Ayahuasca Addiction and the Ego

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Eight years ago, as Venus was eclipsing the Sun and retrograding
in the sign of Gemini, I was beginning my psychedelic path. I had an experience
with mushrooms at a party I was hosting. The experience opened me to the depth
of my psyche and the breadth of the cosmos. It ironically sobered me from
substance addiction and expanded my imagination and my sense of what was
possible, both within myself and reality in general. Within the next few
months, as Venus (unbeknownst to me) continued its retrograde transit, I took a
backpacking trip into the Porcupine Mountains of northern Michigan with a
childhood friend, a Gemini (my natal sun is also in the 3rd house of Gemini).
After tripping out together in an epic wilderness setting we began exploring
psychedelics together somewhat regularly for the next year until we traveled
together to the Amazon to drink Ayahuasca in the spring of 2005.

Drinking ayahuasca was the most ecstatic experience I had
ever had. My mind, body, and heart were opened far beyond what I knew or
believed was possible, even considering the psychedelic explorations I had done
prior to entering the Amazon jungle. However, they were not my first ecstatic
experiences. Prior to my forays into psychedelics I had been a drug addict, and
prior to that an evangelical/Pentecostal Christian, and prior to that I had
grown up with a liberal preacher father who had been influenced in his early
20's by the psychedelic experience. His lifelong interest in Native American
ritual, sweat lodges, poetry, mythology, and the psychedelic music era had been
an undercurrent in my upbringing that I was hardly aware of until my first
ayahuasca experiences in my mid twenties.

In short, my entire life has been
very deeply steeped in "transformational," "ecstatic," and
"mystical" states of consciousness. If this range of “peak”
experiences has taught me anything, they have certainly shown me both the light
and dark sides of the religious/mystical mindset. As Venus has just recently
completed its 8 year retrograde cycle this past June, returning to retrograde
in the sign of Gemini where it was 8 years ago when I began my psychedelic
journeys, and also making its second eclipse of the sun (these sets of
Venus/Sun eclipses only happen every 100+ years), I've come to the realization
that many of the truths derived from altered states of consciousness,
especially ones that wish to kill or eliminate the ego, often reflect a
pathological or karmically entangled state unique to people who gravitate
toward ecstatic experiences in general.

 

The Ego and the Moon, the Soul and the Sun

In the field of evolutionary astrology, as in many religious/spiritual traditions, much is made of our successive incarnations
occurring because of a primitive "separation desire" that is related,
like the concept of sin, the fall of man, or the state of maya (illusion), to
duality. From this point of view, we are each one of us experiencing a
temporary state (a delusional or illusory state) of being separate from the
true source of reality, or God. The goal of our evolutionary development from
one incarnation to the next is to exhaust this desire to be separate (through
doing every possible thing imaginable that the ego/lower self could desire to
do that is based in separateness). Once the separation desire is exhausted on
the soul level, then we will merge back into the godhead, or the "oneness"
from whence we originated.

This particular view of the flesh, the body, the ego, and the
"lower" self, is nothing new. It's as old as Plato's "real
world" beyond the phenomenal illusion. It's as old as the Buddha or Jesus
teaching people of the temporal nature of the body and material pleasures. In
Christendom it's as old as St. Augustine's platonically influenced departure
from the City of Man into the City of God. This is the quintessential,
mythological quest to free oneself from a material prison into a higher realm
of consciousness, and finally into complete absorption with God. It is an old
religious story, and there is much to be said for it.

It is true, after all, that the dark side of being a sensory
creature, living with a body, is the way in which our bodily desires can
entangle us with all kinds of suffering. Our fear of our own mortality can send
us down rabbit holes of power hunger, violence, greed, lust, and fear. To
restrain and cultivate moderation of the terrestrial, earth-based self is something
each one of must learn to do. The first problem comes when we assume that this
"lower" self is qualitatively different or "less than" our
higher self. The second problem comes when we assume that our
"higher" self is any less capable of pushing us out of balance than
our "lower" self.

