Heart Yoga: My Story

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The following is excerpted from Heart Yoga: The Sacred
Marriage of Yoga and Mysticism by
Andrew Harvey and Karuna Erickson, published
by North Atlantic Books.

 

Karuna’s Story

When I was a little girl, my grandmother, a
mystical healer and a woman of irrepressible joy, would often say to me,
“Remember, always, you are God’s perfect child.” Because I felt her
unconditional love, her teachings sank deeply into me. It has taken me more
than five decades to realize the fullness of her blessings.

Through my journey into the marriage of
yoga and mysticism, I have begun to discover just how profound and far-reaching
my grandmother’s words are, not just for me but for everyone. My grandmother
was a naturally holy woman who knew that we are all intrinsically blessed as
embodiments of divine love and light, and that the meaning of life is learning
how to receive this blessing in every dimension, and then express its truth as
loving action in the world. Her life overflowed with joy. She often entered our
house singing and dancing. She celebrated the announcement of the end of World
War I by turning cartwheels around a fancy hotel lobby. Her last words to me
before she died, said with a radiant smile glowing on her face, were “Let’s
go!”

I am starting to see how rich and potent
is this experience of knowing ourselves to be the manifestation of the joy of
divine energy. When we live this knowledge whole-heartedly, it transforms our
lives and the world. The practice of yoga reveals and deepens this experience
of the fusion of body and spirit. I am discovering how this union can lead to a
subtle and profound evolution on the deepest cellular level, making accessible
the new dimensions of courage, passion, stamina, and inspiration that are so
essential at this crucial time in the world’s history.

I humbly offer my experience, knowing that
it is not unique to me but open to everyone, and has been at the heart of yoga
philosophy from the very beginning. Four thousand years ago, the Vedic sages of
India found “the treasure of heaven hidden in the secret cavern like the young
of the bird, within the infinite rock.” The “infinite rock” is, I believe, the
cellular depths of the body. The “treasure of heaven” is the energy accessible
to us when body and spirit marry. The “young of the bird” is the tender Divine
Child, “God’s perfect child,” that this marriage births within us. The
reclaiming of this ancient vision can transform our yoga practice, and our
lives.

My journey into the mystery of my
grandmother’s teachings has had four stages. Many of you may have gone through
similar stages in your unfolding journey. Sharing our stories to articulate
these archetypal experiences acknowledges and magnifies their transformative
power. I share my story in the hope that you will recognize aspects of your own
story, and that it will inspire your continuing explorations.

First Stage

I had a happy and comfortable childhood in
most ways. Growing up in a loving Jewish family in a comfortable suburb of
Chicago gave me security and confidence. My grandmother was a constant
inspiration. She taught me how to practice the mysteries of healing, to see the
light in all beings, to feel the joy of life, and the power of love. When I was
young, my father, a gentle scholar, held me on his lap as he read. He taught me
devotion, concentration, and the value of prayer. My mother was a happy,
energetic, and optimistic person who had trained to become an opera singer. She
inspired me to have faith that I could do whatever I wanted to do.

Everything on the surface seemed perfect.
Inwardly, however, my family and community were reeling from the shock and
horror of the Holocaust. The wounds that this devastation dealt the psyche of
my family gave me contradictory messages. On the one hand, I was taught that I
had to succeed brilliantly in order to survive. On the other hand, my father
used to warn me how dangerous it could be to be conspicuous in any way. All
negative emotions were ignored, for they were too overwhelming to feel after
what our culture had endured. I was trained to be relentlessly cheerful and
positive at all times. My relationship with my body was ambiguous. While my
family encouraged my athletic endeavors, I was always warned to be careful.
Sexuality was never spoken of, and so became something shadowy and secret.

From these mixed messages I developed,
like many of us brought up in the Western world, a false self addicted to
intellect and success, and a sense of dissociation from my body. Outwardly I
was successful, popular, and happy. Inwardly, I was a perfectionistic
over-achiever, disconnected from my body. God’s perfect child had developed
somewhat of a split personality. My life has been a journey of healing this
split of body, mind, and spirit.

Second Stage

Increasingly stifled by the protectiveness of
my home, and longing for adventure, I decided with my partner Paul to move to
San Francisco in the midsixties. It was there that I first discovered yoga in
Ram Dass’ seminal book, Be Here Now, so influential for many of my
generation.

