Customer Reviews

Tryptamine Palace: 5-MeO-DMT and the Sonoran Desert Toad

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Based on an advanced copy of the book:

Okay, let's first dispense with my pesky subjective impression of "negatives" within this book. He too endlessly rips on Tim Leary when, in my view, Tim was a pioneer of human consciousness and just the right type of neuronaut to set the groundwork for authors like this to truly go their own way. Secondly, the author disturbingly informs the reader about three-quarters of the way through the book that he has used a pseudonym the whole time. I was frustrated to discover that it would be difficult to quickly access the author's other contributions in the field of extreme sports and perhaps other topics. Once you get a taste of this book, you want to keep on truck'n with him! I can understand a man trying to protect his "identity" when sailing the seas of entheogens; however, I think the higher message of promulgating a special community (and raising consciousness on this planet through a special vehicle) would have been better served by the author using his real name. The toad's name was outed, wasn't it?

Enough negative. This book is fantastic! I had trouble explaining to my friends what brilliance was contained in its pages while we were all watching basketball and sipping Cabernet on the couch. They took a glance at the cover, scratched their heads and looked at me like I finally had gone off the deep end. Perhaps I have, but what a way to go!

In this bizarre and wondrous work, the reader is catapulted into the strange, substantial and mind-blowing world of 5-MeO-DMT, what seems to be one of the most powerful entheogens ever consumed by humankind. As the author entertainingly recounts his brave journey into this magical world, we are awestruck by the contention that he is coming face-to-face with "God." You'll have to look inside to explore his various definitions of God. How many could really handle this experience? Really?

Like many of the wonderful works published through Park Street Press, this one starts off with a specific theme and ends up taking you through that subject comprehensively and then into other infinitely pleasurable and diverse realms. It assertively and intensely explores cutting edge realms of philosophy and psychology with great energy and insights. It's like reading twenty revolutionary books in one. The book is a smorgasbord of psychedelia that ultimately proves unifying by creating a sense of harmony among various seekers and the interesting paths they take. From the paradisiacal realm of Burning Man, to the hallowed and controversial corridors of medicine and religion, we are treated to an enriching and eye-opening treatise on unique soul exploration. Fear-inducing and exciting stuff!

There are warnings throughout this work on taking the mysterious serum. The reader is advised to read the entire book before grabbing the nearest bufo alvarius, squeezing it senseless, and smoking its magical potion into your system. Be aware and smart! Please be informed, and studious, in approaching any powerful chemical.

The author's style is highly readable while he remains erudite and eager to uncover every possible leaf in the quest for truly higher knowledge. I was thoroughly entertained, utterly shocked and mesmerized beyond belief (and I've read tons of weird books). I am thoroughly intrigued by the potion, but I am not sure if this is the trip for me. I still want to read this author's other works. Some kind Burning Man aficionado should e-mail to me his real name or other pseudonyms. I'd like to follow his intriguing mind adventures into other areas...as we let the toads rest and perhaps regain some of their own anonymity. Let us all preserve their appealing and stimulating possibilities.

This delightful and innovative work, whether you imbibe mind-altering substances or not, proves a powerful philosophical/intellectual cocktail that will blow your mind wide open. If you crave the extraordinary, this stunning book satisfies at many levels...

I've been reading a few books on the subject of entheogens such as DMT before. Two that stands out most are Graham Hancock's Supernatural, and of course Rick Strassman's DMT the Spirit Molecule. But this however, is in a league of it's own, in explaining the nature of the whole reality, as we see it. Hancock's Supernatural is a brilliant book, as is Strassman's Spirit Molecule, but if you only want to buy one book on the subject of entheogens/nature of reality and consciousness...then mark my word, it is this one! I say this without a hint of exaggeration...this book will blow the top of your head to the orbit around the earth, and your brain will follow!

This guy, who writes under the pseudonym James Oroc, has definitely been in places, and reached some sort of enlightenment for sure. It really makes me wonder how big of an opportunity has the human kind lost, when it's institutions made these substances illegal. And what an incredible change could occur on this planet, if all the members of all the earthly governments would try a piece of 5-MeO DMT for themselves. I'm sure the way we run these governments on this planet would never be the same anymore. And people would really realize how interconnected we people, animals, plants and this whole universe really is. Gaia tries to talk to us, using it's plants as a communication device, and some people just have the audacity to come and tell us that it is illegal to listen. My highest recommendations! This is by far the best book I've read in years!

