Reality Is a Shared Hallucination

We tend to speak about reality as if it were a fixed thing--solid, objective, and unquestionably "out there." Tables are hard, the sky is blue, time moves forward, and gravity works whether or not we believe in it. But beneath this everyday certainty lies a far stranger possibility: what we call reality may be less like a concrete structure and more like a collective dream. A shared hallucination, negotiated moment by moment by biology, culture, language, and belief.

This idea is not new. Mystics, philosophers, and indigenous wisdom traditions have long suggested that the world we experience is not the world as it truly is, but a filtered version shaped by perception. What is new is that modern neuroscience, psychology, and even physics are beginning to echo these ancient intuitions. The more we look under the hood of consciousness, the harder it becomes to claim that reality is purely objective.

The Brain as a Reality-Generating Machine

At the most basic level, we never experience reality directly. We experience a model of reality constructed by the brain. Light waves hit the retina, vibrations strike the eardrum, chemical molecules trigger receptors--and the brain stitches these signals together into a coherent narrative. Colors don't exist "out there"; they exist as neural interpretations of wavelength. Sound isn't floating in the air; it's a translation of pressure changes. Even solidity is an inference, not a given.

Neuroscientists increasingly describe perception as a controlled hallucination. The brain is constantly predicting what it expects to encounter and then updating those predictions based on incoming sensory data. What we "see" is less a passive recording and more an active guess--one that usually works well enough to keep us alive.

This becomes obvious when the system breaks down. Optical illusions, phantom limb sensations, dreams, and psychedelic experiences reveal how easily the brain can generate convincing worlds without external input. If the brain can hallucinate an entire universe while we sleep, how certain can we be that waking reality isn't operating on the same principle--just with stronger consensus rules?

Consensus Reality and the Social Spell

If reality is a hallucination, it's not a private one. It's shared. We agree--mostly--on what things mean, how they behave, and what counts as "real." This agreement forms what's often called consensus reality. Language plays a central role here. The moment we name something, we stabilize it. A "tree" becomes a tree not just because of its physical form, but because generations of humans have agreed to perceive and describe it that way.

Culture deepens the spell. Money is perhaps the most obvious example. A piece of paper or a digital number has value only because we collectively believe it does. Nations, borders, corporations, and even time zones exist primarily as shared stories. They are hallucinations with legal documents attached.

Once a shared hallucination becomes widespread enough, it feels immovable. Questioning it can provoke anxiety or hostility, because it threatens the coherence of the group narrative. This is why paradigm shifts--scientific, spiritual, or social--are often resisted. They don't just challenge ideas; they destabilize reality itself.

Physics and the Cracks in Objectivity

Even the hard sciences, long considered the guardians of objective truth, reveal cracks in the notion of a fixed reality. Quantum physics tells us that at the most fundamental level, particles do not have definite properties until they are observed. Matter behaves like probability. Observation appears to participate in the creation of outcome.

While popular interpretations of quantum mechanics are often exaggerated, the core insight remains unsettling: the universe is not as solid or independent as once believed. Reality behaves less like a machine and more like a process--dynamic, relational, and context-dependent.

Space and time, once thought to be absolute, are now understood as flexible. Time dilates. Space bends. What seems stable at human scales dissolves into strangeness at cosmic or microscopic ones. The more deeply we investigate reality, the more it resembles something dreamlike--internally consistent, yet fundamentally mysterious.

Altered States and Alternate Realities

Shamanic traditions have always treated reality as layered. Ordinary waking consciousness is only one world among many. Through drumming, fasting, dance, plant medicines, or trance, shamans enter alternate realities that are no less real to them than the physical world. These realms have their own rules, entities, and intelligences.

Modern psychology might label these experiences hallucinations, but that label begs the question: hallucinations compared to what? If all perception is mediated by the mind, then the distinction between "real" and "imagined" becomes less clear. The difference may lie not in ontological status, but in social agreement.

Psychedelic research is now reopening this question. People across cultures and contexts report remarkably similar experiences--encounters with archetypal beings, dissolutions of self, perceptions of interconnectedness. These are not random fantasies; they follow patterns. Which suggests that consciousness may be tuning into aspects of reality that our everyday filters normally exclude.

Who Is the Hallucinator?

If reality is a shared hallucination, who--or what--is doing the hallucinating? Is it individual brains synchronizing through communication? Is it culture dreaming itself into form? Or is consciousness itself the fundamental ground, imagining the universe into being?

Some philosophical traditions, such as idealism and nondualism, propose that consciousness is primary and matter is secondary--a projection rather than a foundation. From this perspective, the universe is not made of things, but of experiences. Reality is not happening to consciousness; it is happening within it.

This view dissolves the sharp boundary between observer and observed. The self is no longer a passive witness to a pre-existing world, but a participant in an unfolding dream. Each perception, belief, and expectation subtly shapes the hallucination we share.

The Responsibility of Dreamers

Seeing reality as a shared hallucination is not an excuse to deny suffering or abandon truth. On the contrary, it places greater responsibility on us. If the stories we believe help construct the world we inhabit, then our myths matter. Our fears matter. Our assumptions matter.

A society that hallucinates separation will produce systems of domination and exploitation. A society that hallucinates scarcity will generate endless competition. But a society that hallucinates interconnection might begin to act with care, humility, and reverence.

At a personal level, this perspective offers both freedom and challenge. If reality is partially constructed, then change is possible. We are not trapped in a fixed world; we are co-authors of an ongoing story. Yet we must also recognize that our private hallucinations ripple outward, influencing the collective dream.

Waking Up Inside the Dream

To say reality is a shared hallucination is not to say it is fake. Dreams feel real while we are inside them. Pain hurts. Love transforms. Consequences unfold. The dream has rules. But recognizing the dreamlike nature of reality loosens its grip. It allows curiosity where there was certainty, compassion where there was judgment, and creativity where there was resignation.

Perhaps awakening is not about escaping the hallucination, but about becoming a lucid dreamer within it--aware that the world is both real and imagined, solid and fluid, given and created.

Reality, then, is not a thing we discover once and for all. It is a living, breathing hallucination we agree to share. And like all powerful stories, it can imprison us--or it can set us free, depending on how consciously we choose to dream.

Why is Shamanism Experiencing a Renaissance?

In an age defined by rapid technological advancement, artificial intelligence, and constant digital stimulation, it may seem paradoxical that one of humanity's oldest spiritual traditions--shamanism--is experiencing a global resurgence. Yet across cultures, continents, and generations, people are increasingly turning toward shamanic practices for healing, meaning, and connection. This renaissance is not a nostalgic return to the past, but a living response to the psychological, ecological, and spiritual challenges of modern life.

A Crisis of Meaning in the Modern World

One of the primary reasons for shamanism's renewed relevance is the widespread sense of disconnection many people feel today. Modern societies excel at productivity, efficiency, and innovation, but often struggle to provide frameworks for meaning, belonging, and inner balance. Traditional religious institutions, once central to community and identity, no longer resonate with everyone. At the same time, purely material explanations of reality often leave little room for mystery, soul, or spiritual experience.

