Evolving the Vision

Jump to Section

Jump to Section

 

This article originally appeared on Erowid.org

I once gave a talk in Peru at the Annual Amazonian
Shamanism conference on the theme "Grace and Madness." My presentation went a
little something like what follows. Imagine that I'm reading this to you in a
lush tropical paradise. You can hear the cicadas chirping in a weird sort of
rhythm as a squirrel monkey skitters past your feet. And in the background,
fireflies…

When I was invited to speak here in the Amazon, I kind of freaked out. I
looked up the other presenters — all these legendary leaders in the field who've
dedicated their lives to ayahuasca, shamanism, brain science, enthnobotany,
chemistry, or art — and I thought, what can I bring to this? I'm just the
Teafaerie. I write a sassy Internet column for a psychedelic information site
frequented by do-it-yourself experimentalists.

Ayahuasca is a sacred mystery, and I am deeply ignorant about it. I've
taken it less than a dozen times. I've read a few books, a bunch of articles,
and a lot of trip reports. I've poked around on the forums. But I still have
way more questions about ayahuasca than answers. I know that it's changed my
life, maybe saved my life; it's healed me, it's helped me unknot some sick
behavior patterns; it's opened up my body and my mind, my heart and my soul. I
know that it's the real thing. It's a living magic medicine.

And my people are very sick, you know? The whole planet is very sick. So
I thought: here's a chance for someone from my unique demographic to talk to
some of the shamans of the Amazon and the Movers and the Shakers, to the people
who work with this stuff, and to try to figure out how we can best relate to
this mystery and to one another.

I don't really represent anybody, but I identify with a large and
growing segment of psychedelic culture. Born when the '60s and even the '70s
were already history, we were brought up pretty much soaking in it. We have
virtual lives, and yet our culture is archaic: it's neo-tribal; hippies and
ravers and Burners, oh my! Festival kids, the ecstatic dance culture,
world-traveling spiritual seekers, and straight people who have had their lives
touched by psychedelics. We don't have very much tradition to draw on, so we're
often just kind of winging it. We're foolish maybe (definitely, sometimes), but
we're courageous, too, and we're coming on. We're being called by this thing. I
do believe that we're being called.

And suddenly, we're all finding out about ayahuasca. It's like Facebook
is accelerating it, or something. It's not surprising that people are
interested in it. What's surprising is how long it took the news to reach
critical mass. But now it seems like every party I go to, people are talking
about ayahuasca. Everybody wants to try it, all the cool kids are doing it, and
if you haven't felt the wind shift here in Iquitos, then you soon will.

I don't know the best way to proceed. I mean, do you want them to come
here? Can the legitimate curanderos handle that kind of a caseload? Or
is it going to exacerbate the problem by providing even more incentive for
opportunists who want to put a bone through their nose and send their nephews
down to the airport with business cards advertising them as shamans? These guys
can make a hundred bucks a pop. It's great for the economy; it's terrible for
the economy; it's helping people; it's… complicated. Right? So let's go further
in, and take ayahuasca in an indigenous setting. Because we know that's totally
legit. But the more tourists who tramp through a village, the more it gets
exposed to guns, bibles, alcohol, STDs, you name it. And while nothing's going
to stop the march of progress, I don't want to be part of the problem.

Another choice, if one has heard this call, may be to find a local
shaman. Or one could check out established religions such as the Santo Daime
and the UDV. Or one could concoct a batch of brew one's self-countless
businesses sell entheobotanicals these days, and there are a myriad of analog
possibilities. Everything has DMT in it; there's Acacia-huasca, and Mimosa-huasca,
and Phalaris-huasca…

I've never tried any analogs, so I can't really say much about them.
I've heard mixed reviews. Maybe they're really different, with different
spirits and different properties. For the sake of argument, let's just say that
they're not the same thing at all. I'm still willing to bet that the wisdom
surrounding how to deal with them properly is largely going to be the same.

