Download or read book Path of the Golden Teacher Integrating MEDITATION with PSILOCYBIN and Other Psychedelics written by Sean McNamara and published by Mind Possible. This book was released on 2024-07-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Would you like to combine your meditation path, or start one, with the use of psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD? How about learning how to microdose and journey for spiritual growth and mental health? Would you like to grow psilocybin and extract DMT in the comfort and privacy of home? And use them safely and responsibly without having to pay thousands of dollars to a psychedelic guide, therapist, or shaman? This book can be used alone or as a companion to the online guided meditation program by the same name, Path of the Golden Teacher, comprised of over fifty guided meditations and other informative videos. These meditations comprise an effective and complete meditation path even without the use of psychedelics. The book includes a special code to obtain the online program at a reduced rate which will cover the cost of the book many times over. This is a non-religious meditation guide with recommendations for using meditation to prepare for your psychedelic journey, to use during your journey, and to use as lifelong integration following your journey (or in between your future journeys). This is not a Buddhist book. It is universal, useable by people from various traditions and spiritual inclinations. If you already have a preferred meditation path, you will find the concepts here easily applicable to it. The "Golden Teacher" is not a person. It is the name of a popular strain of Psilocybe cubensis. The author was inspired to create this book and the online meditation program by the same name, in part, by journeying with that mushroom. The book includes important reference materials for users of the online program. The specific meditation instructions are not included in the book, though. However, it does contain meditation concepts, especially regarding their combination with psychedelics, which you can apply to your preferred path.

Download or read book Decomposing The Shadow written by James W. Jesso and published by SoulsLantern Publishing. This book was released on 2013-06-19 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decomposing The Shadow presents a psychological model for the experience of the magic psilocybin mushroom. It explores what the experience of this psychedelic medicine exposes to us about the nature of mind, emotion, society, psychospiritual maturity, and reality itself. This book is about facing the darkness within each of us, developing the courage of emotional honesty, and investigating how the unacknowledged aspects of self, the shadow, can make the grounds of personal growth fertile again. The psilocybin mushroom offers us the opportunity to experience life from a point of amplified emotional, psychological, and spiritual significance. It unlocks a perspective of self and other that is naturally occurring within us, but culturally suppressed to the point of nearly complete omission. When we begin to navigate the vastly novel experiences this substance can provide us, we further enable its potential for not only exposing, but healing the unconscious narratives that hold us back from being our fullest, most courageous, most honest self.

Download or read book Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion written by Michelle Janikian and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the transformational power of psilocybin mushroom with this all-encompassing guide to harnessing magic mushrooms safely and effectively. Thanks to cutting-edge research, the medical and mental health communities are rediscovering the transformative power of psychedelics. And among the psychedelics showing the most promise for opening and healing the mind is the psilocybin mushroom. This friendly, fact-packed companion to magic mushrooms offers a full guide to having the most successful and beneficial experiences—whether you’re a complete newcomer or have dabbled in psychedelics before. Author Michelle Janikian’s straightforward, matter-of-fact approach pairs the most up-to-date research with personal advice and experiences to provide a whole perspective of the pros, cons, and many possibilities of experimenting with psychedelic mushrooms. Whether you’re looking to try mushrooms for healing, personal or spiritual growth, out of curiosity, or for just plain fun, Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion helps you prepare for every type of journey—from microdosing to full trips and even “trip sitting.” With this book, you’ll find it’s never been easier to use these sacred fungi safely and responsibly.

