eternity

Multidisciplinary trance workshop, artists wanted

soyouth — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:40:03 GMT

Hi there, It's been a while I didn't write, since december 2007 many things happened. I got my phd, went to Brazil, enjoyed SO MUCH there, came back, went to Basel, organized this Hallucinations conference and went to Madrid last week (so sweet and hot !). I am now working on this trance workshop project that aims at gathering different artists, famous as well as upcoming talents. We still have some available slots, especially for live-acts and performers. If you any good music producer, with released tracks or fresh promising talent, please let me know in pm. Here is a more detailed description : --------------------- Fabrik is a 10-day trans(e)-disciplinary workshop that will take place in Lausanne, May 24-31 2008. It will gather artists from various disciplines of the trance scene : deco teams, dj's, vj's, live acts, performers, videomakers, graphic designers, photographers during ten days for a 7-day workshop, a public opening day, featuring initiations for kids and 2 parties. The idea is to make artists collaborate and exchange skills together, in a multi-disciplinary fashion. On top of lessons and tutorials in their own field (music, video, deco, photo...), artists will be given the opportunity to open to other fields. The goal is to suppress the boundaries between discliplines and free the multisensory vibe of trance. As an example of those synergies, deco teams and vj's will work jointly on hybrid installations allowing both for deco artwork and video projection. Also, video makers, vj's and live acts will collaborate on the topic of audio-visual live performance. During the day, creative sessions and tutorials take place in the various rooms with equipment provided. Every evening takes place a public conference, with topics as diverse as legal party consideration or the effect of trance on the body-mind. Later in the night some documentary will be shown. Well-being also plays an important role in Fabrik : artists will be given yoga and meditation classes, as well as creativity sessions. They will have the opportunity to visit the well-being center, for relaxation and inspiration. A Mind Expanding Media Library will also be available for artists documentation and recreation, filled with books, audio interviews and videos. A gifted chef, hi-speed internet access with intranet for file sharing and various equipments will be available. Selected artist will be able to attend the workshop for free, get food and accomodation and receive a fee for giving tutorials. They will in turn contribute in their domain to closing parties. Boom !