Talking about the plants isn't enough. We also have to talk to
them, and listen to what they have to say. And the last time I had a chance to
talk directly to Mamma, during an ayahuasca ceremony in Canada a couple of
months ago, I asked her what I should speak about when I was here tonight. And
she showed me a vision of all the core lightworker Jedi master shamans of the
Amazon making ayahuasca together, spending the day together stripping leaves
and chopping up vine, sharing their songs and stories and dreams and
techniques; and then at night they took the medicine that they had made
together, and they sang a mighty song, and they cast a spell that would allow
ayahuasca wisdom to metastasize and bloom. And I hope that really happens. I
hope that you already do have some sort of a shamans' circle that drinks
and works together. I'm given to understand that it's kind of a cut-throat
business. Yet I can't imagine any power in the world that could resist the
focused intent of the badasses of the Amazon if you all joined forces.

Part of the vision seemed to be about transmitting knowledge to the new
wave of psychedelic explorers. People are busting this out in their Manhattan
apartments. It's like when the intelligentsia lost control of LSD. Suddenly
everybody is doing this, and we're like babes in the woods. Many of us are totally
clueless. The monolith from 2001 has landed in our collective backyard,
and we're out there scratching out heads going, "Hmm, what is it? What happens
when I step inside of it?" We're like the sorcerer's apprentice, opening
portals at random and yelling, "Here I am! I don't know what I'm doing! Come
share my nervous system, I'm wide open!"

We are in desperate need of training. We know set and setting. We have
resources like Erowid for specifics like dosage and preparation techniques. But
we don't know the wisdom, and we don't know the songs. We don't know how to
entice the spirits, or how to protect ourselves from those that we shouldn't
interact with. We don't know how to tune it. We don't really even know how to
swim; we're just thrashing around learning how to dog paddle. And we are
learning; the plants themselves are excellent teachers. But we get it that
there are many thousands of years' worth of important knowledge that we just
don't have. We know that it's dangerous to proceed without it, and we know that
it's not as effective to proceed without it. We really want to learn it. We
want to drink with legitimate shamans from a cultural lineage who actually know
what time it is.

Yet more and more, I hear people complaining when ayahuasca ceremonies
are too traditional. Not here, of course. People come to Peru for the
traditional thing. But where I live in California, I hear people talk about
novel modalities beginning to evolve. For instance, I go to one annual
ceremony, which is also a flow arts retreat, and we're allowed to stand up and
spin poi right there in the maloka. We sing Daime songs and Sufi songs and
Hindu songs and Beatles songs. It's awesome, it's magic. Mamma likes it, I
promise you. Everybody gets good healing, good insight, good flow… and I'm
really enthusiastic about it, because I think that it demonstrates that there
are a number of modes that will work. While it's important to respect the
original tradition, I think part of such a respect might be to refrain from
doing a half-assed imitation of it. Cultures are colliding and new forms evolve
at the intersections. That makes sense. So the next time you see a traditional
shaman serving it up out of a Coke bottle, remember that everything is made of
magic and everyone has their part to play.

The coming wave of psychedelically aware young people has an important
part to play. They're well connected. They're good at disseminating
information. If the truth can be told so as to be understood, it will be passed
on. But in order to be understood by these guys, you're going to have to learn
to speak their language. You have to know their mythos, so that you can reach
them where they live. A song that was written to be played on a Shipibo
instrument might still be playable on an electric guitar, but it would
naturally evolve a bit in the translation. Every generation has to reinterpret
the ancient stories. We can't discard them, but we've got to update them to
reflect the world that we know.

In order to turn things around at this point, a lot of things have to go
right really fast. We need all hands on deck. We need all lightworkers
activated. This means you. We need everybody with any kind of real wisdom or
real magic to be pumping it out it as efficiently as humanly possible. We can't
hold back. We can't be afraid of getting it wrong. We can't try to preserve
tradition while the whole thing goes up in flames. Because you know what? The
Amazon is over. There's not going to be any healing in the Amazon, until there
is healing in New York City, and in Los Angeles, and in Dubai. They need a hell
of a lot of healing, and we don't have much time. We need warriors for Gaia
right now. We need a mystical order of real live superheroes.

