In this interview I am joined by Michael Taft: maverick meditation teacher, bestselling author, host of the ‘Deconstructing Yourself’ podcast, and founder of the Alembic community.

Michael recounts his lifelong meditation journey, describes his initial reluctance to teach meditation, the writing of ‘Mindful Geek’, and his divergence from Shinzen Young.

Michael reveals his troubled upbringing, crippling teenage anxiety, and intense experimentation with LSD and the occult.

Michael also shares a transformative mystical experience in Japan, his practice of classical Hindu tantra, and details experiences of seeing other dimensional entities in daily life.

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Link in bio.

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:57 - Looking back at ‘Mindful Geek’

03:09 - Reluctance to teach

04:49 - Secular mindfulness

10:09 - Diverging from Shinzen Young

12:52 - Michael’s troubled upbringing

17:32 - Crippling anxiety attacks and discovering meditation

21:35 - Experiments with the occult

22:36 - Michael’s magical explorations

25:40 - Chaos magic and massive doses of LSD

28:12 - The essence of Robert Anton Wilson

31:31 - David Chapman ruins everything

34:10 - Shapeshifting as a meditation teacher

41:36 - More on LSD

43:06 - Moving to Japan

46:46 - A transformative psychedelic experience

49:38 - Analysing Michael’s psychedelic experience

54:32 - Living in the Jewel Ornament Sutra

56:48 - Seeing entities

01:00:17 - Learning to see other realms

01:04:20 - Extensive kundalini work

01:08:23 - Michael’s practice of classical tantra

01:10:38 - Intensive underground retreat practice

01:11:16 - The essence of Michael’s tantric journey

01:14:33 - Trauma healing and the energy body

01:17:20 - Integration and personal relationships

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To find out more about Michael Taft, visit:

- https://deconstructingyourself.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James