Original Wealth and People’s Capitalism

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Not surprisingly, America’s founders had a deep understanding of “natural economy,” that nature’s renewable wealth was abundant and only needed tending and harvesting from humans willing to do the work. Consider the freedom this provided. In the Old World, land was held strictly by lords and hereditary land owners. Ordinary people had absolutely no chance to acquire land, and consequently could never become wealthy.

In the New World, land was everywhere. And while it could be rightfully argued that this land was being wrested from the native peoples, and parts of it yielded wealth only through the hard work of slaves, it still provided a rare opportunity in a dominate-or-be-dominated world. Two centuries before Darwin, economic Darwinism was in full flower. Beginning with Columbus’s journey, followed by the explorers of Spain, Portugal, Holland and England, the New World was first of all a source of gold. That gold made Spain a wealthy nation, and indirectly led to “enlightening up” the Dark Ages.

England got into the act in 1600, when Queen Elizabeth founded the East India Company, the purpose of which, according to agrarian economist Charles Walters, was to “plunder the planet.” For along with the “divine right” of royalty came the divine right to everything that could be acquired. The New World was not only a source of gold, but a source of free land, free food and “subhuman savages” who could either be harnessed to the plow or dispensed with. Here is a quote from Columbus himself that illuminates the 500 years of history that followed his journey: “The Indians are the best people in the world and above all the gentlest — without knowledge of evil — nor do they murder and steal. They would make fine servants. With fifty men we could subjugate them and make them do anything we want.” Perhaps the philosopher who first observed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions should really have said: “The road to hell is paved with people with good intentions — who were used as paving stones by people with bad intentions.”

Nonetheless, there were several factors that made the North American colonies unique. First, many of the settlers were refugees from either religious or economic persecution, and in the colonies they had the freedom to experience “live and let live” as opposed to “dominate or be dominated.” They were also influenced by the Native peoples — particularly the Iroquois Nation — who had an advanced system for living in balance with nature and with each other. These native cultures informed the Enlightenment, and these enlightened ideas became the founding principles of what would become the United States.

In a world where England and the other European nations saw exploitation as the natural scheme of things, America’s founders had a more enlightened understanding of how to thrive without exploiting or being exploited. Wrote Benjamin Franklin, “There are three ways for a nation to become wealthy. First, by war and taking away the wealth of another by force. Second, by trade, which to make a profit requires something cheap. Third, by agriculture, where by planting a seed you create new wealth as if by miracle.”

 

Big Box Stores, 18th Century Style

Just as the Revolutionary War was fought to overcome economic exploitation, the United States itself was founded for the specific purpose of protecting and nurturing its own wealth that came from what this new land yielded. In the period 1783 to 1789, the newly freed colonies suffered a severe economic depression. Why? Because British merchants were flooding the colonies with cheap goods made by cheap labor, sharply undercutting the growing industries here. Does this sound familiar? More than 200 years ago, the 1700s version of “big box” stores was putting America’s neighborhood outfits out of business!

Here were the colonies that had so recently lost blood and fortune to gain political independence, and now were being “re-colonized” by the economic tyranny of cheap goods. While then as now, cheap goods are attractive, the bargain comes with a hidden price tag. The influx of cheap goods drove prices down in the colonies, caused businesses to fail, and unemployment to be widespread. People without wages have little buying power, and that reinforced the market for cheap goods, “cheapening” the entire American economy. Meanwhile, in the colonies or factories where these goods were being produced, workers, natives and land were being exploited — that is, used without fair compensation. As a result there was a loss on both ends, with only the middleman gaining from both transactions.

Consequently, the United States of America was created to protect the most unique economy in the world against “free trade” just as we might erect a fence around a newly planted garden to keep the deer from nipping it in the bud. In contrast with the predator economies of Europe that sought to take wealth from others through force and through leveraged trade, here was a new nation where it was understood that wealth was on the ground and in the ground, available to all willing to work it.