Download or read book How to Change Your Mind written by Michael Pollan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” —New York Times A #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and New York Times Notable Book A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research. A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

Download or read book Listening to Ecstasy written by Charles Wininger and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A personal narrative and guide to the safe, responsible use of MDMA for personal healing and social transformation • Details the author’s 50 years of responsible experimentation with mind-altering substances and how Ecstasy has helped him become a better therapist • Explains how he and his wife found Ecstasy to be the key to renewing and enriching their lives and marriage as they entered their senior years • Describes what the experience actually feels like and provides protocols for the safe, responsible, recreational, and celebrational use of MDMA for individuals and groups In a world that keeps us separate from each other, MDMA is the chemical of connection. Aptly known in popular culture as “Ecstasy,” MDMA helps us rediscover our own true loving nature, often obscured by the traumas of life. On its way to becoming a prescription medication due to groundbreaking research on its use to treat PTSD, Ecstasy can offer benefits for all adult life stages, from 20-somethings to seniors. In this memoir and guide to safe use, Charles Wininger, a licensed psychoanalyst and mental health counselor, details the countless ways that Ecstasy has helped him become a better therapist and husband. He recounts his coming of age in the 1960s counterculture, his 50 years of responsible experimentation with mind-altering substances, and his immersion in the new psychedelic renaissance. He explains how he and his wife found Ecstasy to be the key to renewing and enriching their lives as they entered their senior years. It also strengthened the bonds of their marriage. Countering the fearful propaganda that surrounds this drug, Wininger describes what the experience actually feels like and explores the value of Ecstasy and similar substances for helping psychologically healthy individuals live a more “optimal” life. He provides protocols for the responsible, recreational, and celebrational use of MDMA, including how to perfect the experience, maximize the benefits and minimize the risks, and how it may not be for everyone. He reveals how MDMA has revitalized his marriage, both erotically and emotionally, and describes how pleasure, fun, and joy can be profound bonding and transformative experiences. Revealing MDMA’s versatility when it comes to bringing lasting renewal, pleasure, and inspiration to one’s life, Wininger shows that recognizing the transformative power of happiness-inducing experiences can be the first step on the path to healing.

Download or read book Zig Zag Zen written by Allan Hunt Badiner and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2002-04 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Buddhism and psychedelic experimentation share a common concern: the liberation of the mind. Zig Zag Zen launches the first serious inquiry into the moral, ethical, doctrinal, and transcendental considerations created by the intersection of Buddhism and psychedelics. With a foreword by renowned Buddhist scholar Stephen Batchelor and a preface by historian of religion Huston Smith, along with numerous essays and interviews, Zig Zag Zen is a provocative and thoughtful exploration of altered states of consciousness and the potential for transformation. Accompanying each essay is a work of visionary art selected by artist Alex Grey, such as a vividly graphic work by Robert Venosa, a contemporary thangka painting by Robert Beer, and an exercise in emptiness in the form of an enso by a 17th-century Zen abbot. Packed with enlightening entries and art that lie outside the scope of mainstream anthologies, Zig Zag Zen offers eye-opening insights into alternate methods of inner exploration.

Download or read book The Psychedelic Explorer s Guide written by James Fadiman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-05-18 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychedelics for spiritual, therapeutic, and problem-solving use • Presents practices for safe and successful psychedelic voyages, including the benefits of having a guide and how to be a guide • Reviews the value of psychedelics for healing and self-discovery as well as how LSD has facilitated scientific and technical problem-solving • Reveals how microdosing (ultr-low doeses) improve cognitive functioning, emotional balance, and physical stamina • This year 600,000 people in the U.S. alone will try LSD for the the first time, joining the 23 million who have already experimented with this substance Called “America’s wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use,” James Fadiman has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. In this guide to the immediate and long-term effects of psychedelic use for spiritual (high dose), therapeutic (moderate dose), and problem-solving (low dose and microdose) purposes, Fadiman outlines best practices for safe, sacred entheogenic voyages learned through his more than 40 years of experience--from the benefits of having a sensitive guide during a session (and how to be one) to the importance of the setting and pre-session intention. Fadiman reviews the newest as well as the neglected research into the psychotherapeutic value of visionary drug use for increased personal awareness and a host of serious medical conditions, including his recent study of the reasons for and results of psychedelic use among hundreds of students and professionals. He reveals new uses for LSD and other psychedelics, including microdosing, extremely low doses, for improved cognitive functioning and emotional balance. Cautioning that psychedelics are not for everyone, he dispels the myths and misperceptions about psychedelics circulating in textbooks and clinics as well as on the internet. Exploring the life-changing experiences of Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, and Huston Smith as well as Francis Crick and Steve Jobs, Fadiman shows how psychedelics, used wisely, can lead not only to healing but also to scientific breakthroughs and spiritual epiphanies.

