Park Street Press – serie

• Shows how Amanita microdoses offered help and healing for a broad range of conditions, including hormonal dysfunction, allergies, gingivitis, heartburn, eczema, psoriasis, depression, epilepsy, hypertension, insomnia, and migraine • Reveals how Amanita microdoses are effective for pain relief and for interrupting addictions to alcohol, opiates, nicotine, caffeine, and other narcotics • Details how to safely identify, prepare, and preserve Amanita muscaria, including recipes for tincture, tea, oil, and ointment as well as proper microdose amounts Exploring the results of the first international study on the medicinal effects of microdosing with Amanita muscaria, the psychoactive fly agaric mushroom, Baba Masha, M.D., documents how more than 3,000 volunteers experienced positive outcomes for a broad range of health conditions as well as enhanced creativity and sports performance. Masha discovered that Amanita microdoses offered help and healing for hormonal dysfunction, low libido, allergies, asthma, swelling, gingivitis, nail fungus, digestive issues, and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis as well as recovery from stroke and cardiac arrest. She found beneficial effects on depression, epilepsy, hypertension, insomnia, and low appetite and shows how Amanita microdoses are quite effective for pain relief, including in cases of rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual pain, and migraine. The author also reveals how Amanita microdoses can interrupt addictions to alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, opiates, and other narcotics. The author details how to safely identify, harvest, prepare, and preserve Amanita muscaria, and she includes recipes for tincture, tea, oil, and ointment as well as proper microdose amounts. She shares more than 780 personal Amanita microdose reports from study participants, detailing the positive, negative, and neutral effects they experienced, and she also shares some Amanita large-dose trip reports, cautioning against this practice because of the mushroom’s strong dissociative properties, including amnesia. Revealing the vast healing potential of this ancient mushroom ally, Masha’s study shows not only how Amanita can help with many health conditions but also how it activates the ability to feel the value and the significance of your own life experience.

A new edition of the psychedelic classic• Shares the author’s research on extrasensory perception (ESP) and the psychic effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms• Describes ancient Egyptian spiritual practices centered on Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms• Details the author’s research work with R. Gordon Wasson and his experiments with Aldous Huxley and famed psychic Peter HurkosIn 1954, neurologist Andrija Puharich, M.D., receives a call from a wealthy supporter of his lab about an unusual subject worthy of further research: Harry Stone, a young sculptor with unusually acute extrasensory perception. When handed an ancient Egyptian artifact, Harry had fallen into a deep trance, drawing hieroglyphic symbols, including mushrooms, and using ancient Egyptian phrases to describe a drug that can enhance psychic abilities.Intrigued, Dr. Puharich studies Harry’s trance-induced statements and discovers that they are clearly describing ancient spiritual practices involving Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms. He begins direct investigations with Harry at his lab in Maine, learning more about the use and preparation of the sacred mushroom as well as about astral travel and past lives. Dr. Puharich shares his research with ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson, who is about to travel to Mexico on a CIA-funded research trip, and the two researchers agree to test telepathic communications between the lab in Maine and a Mexican curandero. The results of the psychic experiment lead Puharich to discover Amanita muscaria growing in the wild near his research facility.Now with a supply of the sacred mushroom, Dr. Puharich begins to study its psychic and visionary potential and the veracity of Harry Stone’s channeled Egyptian statements. He studies the effects of Amanita muscaria not only on Harry, but also on famed psychic Peter Hurkos and other visitors to his lab, including Aldous Huxley. This book reveals all the details of that story in this new edition of the psychedelic classic. It also includes an in-depth introduction by psychedelic historian P. D. Newman.

Called “America’s wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use,” James Fadiman has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. In this guide to the immediate and long-term effects of psychedelic use for spiritual (high dose), therapeutic (moderate dose), and problem-solving (low dose) purposes, Fadiman outlines best practices for safe, sacred entheogenic voyages learned through his more than 40 years of experience--from the benefits of having a sensitive guide during a session (and how to be one) to the importance of the setting and pre-session intention. Fadiman reviews the newest as well as the neglected research into the psychotherapeutic value of visionary drug use for increased personal awareness and a host of serious medical conditions, including his recent study of the reasons for and results of psychedelic use among hundreds of students and professionals. He reveals new uses for LSD and other psychedelics, including extremely low doses for improved cognitive functioning and emotional balance. Cautioning that psychedelics are not for everyone, he dispels the myths and misperceptions about psychedelics circulating in textbooks and clinics as well as on the internet. Exploring the life-changing experiences of Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, and Huston Smith as well as Francis Crick and Steve Jobs, Fadiman shows how psychedelics, used wisely, can lead not only to healing but also to scientific breakthroughs and spiritual epiphanies.

