Salish Wolf #34 Daniel Reid on Plant-Spirit Medicine, Detoxing Emotions, and the Edge of Life
Dan Reid returns to Salish Wolf with another incredible interview during which we traverse the intense highs and occasional lows that have comprised the landscape of his life. Following narrative trails that he maps out in his 2-volume memoir, Shots from the Hip, we explore some of his most impactful experiences.
Dan is best known as a leading author of all things related to Chinese culture, including Taoism, tea, herbal medicine, and qi gong. As I indicated in episode 25, The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity, Dan’s most popular book, greatly influenced my life and garnered legions of fans. Readers will find his memoir as expertly crafted as his other books, but likely far more entertaining, as Dan pulls no punches in telling the mind-blowing history of his life.
We begin this episode with a look at the influence of drugs, namely plant medicines such as Ayahuasca and opium, on Dan finding his Tao. We explore philosophies and spiritual practices that have helped shape him such as Dzogchen, mediumship, and channelling. And we discuss how he has used much of his experiential knowledge, alongside his wife, to create a detox program that they have offered in many countries with incredible success.
The valleys in his life have been quite deep, and Dan does not shy away from sharing some of the more harrowing periods, including three near-death experiences that rattled and rocked him to nearly the brink of no return, and the power of sound healing that helped to bring him back. Dan is a living testament to the magical and mighty journeys life can lead us on when we open to the spontaneity of the heart. His journey has been wild and exotic, with not even a trace of the mundane.
Please enjoy this episode of Salish Wolf with my friend Daniel Reid.
Episode Links:
Books by Daniel Reid
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Men’s Retreats at Anchor Point Expeditions