Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation

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The following article is from Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation, published by North Atlantic Books.

 

No Delay

Everywhere I look I see people who are walking a false path. Their obsession with “security” at the expense of their callings compels them to do jobs they hate. Grin and bear it, until I turn sixty-five, and then my real life will begin. What if our soul-scriptures only give us fifty years to actualize them?

By the time we retire at sixty-five many of us cannot even begin to access our real self. With our God-seeds planted in the wrong fields, we have become too tired and even ill from carrying the weight of the lie to really touch the moment. Forty years encased in stone will do that to you. And that’s if we survive until then — many of us die from the lie. If we don’t shape up, we may be shipped out.

If we do what we really love, there is no such thing as retirement. The soul beat goes on. If we love our work, we may well make less money before sixty-five, but we are much more likely to live longer and healthier, and to actually want to work well past sixty-five. Is wholeness not the only retirement plan worth saving for?

Somehow it all comes down to truth, or consequences. There is something seemingly safe about living falsely. On one level everything remains unreal, even suffering, because we are walking a false path. Our choices are holdbacks, hiding places, escape hatches. If we don’t get what we want, we don’t really care. It wasn’t our real path anyway.

But the consequences of our falsity are profound. When we live our truth, there is no dissonance along the mind-body-spirit continuum. We flow in the river true. Yet when we lie to ourselves, we corrupt our inner world. It takes an enormous amount of energy to self-distort. The lies get into our cells, and we suffer for it. The convenient fictions we tell ourselves to keep the truth at bay — “I’ll live my truth later … after I pay off the house” — become inconvenient factions that congeal and ultimately undermine our very existence. We should be more afraid of avoiding our path than living it.

If thinking of our own death doesn’t motivate us, it may help to think of those who never made it down the birth canal. Think of those little ones who tasted but a few breaths before succumbing. Think of those who died on battlefields so that we would have a chance to be free. Remember how hard they fought for this life, how badly they wanted it.

No matter what others have mistakenly told us, we are all needed here for our gifts, however small or humble they may outwardly appear. If not, the universe would take us back in the blink of an eye. No matter what we may have done in our lifetime, no matter how uncomfortable we are with our past actions, there is always the chance of growing our soul a little bit more.

Dear Reader, please walk your own way while you still can. The truth is that there is no escape from reality. There is only postponement. When it comes down to it — and make no mistake, it does come down to it — all you are is your soul’s journey. What else is there? What else is worthy of the time that you have been given?

 

Shtuscle and Flow

Soulshaping is very much the artist’s journey. Our inner world is soul art; our lives its canvas. Like true artists, we have to be both willful and surrendered at the same time. We have to allow our form to change as intuition demands. Home is where the art is.

Let there be no doubt, this is no easy creation in a challenged world. The world is still a care-less place. Heartfelt glimpses of the God within are discarded as corny and impractical (pray to schmaltz!). Brief crackopens get glued over for fear that everything that holds us together will come unglued (let it unglue!). Interactions with like-spirited others that hint of the deeper ocean get misplaced, buried below the weight of survivalism and distraction (rise from the shallows!).

To craft the truest image, we need to make soul-tracking fundamental to our daily consciousness. And we need to develop and utilize our inner tools. The most important tool is shtuscle — inner muscle, the soul-driven determination to overcome whatever obstacles come our way. Without shtuscle, and lots of it, we’re not getting home. At the heart of the challenge is the courage to be vulnerable. Although the world rewards insensitivity with the spoils of war, it takes more courage to surrender than to numb. So often the most damaged people are the most advanced and feeling souls. They feel everything and are more strongly impacted by the disparity between an authentic life and the falsified energy of the world. We have to never surrender our right to surrender.

It is good to be patient with ourselves on this journey. Growers are inchworms. Transforming the shape of the soul is a lifelong process. Profound experiences can accelerate the journey, but much of the real change happens at slower paces and the places in between. It also helps to “soulebrate” our little victories along the way rather than waiting until we reach some illusory perfection. Although the journey can be difficult, there is something wonderfully gratifying about the processes of change. A new set of eyes each stage, a new soul-skin at every turn. What an honor and a wonder to self-create.

