LSD and the Mind of the Universe: Diamonds from Heaven
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- Create Date：2021-04-30 10:56:30
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Christopher M. Bache
- ISBN：1620559706
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Summary
A professor of religious studies meticulously documents his insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted over the course of 20 years The book chronicles， with the author’s systematic journey into a unified field of consciousness that underlies all physical existence and makes a powerful case for the value of psychedelically induced spiritual experience and discusses the challenge of integrating these experiences into everyday life。
Reviews
Joshua Line
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Science and spirituality， of any stripe， don't mix。 Science and spirituality， of any stripe， don't mix。 。。。more
Terry Greig
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Chemically enforced insanity I very much enjoyed this book but would advise against anybody dosing themselves up on LSD， there are other means of delving into higher realities。I am going to add a couple of paragraphs from Jane Roberts book by Seth called The Nature of Personal RealitySeth， the personality who speaks through author Jane Roberts， has this to say about “massive doses” of LSD in The Nature of Personal Reality （Prentice-Hall）。 Seth’s statements refer only to LSD， used under certain c Chemically enforced insanity I very much enjoyed this book but would advise against anybody dosing themselves up on LSD， there are other means of delving into higher realities。I am going to add a couple of paragraphs from Jane Roberts book by Seth called The Nature of Personal RealitySeth， the personality who speaks through author Jane Roberts， has this to say about “massive doses” of LSD in The Nature of Personal Reality （Prentice-Hall）。 Seth’s statements refer only to LSD， used under certain conditions; there are other chemical hallucinogens that are not mentioned。 “In therapy using massive doses of LSD， a condition of chemically enforced insanity takes place。 By insanity， I mean a situation in which the conscious mind is forced into a state of powerlessness。 There is a literal assault made not only upon the psyche， but upon the organizational framework that makes it possible for you to exist rationally in the world that you know。 The ego， of course， cannot be annihilated in physical life。 Kill one and another will， and must， emerge from the inner self which is its source。“Under such enforced conditions， you are literally facing egotistical consciousness with its own death in an encounter that need not occur — and while the physical body is fighting for its own life and vitality。 You are bringing about a dilemma of great proportions。“The landscape of the psyche is indeed revealed， bringing good data to the psychiatrist。 But the experiences undergone by the patients — and all of this applies to massive doses — represent the enactment， through terrible encounter， of the species’ birth into consciousness， and its death as consciousness falls back annihilated; followed by its rebirth as the individual patient struggles to emerge again from dimensions not native under those conditions。“The deepest biological and psychic structures are altered。 I did not say they were damaged， though they may be according to the situation。 Consciousness is assaulted at its roots。 When periods of transcendence are felt under such conditions， they represent the psychic birth of a new personality from the sources of the old， and from the death， psychically， of the old。 In some cases the genetic messages have changed， in that they are different。 This is psychic slaying in a technological framework。“Under LSD you are highly suggestible。 If you are told that the ego must die then you will kill it。 You will telepathically follow the ideas of your guide under even the best of conditions。 The psychic “rebirth” may leave you with a completely new set of problems， rising on the bed of the old and as yet undecipherable。“The new ego is quite aware of the conditions of its birth。 It knows it was born out of the death of its predecessor， and for all its feelings of transcendent joy， natural enough at its birth， it fears that annihilation from which it sprang。“The natural creature-integrity is not the same。 The physical world will never be trusted in quite the same way。 The alliance with it is not as secure。 The “self” that was born into the body， and grew with it， has gone， and another “self” has risen from that previous organization。“Such self-changes happen naturally as life progresses， and when the self modulates at any given time， it is different from what it was。 When this occurs “all by itself” it is an innate reflection of the psyche’s creativity and happens with its own rhythm — connected to seasons of the mind and blood and consciousness and cells in ways that you do not as yet understand。 But the whole structure and its subsidiary relationships change together， and the conscious mind is able to assimilate what is happening。“You grow and live through deaths that happen in you constantly， and travel through births within your lifetime that you do not comprehend。 Such massive doses of LSD chemically activate all levels of cellular memory to such an extent that in certain terms they are no longer in charge of themselves， and the memories can then emerge unpredictably when the system is under stress。 The fine biological and psychological alliance is now weakened。” “Assaults upon your consciousness in such a manner challenge the stability of your species， and insult the integrity of your creaturehood。 You may say that such chemicals are natural because they exist within the reality that you know， but the body is equipped to deal with ingredients that come from the earth。 。。。more