From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted U.S. Government-approved and funded clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extraordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical found in the psychedelic Amazon brew, ayahuasca, is also manufactured by the human brain. In Strassman's volunteers, it consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, aliens, angels, and spirits. Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives. Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by Rene Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the bold case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that ""alien abduction experiences"" are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.

A guide to psychedelics as a path to love and healing“A compelling, radical exploration of psychedelics’ healing potential.”—Kirkus Reviews• Explains how psychedelic experiences offer a way to reconnect with the body, reclaim pleasure, rekindle joy, and reawaken to love• Explores how psychedelics can support our sexual healing and offers a range of psychedelic integration techniques and somatic exercises to help release trauma and foster insight• Shares recent research on trauma and case studies from more than a decade of professional clinical work as well as lessons from the author’s own healing journey from sexual trauma and PTSDIn this groundbreaking book, psychotherapist and psychedelic integration expert Dee Dee Goldpaugh shows how the profound healing and restorative effects of psychedelics can help us heal our sexuality, reconnect with pleasure, find wholeness, and feel good again.Sharing recent research on trauma and case studies from more than a decade of professional clinical work, Goldpaugh explores specific ways psychedelics can heal sexual trauma, enhance sexual pleasure, and deepen our interpersonal connections. Goldpaugh looks at MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, 5-MeO-DMT, and other psychedelics and offers a range of integration techniques as well as somatic exercises to help foster insight and apply the lessons learned during psychedelic experiences to everyday life. Goldpaugh also examines the methodology behind psychedelic-assisted therapy and how readers can safely navigate risks and explore their own healing at home.Revealing the transformative power of embracing pleasure for healing sexual trauma, this book provides an essential guide to psychedelic sexuality as a path to healing and love.

A new edition of the classic scientific study of psi abilities• Details the author’s scientific experiments with psychics on telepathic powers and psychic phenomena• Explores how shamanism, yoga, and Indigenous spiritual traditions provide the means to consciously cultivate psychic abilities• Analyzes the biological, physiological, and psychological conditions and stresses that lead to the development and control of telepathic and paranormal experiencesNeurologist Andrija Puharich pioneered research in psi phenomena in the 1950s and ’60s. This classic edition of that research provides profound examples of telepathy, clairvoyance, and mind powers that he recorded in labs and clinical settings. Puharich also draws on ancient spiritual practices to show how one might activate these abilities.Connecting psychic phenomena to human physiology, Puharich recounts experiments he conducted with psychics in which observable activation of the parasympathetic nervous system resulted in measurable improvements in telepathic reception. He details his experiments on transmissive telepathy and how ESP and telepathy manifest in groups, and he hypothesizes that the ability to transmit thoughts and information is connected to adrenalin and related compounds.Puharich examines what he terms a “mobile center of consciousness”—how the mind is separate from the body—and how this center of consciousness can access psychic powers and nonlocal knowledge. Beyond the lab, Puharich explored how shamanism, yoga, and Indigenous spiritual traditions provide the biological and physical means to consciously cultivate psychic phenomena and ecstatic states that enable extraordinary abilities.Bringing these psi phenomena ideas into contemporary context is a new introduction by Mitch Horowitz, award-winning author of numerous books and host of the podcast Extraordinary Evidence: ESP Is Real.

