Salvia divinorum has been used since ancient times by the Mazatec shamans of Mexico for divination, vision quests and healing. Known by many names - nearly all associated with the Virgin Mary, who has come to symboliSe the spirit of salvia - this plant ally is now regarded as the most powerful natural hallucinogen. Providing the first practical guide to the shamanic, spiritual and therapeutic uses
Best known as the first person to synthesise, ingest and discover the psychedelic effects of LSD, Albert Hofmann was more than just a chemist. A pioneer in the field of visionary plant research, he was one of the first people to suggest the use of entheogens for psychological healing and spiritual growth. His insights into the consciousness-expanding effects of psychedelics as well as human nature
On May 27, 1963, Dr. Timothy Leary and Dr. Richard Alpert were dismissed from Harvard University's Psychology Department - a watershed event marking the moment when psychedelic drugs were publicly demonised and driven underground. Today, little is known about the period in the early 1960s when LSD and psilocybin were, not only, legal but, also, actively researched at universities. Presenting the f
In this classic follow-up to his bestselling The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Joseph Chilton Pearce explains the process of acculturation and the mechanisms that create our self-limiting “cosmic egg” of consensus reality. Laying the groundwork for his later classic Magical Child, Pearce shows that we go through early childhood connecting with the world through our senses. With the development of langu
Alejandro Jodorowsky re-creates the incredible adventure of his life as an artist, filmmaker, writer and therapist - all stages on his quest to push back the boundaries of both imagination and reason.Not a traditional autobiography composed of a chronological recounting of memories, THE DANCE OF REALITY repaints events from Jodorowsky's life from the perspective of an unleashed imagination. Like t
A rare in-depth look at the inner workings of Huichol shamanism· Describes the five sacred sites of the Huichol and their peyote ceremonies· Explains how the Huichol teachings of awareness, centered on the five points of attention, connect you to your true essence· Reveals the deep relationship between Huichol cosmology, Gnosticism, and Christianity, especially Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary Tak
· Reveals faulty thinking and conceptual blindspots that distort beliefs in science, philosophy, and spirituality - from “the universe exploded from nothing in a Big Bang” to “we create our own reality”· Explains how “thought viruses” spread as we use these clichéd assumptions in our daily communications We live in a world filled with clichés - convenient assumptions and unquestioned conclusions t
In 1967, in response to theatrical censorship rules that put him on the political “black list” in Mexico City and caused his plays and his pantomime classes at the School of Fine Arts to be cancelled, Alejandro Jodorowsky decided to pursue a new form of artistic expression to earn his living: comics. Working with his friend, Luis Spota, the editor of the cultural section of the newspaper 'El Heral
After the deaths of Jerry Garcia, Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey, it appeared that the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s had finally been suppressed. But the opposite was occurring, evident in the popularity of transformational festivals like Burning Man and BOOM!, the media coverage of ayahuasca use and the growing number of celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires readily admitting the benefit
Drawing on more than 50 years' experience as a transpersonal psychotherapist, Ralph Metzner explores the spiritual overtones, karmic undercurrents and ancestral connections that shape our individual psychologies.Sharing 15 detailed histories from his casebook and the innovative practices he uses in his therapeutic sessions, Metzner shows how the psychological problems we confront often derive from
Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, clinical psychologist, Dr. Richard Louis Miller, discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine - and what will happen in the future - with top researchers and thinkers in this field, including Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, Dennis McKenna, David Nichols, Charles Grob, Ph
Encounters with apparently sentient beings are reported by half of all first time users of the naturally occurring psychedelic DMT, yet the question of DMT beings and plant sentience, interspecies communication, discarnate consciousness and perhaps even talking to the divine has never been systematically explored. In September 2015, ten of the world's leading luminaries noted for exploring the mys
In FUTURE SACRED, Julie J. Morley offers a new perspective on the human connection to the cosmos by unveiling the connected creativity and sacred intelligence of nature. She rejects the “survival of the fittest” narrative - the idea that survival requires strife - and offers symbiosis and cooperation as nature's path forward. She shows how an increasingly complex world demands increasingly complex
Just as the search for the philosopher's stone is the core symbol of the alchemical tradition, Ralph Metzner, psychotherapist and one of the respected elders of the psychedelic research community, sees it as the central metaphor of his life-long quest to find methods of healing and insight through heightened states of consciousness. Through captivating stories, Metzner shares his encounters from t
One of the oldest and most potent natural stimulants, the leaves of the coca plant is the organic source from which cocaine is synthesised. Fresh coca leaves and products made from them have verified medicinal and healing properties - and not the same addictive qualities or negative side effects as cocaine. In the late 19th century, coca products became hugely successful in Europe and the United S
In India, both yoga and cannabis are considered gifts from the Hindu god Shiva. They are seen as twin currents of wisdom and enlightenment, allies for healing and consciousness expansion. As ethnobotanist and yogi Chris Kilham explains, when wisely and thoughtfully combined, cannabis and yoga offer profound benefits for body, mind, and spirit. Kilham examines the history and lore of both cannabis
On November 24, 1979, Christopher M. Bache took the first step on what would become a life-changing journey. Drawing from his training as a philosopher of religion, Bache set out to explore his mind and the mind of the universe as deeply and systematically as possible, with the help of the psychedelic drug LSD. Following protocols established by Stanislav Grof, Bache's 73 high-dose LSD sessions ov
Scientific orthodoxy views the universe as conceived of matter-protons, neutrons, electrons, down to the smallest particle, quarks. But, when you keep digging, what is “beneath” quarks? The scientific worldview does not take into account consciousness or life itself. How did consciousness become part of the material universe? Is it a by-product of brain chemistry or a constituent of reality? Or, t
Our ecological, social, and political issues all stem from the ideologies that drive our collective actions. In contrast to our innate humanity, which is rooted in unity, these ideologies have led us to believe that we are separate from each other, separate from nature and separate from the results of our actions. Such a worldview encourages individuals to maximize self-interest, which then causes
Found throughout the plant and animal kingdom, DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is also naturally occurring in humans, where it is released during near-death and actual death experiences, earning it the title “the spirit molecule.” When taken as a psychedelic, either via ayahuasca or in pure form, DMT is experientially considered to be the strongest and strangest of all entheogens. The majority of high-do