Shamanism offers something radically different: a worldview in which everything is alive, interconnected, and infused with spirit. Rather than asking adherents to believe in a fixed doctrine, shamanic traditions emphasize direct experience--journeying, ritual, trance, and communion with nature. For many people, this experiential spirituality feels more authentic than abstract belief systems, providing a sense of personal revelation rather than prescribed truth.

Healing Beyond the Biomedical Model

Another major factor driving shamanism's resurgence is dissatisfaction with purely biomedical approaches to health. While modern medicine has achieved remarkable successes, it often treats symptoms in isolation, overlooking emotional, spiritual, and energetic dimensions of illness. Many individuals feel that their suffering cannot be fully explained--or healed--by pills, diagnoses, or clinical procedures alone.

Shamanism approaches healing holistically. Illness is often understood as a loss of balance, power, or connection--whether to the self, the community, nature, or the spiritual realm. Practices such as soul retrieval, energy clearing, and ritual healing speak to experiences of trauma, grief, and existential pain that are difficult to address through conventional means. As interest grows in integrative and alternative healing modalities, shamanism naturally reemerges as a path that honors the unity of body, mind, and spirit.

Trauma, Psyche, and the Need for Ritual

Modern life has brought unprecedented levels of stress, anxiety, and unresolved trauma. Collective crises--pandemics, climate change, political instability, and economic uncertainty--have intensified feelings of fear and fragmentation. In earlier cultures, ritual played a central role in processing grief, transition, and collective trauma. Birth, death, initiation, and seasonal change were all marked by ceremonies that provided psychological containment and communal meaning.

Shamanism restores ritual as a living force. Drumming, chanting, dance, fasting, and altered states of consciousness allow participants to move beyond the rational mind and access deeper layers of the psyche. These practices offer catharsis, insight, and emotional release in ways that talk-based approaches sometimes cannot. For many, shamanic ritual fills a void left by the loss of meaningful rites of passage in contemporary culture.

Reconnection with Nature in an Ecological Age

As humanity confronts ecological collapse, climate change, and biodiversity loss, there is a growing awareness that the modern relationship with nature is deeply flawed. Shamanism, at its core, is an earth-based spirituality. It teaches that humans are not separate from nature, but participants in a living, intelligent ecosystem.

This worldview resonates powerfully in an era of environmental crisis. Shamanic practices cultivate reverence for the land, the elements, animals, plants, and ancestral landscapes. They encourage listening rather than dominating, reciprocity rather than extraction. For people seeking an ethical and spiritual response to ecological devastation, shamanism offers not just ideas, but embodied practices that foster humility, respect, and kinship with the natural world.

Psychedelics and Altered States of Consciousness

The renewed scientific and cultural interest in psychedelics has also contributed to shamanism's renaissance. Indigenous shamanic traditions have used plant medicines for thousands of years as tools for healing, divination, and spiritual insight. As modern research explores the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin, ayahuasca, and peyote, public awareness of shamanic wisdom has grown.

Many people who experience altered states--whether through plant medicine, breathwork, meditation, or spontaneous spiritual awakening--find that shamanic frameworks help them understand and integrate these experiences. Shamanism provides maps of non-ordinary reality, guidance for navigating visionary states, and rituals for grounding insights into everyday life. This makes it especially relevant in a culture rediscovering the transformative power of consciousness exploration.

Individual Empowerment and Direct Experience

Unlike hierarchical religious systems that place spiritual authority in institutions or clergy, shamanism emphasizes personal relationship with the sacred. While shamans traditionally served as intermediaries for their communities, contemporary practitioners often engage shamanic techniques themselves--journeying, working with spirit allies, and cultivating intuition.

This aligns closely with modern values of autonomy and self-discovery. People are no longer content to be passive recipients of spiritual teaching; they want tools to explore their own inner worlds. Shamanism empowers individuals to become active participants in their healing and spiritual growth, fostering a sense of agency that feels especially important in uncertain times.

Cultural Memory and Ancestral Roots

Another reason for shamanism's resurgence is a growing interest in ancestry and cultural roots. As globalization flattens cultural distinctions, many people feel a longing to reconnect with the wisdom of their ancestors. Shamanic traditions exist, in some form, in nearly every Indigenous culture worldwide. This universality suggests that shamanism is not a niche belief system, but a foundational aspect of human spirituality.

Exploring shamanism can feel like remembering something deeply familiar rather than adopting something new. It taps into archetypal patterns embedded in the human psyche--journeys to other worlds, communication with spirits, transformation through ordeal--that continue to surface in dreams, myths, and art. In this sense, shamanism answers a call from cultural memory itself.

A Path Forward, Not Backward

Importantly, the modern shamanic renaissance is not simply about reviving ancient practices unchanged. It is about adapting timeless principles to contemporary realities. Ethical considerations, cultural respect, and integration with modern psychology and science are increasingly part of the conversation. At its best, contemporary shamanism honors Indigenous lineages while allowing the tradition to evolve responsibly.

In a world facing profound transformation, shamanism offers tools for navigating liminality--the space between what has been and what is yet to come. It teaches how to listen deeply, heal holistically, and remember our place within the web of life. The renaissance of shamanism is not an escape from modernity, but a response to it: a reminder that beneath our technologies and abstractions, we are still human beings seeking connection, meaning, and balance in a living universe.

As the old stories falter and new ones struggle to be born, shamanism endures because it speaks to something timeless--the soul's longing to know itself, to heal, and to belong.

Neo-Shamanism vs. Traditional Shamanism

Shamanism is an ancient spiritual practice rooted in indigenous traditions, often considered humanity's oldest spiritual system. It involves connecting with the spiritual world for healing, guidance, and insight. In contrast, neo-shamanism has emerged as a contemporary reinterpretation of these practices, often adapted for modern lifestyles and Western contexts. While neo-shamanism draws inspiration from traditional shamanism, it departs in significant ways. This blog post examines the similarities and differences between these two paradigms, exploring their historical roots, cultural contexts, practices, and modern implications.
 

Origins and Historical Roots
 

Traditional Shamanism
 

Shamanism traces its origins to prehistoric times, with evidence found in rock art, burial sites, and oral traditions. It was (and in many places still is) practiced by indigenous peoples across regions such as Siberia, the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia. A shaman, in these traditions, acts as an intermediary between the physical and spiritual worlds, often entering altered states of consciousness through drumming, chanting, or the use of entheogenic plants. Their roles include healing, divination, guiding souls, and maintaining harmony within their communities.
 

Neo-Shamanism
 

Neo-shamanism emerged during the mid-20th century, influenced by anthropological studies and New Age spirituality. Thinkers like Carlos Castaneda, Michael Harner, and Mircea Eliade played pivotal roles in introducing shamanic ideas to Western audiences. Unlike traditional shamanism, neo-shamanism isn't tied to a specific culture or lineage. Instead, it often blends practices from various traditions, emphasizing personal transformation and individual spiritual exploration.
 

Philosophical Foundations
 

Traditional Shamanism: Communal and Contextual
 

Traditional shamanism is deeply rooted in the cultural and ecological contexts of its practitioners. The shaman's work is inherently tied to the well-being of their community and the natural world. For example:

• Animism: Belief that all elements of nature (animals, plants, rocks, etc.) possess spirits.
• Community Service: Shamans perform rituals to heal individuals, resolve conflicts, or ensure a bountiful harvest.
• Cultural Specificity: Practices are shaped by the tribe's history, environment, and cosmology.
  