The nations of Europe resented this upstart start-up nation that had the nerve to imagine it could be economically independent. When Abraham Lincoln decided to issue “greenbacks” — fiat currency without gold backing — to finance the Civil War, a London Times editorial fulminated, “It will pay off debts and be without debts … and become prosperous without precedent. That country must be destroyed or it will destroy every monarchy on the globe.” What America was founded on — and what has now been severely compromised by greed, misunderstanding and manipulation — is what economist Carl H. Wilken called “people’s capitalism.” Although little remembered now, Wilken was a visionary voice in the wilderness at a time when America was making the choice once-and-for-all to move from a generative economy to a predatory one.

Wilken’s ideas were based on the simple contention that “all new wealth comes from the soil.” Even in the cyber economy we find ourselves caught up in today, without the goods that come from the earth life would perish. As Benjamin Franklin understood, agriculture is “manna” from the ground up. Every year, as if by magic, edible life springs up from the ground. Cultivation of this abundant wealth — and being paid fairly for it — is the foundation of what Wilken called “people’s capitalism.” Writing in the 1930s, he contrasted this with two other forms of capitalism, state capitalism and international capitalism. In state capitalism — typified by socialism and communism — the state owns the means of production, and runs the system from the top down. International capitalism, typified today by international banks and multinational corporations, are concerned only with profits, and these profits are too often based on exploitation. “People’s capitalism” meant building wealth from the land. The function of the government, at least as the Founding Fathers saw it, was to “protect the individual against exploitation of a more powerful neighbor.” Congress and only Congress was authorized to coin money, money that was not created out of debt but which accurately represented the value of the wealth of the nation. Living in this age of multinational corporations, many of us may have developed a jaundiced view of capitalism. But Wilken saw a nation of six million capitalist farmers, all growing not just their crops, but the wealth and savings of the whole country.

 

The American Devolution:
From Original Wealth to Original Debt

“From 1700 to 1800,” said Wilken’s associate Charles Ray, “our nation’s farmer-pioneers were creating the first basic capital in the wealth of [America] by raw labor out of the soil.” E. H. Taylor, editor of Country Gentleman, called this bounty of raw materials “original wealth.” And yet, two centuries later the United States, the most powerful empire in the world, has an economy so compromised it can only function through massive infusions of debt. Whereas our parents and grandparents enjoyed a high standard of living fifty years ago on one income, it now takes two-and-a-half incomes to even approach that standard of living. The money most families used to put aside for savings now goes to repay debt.

What went wrong?

The subtext of American history from this country’s founding until 1913 was the struggle between those who wanted banks in charge of monetary policy, and those who wanted the government of the people to determine how much currency is coined. The battle was decisively won by the banks in 1913, when the Federal Reserve was established, insuring that U.S. currency would be debt-based, issued through private banks.

A year later, the World War began in Europe and European bankers had loaned the Allied powers $15 billion. But by 1916, the war was going poorly for the Allies and the bankers needed two things to secure their loans. First, they needed for the United States to enter the war and shift the balance of power towards the Allies. Second, they needed for America to loan the Allies an additional $15 billion from the U.S. treasury. And so Woodrow Wilson, the man who ran for President in 1916 on the platform “he kept us out of war” (not, we should note, “he’s gonna keep us out of war”) got us into war on April 6, 1917, just weeks after his inauguration. America’s “victory” in that war may have set the country on the road to ruin. At the end of the war, the Allied powers were victorious, but bankrupt. Without money, they had to repay the United States in goods. Well, goods are good, right? Not exactly. At a time when America was already prosperous and self-sufficient, Congress lowered the tariffs in order to import the goods and collect the war debts. From 1919 to 1929, America imported $43 billion in goods — and that meant $43 billion that our own industries weren’t earning. Plants closed, and by late 1929 there were 12 million unemployed.