Book Review : The Way of Trance by Dennis R. Wier

soyouth — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:23:38 GMT

Don't hesitate to contact me for further info about the book or the Trance Research Fundation. Love ! ::The Way of Trance by Dennis R. Wier This book is a great introduction into the realm of trance. According to the author, trance covers a much wider spectrum than the cliché of ritual ecstatic trance, and it definitely has more to do with our daily thought processes and social interactions. One could define it as a cognitive processing mode, a kind of "reality filter". From this viewpoint, people go in and out of multiple trances a day, most of them without even noticing it. The central thesis in Wier's book is that outside influence changes our destiny by altering the way we perceive or process information; trance techniques are being extensively used by salesman, artists, politicians, cult leaders... “Trance is really a way of modifying energy in our heads, so you can think in different ways”. When practised willingly with loving compassion, it can be a powerful source of healing, inspiration and self-realization. When practised in secrecy, for selfish purposes and hidden agendas, trance can lead victims into delusion, illness and addictions of all kind. The author refers to this as "Trance Abuse". The main goal of this book is to promote "trance awareness" on a personal level, through the practice of meditation which is presented as a specific kind of trance. Since trance and meditation are words which have a strong tendency to be associated with esoteric frameworks, it has to be noted that the author is not calling upon any kind of mysticism and is not asking the reader to believe in anything except themselves. Meditation is referred to as a personal training to self-observation and introspection. It can be done by a wide variety of methods and the author is not advocating the use of a specific one. He strongly invites the reader to create their own experiments and proof: "you have to do it personally yourself, I can't do it for you", this is to me one of the greatest strength of his approach. The author, in his previous book, developed a "Trance Model" which he describes in mathematical detail. The current book is intended for a wide audience and describes several types of trance, sometimes referring to the Trance Model, but no mathematical notions are required nor is it required to have read the previous books. Repetition is at the core of trance. Repetition is at the core of trance. One of the key features of the Trance Model is that repetition always results in the disabling of some cognitive functions such as critical judgment and short term memory. Different kinds of trance can be skilfully created using various features of the Trance Model and many of these features are examined throughout the book. I already mentioned Meditation as a one kind of trance. Addiction is seen as a mutual lock between three trances, which suggests why it is so hard to break. A trance therapy based on this approach is under development by the Trance Research Fundation. Charismatic trance, characterized by strong ego-mania and total disconnection from reality is also being exposed. The chapter on invasive trance deserves full attention since it describes techniques, some of them already operating, which allow influencing people on a mass scale in a very invasive and often un-noticeable way. Their use ranges from vending machines in Japan to the Gulf war and offers a frightening glance into the future. Ethics is indeed a central point to be considered when using trance techniques. Without proper ethics and without trance awareness, can democracy really work in a land of sleepwalking citizens hypnotized by television and lacking critical judgement? A full chapter is dedicated to ecstatic trance, which corresponds to what many people are referring to when using the word trance. This chapter is of special relevance for the trance music community. Wier asks very smart questions such as “what is so disturbing to social order about the ecstatic trance and what is its evolutionary function?” which is well reflected by the global climate of party repression. What is indeed so bad about experiencing deep states of joy and bliss together? Since it plays a great role in trance rituals from Morrocan Gnawa to psychedelic Goa trance, a section is dedicated to trance music. Sounds indeed "have subtle and profound meaning within a trance". The effects of beats per minute (BPM), frequencies, dissonances and use of verbal material are analyzed in detail. According to Wier, "if enough minds and bodies agree to do the same thing, the collective reality of those involved can be changed, or a new one created". This emphasizes the self-transformative potential of a collective trance ritual and the need for careful preparation in order to "design effective magical positive parties and celebrations". "Highly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" once said Arthur C. Clarke. Wier defines the wyrd as the energy that gives its power to various trances; in that regard, magic is simply smart us of the wyrd. And so can tremendous changes of destiny occur through the skilful use of trance. The wyrd is the only fuzzy concept which is being referred to in this book; I feel that each reader shall interpret it according to its ontology of the world. It can be thought of as analogous to the eastern notions of chi and prana but it call also fit well with modern cognitive theories of consciousness. The link between divine states and intoxication is well pointed out. Many ancient traditions have used intoxication as an aid to enter powerful trances. Entheogens - meaning awakening the divine within - offer a very relevant example of it and are surrounded by a tremendous taboo in our culture. Modern humans and especially western people have been separated from mother Nature and their divine nature. In that regard, trance appears not less that an alchemical process, a great tool for self-transformation on your own way towards unity. The book is generally well-written and organized. The first sections can seem a bit long and repetitive but they then appear necessary for the good understanding of the authors point. Moreover he himself makes subtle use of some of the techniques he describes, especially repetition and it definitely helps to understand quicker and better integrate. Each section features some practical exercises and a series of questions, encouraging the reader to cognitively link what he has just read with his everyday life. I find this book unique and innovative; it provides a very good summary of the topic. It makes a lot of sense in the light of frameworks such as Grof's transpersonal approach or Tononi's information integration theory of consciousness. Promising research directions, fundamental as well as applied are pointed out and urgently need to be carried out. I really recommend this book which is relevant for a wide spectrum of readers. I think the original background of the author contributes a lot to its intelligibility. More than a book, this is a practical manual to change your destiny: you can learn to detect when and how you are getting "entranced" by the external world and you can train to navigate and influence the inner realm on your way of love and compassion. ::About the author Dennis Wier is indeed a retired computer systems analyst who has been heavily practising meditation and hypnosis. He has already written books about his model of trance, meditation as well as trance music composition. He is the founder and executive director of the Trance Research Fundation : a non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote trance awareness. This fundation financially support scientific trance research projects as well as education through the Trance Institute. ::For further information www.tranceresearch.org www.trance.edu "The Way of Trance" can be ordered online at www.lulu.com/trance.

Presenting Magic Theatre @Sonica Festival 2007

soyouth — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:59:39 GMT

For its third year, Sonica Festival moved to a new location that was definitely more magic. A great, wide space in the woods contrasting with the desert like location of prevous years. The mainfloor was on top of a hill with many viewpoints around. Like always in Sonica deco was minimalist but the dancefloor was massive. A big metal box hosting technical regies would have deserved to be covered a little bit. The sound system was really good and booming. Even if line-up is not really my cup of tea, I had a great time dancing for hours. It's a pity that the gigantic screen was lacking luminosity. The former cultural area was this year a full village called duende, with healing, conferences, workshops and movies. We got welcomed well by the osmosi multimedia tribe, always full of good vibrations. There we managed the Magic theatre, a selection of mind-expanding movies. The cultural tent provided a safe place with shadow and was wondefully decorated by colorful psychedelic totems and wonderful paintings by Luke Brown. The village program can be found here as well as the specific movie selection that can be found here. During the night, the village offered a peaceful retreat playing chill/downtempo, for those who were in need of a chill-out space, who was clearly lacking at the festival (chill-out and alternative stage were mixed). Sonica is on many sides a festival of contradictions.For instance this year, they had put a strong emphasis on ecology which is a great initiative, while at the same time receiving sponsorship from Duracell (batteries are a very polluting industry) who made invasive advertisment and held a dancefloor with really crappy commercial club music. Their floor was of course almost empty but prevented many people to sleep and also heavily handicaped the viewing of movies. On a more pragmatic aspect, there was only one drinkable water point, that many irresponsible people used to clean their feet or fill their portable shower whereas non-drinkable water was available just next to it. Showers were refreshing but a bit undersized for the event. Toilets, even though cleaned each day were also quite gloomy. Many healthy restaurant were around with not too unreasonable prices. Sonica 2007 was, as I said, magic, but also tragic. Two people died, apparently related to hard drug use, which underlines the urgent need for systematic sanctuaries at party and also to spread educational information about drug use. Thanks to everybody involved, it was a great time, meeting old friends and new crazy people. Many kids were present which contributed to a very smiley vibe ! ------ The "Magic Theater", named after Hermann Hesse's famous novel Steppenwolf , is a special selection of mind-expanding movies and documentaries aiming at providing educational and unbiased information about altered states of consciousness, psychedelic culture and the nature of reality. It features projection of documentaries and films about festivals, shamanism, tribal and contemporary trance as well as modern use of entheogens and scientific study of consciousness. ------ Detailed program soon