Neo-Shamanism: Individualistic and Syncretic
 

Neo-shamanism shifts the focus from community service to individual empowerment. It emphasizes:

• Personal Growth: Participants often seek healing or enlightenment for themselves rather than for their community.
• Spiritual Eclecticism: Borrowing from diverse traditions--such as Native American, Peruvian, or Siberian practices--without adhering to a specific cultural framework.
• Universal Accessibility: Neo-shamanic practices are often presented as techniques anyone can learn, regardless of cultural or spiritual background.
  

This philosophical shift has been both celebrated for its inclusivity and criticized for its lack of authenticity.
 

Core Practices
 

Altered States of Consciousness
 

Both traditional and neo-shamanism rely on altered states of consciousness to access the spiritual realm, but their approaches differ:

• Traditional Methods: Indigenous shamans use culturally specific tools like drums, rattles, chants, and psychoactive plants such as ayahuasca or peyote.
• Neo-Shamanic Adaptations: Neo-shamanism may substitute traditional methods with breathwork, meditation, or modern sound healing techniques, making these practices more accessible to urban lifestyles.
  

Rituals and Ceremonies

• Traditional Shamanism: Rituals are sacred and often complex, requiring deep training within a cultural lineage. These ceremonies are imbued with cultural symbolism and are seen as essential for maintaining spiritual balance in the community.
• Neo-Shamanism: Ceremonies are often simplified or reinterpreted for broader audiences. For instance, a neo-shamanic retreat might focus on "soul retrieval" or guided visualization workshops, omitting the cultural nuances of the original practice.
  

Use of Plant Medicine
 

Plant medicine is another area of divergence:

• Traditional Shamanism: The use of plants like ayahuasca or iboga is rooted in centuries-old traditions, often accompanied by strict rituals and spiritual guidance.
• Neo-Shamanism: Plant medicine is sometimes commodified, with retreats offering ayahuasca ceremonies to international tourists, often without the depth of traditional training or safeguards.
  

Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation
 

One of the most contentious issues in the discussion of neo-shamanism is cultural appropriation. Critics argue that neo-shamanic practices often strip traditional rituals of their cultural significance, reducing them to marketable commodities. For example:

• Loss of Context: A neo-shamanic drumming circle might replicate the surface elements of a Siberian ritual without understanding its deeper meaning.
• Exploitation: Indigenous knowledge is sometimes used without acknowledgment or compensation to the communities that developed it.
  

However, proponents of neo-shamanism counter that spiritual knowledge belongs to all humanity and adapting it for modern times ensures its survival.
 

Impact on Spirituality and Healing
 

Both traditional and neo-shamanism play significant roles in spiritual healing, albeit in different ways:

• Traditional Shamanism: Healing is holistic, addressing not only physical ailments but also spiritual imbalances believed to cause illness. The shaman works within a cosmology that views health as a harmony between humans, spirits, and nature.
• Neo-Shamanism: Healing is often framed in psychological terms, focusing on overcoming trauma, achieving self-actualization, or reconnecting with nature.
  

This reframing has made shamanic practices more relatable to those in the West, but it also departs from their original intent.
 

Challenges and Ethical Considerations
 

The rise of neo-shamanism raises several ethical questions:

• Authenticity: Can shamanism retain its essence when removed from its cultural and spiritual roots?
• Accessibility vs. Exploitation: How do we balance making shamanic practices accessible to all while respecting the intellectual property of indigenous cultures?
• Sustainability: The commercialization of neo-shamanism, especially in areas like plant medicine tourism, risks overharvesting and exploitation of natural resources.
  

Conclusion: A Meeting of Worlds
 

While traditional shamanism and neo-shamanism differ in origin, philosophy, and practice, both serve as bridges between the material and spiritual worlds. Traditional shamanism offers a profound connection to ancient wisdom and community, rooted in cultural specificity. Neo-shamanism, on the other hand, reflects the evolving spiritual needs of a globalized world, emphasizing individual empowerment and inclusivity.
 

The key to navigating this intersection lies in fostering respect, reciprocity, and dialogue. Neo-shamanic practitioners can honor the roots of their practices by learning from indigenous voices, supporting their communities, and ensuring that spiritual exploration doesn't come at the expense of cultural integrity. In doing so, shamanism in all its forms can continue to inspire and heal across generations.

Exploring the Shamanic State of Consciousness

Shamanism, one of the world's oldest spiritual practices, is rooted in the belief that there is more to reality than what meets the eye. Practiced by indigenous cultures across the globe, shamanism involves a deep connection with the spirit world. Central to this practice is the shamanic state of consciousness (SSC), a unique altered state that allows shamans to journey beyond the ordinary, accessing realms that provide healing, guidance, and wisdom. In this blog post, we'll explore what the shamanic state of consciousness is, how it is achieved, and the profound impact it can have on both individuals and communities.
 

What is SSC?
 

The shamanic state of consciousness is an altered state in which the practitioner experiences a shift in perception and awareness, enabling them to connect with the spiritual realms. This state is often induced through various techniques, such as drumming, chanting, dancing, fasting, or the use of entheogenic plants. In this altered state, the shaman becomes a bridge between the physical world and the spiritual world, communicating with spirits, ancestors, and other non-ordinary beings.
 

Unlike other altered states of consciousness, such as those induced by meditation or psychedelics, the shamanic state is intentional and controlled. Shamans are trained to enter and exit this state at will, maintaining full awareness and control during their journeys. This intentionality allows them to navigate the spiritual realms with purpose, seeking out specific information or performing healing rituals.
 

Techniques to Induce SSC
 

Shamans use various techniques to enter the shamanic state of consciousness, each tailored to the cultural and spiritual context of their practice. Here are some of the most common methods:
 

1. Drumming and Rhythmic Sounds: Drumming is perhaps the most widely recognized technique for inducing SSC. The repetitive, monotonous beat of a drum, typically played at around four to seven beats per second, can shift brainwave patterns from the normal waking state (beta) to a more relaxed and receptive state (theta). This shift in brainwave patterns is crucial for entering the SSC, as it opens the door to non-ordinary realities.
 

2. Chanting and Singing: Chanting or singing specific songs or mantras can also alter consciousness. The vibrations created by the voice, combined with the focused intention of the chant, help to quiet the mind and facilitate entry into the spiritual realms. These vocal techniques often carry spiritual significance, with the words or sounds used believed to have inherent power.
 

3. Dancing and Movement: Certain forms of dance, especially those involving repetitive movements and rhythms, can induce a trance-like state conducive to shamanic journeying. The act of dancing, when combined with music or chanting, helps to break down the barriers between the physical and spiritual worlds, allowing the shaman to enter SSC.
 

4. Fasting and Sensory Deprivation: Fasting and sensory deprivation are ancient methods used to alter consciousness. Depriving the body of food or external stimuli can weaken the ego's grip on reality, making it easier for the shaman to access the spiritual realms. These practices are often accompanied by solitude, further enhancing the shaman’s ability to focus inward and journey into non-ordinary realities.
 

