my merch store, Crit Drip, where you can pick up an Acéphalous t-shirt or hoodie to commemorate the project (coming soon!). These items feature the “Naxocephalon” design, which will adorn the new Acid Horizon Research Commons studio and appear in the Acéphalous compendium—a critical twist on Zarathustra’s snake and eagle that celebrates the shared ethos of Bataille and Acéphale.
As I mentioned previously, I have all of the decks in hand, but there is still quite a bit of preparation required before fulfillment can begin. I’m currently waiting on several key packaging materials that should arrive by this Friday. In the meantime, if you were a backer of the campaign, there’s still time to update your address if you haven’t already. Simply log into your Kickstarter account, view the campaigns you’ve supported, and update the shipping address for your Acéphalous rewards.
I occupy a relatively small space, and my home is absolutely packed with decks at the moment! Also, there’s also a bit of a learning curve when it comes to managing the shipping process. I ask for your patience as fulfillment begins. My wife will be assisting me along the way, and together we’ll make sure your deck reaches you safely, even if it takes a little time to get everything just right.
In short: the decks are here and are now being prepared for shipment. If you’re hoping to acquire one of the surplus copies, be sure to follow all the platforms mentioned above. Surplus decks will be available for purchase through the Acid Horizon website, so bookmark it for future reference.
Vintagia
I am also very happy to announce that Vintagia is ready for shipment as well! In fact, if you supported this campaign, you’ll be happy to know that you will be receiving the decks before those who supported Acéphalous—the reason being is that this is my personal campaign, and I am going to use this campaign to cut my teeth on the fulfillment process for Kickstarter. Another reason that I need to get these decks into the hands of supporters is that there are events on the way in which Vintagia will be used to perform live music and facilitate other forms of artistic expression.
When I opened the first box of Vintagia decks, I actually cried. Being someone still somewhat encased in the shell of modern masculinity, tears of joy are a rare gift these days—especially as I navigate the strange mix of thoughts and emotions that come with middle age in trying times. The idea for Vintagia emerged in the wake of realizing that my brief tenure with Repeater Books and Zer0 Books was coming to an end. In truth, the burst of imagination that gave rise to Vintagia was a direct response to the crisis that followed my struggle with my former publisher. It also became a way to process the layered grief we all face in this era of overlapping global emergencies, especially the ongoing genocide of Palestinians carried out by Israel, the United States, and their allies.
Vintagia is, in part, dedicated to those who resisted the disenfranchisement of authors and staff at Repeater and Zer0 following their protest of the parent company’s affiliations, and who were compelled to seek new lines of flight for their work or to form new creative assemblages. Resistance continues in new vectors and we fully support those who continue to carry the banner on this front.
Among the many compounding crises are, of course, the assaults waged by the Trump administration—policies that have had a direct bearing on the publication of Vintagia. Trump’s defunding of NEA and NEH grants—virtually a total impoverishment of those organs of the federal government—has devastated community spaces like 3 Dots Downtown in. Satte College, PA, where I had planned to hold my Vintagia-themed residency. Between June and August, I was informed that the loss of grant funding had severely impacted the network of support I was meant to receive for the residency, resulting in the layoff of key staff who were central to implementing and carrying out its programs. Over just a few short weeks, a residency that had been carefully planned for months unraveled—people and funding alike disappearing almost overnight. I was offered the option to conduct a pared-down version of what we had envisioned since early February; however, the continuous ruptures and other emergent challenges made it difficult to reassemble or reschedule many of the collaborators involved.
In the end, I decided to step back from the residency amid overlapping personal and professional challenges. Fortunately, the board of directors was understanding of my decision and has left the possibility open to revisit the project in the future, perhaps under more stable and generative circumstances.
However, a few of the collaborators originally attached to the residency have reassembled, taking a new line of flight as we begin transforming elements of the proposed residency into an independent series of events centered around Vintagia, music, art, and other community-driven activities. On Saturday, November 1, in Aaronsburg, PA, I’ll be joining Open Music, hosted by Kevin Sims, where we’ll combine oracular imagination with improvisational performance, using the I Ching and Vintagia as tools for stochastic composition and live experimentation. The event is titled Divining Sounds: Oracular Imagination and Music by Chance. I’ve reserved about 25 to 30 Vintagia decks to be sold exclusively at this event, along with 24 beautiful 11x17 prints of various Vintagia cards originally created for the residency, which will be displayed and become available for purchase immediately after the event. These are perfect for hanging in your studio or creative space. More details will be announced soon.
