Cultivate Your Wisdom as an Integration Professional. Join 13k+ subscribers to Red Things on Tuesday. Every week, you'll get a small, curated collection of music, tips, and psychedelic insight on how to move through this ever evolving psychedelic space.
Happy Birthday Dad, So Long Bobby - Red Things on Tuesday
Happy Birthday Dad, So Long Bobby.My dad turns 83 today. Happy Birthday, Dad! One of my fondest childhood memories was road-tripping in the back seat, listening to my dad's oldies. He had a box of (K-Tel?) cassettes he ordered from a tv commercial, and would cycle through them on the way to go skiing, or to the shore. I grew up listening to 'Tell Laura I Love Her', 'Blue Moon', and 'Leader of the Pack.' We love music. I'm grateful he instilled that in me. Thanks, Dad. I feel grateful that my spiritual practices revolve around music. Once upon a time, I was reading about Aztec ritual human sacrifices, and I thought to myself, "How lucky am I? God just seems to want me to sing?" Pretty lucky. Maharajji instructs his devotees, "Bolo, Bolo!" (Sing, sing) My elders are musicians and storytellers. Some of them are hippies, some of them are yogis, some, like Bobby, were both. Bob Weir was a master storyteller, a master musician. He died this week, at age 78. It's suggested that he spent more time on stage playing music for people than anyone in history. If anyone else has come close or surpassed him, it would probably be his bandmate, Phil Lesh, who died in January of 2024. Sometimes I was in that audience. Some of the best times of my life. Some of the most expansive, free, loving times of my life. Turns out, my mind works best when my body is in motion. Turns out, my mind works best when there is a melody for it to float on. My mind could travel on Bobby's music. It's music for exploring consciousness. I heard a Jazz musician criticize the Grateful Dead's music, saying it was predictable. Fair enough. But where it enabled me to go was anything but predictable. If it doesn't guide you anywhere interesting, that's fine. I hope you find something that does. Bobby was a consummate explorer of consciousness. Today's psychonauts talk about how important it is for a facilitator to know the territory that they are guiding you through. Bobby knew the territory; you could feel it. You could certainly hear it in his voice. He could evoke such a range of emotions. It was a voice that could take you places. And it was a voice that made you feel like you had a friend to travel with you the entire time. Such warmth. I didn't know him personally, but I felt like I did. A lot of people feel the same. He had that way about him. But living in Marin for a time, I was lucky. I was able to see him at some very intimate shows. Terrapin, Sweetwater. Once, he played a sidewalk show on 4th Street. I did get to know some of the people in the audience. They're my friends. I was always happy to see them. Some of them I've known since the 90s, some I met much later. Lovers of music and explorers of consciousness, the lot of them. Some of us, that's all we had in common. That's enough. We've got the music, we've got each other. Bob understood death wasn't the end. He spoke about it from time to time, "Death is a reward for a life well lived...I'll get around to it eventually." Not only that, but the legacy, the music, the community care, and the spiritual practice live on. People will never stop playing Grateful Dead songs. They'll play them on guitar around campfires forever. They'll play them on cassette, on vinyl, on CD, on whatever streaming service or AI musical monstrosity the future may bring. Let there be songs to fill the air. This is not the deep, poignant eulogy I hoped it would be. Oh well. I guess I'm not that guy. But I'm forever grateful to Bobby, and Phil and Jerry and Donna and Pigpen and Brent and Vince and Ozzy and Prince and all the others who came before and shared with us the power and grace and glory that comes with music and community. Thank you Bobby, may the four winds blow you home again. Jillette's Bobby Mix
The Tam Integration Coaching Training ProgramCoaching Training starts February 3rd and runs through the end of June. You'll learn how to work with polarities, paradoxes, and mysteries. You'll sit in the silence and the weirdness until it feels like home. You'll delve into your mind, and the minds of your classmates, and come out kinder and wiser for it. The program offers a wide range of tools & coaching models that give you the framework you need to make use of your gifts.
Training Modules include:
Learn More Here: https://tamintegration.com/psychedelic-coach-training/ Join Our Info Session on Monday January 19th at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern Philadelphia Yoga and Wellness ConferenceFebruary 21st at the Ritz Carlton on Broad Street. A full day of yoga and wellness with a bunch of my old friends from my hometown. I'll be offering a Meditation for the Journey workshop, focusing on embodiment of intention. I'll also be moderating a panel discussion called "How Wisdom Moves: Lineage and the Student-Teacher Relationship.” Featuring Mahan Rishi, Elane Yuen and Pankaj Sharma. I'm looking forward to having some time to practice with long-time colleagues and associates, and hopefully, you! Register here! https://www.philadelphiayogaconference.com/ The Golden RoadThe Golden Road has evolved into a wonderful group of practitioners. The wonderful people who show up share not only their journeys, but the journeys of those they steward. It's become a place of learning, support, accountability, and peer review. Folks are learning some things from me, but they are also learning from each other. We all face unique challenges as we work in this space, and it's great to have a place where we can bring them for non-judgmental feedback and reflection. You're invited. Click here to join! DisclaimerNothing in this email should be considered medical or legal advice. We're not suggesting that you break any laws or do anything dangerous. This email is offered as education and entertainment in the spirit of harm reduction. Consult medical and legal professionals if you have questions. Sometimes, there are affiliate links in this email. It helps support this project. Thank you! |
Tam Integration
Cultivate Your Wisdom as an Integration Professional. Join 13k+ subscribers to Red Things on Tuesday. Every week, you'll get a small, curated collection of music, tips, and psychedelic insight on how to move through this ever evolving psychedelic space.
Dust off your integration one more time, make it shine The boy jumped in bed at 630 this morning. He curled up under the covers and didn’t say anything. I rubbed his back for a moment and then sat up, taking the opportunity to meditate. I like when we get a chance to sit quietly together, it doesn’t happen much. He’s energetic. The nervous system experts love to talk about co-regulation. About how vibing together is a great practice. That’s how the morning started, just vibing and breathing....
Integration is the Bridge Between Vision and Reality Our Psychedelic Visions rarely survive first contact with reality. Sometimes, in our journeys, we have grand visions and ideas, amazing plans for the future. However, more often than not, they melt away when the light hits them. Sometimes we expect the seas to part for us like we're Moses. Or that, like Kevin Costner, they will come if we build it. Rarely is this the case. The world doesn't owe it to us to make our sacred mission easy. Some...
When In Doubt, See if There's Something You Can Relax - Red Things on Tuesday This is one of the best pieces of advice I've gotten from a psychedelic guide, "When in doubt, relax." When I'm upset, something is tight. When I'm in conflict with someone, or myself, something is tight. When I'm ruminating, perseverating, or looping uncreatively, something is tight. There is a tension in my body that I can literally use as a barometer to determine if my thoughts are helpful. If it's tight,...