In this week's installment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the seventh part of a day-long seminar by Stanislav Grof, from the world psychedelic forum, entitled 'psychospiritual death and rebirth, a visionary journey'. Grof talks about choosing between lightness and darkness in altered-states, the role of astrological transits in determining the outcome of a trip, sinking into the depths of hopelessness, the importance of having a sober trip-sitter, psychotic acting-out during trips, experiential features of ego death such as fearing insanity, an experience of seeming to change gender during a trip, combing bodywork and breathwork with tripping, feelings of profound loss during ego death, impermanence and insecurity, the implications of incubators and blood transfusions for the psychology of the baby, the importance for healing of age-regression during trips and resistance to astrology and psychedelics from the scientific community. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Portishead - Biscuit

In this fortnight's installment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout first talks about the recent health scare over a toxic batch of 2cb, and talks about the natural/synthetic distinction. Next Max plays the 6th part of the Stanislav Grof seminar 'psychospiritual death and rebirth: a visionary journey'. Grof talks about the swamps of the unconscious mind, the moment of birth and the child-king archetype, the mythic theme of being swallowed and then spat out, Joseph Campbell's formulation of the hero's journey and the universality of this story in world mythology, the feeling of being dead, losing inhibitions at yearly festivals like Mardi Gras, Campbell's take on Dante's Divine Comedy as a timeless map of the death/rebirth experience, walking on fire, the onset of nuclear war, the genie in the lamp, the bombing of Hiroshima, Grof's own ego death experience at the hands of Shiva, classic shamanic themes such as being torn apart during ego death,  merging with the divine light, peacock feathers as reminiscent of psychedelic visions, giving birth to a new self, birth by caesarian section, creationism, evolutionism and the debate over intelligent design and the biblical account of the history of the universe. Afterwards Max reads out an email from Pandora about ego death and coming to terms with the psychedelic experience. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Deeper in Zen - Ground of Being

In this week's installment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the fifth part of a day-long seminar by Stanislav Grof, from the world psychedelic forum, entitled 'psychospiritual death and rebirth, a visionary journey'. Grof talks about the meaning of spiders, pythons and octopuses in psychedelic visions, the experience of oceanic bliss and being sucked into a vortex, being guilt-tripped by parents and various manifestations of guilt including that of Adam and Eve, themes from H.R Giger's art including war, death, demons and blasphemy, bio-mechanics and the mechanical nature of childbirth, use of datura, belladonna, henbane and deadly nightshade in witchcraft, satanic rituals, Plato's realm of transcendental forms, archetypal themes of heaven and hell, the aftermath of Hiroshima, the Goddess Kali and ego death, an alternative explanation of Freud's castration complex, perinatal themes in blockbuster movies such as Dune, Indiana Jones and Star Wars, and the theme of coronation and the child-king. Afterwards, Max plays a recording of an Amanita Muscaria trip-report involving a narrow escape from death. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Noah D - The Witch Doctor

In this week's installment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the fourth part of a day-long seminar by Stanislav Grof, from the world psychedelic forum, entitled 'psychospiritual death and rebirth, a visionary journey'. Grof talks about verifiably authentic experiences of identifying with animals during LSD trips, the importance of accelerating through psychotic experiences instead of administering tranquilisers to suppress them, telepathic experiences in trip sessions, reliving toxic-womb and bad-womb experiences, Jung's connection with nazism and his attempts to debunk christianity, Hitler's 'deranged mysticism' and his use of shamanic imagery behind the nazi campaign, Hitler's ecstatic mystical experience on seeing a holy relic, Hitler's past-life regression experience after taking mescaline, the advantages of delivering a child underwater and the unecessary traumatisation caused by modern delivery methods, the artwork of HR Giger and it's depiction of perinatal matrices, the theme of the devouring female in holotropic states and the connection to snakes and spiders, and vagina dentata and the theme of the vaginal torture chamber. Afterwards, Max reads out an email about the connection between BDSM sessions and psychedelic trips. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: The Electric Prunes - Get me to the world on time

Web links:
Ethno super lounge music store - www.ethnosuperlounge.com/eslshop

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the third part of a day-long seminar by Stanislav Grof, from the world psychedelic forum, entitled 'psychospiritual death and rebirth, a visionary journey'. Grof talks about ego death and rebirth, resolving the unfinished gestalt of the birth process in psychedelic therapy, astrological archetypes, the psychological and physical effects of MDMA, fractal patterns seen during trips, the negative effects of tranquilising someone having a bad trip, how to help someone get through a bad trip, the urge to strip naked during a trip, the connection between birth and death, birth as death of the fetus, death of the false ego, the triad of sex birth and death, transcendence and spirituality, tantric sex practises, torturing ordeal in the underworld, patterns of depression, Marxist interpretation of mystical experience, the inner revolution, transcendent rescue from the underworld, healing/wholeness and fragmentation, psychiatric interpretation of UFO abduction as 'psychotic', the archetypal motif of crucifixion and ressurection, symbiotic meging with the mother in the womb and at the breast, experiential logic and empathising with animals. Afterwards, Max reads out an email about DMT and jungle spice extraction. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Pussy - Open ground

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the second part of a day-long seminar by Stanislav Grof, from the world psychedelic forum, entitled 'psychospiritual death and rebirth, a visionary journey'. Grof talks about perinatal matrices and sexual arousal, sadomasochistic themes in the perinatal matrices, biological forces and hindrances in the birth process, damage to the fetus during birth, Freud's understanding of the birth experience as a prototype of fear and anxiety, the dispute between Freud and Rank over perinatal experience, Rank's idea of 'paradise to poverty', relation of anxiety to narrowness, the importance of working with the mother during pregnancy, traning medical professionals to deal with birth, a comparison of Grof's work to scientology, differences between psychoanalytic schools, psychological defenses during therapy sessions, the start of anatomical independance of the child, the experiential phenomenology of the perinatal matrices, mythological motifs in the death/rebirth experience, toxic chemical experiences in the bad womb, visions of octopuses and snakes, the experience of psychotic patients, the dark night of the soul, hell and demonic torture, depression as a stage of mental development, the philosophy of Sartre and perinatal experience, Sartre's bad trip on mescaline, the experience of hellish hopelessness and permanent psychosis, enacting the birth trauma in sadomasochistic scenes, themes of blasphemy, encounters with urine and faeces during birth and ego death and rebirth. Afterwards, Max plays a recording of a Salvia Divinorum trip from smoking frog, and talks about precuations when using Salvia. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Sangeet Mishra, Taro Terahara and Shen Flindell - Raga Charukeshi Alap

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the first part of a day-long seminar by Stanislav Grof, from the world psychedelic forum, entitled 'psychospiritual death and rebirth, a visionary journey'. Grof talks about the meaning of the categories 'non-ordinary' and 'holotropic' states of conscious, Hindu philosophy and the Atman/Brahman union, the healing/transformative/evolutionary potential of holotropic states, the inadequacy of the behaviourist and psychoanalytic paradigms to explain holotropic states, the inadequacy of psychiatric classification of holotropic states as 'psychotic', spiritual crises, a comprehensive cartography of the psyche, the relevance of spirituality to holotropic states, the ontological reality of holotropic states, the original mystical message of christianity, the relation of astrology to altered states, the systematic correlation of historical events to planetary transits, the birth experience and psychopathology, the reception of psychedelics in psychiatry, the psychedelic death/rebirth experience, comparison of psychedelic drugs to the telescope, the connection of psychedelics to shamanism and mystery religion, non-rationality irrationality and trans-rationality, the development of the infant psyche, perinatal experience and the 4 basic perinatal matrices, dissolution of boundaries, transcendence of time and personal identity, the numinous aspect of the death/rebirth experience, mythic metaphor and the death/rebirth experience, ego death and ego dissolution, good-womb and bad-womb experiences. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: J-Dilla - Lightworks

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout interviews author, anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Rätsch, they talk about mythology, religion and altered state experiences, myth as a tool for understanding reality, the role of belief and the literal interpretation of Christian scripture, India as a spiritual centre, the growing popularity of ayahuasca ceremonies, the financial crisis and erosion of western values, money as a pathological collective hallucination, the difference between money and value, possible alternatives to the money system, equality and tolerance, unconditional love and freedom, the utter failure of politics and capitalism, the fallacy of dualism, the inevitable failure of hierarchical power structures, the problem of overpopulation, the measures used to deal with overpopulation in rainforest tribal societies, the role of entheogens for spreading awareness, the absence of meaning and message in the psychedelic experience, the mutual co-dependance of matter and mind, the function of shamanism, shamanism as a technology, the potential value of shamanism for western culture, western hierarchical attitudes towards shamanism, the fallacy of organised religious approaches to entheogens such as those of Santo Daime and the UDV, the difference between dualism and polarity, the polarity of mythology and philosophy, the philosophy of Nietzsche, Dionysos and Apollo, reconciling the duality of subjective and objective within science, the abuse of science as a substitute for religion, the illusion of objectivity, the ultimate goal of scientific enquiry, eschatology and 2012, linear and cyclical models of time, the end and beginning of time, innacuracies of calenders and the shamanic role of visionary art literature and music. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Markomen - Babylon blues

Web links:
http://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/ratsch_christian/ratsch_christian.shtml
http://www.matrixmasters.com/pn/speakers/Ratsch-bio.html
http://www.christian-raetsch.de/

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk by Ralph Metzner from the World Psychedelic forum called 'Alchemical Divination - healing the past and visioning possible futures'. Metzner talks about the meaning of divination, obtaining knowledge from inner sources such as intuition, the higher self and ancestor spirits, the shamanic worldview, animism and nature spirits, using divination to heal the past and to look into the future for guidance, splintered self-identity following a trauma, the healing process involving re-experiencing and integration, remembering and dismembering, reconnecting what has been disconnected, panic attacks nightmares and flashbacks, the associations of tarot iching and astrology with divination, using altered states for getting out from the rutted frameworks of ordinary thinking, non-rational systems and reconceving assumptions, the importance of rhythmic drumming to shamanic traditions, healing others by understanding the process of healing, shamanism alchemy and yoga as 3 parallel systems of personal holistic transformation, different aspects of yoga and the path to liberationfrom repetitive patterns. After the Metzner talk, Max reads out a trip report involving a major life transformation brought about by psychedelics and family involvement. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Lawgiverz - LAM

To hear the talk from this episode without the German translation interspersed, download this file: http://media.libsyn.com/media/dopecast/Psychonautica072ENG.mp3