A full-color exploration of DMT beings and Ayahuasca spirits• Examines 25 of the most commonly encountered DMT entities, from machine elves and fairies to insectoids, Reptilians, and divine beings such as Grandmother Ayahuasca• Discusses each entity in depth, including people’s encounters with them from trip reports and scientific studies, descriptions of how the entities appear and behave, and communications or teachings they impart• Features visionary art by Sara Phinn Huntley and other artists, including Alex Grey, Andrew Jones, Luke Brown, Juliana Garces, Erial Ali, and Harry PackOne of the features consistently noted by visitors to the hyperspace realm invoked by DMT is the existence of many different entities. In this full-color illustrated handbook for understanding the intelligent alien species of hyperspace, psychedelic explorer David Jay Brown and visionary artist Sara Phinn Huntley explore 25 of the most commonly encountered DMT beings and ayahuasca spirits, from “self-transforming machine elves,” ancestor spirits, tricksters, and metallic spheres to insectoid mantis beings, reptilians, gray aliens, nature spirits, and divine beings, such as the Virgin Mary, Gaia, angels, Grandmother Ayahuasca, and deities from Hindu, Egyptian, and South American spiritual traditions.Profiling the DMT entities in the style of a naturalistic field guide, complete with evocative illustrations by Huntley and other artists such as Alex Grey, Andrew Jones, Luke Brown, Juliana Garces, Erial Ali, and Harry Pack, the authors discuss the entities in depth, including people’s encounters with them, descriptions of how they appear, and summaries of the communications they impart. They explore whether these beings are generated by our minds or if they exist independently of the DMT trip.Providing a comprehensive exploration of this world, this guide seeks to describe the alien residents of interdimensional space and help people who have encountered DMT beings integrate their experiences.

A scientifically-based exploration of the invisible forces that shape our world• Shares the results of the author’s rigorous, repeatable, and predictable experiments with subtle energy • Shows how the mind interacts with matter by means of subtle energy--the key to the placebo effect, the healing power of affirmations and prayers, and energy medicine • Demonstrates how to harness subtle energy and explains the author’s technology to generate subtle energy formulations with practical applications Instruments of modern physics can measure the energies of the electromagnetic spectrum, but these energies only account for roughly 4 percent of the total identifiable mass-energy of the universe. What makes up the remaining 96%? In this scientifically based yet accessible analysis, Yury Kronn, Ph.D., explores the nature of the remaining 96% of the universe’s mass-energies. Contemporary science calls this massenergy “dark matter,” and the ancients called it life force, prana, or chi. Kronn shows how this subtle energy belongs to the subatomic world and how it follows laws that are fundamentally different from those known to contemporary science.Sharing the results of his rigorous, repeatable, and predictable experiments with subtle energy, the author looks at the possible mechanisms of subtle energy’s interaction with physical matter and with the human body. He shows how the mind interacts with matter by means of subtle energy—giving us the key to understanding the placebo effect and extrasensory perception as well as the healing power of affirmations and energy medicine. Kronn demonstrates how it’s possible to harness subtle energy and explains his development of Vital Force Technology, which integrates ancient knowledge of the life force with modern technology to generate specific subtle energy formulations for practical applications. He presents his experimental results creating subtle energy formulas to positively influence the germination of seeds and the growth of plants. He also demonstrates the possibility of using subtle energy for creating clean and energetic-pollution-free environments for vitality and better healing. Outlining the many benefits of subtle energy technology to individuals, societies, and the planet as a whole, Kronn reveals how the transformative power of subtle energy arises from the vast potential of human consciousness.

In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants--those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness--have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive PlantsChristian Rätsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artifacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them. The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives--such as cannabis, datura, and papaver--then presents 133 lesser known substances as well as additional plants known as “legal highs,” plants known only from mythological contexts and literature, and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca, incense, and soma. The text is lavishly illustrated with 797 color photographs--many of which are from the author’s extensive fieldwork around the world--showing the people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world’s sacred psychoactives.

A comprehensive exploration of the potential of coincidences to expand our understanding of reality and inspire psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual growth• Scientific and Medical Network's Annual Book Prize for 2022• Presents a complete catalog of coincidence patterns with numerous illustrative examples• Defines the many uses and potential pitfalls of coincidences and highlights the situations in which they are most likely to occur• Explores the range of explanations for coincidences, including the psychosphere as the medium through which many coincidences take placeEach of us has more to do with creating coincidences than we think. In this broad exploration of the potential of coincidences to expand our understanding of reality, psychiatrist Bernard Beitman, M.D., explores why and how coincidences, synchronicity, and serendipity happen and how to use these common occurrences to inspire psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual growth. Through a complete catalog of coincidence patterns with numerous illustrative examples, Dr. Beitman clarifies the relationship between synchronicity and serendipity and dissects the “anatomy of a coincidence.” He defines coincidence types through their two fundamental constituents--mental events and physical events. He analyzes the many uses of meaningful coincidences as well as their potential problems. He explains how you will see patterns guiding your life decisions and learn to expect that coincidences are more likely to occur during life stressors, as well as times of high emotion and strong need, which helps you be ready to use them when they occur. Exploring the crucial role of personal agency--individual thought and action--in synchronicities and serendipities, Dr. Beitman shows that there’s much more behind these occurrences than “fate” or “randomness.”

