This book addresses the role and significance of consciousness expansion in the psychospiritual transformations of the individual, and in the transformations of culture and society associated with the 1960s. In the first part is a description of how the holistic transformation teachings of alchemy, originating in the sacred science of ancient Egypt, persecuted by the Church in the Middle Ages, and ridiculed by scientific modernism, were revived in the 20th century by the work of two Swiss scientists: C.G. Jung, who identified alchemical symbolism as the objective language of the psyche; and Albert Hofmann, who, with the discovery of LSD reconnected the broken link between Spirit and Matter, the mysterious link known traditionally as the Philosophers Stone. In the second part, is a description of how the introduction of consciousness expanding substances into Western culture, synchronous with the invention of the atomic bomb at the height of World War II, was followed by the socio-cultural upheavals of the 1960s. These social transformation movements can be seen as a response of the collective psyche to the unprecedented challenges to civilization posed by nuclear war, environmental destruction and rampant population growth. Though seemingly counter-cultural in that they countered the domination agenda of the power-elites, were really the attempt to articulate an expanded consciousness and a vision of society centered around humane, ecological, creative and spiritual values.
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About the Author
Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. is a recognized pioneer in studies of consciousness and its transformations. He is a psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where he was also the Academic Dean for ten years in the 1980s. He collaborated with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert in the studies of psychedelic drugs at Harvard in the 1960s, and co-authored The Psychedelic Experience. His books include Maps of Consciousness, The Well of Remembrance, The Unfolding Self and Green Psychology; as well as two edited collections on the science and phenomenology of ayahuasca and the psilocybin mushrooms. He is founder and president of the Green Earth Foundation, an ecological educational organization, and teaches a training program in Alchemical Divination.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A history of consciousness expansion,
By #1 Paramee "#1 Paramee" (Northern Ca., USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Expansion of Consciousness (Ecology of Consciousness) (Paperback)
I know Ralph Metzner to be an excellent and articulate writer. I'm writing this review mainly because I wanted to write a helpful review and I was so annoyed that the only review for this book was written by a foolish, self-important, thoughtless, moron that no one, 0 out of 5 people found helpful. Here's what I think could be helpful to a prospective reader. This book is volume 1 of 4 in the series (Ecology of Consciousness). This volume covers Alchemy, A brief history of expansions in and of collective consciousness since WWII, psychedelic subculture and its roots in alchemy and shamanism. In six chapters Metzner covers significant influences on and the development of psychedelic subculture from the 1940's - the 1990's. He also reports on consciousness expanding developments in the "new century" 2000 - 2005 and the book concludes with the question collapse or new beginning? I see this book as an important frame and/or as creating a context for so many of the under reported, discounted, and minimized historical influences that shaped and profoundly changed the way we think and see the world at large. One could only conclude by the growing interest in exploring these topics, the amount of books published on these subjects; psychedelic subculture and the quest for consciousness expansion, is that they continue to be important and strong drivers of change today.
0 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Propogandish,
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This review is from: The Expansion of Consciousness (Ecology of Consciousness) (Paperback)
I thought this would be a great book, but it turned out to be a great disappointment.
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Alchemy, descended from shamanism, is the ancient art and science of elemental transformation. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
psychedelic subculture, psychedelic substances, consciousness expansion, psychedelic experience Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Albert Hofmann, United States, Consciousness Expanding Developments, White House, Martin Luther King, Supreme Court, Soviet Union, Pearl Harbor, Mao Zedong, New York, Nelson Mandela, Los Angeles, World War Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Alchemy, descended from shamanism, is the ancient art and science of elemental transformation. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
psychedelic subculture, psychedelic substances, consciousness expansion, psychedelic experience Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Albert Hofmann, United States, Consciousness Expanding Developments, White House, Martin Luther King, Supreme Court, Soviet Union, Pearl Harbor, Mao Zedong, New York, Nelson Mandela, Los Angeles, World War Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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