In this episode of psychonautica Max Freakout interviews Jan Irvin, the host of the Gnostic media podcast and author of 'Astrotheology and shamanism' and 'The holy mushroom', Jan talks about the work of Jack Herer, the dispute between John Allegro and Gordon Wasson over the depiction of mushrooms in Christian artwork, the psychedelic origins of Judeo-christianity, Jonathan Ott's pharmacotheon, John Rush's website clinicalanthrolopology, mythological allusions to entheogens and entheogen-experiences, the origins of the Jesus story, the meaning of the word 'catholic', the similarity of Jesus to other mythic figures such as Mithra and Shiva, relation of christianity to fertility cults, the mushroom as a representation of phallus and yoni, the relation of the Caduceus symbol to medicine, the virgin birth of Jesus as a representation of the lifecycle of the mushroom, entheogenic use of Amanita mushrooms and its reliability for triggering religious experience, combining Amanita mushrooms with Psilocybe mushrooms, the natural variability in potency of natural entheogens, entheogen diminishment fallacies and the relative efficacy of entheogens compared to drug-free techniques such as meditation for triggering religious experience, ergonomic accessibility of religious experience and the phoney logic behind the war on drugs. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Morphine - Swing it low

web links:
www.clinicalanthropology.com
www.gnosticmedia.com

In this episode of psychonautica Max Freakout reads out a selection of listener emails, talking about psychedelic families, the ideas of Robert Anton Wilson about evolution and reality tunnels, Plato's allegory of the cave, psychedelic use in old age, Salvia Divinorum extraction, some Datura trip reports, G.I. Gurdjieff vague allusions to entheogens, PD Ouspensky's views on time and higher dimensions, Rudy Rucker's book 'the fourth dimention' and its connection to entheogens and ego death theory. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: An-ten-nae - Looking out the window, Aphrodite - Hiro 2

This episode of psychonautica features a conversation between Max Freakout and Alex Beiner, the author of forthcoming novel 'Beyond the Basin'. They talk about Ayahuasca ceremonies and shamanism, Alex's experiences on a recent trip to Peru for the shamanism conference with ayahuasca and San Pedro, communication with entities during trips, the global financial crisis, the benefits of tripping with a shaman, synergising consciousness with entheogenic plants, dreamlike visions on ayahuasca, comparing DMT to ayahuasca, out of body experiences, home-brewing ayahuasca, Alex's experiences with Datura and Salvia Divinorum, using mapacho tobacco with ayahuasca, science fiction and altered states of consciousness, Jungian psychology, the distinction between gnosis drugs and ego drugs, activism and the war on drugs, the CIA's involvement with LSd and the 1960 hippie counterculture, and the internet as a visionary tool. Afterwards, Max Freakout reads out an  Amanita Muscaria trip report. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Future Prophecies - warlords rising

In this fortnight's installment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk from the world psychedelic forum, by Allyson and Alex Grey, entitled 'psychedelic families, what do we tell the children?'. The Greys talk about children and entheogens, the american ideal 'happy family', the Osborne family, the problems of modern drug education and its mischaracterization of drugs and failure to distinguish use from abuse, the 'drugs are bad' mentality, the 'harm reduction' and 'reality based' approaches to drug education, the importance of listening to children, distinction between addictive drugs such as methamphetamine and non-addictive drugs, Western condemnation of psychedelic drugs, lack of a sacred context for entheogen use, ayahuasca rituals, the UDV, Bwiti Iboga ceremonies, entheogen initiations as a rite of passage, Huichol Peyote use, Alex and Allyson's own experiences bringing up their daughter Zena, taking time without taking any drugs - the 'altered state of sobriety', Terence Mckenna's recommendation to only have one child, taking drugs around children and  comparisons of modern drug users to ancient Christians. Afterwards, Max Freakout reads out an email from Shroomatic about her experiences as an entheogen-using mother. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with the community of friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Massive Attack and Tool - Stinkfist

Web Links:
Alex Grey's visionary art video - http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=8743189251138139919&ei=1TuoScO9Mo62iALhrO24Dw&q=alex+grey+visionary+art

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about a forthcoming float-tank episode with fan5tastic, a Datura trip report and the effects of Datura, the origin of Pilsner beer, Plato's allegory of the cave and its psychedelic interpretation, Salvia Divinorum trips and shared language, the correct way to dose with amanita Muscaria mushrooms, psychedelic alienation, the war on drugs and bringing up children, taking MDMA to socialise, the popularity of alcohol, the absurdity of illegal plants and the negative effects of drug prohibition. Email Max at maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

playlist: Eyedea and abilities - Powdered water too; Portishead - Numb

In this fortnight's edition of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk from the World Psychedelic forum by Dale Pendell called 'Psychedelics and Zen Buddhism, the search for a path', Dale Pendell talks about the connection between entheogen experiences and religious experience and the opinions of several writers on the subject, buddhist attitudes to entheogens, esoteric buddhism, attaining enlightenment outside of the buddhist tradition, cracking open the world with entheogens, zen training as a preparation for taking psychedelics, defining the goal of spiritual practise, shamans vs zen teachers, tantric practise and a number of stories from Pendell's book 'pharmaco-gnosis'. Next Max Freakout talks about the Amanita Muscaria mushroom, Datura, and DMT extraction. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out at the forums www.thegrowreport.com

Playlist: Victor Vaughan - Vaudeville Villain

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about 3 new psychedelic podcasts, shamanic freedom radio with Opaquelense and his interview with Rupert Sheldrake, Jan Irvin's interview with Stanislav Grof on his Gnostic media podcast, and the new podcast from the 2 zillion year old hippie. Next, Max reads out and comments on an email from Jamin about Fly Agaric mushrooms and their inconclusive psychoactive effects, and also historical use of psychoactive plants, witchcraft and its connection with Henbane, concentrated Amanita mushroom extracts, the psychoactive origins of Mead, Pilsner beer and coca cola, the modern obsession with alcohol and demonisation of all other drugs and the action of different drugs on the brain. Max then talks about a recent addition to Michael Hoffman's ego death yahoo group, a review of D.C Hillman's new book 'the chemical muse' about drug use in ancient Greece, and following a musical break Max talks about a recent article added to erowid about historical evidence of ancient Tantric and Buddhist use of Datura and cannabis and the ongoing debates about this subject and the old meaning of the word 'wine'. Finally Max reads out an email from Teajunky about the initiatory properties of DMT trips, and some refinements to the Marsofold tek for extracting DMT from Mimosa hostilis. Email Max at maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

playlist: Cannibal Ox feat. Rob Swift - Cosmos; Easy Star allstars - Great dub in the sky


Podcast web-links:
2 Zillion-Year-Old-Hippie  - http://2zillionhippie.podomatic.com/
Jan Irvin's gnostic media podcast - http://gnosticmedia.podomatic.com/
shamanicfreedomradio's Podcast - http://shamanicfreedomradio.podomatic.com/

In this festive season episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the second part of a 2-part talk by Daniel Pinchbeck from the world psychedelic forum called 'the future of psychedelics'. This is a question and answer session in which Pinchbeck talks about gnosticism and mystery religions, UFOs and crop circles, scepticism and secular materialism, non-human entities encountered in psychedelic trips, the idea of time speeding up towards 2012, Socrates' wisdom and ancient Greek epistemology, the possible input of psychedelic plants to human evolution, the importance of making bold theories and of demanding the impossible, the meaning of the 2012 prophecy, the possibility of major global transformation and deepening awareness, and the idea that time travel might make calenders become obsolete. Email Max at maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

playlist: Left coast Liquid - desert dwellers

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout first talks about the documentary about ayahuasca by the Dutch filmmaker Jan Kounen called 'other worlds', and about Dr Kary Mullis and the Nobel Prize he received for pioneering work in molecular biology, which he attributed to insights about molecular structure he gained from tripping on LSD. Next, Max plays the first part of a 2-part talk by Daniel Pinchbeck from the world psychedelic forum called 'the future of psychedelics', in which Pinchbeck talks about the science and technology of indienous cultures and western technologies, quantum physics, the role of psychedelics in the 2012 prophecy, rudolph Steiner and intellectual intuition, psychedelics and separateness from the material world, deconditioning from social constructs, psychedelics and enlightenment, respect for ancestors and dealing with shadow material, Paul Stamets and using mushrooms for bio-remediation, the banking system,money and potential alternative currency systems, alternative social infrastructures, the production of subjectivity, the purpose of life on Earth, the insanity of American pop-culture, Carl Jung and synchronicity, entity contact in the psychedelic experience, the Dutch mushroom ban, gnosticism and shamanism, and the choice to become a visionary. Tune in for the second part of the daniel Pinchbeck talk next Friday, and in the meantime email Max at maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

playlist: Alpha Rhythms - Silicon

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk by Michael Winkleman from the world psychedelic forum called 'Psychedelics and human evolution, a view from evolutionary psychology'. Michael Winkleman talks about the 'drug paradox' and evolutionary adaptations of humans to psychoactive plants, the integrative mode of consciousness and psychedelics as 'psychointegrators', psychedelic drugs as sources of rare neurotransmitters, the role of ritual practises to enhance the psychoactive effects of plants, the evolutionary history of the relationship between humans and psychoactive plants, serotonin and opioid receptors in the human brain, serotonergic binding, shamanism as a tool for integrating communities by enhancing opioid bonding, cognitive capabilities that are unique to human beings, mystical experiences induced by long-distance running, dancing to induce altered states of consciousness and the role of dancing for animals, human relationship to fungi and the worldwide distribution of neurotropic fungi, the mystical effects of psilocybe mushrooms including travelling to other dimensions cathartic healing and the ego death/rebirth experience, the concordance of DMT/psilocybin experiences and shamanism, promotion of altruistic activity by psychedelics, the roots of shamanism in chimpanzee behaviour, similarities of psychedelic experiences to meditative experiences, alternative means of altering consciousness besides psychedelics such as shamanic drumming and chanting, synchronized theta waves in the brain during psychedelic experiences, the ineffability of ltered states of consciousness, the reducing valve of consciousness and opening up the lower part of the brain with psychedelics, the tolerance effect that comes with frequent usage of psychedelics, enhanced learning with psychedelics and the psychedelic influence on human evolution. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Ozric Tentacles - Eternal wheel

