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  Suffocation in gas chambers and the fires in the ovens of the crematoria were additional elements in the hellish, nightmare environment of the camps. All these are themes that people in non-ordinary states of consciousness often encounter in their inner experiences in the context of BPM III. In peacetime, atrocities similar to these have been perpetrated during prison uprisings; apparently overcrowding and the abuse of prisoners tends to activate unconscious perinatal elements, and eventually erupts in violent uprising and rebellion.

  Significant roots for major sociopolitical upheavals can also be found on the transpersonal level. C. G. Jung believed that the archetypes of the collective unconscious not only influence behavior of individuals, they also govern large historical movements. From this point of view, entire nations and cultural groups are capable of acting out mythological themes. For example, in the decade preceding the outbreak of World War II, Jung found in the dreams of his German patients many elements from the Nordic myth about "Ragnarok," the twilight of the gods. He concluded from this that this archetype was emerging in the collective psyche of the German nation; he predicted that it would lead to a major world catastrophe that would ultimately turn out to be self-destructive for the German people. In many instances, clever leaders specifically use archetypal images to achieve their political goals. Thus Hitler exploited the mythological motifs of the supremacy of the Nordic race and of the millennial empire, as well as the ancient Aryan symbols of the swastika and the eagle. Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam Hussein have ignited the imaginations of their Moslem followers by references to
jihad,
that is, the holy war against the infidels.

  Although it is not an easy task to establish conclusive proof in this area, our full consideration of the perinatal and transpersonal levels of the psyche promises new and exciting possibilities for the study and understanding of human history and culture. Probably the most intriguing among the new insights are those related to the current global crisis. We all have the dubious privilege of living in an era when the world drama is reaching its culmination. The violence, greed, and acquisitiveness that have shaped human history in the past centuries have reached such proportions that they could easily lead not only to complete annihilation of the human species, but to extermination of all life on this planet. The various diplomatic, political, military, economic, and ecological efforts to correct the present course all seem to make matters worse rather than better.

  Does it not seem possible that our efforts at peace fail because none of our present approaches have addressed that dimension which seems to be at the center of the global crisis: the human psyche? There is enough wealth in the world to guarantee a good living standard for everyone on the face of the earth. Similarly, it is not necessary for millions of people to die of diseases for which contemporary medicine has effective remedies. Modern science has the know-how to develop clean and renewable sources of energy and prevent the deterioration of our physical environment. The main obstacle we face as a species is found in the present evolutionary level of our consciousness. That is the primary cause of the senseless plundering of natural resources, the pollution of our water, air, and soil, and the shameful waste of unimaginable amounts of money and energy in the insanity of the arms race. For this reason, it is important to learn as much as we can about the psychological and spiritual dimensions of the predicament we are all facing.

  In our modern world we have externalized many of the essential elements of BPM III. When working to achieve transformation on an individual level, we know that we must face and come to terms with these themes. The same elements that we would encounter in the process of psychological death and rebirth in our visionary experiences appear today as stories on our evening news. We see the unleashing of enormous aggressive impulses in wars and revolutionary upheavals throughout the world, in the rising criminality, in terrorism, and in race riots. Sexual experiences and behaviors are taking unprecedented forms, manifested as sexual freedom for youngsters, promiscuity, open marriages, gay liberation, sadomasochistic parlors, overtly sexual books, plays, movies, and many others. The demonic element is also becoming increasingly manifest in the modern world. The rising interest in satanic cults and witchcraft, the increasing popularity of books and horror movies with occult themes, and satanic crimes attest to that fact. The scatological dimension is evident in the progressive industrial pollution, accumulation of waste products on a global scale, and rapidly deteriorating hygienic conditions in large cities.

  Many people with whom we have worked have volunteered very interesting insights into this situation. Over the past few years hundreds of people have expressed the belief that humanity is at a crossroads, facing either collective annihilation or an evolutionary jump in consciousness of unprecedented proportions. It seems that we are all involved in a process that parallels the psychological death and rebirth that so many people have experienced individually in non-ordinary states of consciousness. If we continue to act out the destructive tendencies from our deep unconscious, we will undoubtedly destroy ourselves and all life on our planet. However, if we succeed in internalizing this process on a large enough scale, it might result in evolutionary progress that can take us as far beyond our present condition as we now are from the primates.

  As utopian as this might seem on the surface, it might very well be our only real chance. Over the years I have seen profound transformations in people who have been involved with serious and systematic inner quests. Some of them were meditators and had a regular spiritual practice. Others had spontaneous episodes of psychospiritual crises or participated in various forms of experiential psychotherapy and self-exploration. As their level of aggression decreased, they became more peaceful, more comfortable with themselves, and more tolerant of others. Their ability to enjoy life, particularly the simple pleasures of everyday existence, increased considerably.