Meanwhile, European banks had $3.5 billion on deposit in U.S. banks. When they “drafted” those reserves, America’s banks were caught short. And the economic house of cards came tumbling down.

And so by 1932 — less than two decades after the establishment of the Federal Reserve — America’s economy had experienced all of the disasters that a national bank was supposed to have prevented. The farming community was devastated by overwhelming debt and falling land prices. Factories were closed, and banks were going bankrupt. National income dropped 52%, and one quarter of America’s work force was unemployed.

According to Stephen Zarlenga, director of the American Monetary Institute, “In that horrendous climate, many economists were aware that the banking system caused the problem and major changes were needed.” At this challenging moment, Henry Simons at the University of Chicago assembled the “greatest economic minds of the country”. The plan they came up with became known as “the Chicago Plan,” and was circulated to a thousand academic economists across the country. Of those who responded, 235 agreed with the plan, 40 agreed with some reservations, and only 45 disapproved.

The Plan was harshly critical of the banking system of the time, stating: “If the purpose of money and credit were to discourage the exchange of goods and services, to destroy periodically the wealth produced, to frustrate and trip those who save, our present monetary system (does that) most effectively!”

As for prescriptions, they were radical:

1. Only the government would create money. Fractional reserves — the mechanism banks had used to “create” money — would be abolished. Banks would essentially be warehousing money and charging a fee for their services.

2. Lending — the province of the banks — would be separate from money-creation. This would prevent banks from “borrowing short” and “lending long,” another way that banks created money out of thin air and were able to pull the rug out on ordinary people when money “tightened” again.

3. An important distinction was made between money and credit. During the early years of the Depression, defaulted loans and reduced borrowing artificially shrunk the money supply. This is why there was work to do, but too little money to pay for it. Separating money and credit would greatly stabilize the economy, possibly preventing future depressions.

The plan called for the money to flow right into the banks, many of which had had to close their doors because of “runs” where their customers demanded more cash than they had on hand. Under this plan, the banks would be paying interest to the government instead of the other way around. The banks would still be able to make reasonable profit through making loans. The Chicago Plan would have returned America to the original notion of the Founding Fathers — that it was the government (representing the will of sovereign citizens) that would issue the money, and this money would reflect the value of the real wealth in the economy. This money supply would not be subject to the manipulation of the “money changers” for their own benefit.

The Plan was enthusiastically supported by the “best economic minds” of the era. Paul Douglas — later a U.S. Senator from Illinois — wrote, “This proposal will of course be opposed by the bankers from who it takes the lucrative privilege of creating purchasing power. It would however insure the safety of deposits, insure large revenues to the government, provide complete social control over monetary matters and prevent abnormal fluctuations in the money market. At the same time it would permit the allocation of productive resources … to remain primarily in private hands. All in all it seems the most promising program for the reform of our money and credit system…”

A young Milton Friedman became a well-known advocate of the plan, writing, “… the creation of fiat currency should be a government monopoly.”

So what happened? How did the Chicago Plan go the way of the Chicago Plan for the Cubs to win the World Series? Quite simply, it was an idea whose time had not yet come, and those who benefited from the old system were able to mobilize their resources to prevail. Although legislation was submitted to Congress, the legislation languished and not even its sponsors — like Sen. Bronson Cutting of New Mexico — could articulate it well. No one bothered to present it to the people themselves because no one imagined they could understand it.

Meanwhile, the bankers and Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the plan was unworkable and steered him towards another economic guru, John Maynard Keynes, whose approach was to keep the bankers in power but soften the impact of economic vicissitudes on the public. “Keynes,” writes Zarlenga, “was therefore not revolutionary except in relation to the utter backwardness of the financial establishment.”

Keynes, like most economists at the time, believed that investment runs the economy. The more money made available for investment, the more the economy could grow, even if that investment money was borrowed. “We’re borrowing from ourselves,” the saying went. Unfortunately, what this really meant was that “we the people” would end up owing large sums of money to “we the very, very few people.”

