Inklings Bruce Sanguin's blog
The “I” and the “Me”
Ever notice that we seem to have more than one self at play? We catch ourselves acting spiteful, jealous, envious and petulant, but know inside that it’s not who we truly are. Here’s my best stab at describing what’s going on. We have multiple selves. There are various ways and systems of thought to slice … Read more
Stop Trying to Change Yourself
You’ve tried everything. Therapy, yoga, positive thinking, meditation, exercise, and fasting. You’ve been on retreats that promised the kundalini serpent would rise up and awaken you. You’ve opened your third eye, cleared your chakras, done past life regressions. Maybe you’ve tried psychedelics. You expected that everything would change. But guess what, at the end of … Read more
Endure Nothing and Nobody
I’m grateful to my mentor and therapist, Andrew Feldmar, for this principle. When he first dropped it on me I remember being speechless. I could hardly imagine putting it into practice. It’s wisdom spread through my system like a time-release capsule. Here’s why I think it’s so hard to accept, let alone practice. When we … Read more
Privilege the true over the good
From the time we arrive the world wants us to be “good”. It’s easier for our parents, for our teachers, for just about everybody—except perhaps our selves. Al Gore wrote the Inconvenient Truth over twenty years ago, related to the environment. But it could be applied to our own development as human beings. We learn … Read more
Siddhartha: Part 2
In Part 1 I reflected on Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha, as a journey about the challenge of becoming an individual. Only by realizing our individuality—what it is to be a self connected to but distinct from the collective—do we become fully human, and make our unique contribution to humanity and the evolution of our species. Our … Read more
Siddhartha: Becoming an Individual (Part 1)
I intend to write this reflection in two parts, tracking the spiritual progress of our protagonist, Siddhartha, and then riffing on some possible meanings for our own spiritual journey. I must be one of the very few who had never read Herman Hesse’s classic novel, Siddhartha. It’s based (sort of) on the life of the … Read more
MDMA and the Shadow
The new psychotherapy: MDMA and the Shadow by Ann Shulgin Originally published on Eleusis, n. 3, pp. 3-11, 1995This is a revised and edited version of a talk given at the Psychoactive Sacraments Conference Retreat, sponsored by the Chicago Theological Seminary and the Council on Spiritual Practices Vallombrosa Center, Menlo park, California, U.S., February 16-19, 1995.Modern psychotherapy utilizing psychedelic drugs probably began in … Read more
The Longing to Feel Alive and Addiction
Joseph Campbell once wrote something to the effect that when people say they are searching for the meaning of life what they are really searching for is an experience of being alive. This felt experience of being alive, and the realization of its absolute value is what I call “intensity”. We all come into the … Read more
Anxiety and the Homicide-Suicide Continuum
Is it just me or does it seem to you that there is more and more anxiety creeping into our society, particularly younger generations? The list of possible causes is endless, including at the physiological level, processed food; at the technological—an increase in the amount of screen time, including the constant barrage of beeps and … Read more
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