To achieve the greatest clarity, it is essential to construct a spacious and flowing inner world — if you build it, you will come! Without breathing room inside the body temple, it can be difficult to identify our soul-scriptures. Triggered by old material, we expend all our energy putting out internal fires instead of channeling it to higher considerations.

Creating space is often a question of clearing emotional debris. I cannot overstate the importance of doing this work as part of the spiritual journey. Divesting ourselves of our emotional holdings is the greatest investment in our future. Remember, we don’t need to get everything in place before we move our feelings. In fact, we may need to move them before we can get everything in place. Things come a lot easier when there is more space inside.

At the same time, we have to be very gentle with the ways we protect ourselves. Our defenses were the third arm that appeared at the most opportune moment, just as we were about to fall into suffering. Severing them with harshness only keeps the suffering that birthed them alive. As Mark Twain said, “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs one step at a time.”

Be conscious of the role that gender conditioning may play in holding you back. For example, many men were conditioned to be rigid and focused. The very thing they need to grow — a heartlong plunge into their own confusion — is internally unacceptable. Also, many men were trained not to be profoundly vulnerable in relationship. Yet many of our soul’s lessons come through connection. Similarly, many women were conditioned to live everything through relationship. Yet many of our soul’s lessons demand that we walk the path of the lone wolf from time to time.

A final word on shame: If there is any one thing that can hold us back, it is our own self-loathing. If we move through our lives ashamed of ourselves, it is very difficult to imagine and believe in our highest possibilities. Unfortunately we often don’t know how much shame we carry. Droplets of shame get behind our eyes and blind us to who we really are.

We need to get to know our shame. We need to track it and understand its insidious impact on our inner life. And we need to help one another to bring it into the light. We need to share those things that we are ashamed of with each other, thereby freeing ourselves and giving others permission to be liberated as well. Self-admission is the first step on the road to self-acceptance. Every deep dark secret we hide is fundamentally human. How can it be any other way?

Shame is rooted in the shame pit of generations before, perpetuating the self-hatred of the collective unconscious, still lodged in dark energies and imaginings. Your shame has nothing to say about who you really are, never did, never will. In truth, you don’t need anyone else’s permission to show yourself. God gave you all the permission you need.

 

A Good Psychotherapist Never Hurts

To accelerate our healing, it is often useful to work with a psychotherapist. Be careful with your choice. The relationship between client and therapist can profoundly impact the healing process. You want to find a therapist with whom you feel a genuine resonance. When you first meet them, see it as an interview. Ask questions about their own journey: What is their core healing philosophy? What called them to this work? What issues have they struggled with? How far have they come on their journey? How far do they still have to go?

All too often, clients don’t move forward in therapy because they are working with a stuck therapist. Therapists are essentially tour guides. They can only take you through terrain that they themselves have walked. For instance, if a therapist has not reached a place of personal joy, they may keep you over-identified with your pain.

In the same way, be careful that your therapist is not perpetuating your own victimization. A good therapist invites you to accept and express your victimization, and then guides you to a place of self-responsibility, where you can take adult responsibility for your future actions. I have seen many clients stuck in the victim mode by therapists who are themselves stuck there.

The good therapist also understands the difference between guiding and taking over. Telling the other what I think happened to them sets up a disempowering dynamic. I become the parent and they remain as children, directed and defined by the omnipotent other. You want a therapist who takes over only when necessary.

A word about mainstream psychiatrists. They are the perfect people to visit if your only hope is medication. But if there is still a chance that you can be healed (and there almost always is), stay away from them if at all possible. In many cases, they are more analytic than therapeutic. Knowing why you do something is not enough to heal you.

With respect to psychotropic medications, it is good to be cautious when we walk down this road. Many of those medications are feeling-stuffers. They deaden the system and block its natural flow. All the held emotions that want to thaw and move out of us get blocked at their source. All the new life experiences with the potential for creating new associations cannot get inside. We have to be emotionally liquid before we can flow.

In the same way, be careful with the labels psychiatrists use. For example, calling someone a “manic depressive” often shifts the focus from a psycho-emotional experience to a categorical description. Instead of focusing on the source spring — Why does the client go manic when she feels her pain? What pain is she trying to get away from? — the label invites the psychiatrist to take the client on the drug trip. There is a fine line between stabilizing someone for therapeutic purposes and embedding their pattern further.