And that's what we want to be. It's what we've been preparing for all of
our lives. Nothing is accidental. Maybe one person in fifty, or one in a
hundred, has the shamanic personality type, right? And we've all been mildly
activated by exposure to mythic imagery. The Star Wars generation was
raised to want to be mystics. The Matrix generation is rejecting the
program. We know that it's all an illusion and that this is our dreaming. The
kids growing up on Avatar want to plug into the AI — the Amazonian
Intelligence — and it's there, you know; it' all true, it's all real. It's as real
as we ever could have wanted it to be. And we want it to be real. We want to
take it seriously. We know that this is the end of the world. We know that a
mass transformation has to occur, and if this mystery could be brought on board
our lives in a way that fulfills our mythos, I think that we could be fully
activated by it.

Ayahuasca is a jungle spirit, but she's a space-faring spirit as well.
She's as futuristic as she is archaic. She knows everything. She's not some
kind of a country bumpkin that gets confused by them-there city folk. She talks
to you in whatever terms you have in your head. If your background is in jungle
mythology, she might give you a giant anaconda. But if your background is in
science fiction, then she'll give you Shai-Hulud, the sandworm from Dune.
And maybe this is partially the same image, I don't know. But I know that when
I asked the plants what I should talk to you about here tonight, they said that
I should talk about founding the Jedi Temple.

So how about it? I don't really want to call it that. I'm not trying to
make light of it, or trivialize it — quite the reverse. Though I do like the Jedi
Academy word praxeum, which means a temple for both learning and
practice.

I know there are already partial condensations of this — the so-called
shamans' schools. And there are retreat centers that kind of sound like what
I'm talking about. But I mean something closer to a real university, housing a
bunch of experienced shamans-in-residence, where you could go and live for
however many semesters. Sure, you might drink a lot, you'd probably stay pretty
immersed, but you'd also take classes, and different shamans would teach
"Defense Against the Dark Arts" or "Icaros 101?. There would be botany classes, too: "Hands-on in
the Jungle" and "Ecology of the Amazon". There would be experts instructing
students in brain science and chemistry and transpersonal psychology.

You could have a program for postulants to come and experience the
medicine — just for an exploration, or for a reset, or for healing — and the
full-time students could assist with that. The teachers could all do ceremony
together, like I saw in my vision. They could take each other's classes, too.
If more scientists met the plants, and if more cuanderos had a background in
modern psychology or chemistry or quantum physics or even popular culture, a
lot of good would come out of it. Shamans are like our doctors and our
ministers and we need you to know where we're coming from and where we're
going, what kind of energies are available to us and what kind of demons we're
fighting. We need shamans to come to Burning Man and to New York City, because
we don't even know our own songs. The patterns are all mangled and we don't
know how to fix them. We need an icaro for the Internet; we need to lay
song-lines through the virtual landscape and out beyond this world to the
stars.

We need you to help us find the form of shamanism that's right for
people like us. I don't even want to use the word shaman for the students.
Shamanism is an ancient and venerable institution and I wouldn't want to
trivialize it by suggesting that any kind of program could churn out a new crop
of shamans every year — that's preposterous and insulting. Shamans are going to
take on individual apprentices who will go live with them in a hut in the
jungle for years and really get into it, and I don't want to degrade that. But
there are only so many legitimate apprentice spots open, you know? And we need
to develop our collective potential as quickly as possible.

I want to make a new distinction between layperson and shaman — an adept,
maybe. It's sort of like the difference between a doctor and a nurse
practitioner. I'd like to see something analogous to a pilot's license or open
water certification for SCUBA divers that says you've logged however many
hours, know what all the little dials do, learned something about currents and
sharks and what to do in an emergency, and you've memorized all of the little
hand signals, like "anaconda", "condor", "elfin swarm". Such a license would mean
you're okay to go, that you can voyage with someone of your rank or higher and
probably do more good than harm. It doesn't mean that you can teach people, but
it means that you have a basic grounding in first principles, you have some
experience, and you're a good source of information. Yes, I do know that a
little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. But a little bit of knowledge
also might save your ass and your friends' asses. An adept could be counted on
to alert her community about contraindicated combinations, for instance. She
could smooth the psychic waters with an ancient song, redirect imbalanced
energies and generally feel into what's happening. People with such basic
skills contribute toward manifesting the future that we all want.

