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Selected Literature Related to the Toad Meditation

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Selected Literature Related to the Toad Meditation Selected Literature Related to the Toad Meditation last updated: Aug. 16, 2014 Page 1 of 61 Toad Document Summary Title Author Description To Journey or Not? Lyn Thoughts about deciding if this & Recommended experience is right for you. & The basic minimum preparation. Preparation Preparation for the Rick Strassman A more in-depth discussion of a variety Journey of factors to consider in preparing for the journey: long-term, intermediate, and short term work, as well as intent, coming down, and integration. (4 pages) Practicing Death: The Tom Pinkson A short article on using Toad to assist Energy Medicine of the dying process in a relatively Letting Go mainstream publication by a Marin psychologist. (4 pages) Toad Experiences:::: Several write-ups on different 1. Gateway to the 1. Stanislav Grof individuals’ experiences using Toad. Absolute: The Secret of 2. James Oroc These experiences describe the “higher” the Toad of Light 3. Martin W. Ball options of Toad experiences. Oroc’s 2. The 5-MeO-DMT piece describes a range of experiences Experience he’s witness in supporting many others 3. Welcome to the journeys. (16 pages in total) Temple of Awakening Divinity Psychedelic Experience Jack Kornfield A popular Buddhist meditation teachers and Spiritual Practice: talks about the Buddhist perspective on A Buddhist using psychedelics and the various Perspective. levels of purification. (2 pages) Soma, Nectar of the Ganga White The founder of White Lotus Yoga Gods: Yoga and quotes Patanjali (4:1) advocating plant Psychedelics medicine as an aid to awakening, discusses how to determine the authenticity of spiritual experiences, and exposes some of the absurdity of commonly held beliefs. (4 pages) Entheogen Yoga: The Sri Brahmarishi Detailed, specific suggestions for using Application of Yoga Narad different meditation techniques to Meditation Techniques enhance an entheogenic journey. “. to the Use of when properly used, entheogens help to Psychoactive speed up the evolutionary process.” (8 Sacraments pages) Relating to Spiritual Pandit Vamadeva An article that is primarily focused on Experiences Shastri (Dr. David integrating spiritual experiences. Just Frawley) about all of this is directly related to deep entheogenic journeys. (7 pages) Page 2 of 61 Voyager Checklist for The Guild of This is a general checklist for doing any Meeting the Divine Guides kind of journey work. Good ideas and Within checklists for set, setting and post session follow-up. This comes from a larger manual that is more focused on journeys that take a long time (like LSD), but it’s applicable to most any kind of journey. (2 pages) DMT – The Spirit Rick Strassman A description of some of Rick’s Molecule. federally funded research on N-N-DMT (a close cousin to Toad/5MeO DMT). Very thorough and objective. He includes a discussion of negative responses observed in the volunteers. (6 pages) Ego and Entheogens Martin Ball An excellent discuss of the egoic challenges we face when using entheogens on the spiritual path to wholeness Page 3 of 61 To Journey or Not? There are several ways to evaluate the suitability of exploring this medicine. You could get a direct guidance from your higher self. A clear internal message of “Yes, this is right for me.” You could feel a type of hunger in the body for the medicine. A feeling like being thirsty on a hot day and feeling the desire for a cool glass of water. You could feel a resonance in your heart. A feeling of “Yes this would be good for me and my opening and expansion into a deeper connection with Spirit.” You could have a mental draw or curiosity about what this medicine would be like for you that feels very strong. Or the thought that “Yes” this would fit into and support the may my life is unfolding right now. However it happens, it is important to get an internal “Yes” before diving into this experience. The experience itself is utterly indescribable and beyond words. At best anything that is said about the experience can point you in the direction of getting a vague feeling of what kind of experience might unfold. It is with the wish that you might get a general idea of the type of experience this medicine has produced that the following information is shared. If you would like to discuss or have any questions about anything, please be in contact with us. In the excerpts from Rick Strassman’s book (see below), he discusses two individuals (Elena and Don), both had a direct experience of the vast, impenetrable source of all existence. Don believes in the Catholic faith. Elena was steeped in Eastern mysticism. Don felt shocked and betrayed by the absence of a personal God/Savior. Elena saw the love behind the “impersonal” void. A much stronger reaction to the medicine is described by