The Bodhi Tree Years: Gary Lachman on Punk, Philosophy & the New Age
Blondie, the OTO, Gurdjieff's movements, and a customer who wanted a crystal that dispelled all negativity but couldn't be green.
Shortly after reading Gary Lachman’s book, Dreaming Ahead of Time, I became obsessed with recording my dreams — and, as the book suggested might happen — time started getting weird.
Most memorably, I remember waking from a dream where I was bitten by a little white lamb. I was shook. Later that day, at a party, I went to pet the host’s little white dog with matted lamb-like fur, and it bit me, drawing blood.
Transfixed by the sight of my bloody finger, the image from my dream surfaced, like a warning I failed to heed.
When I first reached out to Gary it was in the hopes of discussing the magic of dreaming and this book, which has had such a profound effect on both my waking and dreaming life.
In the time between that first request and our interview, however, the focus shifted.
For those of you who have been following my work, you might have noticed that the city of Los Angeles, my adopted home, its people and stories, have been surfacing throughout my conversations.
Most notably in my most requested interviews with Ronnie Pontiac and Edward O.
One of the places that has stepped into view is the Bodhi Tree, a metaphysical bookstore that was a hub for the New Age movement in Los Angeles from its opening in 1970 to its closure in 2012. Its legacy still reverberates through many great thinkers of this city.
For years, Gary worked at the Bodhi Tree while pursuing a degree in Philosophy. He talks about this in his memoir, Touched by the Presence.
This place and this period in time was the spark for our discussion, but as conversations do, this one took on a life of its own.
His time with Blondie, 70s New York, killer robots, Crowley, Blavatsky, and of course the Bodhi Tree Bookstore — all of these characters and places making their way into our talk.
This one is just too special not to listen to.
If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!
We meet weekly to explore the sky in real time and make sense of what is unfolding in our lives and in the collective. This is your chance to ask me questions about your chart, share stories, and connect with a cohort of fellow astrologers.
Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:
Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.
More TALKTALKTALK
Apprentice to Manly P. Hall: Ronnie Pontiac on His Life Inside the Philosophical Research Society
In the 1980s two lost twenty-somethings walked into a mysterious compound at the top of a hill and stayed for seven years.