America, Donald Trump, and the Triumph of the Lie

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Ω             The Triumph of the Lie               Ω

Ω

The Trump victory represents the Triumph of the Lie.

 

That public men publish falsehoods
Is nothing new. . . .


Be angry at the sun for setting
If these things anger you.

–Robinson Jeffers

 

Ω

And Trump’s victory is the triumph of capitalism. For Donald Trump is the perfect capitalist: selfish, vulgar, bigoted, privileged. The worshipper of Mammon and no other gods.

 

Trump is proof that all it takes to make money is money.

Trump’s entire focus will be on self-aggrandizement.

All things are to be judged by money, and money alone.

 

Ω

It is ironic that Trump got his victory through the Electoral College, created by the Federalists to protect the government from democracy, because

 

the people will follow the first demagogue who comes along and inflames their passions.

 

Or, again, it is not ironic. The program of the anti-democrats was to protect PROPERTY from the masses of the people, where PROPERTY, for the most part, WAS people.

 

Ω

Triumph of the Lie. We might call the Trump administration our first “post-modern” presidency, where fact and fiction are both just “stories.” As a storyteller myself, that stories are indeed true does not mean that there are no facts, or that there are no lies.

 

Lies are the weapons of demagogues and tyrants, the self-serving delusions of narcissists, and the enemies of free civil society.

 

Ω

The United States of America, 2017, is utterly different from Germany of 1933. German power was concentrated in the army. American power is concentrated in corporations: especially banks and financial corporations, oil corporations, and military contractors.

 

I have resisted the comparisons of Trump to Hitler. Consider: Hitler was an artist, a self-made man, a street brawler and a gifted orator. He was arrested and imprisoned for armed insurrection. He endured a year of prison, wrote a book, got released, and rebuilt the outlawed Nazi Party virtually from scratch until they were powerful enough to meet the Communists on their own blocks and beat them up. There is, in short (I thought), no comparison.

 

Still, it is eerie how closely Trump has followed Hitler’s play book. And we should not forget that Hitler’s first campaign, once he got a little power, was to muzzle and tame the press.

 

“They’re all liars,” sayeth the Liar.

 

Ω

Politicians have always lied, but usually there is some shame when they are caught. When the Lie fully triumphs, lies are told and repeated over and over, even, or especially, if they are obvious falsehoods.

 

Ω

When Nixon lied; it was deliberate and he knew he was lying. Trump just lies from habit, and for fun. To Trump it’s a game, and shameless. If he gets caught, he shrugs, smiles, and tells some other lie.

 

Ω

The Lie is poisonous to civic discourse. “Civic discourse” can be critiqued by Marxists as a bourgeois illusion, and by overly cerebral post-modern philosophers as whatever, but what are the options? Kleptocracy (the Russian system, rule by gangsters), or plutocracy (rule by corporations, the Exxon Disneyworld option). Or perhaps hereditary monarchy, which might be the most benign alternative to bourgeois civitas.

 

Ω

The triumph of the lie is the triumph of division and mistrust.

 

Lies and nonsensical pronouncements will serve primarily as distractions, that we not see their fingers in the public till.

 

Watch the money. Follow the money. Money is what matters to Trump and his family. Money will be at the center of much of what Trump does. (And money, perhaps, will be his downfall.)

 

Lies will distract us from the further erosion of civil liberties, and from the free passes being given to polluters.

 

Expect daily installments of the spectacle: especially if Trump is caught in some outrageous lie. Another will fall on the heels of the last.

 

Ω

Debord’s “Spectacle” has been fulfilled: images have assumed hegemony. This spectacle is the hypnosis of earth-denial normalized.

 

The task of our art is to invert that. To de-normalize.

 

Ω

Guy Debord outlined the Society of the Spectacle fifty years ago. With the Triumph of the Lie and the ubiquity of mediated communication, have we entered “post-spectacular society?”

 

The question, in post-spectacular society, is “Do Bodies Matter?”

The tycoons, the Liars, and the Earth Deniers are betting that they don’t. This may be their fatal mistake.

