This book identifies the universal structures that underlie the varieties of transformative experiences, much as William James did a century ago in The Varieties of Religious Experience. Featuring dozens of illustrations, this book, now a "One Spirit" Book-of-the-Month-Club selection, is a brilliant cross-cultural examination of the power of archetypal metaphors to nurture profound experiences of transformation.
Raplh Metzner is world-renowned as a pioneer in the study of consiousness and transformative experience. He worked with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert on psychedelic research at Harvard, where he received a Ph. D. in clinical psychology. He has since practiced psychotherapy and pursued research in consciousness studies in a variety of settings. Today he teaches at the california Institute of Integral Studies, where he was Academic Dean for 10 years. His other books include The Psychedelic Experience, Maps of Consciousness, and The Well of Remembrance.