The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness

'The Cosmic Game' is perhaps Grof’s best book. It is written in fluent style, summarizes the most important of his LSD research and his research with holotropic states, and is not grappling with conceptual issues.It is a book that every intelligent person can read, written in normal and descriptive language; it is clearly the book of an expert, a man who also has a clear literary talent and an incredible knowledge of mythology, besides his sharp scientific perception and reasoning that is always empirical first and conceptual second.The book is clearly structured and an overview of the contents shows that it’s not a ‘research report’ of experiments but a sublimation of any such research, a retrospective that is contemplative and basically spiritual. I would even use the word ‘religious’ in the sense that the book talks about our true ‘religio’, the link with our source, our inner divinity.1. Introduction2. Cosmos, Consciousness, and Spirit3. The Cosmic Creative Principle4. The Process of Creation5. The Ways to Reunion with the Cosmic Source6. The Problem of Good and Evil7. Birth, Sex and Death: The Cosmic Connection8. The Mystery of Karma and Reincarnation9. The Taboo against Knowing Who You Are10. Playing the Cosmic Game11. The Sacred and the ProfaneSpace allows me to only review parts of the book and sprinkle in some quotations. In the Introduction, Grof explains that holotropic states are not ‘delirant conditions’ (which are those in which perception is grossly impaired), but an interference with a realm that is outside of ordinary consciousness, a parallel reality.Grof also writes that the content of holotropic states of consciousness is often philosophical and mystical, often focused on the ‘ground states’ of becoming and unbecoming, death, rebirth and feelings of oneness with all-that-is. In the 2nd Chapter, Grof makes some interesting remarks regarding Carl Jung’s theory of the Universal Archetypes. He writes that these images do not have to be limited to our own racial and cultural heritage but are rather of a universal nature.

Dr. Grof is uniquely qualified to elucidate the meaning of psychedelic experiences and other “altered states”. He has studied LSD for psychotherapy since the late 1950’s. He is one of the leading practitioners of transpersonal psychology at the Esalen Institute and other acclaimed centers. He has conducted thousands of sessions and he has reviewed many more thousands of session transcripts. Out of all this experiential material he has recognized three main stages of development. In a later, shorter work, he describes these stages of growth of the holotropic mind (1991). These stages he calls co-ex, basic perinatal matrix, and transpersonal. These experiences contrast with the conscious material from the body and its five senses-hylotropic. Hylotropic derives from the Greek-hylomorphism- Aristotle’s term for body-formed consciousness. Holotropic goes beyond this, into non-ordinary states.This book is about how we might integrate these deeply meaningful experiences into a new world view that creates a new philosophy of life that is an overarching bridge beyond our current scientific materialist philosophy. He uses historical and anthropological material to show how important these transpersonal states were to pre-industrial societies. They were integrated into the social fabric. They helped resolve psychological problems for individuals in those societies and foster personal growth. The Elysian Mysteries were one example from Ancient Greece.We are much poorer for treating these experiences as psychotic symptoms, and blunting them with mind-numbing medications. Not all non-ordinary experiences are psychoses. Recognizing the difference requires an expertise that traditional therapists usually don’t have. They don’t know what they don’t know.I place myself along with William James, the philosopher of Pragmatism. That is, I cannot judge this from my own personal experience, but I want to keep an open mind about it and study it without prejudice.

My mind is stimulated by this fascinating book. He has breakthrough ideas about human consciousness. Although I'm not personally into drug induced experiences, I have had many experiences such as he describes in meditation and in life itself. His conclusions/hypotheses line up with many of mine. This is a book I will read again. I have also just begun another of his books, which I am sure will shed more light on the developing understanding of human consciousness.

Grof is a legend in the field and one of the big thinkers about consciousness and our big brains. Still relevant and illuminating these many years later, like Charles Tart’s STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

This is a fascinating book, well written by a very intelligent and reputable researcher. I could hardly stop reading it! It can change of world view, specially if you are open minded but still in the materialistic monism that prevails in the scientific community.

I read it from cover to cover, but I have to admit I'm about 30 years late. I should have bought this book when it was first published. Very thought provoking. Yes, I agree with Grof: Why are supposedly sophisticated scientists and so called "psychologists" pooh poohing 5,000+ years of study and experience? Arrogance?

Stanislav Grof is a person of great depth and wisdom. He presents an overview of his work and experiences that is wonderful to read. He covers mysticism, mythology from Jung to Campbell, shamanism and the realm of the transpersonal in a very thoughtful manner. He is a master explorer and brilliant investigator of the frontiers of consciousness. He stirs the imagination.

Fabulous book about fabulous experiences

If you want to understand the beauty behind the curtain of what we "see" every day, this is the book for you

Some really interesting ideas in this book, for anyone experienced in alternate states of consciousness. Grof uses a lot of analogies to get his points across which makes for an imaginative read, something that is essential when considering some of the less conventional ideas about consciousness.