But before going any further, let's take a brief digression into a
review of the higher-self and lower-self archetypes as they have been
presented, generally, throughout much of the history of esoteric or karmic
astrology. In many traditional astrological schools of thought, the Sun is
considered to be the archetype of the soul. The Sun is therefore representative
of the "higher" self. From our perspective throughout the seasons,
although the amount of light in a twenty four hour day waxes and wanes if we
live in the northern or southern hemisphere, the face of the sun itself remains
constant. The archetype of the "sun as the soul" or the sun as the
higher self is therefore related to that which is eternal and unchanging. The
soul, like the sun, lives on singularly and steadily despite the vacillations
of the seasons or the daily rotation of the earth upon its axis.

In contrast, the Moon has long been corresponded to the opposite
archetype of "the ego." The Ego is therefore the contrasting,
"lower" self. From our perspective, each month, the light on the face
of the moon waxes and wanes. The moon is mutable, cyclical, and time bound. The
ego, similarly, is changeable. The ego is governed by time and space and the
impermanence of change (which implies the ego's relationship to death).

Many of our spiritual philosophies and world religions teach us to
liberate from the ego, the moon, and the lower self, in order to be more
steady, singular, and eternal, like the higher, solar self. But is it possible
that the solar self is actually no better than the lunar self? Let's take a
look at several interesting pieces of astrological symbolism surrounding the
moon.

 

Revaluing the Lunar

From
our perspective, although the distance between the earth and the moon compared
to the distance between the earth and the sun is vast, the Sun and the Moon
still appear exactly the same size from our perspective on earth. This is
perhaps no coincidence. Additionally the moon is capable of eclipsing the sun's
light from our perspective. It happens twice a year during our two annual
eclipse seasons. The next thing to consider is that without the moon's orbit
around the earth, and its gravitational relationship to our planet, our 24-hour day would not exist. Instead, the earth would spin on its axis in a breezy
8 hours, and we would not receive the contrast of dark with light or night with
day.

Many
proponents of a masculine, solar based vision of progress toward
"oneness," "singularity," and "enlightenment" or
transcendence of materiality and the ego like to point out that the moon's
light (representative of the ego's waxing and waning) is only a reflection of
the Sun's steady light. Because the moon has no light-giving properties it is
thought of as "under the guidance" of the masculine emperor: the sun.
But this is short sighted. Without the alternation of dark and light in a 24-hour day, created by the mere presence of the moon's orbit, the sun's heat
would be too constant and too intense to birth and sustain life on our planet.
For at least our place in the cosmos, in order for life to take root, develop,
and flourish, an alternation of dark and light is necessary. The moon is
therefore not only a reflective object in the sky that just happens to be the
same size as the Sun. Rather, the moon, and the ego in astrological terms, is a
kind of integral disseminator, cultivator, nourisher, space holder, and guide
for the process of undifferentiated light and energy (the soul/the sun) taking
shape and evolving. By degrading the cyclical, time bound and ephemeral
movements of the moon in comparison to the Sun's steady light we fail to
recognize the necessary nature of darkness and night to light and day.

So
how does this astrological lingo translate into human terms? Put simply, our
true self is not simply the solar principle. Our true SELF is an integral union
between our lower self and our higher self.

When
we talk about the "ego" we therefore need to be respectful. 

 

Considering the Fate of Solar Hubris

In this current Aquarian age (a masculine, fixed air sign) it is
important to consider the mythological fate of Solar pride. There are several
mythological figures that remind us what can happen when we favor the solar,
fiery, upward aspiring energy over the downward, earthy energy.

 

Daedelus & Icarus

In the story of Daedelus and Icarus, the inventor Daedelus creates
a pair of wax wings, and his son Icarus uses them to fly as high as he can
toward the sun. Flying too high Icarus' wax wings melt and he comes crashing
back down to the earth, down into the ocean.

 

Prometheus

In the story of the Titan Prometheus, we have another story of
solar pride. In his heroic angst, Prometheus steals the fire of the Gods to
give to the people, but on his way off Mount Olympus he is caught by the Gods
and chained to the earth, to the side of a cliff. He is consoled by the spirits
of nature as he is made to suffer day in and day out until an immortal being,
Chiron, eventually takes his place.

 

Lucifer

In the biblical story of God's brightest, light-bringing angel,
Lucifer meets a fate similar to Icarus and Prometheus. Wanting to be equal with
God in the heights, Lucifer is cast down to earth where he becomes the
embittered devil.