Looking for a psy sofa in Amsterdam / Utrecht

soyouth — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:03:26 GMT

Hi everyone, I will be travelling to the Netherlands next week. I have no idea where I am gonna sleep on June 25th, I will be around Amsterdam, coming back from the Ruigoord Party. After that I will attend a conference in Utrecht for a few days, I should get a hotel paid but would love to connect with psy people around there. Boom ! Alex

Music Day in Paris : trance in dance...

soyouth — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:47:26 GMT

We are very lucky this year because there will be four free trance events rechable by Subway in Paris on June 21st for the national music day. Suway and bus will run all night long, detailed urban traffic info http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan.php?loc=reseaux&nompdf=metro_rer_2106&fm=pdf There will also be numerous events and animations in many other styles of music Party links : ROAD TO PSY GARDEN http://skyforum.ayzo.net/s,trancegoa,13,,17232,1,0.html Pont Alexandre III by Tekno Tanz family http://skyforum.ayzo.net/s,trancegoa,13,,17193,1,0.html White Rabbit III by Seventh-Sky http://skyforum.ayzo.net/s,trancegoa,13,,16784,1,0.html The-world-of -t21 http://skyforum.ayzo.net/s,trancegoa,13,,17108,1,0.html

Douglas Hofstadter in Paris for a lecture on June 28th

soyouth — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:33:08 GMT

This crazy cognitive scientist, who wrote "Gödel, Escher, Bach", will give a lecture in Paris. He just published a new book called "I am a Strange Loop". It seems to me that he has understood a very big part of the puzzle. Lecture will be in french, about "L'analogie au coeur de la pensée" (Analogy at the heart of thought) on June 28th from 10h30 to 12h00 at University Paris 8 (room D002) Some links about him : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Hofstadter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Strange_Loop

The Future of Mind Science

soyouth — Tue, 08 May 2007 10:26:24 GMT

Very interesting visionnary essay by John Horgan about the future of mind-science, from the Heffter review of psychedelic research : http://www.heffter.org/review/Review2/chap1.pdf