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk by Thomas Roberts called 'New Horizons; potential benefits of psychedelics for humanity'. Thomas Roberts talks about the relationships between programs and computers, mind-body states and minds,the 'single state fallacy' of modern culture and its origins, multistate mind theory, uses of altered states of conssciousness,using drugs to enhance cognitive abilities, spiritual development and intelligence, developing a comprehensive psychology including data from altered states of consciousness, psychedelics and other psychotechnologies such as meditation and yoga, possibilities and impossibilities in altered states of consciousness, placeboing in different mindbody states, psychedelic induced mystical experiences, producing artificial mind-body states, different definitions and theories of intelligence, mind-designers mind-engineers and mind-architects, Crick's discovery of DNA allegedly while tripping on acid, use of psychedelics by academia, the problem-solving capacity of LSD, psychedelics boosting intelligence, using intelligence to solve probelms at night in the dream state, curing alcoholism by inducing mystical experience and scientific studies of mystical experiences on psilocybin. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Zen-Men feat. DJ Jondal - I am Home (Dope Beat Mix)1

Due to a mix-up with psychonautica 58, in this episode of psychonautica Max Freakout plays the first half of the talk by Stanislav Grof called 'psychology of the future, lessons from modern consciousness research' which was intended for episode 58. Grof talks about the similarities between themes encountered in perinatal experiences and state propaganda, the meaning of snakes and spiders in perinatal experiences, the therapeutic, transformative and evolutionary potential of holotropic experiences, the artwork of H.R Giger and its connection to the perinatal matrices, creating a cartography of the human psyche, the conflict between Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank over the importance of the birth trauma for psychopathology, the importance of the perinatal matrices for the cartography of the psyche, the trauma of birth, the 4 perinatal matrices, holistic views in esoteric systems, the relation between parts and the whole, holography and transcending boundaries, systems of condensed experience, healing mechanisms in transpersonal experiences, Grof's 'interview with the devil', modern psychiatry and its lack of a category for transpersonal experiences, unorthodox psychiatry and disputes between different schools of therapeutic theory. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: The Orb - Prime Evil

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout first reads out a comment about the last episode about psychedelics as a rite of passage, and introducing children to the experience, next Max plays the second half of a 2 part talk from Stanislav Grof at the world psychedelic forum called 'psychology of the future, lessons from modern consciousness research'. Grof talks about his training in psychoanalysis, the transformative potential of LSD compared to psychoanalysis, disputes between the various psychoanalytic schools, the healing process of ego communicating with the Self through symbolic language, Jungian theory, Jung's interest in alchemy and his psychoanalystic methods, the process of holistic breathwork therapy and inner healing intelligence, the interaction between the patient and the therapist in transpersonal therapy, the infinite creativity of the human psyche, materialistic tendencies in traditional psychiatry and the modern pathologizing of spiritual/transpersonal experiences, the numinosity of transpersonal experiences, Plato's philosophy of forms and altered state of consciousness, nominalism vs realism and the apparent conflict between religion and science, heaven and hell as states of consciousness, Aldous Huxley's writings about altered states, Richard Dawkin's writing about religion and the necessity of having altered state experiences for understanding spirituality, the use of astrology to understand and predict spiritual emergency and to plan tripping sessions, inter-dimensional communication, speaking in unknown languages during holotropic breathwork sessions, holotropic breathwork for children and rituals associated with rites of passage. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Aphrodite - Spice

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the first half of a 2 part talk from Stanislav Grof at the world psychedelic forum called 'psychology of the future, lessons from modern consciousness research'. Grof talks about the similarities between themes encountered in perinatal experiences and state propaganda, the meaning of snakes and spiders in perinatal experiences, the therapeutic, transformative and evolutionary potential of holotropic experiences, the artwork of H.R Giger and its connection to the perinatal matrices, creating a cartography of the human psyche, the conflict between Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank over the importance of the birth trauma for psychopathology, the importance of the perinatal matrices for the cartography of the psyche, the trauma of birth, the 4 perinatal matrices, holistic views in esoteric systems, the relation between parts and the whole, holography and transcending boundaries, systems of condensed experience, healing mechanisms in transpersonal experiences, Grof's 'interview with the devil', modern psychiatry and its lack of a category for transpersonal experiences, unorthodox psychiatry and disputes between different schools of therapeutic theory. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Gotam Project - Sufism

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout first mentions the new podcast from Jan Irvin of pharmacratic inquisition, and then reads out a listener comment about Western attitudes towards psychosis contrasted with shamanic attitudes. Next, Max plays the second installment of the 2 part panel discussion from the World psychedelic forum started in episode 56, called 'Everything you always wanted to know about psychedelics, a conversation between experts and users', featuring Rick Doblin, Dennis Mckenna, Dale Pendell and Kathleen Harrison. They discuss the chemical composition of Kratom, potential problems of using Kratom extracts, the analgesic properties of Salvia Divinorum, determining the toxicity of drugs, laboratory testing of drugs on animals, avoiding fear on psychedelic trips, being open to the psychedelic experience, mixing LSD with LSD to assist in openness, why bad trips should not be avoided, being convinced that you are dying/going crazy on a trip, keeping energy moving on a trip, getting headaches after a trip, the importance of keeping your body hydrated, using cannabis alongside psychedelics, the importance of diet before a trip, remembering psychedelic experiences afterwards, stating your intention before embarking on a trip, different varieties of ayahuasca session, and the balance of masculine and feminine energies. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: DJ Shadow - monosylabik

Web links: Jan Irvin's podcast webpage - http://gnosticmedia.podomatic.com

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the first part of a 2 part panel discussion from the World psychedelic forum, called 'Everything you always wanted to know about psychedelics, a conversation between experts and users', featuring Rick Doblin, Dennis Mckenna, Dale Pendell and Kathleen Harrison. They discuss potentiating magic mushrooms with MAOIs, spiritual growth and psychotic episodes, integrating psychedelic experiences, Dennis Mckenna's psychotic episode/shamanic initiation in La Chorrera, schizophrenia and LSD, using psychedelics freqently at low doses, using LSD to treat cluster headaches, psychedelic drugs as painkillers, opiate addiction, MDMA and opiates, kratom addictiveness and its use for overcoming addictions. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Junkie XL - nudge

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the second part of the talk by Baba Rampuri, from the World psychedelic forum, called 'the edge of Indian spirituality: Naga Babas, oral tradition, and the psychedelic experience'. Baba Rampuri talks about sameness and difference, the dome of the stars and planets, the interconnectedness of nature, syllable formation and human vocal apparatus, the primordial word 'aum', Shiva's creation of the universe, ego and self-identity, the roles of gurus and scriptures, the invention of the printing press and its effect on knowledge, Brahma and the cycles of the world, the internet, books and communication and the connection of language to the world. In the second part of the podcast, Max Freakout reads out a trip report from Filepae of an ego-fragmenting mushroom trip at Burningman. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Bassnectar - Snakecharmer

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk from the World psychedelic forum by Baba Rampuri called 'the edge of Indian spirituality: Naga Babas, oral tradition, and the psychedelic experience'. Baba Rampuri talks about his travels in India, making pilgrimages to a 'crossing point between worlds', the hidden entrances to these other worlds, the meaning of 'darshan' the beholding, achieving immortality, the alchemical contribution to the world of Albert Hoffman, the 'greatest living alchemist' and a 'living deity', the transformational mission of the alchemist, being both subject and object of the alchemical experiment, expanding one's vocabulary, Hindu scriptures and words such as 'karma' and 'nirvana' and their relevance to the psychedelic experience, Indian culture and the oral tradition of naga babas the 'yogi shamans', the search for new meanings, Indian cannabis use, gurus and their communication of self-knowledge, the distortion of Hinduism by India's colonisers, the book o0f the world, the mother goddess and her fruits spread across the world, the uncluttered mind of the yogi, and his connection with the goddess and amrita the elixir of immortality. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Hey Soma - Miracle suspension

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the second part of a 2-part talk by Kathleen Harrison from the world psychedelic forum called 'spirit in nature - psychedelic plants and mushrooms through native eyes'. Kathleen talks about the capacity of plants for absorbing and releasing energy, the journey drugs go on before they are consumed, the grow season of mushrooms in Mexico, the use of plant medicine for snake bites, how shamans discover appropriate healing plants, Mazatec use of Morning Glory, references to the virgin Mary in the names of plants, rumours of possible Salvia Divinorum prohibition in the US, becoming personally acquainted with shamanic plants, different kinds of Salvia experience, Mazatec Salvia use and etiquette, the personality of Salvia Divinorum, smoking Salvia, safety precautions of Salvia use and the 'bolt-factor', contacting tribal ancestors and the morphogenetic field. After the talk, Max talks about the talks from the recent Horizons psychedelic conference in NYC, and reads out a trip report from Hunahpu eating Nutmeg in cookies, and talks about plantism and bias in the entheogen community. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Insane Bangers - LSD a skillz mix

Mp3 talks from the Horizon conference:
http://www.archive.org/details/Horizons2008

Horizons conference website:
http://horizonsnyc.org/

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the first part of a 2-part talk by Kathleen Harrison from the world psychedelic forum called 'spirit in nature - psychedelic plants and mushrooms through native eyes'. Kathleen talks about ethnobotany and ethnomycology, her travels around South America and Mexico, the relation of plants to mythology, the being of plants, the healing power of Brugmansia, the animated universe of the Mazatec, the religious practises/beliefs of the Mazatec, the mushroom culture of Huatla,Gordon Wasson and Maria Sabina, the healing industry and psychedelic mushroom trade in Mexico, healing objects for sale in Mexico, the hippy-tourist invasion in the 1960s following Gordon Wasson's travels, the different species of mushroom used in Mexico and the differences between them, shamanic husband/wife couples, use of tobacco by the MAzatec, and the naming of tobacco species after saints, the cooperativeness of Psilocybe Cubensis, and use of Psilocybe Mexicana. After the talk, Max talks about psychedelic mushrooms, growing psilocybe cubensis and magic truffles at home, his experience of tobacco use in ayahuasca ceremonies, and a new book by DC Hilman which highlights the anti-entheogen bias of Westernm academia. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Mr Rogers - The DMT factor