Camille Sheppard
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I don't know what to say about this book other than this: Just read it。 It will change the way you see yourself， life and the universe。 I can't yet say that it's a life-changing book but I am willing to bet that I will refer to it this way in the future。 This is a story to experience。 I felt like it was rearranging my brain and my psyche while reading and I'm grateful to have participated in the experience of receiving these transmissions via Chris Bache's book。 I don't know what to say about this book other than this: Just read it。 It will change the way you see yourself， life and the universe。 I can't yet say that it's a life-changing book but I am willing to bet that I will refer to it this way in the future。 This is a story to experience。 I felt like it was rearranging my brain and my psyche while reading and I'm grateful to have participated in the experience of receiving these transmissions via Chris Bache's book。 。。。more
khang Fre-Y
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Tremendous experience with LSD。 Much is understandable from where the author's education and practices have taken him。 I'd like to read his other books。 Tremendous experience with LSD。 Much is understandable from where the author's education and practices have taken him。 I'd like to read his other books。 。。。more
Andrew Berg
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Christopher Bache is an incredibly brave explorer of inner space。 Diamonds from Heaven is a riveting， heartfelt captain's log written by a spiritual explorer who takes on a deep and methodical exploration of the human psyche。 One of the most powerful books I've read in a long time。 Christopher Bache is an incredibly brave explorer of inner space。 Diamonds from Heaven is a riveting， heartfelt captain's log written by a spiritual explorer who takes on a deep and methodical exploration of the human psyche。 One of the most powerful books I've read in a long time。 。。。more
Zach Taras
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Just astonishing。 It's hard to know exactly what to say about this; in the first place， more digestion is required。 As a work of philosophical and spiritual inquiry， I think the significance of Bache's achievement would be difficult to overstate。 Possibly there are other psychonauts as dedicated， courageous， and systematic as he is。 If there are， we haven't yet heard from them in so public a fashion， and his book stands （as far as I'm aware） alone in the annals of this kind of transdimensional e Just astonishing。 It's hard to know exactly what to say about this; in the first place， more digestion is required。 As a work of philosophical and spiritual inquiry， I think the significance of Bache's achievement would be difficult to overstate。 Possibly there are other psychonauts as dedicated， courageous， and systematic as he is。 If there are， we haven't yet heard from them in so public a fashion， and his book stands （as far as I'm aware） alone in the annals of this kind of transdimensional exploration。 There have been several great accounts of visionary experience， but none quite like this， as far as I'm aware - a rigorous， multi-decade regimen of very high-dose LSD-catalyzed visionary experience， diligently recorded， and then related after many more years of integration and reflection。 As a book， it struggles mightily with the difficulty of relating and describing the numinous and the ineffable， and where it falls short， manages instead to convey a sense of the magnitude of the experience， which is no small achievement in itself。 Better still are the snippets of Bache's personal story - it works better as a kind of memoir or travelogue than it does as a work of systematic philosophy。 Bache isn't a William James， he's more like an Ernest Shackleton， it seems， bravely venturing where very few mortals - possibly any - have ventured before， and returning to tell us that there is something enormous there， and beautiful， and it can be experienced and described。 。。。more
Miles Menafee
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I was really interested in psychedelics for a while。 I got this on Audible though and thought it was amazing。 Professor Bache was taking large doses of LSD for years and recorded all of his experiences。 His notes are all processed in this book and some of the stories are too wild to even try to summarize。 This is a great book for anyone who wants to know exactly what can happen in a psychedelic state but does not want to try it。
Stefana Mitrea
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The book contains nice informations and I appreciate the author’s vulnerability regarding his inner transformations and experiences。 I liked that this was presented and taken as serious transformative work。 Although， at points I found it annoying to read all the details， as it is a subjective experience， but the big picture was presented nicely。 Anyway， I think it would be more interesting and transformative to just go and experience it yourself。
Scott Baird
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Anti scientific rubbish。 I stopped when he said that planetary position may have had an effect on his experience， which was quiet early。
Spencer
