“I think of going to the grave without having a psychedelic experience like going to the grave without ever having sex. — Terrence McKenna
In some parts of the world, in recent years, the conversation about psychedelics has evolved away from the rhetoric of the (mostly failed) “war on drugs” to one about how we can relate to these substances in wise and healthy ways, on both personal and societal levels. This includes discussion of therapeutic, creative, and spiritual uses of psychedelic plants and compounds, including psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, peyote, iboga, LSD, MDMA, and many others.
Popular culture is rife with references to psychedelic experiences, and organizations such as MAPS have been pioneering clinical research along with legalization efforts, which are beginning to bear fruit in multiple US states, including Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Some countries, such as the Netherlands, Brazil and Mexico, have either decriminalized some psychedelics or tolerate their use for ritual and spiritual purposes (particularly in relation to Indigenous traditions).
In this Café, we’ll share some of our personal experiences with, knowledge about, and lessons learned from “the psychedelic experience,” and discuss the ways in which we believe psychedelics can be useful (or may still be harmful) in a variety of contexts, such as mental health, spirituality, creativity, and re-creation. In particular, we’ll be exploring what a healthy, psychedelic-friendly culture could look like, where psychedelics are respected and honored, while also being treated with the due caution that any powerful and potentially life-altering medicine is due.
Learn more about this topic, and join the Cosmos Café crew on Infinite Conversations.