In contrast, the “raw materials economists” like Wilken tried to make the point that no economy could be based on debt. The foundation of a healthy economy, he argued, was “earned income based on the parity monetization of raw materials,” meaning that real wealth comes from the tangible products we bring forth from the earth, AND a fair price paid to those who do the extracting. An exacting mathematician, Wilken came up with a formula that would accurately predict America’s national income fourteen years running: National income was always roughly seven times the farm income.

He explained it this way: The earth is the only producer of “original wealth,” meaning that the earth gives her yield without charging interest. Each season, new wealth is infused into the economy. The farmer is the first earner and first spender of that wealth, which “reverberates” through the economy. The farmer pays the feed storeowner, pays for farm equipment, and buys clothes, etc., fueling the prosperity throughout the local community. Meanwhile, as this new harvest is distributed more people make money and more communities benefit, all the way down to the local grocer or supermarket. Think of it this way. If there were no food to sell, Whole Foods would have to call themselves Whole Nothing. Food is the basic “fuel” for our economy because it is the most constantly and consistently consumed item.

Consider further that if a farmer raises 100 bushels of corn and gets paid $10 a bushel, that infuses $1,000 into the economy. But what if — in the name of lower food prices — the farmer only gets $5 a bushel? That means that only $500 is infused into the economy, half as much. To prove his point, Wilken pointed to the farm income in 1929 — the last year before the Depression — and in 1932. Farm income dropped from $11 billion in 1929 to $5 billion in 1932, and yet production remained the same! The only difference was a loss in buying power.

As Wilken loved to point out, a bushel of corn at $5 had just as many calories as a bushel at $10. In a pamphlet called The Key to Prosperity, Wilken wrote that America could have any level of prosperity it desired as long as it remembered this 7-1 ratio of national income to farm income. “A parity — or equal exchange,” he wrote, “is not simply a matter of fairness to the people in agriculture. It is a matter of self-interest to those in every other group in America.”

 

America’s Near-Debt Experience

However, in the midst of a grave economic emergency, President Roosevelt chose a different path. He launched a massive public works campaign that might well have prevented a fascist or communist revolution during these times. Following the Keynesian model, he infused money into the system through organizations like the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and young unemployed workers helped build our national parks system and other valuable infrastructure. Young writers and photographers were also paid to do cultural history projects (such as interviews with the dwindling population of ex-slaves), and these too have added to America’s collective knowledge and intelligence. But the problem with this program was the same problem we are suffering from today. They were all debt-based.

“Debt,” Wilken warned, “is a mortgage against the income of future generations.” But in the end, the “international capitalists” were too strong and the persistent belief system of “unregulated private business” and “free market system” prevailed, while ironically government spending skyrocketed! In a trend that began at the beginning of the 20th century, American capitalists accelerated investment in exploitative enterprises overseas, and have used America’s military might to secure these investments.

This has resulted in a geometrically multiplying loss for the United States, even as it’s become the most formidable military power in the world. The losses are threefold. First, America has lost it’s own foundation in “people’s capitalism.” Farming is now largely factory farming, as rural population is now 10% of what it was a century ago. In its place we have a debt-based house-of-cards economy that is kept in place by our military might. That military has cost us $15 trillion since the end of World War II. And speaking of debt, our military operations — overt and covert — around the world have greatly increased our “karmic debt” because they have been largely and tragically in service of the interests of exploitation.

 

The Nurturing Economy

So, at a juncture where not just America but the world is crying out for a new economics, what have we learned? And how can this learning help us design a system that reflects mammalian rather than reptilian values?

The first thing we learn from America’s experience is that borrowing to consume is unnatural. The body, for example, only has so much energy resources. Any new “investment” — repair of infrastructure or creation of new cells — must be done with available cash (food being digested) or savings (fat and nutrients stored in the body).