Download or read book Krishna in the Sky with Diamonds written by Scott Teitsworth and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-01-25 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A verse-by-verse examination of Arjuna’s soma experience and Krishna’s psychedelic guidance in the Bhagavad Gita • Explains how the Bhagavad Gita provides complete guidelines for the spiritual use of entheogens--from prior mental preparations to the integration of profound visionary insights into everyday consciousness • Examines Chapter XI of the Gita in detail to illuminate Arjuna’s hallucinogenic experience and expose Krishna as the ultimate psychedelic guide • Shows psychedelic experience to be an essential and ancient part of the path to spiritual transformation Known as a text of liberation and enlightenment and praised not only by Indians but also by prominent modern thinkers such as Aldous Huxley and Albert Einstein, the Bhagavad Gita is one of the most commented-upon books of all time, yet one aspect has never before been examined: Arjuna’s psychedelic soma experience with his guru Krishna. Drawing upon his many years as a student of Nitya Chaitanya Yati, whose teacher was Gita scholar Nataraja Guru, preeminent disciple of Narayana Guru, Scott Teitsworth explains how the Bhagavad Gita, through the story of the hero Arjuna and his guru Krishna, provides complete guidelines for the spiritual use of entheogens, from prior mental preparations to the integration of profound visionary insights into everyday consciousness. Examining Chapter XI of the Bhagavad Gita verse by verse, he illuminates Arjuna’s complex revelatory experience and exposes Krishna’s role as the ultimate spiritual guide--facets of the Gita evident to anyone with psychedelic experience yet long suppressed in favor of paths to enlightenment through service or meditation. He shows that psychedelics are indeed “gateway drugs” in that they stimulate open exploration of the mind and the meaning of life. Uncovering new depths to this revered manual of spiritual instruction, Teitsworth reveals psychedelic experience to be an essential and ancient path to ignite realization in the prepared student, turn theory into direct experience, and bring the written teachings to life.

Download or read book The Psychedelic Experience written by Timothy Leary and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2017-06-27 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Psychedelic Experience, created in the movement's early years by the prophetic shaman-professors Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), is a foundational text that serves as a model and a guide for all subsequent mind-expanding inquiries. In this wholly unique book, the authors provide an interpretation of an ancient sacred manuscript, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, from a psychedelic perspective. Reissued here to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the summer of love.

