The Integration of Becoming
Happy Birthday Ram Dass!
The Integration of Becoming
It was Ram Dass's Birthday on April 6th. That's an important day for folks like us. I don't think we'd be here together in this moment if not for him.
I think about him and his teaching a lot. He even comes up in class all the time.
Over the weekend, we were talking about 'becoming.' Coaching is a lot about outcomes. People come to coaching because they are looking for outcomes. They are looking to have something different, to do something different, to be something different. This is a quirky conversation to have in the psychedelic world, because we know that we already are all of it! How do you change into something new when you've witnessed the fullness of your true being? We need to change into who we already are. We need to stop investing so much energy into being what we are not. Our spiritual journey is reductive, it's a purification. And sometimes this journey of purification is painful, because we're attached to and identified with so much of this stuff that distracts and torments us.
In his classic, Be Here Now (what do you mean you don't have a copy! Get it now! From a used bookstore with a cat if at all possible, but Amazon if you must.) Ram Dass calls this "The Crisp Trip" - You get fried on the journey, cooked away so completely, so that by the time you show up at your destination, there's no 'you' left. You can't go, you can't get there from here.
In his other excellent book, Grist for the Mill, He goes a little bit more in depth about what it's like to go on The Crisp Trip, whether it's bliss or whether it's torture, and why. It comes down to our view of the self, just who do we think we are, anyway....
But then when we look around, and we get a sense of another reality, an awareness of presence—a place within us starts to draw us as inevitably and irrevocably as a flame draws a moth. For a long time, maybe many, many lifetimes, we’ll keep soaring in close and getting our wings singed. Now, whether our wings are being singed, whether the fire purifies us or destroys us, depends on who we think we are, because the fire can only burn our stash of clinging. The fire doesn’t burn itself. And in truth, we are the fire.
In truth, we are the fire. We are the pure radiant consciousness that incinerates all illusion. We are loving awareness.
It's one of the most beautiful lessons, one of the most important.
Happy Birthday, Baba
Ram Dass, East Forest, and a Free Gift!
East Forest is making his movie "Music For Mushrooms" free to our community.
🎥 Music For Mushrooms is a powerful documentary by our friend East Forest that dives into the transformative magic of music and psychedelics for inner growth and resilience. 🌱 It’s a story of hope, perfectly timed for these challenging moments we’re all navigating.
💌 As a gift to you, enjoy a free limited screening April 10th to April 20th. Please feel free to share it with someone who could use a little extra light right now! 🌟✨
Check it out here: https://eastforest.org/tamintegration
Meister Eckhart talks Angels and Demons in Jacob's Ladder
The Events!
Fractal Inquiry Coaching Intensive, Begins May 8th
One of the fun things about being an integration coach is that you get to work with clients to help them move gently and safely into these dark spaces. A little meditation, some parts work, and a bit of deep inquiry. Whatever it takes.
I think that inquiry is a potent tool for exploring our client's depth.
People are like fractals. If you zoom in on the right spot, you get more depth and wonder than you can ever imagine. That's one of the biggest and best jobs of the coach, is to listen for those spots, and to encourage zooming. All too often people are focused on the uninteresting blue bit that just repeats "I like sugar" or "Why Me?" when just a few pixel to the right is all of the answers they could have hoped for and more.
This is one of the philosophical underpinnings of our coaching model. We've found that if you're curious and caring, and you ask skillful questions, you can discover amazing things about people. Not only that, they can discover amazing things about themselves.
I love to support people in building the skills and confidence to add deep inquiry to their coaching or consulting practice.
To this end, I've developed a class called 'Fractal Inquiry'.
It's going to be three weeks, and we will meet on Thursday nights in May.
It will focus on the impact of mindful inquiry and deep listening in your Psychedelic Integration Coaching. You'll learn coaching techniques designed to awaken your clients’ inner resourcefulness. You'll be able to practice them in our community container so that you can see how they work in real-time.
Inquiry is a practice that goes beyond mere discussions of microdosing protocols or educational sessions on molecules and dosages. Move beyond just lecturing your clients. Move beyond reactionary advice-giving; embrace the true art of coaching.
We'll cover:
See how asking the right questions can lead to closing more sales.
Know what to do after your client tells you “where they feel it in their body”
And of course, we'll discuss a little parts work as mentioned above!
As a bonus, you'll receive:
Tam’s Comprehensive Inquiry Framework Workstation - robust templates to support you in exploring essential areas of your client’s life.
Tam’s Integration Journaling Prompts - the same questions that guide us in supporting our clients as they process their psychedelic experiences.
Twice Weekly Group Meditations - take the opportunity to sit with us!
Ongoing Q&A with Daniel - Daniel answers your questions posed in the community space.
If you're thinking about joining our year-long psychedelic integration coaching training, this is a great way to explore what it means to be a psychedelic integration coach and what it's like to learn with us!
Logistics:
Class meets Thursdays, May 8, 15, 22 at 5 - 7 pm Pacific, 8 -10 pm Eastern
All classes are recorded and available 'forever'.
Meditation meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 - 9:30am Pacific, Noon Eastern
Community practice and discussion space through "Mighty Networks"
Class is $297, or $149 for just the recordings.
IFS and the Sacred Wound with Stefanie Cohen
Thursday, April 10th at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern - $30 or free with Golden Road
Register Here
Healing, as seen in Internal Family Systems and shamanism, involves learning to be with our pain in a new way. IFS calls this “Witnessing” or “Being With”—we fully acknowledge the pain of our exiled parts, offering love and compassion without trying to change it. This process allows those wounded parts to feel seen and eventually reintegrate.
Often called “Blowing on the Ember,” we repeatedly turn toward our sacred wound—whether it’s a neglected inner child or a mistaken core belief—and tend that inner fire through song, drumming, time in nature, or simple stillness. Each time we show up for our pain, we honor our unique spark and begin the real work of healing.
Stefanie Cohen is a former Wall Street Journal Journalist who left New York City ten years ago after being prescribed a slew of antidepressants that never really worked. She attended an ayahuasca ceremony in 2015 and found what she was looking for. She spent the next five years working with various psychedelic medicines including Ibogaine, Ayahusca, MDMA, psilocybin, ketamine and cannabis and found what she was looking for - relief from depression and anxiety and also a deeper connection to herself and others, the natural world, and a force greater than herself. She has trained in Internal Family Systems and shamanic practices and now works as a psychedelic guide in legal settings and an integration and preparation coach for others here in Berkshire County.
The Way Of Liberation - March + April Monthly Theme - The Golden Road Collective
We've started a group offering called The Golden Road Collective.
The Golden Road is a collective of psychonauts, healers, guides, and transformational change agents. We work together to create and embody the visions that have been gifted us in our ceremonies. We’re stepping into a shared future that is mindful, resilient, and committed to the versions of ourselves that we know we can be.
It's a chance to receive teaching, mentoring on your personal or professional practice, and group coaching with Daniel. There are also group meditations and monthly special guests. You can join at any time. Learn More Here
In March and continuing into April, we'll be exploring passages from Adyashanti's "Way of Liberation" - You don't need to buy the book to enjoy our March classes, and you don't need to join our March Classes to enjoy the book.
Love this! Happy birthday, Baba!