Sex, Drugs and Techno

After my review of another book about the practice of shaking in Bali, a friend suggested that I review this one to gain a better understanding of the practice. I'm glad she did. Subtitled appropriately 'a journey to the brink - and beyond' this is a real rollercoaster of a book, plumbing the depths as well as scaling the heights. The author describes his background in Australia in the club/party drug scene, hence the title. He recounts many zany experiences and their horrific aftermath, as the hangovers become longer with corresponding periods of inactivity. His first experience of Ecstasy propels him into a loving state, but this is later revealed as an illusion, the mirage of Maya dragging him further down into addiction and dependency. The important point is that a change is brought about in the energetic patterns, which is later explained at a spiritual centre as tuning into what they call the lower astral realms, which characterise so much of today's so-called entertainment. A synchronistic trip to Bali brings him into contact with a spiritual teacher call Ratu Bagus, whose main practice is an energetic process of intense shaking. This helps shift and heal damaged energetic patterns and reconfigure the body following its abuse from drugs. The work requires enormous commitment, pushing through boundaries and extreme physical experiences. There are a couple of talks by Ratu, emphasising the importance of spiritual connection with the soul, not the mind. God cannot be grasped with the mind, so in order to think less, we shake more: 'our mind wants to stop, but our heart wants to continue.' It is about what we feel, rather than what we think. After this retreat, it was difficult to return home, but the author found a new job away from his old haunts. Eventually, he goes back for a further retreat, and meets the woman who is now his wife. He warns that there is a whole generation trashing themselves with no way of knowing how to pull themselves back when reality sets in. He states that drugs are global, clearly destroying lives with greater force than war, as he himself discovered. We are all energetic magnets and transmitters responsible for the vibrations we absorb and emit, so there is a powerful message for every reader, regardless of whether they have travelled a similar path.