This definitive volume is the first modern translation of Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra to include two essential commentaries: the Jayamangala of Yashodhara and the modern Hindi commentary by Devadatta Shastri. Alain Danilou spent four years comparing versions of the Kama Sutra in Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, and English, drawing on his intimate experience of India, to preserve the full explicitness of the original. I wanted to demystify India, he writes, to show that a period of great civilization, of high culture, is forcibly a period of great liberty.

An investigation based on direct experience into the meaning and message of altered states“Every reader will find this account fascinating. A lively and intensely personal addition to the drugs-memoir genre.”—Kirkus Reviews“You're such an important part of the psychedelic history.”—Joe Rogan Experience, episode #1854• Recounts several dozen of the author’s experiences of drug and non-drug altered states of consciousness from birth to early adulthood• Applies the lenses of four explanatory models—psychoanalysis, psychopharmacology, Zen Buddhism, and medieval Jewish metaphysics—in understanding how and why they occurred• Demonstrates the importance of careful unflinching recollection and documentation of both heavenly and hellish altered states in one’s psychological, emotional, and spiritual lifeWhy do we seek out altered states of consciousness, or why, in some cases, do they happen unbidden? What do we see and hear, and what happens emotionally, physically, and psychologically? How and why are these experiences different from or similar to one another? Are they meaningful? And what do we do with them after they have passed?Addressing these questions, renowned psychedelic researcher Rick Strassman, M.D., draws upon his journals and analyses of dozens of episodes of altered consciousness that occurred during, or are intimately tied to, his life between birth and young adulthood. Just as significant as the ecstatic blissful experiences are the uncensored and, at times, painfully unvarnished narratives of less elevated ones. Visually augmenting all these accounts are the striking images of artist Merrilee Challiss.Understanding and applying the meaning and message of any altered state—its integration—first requires a clear-eyed recollection of the actual experience in all its aspects, neither pushing away the ugly nor grasping after the beautiful. This book provides a profound example of how one might go about accomplishing this daunting task.

A guide to working through the inner obstacles of late life and embracing the spiritual gifts of aging• 2022 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award • 2022 Nautilus Gold Award • Award Winner in the Health: Aging/50+ category of the 2021 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest • Award Winner in Non-Fiction: Aging and Gerontology category of the 2021 Best Indie Book Award • Offers shadow-work and many diverse spiritual practices to help you break through denial to awareness, move from self-rejection to self-acceptance, repair the past to be fully present, and allow mortality to be a teacher • Reveals how to use inner work to uncover and explore the unconscious denial and resistance that erupts around key thresholds of later life • Includes personal interviews with prominent Elders, including Ken Wilber, Krishna Das, Fr. Thomas Keating, Anna Douglas, James Hollis, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Ashton Applewhite, Roshi Wendy Nakao, Roger Walsh, and Stanislav Grof With extended longevity comes the opportunity for extended personal growth and spiritual development. You now have the chance to become an Elder, to leave behind past roles, shift from work in the outer world to inner work with the soul, and become authentically who you are. This book is a guide to help get past the inner obstacles and embrace the hidden spiritual gifts of age. Offering a radical reimagining of age for all generations, psychotherapist and bestselling author Connie Zweig reveals how to use inner work to uncover and explore the unconscious denial and resistance that erupts around key thresholds of later life, attune to your soul’s longing, and emerge renewed as an Elder filled with vitality and purpose. She explores the obstacles encountered in the transition to wise Elder and offers psychological shadow-work and diverse spiritual practices to help you break through denial to awareness, move from self-rejection to self-acceptance, repair the past to be fully present, reclaim your creativity, and allow mortality to be a teacher. Sharing contemplative practices for selfreflection, she also reveals how to discover ways to share your talents and wisdom to become a force for change in the lives of others. Woven throughout with wisdom from prominent Elders, including Ken Wilber, Krishna Das, Father Thomas Keating, Anna Douglas, James Hollis, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Ashton Applewhite, Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao, Roger Walsh, and Stanislav Grof, this book offers tools and guidance to help you let go of past roles, expand your identity, deepen self-knowledge, and move through these life passages to a new stage of awareness, choosing to be fully real, transparent, and free to embrace a fulfilling late life.