I started to practice the simple yoga
poses that Ram Dass outlined. At this time, I was studying psychology at Stanford
and Berkeley and was very intellectually oriented. Yoga awakened the cells in
my body as if after a long sleep, helping to calm my restless mind. I
encountered a copy of Light on Yoga by B. K. S. Iyengar and devoured it.
What had begun as curiosity about yoga now began to crystallize into a
life-long passion.

Meanwhile, it was the Vietnam War era, and
in Berkeley the political climate grew steadily more menacing. Paul and I
protested at anti-war demonstrations and were tear-gassed and chased by
National Guardsmen with clubs. We saw people shot by police from rooftops, and
protestors brutally beaten. This violence frightened and angered us, and we
didn’t know how to respond to it skillfully. Sometimes I wonder if my yoga
practice had been more firmly established at this time whether I would have had
then the courage and inspiration to know how to act effectively for political change.

Instead, Paul and I increasingly retreated
into the calm and beauty of the nearby mountains to heal our spirits. As the
political situation worsened, our hunger for a peaceful life in Nature grew,
and we decided to move to the Yukon Territory in the Canadian wilderness.
Fortunately, one of the few things I took with me from my old life was
Iyengar’s Light on Yoga.

 

Third Stage

Paul and I flew in a small plane into the
majestic solitude of the Yukon, seventy-five miles from the nearest road. We
lived in a one-room log cabin, settling in for a long Northern winter.
Surrounded by mountains, lakes, moose, wolves, coyotes, eagles, and swans,
everything I had been taught began to unravel. All that I had been doing in the
Bay Area, like building a career, no longer seemed important. I wasn’t sure who
I was anymore, what I really wanted, or what was true in my life. After a few
months of wondering if I was going crazy, I discovered that I only knew three
things for certain: that I loved my partner, I loved to walk in Nature, and I
loved practicing yoga.

Day after day I practiced, with deepening
devotion and wonder. I started to experience the intertwining of my individual
self with the Universal Self, as unveiled in the vastness of Nature around me.
My body and mind moved toward the deep peace of their union. I began to
understand more directly the words of the ancient yogic text, the Upanishads, “Tat
Tvam Asi,”
“I am That.” Patanjali’s teaching that the physical postures are
“mastered when all effort is relaxed and the mind is absorbed in the Infinite”1
started to feel more real and accessible. Sometimes I experienced
my body as a dance of energy seamlessly interconnected with the energy dancing
in all of creation. This brought me a joy I had never known before.

After almost a year, we left the isolation
of the wilderness and moved to a serene and remote valley in the mountains of
British Columbia, where we lived in a supportive and loving community and
raised two children. After seven or eight years of practicing yoga on my own, I
attended my first yoga class with Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, PT, a renowned
and loving yoga teacher. Judith’s tender warmth, compassion, wisdom, and humor
greatly inspired me. She encouraged me to share my practice with others.

I began to teach yoga and continued to
study regularly with Judith and other inspiring teachers influenced by B. K. S.
Iyengar, the great yoga master known for his genius in understanding the body.
In the mid-eighties, I traveled to India to study with Mr. Iyengar directly.

I will always be grateful for the
teachings of this great yogi. A new intelligence opened in my body as I began
to integrate the subtle nuances of Iyengar’s brilliant teaching. The fierce way
he taught, however, scared me a little. I was drawn to a gentler way of
practicing and teaching yoga, one that did not sacrifice any of Iyengar’s
precision and rigor, but married them to a more feminine approach. This softer
approach, I intuited, could start to release me from my own perfectionism and
harsh self-judgments, and begin to birth me into a more fluid, integrated, and
loving relationship with myself.

I was next blessed to study yoga with
Angela Farmer, whose soft yet strong and creatively experimental way of
teaching delighted me and began to free me from my rigidity and the
determination of my will. I then found these inspiring words from the ancient
Taoist mystic, Lao Tzu, that became my guide:

The typical way of people is to teach others to get rid of weakness
and become strong, to remove softness and to become tough. However, the subtle
Truth teaches to stop using force and become soft, to remove toughness and
hardness and become gentle. Those under heaven who are soft can manage the strongest.
Subtle energy has no form. Thus it can go into and out of any space. Therefore,
I know the benefit of being soft and subtle and not using force. The learning
of the subtle path is not only something that you know, but also something that
you live. Many people know that not applying force brings greater benefit, but
few are willing to do it. Living a life of no force is the subtle truth of
Life.2

I started to dedicate my practice and
teaching to “stop using force and become soft, and to remove toughness and
hardness and become gentle.” “Living a life of no force as the subtle truth of
life” began to permeate my life. My practice of yoga deepened and began to
reveal to me more profound realms of stillness and peace. My teaching became
less preoccupied with detailed physical alignment, and more heart-centered and
relaxed.