Iboga on schedule I in France

soyouth — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:08:22 GMT

No comments... Here follows the french governement press communication. ----------- Communiqué de presse Point d'information 28 mars 2007 Journal officiel : Arrêté du 12 mars 2007 modifiant l'arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances classées comme stupéfiants Classement comme stupéfiant de l'Iboga Le ministre de la Santé et des Solidarités a décidé de classer comme stupéfiants l'arbuste Iboga ainsi que l'un de ses composants, l'ibogaïne (et certains produits dérivés) par un arrêté publié au Journal officiel du 25 mars 2007. Cette décision fait suite à la proposition de l'Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé (Afssaps) après avis de la Commission nationale des stupéfiants et des psychotropes, en raison de leurs propriétés hallucinogènes et de leur grande toxicité. Tabernanthe Iboga , également appelé Iboga, est un arbuste présent dans les forêts équatoriales d'Afrique de l'Ouest, en particulier au Gabon, au Cameroun et au Congo où cette plante est utilisée au cours de rites initiatiques et religieux. En France, l'utilisation de l'Iboga tend à se développer dans le cadre d'activités sectaires au travers de séminaires de « revalorisation de soi » et de « voyage intérieur », notamment en Ardèche, dans le Calvados et l'Eure-et-Loire. L'Iboga est également disponible sur Internet, où cette plante fait l'objet d'une promotion active. La racine de l'Iboga contient une douzaine d'alcaloïdes, dont l'ibogaïne qui est une substance proche de celles présentes dans différentes espèces de champignons hallucinogènes et dans l'Ayahuasca . L'ibogaïne est un psychostimulant à faibles doses. A doses plus élevées, elle est responsable d'hallucinations visuelles et auditives, parfois très anxiogènes et pouvant conduire à l'acte suicidaire. Par ailleurs, sa neurotoxicité a été démontrée chez l'animal, par l'observation d'atteintes du cervelet. Actuellement aucun intérêt thérapeutique n'est démontré ni pour l'Iboga ni pour l'ibogaïne, bien que celui-ci ait été évoqué et étudié notamment dans le traitement de la dépendance aux opiacés, à la cocaïne et à l'alcool (Etats-Unis et Israël). En 2005, le décès d'un homme ayant consommé une infusion d'iboga a été signalé en France. Ce décès s'inscrit dans un contexte international où l'on relève près d'une dizaine de décès liés à la consommation d'ibogaïne sans toutefois que les mécanismes de survenue soient totalement élucidés. Ces décès ont eu lieu généralement plus de 20 heures après la prise d'Iboga, parfois consécutifs à une ingestion de faibles doses. L'Afssaps avait, en conséquence, ouvert une enquête afin d'évaluer la toxicité et le potentiel d'abus et de dépendance de cette plante. Cette enquête a été confiée au réseau des centres d'évaluation et d'information sur la pharmacodépendance ( CEIP) . Compte tenu des effets neurotoxiques, des propriétés hallucinogènes de l'Iboga et de la survenue croissante d'intoxications aiguës ayant conduit à des cas de décès, le ministre chargé de la Santé a décidé, après avis de la Commission nationale des stupéfiants et des psychotropes réunie le 19 décembre 2006 et sur proposition de l'Afssaps, d'inscrire sur la liste des stupéfiants : * les plantes Tabernanthe iboga (« Iboga ») et Tabernanthe manii, * l'ibogaïne, ses isomères, esters, éthers et leurs sels .

Back to Paris

soyouth — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:23:45 GMT

I've been away to London for a partying weekend. I met Hannes from Retinafunk who had also been invited by Daniel. What do 3 Vj's talk about when they gather ? Hardware, footage, resolution, opengl and so on... Whas very nice. We played at 4 Vj's at the party on Friday. Unfortunately the afterparty was cancelled but the artists did play in a small squat. I was delighted to meet the 'guys from the North' (Wizack Twizack, Procs and Dennis the menace) as well as Mubali. On monday we've been sightseeing London and on tuesday I went to Tate modern gallery, which some very interesting pieces of artwork but i somehow felt disappointed by the whole collection. For those of you who don't know, London is a fucking expensive city, maybe even more than Japan on some points ; they charged me 10 euros for letting one luggage at the station during the afternoon. My return yersteday night was in great contrast to the English cleanness and tidyness. After I arrived in dirty Gare du Nord i heard screams and noises and i saw what appeared to be an open fight between a big bunch of policeman and even more local youngsters. It was a gigantic mess, various objects were being thrown. I headed towards the subway but I bumped into a huge flow of people running, coughing, with red eyes crying which made me realize they were throwing lacrymogen gas down there. So i headed for an available exit and got my way home one hour later. Thanks to Daniel who hosted me in expensive London as well as to Humanspacecraft and Mubali for the good vibrations.

New century rituals

soyouth — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:36:44 GMT

I am at home with Akmyth composing music and gettign crazy, it feels so good ! Music, Visuals.. Multisensory Experience I have the feeling that is what our rituals are all about, engaging our consciousness in a kind of Glass Bead Game if you know what i mean. That's what Art, Science and Spirituality are all about i presume... I dedicate this Deia and Michael... ENGLISH http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game FRENCH (much cleared explanation as regards my point, references to music, mathematics, self-realization, game of go, Yi-King, yoga, alchemy ...) http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Jeu_des_perles_de_verre#Contenu_du_livre Blasting waves of love to you !

Nganga in prison in France

soyouth — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:18:13 GMT

A young man died in an iboga seminar in France this summer. He was under the influence of several drugs during the session, including alcohol and méthadone. Whereas the organizers of the seminar where set free, the Nganga Mallendi was temporarily sent to jail in France since he is the one who provided the iboga root whereas Iboga is not illegal in France... France recently (2006) put Ayahuasca on Schedule 1 and I am afraid Iboga will follow the same way... Link to article (in french) http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3226,36-876308@51-876421,0.html Just say KNOW !