 

Ω

The Trump Administration, if it can’t be somehow stopped, will be worse than any of us wish to imagine. Corruption will be rampant. Great numbers of people will be brutalized through economics. Civic duty will be replaced by predation and the clear-cutting of the commons.

 

Ω

He’s a liar. He’s not going to change. He’s just going to tell more lies.

Ω Ω An Assessment of the Present Danger      Ω

 

Ω Ω

Let’s make a first pass attempt at triage, to prioritize present dangers. For starters:

 

1) Long term damage to the life of the sentient beings of planet Earth, all beings bipedal, furry, scaly, finny, winged, wriggling, or green and rooted.

That is, there is danger to their lives, the lives of their progeny, the viability of their gene pool, and the viability of their habitats.

 

2) Damage of geological scale to the planet Earth: planetary scale pollution, human destruction of global habitat, climate change of geologic time scale: tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years.

 

3) Damage to the social fabric of the human communities of planet Earth, including the American republic. By, first, the disruption of all traditional economies by global corporate capitalism, and, concurrently, the destruction of traditional values by the amoral machinations of “the market.”  And by lies.

 

By allowing money to be the rule of all things, the demonic forces of greed, lies, and coercion inevitably tend to give the most predatory persons and cartels free access to the public trust. The rise of authoritarian regimes leads to the seizure of the commons by the powerful and the monetization of public lands, public airspace, every public marketplace, and to the sort of vast corruption we are more used to in “third-world” countries.

 

Ω Ω

Massive extinctions and repeated decimations are already underway. This massive death is abetted by pressures from high birth rates in “developing” countries and by high consumption rates in the “developed” countries. Continued carbon burning and global warming will lead to widespread degradation of life, and the destruction of much that is beautiful. Human predation from hunger, from poverty, or from greed are eliminating large wild mammals from the planet Earth.

 

Ω Ω

Plutocratic state capitalism is destroying the peoples, cultures, resources, and health of the whole planet Earth. Monetization of every resource, of every aspect of culture, of, in fact, ethics and morality, will indeed warp human life into a war of all against all.

Ω Ω Ω                The Worship of Idols and False Gods               Ω Ω Ω

 

Ω Ω Ω   

Of immediate threats to life on planet Earth, nuclear war and nuclear accidents are certainly near the top of the list. But global corporatism is not far behind.

 

It is the nature of a corporation, under current charter, to maximize monetary profit. That is its sole morality. A corporation is the spirit of greed given a body. Buddhists call the entities of limitless craving pretas—“hungry ghosts.” Zen students give the hungry ghosts small offerings out of compassion, even knowing they can never be satisfied. But to conjure forth the spirits of greed and craving, and then by magical writs to give them corporeal body and immortality, and then to release them out of the magic circle to prey and feed on the world of sentient beings–that is daylight madness.

 

Ω Ω Ω   

What reason does such a hungry spirit have to spare anything? It is not a human being. It is not a sentient being. It is the spirit of greed given the power to hire human servants and to grow and self-replicate. Until that charter is changed by law or revolution, palliative measures, at best, buy a little time.

 

Ω Ω Ω   

Thales, our first philosopher, proved the fallacy of “The Market” 2500 years ago by cornering the supply of olives, and then charging exorbitant prices.

 

Is that honest work? Or is it more like stealing lunch money from the little kids?

 

By the logic of The Market: why give medical care to the poor at all? No money there!

 

It is poverty that gives money power, coercive power. That in desperation for money men will do anything. (Or, said another way, that everything has its price.)

 

Ω Ω Ω   

Money is also a phantasm. We have given it so much power that now we are its slaves. We created “economy,” which should be housekeeping, but instead is a poisonous lash on our backs, wielded by the “invisible” slavemaster’s hand. All the nations of planet Earth are now ensnared within its web. Fundamentally, none of it is “necessary.” We could invent a different system.

 

Money does not represent time, wealth, or anything–other than itself. Economists accept money as a given, as a fact of nature, that’s their job, but it’s not. Money is a recent bit of cultural fabrication, like the state.

 

Ω Ω Ω   

Never forget that it is poverty that gives money power. Without poverty, money would still have value, but not the coercion of thralldom.

