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.
Sacred Knowledge and Psychedelic Knowledge - It's all the same
Sacred Knowledge and Psychedelic Knowledge - It's all the sameIn the summer of 2000, I spent a week at Casa De Guru Ram Das, the spiritual center of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga empire in Espanola, New Mexico. I did seva (service). I swept the floor of the practice space, learned how to peel ginger for chai, and chopped potatoes. One morning the guitar guy didn't show, and I was recruited to march around the campground at 4 am, clumsily strumming "May the Long Time Sunshine Upon You" as a slender man with a white beard held the chords up for me. I was embarrassed by my performance, but my guide assured me I had done my duty, which filled me a sense of pride. Sikhs are spiritual warriors after all. Duty is important. While this was long before the scandals broke, I definitely knew it was weird there. I could tell it wasn't for me. In one of his evening talks, Yogi Bhajan bragged about getting his students to lie and steal for him. It was for the greater good, and since he was the lord of time and space, it would all work out in the end. Nobody else seemed to notice, but oh well. They say that neurodivergent people are less susceptible to brainwashing. Could be true. The high point of my visit was a two-hour mantra session, chanting "Aad sach, Jugaad sach, Haibee sach, Nanak hose bhee sach." It was beautiful, energetic, and peaceful. This mantra translates to "True in the beginning, true through the ages, true even now — O Nanak, forever true." (Nanak founded the Sikh religion, which I hold in high regard, despite Bhajan's misdeeds.) As someone who had already had a few years of enthogenically inspired mystic revelations under their belt, this mantra made perfect sense to me. I was more than familiar with true and eternal realms of consciousness. If anything, I appreciated that Nanak knew it too. It added credibility. Experiencing infinite, everlasting truth was peak for me, and chanting this mantra gave me a taste of it again. It connected me to that eternal moment. It was, even though I didn't know the word yet, integration. It helped me bring more of that cosmic, perhaps divine vision, into a lasting, embodied way of seeing and being. Even though I left the whole "Kundalini Yoga" thing behind as I drove east to New Orleans, I kept chanting that mantra for some time and enjoyed its effects. We don't talk enough about the eternal nature of truth and goodness, so it's a joy, almost a relief, to come across it in spiritual teachings, art, music, or even science. It's so natural to want our experiences normalized and validated. That is why people love integration circles, and why it was such a delight to discover a mantra chanted by millions of spiritually minded people. It was equally delightful to read Bill Richard's book, "Sacred Knowledge," years later, where he presented these experiences in a clear, organized way that's easily digestible for a modern, scientifically minded audience. (So delightful that I suggest the book to the trainees in the coaching program) At the beginning of the book, Bill lists common spiritual insights. They, of course, include immortality, love, and wisdom. Truth is forever true. He says: During mystical experiences, there is often intuitive conviction that the eternal realms of consciousness are indestructible and not subject to time. This insight is typically reported as having been blatantly obvious when mystical consciousness was occurring. Guru Nanak and Bill Richards agree. Across time and space, truth doesn't change. Neither does love. Love and truth, same thing basically. "Wisdom is compassion," a monk once told me. Trey agrees, too. This whole post was inspired by a Trey Anastasio lyric. I was listening to the words ofthe song "Drift While You're Sleeping," and caught the words of Nanak being sung to me. Old wine in new skins: It's love, it's love, it always was And it is and it always will be love And it is and it was and it will be love It is and it always will be love So, we're in agreement. Nothing changes. Even as everything appears to change around us, Truth is forever. And it is, and it was, and it will be love, and it is and always will be love. This, in my opinion, is integration. This is what we're trying to do. We're trying to stay connected to this. This is what our practices are about. This is what we're doing in the golden road membership, and the classes, and the trainings, and whatever else. The truth is here. The love is here. It's time we join it. See you Sacred Music, Psychedelic Music❤️ Training Weekend in San FranciscoNovember 6th to 8th in the Mission Evoke the innate wisdom of your client with curiosity and presence. Skillfully move past blocks that stall your