5. Use of Entheogenic Plants: In some shamanic traditions, the use of entheogenic plants like ayahuasca, peyote, or psilocybin mushrooms is central to inducing SSC. These plants are considered sacred, and their consumption is often surrounded by ritual and ceremony. The altered states induced by these plants are powerful, often leading to profound spiritual experiences and insights.
 

The Purpose and Benefits of SSC
 

The shamanic state of consciousness is not pursued for mere entertainment or escape. It serves a higher purpose within the context of shamanism, providing a means to heal, gain wisdom, and restore balance in the community.
 

1. Healing: Healing is one of the primary reasons shamans enter SSC. In this state, they can communicate with spirits, diagnose illnesses, and retrieve lost souls or energies. The shamanic belief is that many physical and mental illnesses have spiritual roots, and by addressing these spiritual causes, the shaman can facilitate profound healing.
 

2. Guidance and Wisdom: Shamans often journey into SSC to seek guidance for themselves or others. This guidance can come in many forms, such as visions, messages from spirits, or encounters with power animals or ancestors. The wisdom gained from these journeys is then brought back to the ordinary world, where it can be used to help others or guide the shaman in their spiritual practice.
 

3. Restoring Balance: In many indigenous cultures, shamans play a crucial role in maintaining the balance between the physical and spiritual worlds. By entering SSC, they can identify and correct imbalances in the community, whether these are caused by negative energies, disharmonious relationships, or disruptions in the natural world. Through rituals and ceremonies performed in the SSC, shamans work to restore harmony and ensure the well-being of their people.
 

Modern Applications of SSC
 

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in shamanic practices, including the use of the shamanic state of consciousness, among those seeking spiritual growth and healing in the modern world. Workshops, retreats, and online courses offer individuals the opportunity to learn shamanic techniques and experience SSC for themselves. While traditional shamanic practices are rooted in specific cultural contexts, modern practitioners often adapt these techniques to fit contemporary spiritual needs. This includes integrating shamanic journeying with other forms of spiritual practice, such as meditation, yoga, or psychotherapy. The benefits of entering SSC, such as deepened self-awareness, healing, and spiritual insight, resonate with many people seeking to reconnect with their spiritual selves in a meaningful way.
 

Conclusion
 

The shamanic state of consciousness offers a profound opportunity to journey beyond the ordinary and access realms of reality that are normally hidden from view. Through techniques like drumming, chanting, dancing, and the use of entheogenic plants, shamanic practitioners can enter these altered states at will, using them for healing, guidance, and restoring balance. As interest in shamanism continues to grow in the modern world, more people are discovering the transformative power of these ancient practices, finding ways to integrate them into their own spiritual journeys. Whether you are a seasoned spiritual seeker or simply curious about the mysteries of the mind, exploring the shamanic state of consciousness can open doors to new levels of understanding and connection with the spiritual world.

Peyote, Time and the I Ching

Terence McKenna was an American ethnobotanist and mystic who advocated for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including plant based entheogens, shamanism, divination, metaphysics, alchemy, philosophy, culture, technology, environmentalism and the I Ching. He was called the "Timothy Leary of the 1990s" and "one of the leading authorities on the ontological foundations of shamanism."
 

I discovered the 1994 edition of Terence and Dennis McKenna's 1975 book The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching while researching my book, I Ching: The Tao of Drumming. McKenna's book explores shamanism, altered states of consciousness and the organic unity of the King Wen sequence of the I Ching. I was fascinated by Terence McKenna's theory that the King Wen sequence of the 64 hexagrams represents a wave model of time. Much of what he learned about the theory is alleged to have come to him during shamanic visionary states while he was living in the Amazon jungle. Many reputable scientists and physicists have embraced it. It has broken the barriers between esoteric philosophy and pragmatism. I spent days trying to decipher the complexities of the time wave theory in order to write about it in my own book.
 

Prior to writing about the time wave theory, I ingested peyote for the first time. Known for its psychoactive properties when ingested, peyote has a long history of divination and medicinal use. The peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) has been used in its native Mexico for healing, divination and magic since pre-Hispanic times. During the late nineteenth century, peyote was adopted by Native American tribes of the southern plains as a medicine and sacrament. Within the Native American Church, the "divine cactus" is used for healing and to facilitate communication with the spirits.
 

The peyote buttons I ingested were gifted to me by a fellow member of the Native American Church, which fuses Christian doctrine with peyote-eating tribal ritual. Though illegal to sell, possess or ingest, U.S. law exempts members of the Native American Church, who revere peyote as a sacred medicine. The use of peyote is said to produce a mental state that allows celebrants to feel closer to their ancestors and their Creator. Peyote contains the hallucinogen mescaline. The effects last about 10 to 12 hours.
 

Insights into the King Wen Sequence
 

On the Winter Solstice, December 22, 1995, I ingested 12 dried peyote buttons, seeking guidance and insight into the time wave theory. Within thirty minutes of ingestion, I experienced some physical discomfort, including nausea and chills. These unpleasant effects subsided within an hour and transitioned into feelings of peace and euphoria. After about two hours around dusk, I began to see colorful visions. Everything in the darkened room was glowing faintly. It was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible. I saw whirly, spirally geometric patterns called form constants. Mescaline and other psychedelics boost the random discharge of neurons in the visual cortex. This neural excitation is thought to induce form constants, the dynamic patterns I saw when I closed my eyes. These shapes may appear on their own or with eyes shut in the form of phosphenes.
 

Three hours into my peyote journey, I closed my eyes and saw the King Wen sequence of the 64 hexagrams. The entire sequence was illustrated in bright iridescent colors. I had an "aha" moment giving me insight into the underlying basis for the sequence. The King Wen order is the most ancient way of arranging the hexagrams and all of the standard editions use it. This sequence consists of 32 binary pairs in which each hexagram is the polar opposite of its mate. In other words, each odd-numbered hexagram is followed by its opposite or its inverse. The rationale for this arrangement has long been a mystery. Scholars thus far have been unable to crack the code which generates this sequence.
 

The answer may lie in the cycled order of development that the 64 hexagrams represent. The I Ching hexagrams represent the sequence of development for everything that evolves from the void into a three-dimensional reality. The I Ching functions much like a computer. It's a binary mathematical program of all events, processes and developments of nature as well as a program of the fate of every living thing.
 

Systems of binary progression underlie the structure of reality. Binary systems develop from two numbers or polar elements. The DNA code, for example, represents a binary progression of two to the sixth power, yielding the 64 codons or six-part structures that constitute the genetic code. The bilateral symmetry of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule consists of a double helix with plus and minus strands which contain the genetic script. Each strand is the inverse of the opposite in terms of polarity and direction of rotation, and each strand is capable of replicating the other. Both strands interconnect at regular intervals, forming binary pairs of molecular building blocks.
 

The King Wen sequence easily serves to model the structure of DNA and its transformations. The 64 hexagrams, each with its six variants (lines), illustrate a pattern of development that mirrors DNA. Each odd numbered hexagram and its subsequent opposite or inverse represent binary pairs. Each stage of change or development is the result of interaction between conjugate pairs. A given situation would remain forever unchanging were it not for this dynamic interplay that spurs the static hexagram into motion.
 

