About the Book
A step-by-step guide to reclaiming the soul
• Shares four maps for spiritual rebirth based on Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, and the precession of the equinoxes
• Traces the author’s journey of rebirth, covering his transformation through a spiritual crisis and the creation of a more meaningful life
• Provides visualization practices based on ancient Tibetan wisdom to support you on the path of self-realization
Exploring wisdom from mystical traditions and perennial philosophy on "dying before you die," Buddhist psychotherapist Miles Neale shares his own hero’s journey of rebirth, providing a detailed roadmap for the pilgrimage through dissolution, into the great mystery, and back again to the world. He shares his transformation through a spiritual crisis and, ultimately, his creation of a more meaningful life. He provides four intersecting maps to help guide readers through the experiential process of metaphoric death, reclaiming the soul, and sharing one’s genius with others. These four maps—the cosmological map, psychological map, alchemical map, and mythopoetic map—draw on the mythological stages of Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung’s process of individuation, the Tibetan Buddhist alchemy of conscious rebirth, and the astrological phenomenon of the precession of the equinoxes, offering a detailed philosophical underpinning for the soul’s journey to immortality. He also provides in-depth visualization practices based on ancient Tibetan wisdom to support you on the path of self-realization.
Integrating Tibetan Buddhism with psychology, trauma healing, neuroscience, and mythology, along with profound personal experience, Neale provides a step-by-step manual for spiritual rebirth, revealing how to reframe life’s unrelenting challenges and transitions as opportunities for psychological growth.
Table of Contents:
Foreword Ambrosia: Elixir of Immortality
By Robert A. F. Thurman, Ph.D.
Acknowledgments
PART I
Ground
1 Visions: Third Eye Intuitions
2 Panorama: As Above, So Below
3 Soul: Imbibing the Elixir
4 Solve et Coagula: Dying to be Reborn
PART I I
Path
5 Pilgrimage: There and Back Again
6 Departure: Fall from Grace
7 Initiation: Rite of Passage
8 Ordeal: Taming the Dragon
PART I I I
Fruition
9 Treasure: Claiming the Sword
10 Return: Bestowing the Boon
11 Therapeia: Pilgrimage & Psychedelics
12 Reunion: End of Separation
Afterword Nostos: The Return of Longing
By Phil Cousineau
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author :
Miles Neale, Psy.D., is a psychotherapist, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, and founder of the Gradual Path, where he leads pilgrimages of spiritual transformation around the world. He trained intensively with Buddhist scholars Robert Thurman and Joseph Loizzo as well as Tibetan master Geshe Tenzin Zopa and has taught meditation and integrative healing at Harvard, Columbia, and Cornell university hospitals. The author of Gradual Awakening and co-editor of Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy, he lives in Bali, Indonesia.
Review :
“The elixir of immortal life is the secret of both Eastern and Western esoteric traditions. Miles Neale guides us through cross-cultural mysteries of life, death, and psycho-spiritual transformation on an alchemical journey that leads us through the subtle pathways of our embodied being toward the ultimate ambrosia that flows from the fully awakened human heart and, in so doing, unbinds the mind and body and renews the world. This book is itself an elixir. Read it and be transformed!”
“Miles Neale masterfully weaves this universal quest with alchemical lore, Buddhism, Gnosticism, mythology, Western and Eastern esoteric knowledge, astrology, Balinese traditions, and more into a deeply heartfelt personal biography of rebirth. His work is invaluable to seekers on the journey to find the elixir of the True Self.”
“Miles Neale’s brilliant account of the inner quest brings together the compelling voices of mystical Christianity, esoteric Buddhism, shamanism, Jungian depth psychology, alchemy, and the cries of pain in living an authentic life right now. The reader will not only find a set of maps for the journey but also a guide to learning the taste and texture of what truly heals the human spirit as it attends, moment to moment, the passage from death to life.”
“Return with Elixir is a thoroughly engrossing journey. This book is for everyone. In a time where we’re all asking questions, this book will give answers and have us concentrating on what really matters.”
“Miles’s account of his inner and outer pilgrimage through the dark depths of angst and into the light of the sacred is one that can motivate us all to embark on a journey toward meaning and wholeness. Return with Elixir illustrates the basic human need for authentic and embodied spiritual experience that has existed throughout time and across cultures and encourages us today to join the great heroes, yogis, and seekers of the past in facing adversity to heal our soul and find freedom.”
