Psychology - Drugs

Toward the end of his fifties, Christopher Gray took, for the first time in years, a 100-microgram acid trip. So extraordinary, and to his surprise so enjoyable, were the effects that he began to take the same dose in the same way - quietly and on his own - once every two to three weeks.

In THE ACID DIARIES, Gray details his experimentation with LSD over a period of three years and shares the startling realisation that his visions were weaving an ongoing story from trip to trip, revealing an underlying reality of personal and spiritual truths. Following the theories of Stanislav Grof and offering quotes from others' experiences that parallel his own - including those of Aldous Huxley, Albert Hofmann and Gordon Wasson - he shows that trips progress through three stages: the first dealing with personal issues and pre-birth consciousness; the second with ego-loss, often with supernatural overtones and the third with sacred, spiritual and, even apocalyptic themes. Pairing his experiences with an exploration of psychedelic use throughout history, including the ergot-spawned mass hallucinations that were common through the Middle Ages and the early use of LSD for therapeutic purposes, Gray offers readers a greater understanding and appreciation for the potential value of LSD not merely for transpersonal growth but, also, for spiritual development.




• Reveals that LSD visions weave an ongoing story from trip to trip
• Shows that trips progress through three stages: personal issues and pre-birth consciousness, ego-loss, and on to the sacred
• Explores psychedelic use throughout history, including the mass hallucinations common in the Middle Ages and the early therapeutic use of LSD

Ayahuasca is a sacred drink used for millennia by numerous indigenous groups primarily in the Upper Amazon and Orinoco basins for divination healing& other cosmogonic/shamanic purposes. The Ayahuasca Reader is a panorama of texts translated from nearly a dozen languages on the ayahuasca experience. These include indigenous mythic narratives and testimonies religious hymns as well as narratives related by western travelers scientists and writers who have had contact with ayahuasca in different contexts. Some of the material in this Reader has been published before in difficult to find journals and books in a variety of languages. In many cases the authors have produced their contributions expressly for this anthology. The many contributors include Françoise Barbira Freedman Wade Davis Philippe Descola Allen Ginsberg Jean Langdon Peter Matthiessen Dennis McKenna W.S.Merwin Richard Spruce and Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff. The Ayahuasca Reader represents the most comprehensive collection of authoritative writings on the subject ever published. Edited by Dr. Luis Eduardo Luna Colombian-born anthropologist author of Vegetalismo Shamanism Among The Mestizo Population Of The Peruvian Amazon and co-author with Pablo Amaringo of Ayahuasca Visions and Dr. Steven F. White who teaches in the Caribbean and Latin American Studies Program at St. Lawrence University. This book with its anthropoliterary perspective is a must for anyone interested in learning about the fascinating properties and effects of the Amazon´s most sacred vine. Obviously the finest collection on the subject and a must-read for anybody interested in ayahuasca. Jeremy Narby

BIRTH OF A PSYCHEDELIC CULTURE shines a bright light on the exploratory culture of the time and experiments undertaken by Professors Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) and, then-graduate student, Ralph Metzner. Based on a series of recent (2003 to 2005) conversations between the survivors of that distinguished trio, Metzner and Alpert, facilitated by psychiatrist/writer Gary Bravo, the book describes their initial experiments with mind-altering substances while at Harvard. It goes on to cover experiments they conducted after being dismissed from Harvard, their trips to India and their reflections looking back through time at all of the above. It is filled with intriguing photographs marking and illuminating the events brought to life through the text. Experiment advisors, supporters and participants who appear in the pages of this astonishing account include Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Arthur Koestler, William Burroughs and many other well-known personalities from that time period. No understanding of the history of the sixties would be complete without some grasp of the work of Leary, Alpert and Metzner, the backlash to their experiments and the way in which drug use became absorbed into society thereafter. Nor can any diligent attempt to study the spectrum of the human mind exclude what we have learned from them about the impact of psychedelic drugs.

Written by Aleister Crowley, The Diary of a Drug Fiend tells the story of young Peter Pendragon and his lover Louise Laleham, and their adventures traveling through Europe in a cocaine and heroin haze. The bohemian couples’ binges produce visions and poetic prophecies, but when their supply inevitably runs dry they find themselves faced with the reality of their drug addiction. Through the guidance of King Lamus, a master adept, they use the application of practical Magick to free themselves from addiction.

First published in 1922 and dubbed “a book for burning” by the papers of the time, The Diary of a Drug Fiend reveals the poet, the lover, and the profound adept that was Aleister Crowley.

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

The culmination of more than 30 years of cultural, anthropological and scientific research, this encyclopaedia examines the botany, pharmacology, history, preparation, dosage and practical use of more than 400 erotically stimulating substances from antiquity to the present day.