I especially recommend this book for atheists and skeptics...read this and try to hold on to your convictions tightly...if you can! This book is not only about one man's psychedelic experience, no no, it's also about the findings of the leading edge in science, and particulary that of quantum physics. I'd give this book 6 stars, if I only I could.

In my pursuit of knowledge, truth, and of 'gnosis', I have read many books; books on mythology by Joseph Campbell; on synchronicity and the collective unconsciousness, by Carl Jung; books on modern quantum physics like "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" by Gary Zukov and "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot; the list goes on and on. But, of all the many books I've read, given the unique nature of its subject matter, this one, "Tryptamine Palace" by James Oroc is, I have to say, my personal favorite and the best I've ever read.

Setting aside any preconcieved bais I may have had due to the subject matter (the use of entheogenic substances), I could not help but intuit, deeply, from my own studies, contemplation, and meditative work, that Oroc's journeys and explorations of the deepest levels of consciousness and reality, are much more than mere drug induced 'hallucinations', but are, in fact, the "real deal", the true, and wholly authentic, "Samadhi enlightenment" experience of the Tao by Eastern mystics, the "Holy Grail" and the fountain of eternal life, of Arthurian lore, the true Gnosis of the Christian mystic.

Oroc's personal quest to validate and fully integrate his experiences by examining their correspondance with the findings of the modern science of quantum physics, was more than intriguing, it was utterly astounding!

As I read on, I was increasingly filled with a sense of wonderment and awe, and had many "ah ha" moments which validated my own somewhat limited encounters with "G/d" as Oroc refers to "The One", a God which I think of as the "spirit of the Universe", as "the light of life".

Just reading this book can produce a minor enlightenment experience, not unlike an "acid flashback", based on a deeply intuited understanding, that the conclusions Oroc has drawn from his own quest to reconcile spiritual experience with reality, are indeed valid. Terrance McKenna would be proud of this work, and the persistent acts of courage by the author which produced it.

Like I said, this book is among the very best I've ever read if not THE best, given the subject matter being explored (contact with the Godhead), and what it is that's being experienced by the author only to be then made available for subsequent "grokking" by the reader. And, although the 'thing itself' cannot be reduced to any final description employing mere words, Oroc nevertheless makes a valliant attempt to do so and almost pulls it off.

One need not even have an interest in or be involved with the entheogenic experience to fully appreciate what this book has to offer.

If you are, like me, a real Truth seeker and a God seeker, then this book is for you and a definite must have. I cannot recommend it enough.

I usually don't write reviews, but I feel I owe it to this amazing author and this masterpiece he has created. If you enjoyed authors such as Rick Strassman, Graham Hancock, Martin Ball, Daniel Pinchbeck, Roger Walsh and Terrance McKenna - you will absolutely love this book.

Mr. Oroc is truly a talented writer. He has taken the monumental task of articulating an ultimate psychedelic experience, and within the mere confines of human language has produced a sheer classic. This has been the most profound book on entheogens I have read to date.

Oroc not only gives us the mystical side of a 5MEO-DMT experience but shows stunning correlations to cutting edge quantum physics and eastern mystical traditions. With the help of Ervin Laszlo and other leading thinkers of the day, Oroc creates a convincing hypothesis of the basis of reality, and how entheogens fit in.

This book takes your from Oroc's experiences trying to catch the elusive Sonoran Desert Toad, to the Burning Man playa, to the zero-point field, to the mountainous temples of India, and back to New Orleans and his home in the Caribbean. It's an epic journey! I finished this book in less than a week - It was impossible to put down!

At an important time in human history, this book was surely destined to be produced. Oroc said it himself a part of him, some force, was determined to produce this book. It's level headed approach to issues of spirituality, the human experience, and controversial "hallucinogens" are pivotal in this turning point in human history. The transformation which took place within Mr. Oroc is happening within more and more people around the world. This book is a piece of the puzzle and a catalyst for the ultimate reality which is human destiny: The nature of the cosmos is love, and we are co-creators of our own realities!

To be honest I was skeptical about this book, because of the contents of the subjects DMT and "GOD". Two of my most favorite experiences in life that are the hardest to quantify in words. So like anything and everything this book had to prove its self worth to me. Tryptamine Palace hit me like a familiar rush of systemic energy flowing from page to page I could not put it down. As if the author was standing behind me taking telepathic notes on my own personal experience with DMT he was able to organize some of my most amazing moments of consciousness and connectedness with the universe and the life force within. As for the "GOD" experience the author drew many of the same lines I have come to except as my truth and relationship with love but could never articulate in words. So to the author I say thank you, now when I would like to inform a friend on DMT can turn to Tryptamine Palace and offer it up as guide and beginning to ancient knowledge, yearning to express itself in YOU.

