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.

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www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep149-deconstructing-yourself-michael-taft

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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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

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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