 

Ω Ω Ω   

Any society based on monetary profit will tend to be predatory and destructive, even without state corporatism. To mitigate this tendency to predation, societies develop morays, traditions, and shame.

 

Children are taught to share, to be a part of the larger social unit, to perform ritual and caretaking duties. Selfish greed is the mark of a sociopath.

 

Ω Ω Ω   

With state corporatism, that is, with a system based upon entities dedicated to growth and profit without regard to the welfare of others, all futures are dim. Ruination of the fields and the utter depletion of the commons is an inevitable result. Do the math.

 

ΩΩΩΩ  Why (sadly) the Election Doesn’t Matter, And Why (sadly) It Does  ΩΩΩΩ

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

The Democrats are as much to blame here as the Republicans: they are both partners in supporting corporate hegemony. A Democratic victory would not have helped in addressing these core problems. In Ken Knabb’s words:

 

Obama’s smooth, genial persona enabled him to get away with war crimes, massive deportations, and all sorts of corporate compromises (not a single criminal banker prosecuted) with few people paying attention and fewer still protesting.

–Ken Knabb

 

Not to mention Obama’s vigorous prosecution of whistleblowers—far beyond what George W. Bush did.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

The US has a long record of using its national power, both diplomatic and armed, to support and protect corporate interests—over fifty interventions in Latin America in a hundred years.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

In the last fifty years, the Democratic Party, aside from the Sanders insurgency, which was put down, has shown little interest in confronting corporate power. Neo-liberal pundits will give reasoned explanations that inequality is not a problem as long as those at the bottom are rising also. Which they are not. And which argument would be false anyway.

 

Since the Clinton presidency, the Democrats have been the best Republicans on the block.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

That said, the Republicans seem bent on accruing short term monetary profits by selling off all public investments and programs, and then putting day to day expenses on the national credit card. That’s their absurd idea that government should be a business—a business that enriches tycoons.

 

We must remember Gary Snyder’s admonition that the first rule of business is that we are in business for our health.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

That said, with Trump the despoiling of the fields and the raiding of the public treasury and attack on the public weal will move into high gear.

 

And we should resist.  We should resist the despoilers. For planet Earth we should resist. For the beauty of planet Earth we should resist the ugliness.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

The rise of right-wing nationalism (characterized by racism, xenophobia, and authoritarianism and generally “might makes right” ethos) in America, England, Europe, and around the world is the embrace of the death drive by the desperate, akin to panic spending by those on the verge of bankruptcy. With continued depletion of resources, continued degradation of the environment ( the “commons”), and greater and greater economic division between the super-rich and ninety percent, this trend will probably continue. Just a hunch.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

Historically, emergency powers have been the tipping point upon which more than one republic has toppled. Hitler used the Reichstag fire to imprison tens of thousands of his political enemies, gut organized labor, and shackle the press. Osama bin Laden’s attack on the World Trade Center enabled the Bush Administration to invade Iraq, a country not involved with the attack, to create a huge, new, security force, and to initiate massive surveillance on American citizens.

 

A narcissistic authoritative personality such as Donald Trump would have no scruples in suspending civil liberties, if, say, there were another terrorist attack—say in Washington D.C., at the Congress or at the White House.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

It may be difficult to gauge the relative danger of world nuclear stockpiles of 1000 vs. 5000 vs. 15,000 warheads. But the threat is directly correlated to which direction the number is moving. If the world nuclear powers are saying “this is crazy, let’s reduce the number of nuclear weapons,” the threat of nuclear catastrophe is a lot less than if  all sides are building more, which implies that someone thinks that they can get an edge. “You can destroy us ten times over, but I can destroy you 100 times over.”

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

Journalists, especially in the mainstream media, will face some tough choices: to call a lie a lie and forget about that raise, or, perhaps, decide, in the interests of “balanced” journalism to present the lie as one of two “differing viewpoints.”

 

Large monetary and professional rewards will be offered to anyone with a bullhorn willing to give the new gang a break.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

The myth of growth is so pervasive that it passes unnoticed. Who does not express “grow the economy” as an admirable goal?

 

Growth is an adolescent thing. With maturity, growth should be inward. Capitalism is an economic system stuck in adolescence.