Besides being healing nodes in their communities, these students could
be ambassadors for the Amazon. Maybe we could establish a tradition where all
of the money taken in for ayahuasca sessions goes back to the Amazon; or, at
least part of it does. It could improve the economy in the Amazon in a
controlled way. And we could have this awesome center — maybe a bunch of them,
with good libraries and cool art and big gardens and recording studios.

But it would mean evolving the tradition and doing things a different
way than the way that they've always been done. Business as usual isn't going
to work in the city and it's not going to work in the Amazon, either. These are
extraordinary times, and they are forcing us all to adjust and evolve our
practices in unprecedented ways. Taking ayahuasca the old way because that's
the way it's always been done is like running DOS forever because that's the
way it's always been done.

Evolving means working together, and dropping the whole "I'm the baddest
shaman in the Amazon" bit. I was kind of surprised to hear about some of the
infighting that goes on — in my naive hippie idealism, I assumed that all the
shamans of the Amazon would be One.

The time is here, the die is cast, the game is up, the chips are
down — this is the crucial moment for our species, and we've got to give it
everything we've got. Ayahuasca just might be one of the catalysts that we
need. It's moving out in the world and making new friends. It's making new
covenants. We've got to negotiate a new partnership with it. Maybe it's
evolving, too. Terence McKenna said that the mushroom wanted to disperse into
culture. It wanted to make contact with these strange new minds and to
co-evolve with us. Maybe ayahuasca wants the same thing. I'm afraid it's going
to get it, whether it wants it or not. Kind of hard to imagine things not going
its way, which is comforting…

We've got to talk to it. We've got to ask it what it wants. We've got to
work with it. So the next time Mammahuasca picks up the phone, be a good
ambassador. Tell her that a lot of strange people are coming, and ask her how
we can channel this river. How can we find our way through this jungle? How can
we fulfill our potential, both as individuals and as a species? How can we
partner together to heal the world that we share?

I hold ayahuasca in the most sacred regard, and if at any time I have
sounded disrespectful here, I humbly beg your pardon. It's a deeper mystery
than I can begin to fathom. The more I commune with ayahuasca, the less I think
that I know about it. All I know is that I want us to win the human race, and
it looks like it's going to be pretty damn close. I want us to do everything
that we can to stack the deck in our favor.

Maybe this is just what happens. Maybe this is how baby gods grow up,
and we're in puberty at the moment. You know how they say that we're the
children of God? But the child of a sheep grows up to be a sheep, right? And
the child of a human being grows up to be a human being.

The future is trying to be born right now, and we need midwives on every
corner. May the Force be with us all.

 

Image by PearlyV, courtesy of Creative Commons license. 

Psychedelic Resources

A Foraging Trip: Where Do Magic Mushrooms Grow?
Eager to learn more about the origin of psilocybin species? Read this article to find out where magic mushrooms grow and more!

How to Make Shroom Tea: Best Recipe and Dosage
A step by step guide on how to brew shroom tea, and why entheogenic psilocybin tea is a preferred method for psychedelic connoisseurs.

R. Gordon Wasson: Author and Mushroom Expert
Learn about R. Gordon Wasson, the “legendary mushroom expert” and popular figure within the psychonaut community.

Shrooms vs Acid: Differences and Similarities Explained
Ever wondered what the differences are between shrooms vs acid, or if you can take both together? This guide explains what you need to know.

Quantum Mechanics, Reality, and Magic Mushrooms
Scientist and author Dr. Chris Becker takes an in-depth approach in understanding how we perceive reality through magic mushrooms and quantum mechanics.

Psilocybin Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Psilocybin has everything you want to know about this psychedelic fungi from its uses to its legal status.

The Psilocybin Experience: What’s the Deal With Magic Mushrooms?
From microdoses to macrodoses, the psilocybin experience has been sought after both medicinally and recreationally for millennia.

Psilocybin and Magic Mushroom Resources
Curious to learn more about psilocybin? This guide is a comprehensive psilocybin resource containing books, therapeutic studies, and more.