In addition, most psychiatrists (and many other psychology “professionals”) do not understand the relationship between the body and the psyche. For example, when they look at “projection,” they only look at it as a habit of mind. But projection is a body defense as well. As spiritual intuitive Abraham noted, “When we contract, we project.” Projection emanates from and directly reflects a fearful, contracted emotional body. If we do not address the emotional body itself, there is very little chance of healing our defensive patterns. For this reason, a good body-centered psychotherapist can make all the difference.

 

Turning the Soulular Phone On

As space opens up inside, we often turn our attention to identifying our callings. To help us with this, it is essential that we spend a lot of time inside. So much of soulshaping is about the subtleties of inner design. Inside is where we separate the gold from the dross. Inside is where we do the work to uncover our original face. We have to sit down inside ourselves often and do our inner homework. When man walked on the moon, we attuned to every step with bated breath. Now bring the same focus inward and pay exquisite attention to your inner steps.

At other times, it is good to adventure outward and explore new possibilities. Call them depth charges, call them crack-opens, call them shots in the arm. Like swashbucklers of the spirit, we bravely seek out any experience that might inform our path. When we are afraid of something, we live it fully and see what floats to the surface in the doing. We participate in our own revealing.

I want to really emphasize the value of retreats and workshops, particularly those held away from home. Because we are often adapted to our roles in our daily life, it is difficult to try new ways of being on for size. On retreat we have a wonderful opportunity to let go of our local framework of perception and adventure into broader realms of possibility.

Soulshaping also means not being afraid to do things that feel weird — weird your way to God. There can be something very helpful about doing things that feel strangely unlike who we think we are. Many of the things we resist contain the seeds of our unfolding.

It is also important to keep the quest for Essence alive. Even an occasional dip in its pools will expand our soul’s consciousness. It is like gazing at the valley from the top of the mountain instead of the bottom. We see more than just a few localized trees and a small part of the river. We see the bigger picture. The monkey mind feeds on “small peanuts”: tireless anxieties, petty jealousies, fearful imaginings. Starve it by swimming in a vast ocean of delight.

If we swim here often enough, we won’t need harshness to wake us up. We will already be awake. There will still be suffering, but it will not be as malicious in its intention. Now we learn from sweeter experiences: the change of a season, the touch of a cat, and the old friend that we bump into right after thinking about her. We enter a more subtle and sophisticated understanding of God’s world.

Do not be dissuaded if your call begins quietly. It may be in hiding, but it’s still in there, still breathing, still with a soulbeat. When the soulular phone finally rings, answer it! It’s the divine Mother calling to remind you of why you are here. You are one of the lucky ones. Most never hear it ring.

 

God is IN the People

At the heart of Soulshaping is a profound faith in the human experience, in the karmic significance of our personal identity. This stands in real contrast to some of the detachment models that are gaining favor in Western culture. These models present true-path as something distinct from the emotional body, as though our usual self-identifications are inherently inauthentic, as though our physical forms are inferior. At the extremes, they seem to suggest that God made a mistake when she placed us in human bodies. These models worry me and present an image of heightened consciousness that often feels more robotic than human, more heady than hearty.

Soulshaping is not a detachment model. It is an immersion model. It is about jumping into life, immersing ourselves in our feelings and experiences in an effort to learn what we need to expand our soul’s consciousness. It is about “feeling” God, not “thinking” God. It is about honoring our personal identity and our physical form as not only the “vessel” for the soul, but as the embodiment of the soul as well. Embodied spirituality.

To be sure, there are times when detachment is necessary: when the suffering is too much, when we need a peek into a vaster reality. Indeed we are far more than our monkey mind, our neurotic attachments, our linear lens. But to live in perpetual detachment is to miss the moment altogether. It is to trip out of the body that carries the karmic seeds for our transformation. It is to leave Earth before our time.

The most inclusive answer is to work on eradicating our misguided notions of “I” until our notions of I-ness become directly linked to who we really are, to a conscious awareness of our soul-scriptures for this lifetime. To do this we may have to become initially effective at detachment techniques. But then, when we are ready, we come back down to Earth and work with what lives inside us. This means learning how to cultivate our bodies as gardens of truth. This means calling ourselves on our detachment from our shadow. This means doing the often-difficult work to clear our emotional debris and gain control over our relational patterns.