  Deep reverence for life and ecological awareness are among the most frequent consequences of the psychospiritual transformation that accompanies responsible work with non-ordinary states of consciousness. The same has been true for spiritual emergence of a mystical nature that is based on personal experience. It is my belief that a movement in the direction of a fuller awareness of our unconscious minds will vastly increase our chances for planetary survival. I hope that this book will make a contribution toward those ends, offering assistance and guidance for those who will choose this path or are walking it already.

1. David Bohm,
Wholeness and the Implicate Order
(London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980).

2. Rupert Sheldrake,
A New Science of Life
(Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher, 1981).

3. Michael Harner,
The Way of the Shaman
(New York: Harper & Row, 1980).

4. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Peter excerpted from
Realms of the Human Uncon
scious: Observations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

1. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Ben excerpted from
Realms of the Human Uncon
scious: Observations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
Realms of the Human Unconscious: Ob
servations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
Realms of the Human Unconscious: Ob
servations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
Realms of the Human Unconscious: Ob
servations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

1. C. G. Jung,
Septem Sermones ad Mortuos
in S. Hoeller,
The Gnostic Jung and the
Seven Sermons to the Dead
(Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982).

2. Abraham Maslow,
Religions, Values and Peak Experiences
(Cleveland: State Univ. of Ohio, 1964).

3. William James,
Varieties of Religious Experience
(New York: Collier, 1961).

4. C. G. Jung,
Septem Sermones ad Mortuos
in S. Hoeller,
The Gnostic Jung and the
Seven Sermons to the Dead
(Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982).

1. Eugene O'Neill,
Long Day's Journey into Night
(New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 1956), Act 4, 153.

2. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Jenna excerpted from
The Adventure of Self-Dis
covery
(Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

3. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

4. Rusty Schweickart, "Space-Age and Planetary Awareness: A Personal Experience" in
Human Survival and Consciousness Evolution,
edited by Stanislav Grof (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

5. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

6. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

7. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
The Adventure of Self-Discovery
(Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

8. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
The Adventure of Self-Discovery
(Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

9. J. E. Lovelock, Gaia:
A New Look at Life on Earth
(New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1979).

1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
Realms of the Human Unconscious: Ob
servations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

2. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Richard excerpted from
Realms of the Human
Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

3. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Inga excerpted from
The Adventure of Self-Discov
ery
(Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

4. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Nadja excerpted from
Realms of the Human Un
conscious: Observations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

5. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Renata excerpted from
Realms of the Human
Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

6. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

7. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from
Realms of the Human Unconscious: Ob
servations from LSD Research
(New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

8. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Jesse from
The Human Encounter with Death.

1. Aldous Huxley,
Heaven and Hell
(Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, 1971).

2. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Richard excerpted from
The Adventure of Self
Discovery
(Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

3. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Eva Pahnke excerpted from
The Adventure of
Self-Discovery
(Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

4. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

5. Christina Grof and Stanislav Grof,
The Stormy Search for the Self
(Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990).

6. Christina Grof and Stanislav Grof,
The Stormy Search for the Self
(Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990).

7. C. G. Jung,
Memories, Dreams, Reflections
(New York: Pantheon Books, 1961).

8. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

9. Joseph Campbell, from lecture at the Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA, 1984.

10. Lao-tsu,
Tao Te Ching
(New York: Vintage Books, 1972).

11. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

12. William Blake, Johannes Brahms, and Giacomo Puccini in
Higher Creativity
by W. Harman and H. Rheingold (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1984), 46.

1. C. G. Jung, "On the Nature of the Psyche" in
The Structure and Dynamics of the
Psyche,
collected works, vol. 8, Bollingen Series XX (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1960).

2. Paul Kammerer,
Das Gesetz der Serie
(The Law of the Series) (Stuttgart and Berlin, 1919).

3. Camille Flammarion,
The Unknown
(London and New York, 1900), 191ff.

4. C. G. Jung,
Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle,
Vol. 8, Bollingen Series XX (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1973).

5. C. G. Jung, Letter to Carl Selig, February 25, 1953, in
Letters: Nineteen Fifty-One
to Nineteen Sixty-One,
Vol. 2, Bollingen Series XCV (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1973).

6. Hans Bender,
Telepathie Hellsehen und Psychokinese
(Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany: Aurum Verlag, 1984).

7. Raymond E. Fowler,
The Andreasson Affair
(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979).

8. Elda Hartley,
Sacred Trance in Bali and Java,
a documentary film.