More than the symbolic counterpart of DNA, the King Wen sequence is a wave model of time. Some 3000 years ago, the Chinese sages and philosophers looked into the physics of time and discovered that time is actually composed of a repeating pattern of fractals. The 64 hexagrams are the basic fractal patterns in the cyclic structure of time. Hence, the King Wen sequence is a symbolic blueprint of the unfolding continuum of time in which events and situations recur on many different scales of duration. Each hexagram represents a unique yet integral wave cycle within the continuum. As each pattern repeats, it carries the same conditions of previous cycles--fractal patterns that can be known, measured and predicted.
 

The temporal cycle of time is seen as a vibratory ebb and flow of two opposite kinds of energy. Each cycle within the continuum is the inverse of the one preceding it. This alternating polarity is the moving force of the continuum of time. This energy continuum is regulated and maintained by neural DNA. According to Terence McKenna, "It is this flow of energy that is experienced by organisms as the phenomenon of time itself. Organisms evolved in and became patterned in response to this flow."(1) The flow of time (and consciousness itself) arises from physical neural processes and hence is affected by them. We are not separate from time. Rather time is an integral part of our perceptual experience. It is the vehicle of change, and change ultimately begins within each of us. To change the world, we must first change ourselves.

 

1. Dennis McKenna and Terence McKenna, The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens and the I Ching. (HarperCollins Publishers, 1994), p. 151.

Ancient Rock Art May Depict Shamanic Music

More than 2,000 years ago, the Tukano people of the Colombian Amazon may have documented the soundtracks to their hallucinogenic experiences in petroglyphs on volcanic boulders. Consisting of what appears to be dancing human figures surrounded by zigzagging lines and other geometric forms, the enigmatic art eludes concrete interpretation, although a new analysis suggests that these abstract shapes may depict the songs that transported participants to other dimensions during Ayahuasca ceremonies. The pre-Columbian designs can be found at Toro Muerto, which contains one of the richest collections of rock art in South America. A desert gorge, the site is strewn with thousands of boulders, some 2,600 of which feature ancient carvings.

 

Describing the drawings in a new study published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, researchers explain that the artworks contain "an almost overwhelming repetition of images of dancing human figures (known as danzantes), unique in the region, and an extraordinary accumulation of geometric patterns, most often in the form of vertical zigzag, straight and sinuous lines varying in width, sometimes with accompanying dots or circles." Previous attempts to interpret these zigzags have suggested that they may represent snakes, lightning, or water, although the study authors believe they may have an alternative meaning.
 

Examples of "danzantes" at Toro Muerto. Image credit: Tracings: Polish-Peruvian research team, 

compiled by J.Z. Wołoszyn/Cambridge Archaeological Journal/2024 (CC BY 4.0)

 

To build their hypothesis, the researchers point out the striking similarities between the drawings at Toro Muerto and the traditional artwork of the Tukano culture in the Colombian Amazon. In the case of the latter, geometric designs have been linked to the visions induced by the hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca, which has been ritually ingested by Indigenous Amazonian communities for millennia. According to the Tukano these drawings were 'yajé images', meaning that they showed patterns they had seen while in an altered state of consciousness induced by consuming entheogens. Concentric circles, dots, wavy lines, zigzags and crenellation motifs dominated among them.

Anthropological analyses of these rituals have repeatedly highlighted the importance of music, with songs known as icaros being sung by shamans as a means of communicating with the gods and journeying through the spiritual cosmos. Ritual in many human cultures involves music; it is a key social technology for building and sustaining community. Ritual music is a universal way to address the spirit world and provide some kind of fundamental change in an individual's consciousness or in the ambience of a gathering. Experiences of ego loss and trance are important for integrating the individual into the group and maintaining community, and music is a significant element of such ritual activity.

Intriguingly, studies into the significance of zigzags in Tukano artwork have revealed that "the Tukano saw in them the representations of songs which were an integral part of the ritual, having also agentive power, and constituting a medium for transfer to the mythical time of the beginning." In other words, within a Tukano context, these shapes depict the shamanic music that mesmerizes ritual participants under the effects of Ayahuasca, delivering them to an alternate reality in which they are able to reconnect to their ancestral mythology.

Admitting that their theory is somewhat speculative, the researchers nonetheless conclude that these pre-Hispanic drawings "illustrated a graphically elusive sphere of culture: singing and songs. The interpretation we propose is of course hypothetical, but the conclusions it leads to constitute a logically coherent counter-proposal to previous interpretations of some of the Toro Muerto petroglyphs. We suggest that zigzag lines could be representations of songs, which seems particularly intriguing given the repeated juxtaposition of these patterns with the figures of dancers at Toro Muerto."

Peyote and Tribal Sovereignty

by Darren Thompson
Director of Media Relations
Lakota People's Law Project
 

On Friday, April 12, the Native American Church of North America (NACNA) hosted a summit in Farmington, New Mexico focused on protecting peyote, a cactus medicine sacred to Native Peoples across Turtle Island. The one-day summit brought leaders from Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma together with church delegates to discuss next steps for the largest American Indian religious organization in the country.
 

Leaders say development near peyote's natural habitat, which in the U.S. only grows naturally on private lands in four counties in southern Texas, has decreased the supply of the plant. A growing community comprised mainly of non-Natives wants to bring psychedelic drugs into mainstream society and tout research that psychedelics aid in improving mental health.
 

Under the 1994 Amendment, only enrolled members of federally recognized tribes are permitted under federal law to possess, transport and ingest peyote in bonafide traditional ceremonies. However, the plant, and ceremonies that are centered around its traditional use are threatened by non-Native interests, including Big Pharma.
 

Official efforts to decriminalize mescaline, the active ingredient in peyote, have succeeded in places like Oakland and San Francisco, and others want to follow their lead. In February, California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced California Senate Bill 1012 — The Regulated Psychedelic-assisted Therapy Act and the Regulated Psychedelic Substances Control Act — which aims to decriminalize mescaline and other psychedelics.
 

If passed, the bill would authorize the establishment of a regulatory system that would control regulated psychedelic substances for use with regulated psychedelic-assisted therapy. While the bill mentions the respect for Indigenous cultures and their use of "psychedelic substances," it would also legalize mescaline, which the federal government classifies as the active hallucinogenic ingredient in peyote.
 

"Mescaline is mescaline, whether it is peyote or other cacti," says Justin Jones, Diné and General Counsel for the Native American Church of North America. "California cannot decriminalize mescaline in other cacti and say that peyote is exempt, because mescaline is mescaline, no matter what cactus you have."
 

Protecting peyote use and habitat, church leaders point out, is an issue of tribal sovereignty. Only enrolled members of federally recognized tribes have rights protected under AIRFA, and in this way, the federal government has acknowledged the inherent sovereignty that tribes possess. Leaders of the Native American Church have traveled across Indian Country and even to Capitol Hill with the message that opening an avenue for legalized mescaline threatens one of the legal cornerstones of tribal sovereignty. They're asking for strengthened enforcement of AIRFA, which was drafted to protect intrusions on traditional American Indian cultures and religions.
 