get rid of anger and worry

soyouth — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:05:27 GMT

"'You must first get rid of anger and worry.' 'But,' said I, 'is that possible?' 'Yes,' replied he; 'it is possible to the Japanese, and ought to be possible to us.' "On my way back I could think of nothing else but the words 'get rid, get rid'; and the idea must have continued to possess me during my sleeping hours, for the first consciousness in the morning brought back the same thought, with the revelation of a discovery, which framed itself into the reasoning, 'If it is possible to get rid of anger and worry, why is it necessary to have them at all?' I felt the strength of the argument, and at once accepted the reasoning. The baby had discovered that it could walk. It would scorn to creep any longer. "From the instant I realized that these cancer spots of worry and anger were removable, they left me. With the discovery of their weakness they were exorcised. From that time life has had an entirely different aspect. "Although from that moment the possibility and desirability of freedom from the depressing passions has been a reality to me, it took me some months to feel absolute security in my new position; but, as the usual occasions for worry and anger have presented themselves over and over again, and I have been unable to feel them in the slightest degree, I no longer dread or guard against them, and I am amazed at my increased energy and vigor of mind; at my strength to meet situations of all kinds, and at my disposition to love and appreciate everything. "I have had occasion to travel more than ten thousand miles by rail since that morning. The same Pullman porter, conductor, hotel-waiter, peddler, book-agent, cabman, and others who were formerly a source of annoyance and irritation have been met, but I am not conscious of a single incivility. All at once the whole world has turned good to me. I have become, as it were, sensitive only to the rays of good. "I could recount many experiences which prove a brand-new condition of mind, but one will be sufficient. Without the slightest feeling of annoyance or impatience, I have seen a train that I had planned to take with a good deal of interested and pleasurable anticipation move out of the station without me, because my baggage did not arrive. The porter from the hotel came running and panting into the station just as the train pulled out of sight. When he saw me, he looked as if he feared a scolding, and began to tell of being blocked in a crowded street and unable to get out. When he had finished, I said to him: 'It does n't matter at all, you could n't help it, so we will try again to-morrow. Here is your fee, I am sorry you had all this trouble in earning it.' The look of surprise that came over his face was so filled with pleasure that I was repaid on the spot for the delay in my departure. Next day he would not accept a cent for the service, and he and I are friends for life. "During the first weeks of my experience I was on guard only against worry and anger; but, in the mean time, having noticed the absence of the other depressing and dwarfing passions, I began to trace a relationship, until I was convinced that they are all growths from the two roots I have specified. I have felt the freedom now for so long a time that I am sure of my relation toward it; and I could no more harbor any of the thieving and depressing influences that once I nursed as a heritage of humanity than a fop would voluntarily wallow in a filthy gutter. "There is no doubt in my mind that pure Christianity and pure Buddhism, and the Mental Sciences and all Religions, fundamentally teach what has been a discovery to me; but none of them have presented it in the light of a simple and easy process of elimination. At one time I wondered if the elimination would not yield to indifference and sloth. In my experience, the contrary is the result. I feel such an increased desire to do something useful that it seems as if I were a boy again and the energy for play had returned. I could fight as readily as (and better than) ever, if there were occasion for it. It does not make one a coward. It can't, since fear is one of the things eliminated. I notice the absence of timidity in the presence of any audience. When a boy, I was standing under a tree which was struck by lightning, and received a shock from the effects of which I never knew exemption until I had dissolved partnership with worry. Since then, lightning and thunder have been encountered under conditions which would formerly have caused great depression and discomfort, without [my] experiencing a trace of either. Surprise is also greatly modified, and one is less liable to become startled by unexpected sights or noises. "As far as I am individually concerned, I am not bothering myself at present as to what the results of this emancipated condition may be. I have no doubt that the perfect health aimed at by Christian Science may be one of the possibilities, for I note a marked improvement in the way my stomach does its duty in assimilating the food I give it to handle, and I am sure it works better to the sound of a song than under the friction of a frown. Neither am I wasting any of this precious time formulating an idea of a future existence or a future Heaven. The Heaven that I have within myself is as attractive as any that has been promised or that I can imagine; and I am willing to let the growth lead where it will, as long as the anger and their brood have no part in misguiding it." * * H. FLETCHER: Menticulture, or the A-B-C of True Living, New York and Chicago, 1899, pp. 26-36, abridged. [ http://www.archive.org/details/menticultureorab00fletiala ] (read from William James - the variety of religious experience http://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/james/toc.htm)