Over the past decade, many famous entrepreneurs and celebrities have begun to open up about their life-changing experiences with psychedelics that led to their personal successes. But less well-known are the wisdom-bringing psychedelic experiences of many top psychologists, psychiatrists, researchers, and others who have taken what they learned from their entheogenic experiences and applied it in their professions, leading to therapeutic advancements, scientific discoveries, and healing for thousands.In this profound book, Dr. Richard Louis Miller shares stories of psychedelic transformation, insight, and wisdom from his conversations with 19 scientists, doctors, therapists, and teachers, each of whom has been self-experimenting with psychedelic medicines, sub rosa, for decades. We hear from scientific psychonaut Amanda Feilding, founder of the Beckley Foundation; ethnobotanical explorer Dennis McKenna; research advocate and head of MAPS Rick Doblin; and the “Sunshine Makers”: Tim Scully, the scientist taught to make LSD by Owsley Stanley, and Michael Randall, the leader of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love. We learn about recasting “bad trips” as unfamiliar challenges from psychedelic swami Dr. Allan Ajaya, therapeutic uses of MDMA from “the love doctor” Charley Wininger, decades of insights from psychedelic professor Thomas B. Roberts, as well as several others.Revealing the psychedelic wisdom uncovered in spite of decades of the “War on Drugs,” Dr. Miller and his contributors show how LSD and other psychedelics offer a pathway to creativity, healing, innovation, and liberation.

Explores the full spectrum of sexual beliefs, practices, and identities.Exploring sexual customs, beliefs, practices, and identities from a wide variety of perspectives, Dr. Miller shares his fascinating interviews with 20 experts ranging from clinical psychologists and researchers to sex workers and polyamory educators. We learn from sex therapists, relationship experts, and tantric sex teachers, such as Dr. Lonnie Barbach, Dr. Stella Resnick, Katherine Rowland, and Diana Richardson, about the importance of communication, how to keep sensuality alive, and how to generate fulfilling and sustainable intimacy in relationships. Looking at sexual identity and non-monogamy, we hear from Dr. Ritch Savin-Williams on sexual identification and gender fluidity, Sumati Sparks on open relationships and polyamory, Janet Hardy, author of The Ethical Slut, on sexual freedom, and Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens on the possibilities of ecosexuality.Revealing the inner workings of the sex industry, we hear from current and former escorts and sex workers on the stigmas and dangers of sex work and the need to decriminalize it, including Norma Jean Almadovar, former LA policewoman and current president of the prostitute’s union Coyote. Dr. Ogi Ogas, author of A Billion Wicked Thoughts, speaks about using data science and computational neuroscience to uncover true statistics about our sexual desires. We hear from Paulita Pappel on porn as a mirror for society, Faith Jones on escaping a sex cult, Maeve Moon on recovering from sexual trauma, and Dr. Laura McGuire about the broad impact of teaching consent.Validating the extraordinary range and diversity of our sexual thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, the author gathers voices that help us free our sexuality from the past, accept our natural urge for physical pleasure, and open us up to sexuality as a power for health, healing, and happiness.

Within each of us is a spiritual longing that prompts us to unite with something greater than ourselves, to awaken to our unity with all of life. Yet, no matter the spiritual path we choose, we inevitably encounter our own shadow, those unconscious aspects of ourselves that we suppress or deny, or the shadows of our teachers and their secret desires about money, sex, and power. Meeting the shadow can derail the journey but, according to Connie Zweig, Ph.D., we can recover from loss of faith and move from spiritual naiveté to spiritual maturity.Zweig examines the yearning that sets us on the path, showing how it can lead to ecstatic, transcendent experiences or to terrible suffering by projecting it onto an authoritarian teacher, priest, or guru who abuses power. She tells the stories of renowned teachers--Sufi poet Rumi, Hindu master Ramakrishna, and Christian saint Catherine of Siena--whose lives unfolded as they followed their spiritual yearning. And she tells the cautionary tales of contemporary teachers of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Catholicism, who acted out their shadows in devastating ways, leaving their followers traumatized and lost. She explains how meeting the shadow is a painful but inevitable stage on the path to a more mature spirituality. She describes how to use shadow-work to separate from abusive teachers, reclaim spiritual authority, and heal from betrayal.With guidance for both inspired seekers and disillusioned seekers, the author explores how to navigate the narrow path through the darkness toward the light, rekindle the flame of longing, and once again engage spiritual practice.