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout first talks about a new scientific study into near-death experiences, and mentions the forthcoming UK hemp expo in London in November. Next, Max plays a talk from Dale Pendell at the World psychedelic forum called 'Plant teachers and the path of Eve, the mythopoetic roots of psychedelic practise in the Western tradition'. Dale Pendell talks about the importance of having a shadow, losing your shadow, the importance of luck in some shamanic traditions, Western shamanic figures such as Orpheus, Socrates, divine madness and shamanism, scapegoating drugs, Faust the necromancer, necromancing as Western shamanism, giving bodies to spirits, black magic and conjuring, Buddhist philosophy on the 6 levels of the world, plant wisdom, possible entheogen allusions in religious art, William Blake, artistic depictions of Eve and the serpent in the garden of Eden, Eve as the protector of the 'poison path', and as Isis, modern cultural myopia towards sacred plants and the poetry of John Milton. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: the Beatles - tomorrow never knows

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays a talk by Daniel Pinchbeck from the world psychedelic forum, called "Breaking open the head, an initiation with the Bwiti in Gabon". Daniel Pinchbeck talks about his life as a journalist prior to his psychedelic initiation in Africa, his trip to the jungle of Gabon meeting with an enigmatic shaman, finding objects before a trip, the ceremony proceudre and eating the ibogaine, ibogaine's use as an addiction treatment and for psychoanalysis, ibogaine's effect on sleeping and drinking habits, the unfolding process of the ibogaine trip, the importance of connecting with shamanic lineages, interpreting the messages from plants and different levels of experience. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: O.T.T - Smoked glass and chrome

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the second half of the talk from SAEPT called 'Swiss psychedelic pilot studies, beginning anew where LSD began'. In this part of the talk, Peter Oehen from SAEPT talks about combining research with therapy, the demanding process of integrating complex experiences into consciousness,
the meaning of 'integration', difficulty remembering psychedelic experiences and the transpersonal self and the ego. Next, the team jojntly discuss research currently taking place in Norway, the choice of music in therapy sessions, the importance of having male and female co-therapist teams, the possibility of violence in therapy sessions, using yoga to combat anxiety and the difference between MAPS and the Beckley foundation. After the talk, Max Freakout talks about difficulty remembering the content of DMT trips and this year's mushroom picking season. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: The Kumba Mela experiment - That which i could only sense

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout first announces the recent addition of the word 'entheogen'to the Oxford English dictionary. Next, Max plays the first half of a 2-part talk from MAPS and a Swiss psychedelic research group SAEPT called 'Swiss psychedelic pilot studies, beginning anew where LSD began', Rick Doblin introduces the talk with a rundown of the history of psychedelic research in Switzerland,and talks about Swiss MDMA studies and the beginning of Swiss LSD studies. Next, PEter Gasser talks about MDMA assisted psychotherapy, the structure of treatment, the therapeutic setting used for the study, the progress of the study so far, neurochemistry of PTSD, the efficacy of MDMA compared to the standard SSRI medication,the effect and neurochemical action of MDMA, establishing a trusting relationship with patients, follow-up contact with patients following MDMA treatment, difficulties talking about traumatic experiences, and ways of overcoming this difficulty, additional techniques
to MDMA ingestion such as bodywork and music,and the variability of MDMA therapy sessions. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Frank Zappa - Help I'm a rock

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the second part of the panel discussion started last week between Carolyn Garcia, Ralph Metzner, Dale Pendell, Cynthia Palmer and Michael Horowitz entitled 'The birth of the psychedelic movement, a look back at another America'. This is the question and answer session at the end of the discussion, topics that are discuused include the books written by switched on academics in the 1960s, the importance of dialogue and circle formation for the psychedelic movement, the importance of the internet, the Gaia hypothesis, what psychedelics can contribute to the modern world, psychedelic churches and the possibility of setting up an LSD church, Orwellian doublespeak in the capitalist marketplace, the initial flowering of the psychedelic movement with Albert Hoffman's discovery of LSD and the public availability of scientific data, the progress of the psychedelic movement and visionary subcultures. Finally Max mentions the new book by Paul Stamets
'Mycelium running - how mushrooms can save the world' and talks about the discovery of fungus growing inside the disused nucear reactor at Chernobyl. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: The Kumba Mela experiment - East of the river Ganges

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the first half of a panel discussion from the World Psychedelic forum, called 'the birth of the psychedelic movement, a look back at another America', featuring Carolyn Garcia, Ralph Metzner, Cynthia Palmer, Michael Horowitz and Dale Pendell. First, Dale Pendell talks about the successes and failures of the 1960s psychedelic movement, its exposure by the media and eventual co-option, the main contributors to the movement, and his own experiences. Next, Cynthia Palmer talks about the conservative, repressed 1950s, her experiences as a teenager during this period, her introduction to drugs and move to New York, growing cannabis and getting busted. Next, Ralph Metzner talks about his forthcoming book with Ram Dass, the consciousness-expanding experience of being born, and various other metaphors for consciousness expansion, Paul stamet's new book 'mycelium running', the mutual understanding between psychedelic people, the illegalisation of psychedelic drugs and different approaches to psychedelic expression. Next, Michael Horowitz talks about the high doses of LSD routinely used in the 1960s, the release of the Beatles' 'Sergeant Pepper's lonely hearts club' album in 1967, the abundance of love in the 1960s and his first trip alone. Finally, Carolyn Garcia talks about the concept of a chemically enhanced human being, the miraculous size of an LSD dose, the rapid changes and uncontrollability of the 1960s psychedelic movement, the political backdrop of the period, the music scene of the 1960s, and the protection it provided, Grateful Dead concerts as a conduit of the psychedelic movement, the end of the 1960s and its loss of freedom, the lasting effect of the 1960s on computer technology.
In the second part of the podcast, Max documents fan5tastic's first DMT experience, with a written trip report, and a recording of the aftermath of the trip, involving an account of a visit to an intense world of geometric patterns. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the growing community of friendly psychonauts hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max first mentions a new psychedelic podcast, 'psychedelic shaman', then, Max plays the second half of the talk started in psychonautica #44, from Annie Mithoefer and Sameet Kumar, called 'developing LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelics into legal prescription medicines'. First Annie Mithoefer talks about MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, using drugs such as benzodiazepine to combat anxiety encountered in MDMA sessions, other challenges of MDMA therapy, integrating anger and other strong emotions, talking about patient's emotions with them, therapy as a 'path', and a personal account of a course of MDMA therapy. Next, Sameet Kumar talks about using psilocybin to deal with end-of-life existential anxiety in patients with advanced terminal cancer. Sameet talks about the depotentiating effect of SSRIs on psilocybin, the medications which are usually used to treat cancer such as interferon, anxiety experienced by cancer patient's care-givers, the inclusion criteria for psilocybin therapy, and the setting of therapy sessions.
Finally, Max talks about the similarity of the process of medicinal psychedelic therapy, to ordinary recreational use of psychedelic use, the recent news of a mushroom-related suicide in Holland, and its implications for the proposed dutch mushroom ban, the effect of psychedelic drugs on the experience of spontaneous self-control, and more information about the recent update on the psilocybin research from John Hopkins university. Email maxfreakout@hotmail.co.uk, and join the friendly community on the forums at www.thegrowreport.com


web links:
psychedelic shaman podcast and blog - http://psychedelicshaman.blogspot.com/2005/12/psychedelic-shaman-podcast-1.html

Playlist: Wookie Foot - muerte y suenos

In this week's edition of psychonautica, Max first mentions a psychedelic video-cast called 'Neurosoup' available on youtube. Next Max plays the first part of a 2-part talk from the world Psychedelic forum called 'developing LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelics into legal prescription medicines', with Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS, and Michael Mithoefer. They talk about the high cost of psychedelic research, the benefits of non-profit research, the potential benefits of the integration of psychedelics into medicine, Native American peyote use, and ayahuasca churches, the scientific approach to psychedelics, risk/benefit analysis, the low credibility of the war on drugs and government attitudes to drugs, patentability of psychedelic drugs, the frequency of administration of psychedelics in therapy compared to the daily use of pharmaceutical drugs, the economics of drug development, how to keeping the heart of the psychedelic experience in scientific research settings, MDMA assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, general obstacles to treating PTSD, the process of therapy sessions, Stan Grof's influence on therapy procedures, the importance of follow-up sessions, the possibility that symptoms get worse before getting better, and different approaches to psychotherapy.Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with the friendly community of psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com


web links:
CBC magic mushroom podcast
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/current_20080723_6736.mp3
Neurosoup website:
www.neurosoup.com


Playlist: Dr Octagon - Earth people

In this week's edition of psychonautica, Max first says R.I.P to George Carlin, then mentions a new psychedelic music podcast, 'behind the eyelids' by Zeke0. Next, Max plays a talk from the world psychedelic forum, from several members of the MAPs team, called 'kicking the habit, Ibogaine in the treatment of opiate addiction'. They talk about the ibogaine containing plant, Tabernanthe Iboga, and its shamanic use by the Bwiti tribe of Gabon, its use for 'binding across time' and meeting tribal ancestors, clinical studies of ibogaine with opiate addiction, the history of the Western discovery of ibogaine, the illegalisation of ibogaine in various countries, underground supplies of ibogaine, the ban of ibogaine for olympic athletes, ibogaine related deaths, the process of ibogaine therapy, the 24-36 hour long trips, the importance of aftercare following the trip, ibogaine as a catalyst, not a cure for addiction, ibogaine retreats, necessary precautions for ibogaine treatments, the range of substance addictions treatable with ibogaine, the duration of ibogaine treatments, the transpersonal approach to treatment, the difference between a guide, a sitter and a facilitator, statistics relating to ibogaine treatment success, and the ibogaine afterglow.
In the second part of the podcast, Max gives a detailed trip report from his recent ayahuasca initiation, involving 2 very different experiences over a weekend, with a shaman and a proper ceremonial setting.. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with the friendly community of psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com


web links:
http://rev_zeke.podomatic.com/

Playlist: Alpha Rhythm - open ending

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout, fresh back from holidays, first mentions the new psychedelic podcast 'blacklight in the attic' from Sancho and cody, and also the latest episode of Black Beauty's 'BB's bungalow' podacst which features several trip reports from the recent 4/21 dopestock group mushroom trip in Vondelpark, Amsterdam. Next, Max plays a talk by Jeremy Narby from the World Psychedelic Forum, entitled 'synergies between science and shamanism', Narby talks about Gordon Wasson and Maria Sabina, including comparisons that were made between Sabina and Quetzlcoatl's daughter, the use of ayahuasca to treat tuberculosis which was revealed in an ayahuasca vision, the relation of Amazonian cultures to hi-tech cultures, the volatile interface between science and shamanism, the difference between the scientific and shamanic understandings of the concepts of 'hallucination' and 'knowledge', the differing perspectives of shamanic subjectivity and scientific objectivity, combining systems of knowledge, bi-cognitivism, comparison of systems of knowledge to languages, Francis Crick's discovery of the DNA double helix, and the use of psychedelics as a visualizing tool. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at www.thegrowreport.com.