Download or read book Renegade Mystic written by Sean McNamara and published by Mind Possible. This book was released on 2020-11-28 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the second edition, with added chapters (described at the bottom). Readers interested in Out-of-Body experiences, Lucid Dreaming, Remote Viewing, Psychokinesis, Energy Healing, Mediumship and contact with UFOs will gain tremendous insights and practice tips by reading this book. Paranormal researchers and parapsychologists will find ample anecdotes to enrich their fields of inquiry. The intersection of modern physics and ancient mysticism becomes apparent inside these pages. This is very much about the traps of spiritual identity, and how certain groups or teachers can lead one astray from one’s true path. This also about self-empowerment after leaving one's teacher or group. In this groundbreaking work, the author reveals his core psychological drives and the events of his life which caused him to question everything and look into the deeper nature of reality. Follow him on his travels around the world, and learn about his experiences, good and bad, while under the tutelage of various teachers. By the end, he shares experiences he’s never revealed publicly. Though spiritually-minded, McNamara keeps his feet firmly on the ground, and abstains from succumbing to mere beliefs. His writing leaves it open for you to come to your own. Even better, he introduces the reader to a variety of methods of exploring consciousness and reality for themselves. A series of essays follows the epilogue, delving even deeper into the complex topics and personal experiences shared by the author. His story begins with the realization that spiritual teachers are as human as the rest of us, and that we don't need to surrender our personal authority to anybody else in order to find the answers we seek. Learn how he reclaimed his power, and how you can too. Finally, this book will help the reader prepare for when it's time to cross over, as much as it will prepare them to engage a deeper part of life now, in this world. Intelligent, entertaining, inspiring, provocative, and educational. This work is sure to be controversial among those who've yet to have their own non-ordinary experience. Traditionalists beware.If you are on a spiritual search, or seeking self-empowerment, you're not alone. This book is not only about the author's personal quest, it's about yours. The book comes with a companion website which includes the original, color versions of the book’s photos and artwork. It also hosts private videos and links to public ones, which will enrich the reader’s experience of the book. The web addresses to these pages are found inside the book itself, in their appropriate chapters. The Second Edition includes new chapters with step-by-step instructions for having Lucid Dreams and Out of Body Experiences. Readers who already bought the First Edition can get the new chapters separately in the book "Renegade Mystic's Concise Instructions for Lucid Dreaming and the Out of Body Experience." To learn more about the author, visit http://www.MindPossible.com

Download or read book The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience written by Robert Masters and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2000-04-01 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most important books written on the effects of LSD on the human psyche. • Its authoritative research has great relevance to the current debate on drug legalization. • Prolific authors Robert Masters and Jean Houston are pioneer figures in the field of transpersonal psychology and founders of the Human Potentials Movement. The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience was published in 1966, just as the first legal restrictions on the use of psychedelic substances were being enacted. Unfortunately, the authors' pioneering work on the effects of LSD on the human psyche, which was viewed by its participants as possibly heralding a revolution in the study of the mind, was among the casualties of this interdiction. As a result, the promising results to which their studies attested were never fully explored. Nevertheless, their 15 years of research represents a sober and authoritative appraisal of what remains one of the most controversial developments in the study of the human psyche. Avoiding the wild excesses taken by both sides on this issue, this book is unique for the light it sheds on the possibilities and the limitations of psychedelic drugs, as well as on the techniques for working with them. With drug legalization an increasingly important issue, The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience provides a welcome and much needed contrast to the current hysteria that surrounds this topic.

Download or read book The Psychedelic Gospels written by Jerry B. Brown and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals evidence of visionary plants in Christianity and the life of Jesus found in medieval art and biblical scripture--hidden in plain sight for centuries • Follows the authors’ anthropological adventure discovering sacred mushroom images in European and Middle Eastern churches, including Roslyn Chapel and Chartres • Provides color photos showing how R. Gordon Wasson’s psychedelic theory of religion clearly extends to Christianity and reveals why Wasson suppressed this information due to his secret relationship with the Vatican • Examines the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels to show that visionary plants were the catalyst for Jesus’s awakening to his divinity and immortality Throughout medieval Christianity, religious works of art emerged to illustrate the teachings of the Bible for the largely illiterate population. What, then, is the significance of the psychoactive mushrooms hiding in plain sight in the artwork and icons of many European and Middle-Eastern churches? Does Christianity have a psychedelic history? Providing stunning visual evidence from their anthropological journey throughout Europe and the Middle East, including visits to Roslyn Chapel and Chartres Cathedral, authors Julie and Jerry Brown document the role of visionary plants in Christianity. They retrace the pioneering research of R. Gordon Wasson, the famous “sacred mushroom seeker,” on psychedelics in ancient Greece and India, and among the present-day reindeer herders of Siberia and the Mazatecs of Mexico. Challenging Wasson’s legacy, the authors reveal his secret relationship with the Vatican that led to Wasson’s refusal to pursue his hallucinogen theory into the hallowed halls of Christianity. Examining the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels, the authors provide scriptural support to show that sacred mushrooms were the inspiration for Jesus’ revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven and that he was initiated into these mystical practices in Egypt during the Missing Years. They contend that the Trees of Knowledge and of Immortality in Eden were sacred mushrooms. Uncovering the role played by visionary plants in the origins of Judeo-Christianity, the authors invite us to rethink what we know about the life of Jesus and to consider a controversial theory that challenges us to explore these sacred pathways to the divine.