By the early nineties, however, I began to
feel that both my yoga practice and my life had reached an invisible wall. The
peace I had initially sought began to feel too comfortable. All the paths I had
taken had been rich and rewarding, and I had been blessed with exceptional
teachers. But still I felt restless and unsettled, as if I were missing
something. There was something too isolated and protected about my life, and
something too quiet and predictable about the yoga I was practicing. I yearned
for an experience that could awaken me into a fuller life and a more active
service to others. Without being able to articulate it, I longed to evolve my
yoga practice and my life to marry peace with passion.

Fourth Stage

The thunderbolt I needed arrived in the form
of Andrew Harvey’s book, Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi. Rumi’s
divinely inspired poetry and Andrew’s brilliant commentary awakened the fire in
my heart. As I became more and more inspired and enraptured by Rumi’s poetry, I
began to feel the stirrings of sacred passion deep within my own heart.

Passion burns down every
branch of exhaustion,

Passion’s the Supreme
Elixir and renews all things;

No one can grow
exhausted when passion is born!

Don’t sigh heavily, your
brow bleak with boredom;

Look for passion,
passion, passion, passion! . . .

Run, my friends, run far
away from all false solutions!

Let Divine passion
triumph and rebirth you in yourself! –RUMI3

Rumi and Andrew challenged me into this
rebirth with a fiery and urgent intensity. The inspirational mystical poetry of
Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir began to weave itself through my yoga practice and
teaching. It infused the peace I knew with a new depth of ecstasy and passion,
which I welcomed.

I was then blessed to study with two
superb yoga masters, Patricia Walden and Rodney Yee, who both confirmed and
richly expanded this vision of the potential of yoga to carry both peace and
passion. Patricia Walden embodied exactly the marriage of precise movement with
compassion and grace that I had been seeking. Her feminine wisdom deeply
inspired me. Rodney Yee’s creative use of imagery, combined with his readings
of mystical poetry, further illumined and affirmed my experience of their
potential to enhance yoga practice. Rodney’s expertise in exploring the
spiritual mysteries of yoga philosophy, as well as his extraordinarily nuanced
understanding of the body’s innermost subtleties, sparked my own quest to marry
mystery with clarity. His heartfelt warmth suffused his teaching with loving
generosity, encouraging me to move beyond my mind and open my own heart more deeply
in my practice and teaching. Rodney’s blend of feminine and masculine energies
was a radiant example of the integration I was longing to embody.

I was eager to learn more about the realms
of mysticism, and to integrate their ecstatic and passionate energy into my
yoga practice. I began to hear glowing reports about the doctoral program at
the University of Creation Spirituality in California, and when I saw that
Andrew Harvey was one of the teachers, I listened to my heart and enrolled.

My first class at UCS was on Rumi, and
Andrew Harvey was the teacher. Within five minutes, his wild and passionate
presentation of the great Persian poet had tears rolling down my cheeks.
Andrew’s subsequent teachings gave me a vision of how I could connect with the
fire of divine passion through devotion and longing, and how this fire could
fuel the energy of service to others.

I loved Andrew’s passion as well as his
compassion, and his commitment to the expression of divine love as creative
action, social justice, healing, and transformation in the world. I loved him,
too, for not posing as a guru, but instead constantly stressing that all human
beings have their own direct connection to God, and for cherishing and
celebrating the gifts he saw in all the people around him. His teaching was
totally in harmony with the teachings of my grandmother whispering in my heart.
Andrew’s tremendous energy and conviction was like a firecracker that woke me
up from a peaceful dream, and helped me both to remember the core of divine
consciousness within me and to live my life radiating from this remembrance.

In Rumi’s
blessing before Book IV of the Mathnawi, Rumi quotes the Andalusian poet
Adi al-Riga, who said,

I was sleeping, and
being comforted

by a cool breeze, when
suddenly a gray dove

from a thicket sang and
sobbed with longing,

and reminded me of my
own passion.

I had been away from my
own soul so long,

so late-sleeping, but
that dove’s crying

woke me and made me cry.
Praise

To all early-waking
grievers!4

I was so grateful for Andrew’s passion,
which awakened my own. I was also a little afraid for him, because I sensed
that his intense energy was not sufficiently grounded in his body, and I was
concerned that he couldn’t sustain the powerful energy flowing through him. As
brilliant and mystical as Andrew was, like many of us it seemed that he wasn’t
living fully in his body.