I feel all the previous posts have done a spectacular job reviewing this book, but as others have said, I feel I owe this author for completing a work that has the capability to change the destructive thought patterns currently existing in much of Society today. This book is a treasure to be read by people exploring their souls to determine if tryptamines might be a tool to help them achieve transcendence. However, those who have already delved into the depths of the dimensions that continually surround us will also find vivid and meaningful descriptions to resonate with their own personal experiences.
Oroc's combination of science and mysticism forces the reader to ask questions that may have not burned within their minds before. With each additional page read, questions are both facilitated and answered. This is reflective of the DMT experience as a whole, as avid psychonauts will tell you that each tryptamine experience leaves you feeling as though you have been provided answers few ever receive, while stoking your internal fire to find out more about how the unknown world around us functions and exists.
One of my favorite things about Oroc's book is the large amount of excerpts he provides from other works. He identifies books that explicitly appear to describe the DMT experience that have never been paired with psychedelia before. He also quotes works that many readers who have explored psychedelic literature in the past will have already been exposed to. Now that I have finished Oroc's masterpiece, I'm glad he has laid a path of many other books to fulfill my voracious desire for knowledge.
In short, everyone, not just psychonauts, should take the time to read this book. Worst case scenario, you will be left with ideas and questions that will linger in your mind for the rest of your life.

Tryptamine Palace is an intellectual locomotive waiting for prepared minds and imaginations to catalyse. James Oroc proves to be one of the most hardcore human beings I've ever heard of. He takes us on a journey from his transpersonal 5-MeO-DMT experience, watching reality break down into molecules and atoms on orange sunshine powder, M.O.M.'s ball, toad-hunting, Burning Man, India, Hurricane Katrina, Thailand, and of course, the elusive Akashic Field of Eastern Mysticism and Ervin Laszlo. He presents us with a couple of his formulas for the fundamental construction of reality and his interpretations of critical minds including Newton, Einstein, Laszlo, Grof, Leary, McKenna, Huxley, and other notable and less so philosophers and mystics. He appropriately and in my opinion, accurately redefines the human experience of God as G/d. He explains how the presence of the Einstein-Bose condensate within the human brain triggers transcendental experiences through direct contact with the zero-point field. He also gives a brief overview of the current state of quantum discoveries such as nonlocal interaction, the particle/wave paradox, and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, as well as his well-informed opinions of the state of the world's affairs and its future if the current trends are extrapolated. Oroc holds that 5-MeO-DMT is the only true entheogen because is creates a full and instantaneous break with physical reality and forms hallucinations that have no relation to ordinary reality whatsoever, and places himself in a group of 12.5 out of 10,000 people who have had a true mystical, out-of-body experience. This, he reasons, forms the cusp of the human population and the leading force that will dictate the trends of the future. I have a hunch he is pointed in the right direction, because the stories he tells and the philosophical matter he puts forth seem to have much more coherence than nearly all of his predecessors in this field, even if they were all hinting to the same ideas the whole time. Oroc hits the nail on the head in this painstaking effort to put the absolutely ineffable into linguistic structures which has taken him many frustrating, risky years and put him through loops and hurdles, all of which he has surpassed with more tenacity and wisdom than ever. This makes the narrative of the story exciting, interesting, and while wildly rampant in covering every possible subject along the way, an entirely cohesive and meaningful read to those few, proud initiates, and to those like me who have never tried the drug. It piques my interest in looking into the works of other people he mentions on similar subjects, and perhaps even searching out my very own toad!
I've read the full body of the text, but I have not yet gotten to the appendices, in which William Burroughs is mentioned and a variety of other information is given. The one complaint I have with this book, though it's not worth taking off a star for, is the fact that Oroc seems fixated on his "ultimate experience" with 5-MeO-DMT, which he has obviously done more than any person I've ever heard of and should be commended strongly for this effort. But he quickly dismisses its far less potent cousin, n-n DMT as a poor substitute for the real thing, placing him in a very difficult to understand and practically peerless position. While this may be true, not once does he mention any curiosity to try the two IN COMBINATION with each other as in Yopo, and a few other traditional mixtures. Perhaps this is because in these cocktails the amount of n-n is greater than the amount of 5-MeO, making the possibility of isolating the effects of the latter nearly impossible, but I have heard that 5-MeO-DMT and an MAO Inhibiter are potentiators for the TRUE n-n DMT experience. This is no qualm for me, because this seminal work on 5-MeO-DMT certainly catalogues as well as can possibly be conceived the true scope of the experiences possible on this substance, so perhaps for me a look at a more mainstream source for the information of what is possible when the two interact is in order. For the meantime, I am reccommending this book far and wide to like-minded individuals who understand the importance of experiences of this nature, and the impracticality of any attempt to use pure material reductionism or layman's terms to delineate the true happenings of this otherworldly space outside of time.