Over the past several years, non-Native individuals promoting the benefits of peyote have encouraged direct violations of the law. Mainstream interests want to extract the core of one of the last protected plants for American Indian people and profit off it. Over the next several months, the Lakota People's Law Project will document and support leaders advocating for enforcement of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act's 1994 amendment. While the possession, transportation, and use of peyote is protected, its natural environment is not. If Big Pharma achieves its goal of decriminalizing mescaline, peyote and its natural environment will surely be put at risk.
 

It's also notable that efforts to incorporate psychedelics into organized religions are gaining steam, also challenging the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. While it is not our responsibility to challenge people and their prayers, it is our duty to fight for tribal sovereignty and protect sacred spaces of American Indian culture for our next generations.

Saint Nick the Flying Shaman

Have you ever wondered about the origins of modern Christmas traditions? What is the origin of the Christmas tree, decorations about, and all the brightly wrapped presents beneath? This Christmas, as it's been done for generations, stories of Santa and his reindeer will be told around the world, including tales of how Saint Nick flies around on his sleigh in the middle of the night delivering presents to all the good children while they sleep snug in their beds. Where do these stories come from--and better yet--what are we actually celebrating on Christmas morning? 

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanic traditions of nomadic reindeer herders in Siberia and the Arctic Circle. John Rush, Ph.D., author of Mushrooms in Christian Art and professor of anthropology at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA., suggests, "Santa is a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering plants and fungi to commune with the spirit world." He believes the story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced to shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions, where the practices of the Indigenous shamanism have uncanny resemblances to the traditions of Christmas. In particular, the red and white mushroom, Amanita muscaria, is a significant connection between the two. Indigenous shamans would visit locals on the Winter Solstice, an astronomical phenomenon strongly related to modern-day Christmas, with gifts of dried hallucinogenic mushrooms.
 

According to scholars who study Arctic cultures, Indigenous shamans would pick the Amanita in summer, hanging them to dry on the evergreen trees growing above them. The mushrooms may also be taken inside to dry by the fireplace, leading to comparisons with stockings and a Christmas tree surrounded by red and white parcels. The drying of the mushrooms was one way to remove the toxins found in Amanita muscaria, while increasing the potency of psychedelic compounds. Come late December, on the Winter Solstice, the shaman would gather up the dried Amanitas and make use of the mushroom's psychoactive effects to commune with the spirit world and bring gifts of healing to the families, as they set intentions for the new year. If the hut's doorways were covered in snow, the shaman would enter through an opening in the ceiling.
 

Upon comparison, the similarities in ancient and modern Christmas traditions are undeniable: a Winter Solstice celebration in the snowy North Pole region where reindeer are prominent, consisting of evergreen trees, fireplaces hung with colorful decorations, rooftop chimney entrances and communal gift-giving. Regardless of where the origin of Santa Claus comes from, Christmas is a time of year for rebirth, inward reflection, setting intentions, gifting to loved ones, communing with family...and perhaps, unknowingly, celebrating a psychedelic mushroom.

What Psychedelic Therapy Can Learn From Shamanism

Psychedelic psychotherapy is the process of taking a psychedelic substance within a therapeutic setting, which typically includes psychotherapy. In clinical studies, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and MDMA are two compounds that are being investigated for their therapeutic use in treating certain mental health conditions, like depression and PTSD, and improve overall mental health. Most of the psychedelic therapy taking place is within clinical research studies in the underground and in places where psychedelics are legal.
 

Psychedelic therapy is widely discussed as an innovative development within psychiatry, yet the ironic truth is that mind-altering substances have been used to promote mental health for thousands of years. And while the ceremonial ingestion of plants like ayahuasca in South America, peyote in North America, and iboga in Africa may seem a far cry from Western psychotherapy, researchers are increasingly looking to indigenous cultures in order to learn how to utilize these potent medicines.
 

Anthropologists who study the ceremonial use of psychedelic plants often write about the skilled manner in which shamans guide their patients into "managed altered states of consciousness." Through the manipulation of sounds, symbols, and other aesthetic elements in a ritual context, these traditional healers are able to steer participants' visions and hallucinations in certain desirable directions. Overall, the ritual context provides a controlled, supportive, and safe environment for participants to engage in reflective emotional work that is often difficult.
 

A recent study of Westerners attending a mental health retreat run by indigenous ayahuasca healers found that 36 percent rated the actions of these shamans as the single most important factor in the improvement of their well-being. The non-indigenous users attributed the benefits of ayahuasca to their immersion in the traditional aspects of the ayahuasca experience, which were often intense or difficult to endure, echoing the ascetic experiences of the traditional users. Research indicates that the beneficial elements of ayahuasca are enhanced when the cultural and spiritual aspects of its use are emphasized. And while shamanic rituals may not be fully appreciated by conventional psychiatrists, it is widely agreed that psychedelic experiences are the product of more than just mere pharmacology.
 

Set and Setting
 

Back in the 1960s, famed psychologist and LSD evangelist Timothy Leary helped to popularize the notion of "set and setting", which holds that the effects of psychedelics are largely determined by the mindset of the user as well as the environment in which they are taken, rather than the properties of the substances themselves. "Set" refers to the expectations and intentions the person brings to the experience, and "setting" is the outward circumstances in which it takes place. Additionally, the expectations and experiences of participants in a traditional ceremonial setting are often influenced by the shamans' shaping of those aspects.
 

For this reason, set and setting has been incorporated into recent psychedelic trials. Typically, this is achieved by manipulating the therapeutic environment with low lighting and carefully selected music playlists. This last element is considered to be of particular importance, as research has revealed that music amplifies the capacity of psychedelics to enhance activity within the parts of the brain that process emotion.
 

A Clash of Worldviews
 

Indigenous people view creation as a living process, resulting in a living universe in which a kinship exists between all things. There is no such thing as an individual in the same way that we take for granted in the west. There is no separateness. We are all one consciousness. It's a different way of looking at things. For those of us who have been raised as staunch materialists, such a concept can be difficult to understand, let alone accept. We are conditioned to see the world as populated by distinct, independent entities that can be methodically isolated from one another, whereas indigenous cultures view the universe as one unified conscious system, in which everything is connected to everything else.
 

In line with this perspective, mental health problems are understood not as the product of faulty brain chemistry or personal psychological quirks, but as a symptom of misalignment with the encompassing whole. Healing, therefore, is typically a collective affair and is achieved by restoring the patient's sense of connectedness to their community and wider environment.
 

While most research into the efficacy of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders continues to focus on individual treatments, a number of studies are beginning to recognize the importance of contextual factors like the shared togetherness of indigenous group rituals. A global study of people who have used psychedelics in group settings found that group bonding during ceremony was significantly correlated with increases in psychological well-being, social connectedness, and other salient mental health outcomes.
 

Conclusion
 

While researchers have demonstrated the benefits of psychedelics as a treatment for mental illness in Western users, the traditional context associated with the use of psychedelic plants is also an essential aspect of the experience. Like indigenous users who emphasize the ascetic aspects of the psychedelic experiences, the immersion in an intense, often challenging ceremony leads to benefits for Western users who understand the necessity of these difficult experiences in reaping benefits. Overall, the traditional ceremony accounts for important aspects of the psychedelic experience such as social and environmental connections. Adapting indigenous approaches to psychedelics may well be the key to psychedelic healing. 

