Bridging Heaven is a platform where we entrain ourselves with low-level 5-MeO-DMT married with ancient yogic pathways. The idea is to remain focused and use techniques like meditation and breathwork, along with subtle 5-MeO-DMT doses, to access and learn about the Divine space within ourselves.
This practice builds pathways for being in a relationship with that space without the external medicine, emphasizing that we are the medicine and all external psychedelics are but training wheels to access that space within ourselves.
Ken Kesey, one of the main proponents of LSD for the masses and the Acid Tests, mentioned this back in the 1960s: what is the Next Step? How do we move beyond the external catalysts? It's still a relevant question for today's modern corporadelic renaissance, which focuses on psychedelic substances as commodities for peak (healing) experiences. However, the rapidly increasing awareness of 5-MeO-DMT highlights its divine origin in the plant and animal kingdoms, including mammals and humans, and points to entirely different avenues for its use at this critical juncture in our world history.
This is a crucial point of difference and distinction, as the tryptamine compounds are as endogenous to human consciousness as they are to plants. We still don't know exactly how they work, but we believe they may be produced in the lungs and cerebrospinal fluid, and are kept at bay by the monoamine oxidase inhibitors in the gut. Studies suggest that these tryptamines, including 5-MeO-DMT, may surge during peak experiences such as birth, death, near-death, or mystical experiences.
Learn more about Amazonian hallucinogenic shamanism
These compounds are integral to human consciousness, but normally remain unseen.
5-MeO-DMT has become a dominant player in the global marketplace of psychedelic medicines, specifically from the toad but also from the synthesized lab-based form (nicknamed "jaguar"). Traditionally used in ceremonies, 5-MeO is often recommended to be experienced with a sitter or facilitator due to its potency. This has led to the development of retreats, one-day ceremonies, and private sessions that provide a safe space for exploring the "divine within."
During a non-dual or "unity" experience, such as a full-release 5-MeO-DMT journey, several things occur. The ego mind diminishes, which has been supported by neuroscience research. Similar to traditional psychedelics that affect the Default Mode Network and 5-HT2A receptors, 5-MeO-DMT also targets the parietal and frontal lobes. This causes a shift in electrical activity to gamma waves as the egoic sense of identity dissolves into hyper-coherence (Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy, vol. 11, no. 2, 2015).
Neuroscience studies have found similarities between EEG and MRI scans of meditating monks and individuals under the influence of 5-MeO-DMT. This suggests that external 5-MeO-DMT simply 'lowers the gate' of the egoic mind, similar to how years of meditation, breathwork, or mantras can also reduce egoic influence. The mind, while a part of the whole, serves as a perception filter between an individual and the Source consciousness within.
This experience can lead to a peak mystical experience of oneness and unity. But after the medicine wears off, the mind returns, and that's where the deeper work begins to retrain the ego. 5-MeO-DMT is often treated as another psychedelic experience, a commodity for those lucky enough to find it. And as the ego returns and gets distracted with everyday life, we can forget the experience.
One differentiator with 5-MeO-DMT from the other psychedelics is that the substance can activate a lasting potential within us, leading to what have been called "reactivations." Once a full release is achieved, the space is activated within, and the ego-mind becomes the only barrier to re-entry.
The Indian holy text, The Upanishads, discusses the "seed of God" that exists within all of us – sometimes referred to as Buddha nature. This potential, activated over numerous lifetimes, ultimately aims to anchor the divine within the human form, creating a bridge to the divine.
In Hindu tradition, many gurus and spiritual figures have achieved this state, known as Jivanmuktas ("liberated while living"). They embody the concept that one can experience divinity on Earth while maintaining a conscious, sublimated ego.
At Bridging Heaven we have worked to develop skill-based techniques that help maintain a connection to the divine within, following in the footsteps of Eastern traditions that teach skills like meditation, breathwork, and mantras. These ancient traditions from the East have left us maps of consciousness that are still relevant today and vitally relevant to the psychedelic experience to prep before, to integrate after, and to stabilize during the peak.
These molecules, such as 5-MeO-DMT, open us up to the potential of achieving Samadhi (a single point of non-dual awareness) or Nirvikalpa Samadhi ("no-mind") and other profound states. By combining Eastern practices and psychedelic experiences, individuals can access these exalted states and integrate them into their daily lives. This integration can lead to a more profound sense of peace and unity with the universe.
But make no mistake: long-term awakening is a death and rebirth experience. Many psychedelic users get a flash of that, and the ego recoils. They're not given any tools or support to help them pick up the pieces or support them afterward. We really find it pertinent that there is not just information about, hey, this is a blissful experience, but hey, this is how serious this can get.
You know, as my favorite teacher Adashanti says: Enlightenment is a destructive process.
It's also worth noting that Western influences have diluted traditional meditation and yoga practices, often focusing more on the physical aspects like asanas rather than their spiritual origins. The roots of yoga date back thousands of years to the Indus Valley in India, where a sacred substance called Soma played a vital role in spiritual practices. The Rig Veda, one of India's holy books, devotes significant portions to the praise of Soma, which was believed to reveal the divine within and shape human consciousness.
Although the true nature of Soma remains unknown, its teachings on accessing higher states of consciousness persist. It's no coincidence that powerful psychedelic experiences often resonate with these ancient teachings.
By reuniting entheogens with the Vedic path, we can reconnect with the original purpose of these practices. These are exalted states, and elusive. Many who have not tried the medicine of 5-MeO-DMT may only know Samadhi as a concept, without tangibly reaching this state. And yet, meditators crave that mystical experience, and it is in fact the goal of union, or yoga itself. We all, in fact, crave that divine revelation, but most of us never really get it through just meditative practice. So, combining the two, meditation and specifically 5-MeO, is really the marriage of the human and the divine.
I believe there is no separation between the left and right-hand paths of spirituality; there is only the path of unity.
It's time for this unity to return to the world through the Bridging Heaven program, which seeks to integrate Eastern practices and 5-MeO-DMT experiences to access and maintain a connection with the divine. This retreat in Mexico is really the next level. It's a program and a container that is safe, sacred and sound. It's looking to work with people that either have a meditation practice, but haven't maybe reached that Samadhi state, or people within the 5-MeO community who have, but want to anchor that and go deeper with that.
As Ken Kesey said back in the sixties, it's time for the next step. We believe this is the next step: realizing that we are the medicine and have these capabilities.
Join us at: https://www.bridgingheaven.com. The next retreat is July 4-9, 2023, in Tepoztlan, Mexico. JOIN US!
Key takeaways
- Bridging Heaven combines low doses of 5-MeO-DMT with traditional yogic pathways like meditation and breathwork. The main goal is to create a connection with the divine space within without relying solely on external psychedelics.
- Tryptamine compounds, like 5-MeO-DMT, are both external (in plants and animals) and endogenous to human consciousness, suggesting a natural affinity for these compounds.
- 5-MeO-DMT influences brain regions related to the ego and self-identity, aligning with brain patterns observed in deeply meditating monks.
- The goal is to achieve states of consciousness such as Samadhi and integrate these states into everyday life, leading to a greater sense of peace and unity.