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Who can comment on this book？ The man has the most singular of experiences imaginable and then tells the tale of his downloads from Source。 Heck if i know。 But it seems he either has balls of steel or is blowing smoke。I think he sees himself as a savior in some sense， like he has taken on the suffering of the world in some quasi-christian legal theory of atonement sounding way。 Like a karmic debt is to be paid， and the psychonaut pays it and and works to heal the collective psyche somehowHe foll Who can comment on this book？ The man has the most singular of experiences imaginable and then tells the tale of his downloads from Source。 Heck if i know。 But it seems he either has balls of steel or is blowing smoke。I think he sees himself as a savior in some sense， like he has taken on the suffering of the world in some quasi-christian legal theory of atonement sounding way。 Like a karmic debt is to be paid， and the psychonaut pays it and and works to heal the collective psyche somehowHe followed this therapeutic protocol - to amplify your unconscious， to allow patterns to emerge into your awareness， and surrender to the experience。 （He acknowledges intention isnt relevant at this high level of LSD use。） 200mcg of lsd is rec for therapeutic purposes。 400mcg and u can experience ego death。 The author did between 500-600mcg 73 times over a couple decades with his wife as sitter for both spiritual awakening and cosmic exploration purposes。 Journeys began with purging and then went into ecstatic states。 The hell and pain he describes is “unimaginable”。 Yet he looked forward to it because on the other side was a bliss that justified the price tag of the death and loss he just experienced。Metzner says too high a dose and u can dissociate and not remember the experience or bring anything back。 A dysphoric response can happen as well- you resist to loosing control and produce schizoid reactions and trauma。The greatest danger in working with psychedelics is psychic inflation。 You equate the profound experience with you being profound。I am dancing with mindI am expanding I bore a hole in the universe bit didnt experience any plane to the fullestIn psychedelic work， you learn by becomingThe universe wants to be deeply known and will help you in this journey“ i touched the center of my being and learned that i control the flow of creative energy into my life， as i opened this valve， my energy engaged the universes energy”Human suffering is something we voluntarily took on。All things are a diversified manifestation of a single entityThere was no outside to my beingThe gods of this earth are culturaly language bound approximations to the divine but fall short。Forget everything u have been taught abt God in order to know GodBeing propelled into a deeper level of reality shakes loose impurities so as to be able to absorb purityTo experience oneness is to experience emptiness， no selfOur experience in space-time is a manifestation of the collective unconsciousWe are cells in a super organism rapidly evolvingThe west is collectively experiencing ego deathIn shamanic combat， one conquers by surrendering“ i saw that generations born in our period of history have been deliberately configured to precipitate an i tense cycle of collective purification。 The poison of humanities past were being brought to tue surface n us， and by transforming these poisons in our individual lives， we were making it possible for divine awareness to enter more deeply into future generations。 We had volunteered for both our personal good and the collective good。。。Debts put off for generations are coming due”“ my system was storing energy activated in multiple sessions over hours， days， months， years， and using that stored energy to generate massive breakthroughs。。。。Years of work for hours of communion” 。。。more
James Jesso
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Bache has a beautiful heart and his sharing felt very meaningful。 I personally found it easy to really feel into his experiences and learning as he described them for most of the book。 Near the later sessions though， that didn’t come very easily as they were so far beyond the extent of the places I have been that I had no inner reference for what it might feel or be like。 However， that is when it got especially interesting at a philosophical level。 Those experiences were incredibly fascinating t Bache has a beautiful heart and his sharing felt very meaningful。 I personally found it easy to really feel into his experiences and learning as he described them for most of the book。 Near the later sessions though， that didn’t come very easily as they were so far beyond the extent of the places I have been that I had no inner reference for what it might feel or be like。 However， that is when it got especially interesting at a philosophical level。 Those experiences were incredibly fascinating to read。 。。。more
Ali
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Perfect。。。 Parfait。。。 Just amazing。。。read it and then we talk。
Bob
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If you're into the subject of hallucinogens don't leave this collection of hallucinogenic encounters off your list。 Extraordinary courage shown during this author's life-changing experiences。 If you're into the subject of hallucinogens don't leave this collection of hallucinogenic encounters off your list。 Extraordinary courage shown during this author's life-changing experiences。 。。。more
Wen
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Possibly the most important book I've read in the last decade， contributing new perspectives and a bigger picture of humanity's situation， than anything I can recall。Challenging， disturbing at times， but ultimately inspiring， uplifting and revelatory。 Possibly the most important book I've read in the last decade， contributing new perspectives and a bigger picture of humanity's situation， than anything I can recall。Challenging， disturbing at times， but ultimately inspiring， uplifting and revelatory。 。。。more
Miriam