“Return with Elixir is far more than a manual for rebirth, blending esoteric traditions East and West; it is a deeply personal and relatable story of transformation. With this map of the inner landscape in hand, led by such an expert guide, you too can embark on the sacred pilgrimage to face your worst fears, taste the nectar of compassion at your heart, and return home for the benefit of others. It reveals the secret path of converting obstacles into opportunities and making meaningful whatever miseries arise along life’s unpredictable journey.”
“Miles Neale embarks on a bold journey to resurrect what has been lost in the West, reminding us of a time when medicine was experiential and deeply connected to our inner landscapes. Through visualization, pilgrimage, and psychedelics—practices that modern standards might find suspect—Miles offers a transformative process of healing that arises from within and is not reliant on external authority. He is an exceptional guide, one with whom I have walked into the darkness and for whom I am deeply grateful”
“Return with Elixir is a wonderful literary pilgrimage, taking the reader through the channels and chakras of the Tantric subtle body to taste the nectar of immortality. It is both an excellent example of comparative mysticism and a gripping personal tale of transforming human adversity into spiritual awakening.”
“Miles dives deeply into the nature of pilgrimage, traversing the universal and time-tested path for self-inquiry, healing, and purpose that is born from our innate desire to go home, to find our way back to our true, human nature. For the life-affirming pilgrim en route to this sacred destination, this is more than a book; it is a spirit guide.”
“This heartfelt exploration of the possibilities for personal and planetary healing through a fusion of ancient esoteric traditions and modern psychotherapy is itself an elixir, one that can help bring about the transmutations we need during this turning of time’s wheel.”
“A fascinating exploration of cosmic, societal death and rebirth. The author’s traumatic journey of self-discovery is the compelling thread that skillfully weaves together Jungian psychology, mysticism, astrology, and Tibetan Buddhism into one cohesive pilgrimage of the soul. It provides a map for seekers of meaning and purpose to navigate not only the big issues of life and death but also the fears and beliefs that prevent us from realizing our full potential. A wonderful modern addition to a genre that is as old as humanity itself.”
“Hearing the drumbeat of universal spiritual teachings and the wisdom song of the sacred feminine, Miles Neale offers himself into the reservoir of omniscient, timeless awareness. Return with Elixir is a deeply personal and inspiring account of the awakening path and finding freedom from a world of mass delusion. It shares the extraordinary magic and meaning that occurs when we melt into the clearlight network of the Dakini and reemerge as a sublime avatar of compassion in the world. It gives us practical tools to access this most valuable treasure within us all.”
“My teacher said: ‘One should not discard his maps until the destination is within sight.’ At this point in history, most people don’t even know they need maps! Miles is a mapmaker and guide who has seen the rocky shoals. Read this book!”
“A masterful synthesis of Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. Miles beautifully weaves together disparate threads from various sources—including mythology, Jungian psychology, and Tibetan alchemy—to focus on the growth of the soul. This will be of great interest to anyone on the perennial search for meaning. For them, this book will be a revelation.”
“Amidst the collapse of civilizations past, ancient cultures once turned to cosmology and mysticism to illuminate the journey from darkness to light. In Return with Elixir, Miles revives these sacred teachings—from circumambulating the Borobudur mandala to channeling the serpent energy within our subtle body nervous system—guiding us on the soul’s pilgrimage from crisis to clarity. For those seeking a manual of rebirth and ready to heed the revolutionary call to consciousness awakening, this book offers life-affirming nectar to savor.”
“Miles Neale takes us on an extraordinary odyssey of exploration and transformation born out of his own inner call to awaken through misfortune. This fascinating synthesis of Eastern and Western wisdom illuminates a profound and ancient mystery of transformation still alive and relevant today.”
“Miles Neale offers readers a series of maps to help them successfully navigate their own inner states of being and thus overcome their fear, anxiety, and apathy. Learning to ‘die before you die’ is one of the primary pathways emphasized in the book as a way to triumph over yourself. Conquering oneself is the first act of every aspiring warrior of light.”