From plants and animals that enhance fertility and virility, like celery, snails or oysters, to substances that induce arousal, like ephedra, opium or cannabis, the encyclopaedia is richly illustrated with more than 800 colour photographs - many of which are from the authors' extensive fieldwork around the world. Exploring individual, medicinal and ritual use through historic and contemporary artwork, personal accounts and literature as well as ayurvedic, tantric, shamanic and European folklore practices and recent pharmacological research, the authors look at the revolving cycle of acceptance and condemnation of aphrodisiacs, the qualities that incur the label of “aphrodisiac,” the role of mind and setting and the different ways aphrodisiacs stimulate desire - either physically, through the senses and vital organs or mentally, through heightened awareness and altered consciousness. This comprehensive guide reveals these “remedies of the love goddess” as holy remedies whose proper use can help re-establish harmony with oneself, one's partner and the universe.

• Details the use, preparation and dosage of more than 400 plant,
animal, mineral and synthetic substances, both common and exotic,
as well as their botany, science and legal status

• Explores the historical and present use of aphrodisiacs and their role in sexual practices, culture and art

• Richly illustrated throughout with more than 800 colour photographs
“An elegant, unsentimental, and extraordinary book. From photographs of African fertility dances to full tantrik instructions, from French phallic ancient stone monuments to a discussion of pheromones, this is the best of its kind I've seen. Highly recommended.”
—Yellow Silk

In the traditions of every culture plants have been highly valued for their nourishing healing and transforming properties. The most powerful plants - those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness - have always been regarded as sacred. In THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PSYCHOACTIVE PLANTS Christian Rätsch details the botany history distribution cultivation and preparation of more than 400 hallucinogens. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage cultural artefacts made from these plants and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them. The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives - such as cannabis datura and papaver - then presents 133 lesser known substances as well as additional plants known as legal highs; plants known only from mythological contexts and literature; and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca incense and soma. The text is lavishly illustrated with 800 colour photographs - many of which are from the author's extensive fieldwork around the world - showing the people ceremonies and art related to the ritual use of the world's sacred psychoactives.

Long before the beginnings of civilisation, humans have been sacrificed and their flesh used to produce sacred foods and oils for use in religious rites. Originating with the sacred harvest of hallucinogenic mushrooms from the corpses of shamans and other holy men, these acts of ritual cannibalism and visionary intoxication are part of the history of all cultures, including Judeo-Christian ones and provided a way to commune with the dead. These practices continued openly into the Dark Ages, when they were suppressed and adapted into the worship of saintly bones - or continued in secret by a few “heretical” sects, such as the Cathars and the Knights Templar. While little known today, these rites remain deeply embedded in the symbolism, theology and sacraments of modern religion and bring a much more literal meaning to the church's “Holy Communion” or symbolic consumption of the body and blood of Christ.

Documenting the sacrificial, cannibalistic and psychoactive sacramental practices associated with the Cult of the Dead from the prehistoric Minoans on Crete to the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews and onward to early and mediaeval Christian sects, Earl Lee shows how these religious rites influenced the development of Western religion. In particular, he reveals how Christianity originated with Jesus's effort to restore the sacred rites of Moses, including the Marzeah or Feast for the Dead. Examining the connections between these rites and the mysterious funeral of Father Sauniere in Rennes-le-Château, the author explains why the prehistoric Cult of the Dead has held such power over Western civilisation, so much so that its echoes are still heard today in our literature, film and arts.

. Explores ancient practices of producing sacred hallucinogenic foods and oils from the bodies of the dead for ritual consumption and religious anointing
. Explains how these practices are deeply embedded in the symbolism, theology and sacraments of modern religion, specifically Christianity and the Eucharist
. Documents the rites of Cults of the Dead from the prehistoric Minoans on Crete to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Hebrews to early and mediaeval Christian sects such as the Cathars

Hemp, Cannabis sativa, has been called the world's most versatile plant. Materials made from hemp fibre have been discovered in tombs dating back to 7000 B.C. During the Middle Ages hemp was used to treat fevers, insomnia and malaria. Columbus's ships had sails of hemp and during colonial times it was universally grown because its strong fibres made superior ropes, sails, cloth and paper. In fact, hemp was used for money in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800s and the original drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written on hemp paper.

As a food, the oil from hemp seeds has the highest percentage of essential fatty acids and the lowest percentage of saturated fats. Britain and Canada have recently lifted bans on growing industrial hemp and today it is reappearing in the marketplace in an amazing array of products: from lip-salve, jeans, salad oil and cheese to paper products, composite fibreboard, and biomass fuel.