We clear our emotional debris because this creates space inside for our authentic self to emerge, and also because inherent in those feelings and memories are the lessons we need to grow in our spirituality. Our thoughts are only illusions when they do not reflect who we really are, our emotions only wasteful when we are not seeing them all the way through to the spiritual lessons they contain. When we are aligned with our authenticity, our feelings and thoughts become instruments of true-path, direct expressions of our highest intentions. In this more authentic state, we become much more effective at attracting what we want from a universe that is only interested in authentic expansion. Nothing feigned will do.

Our humanness is the “I” of the soul needle. It is our soul clay. It is the heart of our magnificence. God is in our humanness, God is in our connectiveness, God is in our broken hearts, God is in the people. I-God.

 

A Warning about Gurus

Some of us turn to gurus to help us home. In the Hindu tradition, a distinction is made between two types: (1) sat-guru, and (2) upa-guru. A sat-guru is a realized master. She is the way. Amma and Neeb Karori Baba are said to be examples of sat-guru. An upa-guru is a door opener. They influence a shift in your consciousness. They show you some part of the way. Anyone — your mother, your cat, the homeless guy who tells you to get out of your head — can be an upa-guru.

When someone presents themselves as a sat-guru, or when we project sat-guru onto someone, we tread on dangerous ground. To be sure, some individuals are worthy of our devotion, but we have to be very careful. The legacy of the exploitative guru is a long one, and it has caused undue suffering.

There are many signs that we are dealing with an ungrounded and potentially untrustworthy spiritual teacher. For instance, they have one set of rules for you, one for them. They deny their unresolved issues. They see the body as substandard or entirely distinct from the soul. They reframe painful life experiences only in terms of spiritual learning. They see the world of emotions as illusion (except when it is convenient not to). They rely on their so-called purity as an excuse for not forming adult boundaries. They defend their behavior by reference to a higher knowing. If you complain about their actions, you are told that your complaints are emanating from the mundane world and that you just can’t grasp their lens.

They may also re-frame their own dysfunction in heightened terms (“I quit the world because I had a higher calling”) rather than facing their shadow head-on (“I had too many issues to deal with the world”). A giant warning sign is the use of “the mirror” as a defense against wrongdoing. The guru claims that his (questionable) actions were not actually for his own benefit but done with the conscious intention of reflecting back to you the unresolved aspects of your own consciousness. If you felt betrayed, it was because you have issues around betrayal that you need to look at.

If we do choose to sit before someone, grounded spirituality demands that we check in as to our motivation. If we are lost in the perfection projection, we need to own that. If we are looking for the good father or mother, we need to own that too. In most cases, the guru is just a travel agent for the particular trip that helped him to become more aligned. With only rare exceptions, he cannot tell us our truth. He cannot tell us what to know. The most he can do is call out to our knowing and remind us of what we inherently knew all along. Anything else is usually a misappropriation of karmic funds. Be careful.

If we just see everyone as an upa-guru, then we can avoid many of the pitfalls that come with the sat-guru projection. Better yet, chase ourselves down the way we chase down the guru. See our own lives as guru. Sit before it as student and teacher. What a thing — to be teacher and student both!

 

A Soulful World

In my imaginings, I see a world that makes the journey of the soul its most important priority. Here, we adjust every aspect of our lives to its authority. If a forty-hour work week takes us out of attunement, we change the work week. If too much stimulation alienates us from the source spring, we consciously limit it. If fifteen hugs per day keep us connected, we insist on them. Our environment and our terms of reference are shaped from the soul outward.

In this soulful world, we would pay homage to the steps that we have taken to find our way home. We would honor the same in others, recognizing the courage it took to live in truth. People often talk about living in the moment, but it is my experience that we do not live in the moment if we are not living in truth. Truth is the gateway to the moment. It doesn’t matter how much we achieve, or how many things we master, if it is not our true-path. The moment we lie, we leave the moment. The work we do to separate false-path from true-path is not just spiritually beneficial, it is our best and only hope.

Lately, I have been imagining an international holiday called “True-Path Day.” We have holidays to celebrate our battles for outer freedom, but few that acknowledge our fight for inner freedom. On True-Path Day, we would soulebrate every effort we have made to excavate and embody the soul-scriptures that live at the core of our being. Every calling that was explored and every essential lesson that we learned would be held and seen in its highest light. The ramifications of such a day would be profound, particularly for the younger soulshapers. Instead of being conditioned to play it safe, they would be encouraged to live in truth as a way of being. Later in life, when the little voice pipes up in their inner world, they would happily raise it to the rafters of consciousness.