client's integration.Discover the unparalleled impact of mindful inquiry and deep listening in your Psychedelic Integration Coaching. You’ll learn coaching techniques designed to awaken your clients’ inner resourcefulness. You’ll be able to practice them in our community container so that you can see how they work in real-time. Join me for a transformative weekend, where we delve into the essence of Psychedelic Integration Coaching— asking good questions. Inquiry is a practice that goes beyond mere discussions of microdosing protocols, or educational sessions on molecules and dosages. Move beyond just lecturing your clients. Move beyond reactionary advice-giving; embrace the true art of coaching. It’s time to recognize that your true value as a coach comes from your ability to be deeply present for your , to take your seat as a compassionate companion on the path in the truest way possible. Fractal Inquiry allows you to meet your client as your authentic self, which ultimately maximizes the you can offer them. OfferingsWinter Coaching TrainingIn January, our six-month Coaching Training begins.This intensive program covers everything you need to know to skillfully guide a client from preparation through integration. We work with mindfulness, somatics, and deep inquiry to help clients prepare for psychedelic experiences by understanding their intentions, working with the habitual patterns that keep them stuck, and lovingly confronting their shadow parts. You'll learn how to support integration, helping clients make meaning from their intense experiences and bring what they learn into daily life. We cover client intake, scope of practice, ceremony, ethical space holding, and varieties of spiritual support. Alongside the coaching work, we cover building a practice, developing your offers, and having responsible conversations with potential clients. Students learn active listening, the art of powerful questions, and practices for grounding, support and emotional regualtion. You'll feel confident in your ability to make good, ethical choices in your sessions and develop a way of working that creates lasting change and is truly integrative. There is a free info session about the training on Thursday, October 21st at 3pm Eastern. Register Here: Here is the landing page for the training: https://tamintegration.com/psychedelic-coach-training/ Integration CirclesOpen Circles on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. They will be at 3pm Eastern, Noon Pacific. Women's Circles, every Thursday at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific You can join here: https://sqr.co/tamcircle/ ~ The Golden Road - Mentorship, Peer Support, Supervision, and Skill Building for Serious Psychonauts and Healing ProfessionalsThe Golden Road has evolved into a wonderful group of practitioners. We meet every Thursday at noon eastern. There is also a large archive (over 200 hours) of psychedelic education and past talks. 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 Golden Road is a group of coaches and guides that are growing their practices and coming together in the spirit of personal and professional peer support. You also get some teaching and Q&A with yours truly. The main group meeting is Thursdays at noon Eastern. Here's the link to that. 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.
Listen to the weird psychedelic voices I remember when you could go to a psychedelic conference and see talks with names like "Xenolinguistics, Psychedelics, and the Evolution of Consciousness." Thanks, Diana Slattery, you're the best! Xenolinguistics is, of course, the study of alien languages, much like the kind you see in your psychedelic journeys or in an Allyson Grey Painting. The talk was weird, and it only made partial sense to my puny rational mind, but it was psychedelic. It was...
Bad Trips, Catharsis, and Breathwork I've got to be honest. I don't think that catharsis is the pinnacle of the psychedelic journey. People seem very attached to their emotional releases; they love rolling around on the floor wailing. I think this has diminishing returns. I think it's part of the zeitgeist. People are told that they've been repressing their emotions for too long (which is probably true), and that the path to healing lies in feeling their emotions (which is partly true). What...
Insight is not excellence; excellence requires practice I was at a lovely, spiritual, daylong event over the weekend. It included a ritual designed for breakthrough and transformation. We broke into small groups, and it was clear this was the first time our group leader had ever led this practice. He was sincere and devoted, but he had to read the steps off of a printout, and stumbled more than once. I had to suspend my cynicism. But you know what? It worked. I felt something, I was moved. As...