'Blacklight in the attic' psychedelic podcast:
http://blacklightattic.podomatic.com/

Playlist: Peacekeeper - If you don't mind (I'm going home)

In this week's edition of psychonautica, Max first plays a talk by Cynthia Palmer, from the recent world psychedelic forum in Basel Switzerland, entitled "she-shamans, an illustrated history of women and psychedelics", Cynthia talks about the connection of women to sacred plants, the role of the feminine in nature, women as yin in taoist philosophy, Cleopatra, the mountain girl and Maria Sabina, artefacts from Greece showing the poppy Goddess, Demeter and Persephone, the Goddess of sleep and her sisters ganja, coca, tobacco and amanita, morphine, datura, the feminine aspect of mushrooms, morning glories, Salvia Divinorum the shepherdess, yage, women in amazonian ayahuasca ceremonies, Isis as modern counterpart of Maria Sabina (the prototype shaman), mushroom veladas, the ancient shaman Pithia and her intoxication with henbane, cannabis and datura, the temptation of Eve in Eden to eat the forbidden toadstool, the hashish assassin's visit to the paradise of virgins, Mary Pinchot Meyer's relationship with president Kennedy, her assassination and destruction of her diary, anita hoffman and her friendship with Cynthia Palmer, Nancy Reagan and Brownie Mary's pot brownies, the ancient Greek poet Sappho, the ambrosia of the Gods, ancient Greek use of mixed psychoactive wine, Mary Robinson's poetry and use of opium, her laudunum visions, Coleridge's subsequent laudunum visions, Louisa May Alcott's writings about drugs, her own use of morphine and opium, Anita Berber, Grace slick, Billie Holiday, the psychedelic anthem 'white rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane, Mabel Dodge Luhan's account of a native american peyote ceremony, Gordon Wasson's mycophilic wife Valentina, their visit to Maria Sabina, Laura Huxley, Adele Davis, the hospice movement, medical marijuana, Jane Dunlap, the hookah smoking caterpillar from alice in wonderland as mushroom shaman, Sherana Harriet Frances, the transformation of her art by psychedelics, modern drugs culture, ibogaine, and the heroes of our time, psychedelic researchers.
    In the second part of the podcast, Max interviews Caduceus Mercurius of www.psychonaut.com, they talk about the proposed Dutch mushroom ban, the proposal to include Amanita Muscaria into the proposal and the unusual reasoning behind this decision, the English mushroom ban in 2005, comparison of amanita mushrooms to psilocybe mushrooms, Christianity and mushrooms, the history of coffeeshops in Holland, Dutch tolerance, the banning of MDMA, the forthcoming Dutch release of pharmacratic inquisition, French ayahuasca ban and intolerant attitude to herbs, Dutch protests over the proposed mushroom ban, Dutch politician's behaviour, outdoor mushroom cultivation and the psychonaut channel on youtube. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with the friendly community of psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com


web links:
www.psychonaut.com
http://youtube.com/user/psychonautchannel

In this week's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout plays the 2nd half of the talk 'psychedelic medicine' from the world psychedelic forum, including a talk  by Thomas Roberts about modern practicalities and procedures involved in creating officially approved psychedelic medicines, and a question and answer session to finish it off. Thomas Roberts talks about a corporate model of psychedelic research, including a plan for the next 10 years, the lack of public awareness about psychedelics, public apathy towards the issue, the process of getting drugs made available to the public, how to obtain funding, modern culture's addiction to money, the procedures involved in drug trials and FDA involvement in the process, getting media coverage for drug trials in particular the importance of the financial media, the approximate number of psychedelic drug users in the US and worldwide animal studies with psychedelics, the failure of the CIA's attempts to use LSD for their evil purposes and the efficacy of ibogaine comparaed to methadone for treating heroin addiction.
    Also in tis week's psychonautica, Max plays a recording of a trip session with himself and the Oracle in Amsterdam, trying out a smoking combination of Banisteriposis Caapi vine, and extracted freebase DMT, bith Max and the Oracle take turns at smoking the mixture and then report the effects and have a general conversation about psychedelics. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with the friendly community of podcast listeners at www.thegrowreport.com

This week's episode of psychonautica contains  talk by Michael Winkleman from the world psychedelic forum entitled 'psychedelic medicine'. Michael talks about the possible role of psychedelics in human evolution, psychedelics as psycho-integrators, serotonin as a neuro-modulator, bringing together levels of the brain and bringing unconsciousness into consciousness, the legal status of ayahuasca and peyote in the US, ayahuasca churches and tourism, native American's use of peyote, drug fatalities, psychedelics for treatment of substance abuse problems, medical assessments of psychedelics, treatment of cluster headaches, the moral imperative of psychedelic research, treatment of post traumatic stress disorder and the prevalence of PTSD and suicide in the US army, the psychedelic afterglow, treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, treatment of anxiety in terminal cancer patients, the efficacy of alcoholics anonymous compared to psychedelics, ibogaine and its discovery by addicts, ketamine and its similarity to psychedelics, therapeutic use of peyote, alcoholism among native Americans, peyote as a de-semanticizing agent, the importance of sexual abstinence and fasting prior to entheogen use, and different approaches to the employment of psychedelics in therapeutic settings. email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and join the friendly community at www.thegrowreport.com.

playlist: Pladavark - pay attention

This week's episode of psychonautica contains the second part of the conversation between Max Freakout and the Peacekeeper, they talk about the apparent 'instant omniscience' experienced on nitrous oxide, Peacekeeper's experience of channeling mathematical formulae whilst on mushrooms, retaining information from psychedelic experiences, willfully relinquishing control, madness and the 'shamanic smile', Peacekeeper's 'present' from the DMT elves, DMT and alien abduction, oxygen as the drug of life, Stanislav Grof's theories about birth trauma, unwanted psychedelic revelations, alienation, meditations on breathing, the shaman's role as trip guide, different sizes of ayahasca ceremony, the qualifications of a shaman, pharmahuasca, synthetic and natural drugs,Western attitudes to shamanic cultures, modern Western spirituality, spiritual bookshops, gradual self-improvement vs rapid breakthrough/transformation, yoga and its combination with psychedelics, temporal lobe epilepsy and mystical experiences, combining psychedelic experiences with study of philosophy, Vipassana retreats, silencing the inner voice and anti-drugs attitudes in modern spiritual practises such as Vipassana. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com



Playlist: Peacekeeper - brotherly love; Peacekeeper - queen of silence

This week's episode of psychonautica is the first part of a two-part podcast primarily about ayahuasca ceremonies, featuring Peacekeeper and Max Freakout, recorded in the Greenhouse coffeeshop, Amsterdam. They talk about the varieties of ayahuasca ceremonies, variations between different traditions in light-levels, the importance of music to the experience, they ayahuacsa snake, methods of coping with nausea, purging and other physical effects, effect of adding Datura to the brew, Salvia divinorum, the idea of ego and controllership, Alan Watt's on ego, stepping back from ego on psychedelics, passive experiencing, dissociation and ego death, science and spirituality, psychedelic epistemology. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the community of friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.


Playlist: Peacekeeper - any connection; Peacekeeper - we could wake each other up

This week's episode of psychonautica contains a talk from the recent World Psychedelic forum, by Amanda Feilding of the Beckley foundation, entitled 'expanded consciousness and its importance to survival'. Amanda talks about the specturm of states of consciousness, the benefits of expanding and altering consciousness, the neurophysiology of altered states, prehistoric mn, altered consciousness and cultural evolution, the psychedelic transformation of the 1960s, the Eleuinian mysteries, Benny Shannon's writings on the use of Acacia and Harmal (ayahuasca analogue) in ancient Egypt, the potential benefits of psychedelics for modern society, the ability of psychedelics to increase blood flow to the brain, the importance of increased cerebral circulation, the scientific understanding of consciousness, Beckley foundation's research projects, obstacles to scientific research into psychedelics, LSD assisted psychotherapy, using psilocybin to help with addiction problems and represssed memories, development of new antidepressant medications based on ketamine research, the antipsychotic component of cannabis, using an EEG on people meditating, trebination to increase blood supply to the brain, potential for use to delay the onset of dementia in old age, bringing the light of reason to drug policy, the evidence based approach to drug policy, the lack of attention being paid to the potential benefits of illegal drugs such as LSD and ecstasy, the road to a 'new Eleusis'. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and come and hang out with podcast listeners at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Ozric Tentacles - White Rhino tea

Beckley Foundation website:
http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/

This week's episode of psychonautica contains a talk from Dennis Mckenna, from the recent world Psychedelic forum, entitled "bitter brews and other abominations: the use of some little known psychoactive agents". Dennis talks about nature, the 'cornocopia of molecular diversity', the relation of DMT to tryptophan, the distribution of DMT in nature and Alex Shulgin's observations, Charles Nichol's research, Salvinorin-A receptors, psychotropic fish, the toxic pufferfish delicacy in Japan, psychedelic toads, bufotenine psychoactive frogs, near death experiences, spiders on drugs, insects in DMT visions, Jonathon Ott, ambrosia nectar and psychoactive honey, the 'bee-god' and cave-paintings of mushroom shamans from the Tassilli Plateau,psychoactive snakes, snake venom used to treat heroin addiction in India, Mimosa Hostilis and its orally active DMT component 'juremamine', pre-emptive prohibition of plant species. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and hang out with the friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com

Playlist:
Pladavark - Singularity

In this week's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout first reads out an obituary of Albert Hoffman who died on 29/04/08, written by Dieter Hagenbach and Lucius Werthmuller, then plays the talk by Dennis Mckenna - 'Psychedelics in basic neuroscience and clinical practise' from the world Psychedelic forum. Dennis Mckenna talks about the ancient use of psychedelics by indigenus cultures, the role of the shaman, and shamanic techniques of ecstasy, the pharmacology of psychedelics, serotonin receptors, true psychedelics and quasi-psychedelics such as Salvia Divinorum and MDMA, the use of psychedelics for studying the neural substrate of consciousness, various neuroscientists and their research projects, comparison of psilocybin to meditation, psychedelics and mystical/religious experiences, and the use of psychedelics to treat addiction and obssessive compulsive disorder. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the community of friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Heffter research institute website:
www.heffter.org

