february 2019 – good to read

Searching for the Philosophers’ Stone. Encounters with Mystics, Scientists and Healers

Ralph Metzner, PhD.
A moving speaker and a great raconteur who knows the psychedelic research community like other, Ralph Metzner is our beloved elder, and it is a great pleasure to find him sharing the memories of thirty years of his long life with us. We read about his encounters with Albert Hofmann, Alexander Shulgin, Terence McKenna or Leo Zeff, we learn more about Ho’oponopono, the healing Hawaiian bodywork, and how it came to the West, and witness how the author was introduced to iboga, ayahuasca and the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, aka as the Fourth Way.  Ralph Metzner has had an amazing life, and his life-long quest is a testimony to his belief that we should actively undertake the One Quest (Claudio Naranjo) leading to the understanding of self and others, and of life. (sgs)
Park Street Press, December 2018

How to Be Human The Manual

Ruby Wax
«We can’t stop the future from arriving, no matter what drugs we’re on. But even if nearly every part of us becomes robotic, we’ll still, fingers crossed, have our minds, which, hopefully, we’ll be able use for things like compassion, rather than chasing what’s ‘better,’ and if we can do that we’re on the yellow brick road to happiness. I wrote this book with a little help from a monk, who explains how the mind works, and also gives some mindfulness exercises, and a neuroscientist who explains what makes us ‘us’ in the brain. We answer every question you’ve ever had about: evolution, thoughts, emotions, the body, addictions, relationships, kids, the future and compassion. How to be Human is extremely funny, true and the only manual you’ll need to help you upgrade your mind as much as you’ve upgraded your iPhone.» (Ruby Wax)
Penguin, January 2019

Our Universe

Jo Dunkley
A world-renowned astrophysicist takes us through the huge, unfolding history of the universe: The night sky is an endless source of wonder and mystery. For thousands of years it has been at the heart of scientific and philosophical inquiry, from the first star catalogues etched into ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets to the meters-wide telescopes constructed in Chile’s Atacama Desert today. On a clear night it is hard not to look up and pick out familiar constellations, and to think of the visionary minds that pioneered our understanding of what lies beyond. In this thrilling new guide to our Universe and how it works, Professor of Astrophysics Jo Dunkley reveals how it only becomes more beautiful and exciting the more we discover about it.
Penguin, January 2019

The Library Book

Susan Orlean
After moving to Los Angeles, Susan Orlean became fascinated by a mysterious local crime that has gone unsolved since it was carried out on the morning of 29 April 1986: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, ultimately destroying more than 400,000 books, and perhaps even more perplexing, why? With her characteristic humour, insight and compassion, Orlean uses this terrible event as a lens through which to tell the story of all libraries – their history, their meaning and their uncertain future as they adapt and redefine themselves in a digital world. Filled with heart, passion and extraordinary characters, The Library Book discusses the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives.
Simon & Schuster, January 2018

Traveling High & Tripping Hard

Joseph Davida 
Traveling High and Tripping Hard is the story of a young man’s quest to find the meaning of life through a series of altered states and high adventures…
After accidentally ingesting a large dose of PCP when eight years old, Joseph Davida had an apocalyptic vision that would change the course of his life forever. Charged with the monumental task of saving the world, he set out on a mission that led him through the jungles of Central America, the pyramids of Egypt, the temples of Kathmandu—and into the deepest recesses of his mind. For anyone who has ever wanted a glimpse into those strange places that lie somewhere between the darkness and light, hope and despair, and spirituality and madness, Traveling High and Tripping Hard is guaranteed to deliver.
Dark Planet Press, January 2018

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