One day, hesitantly and respectfully, I
told him about my concern for him. I knew that he suffered from back pain and
suggested that if he were more stable and steady on his feet, his back muscles
would relax, and he would feel less pain. He welcomed my suggestion, and as he
became more aware of how he was standing and rooted his feet in the earth, his
back pain did lessen. He was thankful and asked me to teach some yoga postures
in his classes, to help the doctoral students ground themselves and absorb the
mystical teachings in the cells of their bodies.

We both began to see a new vision of the
possibilities of yoga. Inspired by Andrew, I began to see more clearly how
combining yoga with the passion of mysticism could deepen yoga’s transformative
power. Andrew, with my encouragement, began to see how being grounded in the
body through devoted yoga practice could help the mystic embody mystical
consciousness. We were both joyfully amazed by the synchronicity of our
meeting, and at the natural interweaving of our two ancient paths. We were awed
by the calm and exquisite truth of the path we found ourselves exploring together.

One day in a class on the Evolution of the
Divine Human, Andrew played a CD of Jimmy Scott singing the theme song from the
movie Exodus. I wept when I heard his heartbreakingly poignant voice
singing these words, “This land is mine, God gave this land to me; this brave
and lovely land to me.” I felt then that the wounds of my childhood around the
Holocaust were being directly healed, and that I could now, as a fully embodied
human being, claim this earth, this “brave and lovely land” as my own. This was
a moment of deep healing for me.

That night, the healing that had begun
with Jimmy Scott’s song continued in a yet deeper dimension. Awakening in the
middle of the night from a dream, I found his words still running through my
heart. This time I knew, with the stunned force of a revelation, that this
“brave and lovely land” was also, in fact, my body. My grandmother had called
me “God’s perfect child,” as were all beings. I experienced at that moment that
my body was God’s perfect gift to me-the divine’s gift of embodiment to all
beings. The energy flowing through my body felt both physical and spiritual,
and I saw that any sense of separation is an illusion.

I felt my body radiating with divine
beauty and holiness, united with all of creation. I felt the landscape of my
body, its rounded hills and valleys, soft curves, moving winds, vast plains,
flowing rivers and still pools, its forests and open skies. I knew directly
that my body was the universe and the universe was my body.

I was moved to practice a few simple yoga
poses, as if for the first time, and was amazed at the way they deepened the
visionary experience. When old habits of self-doubt and self-judgment began to
arise, I remembered a practice that Andrew had shared earlier that day. I
visualized my grandmother floating lovingly above me, and I told her about the
fears that were sabotaging me from awakening to my own God-given perfection. I imagined
her extracting these fears from my body, like a magnet drawing up iron filings.
As she did so, my body began to feel light and free.

This visionary experience continued to
transform my yoga practice and teaching. A few months, later, Andrew and I
began to teach a series of workshops celebrating what we had come to call the
Sacred Marriage of yoga and mysticism. Andrew’s vision of the marriage of the
transcendent and immanent, masculine and feminine, body and soul, expressed
itself in five great joys: the joys of transcendence, creation, love for all
beings, the Tantra of tenderness, and service. In these workshops, Andrew
articulated the vision of these joys, and I created yoga sequences that helped
students directly experience and embody them. We were encouraged by the
receptivity of our students to go more deeply into the mystery of the marriage,
as they began to feel new levels of empowerment and freedom.

We continued to
evolve and refine our work over the next few years. In an unforgettable week of
teaching at Esalen, on the cliffs overlooking the wild ocean at Big Sur, all
the aspects of the work that we had been honing came together and birthed a new
level of awareness. Andrew and I began to further articulate the vision that
informs this book. We spoke of the amazing potential that opens within yoga,
when the practice and teaching of the asanas are combined with mystical imagery
of the light-body from ancient traditions and esoteric anatomy. This felt like
a powerful inspiration to us, and we evolved a teaching of the Sun Salutation
with mystical imagery of the sacred centers of the light-body added to it. We
were excited about the possibility of teaching all the yoga asanas from this
perspective.

Having already had some experience of the
cellular transformation that occurs when divine light is invoked into the body,
we began to see how this new system would help us deepen and expand this transformation.
By creating a precise and holy crucible for further engendering and grounding
these experiences, this mystical yoga system would intensify and focus the
light in a divinized body. Aurobindo and other great yogis had foreseen this as
the next evolutionary step for humanity.