Playlist: Blow feat. Kyrian - Bassnectar

This week's episode of psychonautia contains the second half of the Stanislav Grof talk from the World Psychedelic forum 'the roots of human violence and greed; observations from psychedelic research'. In this part, Grof talks about the connection of individual psychedelic trips to the collective unconscious (such as images of wars and revolutions), the symbolism of birth trauma in state propaganda, artistic representations of perinatal matrices, collective astrological transits, the cold war and development of nuclear weapons, Nazism and other 'misguided' mystical impulses, mystical death and rebirth as a completion of the original birth process, the long term effects of psychedelics, and Ken Wilber's 'the Atman project'. Next, Max Freakout gives a personal trip report of the 4/21 dopestock group mushroom experience. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the community of friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist: Entheogenic - Pagan Dream Machine (Vibrasphere Rmx)

This week's episode of psychonautica contains the first half of the talk by Stanislav Grof - 'The roots of human violence and greed, observations from psychedelic research', from the World Psychedelic Froum 2008. Stanislav Grof talks about holotropic states of (non-ordinary) conscousness, their healing power, and revelation of the divine core of each individual., healing as becoming whole, holotropic breathwork the technique developed following the banning of LSD, Grof's original career plan in animated movies, Albert Hoffman's discovery of LSD, Grof's own experiences of unity consciousness with LSD, spiritual emergencies, the spontaneous self-healing of the human-organism, the insufficiency of modern psychology in accounting for non-ordinary states of consciousness, the need to include perinatal experiences in the cartography of the human psyche, the powerful effect of the birth experience on the life of the individual, Grof's conception of the 4 perinatal matrices and their relation to good and bad trips, types of experience such as becoming plants and animals, becoming enemies, past-life regression, seeing demonic entities, the vioence and greed of human history, the crisis in the evolution of consciousness, the inefficacy of military solutions to Western problems, the need for profound inner transformation, birth trauma as an explanation for horrific acts such as war crimes, astrology as a tool for predicting psychedelic sessions, the artwork of HR Giger, jung on synchronicity and hardwired archetypes, Buddhist conceptions of liberation, the fundamental ignorance of separate self and psychedelics as a tool to restore transcendental wisdom. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk and join the community of psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com


Playlist: LTJ Buken - Demon's theme

Mark W's links from psychonautica 31:
Radio show with Michael Horowitz
http://www.rusiriusradio.com/?p=86
Documentary about LSD
See it on Google Video

This episode of psychonautica contains a talk by Michael Horowitz, from the recent World Psychedelic forum in Basel Switzerland. The title of the talk is 'The revolving doors of perception: deconstructing the myths and ambiguities of the psychedelic zeitgeist', Michael Horowitz talks about mythic events in Western history since the discovery of LSD 65 years ago. Horowitz speculates about the films that will be showing at the 2020 world film festival and the top 10 films yet-to-be-made, and talks about the superb aptness of the word 'trip',the mythic status of a person's first, best and worst trips in their life, the coincidence of the discovery of LSD and nuclear bombs, the CIA's experiments with psychedelics and their unwitting creation of the 60s counterculture, the Wasson family's legendary meeting with Maria Sabina, Tim Leary's psychedelic research and his later imprisonment, president Kennedy's acid-seductress, Aldous Huxley's humane and fully conscious death, the Beatles, rock festivals, underground chemists, acid-anarchists, the fate of the hippies, Nixon's near-miss with an LSD spiking, empathogens and the rave movement and the coicident rise of anti-depressants, 2012 and the transformative power of chaos and Tim Leary's death. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the community of psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.


playlist: Jill Scott - Golden

This fortnight's episode of psychonautica is recorded at the World Psychedelic conference in Basel Switzerland, Max is joined by Earthmansurfer, Elfa and Maya, they discuss the conference, talking about Stanislav Grof's talks on psychedelic therapy, ego death and rebirth, bad trips, psychiatric medication, perinatal trauma, the art of H.R Giger, and transit astrology. Also, they talk about Dennis Mckenna's talk on obscure psychedelics, such as psychedelic fish, toads and insects, Dale Pendell's psychedelic poetry, vipassana meditation, Kathleen Harrison's experiences in Mexico with Salvia divinorum, and several different species of psilocybin mushrooms, Native attitudes towards Western psychedelic use, purging on ayahuasca, Ralph Metzner's insights about etymology, low dose vs high dose experiences, psychedelic vs psycholytic psychotherapy, Pinchbeck vs Mckenna's views on personal responsibility, and Socrates' epistemology. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the community of friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com.

Playlist; Gaudi - Tutta pe'me

This fortnight's installment of Psychonautica is a conversation between Max Freakout and Floydhead. They talk about Floydhead's recent mushroom trip in amsterdam on the 'Mckennai' strain involving deep introspection, contemplating suicide, brief unconsciousness and physical injury in a coffeeshop, the Amsterdam smartshop scene, and Central Amsterdam as the setting for a mushroom trip, using vitamin C to lower the effect of mushrooms, the attempt by the dutch governement to prohibit mushrooms and the general conservative trend in Holland, the potency of different species of mushroom, mushrooms as 'food for thought'. Also Floydhead recounts his recent salvia trip to the 'kingdom of faces' at the dopeden, and they then talk about reverse tolerance of salvia, inner conflict and scizophrenia, synergies between drugs including weed and mushrooms, and the unreliability of DMT compared to salvia. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, and join the community of friendly psychonauts at www.thegrowreport.com

 

Playlist: Dudley Perkins - Sally; Pink floyd - Up the Khyber

In this fortnight's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about anxiety, its causes such as fear of insanity, and possible methods to overcome negative feelings such as inner-surrender, psychedelic abstinence, and acupuncture, and the ideas presented in author Eckhart Tolle's book 'The power of NOW'. Max also talks about the Amanita Muscaria mushroom, including a trip report of an intense, life-changing religious experience from an experienced user of the Amanita involving time-dilation, out-of-body experience, and a realisation of Jesus Christ as Amanita and the relevance of many biblical details to this mushroom. Max reads out information about picking Amanitas in the wild, poor quality amanitas purchased from smart-shops, this mushroom's toxicity (especially when eaten raw) and instructions for prepararing it for safe consumption, the representation of Amanita mushrooms in human form in religious art. Max talks about techniques for making the most out of a Salvia Divinorum trip, and some personal experience of the long-term effects of regular Salvia use with tolerance, also Max reads out some information about Datura, types that are native to the New World compared to types from other parts of the world such as Mandrake, and also Datura and Nutmeg use among U.S prison inmates. Max talks about the folkloric use of Mandrake including its relation to King Arthur and Merlin, and then gives a personal Salvia trip report involving splitting time-slices, and talks about bad quality Salvia extracts and the huge popularity of Salvia. Finally, Max reads out a Salvia trip report, involving merging with the floor, total amnesia, then talks about the 'voice' of Salvia and the effect of past trips on future trips. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, skype us, and join the ever-growing community of psychonauts hanging out at the grow-report forum.

Playlist: Chester P - Jellyfish Kiss; The Doors - The End

In this fortnight's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout reads out a follow-up email from eschatonic about entheogen-induced anxiety and proceeds to talk about the pros and cons of using entheogens to combat such anxiety, in response to a mushroom trip report from eschatonic, Max talks about the auditory effects of psilocybin and the mushroom's mastery of aesthetics. Next Max talks about the spiritual healing effects of psychedelics, frequency of tripping, psychedelic tolerance including the abscence of tolerance with Salvia and DMT, the adrenaline rush often experienced alongside the DMT flash, the effects of DMT on the lungs and the difficulty of obtaining pure DMT. In response to psychonautica 26, Max talks more about Datura, the severity of its effects, its steep dose-response curve, the difference in potency between the leaves and the seeds of the Datura plant, Datura as the witch's flying ointment, genital application of Datura using broomsticks and the difficulty of finding a good Datura trip report because of its amnesic effect, and rowing your own Datura. Next, Max reads out an Amanita Muscaria trip report, then talks about the historical use of Amanita, pharmacratic inquisition and Clark Heinrich's book about the Amanita, the metaphorical meaning of Jesus' miracle 'turning water into wine' as a reference to urine drinking following Amanita consumption, the relative weakness of Amanita mushrooms as an entheogen, compared with psilocybe mushrooms, the similarity in appearance of the Amanita mushroom to other toxic species of mushroom. Next Max reads out a zany magic-truffle trip report, then talks about the possible extra-terrestrial origins of magic mushrooms, and its potential connection to scientology, and finally, Max reads out an excellent salvia trip report from Texas, involving rapid switching of realities, neverending loops, and world of warcraft. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, skype us, and join the ever-growing community of psychonauts hanging out at the grow-report forum.

Playlist: Erykah Badu - Other side of the game; Krs one and Channel Live - Mad izm

In this fortnight's edition of psychonautica, Max Freakout mentions the new psychedelic podcast from Martin Ball, then in response to listener emails, Max talks about the 'dreamherb' calea zacatechichi, the relation of salvia to dreaming and the benefits of unextracted salvia, drug combinations and synergistic effects including mixing maoi's with magic mushrooms, the difference between Syrian Rue and Banisteriopsis Caapi, frequency of psychedelic usage and tolerance after repeated use, ancient Buddhist use of cannabis and Datura, bad trips and anxiety, persisting after-effects of psychedelics such as flashbaks and hppd, free-will and religion, and philosophical insights from meditation. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.