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Very detailed and well informed。 Enjoyed listening and learning。 Loved the commitment to the universe。
Sam Mueck
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Thought it was a fabulous book I loved all the insight upon his experiences and the detail in which they are described。 Only reason I’m hesitant on 5 stars is because I haven’t experienced any of the same things he has in the book。 Awesome read， though。
Negar Gh
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The author is a trustworthy narrator of his sessions。 My problem is with the details of the subject matter。 Too many questions unanswered whereas some themes are repeated ten fold。All in all a good read but since all of the recollections are intuitive， there's no way of actually imagining them other than being under the influence。 Some thing I found to be similar to the themes the author was describing is the movie "The Fountain"。 The author is a trustworthy narrator of his sessions。 My problem is with the details of the subject matter。 Too many questions unanswered whereas some themes are repeated ten fold。All in all a good read but since all of the recollections are intuitive， there's no way of actually imagining them other than being under the influence。 Some thing I found to be similar to the themes the author was describing is the movie "The Fountain"。 。。。more
Emma
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Beautifully written book about experiences that are in truth indescribable。 I am grateful that the author undertook such an arduous but amazing journey and in the process helped both himself and humanity heal some wounds。
Carl Edholm
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Deeply moved by Christopher Bache's LSD account。 The 73 trips flow together in a cohesive narrative I never really experienced before in these types reports。 The description of the Cosmic consciousness is poetic and sometimes mind blowing。 I also appreciate the great Stanislav Grof as a reference point throughout the different layers。 I just wish Bache could have taken a more critical approach to some of his experiences。 There are a lot of far out ideas presented in this book and some of them wo Deeply moved by Christopher Bache's LSD account。 The 73 trips flow together in a cohesive narrative I never really experienced before in these types reports。 The description of the Cosmic consciousness is poetic and sometimes mind blowing。 I also appreciate the great Stanislav Grof as a reference point throughout the different layers。 I just wish Bache could have taken a more critical approach to some of his experiences。 There are a lot of far out ideas presented in this book and some of them would have benifited from a critical analysis。 The end and rebirth of humanity for example， which seem to be be a common troope。 Or reincarnation which I， similar to Bache， believe in， but sometimes we have to be challenged。 Nevertheless I really enjoyd Bache's story and I hope he will someday reunite with the diamond luminosity。 。。。more
Daniel Kennedy
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I decided to read this book after listening to a podcast in which the Author was a guest speaker。 I was fascinated so I picked up a copy straight away to learn more。 The book is a detailed account of Christophers 73 high dose LSD sessions conducted in a setting fitting for the exploration of the nature of consciousness。 A real pulling back of the veil revealing a universe far more expansive and intelligent than the layman could possibly believe。 So many ways to die。。。。
Robert Patterson
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A collection of mystical and profound trip reports from a professor of religious studies using high dose LSD sessions exploring the outer limits of consciousness over a 20 year period。There are some beautiful observations and revelations that the professor shares including but not limited to experiencing the spiral of death and rebirth， the collective unconsciousness， total immersion into the powerful overwhelming feeling of being light to understanding the total reality of love and oneness that A collection of mystical and profound trip reports from a professor of religious studies using high dose LSD sessions exploring the outer limits of consciousness over a 20 year period。There are some beautiful observations and revelations that the professor shares including but not limited to experiencing the spiral of death and rebirth， the collective unconsciousness， total immersion into the powerful overwhelming feeling of being light to understanding the total reality of love and oneness that radiates consciousness which he notes as the Diamond Luminosity that exists beyond cyclic existence。They are deeply personal and engaging trip reports that mirror the spiritual / mystical experiences that can arise from the many forms of altered states of consciousness be it from psychedelics， meditation， injury， natural spontaneous self inquiry and other forms of engaging with the nature of reality and the cosmic consciousness。What limits the book is the lack of critical analysis from a religious or self critical perspective。 I'm all for mystical experiences and understanding them， however the author's work in Buddhism， eastern religions and other scholarly work on mysticism seem to penetrate his psychedelic states。 LSD like forms of self inquiry can be augmenters of prior thoughts。 Almost a chicken and egg problem。 Are the LSD trips he reports really mystical engagements or is he seeing what he wants to see from his reading and work on other's mystical experience？ Still as a long term mediator， his descriptions are beautiful， engaging， and understandable 。 His descriptions of becoming and dissolving into the totality of light are extremely beautiful and relatable。 