That’s why animals do not reproduce if they’re not sufficiently nourished. How do we know? Well, consider that when young women who are anorexic reach a certain level of malnutrition, their periods stop. It’s nature’s way of saying that unless you “pay for” your body’s current operating expenses, there are no savings available to manufacture a new being. The second important learning — the really good news, in fact — is that on this planet, the source of all wealth is the energy from the sun, and the food from the earth. All else is derivative. And this is really great news because both of these resources — understood and managed properly – – are infinitely renewable. As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, solar power is available, either “new” or “used.” As Thom Hartmann pointed out in his book of the same title, the oil we are burning today — in ever-dwindling supply — represents “the last hours of ancient sunlight.” And while we may be running out of stored sunlight, there is an abundance of fresh stuff coming our way daily. Says Dennis Hayes, former director of the U.S. Solar Energy Research Institute, says, “No country uses as much energy as is contained in the sunlight that strikes its buildings each day.”

Because the sun also controls atmospheric dynamics, wind energy too is “solar,” and — as long as the sun comes to work every morning — renewable as well. According to a 1997 U.S. Department of Energy report, three states — North Dakota, Kansas and Texas — had “enough harnessable wind energy to satisfy national electricity needs.” However, according to Lester Brown, that was a “misunderestimation” based on technology that existed in the 1990s. Advances in wind turbine designs now indicate that wind power in just these three states could meet America’s entire national energy demand.

Furthermore, energy consultant Harry Braun suggests that because these wind turbines are so similar to auto engines, Detroit’s auto industry could regear to mass-produce these on an assembly line. This could drop the cost of wind-generated electricity 2 ¢ a kilowatt hour! Lester Brown suggests that by shifting current energy industry subsidies — e.g., the current $210 billion yearly fossil fuel subsidies — this new technology can be developed.

What stands in the way of this development are the same things that have kept the dominator economy in place long since it’s outlived its uselessness:

1. An influential and powerful minority benefits from them.

2. The vast majority of the rest of us have been myth-led to believe that this is the way things have always been and always must be.

Part of what has kept the current economic system in place is the persistent belief in scarcity. With 6.5 billion people on the planet, how could we possible grow enough food for all? The answer is simple and natural. The goal is for each community everywhere to be sustainable, and food and energy self-sufficient. If the sun and soil are the sources of all wealth, then a healthy wealthy commonwealth begins with every community having access to this abundance. On one end of the spectrum, it means the end of exploitive monoculture economies where resources are extracted without the proper payment, and local sustainable farming is marginal at best. On the other end — in the most urbanized and ghettoized areas of our country — food must be grown locally, as a thriving business opportunity. Consider the empty lots in cities like Philadelphia and Detroit, and the possibilities for growing food and sending it up the economic food chain, as this food is sold, processed and delivered.

If we’ve learned anything from “people’s capitalism” and the laws of biology is that when “cells” are allowed to thrive, the entire organism thrives. Those top-down attempts to force collectivism have been miserable failures. However, when individuals cooperate together voluntarily, and when they are allowed to gain a fair price for their labor, communities thrive and the commonwealth builds. The body cares for all participating cells, and so participation is key.

Unfortunately, the well-meaning but wrong-headed welfare policies of the past half-century have discouraged participation and helped create a permanent, disenfranchised underclass. Perhaps what is needed now are “wealthfair programs” that help people in every community learn to generate wealth fairly — and become fairly wealthy. And maybe, instead of kindergarten young children should be attending “tend-a-garden”. This may be how we do indeed re-grow the garden from the grassroots up. The garden, both literal and metaphorical, provides the ideal model for thrival. Every single garden can thrive without detracting from anyone else’s! Other than having your prize zucchini win a blue ribbon at the State Fair, there is no competition in gardening. As much as the soil can produce, or the fish farms can yield, as much solar energy that can be turned into food and power, that’s how much we can have … and more.