 

It’s not about replacing bad people. It’s the system, stupid.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

The erosion of civic values and their replacement by corporate values will logically put predators into power, where “predators” mean those who got rich screwing other people. While corruption has never been rare in government, under corporate predators corruption will be vast, open, and shameless, hidden in plain sight by lies, and only limited, if limited at all, by laws and courts, no longer by custom, shame, or “decency.”

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

Why should we care?  Anarchists may object: it’s not my job to support the capitalist state in its death throes.  Buddhists may object: you can only save the world one person at a time, yourself. Marxist critique may say that the worse it gets, the sooner the revolution will come. All these arguments have some merit, and the historical crimes of America are indeed great. Still.

 

It is not to defend America, nor the capitalist state that I stand up, but that corruption not be “just the way things are,” and that the last living giraffe not die in some billionaire’s private game reserve.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω

Is There Hope?

 

From the standpoint of large, wild mammals? From the standpoint of tens of thousands of other species?  Little.

 

For doing something that is beautiful and true, in standing up to the Lie?

Yes, if we stand together.

 

For dispelling the incorporated hungry ghost? In changing the assumptions and aim of the economy? In breaking the spell of money?

 

Hey,

nobody home.

Or hey, ho,

still we will be merry.

ΩΩΩΩΩ        The Way of Mindful Transgression        ΩΩΩΩΩ

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

The great challenge of Mindful Transgression is to answer a lie with something that is not a lie.

 

Even if that answer creates awkwardness, or obstruction, or dissonance.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

The specific ways for each of us to resist depends a lot on individual temperament. But you have to do something, and the Theater of Resistance, by its nature, provides manifold opportunities for personal growth—that is, to do things you’ve never done before.

 

Maybe that’s as simple as personally visiting the office of your local Member of Congress, as Michael Moore and Robert Reich suggest.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Massive demonstrations will be absolutely necessary. Massive demonstrations are needed to show support for lawmakers to resist Trump and his minions. Massive demonstrations are needed to show Trump that the majority of Americans do not support him. Massive demonstrations are needed to express our mourning—where we can all wear black arm bands.

 

“Sad.”  You betcha.

 

Massive demonstrations are for us, to create an “us,” and to banish loneliness and alienation.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Some of our “hipper” intellectuals have said that demonstrating doesn’t do any good. That is absolutely untrue. ANY time large numbers of people take to the streets, it is significant. In the last thirty years massive peaceful demonstrations have brought down a dozen governments around the world. Massive peaceful demonstration may be the ONLY way to bring down a repressive or corrupt regime.

 

That is why freedom of assembly is usually curtailed even before freedom of speech. We have to get out there, with or without a parade permit.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Some will not help us. Some deem politics to be an impure or useless endeavor. Don’t let them shame you. Art is a higher calling.

 

And while “truth,” “higher truth,” “ultimate truth,” or “fundamental truth” may be subtle and difficult to discern, lies are not.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Not everyone has the temperament for the Practice of Everyday Subversion—that’s probably good. And no wonder. Most sensible people would opt for serenity.

 

But for the creatively inclined, mindful everyday subversion is intimately linked with artistic expression.

 

Make it beautiful.

Make it a situation.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Joe Hill said: organize!

Find an affinity group. Or start one.

(Or, for us loner types, join whatever group is marching by that you like the looks of.)

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

We need puppeteers to fight the puppets. We need public theater and inspired “situations.” We need some poets to get up on their soap boxes. We need more public art. We need some vibrancy and the courage to speak truth.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

We need a lot more MINDFUL TRANSGRESSION. Mindful transgression is the ancient and primordial practice of all great buddhas and bodhisattvas. Some have called mindful transgression the art of drawing reality to a fine point. Others have called it the art of lifting a flower. For some it is finding exactly the right moment to knock over a vase of water.

 

In all of our spiritual practices, active presence in the world is the most challenging. Encounters in the dojo, or in the ashram, are more like rehearsals. Some never take their practice to the street. I’ve known Zen teachers who never interact with outsiders. We can only try to teach our teachers by example.

 

We take a stand against invisibility. Is being invisible more fundamentally “spiritual” than wearing a bright clown nose?

