some books i'm tapping into right now. (:
i tend to tap into multiple books at a time. here are some of the current vibes.
*i recommend all of the books on this list to everyone (grown enough) and their cats.
how to change your mind- by michael pollan
in 2015 michael pollan interviewed a number of cancer patients who had mystical experiences so powerful from just one guided psilocybin session that their fears of death dwindled or disappeared completely. and that's when he decided to dive deep into the world of psychedelics and their medicinal powers- specifically their potential to relieve mental suffering (anxiety, depression, addiction, etc.). it's lit. this book also takes you on a marvelous, detailed safari ride through the history of psychedelics in america- something that is a rare find in psychedelic research... it's almost like things have been covered up or wiped away... haaa. this book was also made into a documentary and it's on netflix as we learn (same title).
grapefruit- by yoko ono
yoko ono's book. it is so weird and incredibly cool. it's an entire book of yoko's art pieces. and they are unique and thought provoking and strange. everything you could ask for, really. you can open up to any page and start reading. you can read it backwards (i think yoko would probably prefer it that way lol). i love a book that you can just open up to any page at anytime and it's a vibe- not confusing like those normal books. it's perfect to keep with you at all times because you just never know when you can squeeze in a five minute reading break. and on the front cover, yoko and john encourage you to burn the book when you're done reading it.
the timothy leary project- by jennifer ulrich
a hidden gem. i found this on the shelves in the library. blessings. this is all of timothy leary's archives from all his years of psychedelic research put into one book. which is amazing because if you research psychedelics like i do, you can't find this shit on the internet. from leary's psychedelic research at harvard university, to millbrook, to prison, to escaping prison and living as a fugitive, to be-ins, to computers, and everything in between and spiraled around. timothy dedicated his life to his psychedelic research, and from the legal research to the not so legal research- all of it was archived. the book contains actual trip reports that he collected throughout the years from people like allen ginsberg, jack kerouac, ralph metzner, and so many more. the author writes from an unbiased lens, which is rare when it comes to leary. she takes us not only on the journey of timothy leary but on a long psychedelic journey of counterculture in america. also- timothy's son, zach leary, wrote the foreword and that's just epic.
autobiography of a yogi- by paramahansa yogananda
a book about the remarkable life of paramahansa yogananda- written by none other than yogananda himself. yogananda began his spiritual work in india very young and in 1920 he brought the teachings of yoga to the west, where he is known as the father of yoga. he founded the self realization fellowship- a spiritual organization whose mission is to express the beauty and divinity of human spirit through the kriya yoga teachings of yogananda. there are now locations all around the world. this book is so eloquently written. he starts us on his journey at a very young age and takes us through many trials and many tribulations which is refreshing because yoga teachers are often times painted as gods or goddesses or people who are without mistakes and hard times. and he writes the book in a way that i was making connection after connection, relating every passage, if not every sentence, to my own life's path. it's inspiring and warm and informative and one of the best most beautiful books i've ever read.
*check out a self realization fellowship near you: https://yogananda.org/locations-map
the electric kool-aid acid test- by tom wolfe
yeah. this is the one. this is all about the merry pranksters. this is written by someone who spent a lot of time with the pranksters, traveled on the further bus, and attended several acid tests. tom wolfe writes in such a way that i had to question if my book had been dipped in... i mean he definitely writes like someone who has explored and has been shaped by ls... uhhh, psychedelics. the trippy word choice, the groovy sentence structure. it's a very psychedelic read. and it takes you on the historic journey of the merry pranksters. a journey a lot of us would have loooved to be on. im a lot of us. and again- this is another psychedelic history that has been seemingly wiped from history. it's rare to find any reference materials on the merry pranksters, so to have a full trippy book written about them by someone who was among them... that's pretty far out.