We investigated this vision and
deepened our understanding of how the technology of transformation actually
works. It is not as complicated as it may seem. The key to it is in the nature
of the divine light. Just as physicists tell us that physical light is at once
a wave and a particle, so the direct experience of divine light in the body is
at once both an immersion in universal oceanic consciousness and a microscopic
awareness of the light working with minutely precise intensity in every cell.
As Rumi writes, “Do not think the drop alone becomes the ocean. The ocean, too,
becomes the drop.”5

As our practice of the yoga of the Sacred
Marriage deepens, we find ourselves experiencing this vast expansion into
universal presence as well as the microscopic attention to the minutest
particles of the body. This fusion of universal consciousness with precise
cellular awareness is the door through which grace can enter. It brings our
whole being-mind, heart, soul, and body-into an ever-expanding unity and
simultaneously gives us direct access to new levels of both profoundly calm and
profoundly passionate energy.

This marriage of peace and passion, in
turn, deepens, expands, and unifies heart, mind, spirit, and body. It creates
an increasingly seamless, circular system of transformation. The absolute, the
infinite, makes love to the relative, the finite. The finite, in responding to
that love, fuses itself more intimately with its origin. This process, once
awakened, becomes very simple and natural. With trust and openness to this
practice, the divine light and grace do the rest.

Practice itself is the evolutionary
crucible of divine humanity. Through practice, the immanent in us makes love to
the transcendent, and through that lovemaking we open a pathway for the
transcendent to love us into itself, as we embody transcendence.

Although I have practiced yoga
consistently for over forty years, I often feel like a beginner on this subtle,
demanding, and mysterious journey. Every practice brings new vision and new
areas to explore. When periods of doubt, fear, or confusion arise, I need to
stay grounded in my trust of the practice itself to realign me with awareness
and courage, and to just keep practicing with an open heart.

A few years ago my life became nearly
unbearable at times as my partner Paul struggled with and barely survived a
series of major health crises. I needed the strength, courage, stamina, and
passion of a warrior to fight the limits of the medical system for Paul’s life.
I also needed the peace, trust, and practices of a mystic, such as prayer,
breath awareness, and meditation, to weather the many dark nights of terror and
loneliness without becoming numbed and paralyzed by despair. This descent into
the shadows deepened my experience and understanding of the comfort and faith
that yoga practice offers, and intensified my gratitude and sense of
celebration of the wonder and joy of life.

Notes

1 Andrew Harvey, Light
Upon Light: Inspirations from Rumi
(Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1996),
p. 233.

2 Andrew Harvey, The
Essential Mystics: Selections from the World’s Great Wisdom Traditions
(New
York: Harper San Francisco, 1996), p. 100.

3 Andrew Harvey,
ed., Teachings of the Hindu Mystics (Boston: Shambhala, 2001), p. 15.

4 Steven Larsen, A
Fire in the Mind
(New York: Anchor, 1992), p. 238.

5 Andrew Harvey,
unpublished translation.

 

Copyright © 2010 by Andrew
Harvey and Karuna Erickson. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

Photo by Scarleth White, courtesy of creative Commons license.

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DMT Resources
This article is a comprehensive DMT resource providing extensive information from studies, books, documentaries, and more. Check it out!

Differentiating DMT and Near-Death Experiences
Some say there are similarities between a DMT trip and death. Read our guide on differentiating DMT and near-death experiences to find out.

DMT Research from 1956 to the Edge of Time
From a representative sample of a suitably psychedelic crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who couldn’t tell you all about Albert Hofmann’s enchanted bicycle ride after swallowing what turned out to be a massive dose of LSD. Far fewer, however, could tell you much about the world’s first DMT trip.

The Ultimate Guide to DMT Pricing
Check out our ultimate guide on DMT pricing to learn what to expect when purchasing DMT for your first time.

DMT Milking | Reality Sandwich
Indigenous cultures have used 5-MeO-DMT for centuries. With the surge in demand for psychedelic toad milk, is DMT Milking harming the frogs?

Why Does DMT Pervade Nature?
With the presence of DMT in nature everywhere – including human brains – why does it continue to baffle science?

DMT Substance Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to DMT has everything you want to know about this powerful psychedelic referred to as “the spirit molecule”.

DMT for Depression: Paving the Way for New Medicine
We’ve been waiting for an effective depression treatment. Studies show DMT for depression works even for treatment resistant patients.

