Neuroscientist and bestselling author Sam Harris offers a guide to meditation as a rational practice grounded in scientific understanding, addressing the growing number of Americans seeking spirituality beyond traditional religious frameworks.

Waking Up speaks to those who maintain skepticism toward organized religion yet recognize that history's great contemplatives—Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and others—likely possessed genuine insights rather than mere delusion or deception. Harris argues that the experiences of these spiritual figures contain important truths about reality that extend beyond what conventional science and secular culture typically acknowledge.

Part personal journey and part scientific exploration, the book uniquely bridges contemplative wisdom with modern research into consciousness and spirituality. Harris's distinctive background as scientist, philosopher, and noted skeptic positions him to navigate this intersection in ways that honor both rigorous inquiry and the profound experiences reported by contemplatives throughout history.

The work demonstrates that spiritual practice, particularly meditation, can be approached rationally and empirically while still accessing the transformative insights that have drawn seekers across cultures and centuries. This synthesis offers a path for those seeking deeper understanding without abandoning intellectual honesty or scientific rigor.

This comprehensive guide explores how psychedelics and plant medicines can facilitate the cultivation of new beliefs, unlock dormant potentials, and catalyze both personal and societal transformation. The book offers practical frameworks for safely and meaningfully engaging with these powerful substances to heal trauma, deepen self-connection, and strengthen our bonds with nature and the spiritual realm.

Author Tricia Eastman draws extensively from her two decades of experience with indigenous wisdom keepers, particularly through iboga ceremonies with the Bwiti people of Gabon, Africa, and apprenticeships with the Kogi Kággaba of Colombia. Her work presents what she terms "seeding consciousness"—an inner alchemical process of transformation through psychedelic initiation and ancestral wisdom.

The book examines how colonization and contemporary culture have severed our connections to spiritual foundations, while ancient teachings emphasize the fundamental interconnectedness of existence and natural forces. Eastman provides readers with practical exercises for cultivating their own consciousness, managing altered states and ego dissolution experiences, engaging with shadow work, and reintegrating fragmented aspects of the psyche.

Central to the work is guidance on approaching these transformative plants and substances with appropriate reverence, ensuring respectful engagement with ancient traditions while honoring the indigenous wisdom keepers who have preserved these practices across generations. The book ultimately presents a vision for preparing the mind as fertile ground for mystical experience, offering a psychedelic pathway that serves both individual awakening and broader social transformation.