Download or read book Defy Your Limits written by Sean McNamara and published by Mind Possible. This book was released on 2021-10-14 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Third edition. Telekinesis, also known as "mind over matter," is real. Defy Your Limits offers what aspiring telekinesis practitioners have long sought, a detailed, tested, step-by-step method to learn exactly how to do it. While many can demonstrate TK, only a few can teach it proficiently in a format like this book. Sean McNamara is a seasoned meditation teacher who learned TK first-hand and teaches others how to actualize it themselves. He has been featured in various shows and the movie "Superhuman: The Invisible Made Visible." This is not a theoretical book. It's a training manual for those who are willing to do what it takes to defy their own limits. When you progress through the final level of training, you will be able to move an object enclosed in glass from a distance of several feet - psychically. You will do so with your carefully and patiently trained mind-body-energy system. This text contains links to the companion website which is filled with video tutorials filmed specifically for practitioners of this training system. Moving matter with the mind is only the beginning. This book is on the cutting edge of personal development, mindfulness, self-help and human performance. The ability taught here makes immediately observable that which self-improvement and power-of-intention books like The Secret and The Law of Attraction have only described - that our mind affects our reality. Defy Your Limits teaches you how to apply this telekinesis method toward your Vision Board, Energy Healing, Meditation, Metaphysical applications, and toward achieving your personal goals. Learn the paranormal ability that sits at the crossroads of science and spirituality. Learn more at http://www.MindPossible.com.

Download or read book Signal and Noise written by Sean McNamara and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: [CAUTION: This book can be used as a training system. If you plan to use it that way, please do NOT flip through it randomly after you receive it, but start reading from the very first page, otherwise you may spoil some of the exercises for yourself.]In 2019, Sean McNamara trained a group of friends in Denver, Colorado, to access their inherent clairvoyant and precognitive abilities in order to send their minds into the future and retrieve information. Using a methodology called "remote viewing" along with a team-style predictive approach developed by the author, his friends won the Colorado "Pick 3" lottery that year, TWICE.Now, he's releasing the transcripts and targets they used to predict, then win, those drawings. The book also reveals special techniques he developed to clarify and boost the psychic "signal" and reduce ambient mental "noise" during their remote viewing sessions. These techniques can be categorized as excitation, relaxation, color muting and amplification, remote influencing (psychic tracing), and 360-degree, 3-D virtual reality feedback. The book includes "extras" on topics such as "spoon bending," and a special routine to hack the nervous system for immediate quieting by stimulating the vagus nerve, and also details about an experiment with a living organism you can try with friends.The book comes with a companion website containing private links to pages containing special audio downloads to aid your psychic receptivity. It also includes color versions of the target images shown in the book. IMPORTANT: This book can be used as a complete training system. If you plan to use it that way, it is important that you do NOT flip ahead in the book and accidentally see a target image before you've done the training exercise for that image. Instead, start at pg.1, and read one page at a time without flipping ahead.Signal and Noise comes with nearly 60 different training exercises, with the added benefit of seeing how the remote viewers featured in the book did on their transcripts.If you are new to remote viewing, the book will teach you how to do it.You'll also learn how to structure a team of friends so you can attempt to make predictions of your own using "associative remote viewing." Have fun making predictions for sport games, elections, lotteries, or other events. Of course, due to the subjective nature of psychic perception and many other factors, the author cannot make any guarantees about how accurate your predictions will be. Nevertheless, if you go through the training exercises carefully and patiently, by the time you're through, you will have gained an extraordinary amount of experience in psychic development.Experienced remote viewers, especially professionals who depend on accuracy, will gain benefit by learning techniques to improve the signal and reduce noise during their sessions.Everything in the book should be regarded as experimental, since at the time of publication, these techniques had not yet been replicated by a third-party research authority. But the results, using these methods to win a lottery twice in the last quarter of 2019, stand for themselves.The author also discusses the past researchers and scientists (i.e. Dr. Milan Ryzl and Dr. Andrija Puharich) whose works of the 20th century informed his development of these techniques.Important for KINDLE customers: Due to the picture-heavy nature of this book, the Kindle version is recommended only if you'll be using a tablet reader or using your laptop/desktop. Reading it on a phone's small screen will be difficult for some. It is recommended to purchase the paperback version instead for a much more enjoyable and user-friendly experience.For readers interested in psychokinesis, out of body experiences, and other abilities, those topics are covered at great length in the author's other books and his site MindPossible.