Beating Addiction with DMT
Psychedelics have been studied for their help overcoming addiction. Read how DMT is helping addicts beat their substance abuse issues.

DMT Extraction: Behind the Scientific Process
Take a look at DMT extraction and the scientific process involved. Learn all you need to know including procedures and safety.

Microdosing DMT & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing DMT.

DMT Art: A Look Behind Visionary Creations
An entire genre of artwork is inspired by psychedelic trips with DMT. Read to learn about the entities and visions behind DMT art.

Changa vs. DMT: What You Need to Know
While similar (changa contains DMT), each drug has its own unique effect and feeling. Let’s compare and contrast changa vs DMT.

5-MeO-DMT Guide: Effects, Benefits, Safety, and Legality
5-Meo-DMT comes from the Sonora Desert toad. Here is everything you want to know about 5-Meo-DMT and how it compares to 4-AcO-DMT.

4-AcO-DMT Guide: Benefits, Effects, Safety, and Legality
This guide tells you everything about 4 AcO DMT & 5 MeO DMT, that belong to the tryptamine class, and are similar but slightly different to DMT.

How Much Does LSD Cost? When shopping around for that magical psychedelic substance, there can be many uncertainties when new to buying LSD. You may be wondering how much does LSD cost? In this article, we will discuss what to expect when purchasing LSD on the black market, what forms LSD is sold in, and the standard breakdown of buying LSD in quantity.   Navy Use of LSD on the Dark Web The dark web is increasingly popular for purchasing illegal substances. The US Navy has now noticed this trend with their staff. Read to learn more.   Having Sex on LSD: What You Need to Know Can you have sex on LSD? Read our guide to learn everything about sex on acid, from lowered inhibitions to LSD users quotes on sex while tripping.   A Drug That Switches off an LSD Trip A pharmaceutical company is developing an “off-switch” drug for an LSD trip, in the case that a bad trip can happen. Some would say there is no such thing.   Queen of Hearts: An Interview with Liz Elliot on Tim Leary and LSD The history of psychedelia, particularly the British experience, has been almost totally written by men. Of the women involved, especially those who were in the thick of it, little has been written either by or about them. A notable exception is Liz Elliot.   LSD Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety LSD, Lysergic acid diethylamide, or just acid is one of the most important psychedelics ever discovered. What did history teach us?   Microdosing LSD & Common Dosage Explained Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing LSD.   LSD Resources Curious to learn more about LSD? This guide includes comprehensive LSD resources containing books, studies and more.   LSD as a Spiritual Aid There is common consent that the evolution of mankind is paralleled by the increase and expansion of consciousness. From the described process of how consciousness originates and develops, it becomes evident that its growth depends on its faculty of perception. Therefore every means of improving this faculty should be used.   Legendary LSD Blotter Art: A Hidden Craftsmanship Have you ever heard of LSD blotter art? Explore the trippy world of LSD art and some of the top artists of LSD blotter art.   LSD and Exercise: Does it Work? LSD and exercise? Learn why high-performing athletes are taking hits of LSD to improve their overall potential.   Jan Bastiaans Treated Holocaust Survivors with LSD Dutch psychiatrist, Jan Bastiaans administered LSD-assisted therapy to survivors of the Holocaust. A true war hero and pioneer of psychedelic-therapy.   LSD and Spiritual Awakening I give thanks for LSD, which provided the opening that led me to India in 1971 and brought me to Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji. Maharajji is described by the Indians as a “knower of hearts.”   How LSD is Made: Everything You Need to Know Ever wonder how to make LSD? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how LSD is made.   How to Store LSD: Best Practices Learn the best way to store LSD, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long LSD lasts when stored.   Bicycle Day: The Discovery of LSD Every year on April 19th, psychonauts join forces to celebrate Bicycle Day. Learn about the famous day when Albert Hoffman first discovered the effects of LSD.   Cary Grant: A Hollywood Legend On LSD Cary Grant was a famous actor during the 1930’s-60’s But did you know Grant experimented with LSD? Read our guide to learn more.   Albert Hofmann: LSD — My Problem Child Learn about Albert Hofmann and his discovery of LSD, along with the story of Bicycle Day and why it marks a historic milestone.   Babies are High: What Does LSD Do To Your Brain What do LSD and babies have in common? Researchers at the Imperial College in London discover that an adult’s brain on LSD looks like a baby’s brain.   1P LSD: Effects, Benefits, Safety Explained 1P LSD is an analogue of LSD and homologue of ALD-25. Here is everything you want to know about 1P LSD and how it compares to LSD.   Francis Crick, DNA & LSD Type ‘Francis Crick LSD’ into Google, and the result will be 30,000 links. Many sites claim that Crick (one of the two men responsible for discovering the structure of DNA), was either under the influence of LSD at the time of his revelation or used the drug to help with his thought processes during his research. Is this true?   What Happens If You Overdose on LSD? A recent article presented three individuals who overdosed on LSD. Though the experience was unpleasant, the outcomes were remarkably positive.