Robert Augustus Masters, a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher. He wrote a whole book about his challenging experience called Darkness Shining Wild. An additional article commenting on this book comes from James Oroc who wrote Tryptamine Palace. Oroc and Masters seemed to have similar experiences, but Oroc felt liberated and Masters felt traumatized. Oroc’s article is pretty long (11 pages) and goes into some more philosophical and psychological points. If you would like a copy of this, please let us know. I found it useful in its discussion of the kinds of things that make for a challenging journey. The over simplified summary of Oroc’s commentary is that this medicine is not good for someone who feels compelled to control every aspect of their life and how they experience it. Rick Strassman would probably also add that having a world view or spiritual outlook that non-dual is very helpful. Recommended Preparation Have a positive overall mindset and realize that the journey actually happens in three phases: 1) preparation, 2) the experience with the sacrament, and 3) integration. Eat light and complete your last meal by no later than 3 hours prior to the journey. Refrain from alcohol on the day of the journey, and refrain from smoking or herb for at least 3 hours prior to the journey. Dress comfortably in non-restrictive clothing with minimum of jewelry. If you like, bring a sacred item for the altar, a special item you want near you, or music you would like to have played during your journey. You are welcome to bring a light, healthy snack Page 4 of 61 item to share with those attending after the ritual. Things that can be eaten with fingers work best. Have not taken an antidepressant medication containing a SSRI or MAOI for at least 30 days, and have not had any recent issues that could effect the functioning of your heart, like high blood pressure or other heart diseases. And, have not been recently hospitalized for a psychological condition. This journey is also not appropriate for those with severely unstable personality or egoic structure. Martin Ball says, “Feeling some fear and anxiety going into the experience is perfectly normal. Indeed, the experience is so huge, I would think that anyone who doesn't have some trepidation probably doesn't understand the gravity of what it is they are about to undertake. If this is an experience you desire to have, then you shouldn't let fear or reasonable caution dissuade you from making the journey.” For more details regarding preparations read Rick Strassman’s “Preparation for the Journey” or the “Voyager Checklist for Meeting the Divine Within”. Both are included below. Page 5 of 61 Preparation for the Journey by Rick Strassman (extracted from a forth coming book) Long-Term Work If we know ourselves—our state and traits—as best as possible, we will be able to contend with any likely resistance to the letting go that is requisite for the optimal journey. The two most common ways of increasing self-knowledge and learning how we relate to ourselves and others—those enduring and deep-seated elements of our set—are psychotherapy and spiritual practice. Sustained concentration on our body and mind in a regular meditation practice can help make apparent several core issues: How do we experience anxiety—in our bodies or mentally? If we perceive anxiety in both the body and mind, which perception comes first? What of vulnerability, happiness, and fear? What are our fears? Is it our nature to share with others or keep to ourselves? Intermediate Work The literature regarding near-death and out-of-body experiences, meditation, shamanism, and, of course, the taking of psychedelic drugs contains a wealth of information about others’ experiences. It can provide us with helpful background information as well as practical means of dealing with those states. Also recommended is speaking with others who have gone before, listening to talks, and getting involved in online discussion groups of the various communities that discuss highly altered states of consciousness—and not only those concerned with the effects of psychedelic drugs. Some might object on the grounds that these educational activities may bias us toward particular expectations which can lead to certain specific types of experiences at the expense of others—yet these arguments are not especially persuasive. The truly psychedelic experience is totally unexpected. Nevertheless, knowing how unexpected it can be may help us to keep our bearings when confronted with it. We will be ready for the unexpected. Discuss the impending trip with your therapist or spiritual teacher if you have one. At this point, however, it should not come as a surprise if the stigma attached to drug use causes spiritual teachers to discourage the taking of them. This may be the case even if he or she has had personally beneficial experiences with psychedelics.
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