Download or read book Consciousness written by Susan Blackmore and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Consciousness, the last great mystery for science, remains a hot topic. How can a physical brain create our experience of the world? What creates our identity? Do we really have free will? Could consciousness itself be an illusion? Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing the debates on these issues, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. This controversial book clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, whilst also outlining the amazing pace of discoveries in neuroscience. Covering areas such as the construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, the neural correlates of consciousness, and the physiology of altered states of consciousness, Susan Blackmore highlights our latest findings. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Download or read book Passage Meditation written by Eknath Easwaran and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010-09 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pioneered by spiritual master Eknath Easwaran, passage meditation consists of memorizing an inspirational spiritual passage and then sending it deep into consciousness through slow, sustained attention. It keeps meditation fresh and varied because readers can select the passages - from one tradition or many - that embody their chosen ideals. Many readers also enjoy the passages for their poetic and intellectual appeal. This form of meditation offers all the richness and depth of traditional wisdom, together with a practical method for bringing that wisdom into daily life. The book situates passage meditation as part of Easwaran's eight-point program that, based on traditional spiritual practices but adjusted for modern lifestyles, shows readers how to stay calm and focused at work and home. This edition includes a new preface of previously unpublished material by Easwaran and an epilogue that explains the story behind the book and invites new readers to join the author on this adventure in the ''world within.''

Download or read book Philosophy of Psychedelics written by Chris Letheby and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-05 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent clinical trials show that psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin can be given safely in controlled conditions, and can cause lasting psychological benefits with one or two administrations. Supervised psychedelic sessions can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and addiction, and improve well-being in healthy volunteers, for months or even years. But these benefits seem to be mediated by "mystical" experiences of cosmic consciousness, which prompts a philosophical concern: do psychedelics cause psychological benefits by inducing false or implausible beliefs about the metaphysical nature of reality? This book is the first scholarly monograph in English devoted to the philosophical analysis of psychedelic drugs. Its central focus is the apparent conflict between the growing use of psychedelics in psychiatry and the philosophical worldview of naturalism. Within the book, Letheby integrates empirical evidence and philosophical considerations in the service of a simple conclusion: this "Comforting Delusion Objection" to psychedelic therapy fails. While exotic metaphysical ideas do sometimes come up, they are not, on closer inspection, the central driver of change in psychedelic therapy. Psychedelics lead to lasting benefits by altering the sense of self, and changing how people relate to their own minds and lives-not by changing their beliefs about the ultimate nature of reality. The upshot is that a traditional conception of psychedelics as agents of insight and spirituality can be reconciled with naturalism (the philosophical position that the natural world is all there is). Controlled psychedelic use can lead to genuine forms of knowledge gain and spiritual growth-even if no Cosmic Consciousness or transcendent divine Reality exists. Philosophy of Psychedelics is an indispensable guide to the literature for researchers already engaged in the field of psychedelic psychiatry, and for researchers-especially philosophers-who want to become acquainted with this increasingly topical field.