Application of rational thinking to a purely subjective exploration of the underlying nature of reality, centred around several experiences with altered states of consciousness. A very strong and persuasive refutation of the positivist, materialistic world-view, proposing a possible mechanism whereby consciousness may be responsible for producing the material reality of the senses, which the author calls 'consensus reality'. It is not an artful book; the subject is approached in a very matter-of-fact manner (no pun intended), so the text rather lacks a sense of wonder, adventure and discovery that might accompany such a radical proposition. No polemical grandeur here - but the ideas themselves are revolutionary and long overdue (not that mainstream science is ly to take notice any time soon), so nothing will prevent open-minded readers to jump up, ruffling their hair, as Pierre Delalande would have it. Chapter 12 provides a rather brilliant model (not to be skipped, despite the author's deceptive suggestion) of how chaos is introduced into the god order of the 'conscious' universe, and how the positivist world-view is almost pre-programmed to gain currency and become dominant. There is also the almost throw-away but perfectly rational explanation (in just a couple of sentences) of the validity of magic and of why it is no longer apparent in the 'consensus reality'. Incidentally, the author is careful not to mention the word 'God' once, although everything in the book naturally argues against the atheistic delusion.2 s Nour Elhuda Zuraiki18 2


Having read all of Kastrup’s books (made for them too) I don’t to spoil the content of this book because it’s rather more appealing when you unravel it yourself, if you are ready to travel the dream of reality (in whatever that means) then be ready and have a safe journey. I highly recommend it.

Whenever I read Bernardo, there’s rather a smile on my face the whole time, in this book he takes us rather into a personal journey where he experiences a different states of consciousness (more specifically, highly altered states of consciousness). There were times where I could relate having had similar experiences but never managed to get my head around their origins and how I got into those experiences in the first place. Kastrup is so good at articulating a phenomena that seems so abstract and hard to comprehend and translating it into reality in the most logical, scientific and rational analysis, the challenge in this book was accepting that a subjective exploration can provide new knowledge about the true nature of reality.

2 s William A Black12 1 follower

Thoughts that awaken.

I practice Vajrayana Buddhism, or try to. I find his work casts that practice in a new light, one that, paradoxically, causes me to "reframe" it, yet makes the practice more compelling and meaningful.
I do object to his use of "fell swoop" in chapter 11 (loc. ~1560). "Swoop" would better convey his meaning. Apart from that, I have nothing but praise and admiration for his writing and work. It has enriched my life and practice.2 s Calvin146 1 follower

I read The Doors of Perception by Huxley recently, hoping to get a good picture of altered states of consciousness. Kastrup does a far better job in his account of four different experiences in this volume. I had already read his later works and philosophy and was surprised by how much of a punch this earlier book packs.2 s Spencer288 9

We r living in a world of mind. One mind (maybe lonely and so fragmented into different egos?)

The more we rely on certain stories, the more our perception bends to confirm those stories

We r lower level fractals of a larger fractal pattern

There is one mind with temporary egos

There are eternal individuated selves

This a dream of the Source, a shared illusion with regularity reinforced by experience

Intention brings elemental thought patterns to organize, but the mind by default may have a non stoppable creative process, so without intention the mind will wander gaga. A pleasant but potentially ineffective(?) experience

The Source

The Pattern

You cant confirm in consensus reality the things you have experienced in the altered state because your perceptual apparatus is different

The events in a psychedelic experience feel memories . Perhaps because your life and experience is a lower level unfolding of a higher level fractal pattern

We dismiss our personal direct subjective experience as revelatory of truth for one mediated by the senses and reason, validated by consensus reality

Only the fragmentation of the One consciousness can take us from order to chaos (differentiation, creativity, individual things?1 Felipe Álvarez6 1 follower

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