Ralph Metzner, Explorer of Consciousness

- Includes contributions from Rick Doblin, Charles S. Grob, Stan Grof, Stanley Krippner, Dennis McKenna, the late Christian R tsch, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Claudia Mueller-Ebeling, Dorothy Fadiman, Luis Eduardo Luna, and others

- Explores Ralph's childhood, his time at Harvard with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), his work with Agni Yoga and transpersonal psychology, his development of ecopsychology, and his in-depth psychedelic research

Renowned as a pioneering psychologist, psychedelic elder, alchemical explorer, and shamanic teacher, the late Ralph Metzner (1936-2019) contributed profoundly to consciousness research, transpersonal psychology, and contemporary psychedelic studies across his more than 50 year career.

Celebrating the life and legacy of Ralph Metzner, this book explores how Ralph touched the lives of those around him in extraordinary and remarkable ways, recasting people's worldviews and inspiring the flowering of creativity, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Ralph's Harvard graduate school colleague, DeLee Lantz, first wife, Susan Homer, and Gary Bravo, author of Birth of a Psychedelic Culture, offer recollections from the pivotal years of the Sixties, when Ralph conducted research with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass). Others describe Ralph's involvement in the School of Actualism in the 1970s and the profound impact that Agni Yoga had on Ralph's explorations of consciousness and his healing therapies.

We learn about Ralph's development of Green Psychology, or ecopsychology, his mystical work exploring prenatal realms of consciousness and channeling, and his healing and transformative "Vision Circles." Academic colleagues and fellow psychedelic researchers share stories from their work with Ralph, including the late Christian R tsch on meeting the toad goddess with Ralph and Albert Hofmann. Other contributors include Rick Doblin, Charles S. Grob, Stan Grof, Stanley Krippner, Dennis McKenna, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Ralph Abraham, David Jay Brown, Claudia Mueller-Ebeling, Dorothy Fadiman, Matthew McKay, and Luis Eduardo Luna.

Illuminating his depth of knowledge and broad impact, this book paints a complete portrait of Ralph Metzner in his well-known roles as therapist and psychedelic pioneer and as an intrepid explorer of consciousness until the very end of his life.

About the Author

Cathy Coleman, Ph.D., was Ralph Metzner’s wife of 31 years. A former dean of students at California Institute of Integral Studies, president of Kepler College, and director of IONS’ EarthRise Retreat Center, she lives in Sonoma, California.