Expanded States of Consciousness World Summit

The Expanded States of Consciousness World Summit is a free 9-day online event featuring 65+ world-class experts, including Deepak Chopra, Luisah Teish, Wim Hof, Rosalind Watts, Andrew Weil, Grandmother Flordemayo, Paul Stamets, Gita Vaid, Ken Wilber, Sandra Ingerman, Dan Siegel, Krishna Das, and many more. This summit is designed to create a profound journey and transformative learning experience for anyone interested in expanded states of consciousness and their potential for our individual and collective healing, spiritual evolution and awakening. This includes practitioners, clinicians, researchers, guides, coaches and other helping professionals, researchers, and the general public.
 

Over nine days, you will have the opportunity to learn learn about the potential of expanded states of consciousness for healing trauma, healing attachment wounds, and deepening resilience. Discover how these practices can help us unlock our full potential, leading to a more fulfilling life with greater meaning and purpose. The summit will cover a wide range of methods, including:

•     Meditation
•     Breathwork
•     Psychedelics
•     Plant medicines
•     Shamanism
•     Music, chanting, and sound healing
•     Tools and practices for integration

 

During the Summit, you'll hear about the cutting-edge research on consciousness and expanded states and be able to explore different practices and techniques for accessing and integrating these states…While connecting with a global community of like-minded individuals exploring the further reaches of consciousness and human potential. Whether you're an experienced practitioner or just curious about the nature of consciousness, this Summit is sure to be an illuminating and transformative experience. Free streaming of the summit starts Tuesday, April 18th at 7:00 am EDT USA, click here to claim your free ticket.

Santa the Flying Shaman

Have you ever wondered about the origins of modern Christmas traditions? What is the origin of the Christmas tree, with the star on top, decorations about, and all the brightly wrapped presents beneath? This Christmas, as it's been done for generations, stories of Santa and his reindeer will be told around the world, including tales of how Mr. Claus flies around on his sleigh in the middle of the night delivering presents to all the good children while they sleep snug in their beds. Where do these stories come from--and better yet--what are we actually celebrating on Christmas morning?
 

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced to shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions. 

John Rush, Ph.D., author of Mushrooms in Christian Art and professor of anthropology at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA., suggests, "Santa is a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering plants and fungi to commune with the spirit world." He believes the Santa myth was born because local shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions would visit locals on the winter solstice, an astronomical phenomenon strongly related to modern-day Christmas, with gifts of dried hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The Huichol Mask

An excerpt from my soon-to-be released memoir, Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism. Copyright © 2021 by Michael Drake.
 

I made my first pilgrimage to the Maya pyramids and ceremonial centers of Mexico in March of 1995. It was an empowering, transformational journey of self-discovery--the culmination of a lifelong dream to explore the pyramidal temples found at Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque and Tulum. I spent about a week in Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town along the Yucatan Peninsula’s Riviera Maya strip of Caribbean shoreline. The Riviera Maya is known for its palm-lined beaches and one of the largest coral reefs in the world. The beaches of Playa del Carmen are famous for their white powdery sand and crystal clear turquoise waters.
 

One afternoon, I went shopping for some gifts and souvenirs to take back home with me. While walking along Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue), a pedestrian-only walkway through downtown Playa del Carmen, I discovered a colorfully dressed street vendor selling his beadwork. He was a Huichol indigenous artist from Guadalajara. The Huichol, or peyote people, are known for their yarn paintings and papier-mache masks covered in small, brightly colored beads. Yarn paintings consist of commercial yarn pressed into boards coated with wax and resin and are derived from a ceremonial tablet called a neirika.
 

The beaded art is a relatively new innovation and is crafted using glass, plastic or metal beads pressed onto a wooden or papier-mache form covered in beeswax. Common bead art forms include masks, bowls and figurines. Like all Huichol art, the bead work depicts the prominent patterns and symbols featured in Huichol shamanic traditions. The most common motifs are related to the three most important elements in Huichol religion, the deer, corn and peyote. The first two are important as primary sources of food, and the last is valued for its psychoactive properties. Eating the peyote cactus is at the heart of the tribe's spiritual knowledge and core to their existence, connecting them to their ancestors and guardian spirits through psychedelic visions.  

Huichol masks are akin to mirrors that reflect the patterns of face paintings worn during sacred ceremonies. The Huichol people understand themselves to be mirrors of the gods. The Huichol believe that you must look past the ego reflected in a mirror in order to enter the place they call the "original times," before the present separation occurred between matter and spirit, between life and death, between the natural and the supernatural, and between the sexes. They are a culture based on being at one with the Cosmos. The very purpose of life is to reach a state of unity and continuity between man, nature, society and the supernatural.
 

The shaman-artist had some small beaded masks displayed on his table. I asked him if he had any larger masks. He pulled a bundle out from under the table and unwrapped a beautiful life-size human mask. The intricate design featured a radiant sun on the forehead, a stalk of blue corn on each side of the head, a double-headed peyote eagle on each cheek, a prayer arrow on the ridge of the nose, and a deer on the chin. I asked him how much? He said 300 pesos, or about 50 dollars. We settled on the price, but the artisan needed to finish the beadwork. He asked if I could come back later in the day. I agreed to return later that evening to buy the mask and continued shopping other vendors.
 

With great anticipation, I returned in the evening to purchase the finished mask. As I carried the mask back to my hotel, it felt warmer and warmer until it was hot in my hands. When I got back to my room, I noticed a tepo or sacred drum (which is the voice of the gods for the Huichol) in the mouth of the mask. The symbolism was a metaphor for a "talking drum," the name I chose for my entrepreneurial publishing company. This meaningful synchronicity convinced me that the mask was meant for me. I later discovered that wearing the mask during meditation induces a blissful state of unity consciousness with the deities that the mask both represents and embodies. It’s a way of communing with the essence of these deities, channeling them to deepen shamanic trance, to honor them and more. To learn more, read my blog post, The Power of Masks.

Weaving Music into Art

The Shipibo are a tribe from the Amazonian rainforest in Peru credited with holding the traditions of the powerful entheogenic brew ayahuasca ("vine of souls"). This ancient tribe is known both for their beautiful geometric textiles and for their long history of using ayahuasca as an entheogen. This plant sacrament induces visual and auditory stimulation for the purpose of self-revelation and healing. In the Shipibo culture, shamans -- called curanderos -- work as plant-based healers of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual disorders. Their knowledge and healing power are said to come from the plants themselves.  

Shipibo shamans have a custom in which a they live for months in isolation and ingest different plants in order to connect with the spirits of the plants. According to Shipibo shamanism, each plant has a different personality, just like people. Once a plant is ingested, the shaman may be inspired to write a song. These songs, known as icaros, are then used in healing ceremonies, and eventually translated into geometric patterns in order to adorn tapestries with their messages. Each song and corresponding pattern embody the energy of a specific Amazonian plant. The colorful designs are a woven visualization of each plant's song, almost serving as a musical score.