As a side note, I have just finished reading the last page of the last appendix. I am absolutely blown away by the revelations uncovered in these last pages; each appendix deserves its own book. It truly throws wide the doors to the mystery of life, death, consciousness, Heaven, Hell, G/d, and leaves the reader desperately wanting MORE. This book has inspired me to buy 3 books by Ervin Laszlo, one of which is co-authored by Stanislav Grof, and if I happen to come across any others that catch my eye, I will certainly pick them up as well. I doubt any book I read in this life will come close to the variety and unique wonder of the topics covered in this volume. I am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to acquaint myself with Mr. "Oroc" and it is a childishly oversimplified understatement that his Mr. Toad has a "wild" ride in store for readers or smokers.

Of the over 300 books I have read within the subject scope of spirituality, metaphysics and the nature of reality, this is one that stands out beyond the "crowd". This a groundbreaking book for those looking to explore greater cosmic truths, not only with the aid of DMT amplification, but also for the everyman seeker who is looking for answers in a quest to "tie it all together".

Oroc's account achieves exactly this through a combination of research into 5MEO DMT, quantum physics, spirituality and philosophy - and all intertwined with various personal journeys of discovery. This ultimately leads the reader to the Zero Point Field, and to the all knowing consciousness that holds the Cosmos together. The consciousness called GOD.

This is also a deeply personal account where a kindred connection is formed with the writer, further adding to the books readability. Within all of us there is the deep yearning to have the true Samadi experience, of being able to journey to and touch the Godhead, and to merge into the field of Infinite Potential and Infinite Oneness. It is my sense that the reading of this book has the potential to trigger awakenings within the psyche, allowing the reader to flirt with the idea of connecting to full God consciousness as being a real possibility.

If you are looking for some personal expansion, a view into deeper vistas, and for greater sense of yourself within the vastness of the universal order, this book is a good one to add to your reading list. Savor and enjoy!

Hats off to James Oroc for taking on the legendarily impossible task of describing a psychedelic experience. Those who have taken the journey themselves will be relieved to find such a rich resource to which they can relate their experience. Those who have yet to embark on it will still find this to be a fascinating description and history of psychedelics.

I hesitated before giving this 4 stars - I wish I could give it 4.5, but I had to reserve a star for the occasionally wordy and over-the-top heady nature of the book. There were a few chapters on topics like the 'zero point field' which were almost unreadable. I wish he had been more concise and clear, or that he had used better real life examples to illustrate these complex concepts. I had to skip some of these pages.

Overall this is an incredible read.

In Tryptamine Palace, James Oroc explains in exquisite fullness his personal road to Eleusis. He takes us with him from his philosophical nihilism to soul searching in India, from a head full of acid to the Godhead and many places in between. Mr. Oroc makes an impressive attempt to explain the ineffable nature of the mystical experience. His preferred gateway to the experience is 5-Me-O-DMT. While not having used this compound personally, I can vouch for the accuracy of his descriptions as I've experienced the exact same journey using a different entheogen. The experience is mapped and is the groundwork for the religious impulse in humantiy. He has done an excellent job describing the various states one travels through on a journey of this type. After his initial descriptions, his quest is to somehow find commonalities in science and religion. He succeeds in both. The reader is treated to a slew of broad ranging references from 21st century quantum physics to millenia old Vedic scriptures which seem to validate his experiences. There were a few points in the book where I felt he was reaching a bit but as he continued into deeper waters so to speak, it became clear that Mr. Oroc has stated his case admirably. Tryptamine Palace is a good read not only for anyone who has been to G/d but more importantly for anyone who plans to go there. To paraphrase Terence McKenna "This first step in any psychedelic journey should be to the library." Tryptamine Palace would be a good book to pull off the shelf.