In this more liberated world, we would be easier on each other. We would always strive to see others as souls, even those we profoundly dislike. We would recognize that each of us is a soul at a particular stage in its development. The most we can do is inch a little forward each lifetime. Even those of us who are able to make giant leaps are still limited by the developmental stages of the collective unconscious. We can only jump so far before the world around us limits our expansion. We are all in this together. We are this together.

My favorite dream is that of a soulshaping university. Soulshaping U is dedicated to the opening of the heart and the excavation of our soul-scriptures from the library within. Courses are experiential in nature and might include Depth Charges; Ego Shucking; Emotional Clearing and Integration; Money Management; De-armoring; Dream Interpretation; Methods for Shedding Falsity; Issue Spotting; Meditation; Shazam: The Inner Wow-Wow! Because only the individual soul can know how close it is to true-path, the individual gives her own grades: Did I courageously depth-charge? Did I soul-attune, or did I soul-distract?

In addition to honoring the PhDs of the outer world, we would also honor those inner world guides who help us to shape our own myths.

In this soulful world, there would be a profound emphasis on relationship as a path to God. We would place much less emphasis on gender, and more emphasis on the spiritual threads that bring us together. We would be encouraged to summon and identify members of our soulpod from an early age.

There would also be a strong cultural emphasis on foundation building, recognizing that we cannot hold soul love safe until we have worked through our own obstacles to intimacy. You can’t love another person if you can’t see them, and you can’t see them until you have clarified your own lens. At the same time, we would be under no illusion that all “soul-mates” are meant to last a lifetime. Some soul connections are meant to last but a moment, whatever you need to smooth the rough edges of your soul.

In this love-struck world, relationship would always be experienced as spiritual practice, a devotional expression of our God-self. We would all be taught to recognize those who had encountered soul love, and we would support the related processes. Rather than blindly characterizing the tumult as pathology, we would accept that the tumult is often necessary, and sometimes quite beautiful.

To stay awake to the sacredness, relationship rituals would be taught and practiced everywhere. Fewer would get up on Saturday and Sunday mornings and go to houses of worship to come to God. Many would stay in bed on those mornings, turn to their partners, and come to God in their own houses of worship. Employees would get time off from work not just because they are physically ill but also because they need to tend to an unhealthy relationship. Couples would go on regular retreat where they would be fed and housed, and where elders would be present to help them through difficult moments. We would structure our world and define our values so that love can stay at the heart of the matter in every moment.

 

Help Wanted!

Soulshaping (Un)limited seeks like-spirited others to join a profound and tireless revolution of the spirit. Without your participation, our world of glorious possibility is at risk.

Joining begins within. There is no job interview, no grand inquisition. You look inside and decide if you are willing to do the work to excavate and honor your innate image for this lifetime. Only you will know if you have that willingness. If you do, get to work on whatever it is that stands between the you of this moment, and the truest you.

At some point, you may feel ready to bring your soul energy outward. You may want to gift back. In Sanskrit, the word seva means to be of service. How can you help “seva” this mad world? That is for you to decide. It can be as obvious as honoring your callings. It can be as subtle as attempting more genuine contact with others — “How are you? No, I mean how are you, really?” It doesn’t matter what form it takes, so long as it feels true to path.

If the revolution can really gain steam, we will need all manner of soul workers and spiritual activists — unmaskers, initiators, excavators, humanifestors, lesson interpreters, energy workers, dream weavers, mystery mamas, handholders, ego-shuckers, boundary-makers, authenticators, guru busters, soulular phone operators, conscious flakes, masters of the heart. Whatever you have to overcome on the way home will prepare you to help others with the same challenges. I’ll see you on the path. 

 

© 2009 by Jeff Brown. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

 

Jeff Brown is a practicing body-centered psychotherapist who studied Bioenergetics with founder Alexander Lowen. He is co-founder of the Open Heart Gang, and is currently working on a documentary film about Bhagavan Das. Read his Evolver profile here.

 

Teaser image by Miceeatcheese, courtesy of Creative Commons license. 

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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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