In each of these mythological stories, the desire to be equal with God, to strive after a kind of solar, singular, transcendence of the body and
the lower terrestrial realms is always met with an earthly
punishment. When we strive for equality or singularity we are cast back
down to earth because it is the fertile ground where equality and singularity
are not only already extant, but are always constantly evolving. The Kingdom of Heaven, from this point of view, is right here in front of us. If we attempt to
fly too high above our earth-bound reality, then we suffer the fate of the
divine rebels and become an embittered devil. 

Many religious thought currents on our planet, whether
in the guise of America's Chrisitan evangelical churches, mid-eastern Muslim
fundamentalists, modern politicians and economists, or the global new age
movement, are hugely solar and singular or reductionist in their view of
evolution (that is to say they are single minded in their views of why we are
here, where we've been, and where we are heading or what we must do as
individuals or as a species).

An imbalanced solar impulse likes to reduce things to oneness or
to final, absolute answers about what is valuable versus what is not valuable.
An imbalanced solar impulse tries to transcend or escape the process of the
eternal unfolding right before us, in the material reality. An imbalanced solar
impulse likes to break old forms but doesn't know how or why to build new ones.
These tendencies also happen to be the shadow side of the
innovative and rebellious Aquarian age we have recently entered. Progress,
rebellion, iconoclastic and singular thinking, and the deconstruction of the
old Saturnian forms may occur regularly without a healthy understanding of what
we are trying to pro-create through our acts of rebellion or progress.

 

Solar Addictions and Altered States

The truth is that most of us, as children, are hugely solar
by nature. We come into this world deeply in touch with our eternal (star dust)
self. As we age the reality of our lunar, limited self sets in and the
balancing act of our Sun and Moon signs begins. Currently, there is perhaps no
better ally on our planet for this integration than rites of passage. During a
rite of passage a participant will be guided ceremoniously through a
microcosmic reenactment of their own death, only to be rebirthed. Through the
process of the ego recognizing its own limits, surrendering to its own time and
cycle bound nature, and then being reborn with a new awareness of its
participation in life eternal (the solar self), an integrated, capital
"s" SELF may emerge. 

The integral SELF is therefore a yoking of the ego (our time bound
self) with the soul (our eternal self). The point is that there is no good reason to assume that just because forms are
temporary that they are not holy. The higher-self within us often hates to be
confined or defined into forms, and the material self within us often hates to
be taken outside of its familiar home or trappings into the boundless freedom
of the higher self. 

Freedom, true freedom, is perhaps ultimately found in acceptance and balance.
Many people, when they hear this, jump to the conclusion that this strips us of
our impetus to change the world or change ourselves for the better. This is a
solar rebuttal, but it is not a universal remedy or answer to a universal
"problem." Sometimes change happens through ambition and rebellion
and crusading. And sometimes change happens through surrendering and suffering.
Incarnation is a live balancing act!

The problem, (bringing all of this back around now to the subject
of ayahuasca and/or altered states in general), is that the altered states of
consciousness open up higher worlds that contain great power and freedom from
the lower worlds. Many people who drink ayahuasca regularly, or anyone who
alters their state on a regular basis, can therefore become addicted to the downloading
of higher information or the freedom experienced during altered states. Here
are several signs that are perhaps indicative of an altered state addiction.

 

Three Signs that You Might Be Addicted to Altered States

1. If you are able to drink ayahausca or alter your state regularly
and yet you persist in unhealthy patterns outside of the altered states you
enjoy
.

Many people who drink ayahuasca or alter their states regularly
are, for example, addicted to marijuana and lack a healthy motivation to work
toward anything practically contributive to humanity. In fact over the past
several years I have witnessed serious marijuana addiction within the
leadership ranks of many well established medicine communities. It's one thing
to enjoy a sacred puff once in a while, but it's another thing when it becomes
a regular way of life. Any lifestyle that needs to stay "high"
regularly may not be integrated with the earthly, lunar dimension of the body. After
all, how can we integrate if we never come down before going back up?