 

There is certainly an art to moving through the world invisibly. We can only be thankful that the Buddha was not among those who practiced it.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Robert Aitken told me how Thich Nhat Hahn would practice “blocking” on sidewalks in Manhattan. Just by walking slowly.  Then if two or three others were to join them, and they walked abreast, they would pretty much block the whole sidewalk.

 

Thinking of the highly annoying people who get into the fast lane and then drive slow, I asked: “Why is it more enlightened to go slow than to go fast?”

 

Aitken answered: “I don’t think Thich Nhat Hahn’s purpose was enlightenment; I think his purpose was just to cause trouble.”

 

And there you have it.

Maybe it’s easier to get away with if you wear orange robes.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

We are trained to be mannerly. That is, not to offend. That is, not to create a ruckus. That is, not to question authority. (And maybe especially, spiritual authority.)  Don’t raise a stink. Don’t make others uncomfortable. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Just fit in. This is the way of social harmony.

 

Or is it?

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Mindful Transgression is speaking the truth about the Emperor. And, given a chance, to the Emperor.

 

And Mindful Transgression is a path of “personal self cultivation,” … some realms of expression are difficult to master, or even glimpse, sitting on a cushion.  

 

Bestowing bliss in the marketplace does not necessarily mean handing out candy and saying things that make everyone feel good.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

Mindful Transgression: you have to be ready to give your time, because people will react.

 

If you transgress with anger it will fail, and will hurt your own psyche and soul. But if you can make it a gift, creating awkwardness can be liberating.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

At the bank (where, in several steps, I was taking out my money and transferring it to a credit union, which, listen, at best is just slightly less culpable of rape and pillage) the young, well-scrubbed clerk, a poor kid with an MBA for all I knew, working for peanuts, asked me if there was anything else he could do for me.

 

I asked him if it was true that Wells Fargo invested in private prisons. A mystified look came over his face. “Look,” I said, “I know it’s none of your doing. But is it true that the Wells Fargo corporation invests in private prisons?”

 

He didn’t know. But he called over his supervisor. And, after further discussion, me saying “I read it in an article on the internet, I’m just trying to find out if it is true,” the supervisor called her boss.

 

It ended up being quite a to-do, the question ratcheting its way up the chain of command. You have to be ready to give some time to your art.

 

And I wanted to maintain my good relations with the clerks—it wasn’t their doing. But that turned out to be difficult. They got defensive. They felt that they personally had to defend the corporation. And that gave us something else to talk about.

 

They finally came up with some evidence that Wells Fargo had divested itself of private prison stocks. I had to accept that, at least for the moment. I thanked them all profusely.

 

With further research, I found public corporate records showing that Wells Fargo still had private prison stock. But I thought it was a good day’s work. I hadn’t really been prepared for the seriousness of the reaction of the bank employees, and I wasn’t completely comfortable with being the lead actor in the spotlight for so long.

 

But still.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

You say, “demonstrating, civil disobedience, will only play into the hands of power. It will give them the excuse for mass arrests.”

 

If we fear that, the threat alone has triumphed.

 

It’s like thinking you can change the mind of a liar with facts, or with reason, or by appealing to their better nature.

 

You say, “Look, you are calling them “they,” that is the root of ignorance. Until you transcend the we-they paradigm you will only make things worse.

 

You may be right. After we put out the fire, we can talk about that further.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

To repeat. Without massive resistance to the pirates, and massive support for those willing to stand up against them, damage to the earth, to her peoples, animals, and cultures, will be far worse, far more abusive, far uglier, that any of us can now imagine.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

This is not the time to sit it out. Get off you cushions, you zennies. Come out of your retreat centers, you spiritual seekers. Stand up in your taverns you spirituous  drinkers. Plot dissent in your vapors, you legalized hashishans. C’mon kids, it’s gonna be YOUR world. Show us how.

 

Civilly, say no. Politely, stand your ground. Or obstruct. Or disrupt.

 

“Free country!”       Remember that?

 

We do it for our sleep, and that our dreams have joy.

 

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

General Strike and Block Party:

or, perhaps,    Block Party first.           In the streets.

 

Or, as Falstaff said,

a play . . .

extempore.

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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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