Free psychedelic books online

soyouth — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:15:02 GMT

A great initiative to spread the word around the world for those of you won't don't know it, please share it around. If you are very interested in the books, consider buying them. ("Fair Use" rulings regarding the 1976 Copyright Act for NON-profit academic, research, and general information purposes. Readers requiring a permanent copy of The Doors of Perception for their library are advised to purchase it from their book supplier.) http://www.psychedelic-library.org/bookmenu.htm You can find online : THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION by Aldous Huxley Huxley's classic from 1954, which sparked the rediscovery of psychedelics by a wide and varied audience. "There is nothing the pen of Huxley touches which it does not illuminate, and as the record of a highly civilised, brilliantly articulate man under the influence of an astonishing drug, The Doors of Perception is a tour de force." — The Daily Telegraph, London. ©Mrs. Laura Huxley THE JOYOUS COSMOLOGY by Alan W. Watts One of the world's leading investigators of the psychology of religion evaluates the psychedelic experience both objectively and from the vantage of the author's own personal experiments. Foreword by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert. HTML edition, table of contents and complete text, copyright 1962, 1970 by Pantheon Books. LSD, MY PROBLEM CHILD by Albert Hofmann Albert Hofmann, inventor of LSD and discoverer of psilocybin, the active principle of the "magic mushroom," recounts the history of his discoveries. HTML edition, table of contents and complete text, copyright 1980 McGraw-Hill Book Company. Translated by Jonathan Ott from the German, LSD—Mein Sorgenkind, 1979 THE ROAD TO ELEUSIS Acting on an insight into the true nature of the Mysteries of Eleusis, R. Gordon Wasson sought the collaboration of Albert Hofmann and Carl A.P. Ruck, a classical scholar specializing in Greek ethnobotany. Closely coordinating their research, the three scholar-scientists first offered documentation on the religious rites at an International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in 1977. These astonishing findings, given here in a much expanded version, leave little doubt that the ancient secret of Eleusis has at last been unveiled. HTML edition, table of contents and chapters I. through V., copyright 1978 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. THE ECSTATIC ADVENTURE edited and introduced by Ralph Metzner In The Ecstatic Adventure, thirty-eight people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and beliefs describe their experiences with hallucinogenic drugs—mescaline, LSD, peyote, psilocybin. Ralph Metzner introduces each of these accounts and explains the religious, sociological, and historical background of psychedelic drugs from their origin in prerecorded history to the stormy drug scene of today. Download zipfile of the complete text in HTML. THE SECRET CHIEF "Conversations with a Pioneer of the Underground Psychedelic Therapy Movement" by Myron J. Stolaroff. The PROLOGUE to The Secret Chief by Stanislav Grof, M.D., is reproduced in The Psychedelic Library by permission of the publisher, The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Copyright 1997 by Myron J. Stolaroff. THE NATURAL MIND by Andrew Weil "The Natural Mind is one of the classics of consciousness investigation. Dr. Weil's emphasis that it is consciousness and intention that are primary in determining our response to drugs, rather than drug chemistry, is an insight we need today to determine a rational approach to drug use and abuse." —Charles T. Tart, Ph.D. Preface to the revised edition and Chapter 1 reproduced in The Psychedelic Library by permission of the author. ©1972, 1986 by Andrew Weil. THE MARIJUANA SMOKERS by Erich Goode "This timely and dispassionate book—based on a survey of 200 marijuana users and on thousands of man-hours spent in direct observation—portrays the marijuana phenomenon as it actually is. Dr. Goode convincingly shows how misconceptions and widespread fears over the morals and life styles of drug users have hindered an enlightened understanding of the use and effects of marijuana." Published in 1970, this book has withstood the test of time and remains one of the most important works on the subject. The complete text is available here by permission of the author. HIGH CULTURE: MARIJUANA IN THE LIVES OF AMERICANS by William Novak A classic text on marijuana and its effects on normal everyday Americans by a jouranlist and reviewer whose work has appeared in many well-known publications, and has been an editor and teacher of writing at Tufts University. The complete text available here by permission of the author. ON BEING STONED by Charles T. Tart "A Psychological Study of Marijuana Intoxication" was published in 1971 and remains a most important source of information for both professionals and the general public. With the recently escalating debate concerning government intransigence on the medical marijuana issue, On Being Stoned appears in The Psychedelic Library as a valuable antidote to misinformation and hysteria. The complete text is available here by permission of the author. ©1971 by Science and Behavior Books. DRUG, SET, AND SETTING by Norman E. Zinberg "This s a major work, by one of the world's leading experts on drug use and abuse. It is a book full of insights. Zinberg has provided us with a candid report on the reality of drug use in some of its most common features. By concentrating on the human dimensions of controlled use, he has etched in remarkably revealing detail the broad spectrum of use within which abuse may be better understood and more accurately defined." —Arnold S. Trebach. ©1984 Yale University THE MYTH OF ADDICTION and DRUGSPEAK by John Booth Davies "The Myth of Addiction is an immensely readable, provocative text which is fast becoming a classic. It is a book which