A tribute to Stanislav Grof

Reading Stanislav Grof's new book, The Way of the Psychonaut, thrills me and brings me many warm feelings. From the very first pages, I have the feeling that this book is indeed a masterpiece and a must-read for dedicated seekers (psychonauts).

Stan has been an absolute game-changer in my life. He is the man who has influenced my life the most. When I first read his books as a teenager, he literally blew my mind with his systematic work with technologies of the sacred – especially psychedelic substances.

I knew instantly that he was showing humanity the direction forward to the new world. A world where humanity would live in true brother- and sisterhood, and in balance with Mother Gaia – the planet we are living on, her resources and her capacity.

Stan has several times pointed out that the only way we can survive as a species is by undergoing a radical shift in consciousness.

He has integrated his cartography of the psyche with a wide range of advances in other fields – quantum-relativistic physics, systems theory, religious studies, anthropology, mythology, thanatology, archetypal astrology and esoteric studies – bringing paradigm-shifting thoughts into many different fields.

I feel so blessed and thankful for being a part of this movement from its very early stages. As a young man, I met Jørgen Lumbye, a man who was very close to Stanislav.

He was trained by Stan himself in his methods and techniques, he translated several of his books into Danish, he held workshops and arranged seminars and lectures with Stan, and he became my personal guide, my sitter and a close friend. We took part in several ITA conferences together, where I met many of the pioneers (the list is long …).

In 2002, Stanislav visited us here in The Magic Garden. Unfortunately, I lost the photos, but the meeting deepened our connection, and some years later he got a copy of my first book, Land of the Nocturnal Butterfly, for which he wrote a preface. This was a major blessing for me and gave me the courage to go on with full power and confidence in the creation of The Magic Garden.

In 1984, when my stormy quest for my true and authentic self began, the year 2020 was far out in the future. Many of the predictions that Stan and the other pioneers were talking about were very futuristic and hard to grasp for a teenager and a young man.

But when I started to have personal experiences of The Master Plan – experiences of what humanity is growing into, and what deep transformation we are going through in these crucial years – everything started to make sense. I just knew that we all have our own dharma and must play our own unique role in the cosmic drama.

I am fully convinced that decades from now, Stanislav Grof will be recognised as perhaps the most important and influential man of the 20th century.

I love you, Stan, and I am forever thankful for all your wisdom, your love, your passion and your dedicated work.

PS. Just as I was finishing this post, I got the message that Jørgen Lumbye passed away this morning. Now I better understand my dreams last night. Blessings and love to you, dear Jørgen. Warm-hearted thanks for a mind-blowing adventure together in this incarnation. (Read what I wrote in memory of Jørgen.)

Blessings, Jacob