The Ayahuasca Experience
Ayahuasca is both a medicine and a visionary aid. You can employ ayahuasca for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual repair, and you can engage with the power of ayahuasca for deeper insight and realization. If you consider attainment of knowledge in the broadest perspective, you can say that at all times, ayahuasca heals.

 

Trippy Talk: Meet Ayahuasca with Sitaramaya Sita and PlantTeachers
Sitaramaya Sita is a spiritual herbalist, pusangera, and plant wisdom practitioner formally trained in the Shipibo ayahuasca tradition.

 

The Therapeutic Value of Ayahuasca
My best description of the impact of ayahuasca is that it’s a rocket boost to psychospiritual growth and unfolding, my professional specialty during my thirty-five years of private practice.

 

Microdosing Ayahuasca: Common Dosage Explained
What is ayahuasca made of and what is considered a microdose? Explore insights with an experienced Peruvian brewmaster and learn more about this practice.

 

Ayahuasca Makes Neuron Babies in Your Brain
Researchers from Beckley/Sant Pau Research Program have shared the latest findings in their study on the effects of ayahuasca on neurogenesis.

 

The Fatimiya Sufi Order and Ayahuasca
In this interview, the founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order,  N. Wahid Azal, discusses the history and uses of plant medicines in Islamic and pre-Islamic mystery schools.

 

Consideration Ayahuasca for Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Research indicates that ayahuasca mimics mechanisms of currently accepted treatments for PTSD. In order to understand the implications of ayahuasca treatment, we need to understand how PTSD develops.

 

Brainwaves on Ayahuasca: A Waking Dream State
In a study researchers shared discoveries showing ingredients found in Ayahuasca impact the brainwaves causing a “waking dream” state.

 

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a pro cannabis Peruvian Shaman.

 

Ayahuasca Retreat 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brave the Brew
Ayahuasca has been known to be a powerful medicinal substance for millennia. However, until recently, it was only found in the jungle. Word of its deeply healing and cleansing properties has begun to spread across the world as many modern, Western individuals are seeking spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. More ayahuasca retreat centers are emerging in the Amazon and worldwide to meet the demand.

 

Ayahuasca Helps with Grief
A new study published in psychopharmacology found that ayahuasca helped those suffering from the loss of a loved one up to a year after treatment.

 

Ayahuasca Benefits: Clinical Improvements for Six Months
Ayahuasca benefits can last six months according to studies. Read here to learn about the clinical improvements from drinking the brew.

 

Ayahuasca Culture: Indigenous, Western, And The Future
Ayahuasca has been use for generations in the Amazon. With the rise of retreats and the brew leaving the rainforest how is ayahuasca culture changing?

 

Ayahuasca Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
The Amazonian brew, Ayahuasca has a long history and wide use. Read our guide to learn all about the tea from its beginnings up to modern-day interest.

 

Ayahuasca and the Godhead: An Interview with Wahid Azal of the Fatimiya Sufi Order
Wahid Azal, a Sufi mystic of The Fatimiya Sufi Order and an Islamic scholar, talks about entheogens, Sufism, mythology, and metaphysics.

 

Ayahuasca and the Feminine: Women’s Roles, Healing, Retreats, and More
Ayahuasca is lovingly called “grandmother” or “mother” by many. Just how feminine is the brew? Read to learn all about women and ayahuasca.

What Is the Standard of Care for Ketamine Treatments?
Ketamine therapy is on the rise in light of its powerful results for treatment-resistant depression. But, what is the current standard of care for ketamine? Read to find out.

What Is Dissociation and How Does Ketamine Create It?
Dissociation can take on multiple forms. So, what is dissociation like and how does ketamine create it? Read to find out.

Having Sex on Ketamine: Getting Physical on a Dissociative
Curious about what it could feel like to have sex on a dissociate? Find out all the answers in our guide to sex on ketamine.