anyone aspiring to present a new structure to explain drug use must take into account. As a result of the publication of The Myth of Addiciton, it is no longer possible to talk the language of addiction—disease, having to have, compulsion, loss of control, expurgation of guilt—without sensing the presence of John Davies looking on and forcing the question, 'what exactly do I think I am trying to explain?'" —Douglas Cameron, University of Leicester. Second edition, ©1997 by OPA, Harwood Academic Publishers. THE MEANING OF ADDICTION by Stanton Peele The Meaning of Addiction presents an entire non-reductive, experiential model of addiction. It is the standard reference showing that addiction can never be resolved to its biochemical components, as the NIDA and NIMH are currently attempting to prove. "Stanton Peele writes so clearly and cogently that his scholarship and erudition remain continuously intriguing, adding to the readability of a volume that will become a classic contribution to the field." (Jules Masserman, Past President, American Psychiatric Association.) ©1985 by D.C. Heath and Company RELIGIONS, VALUES, AND PEAK-EXPERIENCES by Abraham H. Maslow "Traditionally, religion has been of the spirit; science, of the body; and there has been a wide philosophic gulf between the knowlege of the body and the knowledge of the spirit. The natural sciences and religion have generally been considered as natural and eternal opponents. Abraham H. Maslow here articulates one of his prominent theses: the "religious" experience is a rightful subject for scientific investigation and speculation and, conversely, the "scientific community" will see its work enhanced by acknowledging and studying the species-wide need for spiritual expression which, in so many forms, is at the heart of "peak-experiences" reached by healthy, fully functioning persons." STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Charles T. Tart Stanislav Grof said of this book, "A beautiful piece of work on the theory of Altered States of Consciousness that will become a classic in the field." First published in 1975, States of Consciousness appears in The Psychedelic Library by permission of the author. ©1975 by Charles T. Tart. THE FORBIDDEN GAME "A Social History of Drugs" by Brian Inglis. One of the book's recurring themes is that Prohibition has always led to an increase of drug consmption, coupled with an increase in corruption and crime. A classic of the Anti-Prohibition Literature, the author also wrote one of the best accounts of The Opium War. THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE "A Theory of Psychedelic Experience" by William S. Moxley. Drawing upon recent research in many fields of study, this work represents the first multi-disciplinary theory attempting to define the nature, cause, roots, and future of psychedelic experience. Published for the first time in the Drug Reform Coordination Network Internet Library. HTML edition, copyright 1996 WSM. THE PRIVATE SEA: LSD AND THE SEARCH FOR GOD by William Braden, published in 1967. Albert Hofmann wrote of this book, "...a true intellectual pleasure...you certainly penetrated deeply into the roots of the LSD problem and have presented its many-sided aspects and its relationship to present intellectual trends well and with a thorough knowledge of the subject." LSD — THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PSYCHEDELIC by Peter Stafford and Bonnie Golightly, published in 1967. "Unless I have completely misunderstood the message, this book must be looked upon as a manifesto from one generation to another—from the young to their elders. As I see it, the younger generation is telling us that it proposes to use psychedelics because it considers them appropriate instruments for living in the hurricane's eye of accelerating change. These young people consider that it is neither possible nor desirable to prevent them from employing these substances in this way, and in fact they are challenging lawmakers, law givers and law enforcers to stop them." —Humphrey Osmond, from the preface. HIGH IN AMERICA "The True Story Behind NORML and the Politics of Marijuana" by Patrick Anderson. Published by The Viking Press, New York, ©1981 by Patrick Anderson. HENRY HYDE ON DRUGS by Dennis Bernstein and Leslie Kean Chapter 5 of Henry Hyde's Moral Universe: Where More than Time and Space are Warped Common Courage Press, 1999. "Henry Hyde played a significant role in creating public confusion about Contra trafficking and ultimately steering the IranContra Committees away from a serious investigation of this highly volatile subject that goes right to the heart of U.S. national security." THE MAN WHO TURNED ON THE WORLD by Michael Hollingshead, published by Blond & Briggs, Ltd., 1973. The autobiography of one of the legendary figures in the history of the psychedelic rediscovery, who in 1962 introduced the Harvard researchers to LSD. An unaccountably scarce book. THE BROTHERHOOD OF ETERNAL LOVE by Stewart Tendler & David May "Born in the psychedelic Californian counter-culture of the 1960s, the Brotherhood and its allies were going to transform the world with LSD." And so they did, but not as originallty conceived... Although this study contains no small number of inaccuracies, and is unreferenced, it nevertheless provides valuable inside views of the 1960s not available elsewhere. A rare book. THE SEARCH FOR THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE by John Marks, published by Times Books in 1979. The extraordinary story, compiled from documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, of how the CIA conducted a series of secret programs to find ways to control human behavior. Marks' investigation reveals that the Agency was deeply involved in research with psychoactive drugs, psycho-surgery, electroshock, hypnosis and other methods on Agency operatives, students, mental patients, defectors, prisoners and prostitutes; many of these subjects were unwitting or involuntary collaborators.

