Love is the AnswerAn Appreciation of Myron Stolaroff (August 20, 1920–January 6, 2013)
JOHN HARRISON
“There is a light that glows continuously in the universe. It is eternal, ever-present, and unending. This light is the source of life. It can be for each of us the source of joy, wellbeing, aliveness, in fact that which makes everything in life charged with exuberance and gratitude at the miracle of being. We can be filled with wonder and excitement at participating in the enormous adventure of life. This light is infinitely expressive, constantly seeking ways to manifest in ever-unfolding, ever-increasing varieties of expression.[…] We, humankind, have the opportunity to be the channel for the expression of this light. As the most developed creatures on the planet, we have been granted attributes which permit us to unite our inner self with this indescribably beautiful light, to be an expression of this energy, and to share in the joy and delight of the unfolding processes of Life.” —Myron Stolaroff”
THESE BEAUTIFUL WORDS OF MYRON’S are faithful in spirit to his life’s work, and genuinely reflect the heart of this remarkable human being. So many who have been touched by, or are active in, the psychedelic movement owe much to this brilliant and
humble pioneer. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, on August 20, 1920, Myron completed his education at Stanford University with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering. The bulk of his industrial career was spent with Ampex Corporation, a leading manufacturer of magnetic recording equipment and producer of the “rst successful video recorder.
Here he reached the position of Assistant to the President in charge of Long Range Planning. This position provided the broad perspective of the technical world that permitted him to declare, after his “rst experience with LSD in 1956, that LSD was
the most important discovery of mankind. He consequently made the decision to devote his primary energy to discovering and exploring the potential of psychedelic substances. In 1960, Myron founded the International Foundation for Advanced Study
(IFAS) in Menlo Park, California, where research with LSD and mescaline was conducted for three and a half years, processing some 350 subjects and resulting in six professional papers, including a landmark investigation of the application of psychedelics to creativity. After the FDA revoked all permits for research with psychedelics in 1965, Myron began studying how the knowledge of psychedelics can be employed to deepen meditation practice and achieve personal realization. Myron accurately perceived psychedelics as a valuable tool on the path to self-realization and wholeness, but definitely not the only or !nal tool. His inner work through meditation, as well as his many papers and books, react this understanding and his ongoing search for self-discovery and the divine within.
Some of this inner work included hiking and climbing in his beloved High Sierra. Myron and his wife Jean lived in the quaint township of Lone Pine, Calif., at the base of magnificent Mt. Whitney. Surrounded by the hauntingly beautiful high desert and the Sierra crest, Myron, Jean, and their delighted friends would take daily hikes and occasional extended forays into the back country wilderness, where they would enjoy the mountain air and wax philosophic.
The esteemed Jon Hanna of erowid.org writes, “On January 28, 1978, Myron took MDMA for the first time. The experience produced a ‘marvelous euphoria’ and was a ‘wonderful introduction’ to the compound, which was not illegal at the time. Myron quietly began personal investigations into the effects of these drugs, until the Controlled Substance Analogue Act of 1986 put a damper on that research as well. After this, Myron shifted more focus onto his meditation practice…and soon he joined the Board of Directors for The Albert Hofmann Foundation, which had formed in 1988.” Besides his work with the Hofmann Foundation, Myron also served as a consultant to the He#ter Research Institute and was on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics. Subsequently,