Mind Meld 68 | Dr. Neal Goldsmith – Pray To the Tree Before You Chop It Down

Dr. Neal Goldsmith is a Psychologist and the author of Psychedelic Healing – The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development. In his practice, he specializes in psychospiritual development.

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Why does the hunter bless the deer before he lets his arrow fly? Why is it that so many people say grace before a meal? Why is it that Native Americans would say a prayer to a tree before before cutting it down?

Metaphysical conjecture aside, these rituals, without a doubt, impact the psychology of the person behind them profoundly.

Perfect example, a couple of days back, I was trying to go a day without saying anything negative. No complaining at all. I found that in decreeing that, I was putting my negativity under a microscope. Because of that, when I did slip up, it felt powerful. It felt as though  my bellyaching had some sort of radioactive potential that I needed to keep contained.

I’m not sure what to call this phenomenon. Maybe it’s a sacred reframing of the mundane or something. Or perhaps it’s just another form of mindfulness where you’re laying a little psychic condiment of scrutiny on the ham sandwich of your actions. Whatever it is, it’s a powerful little flavor enhancer that’s sure to spice up your reality tunnel, especially if you use it constructively.

Musings in this mind meld include –

• Why the psyche and the soul are one in the same

• Letting go of old wounds and conditioning

• The power of “the presence of the past in the present”

• Is humanity experiencing existential growing pains?

• The resacrilization of science and nature and Rupert Sheldrake

• The power of making things and your actions scared again

• Dualism and the integration of the other

• The “Borgification” of humanity is already happening and it’s natural

• Why fearing the other doesn’t serve us

• “The cartography of consciousness”

• Panpsychism, Pantheism, Atheism and other theisms

• Why is there anything versus nothing and the universe as an amoeba

• Our innate preference for the natural

• Is a city any less natural as a tree?

• Do psychedelics do more harm than good without the proper context?

• How MDMA heals trauma

• The Last and First Men by Olaf Stapleton

• It takes a very self aware fish to know it’s in the ocean

• Pandora’s box and our continuous need to push the envelope

• Humanity, evolution, networks cooperation, coopetition

• The upward teleological pull and the wholistic maturation humanity is experiencing