Take an introductory look at the founding practices and propaganda surrounding the development and prohibition of psychedelic use in our society. When scientific study and ancient ritual point toward psychedelics as a tool for healing and awakening, why are these age-old plants regarded as harmful?
Explore the evolution of shamanism, from the earliest practices of indigenous cultures to its impact and influence on modern society. See how these psychedelic plants have connected communities through spirit quests, healing ceremonies and ancient rituals.
The effects of DMT on the brain opened up a world of neurological exploration and experimentation in the early 1930's. Since then, studies have continued to examine the psychoactive compound known as the spirit molecule, and its relationship to the untapped capabilities of consciousness.
Follow along with us as we trace the historical use of mushrooms as keepers of mysterious teachings which can connect us with a world that has always been a hidden part of our own. Found throughout indigenous shamanic practices and ancient mystery cults across the globe, mushrooms have long held a prominent role in humanity's spiritual evolution and our connection with the divine. Modern research has unlocked the chemical compounds in psilocybin mushrooms which affect the brain in unusual and powerful ways.
Throughout the centuries, psychoactive cacti, like peyote and huachuma, guided our ancestors on a sacred path of healing and spiritual transformation. Our team of explorers discuss the ceremonial use of cacti in the Americas since ancient times and what this psychoactive plant holds for our future. Clinicians and healers have discovered that cacti open the frontal context to help us think clearly and enable them to detect energy patterns in the body which may indicate disease.
Appearing in ancient and historical references throughout time, the benefits and practical uses of hemp seem to be limitless. From healing to athletic conditioning, see how this original medicine's resilience has continued to influence our society.
Psychedelics have the power to send you traveling to explore alternative realities as well as within to confront internalized traumas and emotions. Discover the support systems and preparations needed to engage with psychoactive substances, as experts weigh in on the proper set and setting.
In addition to your external surroundings, ceremony, intention and dream work can also act as supportive tools to properly heal the traumas triggered and released by psychedelic use. Study the practices and beliefs of the indigenous cultures that engaged in dream work to traverse altered states of consciousness and achieve individual and collective healing.
After a psychedelic ceremony, the seeker may find themselves left with more questions than answers. They may even find the experience taxing and difficult to deal with. This emphasizes the importance to take some time for deep contemplation and selfcare in order to reintegrate themselves back into the world as new patterns are established in the mind.
Scholars agree that psychedelic substances played an important role in the origin of Christianity. However, they continue to debate if the images emblazed upon arcane frescos depict psychedelic mushrooms and their intended use as sacrament. Despite the disagreement, they find common ground with the prayerful ingestion of entheogens to help one connect to the divine.
How would a future society, integrated with psychedelics as therapeutic and scientific tools, look and function? As stewards of the Earth, psychedelics may have the capability to help us usher in a positive future where spirituality and the supernatural have returned as an important part of the human experience. What we can learn from indigenous shamanic cultures.
Music and rhythm have always been a part of the shamanic experience and can be powerful tools to guide consciousness into higher realms and induce healing. From traditional instruments to building playlists, tune in to learn about sonic set and setting for achieving heightened states of consciousness. Our panel of experts discuss simple sonic techniques used to induce, alter, or enhance psychedelic experiences and bring healing to body & being.
In the pursuit of altered and expanded states of consciousness, many people have come to rely upon the ingestion of plants and chemicals. However, the human body has the capability of reaching flow states and psychedelic-like experiences on its own. In this final episode, our team of psychonauts examine different ways of achieving natural highs, to step out of the body and access higher realms of consciousness in order to experience the truth of our reality.
In this opening episode of a new season of Psychedelica, a team of psychonauts reveal how we can reconnect with the soul of our planet through plant medicines. Plants make up more than 80% of the biomass of our planet, and it is possible that they have an intelligence which could help inform us of what reality really is. As our society pushes on with innovative technological marvels, we increasingly move away from the spiritual consciousness of our world. Thus, it is vitally important that we learn from the shamans of ancient traditions who can help us reconnect with the plant world and the morphogenic fields of our planet to engage with deepest intelligence of our world.
Can psychedelics access the innate deep healing of our minds? Despite technology connecting people across the world, many of us still feeling disconnected, anxious, and depressed. Perhaps the solution to our modern problems can be found with ancient practices of healing using plant medicines. Our team of mind explorers discuss the psychoactive properties of psilocybin, ayahuasca, and iboga, which are being tested to better understand their effects on psychological healing. As the research continues to progress, we may see psychotherapies of the future looking more and more like shamanism.
Why is it so hard to break free from the material reality we are locked into, as we perceive it? The default mode network within our brain, a recent discovery with ancient implications, locks our minds into material reality and blocks access to spirituality and alternate planes of consciousness. The key to breaking free of this ancient matrix may be found with the careful use of psychedelics. Studies show that we can regulate this default mode network with meditation and exercise. But plant medicines may offer the breakthrough we need to shut down the predictive coding embedded within our brains. This would help us release the old stories that we impose upon new situations we encounter and help us to perceive the world in more beneficial ways.
From the mathematical properties of frequencies to the emotional effects of music, sound can be the golden key that open our minds to new realities previously closed to us. To understand how sound affects consciousness, we need to understand how our brain reacts, with resonance, to various audible and electromagnetic frequencies. This is something long understood by shamans and is being confirmed by scientific studies. Our team of mind explorers discuss the importance of sound in the set and setting of psychedelic experiences to deepen and enhance states of mind.
Many of the most familiar plants medicines sit at the forefront of our discussions. But there is a type of natural medicine that is often overlooked and in danger of being lost. Our team of psychonauts explore the various experiences that come from the secretions of frogs and toads. In addition to psychedelic properties of these secretions, they can have strong purgative and energy cleansing properties that are not for the weak. Caution must be taken by trained practitioners to protect the sanctity and safety of these delicate creatures as well as our awareness of protecting the dwindling environments in which these magical creatures thrive.
Cannabis may be the fabled tree of life mentioned in nearly every spiritual tradition on Earth. Archeological finds prove that this is one of the oldest cultivated crops because of its myriad of uses ranging from expansion of consciousness to construction materials. We explore many of the uses of cannabis and hemp, beyond the psychoactive properties, to see why it was such a revered plant. As many of these benefits are coming to public acceptance, and we see an increase in production, we must be careful that we do not lose the sacred connection to this ancient plant medicine.
Depression, anxiety, and trauma. Much of our modern pain comes from a disconnection with each other and the natural world. But the careful use of psychedelics could help us get back to Gaia consciousness and alleviate many of these symptoms. Modern institutions are rediscovering what ancient keepers of plant medicines already knew about the importance of our connection with the natural world. They are rediscovering that every ecosystem holds a plethora of neurotransmitters naturally produced by the flourishing fauna. In the soil below, we find a network connecting all of these plants enabling them to communicate with each other. In this final episode of Psychedelica, we explore how plant medicines could give us the means to reconnect and heal in our most needed ways.