Speaking of surplus decks, there has been a modest but steady wave of interest, evident in the daily inquiries I receive. I don’t plan to run the Vintagia hype machine quite as hot as Acéphalous, but unlike its counterpart, Vintagia will likely see another print run. The deck is self-published through the Acid Horizon imprint, Ocular Editions, though I hope to find a broader distributor so that more people can experience it. I truly believe Vintagia occupies a unique place among contemporary oracular tools, a deck equally suitable to sold in a magical bookstore, local nature center, or a museum gift shop.
There’s still plenty of work to do to refine and improve various aspects of the deck, and I’m hoping that feedback from the growing Vintagia community will help shape future editions, making each successive version even more intuitive, beautiful, and alive in the hands of those who use it.
In any case, you can expect to find surplus Vintagia decks available online in the same spaces where Acéphalous will be offered. Be sure to subscribe at the five-dollar tier on the Acid Horizon and LEPHT HAND Patreon accounts to be among the first—and possibly the only—to claim one of the 70 surplus decks of Vintagia 1.0.
Acid Horizon Research Commons
As Acid Horizon continues to grow its audience and collective network, we have sought to build a space where guests, friends, and fellow thinkers can share their work in a meaningful and validated way. Acid Horizon Research Commons (AHRC) was created to provide such a platform—one where contributors can teach intensive classes and seminars that advance critical and creative thought outside the confines of the university.
Amid the ongoing assault on the humanities and higher education more broadly, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to transform our community into a space that fills the gaps left by traditional academia. The AHRC exists as both refuge and experiment: a place where theory meets practice, and where learning emerges out of the communities it intends to serve.
Our first semester of the Research Commons has been a resounding success, with both of our inaugural seminars drawing engaged and enthusiastic participants. I attended a few sessions of Grafton Tanner’s The Politics of Nostalgia, which proved not only pedagogically rigorous but also deeply illuminating. This week, Jeremy R. Smith continues our shared venture with François Laruelle and Non-Philosophy (Cluster 1): Rebellious Postulations, a seminar that introduces students to Laruelle’s radical reorientation of philosophy and the possibility of thought without mastery. There’s still time to join—Jeremy has already filled his classroom with readings and materials to help new students get started right away. Sign up today using this link.
Looking ahead to 2026, we already have several fantastic instructors and courses in the works. Stay tuned in the coming months for announcements about new offerings as the Research Commons continues to evolve and expand.
With Gratitude
In closing, I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who has supported these projects, whether by backing a campaign, attending a course, or simply engaging with our work online. Each of these efforts—Acéphalous, Vintagia, and the Research Commons—has emerged from the same spirit of collaboration and creative resistance that defines Acid Horizon. We continue to build from the margins, in defiance of current austerity and exhaustion, driven by the conviction that philosophy, art, and community still have the power to change the texture of everyday life. The months ahead will be busy, beautiful, and a bit chaotic, but I believe the energy that sustains these projects will only grow stronger. Thank you for your patience, your imagination, and your belief in what we’re creating together.
October 18, 2025 — Fulfillment in Motion
Over the past week, both Vintagia and Acéphalous have crossed decisive thresholds.
Vintagia was fully shipped this past week. Most U.S. backers should already see tracking activity in their inboxes, and international orders will begin appearing in customs over the next several days. A handful of remaining parcels will go out early next week. This first complete fulfillment marks the close of one cycle and the opening of another: Vintagia surplus sales open tomorrow night / Monday morning, available through the Acid Horizon and LEPHT HAND Patreons as well as our online store. If you missed the campaign, this will be your first opportunity to obtain one of the few remaining decks of Vintagia 1.0.
Acéphalous is now entering its own moment of release. Decks are being packed up this weekend and will begin shipping on Monday. Every parcel is being assembled with the care and reverence the project demands; my workspace has turned into a small archive of headless effigies awaiting their ceremonial dispersal. The first wave of surplus decks will become available on Thursday or Friday, again announced first through our Patreon pages and then through the Acid Horizon website. A very small number will also be reserved for attendees of the Durations Festival in Brooklyn—those who wish to experience the deck in its intended ritual context.
Divining Sounds is also fast approaching. On Saturday, November 1, in Aaronsburg, PA, we will join Open Music, hosted by Kevin Sims, for an evening that combines oracular imagination with improvisational performance. Using Vintagia as a compositional instrument, we’ll explore the interface of divination and sound—music emerging by chance and community. Attendees will be able to purchase Vintagia decks and prints on site, participate in readings, and witness the deck’s transition from oracle to instrument. If you are within reach, consider this an open invitation to gather with us for the first public experiment in the world of Vintagia.