To take the garden notion one step further, in a sense each neighborhood, community, city, state and nation is a “garden” with the potential to grow not just food, but other forms of renewable wealth, like happiness. What if each nation had a mission for maximizing happiness in the world, in its own unique way? If this doesn’t yet seem “real” consider that it becomes “realer” as more of us invest our time, resources, attention and intention in that direction. As the old saying goes, we are either part of the problem or part of the solution. The question for each of us to answer for ourselves is, “How can we shift our weight towards the latter?”

 

Re-Growing Your Garden

Here is the paradox of emergent transformation. Nothing can happen on a global scale without it happening on an individual scale first. As our actions as individuals, families and communities come to reflect what we now know about ecological economics, the global field of functionality will strengthen until one day we will suddenly be aware that we as a world have changed course.

Before we reach this tipping point, however, we must reach a turning point. That turning point can be as simple and profound as changing the context for daily living. Necessity is undoubtedly the mother of invention, and we see all around us the necessity for new invention. But have you ever stopped to think who the “father” might be? We think we have the paternity case solved. Intent is the father. In order to activate creative invention, we must have a focused intention. While each of us must articulate our intent for ourselves, perhaps as the Swami suggests, we can all gather under “one big intent”– to regrow the Garden from the grassroots up and have a heaven of a time doing it. This leads us to the next question which surely we must each answer for ourselves: How do I re-grow my garden?

Once again, rather than answers we offer more questions for us each to ask ourselves: What is it that truly brings me happiness? What is of value, and what is worth having? Each time “I want” comes up, the next question is, “And if I had that, what would it do for me?” What beliefs are keeping my status quo in place? What fears or concerns? How can I “downscale my footprint and upscale my life”? How can I use less and at the same time increase my happiness? This is tricky because there is such a persistent invisible belief in sacrifice and deprivation. So the game is, whatever you choose MUST not just make your footprint smaller, but MUST make your life better. As Swami says, “Self-fulfillment is far more satisfying than selfish feel-fullment.”

How can I educate myself, and help educate others? In a world where we are increasingly seeing that all things are related, we can no longer discount things that are out of our comfort zone, whether those involve “economics,” “politics” or “spirituality.” In these wildly transformational times, we might do better embracing our “discomfort zone” so we become more comfortable with the discomfort of change.

We have seen, just in the past year, the “caterpillar economy” that involves devouring resources in the name of “growth” be severely compromised. With brokers such as Lehman Brothers able to leverage 35 times the wealth they had on hand, the “derivative economy” has proven its utter bankruptcy. Why? Because in this wild spiral frenzy to acquire “derivative” wealth, we have come completely unhinged from where this wealth derives from: the yield of the natural world, and the human imagination that can leverage this yield into tangible wealth and well-being. The caterpillar economy that has gotten us to this point is no longer viable. The good news is, there is a butterfly being born as local communities begin to adopt global principles to grow a new economy based on generating and proliferating real wealth — renewable energy, clean and nutritious food, functional infrastructure, sustainable technology, along with the nurturance and beauty that make life worth living.

As we allow the “myth-perceptions” of obsolete economic thinking to fall by the wayside, we can recognize how all systems — economy, ecology, banking, health care, education, defense — are really one conversation: How do we, individually and collectively, use our resources wisely for the well-being of all? Why? Because in a healthy, caring system a “health care system” requires a fraction of the resource it currently uses, because prevention is far cheaper than cure. And that brings us to a final lesson we can learn from the “natural economy.” Just as surely as international capitalism (corporatism) is proving itself incapable of delivering us into a healthy new world, the same is true of state capitalism (i.e., communism). In a natural economy based on extraction, production and distribution of real (renewable) resources, the forms of organization likewise arise “from the grassroots up.” Consider that in villages and rural communities the world over, some form of “barn raising” is commonplace. Independent entities (in this case, farmers) recognize their interdependence, and combine voluntarily to assist one another.