Becoming a master in a particular area is not tied solely to innate ability or talent, nor to years of rote practice. As martial arts master and consciousness explorer Peter Ralston explains, the secret to mastery lies in accurate perceptive awareness and effective interaction.In this detailed guide to what it takes to master something, Ralston examines the powerful dynamics behind the art of mastery. He explores in depth the foundational skills and operating principles that empower mastery, including the principle of effective interaction, the mind-body alignment principle, and creative intelligence. Examining “reaction” versus “response,” he looks at how to control your mind and transform your perceptive awareness so what you are experiencing aligns with what’s actually occurring, the first step toward reaching your objectives and taking the appropriate actions to produce your desired results. Sharing methods to overcome the major obstacles to mastery, he presents a step-by-step breakdown of the principle of effective interaction and explains how to adapt when the people or objects you’re interacting with are not aligned with your objectives or when they are working contrary to your goals, including in sports, business, warfare, politics, or any arena in which you’ve committed to pursuing mastery.Revealing the elements that lead to masterful interactive skills, this guide shows how to do the work of personal transformation necessary to access mastery as a real, functional experience, as well as providing an opportunity for deeper insights into yourself and life.

A detailed look at the neural and biological mechanisms of psychedelic use• Examines the main pharmacological properties of psychedelic substances, including LSD, DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, ketamine, ibogaine, salvia, and MDMA• Explains the physiological mechanisms behind visionary effects, including what is happening in the brain and how each psychedelic is processed by the body• Shares safe strategies for using psychedelics, including harm-reduction techniques, and looks at where the future of psychedelic therapies is likely to goWith the widespread legalization of marijuana and the increasing use of psychoactives in controlled therapy settings, further research and understanding of psychedelics is now possible. Yet while individual accounts of their use abound, exactly what’s happening to the brain and body when using these substances is still not widely understood.Longtime pharmacological researcher Genís Ona presents a comprehensive look at the main pharmacological properties of psychedelic substances, including LSD, DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, ketamine, ibogaine, salvia, tropane alkaloids, and MDMA. Exploring how psychedelics work within the brain, Ona shares results from his extensive research to reveal the physiological mechanisms that allow these molecules to have their visionary effects, explaining what is happening at the receptor level as well as the “cascade” effects that differ from substance to substance. He examines how the body processes each substance, describing how each psychedelic is released, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated. He also details possible dangerous interactions between these substances and other drugs as well as their potential toxicity.Although his main focus is the biological and neurological effects of psychedelics, Ona also explores the mystical and spiritual dimension of psychedelic use, particularly as practiced in Indigenous traditions, showing how they enable access to a profound spiritual territory. He shares safe strategies for using psychedelics and looks at where the future of psychedelic therapies is likely to go, with an emphasis on ensuring that traditional knowledge is respected, honored, and protected.

The venom from Bufo alvarius, an unusual toad found in the Sonoran desert, contains 5-MeO-DMT, a potent natural chemical similar in effect to the more common entheogen DMT. The venom can be dried into a powder, which some researchers speculate was used ceremonially by Amerindian shamans. When smoked it prompts an instantaneous break with the physical world that causes out-of-body experiences completely removed from the conventional dimensions of reality. In Tryptamine Palace,James Oroc shares his personal experiences with 5-MeODMT, which led to a complete transformation of his understanding of himself and of the very fabric of reality. Driven to comprehend the transformational properties of this substance, Oroc combined extensive studies of physics and philosophy with the epiphanies he gained from his time at Burning Man. He discovered that ingesting tryptamines unlocked a fundamental human capacity for higher knowledge through direct contact with the zero-point field of modern physics, known to the ancients as the Akashic Field. In the quantum world of nonlocal interactions, the line between the physical and the mental dissolves. 5-MeO-DMT, Oroc argues, can act as a means to awaken the remarkable capacities of the human soul as well as restore experiential mystical spirituality to Western civilization.

In the course of his work for the charitable organization Salem, Thom Hartmann personally witnessed famine in Uganda, chaos in Russia, and genocide in Colombia--all signs that modern cultures have lost the connection to the sacred, both within and without, that was emblematic of older cultures. To truly flourish, the human spirit needs to be present in its surroundings and attuned to the Now. It needs to act on what it knows is possible and to experience how the smallest actions can have massive consequences. This is the reality of the Prophet’s Way, a path--both literal and figurative--that the author walked with his spiritual mentor Herr Müller that skirts the edge of the precipice, where one can experience a truly spontaneous life under seemingly overwhelming and impossible circumstances. In The Prophet’s Way, Thom Hartmann shares his intense spiritual journey, a story that melds recent discoveries in science with ancient truths. Through insightful and engaging vignettes Hartmann teaches that accepting the challenge to have faith means living on the edge--remaining in the moment--because it is here where the material and spiritual worlds meet. He offers readers a unique view into his experiences of expanded consciousness, providing a powerful example of how we can re-create our future by reconnecting to the sacred heartbeat of the world.

