Ep149: Deconstructing Yourself - Michael Taft

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 meditation 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. ... www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep149-deconstructing-yourself-michael-taft Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … 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 01:18:24 - Integration and personal relationships ... 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