Martin Ball's Entheogenic Evolution Podcast:
http://www.entheogenic.podomatic.com

Playlist: DJ Krush - Trip like I do; Massive Attack - Angel;

In this fortnight's installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about issues raised in listener emails and forum posts, including the war on drugs and it's effects on entheogen users in the U.S, the difficulty in making large profit from psychedelic drugs compared to addictive drugs, the 1960s hippie movement and varying opinions about its legacy in the modern world, irresponsible use of entheogens, the progress of youth culture since world war 2, a comparison of the persecution of homosexuals to the illegalisation of entheogens, the effects of cannabis on dreams, the unhelpful and completely innacurate drugs education given in modern schools, the official policy of lying about drugs, the possibility of a drug taking licensing system, the need for a shamanic context for drugs-use, the magic mushroom scene in Amsterdam compared with ayahuasca groups around Europe. Max then reads out a sample from forthcoming novel 'Beyond the Basin', and goes on to talk about Norse mythology, its references to entheogens such as the viking 'brew of poetry', and the broader picture of the relation between mythology, life ad entheogens. then Max reads out a brief Salvia trip report including an experience of 'seeing the future', then talks about the relation of entheogens to Buddhist practise, including the entheogen-diminishing bias in modern Buddhism. finally, Max reads out an email about a listener's experience of science-fiction induced psychosis, negative visionary experiences, and the importance of entheogens in the battle against fundamentalism. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Playlist: Morcheeba - The sea; Gaudi - Ayahausca deep fall

In this fortnight's edition of psychonautica, Max Freakout discusses the hippie movement of the sixties, debates about its successes and failures, the ambiguity of the word hippie, and also debates about Tim Leary ad Ken Kesey, and who was really responsible for ending scientific research into psychedelics. Also Max talks bout the implications of the discovery of psychedelic shamanism, and cultural values as paranoid neurosis. Next Max talks about lucid dreaming and its eficacy as a tool for regenerative healing, the difficulty of learning how to trigger lucid dreams at will, sleep paralysis, the film 'Waking Life' and oneirology, the study of dreams. Finally Max talks about the entheogenic origins of tantra, amrita the 'sacred elixir', cannabis and datura, then reads out a Salvia/Cannabis trip report. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.



Playlist: Bahamadia - 'Transcend'; Adham shaikh - 'Left Coast Liquid'

In this episode of Psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about Laura Huxley who died recently, and Ken Kesey and Tim Leary their attitude to psychedelics, then Max reads out a poem by Mrs Freakout inspired by a salvia trip. Then, in response to the last episode Max talks about the 'flying' experienced by SM afficionados, 'an ecstasy beyond orgasm', Aleister Crowley's idea of 'erotocomatose lucidity', the Lakota Indian's painful sundance rituals, and the difficulty in establishing a direct historical link between tantric sexual practises and psychedelics. Next, Max talks about conservative attitudes to sex and drugs, freedom of speech on the internet, egodeath theory and the free will debate, Heisenburg's uncertainty principal, the possibility of quantum computers, Sartre's idea of radically unlimited existential freedom, and it's implications for the controllability of your future self, the archaic revival, widespread boundary dissolution and synaethesia. Finally Max reads out an excellent 2-C-I trip report from Dyminshin. including lots of information about a number of different research chemicals. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Playlist
Fingathing feat. Veba - slipping
Grooverider - Alien girl

Points often left out on egodeath theory mp3
http://egodeath.com/mp3s/PointsOftenLeftOut.mp3

In this festive season episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about the relation between psychedelic drugs and sexuality. After first bidding a psychonaut farewell to queerninja, Max reads out a forum post from xochipilli2012 about his love of mushrooms, evil porn and scented olive oil, the effects of mushrooms on erectile dysfunction, MDMA and strap-on dildoes, private numbness from Hawaian Baby Woodrose seeds and the best choice out of mushrooms or LSD as an aphrodisiac. Then Max talks about erotic cave-paintings and archaic sexual practises, the sexual revolution in the 1960s alongside the psychedelic revolution, Hollands liberal stance on sexuality vs conservative attitudes to sex and drugs, tantric sex, including its potential psychedelic origins, and its use for dissolving ego, Dave Chappelle's first time on mushrooms and using MDMA to treat rape-trauma and in relationship counselling. Following an account by Terence Mckenna of a DMT-fueled sexual encounter, Max talks about alternative 'fringe' sexual practises, in particular BDSM, the experience of the endorphin rush known as 'flying', called the 'fast track to enlightenment', sexual power games involving control-loss and experiencing helplessness, the similarity between a BDSM session and a psychedelic trip, and its relation to psychedelic psychotherapy and the womb-regression experience. Finally Max gives a brief review of the forthcoming novel 'Beyond the Basin' and concludes with a further comment on archaic, orgiastic sexual practises. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.

Playlist: Aphrodite - Kama sutra; DJ Shadow - what does your soul look like?

This fortnight's episode of psychonautica is beamed live from the Dolphins coffeeshop in Amsterdam, and features a 3-way conversation between Max Freakout, The Seeker and Ravi. First Max reads out an LSD trip report from Dopey J, then the trio discuss 'crisis' experiences, the new Blairwitch spinoff movie 'shroom', LSD doses, psychedelic and psycholytic psychotherapy, safety issues of tripping in public environments, the role of music as a tool in combination with psychedelics, Neurolinguistic programming, and other techniqes for overcoming addictions, the relevance of addiction to problems of self-control and egodeath theory, isolation/floatation tanks and their potential for combination with psychedelics, ketamine, dissociation, sensory deprivation and the womb-regression experience. Following some herbal refreshments the trio return to talk about the idea of a paradigm shift, the authenticity of taking entheogens in contrast with other spiritual practises, and evolutionary advantages to plants which contain psychoactive chemicals.   Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Playlist: Omnimotion - Elastic crystals in motion; Hydraulic - Vindaloo

In the 20th installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about a recent podcast by kmo about meditation and psychedelics, and the recent dopecast Amsterdam meetup. Then in response to listener emails, Max talks about salvia divinorum addiction and safety issues, the importance of 'set' in the outcome of a psychedelic experience, the medicinal use of various psychoactive drugs, entheogenic plants as a 'trojan horse' to Western societies from shamanic cultures, vaporizing DMT successfully in a herbalair vaporizer and the 'afterglow' of the DMT breakthrough. Topics raised in the psychonautica forum are also discussed, such as smokable DMT extracts, cultivating Salvia Divinorum and exotic strains of psilocybe mushroom, ayahuasca analogues, the chemical similarity of psilocybin to DMT, the distinction between mycophobic and mycophilic cultures and finally the relation of psychedelics to sexuality.  Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.

Playlist: Kruder and Dorfmeister - High noon; Legion of Green men - Beyond the borderless

In this fortnights edition of psychonautica, Max Freakout gives an update on the Dutch magic mushroom situation, including a recent protest in Amsterdam and the position of the mushroom in Dutch culture, then gives a news report about the recent hospitalization of Sasha Shulgin, and gives an update on the forthcoming novel 'Beyond the Basin' by a psychonautica listener. Then, in response to listener emails and forum posts Max talks about reproducing trip experiences by controlling the setting, the way that psychedelic voyaging often starts as a recreational pursuit and then becomes unexpectedly serious, a clarification of the precise of 'ego death', William James' charting of the mystical experience, references to ego death in 'the matrix' and Cronenburg's 'the fly', mystic insights in rock lyrics, the role of mushrooms in early Christianity, the role of the 'hero' and its relation to 'heroic' doses and ego death. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Web Links: www.reddepaddo.nl

Playlist: Ephemerid - 'Seraph'; Shpongle - 'The receptive'

in this fortnight's installment of psychedelic information, Max Freakout reads through a selection of listener emails and forum posts, the topics covered include the proposed ban on fresh magic mushrooms in Holland, including the history of the legal position of mushrooms in Europe, salvia divinorum tolerance and addiction, the forthcoming psychonautica outing to the World Psychedelic forum, listening to music while tripping, synaethesia, psychedelic cough-syrup DXM including, safety issues about purity and after-effects and its intereraction with dramamine, its auditory and visual effects, and a dxm trip report from scaredstraight. Max mentions this weekend's dopecast meetup in Amsterdam, then reads out a mushroom trip report from Matty THC, involving a group trip in an isolated log cabin with some wild visuals. Next Max talks about trip-synchronicity with some personal examples, the experience of 'other' intelligence during a trip, insanity as an 'occupational hazard' for psychonauts and high-dose vs low-dose psychedelic experiencing.
 

Playlist
Massive Attack - Three; LTJ Bukem feat. Maya Angelou - On the pulse of morning

 

In this fortnight's episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout first announces the forthcoming dopecast meetup in Amsterdam, and then addresses a selection of listener emails. The topics which are raised include the difference between a narcotic and a psychedelic in the context of shamanic practise, Mike Hoffman's egodeath theory as a new, 'practically applicable' religion, the relation of the psychedelic insight to the validity of inductive reasoning, the parallels between Terence Mckenna's theories and the egodeath theory, safety precautiions and contraindications of salvia divinorum (including the salvia sleepwalk and the combination of salvia with cannabis), the varieties of ecstasy pill and the potential pitfalls of using a volcano vaporizer to vaporize DMT. Finally, Max reads out a salvia trip report from Ottonomy involving some classic salvia phenomena. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.
 
playlist: J-Dilla - Twister (Huh, what); Victor Vaughan aka MF Doom - Mr Clean
 
web links:
the seeker's antidrugs meditation link
http://www.kundalini-tantra.com/drugs1.html
pharmacratic inquisition homepage:
http://www.pharmacratic-inquisition.com/main/
pharmacratic inquisition on google video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4555365073003895154
 

This episode of psychonautica is the second half of the conversation between Max Freakout and the Seeker from the last episode. They discuss entheogens and spiritual practise, including the state of consciousness brought on by kundalini yoga. Also the differences and similarities between DMT and Salvia Divinorum, including an in depth discussion about the salvia experience, it's effect on time, space and eternity, including comparisons to Buck Rogers and Star trek. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Playlist: The Chemical Brothers - Psychedelic fuckin'; Morcheeba - Big calm

In this fortnights installment of psychonautica, Max Freakout speaks with fellow psychonaut The Seeker on a range of psychedelic topics, such as the pharmaco-dynamics of MDMA, the role of entheogens in spiritual practise, the distinction between synthetic and natural drugs, contaminated pills and the issue of purity with synthetic chemicals. The second half of the conversation can be heard in Psychonautica #16. Finally Max reads out a mushroom trip-report from Kabukisensei, involving loss of separateness and experience of cosmic oneness....  Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.

Playlist: DJ Zinc - Casino Royale

In this episode of psychonautica, Max Freakout talks about the Dutch smartshop scene, the recent ban on yohimbe and forthcoming changes in the Dutch policies on magic mushroom sales, then in response to a recent dopecast, Max discusses the benefits and dangers of MDMA and ecstasy, their potential role as 'love drugs' and their psychedelic properties, and the attitudes of mass-media towards illegal drugs versus the legal ones. Hear an announcement of the forthcoming World psychedelic forum in Switzerland and a discussion about some of the speakers who are going to be there including a brief explanation of Stanislav Grof's contributions towards psycedlic psychotherapy, then a review of Andrew Letcher's recent book about magic mushrooms including a discussion about the differences between amanita and psilocybe mushrooms and the importance of that distinction for theories about the origin of religion. Finally Max reads out a 2cb trip report from shaggz1297 involving paranoid delusions and passionate romance. Email  Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.