Shipibo textiles reflect the tribe's culture and cosmology. Largely geometric in nature, the designs feature the square, the rhombus, the octagon and the cross, which represents the southern Cross constellation. Other symbols featured in the designs are the Cosmic Serpent, the Anaconda and various plant forms, notably the caapi vine used in the preparation of the ayahuasca brew. Shipibo patterns are believed to heal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual ailments, with each design carrying its own meaning. Some are said to bring wisdom or protection; others attract abundance. The textiles are worn as skirts, placed on tables or beds, hung on walls or used in ceremony.
 

There is an fascinating connection between the visual and aural in Shipibo art: the Shipibo can paint the pattern by listening to an icaro, or they can inversely hear the song by simply viewing the design. Shipibo shamans, under the influence of the psychedelic affects of ayahuasca, undergo a sort of biological feedback mechanism which affects the visual cortex, allowing the music to be seen, and then translated into artwork. Known as synesthesia, this is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway, in this case seeing by hearing, or hearing by seeing.
 

After discovering cymatics, the scientific study of geometric patterns created by sound vibrations, Irish artist Tanya Harris traveled to Peru in 2014 to explore the "visual music" of Shipibo art. Harris discovered cymatics while studying for an MA in Textile Futures at Central Saint Martins in London. Harris spent a month with the Shipibo and participated in ayahuasca ceremonies. During one of her last ceremonies, she received insight from ayahuasca that she should ask a shaman if she could record her singing a particular song and also get from her the geometric tapestry translation of the song. 

 

So, using a handy video recorder, Harris carefully recorded the shaman's icaro about a plant called marosa. Harris found striking visual similarities between the shapes created by her cymatic patterns and the designs created by the Shipibo as illustrations of their songs. For Harris, it was simply confirmation that "sound is a primordial, creative force." Her experiences with the Shipibo are described in this short video, Consciousness Resides in Geometry.

Oregon's Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Initiative

Activists in Oregon are pushing for decriminalizing psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by more than 200 species of mushrooms. Oregon is considering a measure in 2020 to allow access to "guided psilocybin services," while lowering penalties for possession. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that psilocybin-assisted therapy is a safe and uniquely effective treatment for depression and anxiety, PTSD, and addiction to drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. Additionally, the measure would create access to services for those interested in personal development and open doors for new research. Investigating alternative treatments for mental illnesses is vital, as currently, many people are suffering and they have no hope of relief using available drugs and therapies.

According to PSI Chief Petitioners Tom and Sheri Eckert, "The intent of the 2020 Psilocybin Service Initiative of Oregon is to advance a breakthrough therapeutic model currently being perfected in research settings at top universities around the world. The service model involves a sequence of facilitated sessions, including assessment and preparation, psilocybin administration, and integration afterwards. We envision a community-based framework, where licensed providers, along with licensed producers of psilocybin mushrooms, blaze trails in Oregon in accordance with evolving practice standards."

At a meeting hosted by the Oregon Psilocybin Society ("OPS"), Tom Eckert (co-founder of the OPS) explained that the measure is focused on bringing psilocybin services to Oregon. The proposed psilocybin services would require a participant to engage in three therapeutic phases: Screening; Guided Mushroom Consumption; and Integration. Eckert emphasized that a person could benefit from psilocybin therapy "immediately" and completely upon consuming mushrooms, which Eckert described as a "one shot deal." Eckert contrasted the proposed one-time psilocybin therapy with conventional pharmaceutical approaches, which often require a patient to adopt a long term pill popping routine. To learn more, visit the Oregon Psilocybin Society's "Psilocybin Services Initiative" website by clicking this link.

Psychedelic Experiences versus Mystical Experiences

We are witnessing a renaissance of the idea of using psychedelics in connection with spiritual practice. The main theory put forward by psychedelic users in relation to spiritual practice is that those who take psychedelics are able to skip all preliminary work with spiritual practice. Are psychedelics a fast track to enlightenment? If so, why have we never heard of one single human being who has attained enlightenment through the use of psychedelic drugs? Why is that all wisdom traditions, which incorporate spiritual practices that lead to enlightenment, without exception warn against the use of drugs in combination with spiritual practice? What is the difference between genuine mystical experiences and psychedelic experiences? Read more.

Santa the Shaman

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced to shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions. John Rush, Ph.D., author of Mushrooms in Christian Art and professor of anthropology at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA., suggests, "Santa is a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering plants and fungi to commune with the spirit world." He believes the Santa myth was born because local shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions would visit locals on the winter solstice, an astronomical phenomenon strongly related to modern-day Christmas, with gifts of dried hallucinogenic mushrooms. Here are eight ways that hallucinogenic mushrooms explain the story of Santa and his reindeer.

Battling for the Earth: the Huicholes

In the fight for the land against mining multinationals, the Huicholes represent us all. They are the last Peyote Guardians.

In his two-hour indie documentary, Huicholes: The Last Peyote Guardians, Hernán Vilchez captures one of the last Mesoamerican civilizations to preserve their distinctive way of life in an ever-globalizing world – still able, until now. The Huicholes tribe has been a largely resilient culture that lives in parallel to contemporary Mexico. Carbon dating proves their people’s existence long before Christ and their beliefs predate those of mainstream religions, practicing an early form of animistic and pantheistic mysticism.

Every year they perform an 800-kilometre pilgrimage to the top of the Cerro Quemado, a sacred mountain in the fertile semi-desert area of Catorce, where the hallucinogenic Peyote cactus grows. Eating the fleshy gourd is at the heart of the tribe’s spiritual knowledge and core to their existence, connecting them to their ancestors and guardian spirits through psychedelic visions.

The earth where the cacti cultivate has evaded drought – which is widespread in surrounding regions – but is now falling foul to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). N.A.F.T.A. grants mining concessions to Canadian multinationals out to quarry natural riches in the Huicholes’ holy land. Read more.

Huichol Shaman photo by Kila: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huichol_shaman.jpg

Shamanism and Entheogens

While the use of mind-altering drugs is prohibited in many religions, other traditions around the world have long celebrated their spiritual and medicinal benefits. Entheogens used in a religious or spiritual context, include psychedelics such as peyote, psilocybin mushrooms, and ayahuasca, and the substances often supplement practices geared toward achieving transcendence. Further, many believe entheogens foster communication with the spirit world and help heal addiction, trauma, and depression. A growing interest in entheogens is evident in several books coming from religion and spirituality publishers in the coming year. Shamanic teachers Hank Wesselman and José Luis Stevens are among the authors coming out with new books. Check out a few titles that explore the intersection of drugs and spiritual development here.

Seeing With the Eyes Shut: Ayahuasca Visions

The hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca has been used for centuries by South American rain forest shamans as a religious sacrament. The "spirit vine" facilitates mystical visions and revelations, and is believed to have healing properties. Though there have been very few studies of its effects on brain function, a Brazilian research team reports one of the very first functional neuroimaging studies of the drug's effects. Results indicate that Ayahuasca visions stem from the activation of an extensive network involving vision, memory, and intention. In the primary visual area, the effect is comparable in magnitude to the activation levels of natural images with the eyes open. By boosting the intensity of an inner image to the same level of a natural image, Ayahuasca imparts a valid sense of reality to inner experiences. Read More