Hemp, Cannabis sativa, has been called the world's most versatile plant. Materials made from hemp fiber have been discovered in tombs dating back to 7000 B.C. During the Middle Ages hemp was used to treat fevers, insomnia, and malaria. Columbus's ships had sails of hemp, and during colonial times it was universally grown because its strong fibers made superior ropes, sails, cloth, and paper. In fact, hemp was used for money in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800s, and the original drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written on hemp paper. As a food, the oil from hemp seeds has the highest percentage of essential fatty acids and the lowest percentage of saturated fats. Britain and Canada have recently lifted bans on growing industrial hemp and today it is reappearing in the marketplace in an amazing array of products: from lip-salve, jeans, salad oil, and cheese to paper products, composite fiberboard, and biomass fuel.

These four remarkable women, core members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, left a lasting imprint on the politics, literature, and theater of 19th-century Europe. Less well-known than the famous men in their lives, including Yeats and Shaw, their stories are now told.

Use of the drug Ecstasy, once confined to the teen rave scene and college campuses, is exploding across America, from high schools to upscale clubs. Described by users as the most intense euphoria they know and by detractors as a cause of brain damage and even death, Ecstasy has generated unprecedented levels of interest-and misinformation. Written by the world's leading experts on MDMA, Ecstasy: The Complete Guidetakes the first unbiased look at the risks and the benefits of this unique drug, including the science of how it works; its promise as a treatment for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and other illnesses; and how to minimize the risk of illicit use. Whether you are a raver, a concerned parent, or a professional wanting the most recent reports on MDMA research, Ecstasy: The Complete Guideprovides the answers you need.

In this book of ""trialogues,"" the late psychedelic visionary and shamanologist Terence McKenna, acclaimed biologist and originator of the morphogenetic fields theory Rupert Sheldrake, and mathematician and chaos theory scientist Ralph Abraham explore the relationships between chaos and creativity and their connection to cosmic consciousness. Their observations call into question our current views of reality, morality, and the nature of life in the universe. The authors challenge the reader to the deepest levels of thought with wide-ranging investigations of the ecology of inner and outer space, the role of chaos in the dynamics of human creation, and the resacralization of the world. Among the provocative questions the authors raise are: Is Armageddon a self-fulfilling prophecy? Are we humans the imaginers or the imagined? Are the eternal laws of nature still evolving? What is the connection between physical light and the light of consciousness? Part ceremony, part old-fashioned intellectual discussion, these trialogues are an invitation to a new understanding of what Jean Houston calls ""the dreamscapes of our everyday waking life."

The culmination of more than 30 years of cultural, anthropological, and scientific research, this encyclopedia examines the botany, pharmacology, history, preparation, dosage, and practical use of more than 400 erotically stimulating substances from antiquity to the present day. From plants and animals that enhance fertility and virility, like celery, snails, or oysters, to substances that induce arousal, like ephedra, opium, or cannabis, the encyclopedia is richly illustrated with more than 800 color photographs--many of which are from the authors’ extensive fieldwork around the world. Exploring individual, medicinal, and ritual use through historic and contemporary artwork, personal accounts, and literature as well as ayurvedic, tantric, shamanic, and European folklore practices and recent pharmacological research, the authors look at the revolving cycle of acceptance and condemnation of aphrodisiacs, the qualities that incur the label of “aphrodisiac,” the role of mind and setting, and the different ways aphrodisiacs stimulate desire--either physically, through the senses and vital organs, or mentally, through heightened awareness and altered consciousness. This comprehensive guide reveals these “remedies of the love goddess” as holy remedies whose proper use can help reestablish harmony with oneself, one’s partner, and the universe.

