Approaching the Winter Solstice, we enter the darkest time of the year. Yet, this time, though dark, is referred to as “the Holidays” (Holy Days) and — lasting from Thanks-giving to Christmas – associated with gratitude and the giving of gifts.
What gifts do we want to give in these dark times? What light or warmth do we want to bring to the world… to whom?
It’s in those times… Read More »
The waters break as pregnant clouds let loose and shower the desert with cold and drenching rebirth. The river swells and bursts with life, the current rising as brown mud and silt slide over sandbar and gravel. Staunch in its power and resolute in its course, it envelopes the banks and swallows the thirsty grasses and shrubs.
The harsh summer of drought is soothed in this watery fall, the fever… Read More »
In the world of daily consensual reality, the term “altered state” seems threatening to many, a dangerous, unstable condition possibly induced by drugs or some untethered consciousness behind the frightening unpredictability of the mentally ill. This is the common usage, but it’s inaccurate or at best inadequate. If something is “altered,” we have to ask, “from what?” And if we are talking about the mind, consciousness, or forms of perception,… Read More »
Recently, Michael Pollan’s new book, “How to Change Your Mind,” has provoked a flurry of interest across the country, with articles in the New Yorker, interviews on Fresh Air, and podcasts with Tim Ferris and others. In it, he reports on some new research with psychedelics, including their use in healing PTSD, anxiety, and addiction.
The implications for the mental health field are rich and promising, but his explanation of… Read More »
Comparing a vision quest today to traditional quests of centuries ago, the range of issues in modern life is far greater than in the small, tight-knit communities of the past. Communities of the past were relatively homogenous and lacked wide diversities of
1. Wealth, class, and economic status.
2. Racial, ethnic, and gender identities.
3. Family dynamics, upbringing, and personal history. Read more »