The future of economics, not to mention our species, involves growing a noncoercive, nongovernmental public movement of voluntary cooperation that will weave all the functional and productive aspect of “economy” into a true web of mass-construction that will make us all “interdependently wealthy.” This is already happening via the “slow money” movement, Transition Towns, and buy-local alliances. These alliances often transcend old political polarities, and combine the most functional aspects of libertarian conservatism and progressive liberalism. Regardless of what this new system is called, it will involve two things: Wisely using the resources of Nature, and wisely using the resources of human nature. In order to maximize the renewable Original Wealth of the sun and earth, we will need to mobilize and apply the unique gifts our species brings to the world: love and imagination. Through imagination, we create sustainable technology. Through love, we multiply the goodness throughout the system so that we need fewer goods to feel good. We recognize that the most sustainable form of economic growth is growing happiness.

May we grow happier, as we embrace our mission to tend the Garden we have been given, and fruitfully multiply the “common wealth” instead of fruitlessly scrapping over the scraps.

 

Sources:

Lester Brown, Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006)

Charles Walters, Unforgiven: The American Economic System Sold for Debt and War (Austin, TX: Acres, USA, 1971, 2003).

Stephen Zarlenga, The Lost Science of Money (Chicago, IL: The American Monetary Institute, 2002).

 

Steve Bhaerman is co-author with Bruce Lipton of Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here (Hay House: 2009). In addition to his serious work, for the past 22 years Steve has written and performed cosmic comedy as Swami Beyondananda. He can be found online at www.wakeuplaughing.com.

 

Image by Southernpixel, courtesy of Creative Commons license. 

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From cookies to smoothies and sandwiches, we cover various methods of cooking with magic mushrooms for the ultimate snack.

2020 Election: The Decriminalize Psilocybin Movement
Are you curious if mushrooms will follow in marijuana’s footsteps? Read to learn about how the U.S. is moving to decriminalize psilocybin.

Oregon’s Initiative to Legalize Mushrooms | Initiative Petition 34
Oregon continues to push ahead with their initiative to legalize Psilocybin in 2020. The measure received its official title and now needs signatures.

Canada Approves Psilocybin Treatment for Terminally-Ill Cancer Patients
Canada’s Minister of Health, Patty Hajdu approved the use of psilocybin to help ease anxiety and depression of four terminal cancer patients.

Mapping the DMT Experience
With only firsthand experiences to share, how can we fully map the DMT experience? Let’s explore what we know about this powerful psychedelic.

Guide to Machine Elves and Other DMT Entities
This guide discusses machine elves, clockwork elves, and other common DMT entities that people experience during a DMT trip.

Is the DMT Experience a Hallucination? 
What if the DMT realm was the real world, and our everyday lives were merely a game we had chosen to play?

How to Store DMT
Not sure how to store DMT? Read this piece to learn the best practices and elements of advice to keep your stuff fresh.

What Does 5-MeO-DMT Show Us About Consciousness?
How does our brain differentiate between what’s real and what’s not? Read to learn what can 5-MeO-DMT show us about consciousness.

How to Smoke DMT: Processes Explained
There are many ways to smoke DMT and we’ve outlined some of the best processes to consider before embarking on your journey.

How to Ground After DMT
Knowing what to expect from a DMT comedown can help you integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible from your journey.

How To Get DMT
What kind of plants contain DMT? Are there other ways to access this psychedelic? Read on to learn more about how to get DMT.

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

Having Sex on DMT: What You Need to Know
Have you ever wondered about sex on DMT? Learn how the God Molecule can influence your intimate experiences.

Does the Human Brain Make DMT? 
With scientific evidence showing us DMT in the brain, what can we conclude it is there for? Read on to learn more.

How to Use DMT Vape Pens
Read to learn all about DMT vape pens including: what to know when vaping, what to expect when purchasing a DMT cartridge, and vaping safely.

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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