Secondly, I've witnessed within myself and many shamans or regular
shamanic participants the ability, over time and practice, to transcend the
purgative aspects of the medicine despite an unhealthy diet, regular alcohol
consumption, and other devious behaviors. When I first started drinking the
medicine my actions directly correlated to the amount of purging I might face.
With time this bodily balancing fades for regular medicine drinkers, suggesting
that perhaps the body is becoming immune to "the medicinal" aspects
of "the medicine." The body can learn how to go up and up while
transcending the reality of the sicknesses present below in the ego and the
body (something the medicine is supposed to be all about!).

 

2. If you live in medicine or altered states communities or
participate constantly, but you are not able to relate well outside of them.

I've witnessed an enormously naive quality in myself over the past
few years that recently came to a head, and I've honestly noticed the same
quality in many of the medicine/altered states communities in general. There is
an "us" versus the "unenlightened" or
"unconscious" world "out there" mentality. This
Scorpio/Aquarius group/cult fusion mentality, at its worst, can be akin to a
kind of new age Mafia. The crimes are organized psychic acts against humanity
and against the status quo. We sometimes make the egregious assumption that the
state of things outside and above the terrestrial world are essentially
"better than" exactly what is happening here on earth. We may believe
that trusting the fates or the current state of the material world is akin to
laziness, yet we don’t stop to seriously consider the idea that we're merely
addicted to solar, upward visioning.

 

3. If you come from a wounded past, you can't complete things,
your visions often dematerialize, and you are struggling to survive doing
something you love.

This one is hard as it is something I have struggled with myself quite deeply at times.

After counseling many clients in the past two
years through astrology, I've come to learn that the new-age, solar imbalance
often manifests as the person who has wonderful ideas, artistic creativity, and
ambitious things to say but also lacks the integral, practical know-how to
construct lasting results. Results take hard work. They require getting our
hands dirty, and they often require sacrifices of the flesh and bone variety. I
have found, both within myself and within the new age communities, a
consistently lackadaisical work ethic. If we carry ourselves from one vision or
one "trip" to the next, and we never come down to till the soil and
gain the perspective of the earth, the ego, and duality, then nothing we do
will take root. While I admit that there is value to the free-wheeling,
Sagittarian spirit of upward aspiring, philosophizing, constant drumming,
trance-dancing and altered states reveling, there is also a remarkably
predictable karma around this "festive-al" optimism and youthfulness.
As one grows older, and Saturn sets in, there is a kind of burnt-around-the-edges bitterness that accumulates like barnacles. Dogma develops into
ironically material hypocrisies, and the disenchantment, or even worse, the
dismemberment, act of the moon occurs as the reality of the ego sets in. Not all of the time,
but often enough, there is something highly pathological about people seeking
endless freedom and ego-killing highs.

 

Revaluing the Solar

I've come down hard on the solar in this article at the risk of
sounding self-righteous myself. My purpose is not to condemn altered states,
ayahuasca, or the new age. I still participate semi-regularly in medicine ceremonies and I believe that
solar/altered states practices can be hugely valuable for one's development. The purpose of this article has been to merely point out what I feel is an inherent dogmatic/solar irony and
unconsciousness within the new age movement. 

We need to get away from the idea that evolution is only moving us
up and out of duality. We need to get away from the idea that what is mortal is
evil. We need to get away from the idea that what is lower is not necessary,
and we
need to cultivate a more integrated imagining of ourselves in the universe.

To me, the best solar philosophies and/or the best altered states, not only liberate us from the ego but simultaneously revive our need for the ego's healthy participation in the cosmos. 

 

A Venus Cycle Concluded

After 8 years and over two hundred and fifty psychedelic journeys,
as Venus in its 8 year cycle painted another 5 petaled lotus flower in the sky,
eclipsing the sun twice during its cycle, and doing so for the first time in
over 100 years, I learned these very same important lessons in my own life.

I'm currently learning to let go of my dependency on heavily solar
states of consciousness or motivation. I share all of this with excitement, but
I am aware that this "imbalance" I perceive generally in the
"new age" may not be as pronounced as I see or experience it. I might
be projecting enormously. At the same time I know that this message will reach
some who may need to hear it.

I offer gratitude to the planet Venus in completion of its recent
historic cycle this special 2012 year. To the Mayans the Venus cycle was
thought to represent the union between the upper and lower worlds!

 

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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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