Paul Stamets Profile: Mushroom Guru, Filmmaker, Nutritionist, Scientist
Learn about Paul Stamets, read his thoughts on psilocybin mircodosing, the future of psilocybin, and his recent film “Fantastic Fungi”.

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

Psilocybin Nasal Spray: Relief for Anxiety, PTSD, and Depression
Microdosing nasal spray with psilocybin, is that possible?! Oregan a start-up Silo Wellness believes so and has created this new option for PTSD treatment.

Mazatec Mushroom Usage: Notes on Approach, Setting and Species for Curious Psilonauts
A look at traditional Mazatec psilocybin mushroom usage, and a comparison to the cliniical therapeutic approach, with an examination of the Mazatec setting and species used in veladas.

María Sabina: The Mazatec Magic Mushroom Woman
Magic mushrooms are incredibly popular today. How they became introduced to into American culture isn’t usually a topic discussed while tripping on psilocybin fungi. We all may have María Sabina to thank for exposing the Western world to the healing properties of the psilocybin mushroom.

Guide to Magic Mushroom Strains
Are there different types of psilocybin? Read our guide to learn about the different magic mushroom strains and their individual effects.

Kilindi Iyi: Mycologist, Traveler, Teacher
Learn about traveler and mycologist Kilindi Iyi known in the psychedelic community for his research and exploration of psilocybin.

How to Store Shrooms: Best Practices
How do you store shrooms for optimal shelf life? Learn how and why the proper storage method is so important.

Shroom Chocolate Recipes: How to Make Magic Mushroom Chocolates
This recipe provides step by step directions on how you can make mushroom chocolates with the necessary ingredients. Read to learn more!

Why Do People Use Psilocybin? New Johns Hopkins Study
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicines has just published a new study on psychoactive effects of psilocybin. Read here to learn more.

How-To Lemon Tek: Ultimate Guide and Recipe
This master guide will teach you how to lemon tek, preventing the onset of negative effects after consuming psilocybin. Read to learn more!

How to Intensify a Mushroom Trip
Learn about techniques like Lemon tekking, or discover the right time to consume cannabis if you are looking to intensify a mushroom trip.

How to Grow Magic Mushrooms: Step-by-Step
This step-by-step guide will show you how to grow magic mushrooms at home. Read this guide before trying it on your own.

How to Dry Magic Mushrooms: Best Practices
Read to learn more about specifics for the best practices on how to dry magic mushrooms after harvesting season.

How to Buy Psilocybin Spores
Interested in psilocybin mushrooms? We’ll walk you through all you need to know to obtain mushroom spores. Nosh on this delish How To guide.

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.

Having Sex on Shrooms: Good or Bad Idea?
Is having sex on shrooms a good idea or an accident waiting to happen? Find out in our guide to sex on magic mushrooms.

Gold Cap Shrooms Guide: Spores, Effects, Identification
Read this guide to learn more about the different characteristics of gold cap mushrooms, and how they differ from other psilocybin species.

Guide to Cooking with Magic Mushrooms
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.”

Related Posts

Ready to explore the frontiers of consciousness?

Sign up for the Reality Bites newsletter and embark on a journey into the world of psychedelics, mindfulness, and transformation. It’s where the curious minds gather.

Become a conscious agent with us.

Featured Partner

Cosmic Melts

Cosmic Melts are the latest mushroom gummies we’ve been munching on. Choose from five fruity flavors, each gummy containing 350mg of Amanita muscaria.
 
Amanita muscaria offers a unique (and totally legal!) mushroom experience, and Cosmic Melts is an ideal entry point for the curious consumer.
Featured Partner

Lab Link Supply

Our go-to source for spores so you can grow your own shrooms right at home. Carrying several of our favorite species including B+, Golden Teacher, Jedi Mind F*ck, Blue Meanie and more. Browse their selection of spores and get started with your home grow.

Our Partners

Welcome to Reality Sandwich. Please verify that you are over 18 years of age below.

Reality Sandwich uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By entering Reality Sandwich, you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.