The author ultimately engaged in his inquiry in a private， hidden way only with his wife as a sitter and guide。 I wish he could have shared his trip reports with other psychonauts， scholars， scientists， therapists， mystics etc during his sessions to build a collective framework for understanding and balance his self inquiry with the help of others。 I think that would have deepened his understanding。 Sadly society lacks such openness for self inquiry。 Still for this reason I think more a traditional Buddhist exploration of the mind exploring the mind collectively can¥ help frame， question and ultimately try to understand the outer limits of inner reality。 Highly recommended for those interested in advanced trans personal philosophy and psychology and can help serve as a template for work in engaging with the mind。Ultimately this hero's journey into the supernova of the mind is a welcomed and a moving account。 。。。more
Michael
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This book will stay with meThe vision of Bache's cosmology is compact， consistent， illuminating， and challenging。 I haven't yet read an account of not only a glimpse through Grof's telescope but sustained study and integration with many spiritual perspectives。 I can already see how we are living at a cutting edge of some kind of mysterious phase change in the ways we are coming together， subtly shifting through tides and bubbles in the ways we connect， all the while shaped by the pressuring stat This book will stay with meThe vision of Bache's cosmology is compact， consistent， illuminating， and challenging。 I haven't yet read an account of not only a glimpse through Grof's telescope but sustained study and integration with many spiritual perspectives。 I can already see how we are living at a cutting edge of some kind of mysterious phase change in the ways we are coming together， subtly shifting through tides and bubbles in the ways we connect， all the while shaped by the pressuring state of our planetary environment。 The journeys in this book evolve and open into a story that weaves what I thought I knew about psychedelics into a fuller picture: one of the reality they magnify and give us access to。 I hope this book sparks wider interest in a kind of universal spirituality that is compatible with science and draws on many religious or spiritual teachings。 The path Bache charts of our near and distant planetary and societal future really sticks in my mind， and gives me not only hope， but envy towards the future， when we've made it through。 There is an intense and gentle incontrovertible optimism encoded here。 。。。more
Leo Sofer
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I’ve been reading spiritual books for 35 years but this is the first one that I have finished and then gone straight back and read all over again。 I know this is one of the most important books I will ever read。 I wrote to the author （another thing I’ve rarely done）， and quote from that email here: “I want to congratulate you on distilling your immense experiences and your far-reaching discoveries into a book that is relatively concise， considering the topic it covers。 Your writing is beautiful， I’ve been reading spiritual books for 35 years but this is the first one that I have finished and then gone straight back and read all over again。 I know this is one of the most important books I will ever read。 I wrote to the author （another thing I’ve rarely done）， and quote from that email here: “I want to congratulate you on distilling your immense experiences and your far-reaching discoveries into a book that is relatively concise， considering the topic it covers。 Your writing is beautiful， your descriptions often stunning。 Of course， as you say so often， words cannot do justice to what you have experienced。 But you have made words do some wondrous things here。 One of the biggest blessings I've received from your book has been the gift of perspective。 I have been studying books on the afterlife since I first found a copy of Michael Newton's Journey of Souls in the 1990s。 Lately， however， I seemed to have reached a ceiling with this study， wanting more。 Your book took me far， far beyond what I had previously understood to be the map of the universe， of consciousness。 This is crucial to our well-being。 I am a storyteller， and understand the importance of the questions "Who are we？ Where are we？ Where are we going？" that stories have forever tried to answer。 Our modern age is suffering from some truly awful answers to these questions， and therefore I hope your book reaches a very wide audience。 I am sure that the ripples of your work will affect the entire human project of trying to answer these questions， not just directly through your writing， but through the endeavors of others that you will inspire。 Reading your book I felt that at times that your work was directly affecting me and my life， in a way that felt similar to the work did in your sessions with the collective consciousness of humanity。 I can't fully explain this， but it felt like your session work and the heroic task of making sense of what you experienced， was having a small harvest in my life - changing its course in a blessed way， by expanding my perspective。 I could go on， but I imagine you will be a busy man currently。 I don't expect an answer， but I sincerely hope you receive this email and that somehow my words can convey my deepest thanks。 A bow， to your immense courage， your steadfastness and your heroic sense of duty。 In some mysterious way， you have given me a blessing beyond words”。 。。。more
Erica Jones
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4。5 stars （5 stars reserved for books which change my worldview）
Eben
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