Playlist: Massive Attack - 'Teardrop' (Mad Professor Mazaruni vocal mix); Gnarls Berkeley - 'Crazy'

World psychedelic forum website:  http://www.psychedelic.info

 

In this fortnight's edition of psychonautica, Max Freakout interviews Michael Hoffman, author of the egodeath theory and the entheogen theory of religion, and the man behind egodeath.com. They discuss the nature of free-will and the idea of transcending it, the concept of block-universe determinism and its role for facilitating an understanding of the egodeath theory, and the role of the shaman as the tribal healer. Also, the controversies concerning Hoffman's outspoken views on drug-free meditation and drug-war activism are covered. Finer details of the theory are also discussed, including the idea of myth-as-metaphor, and Hoffman's critisim of Mckenna's stoned ape theory of evolution. Finally, Max gives a run-down of the competition winners with their prizes in the post, and a shout to the team at www.realitysandwich.com. Email Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Playlist:
Rush - Free will
The Beatles - Help!

In this episode of Psychonautica, entheo-pundit Max Freakout recaps on the last two episodes, dealing with the issues that arose from them, and brings to a close the trip report competition started in episode 10, everyone's a winner! Max clarifies some points from the ego-death/freewill podcast (episode 11), such as his use of the word 'religion' and the concept of affirming and then then transcending 'no free-will' in the dissociative cognitive state. Max talks about the controversial debate between psychedelics and meditation/yoga as effective spiritual practises, trying to be as even-handed as possible, then discusses the concept of synergy, and corrects an error he previously made concerning average LSD dosages. The psychedelic properties of cannabis are discussed, then finally Max recommends some psychedelic web-links including a video documenting the Hungarian psychonaut scene, to finish off there's a public service announcement about medical marijuana from fellow podcaster Zandor and a song about picking mushrooms in the wild. Email Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum at http://forum.thegrowreport.com/


Playlist: Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit; Veba - Don't want to lose you; Circulus - To the fields


Links:
www.ethnoring.com - ethnoring, source of the competition prizes
www.realitysandwich.com - Reality sandwich
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8808124350716031869&hl=en
-Pszichonautak (Hungarian psychonaut video with English subtitles)
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3701092/Psychedelic_Torrent - massive
psychedelic torrent

In this week's instalment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout first gives a reminder about the competition started in the last episode, 2 weeks remain to submit your trip reports in order to win some sporeprints for magic mushrooms cultivation, and some other entheogenic treats. Then Max proceeds to talk about the philosophical issue of free-will and how it relates to entheogens, with much reference to Michael Hoffman's website, egodeath.com. This issue broadly involves subjects like the entheogenic origin of world religion, and refutation of the common 'entheogen diminishment fallacies' aimed at downplaying the role of entheogenic experiences in an individual's spiritual development. Finally Max talks about the hypocrisy involved at the higher levels of the 'war on drugs', mass media doublespeak and the problems of remaining impartial when considering the pros and cons of psychedelic drugs. Email Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.

Playlist: The Doors - break on through (to the other side); J Dilla - Workinonit

In this extra special tenth episode of Psychonautica, Max Freakout finally takes over full podcasting responsibilities, KMO who got the show on the road will be sorely missed. Max goes through the process of basic home cultivation of magic mushrooms, and to celebrate his first solo podcast, there is a competition where lucky winners can receive sporeprints to grow their own shrooms, plus some other entheogenic goodies. Then in the second half of the show, Max deals with the issue of under-age psychedelic use, and plays an excerpt from a recent 'Mind States' conference featuring the Shulgins and Allyson Grey. Finally, Max talks about the ideal choice of psychedelic for a first-time experience, and dopefiend's recent low-dose mushroom voyage. Email Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk leave comments, Skype us, and join the ever-growing Psychedelic community hanging out at the forum.


Playlist: Mad Professor - Psychedelic Dub; Heavyweight - Oh Gosh

In this, our 9th psychedelic romp, Max Freakout and KMO delve  into the Psychonautica forums on the Growreport.com website to answer your questions and riff on some of the most excellent thoughts that you folks have been posting there of late, and they stick pretty close to the topic of psilocybin mushrooms and their potential enhancement with Syrian rue. It works wonders for some folks, but as you'll hear from Max, it's not without its risks. Later, they pick-over the Dopefiend's recent low-dose mushroom trip. Throw in some musical interludes, and you've got Psychonautica number nine. Number nine. Number nine.

Music: John Lennon - Instant Karma, Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - Theme from Stella Interstellar, Laurie Anderson - Walking & Falling, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy  - Television: The Drug of the Nation

Links:

The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment
http://freespace.virgin.net/sarah.peter.nelson/lazyman/lazyman.html

Working with Difficult Psychedelic Experiences
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3782432270770779673

In this tag-team installment of Psychonautica, KMO examines new ways in which researchers are delving into our bodily effluvia and coming up with new ways of gauging the prevalence of drug use in society. Max Freakout takes a solo turn at the tiller and steers the ship through interesting waters as he reads some trip reports and explains why taking acid in a Las Vegas casino might not count as the best choice for set and setting. Lash yourself to the mast and take in the siren's song of this week's Psychonautical adventure. Email Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk or KMO@dopefiend.co.uk, leave comments, Skype us, and check out the forum.

In this week's Psychonautica, KMO and Max Freakout finally manage to manifest in the Cyberpsychedelicatessen at the same time for a wide ranging discussion that includes some analysis of Joe Rogen's increasingly famous DMT rant and Graham Hancock's new book, Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind. Email Maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk or KMO@dopefiend.co.uk, leave comments, Skype us, and check out the forum.

Playlist: Black Grape - Get Higher

In this sixth installment of Psychonautica, KMO sits down with novelist and dimensional traveler, Matt Pallamary. The conversation ranges far and wide, but orbits the general topic of shamanism. Topics include ayahausca, ancient Egyptian sacred geometry, LSD, formulating intent, and opening doors that never close. Clear your schedule and check your pre-conceptions at the entrance, and keep you arms, legs, and head inside the ride at all times. Email maxfreakout@dopefiend.co.uk or KMO@dopefiend.co.uk, leave a comment, check out the forum and the Chatroom.

Playlist: Love & Rockets - Sweet F.A.

In this fifth installment of Psychonautica, Max Freakout takes the tiller and navigates the treacherous shoals of psychedelic chemistry. He's recruited a reliable guide in the form of Psycherelic, and
together they'll walk us through the Marsofold Tek for extracting smokable DMT from mimosa hostilis using readily available ingredients. Psycherelic assures us that it's as easy as baking a cake. Given that it's a cake made with flammable and explosive ingredients, you may do well to leave the baking of this particular cake to the experts, but if there's no stopping you, here's how.

If you couldn't make it to Dopestock, the Cyber-Psychedelicatessen is the next best place to spend 4/20. Join us for some psychedelic kitchen chemistry.

Marsofold's Tek can be found here

Welcome psychonauts, to episode 4 of Psychonautica, your trans-atlantic cyberdelic corridor to the imaginal realms. By popular demand, this week's installment focuses exclusively Salvia Divinorum,
that aid to divination and otherworldly vision, and we'll join Max Freakout as he welcomes the recognized authority on all things related to Salvia Divinorum, Daniel Seibert, to Psychonautica. We'll also hear from ethnobotoanist, Nat Bletter, and we'll roll with Rosie in a listener-created musical encounter.

All aboard!!!

Email MaxFreakout@dopefiend.co.uk or KMO@dopefiend.co.uk, leave a comment, check out the forum and stop by the Chatroom

For more info on Salvia and Daniel Siebert, check out SageWisdom.org

Welcome, fellow psychonauts, to the third Freakout Friday. Let the vigilant sentries stationed at the portals of your mind take five as Stealth Maestro KMO and the Dopefiend network's very own certified psychedelic scholar slip inside your mind and upgrade your memeset with new distinctions, like the difference between flashbacks and HPPD. Ponder the source of the mysterious "voice" of the mushroom and ayahuasca spirits and review past lessons with return visits to KMO's conversations with Lorenzo of the Psychedelic Salon and LSD researcher, Dr. Charles Nichols.  Catch a glimpse behind the veil as our intrepid podcasters delve into listener email and struggle to remind one another just what in the heck they were talking about before they got distracted by the undulating geometric patterns crawling over the living, breathing, inter-dimensional walls. Email KMO@dopefiend.co.uk or MaxFreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, check out the forum and chatroom, and leave your comments below.

Gouranga!

http://www.nearthwort.com/

For more on Ayahuasca Tourism, check out C-Realm Epsiode 8:
http://c-realmpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2006-11-22T15_36_24-08_00

In the second of our new series of verbal psychedelic journeys live from the Psychedelicatessen, hallucin-anchor KMO and entheo-pundit Max Freakout venture behind the curtain to bring you information on legal highs, particularly Salvia Divinorum, discuss the abandonment of mass-media by an ever-increasing self-educated cyberclass, and the growth of the term "entheogen" with Psychedelic Podfather Lorenzo Hagerty of the Psychedelic Salon, and also welcome LSD researcher Charles Nichols from Louisiana State University to the show to discuss the brain science behind the LSD experience, and whether Tim Leary was good or bad for the mind-expansion movement. Send your feedback to KMO@dopefiend.co.uk and MaxFreakout@dopefiend.co.uk, check out the forum, and drop by the Chatroom.

The Psychedelic Salon is here: www.psychedelicsalon.com

More information on LSD research and past work by Charles Nichols can be found here: http://www.maps.org/

Drop your shrooms and fasten your safety belts for a mindblowing ride into the alternative conciousness otherwise known as Psychonautica! In Dopefiend.co.uk's incredible new series KMO and Max Freakout introduce you to a parallel world of hallucinogenic delights, discussing the origins of the terms "entheogen" and "psychedelic", the science of memetics and the  internet as a psychedelic tool, and the different benefits of natural substances versus synthetics.

If you have suggestions for future episodes, or feedback on this series premiere, leave a comment below or email KMO@dopefiend.co.uk or MaxFreakout@dopefiend.co.uk.

And stop by the chatroom for the day long Psychonautica post-mortem.