Special K: The Party Drug
Special K refers to Ketamine when used recreationally. Learn the trends as well as safety information around this substance.

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

Ketamine vs. Esketamine: 3 Important Differences Explained
Ketamine and esketamine are used to treat depression. But what’s the difference between them? Read to learn which one is right for you: ketamine vs. esketamine.

Guide to Ketamine Treatments: Understanding the New Approach
Ketamine is becoming more popular as more people are seeing its benefits. Is ketamine a fit? Read our guide for all you need to know about ketamine treatments.

Ketamine Treatment for Eating Disorders
Ketamine is becoming a promising treatment for various mental health conditions. Read to learn how individuals can use ketamine treatment for eating disorders.

Ketamine Resources, Studies, and Trusted Information
Curious to learn more about ketamine? This guide includes comprehensive ketamine resources containing books, studies and more.

Ketamine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to ketamine has everything you need to know about this “dissociative anesthetic” and how it is being studied for depression treatment.

Ketamine for Depression: A Mental Health Breakthrough
While antidepressants work for some, many others find no relief. Read to learn about the therapeutic uses of ketamine for depression.

Ketamine for Addiction: Treatments Offering Hope
New treatments are offering hope to individuals suffering from addiction diseases. Read to learn how ketamine for addiction is providing breakthrough results.

Microdosing Ketamine & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing ketamine.

How to Ease a Ketamine Comedown
Knowing what to expect when you come down from ketamine can help integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible.

How to Store Ketamine: Best Practices
Learn the best ways how to store ketamine, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long ketamine lasts when stored.

How To Buy Ketamine: Is There Legal Ketamine Online?
Learn exactly where it’s legal to buy ketamine, and if it’s possible to purchase legal ketamine on the internet.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?
How long does ketamine stay in your system? Are there lasting effects on your body? Read to discover the answers!

How Ketamine is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make Ketamine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how Ketamine is made.

Colorado on Ketamine: First Responders Waiver Programs
Fallout continues after Elijah McClain. Despite opposing recommendations from some city council, Colorado State Health panel recommends the continued use of ketamine by medics for those demonstrating “excited delirium” or “extreme agitation”.

Types of Ketamine: Learn the Differences & Uses for Each
Learn about the different types of ketamine and what they are used for—and what type might be right for you. Read now to find out!

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

MDMA & Ecstasy Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to MDMA has everything you want to know about Ecstasy from how it was developed in 1912 to why it’s being studied today.

How To Get the Most out of Taking MDMA as a Couple
Taking MDMA as a couple can lead to exciting experiences. Read here to learn how to get the most of of this love drug in your relationship.

Common MDMA Dosage & Microdosing Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing MDMA.

Having Sex on MDMA: What You Need to Know
MDMA is known as the love drug… Read our guide to learn all about sex on MDMA and why it is beginning to makes its way into couple’s therapy.

How MDMA is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make MDMA? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how MDMA is made.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

How Cocaine is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make cocaine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how cocaine is made.

A Christmas Sweater with Santa and Cocaine
This week, Walmart came under fire for a “Let it Snow” Christmas sweater depicting Santa with lines of cocaine. Columbia is not merry about it.

Ultimate Cocaine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
This guide covers what you need to know about Cocaine, including common effects and uses, legality, safety precautions and top trends today.

NEWS: An FDA-Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray
The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which has raised suspicions that the pharmaceutical company, Lannett Company Inc., paid off the FDA..

The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Bioavailability
What is bioavailability and how can it affect the overall efficacy of a psychedelic substance? Read to learn more.

Cannabis Research Explains Sociability Behaviors
New research by Dr. Giovanni Marsicano shows social behavioral changes occur as a result of less energy available to the neurons. Read here to learn more.

The Cannabis Shaman
If recreational and medical use of marijuana is becoming accepted, can the spiritual use as well? Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Hamilton Souther, founder of the 420 Cannabis Shamanism movement…

Cannabis Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Cannabis has everything you want to know about this popular substances that has psychedelic properties.

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a procannabis Peruvian Shaman.

CBD-Rich Cannabis Versus Single-Molecule CBD
A ground-breaking study has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic cannabidiol (CBD), challenging the medical-industrial complex’s notion that “crude” botanical preparations are less effective than single-molecule compounds.

Cannabis Has Always Been a Medicine
Modern science has already confirmed the efficacy of cannabis for most uses described in the ancient medical texts, but prohibitionists still claim that medical cannabis is “just a ruse.”

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