Shadowrider - Field Notes of a Psychonaut

George Pennington tells how he learned to handle the shadows of his own life in a wholesome way. The book describes the essential stations of his journey. He wants to encourage others to face their own shadows squarely, rather than pretending they are not there and hoping all will be well.


Text from the rear bookcover:

Many people have asked me: „George, do you believe in life after death?“ Well, I don‘t know what happens after death. No one ever came back to tell me about it. But what I firmly believe in is a life before death. This is not a matter of course. On the graves of many people we could write quite truthfully: Died at the age of 52, buried at the age of 75. That is what happens when the shadows win. And, as I see it, our task as humans is not to let this happen. Facing and riding our shadows is a good way to avoid this fate.


A Psychonaut, a modern portmanteau of the Greek psyche (soul) and nauthes (sailor), that is, a sailor of the mind/soul, is a person who experiences intentionally induced altered states of consciousness in an attempt to investigate his or her mind, and possibly address spiritual questions, through direct experience.

Goals of psychonautic practices may be to answer questions about how the mind works, improve one‘s psychological state, answer existential or spiritual questions, or improve cognitive performance in everyday life. (Wikipedia)