In 1970, John Lennon introduced to the world Alejandro Jodorowsky and the movie, El Topo,that he wrote, starred in, and directed. The movie and its author instantly became a counterculture icon. The New York Timessaid the film "demands to be seen," and Newsweekcalled it "An Extraordinary Movie!" But that was only the beginning of the story and the controversy of El Topo, and the journey of its brilliant creator. His spiritual quest began with the Japanese master Ejo Takata, the man who introduced him to the practice of meditation, Zen Buddhism, and the wisdom of the koans. Yet in this autobiographical account of his spiritual journey, Jodorowsky reveals that it was a small group of wisewomen, far removed from the world of Buddhism, who initiated him and taught him how to put the wisdom he had learned from his master into practice. At the direction of Takata, Jodorowsky became a student of the surrealist painter Leonora Carrington, thus beginning a journey in which vital spiritual lessons were transmitted to him by various women who were masters of their particular crafts. These women included Doña Magdalena, who taught him "initiatic" or spiritual massage; the powerful Mexican actress known as La Tigresa (the "tigress"); and Reyna D'Assia, daughter of the famed spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff. Other important wisewomen on Jodorowsky's spiritual path include María Sabina, the priestess of the sacred mushrooms; the healer Pachita; and the Chilean singer Violeta Parra. The teachings of these women enabled him to discard the emotional armor that was hindering his advancement on the path of spiritual awareness and enlightenment.

Stanislav Grof’s first 17 years of research into nonordinary states of consciousness induced by LSD and other psychedelics led to a revolutionary understanding of the human psyche. His research was the impetus behind a vastly expanded cartography of the unconscious, including two new realms still unacknowledged by official academic circles--the perinatal domain, which holds memories of the various stages of birth, and the transpersonal domain, which mediates experiential identification with other species and mythic figures, visits to archetypal realms, access to past life memories, and union with the cosmic creative principle. The research presented in this book provides a map of the psyche that is essential for understanding such phenomena as shamanism and near death experiences as well as other nonordinary states of consciousness. This map has led to the development of important new therapies in psychiatry and psychology for treating mental conditions often seen as disease and therefore suppressed by medication. It also provides a new threshold to understanding and entering the numinous realm of spirit.

After completing his groundbreaking research chronicled in DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Rick Strassman was left with one fundamental question: What does it mean that DMT, a simple chemical naturally found in all of our bodies, instantaneously opens us to an interactive spirit world that feels more real than our own world? When his decades of clinical psychiatric research and Buddhist practice were unable to provide answers to this question, Strassman began searching for a more resonant spiritual model. He found that the visions of the Hebrew prophets--such as Ezekiel, Moses, Adam, and Daniel--were strikingly similar to those of the volunteers in his DMT studies. Carefully examining the concept of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, he characterizes a "prophetic state of consciousness" and explains how it may share biological and metaphysical mechanisms with the DMT effect. Examining medieval commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, Strassman reveals how Jewish metaphysics provides a top-down model for both the prophetic and DMT states, a model he calls "theoneurology." Theoneurology bridges biology and spirituality by proposing that the Divine communicates with us using the brain, and DMT--whether naturally produced or ingested--is a critical factor in such visionary experience. This model provides a counterpoint to "neurotheology," which proposes that altered brain function simply generates the impression of a Divine-human encounter. Theoneurology addresses issues critical to the full flowering of the psychedelic drug experience. Perhaps even more important, it points the way to a renewal of classical prophetic consciousness, the soul of Hebrew Bible prophecy, as well as unexpected directions for the evolution of contemporary spiritual practice.

It has been more than 50 years since sacred mushrooms were plucked from the shamanic backwaters of Mexico and presented to the modern world by R. Gordon Wasson. After sparking the psychedelic era of the 1960s, however, the divine mushroom returned underground from whence it mysteriously originated. Yet today, the mushroom’s extraordinary influence is once again being felt by large numbers of people, due to the discovery of hundreds of wild psilocybin species growing across the globe. In The Psilocybin Solution, Simon G. Powell traces the history of the sacred psilocybin mushroom and discusses the shamanic visionary effects it can induce. Detailing how psilocybin acts as a profound enhancer of consciousness and reviewing the research performed by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Johns Hopkins University, and the Heffter Research Institute on psilocybin’s ability to dispel anxiety in the terminally ill and its helpful effects on obsessive-compulsive disorder, he examines the neurochemistry, psychology, and spirituality underlying the visionary psilocybin experience, revealing the interface where physical brain and conscious mind meet. Showing that the existence of life and the functioning of mind are the result of a naturally intelligent, self-organizing Universe, he explains how sacred mushrooms provide a direct link to the wisdom of Nature and the meaning of life.