Pure Data, Processing and Wiring : the language of the future ?

soyouth — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 12:01:28 GMT

Seems like those 3 open source projects combine well together to unfold our dreams and connect the digital world with the analog world...They're very useful and inspiring for artists. We have several ongoing projects using those magic tools :-) Pure Data : http://puredata.org/ | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Data Processing : http://processing.org/ Wiring : http://wiring.org.co/ A very simple and neat creation with processing, just draw a few lines and you'll start to see organic lifeforms swirling and crawling around... http://users.design.ucla.edu/~mflux/manifest/ (Manifest by Michael Chang) -------------------------------------------------------

Current reading before going to sleep

soyouth — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 02:22:24 GMT

Still from the Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake, very inspiring... good night ------------------------------- The ancient Poets animated all sensible objects with Gods or Geniuses, calling them by the names and adorning them with the properties of woods, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations, and whatever their enlarged & numerous senses could percieve. And particularly they studied the genius of each city & country, placing it under its mental deity. Till a system was formed, which some took advantage of & enslav'd the vulgar by attempting to realize or abstract the mental deities from their objects; thus began Priesthood. Choosing forms of worship from poetic tales. And a length they pronounc'd that the Gods had order'd such things. Thus men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast.

WWW Psychedelic Bibliography

soyouth — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:06:53 GMT

Just perfect ! Crazy work from those people who made up this online database of psychedelic related scientific material, even very fancy material from Sandoz in french... see http://www.maps.org/sys/w3pb.pl?mode=search&c_pkey=22861&displayformat=allinfo&type=citation Also be aware that "LSD My Problem Child has been translated in many languages and is available freely on the web, people share it around the globe... English : http://www.maps.org/books/mpc/ Russian, Polish, Chinese and Japanese : http://www.maps.org/freebooks.html Love and Change ! 3ô... --------------------------- The WWW Psychedelic Bibliography is sponsored by MAPS, the Albert Hofmann Foundation, the Heffter Research Institute, and The Promind Foundation * MAPS' MDMA Literature Review with PDF copies of most papers, updated monthly. * Albert Hofmann Foundation's comprehensive bibliography on LSD and Psilocybin, 1943-1983 (over 4200 entries), originally gathered by Dr. Albert Hofmann for his personal use. The Albert Hofmann Foundation has granted permission to have these documents scanned into PDF format and made available on the Internet. * Torsten Passie's Psychedelic / Psycholytic Therapy Bibliography, a complete list of all studies of the therapeutic use of psychedelics from 1931-1995, preface by Dr. Leuner and introduction by Dr. Passie. * Alexander Shulgin's annotated and categorized MDMA bibliography (up to 1992). * Psychedelics and the Dying, and Euphoria (4-methyl aminorex) bibliographies by David Goldstein. * Medical Marijuana bibliography by David Pate. * Papers by Alexander T. Shulgin, Ph.D., David E. Nichols, Ph.D., Dr. Richard Strassman. Note: Alexander Shulgin's annotated and categorized MDMA bibliography (up to 1992) is searchable only through the expert interface. This avoids possible confusion in the simple interface from two entries for some of the same references, with those in MAPS' MDMA literature review presenting the original abstract and PDF and those in Alexander Shulgin's bibliography presenting his summary in place of the original abstract. All other references can be accessed through either the simple or the expert interface. Also available on the MAPS website MAPS has also scanned the entire collection of the issues of The Psychedelic Review, the journal started by the Harvard psychedelic research team of Ralph Metzner, Richard Alpert and Timothy Leary. Issue #1 was first published in June 1963 and the final issue, #11, was Winter 1970/1971. These issues contain some fascinating articles and can be found here and in MAPS' WWW Psychedelic Bibliography in the near future.

Dealing with a difficult psychedelic experience

soyouth — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:51:52 GMT

Some of you may already know it but I am posting it for spreading the message. Here is a link to brief manual on how to deal with difficult navigations in altered realms. Reading this might be as beneficial to you as to other and can really make the difference between heaven and hell. http://www.maps.org/ritesofpassage/anonther.html Also based on the psychedelic therapy theory is a short educational movie by Maps that can be very useful : http://www.maps.org/wwpe_vid/ For those willing to go further many other very interesting mind-expanding resources can be found on Maps.org Rite of Passage project (http://www.maps.org/ritesofpassage) such as for example the Handbook for the Therapeutic Use of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25 which is really exhaustive and describes in details the several stages of the experience and how to navigate safely through them. Much Love and compassion

Making music and chilling out in the countryside

soyouth — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:50:11 GMT

I've been in Rodez for 5 days, warmly welcomed by my friend Tim (Akmyth) and his wife. We've been composing music like in the good old days :-) We ate good and we went wandering into the wonderful forest around. The autumn sun reveals suprising colors and landscapes.. It's just so good to feel quiet and at peace.

When dreams are a source of knowledge

soyouth — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:01:05 GMT

Many of you may already know.. this is taken from wikipedia: Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz (September 7, 1829 – July 13, 1896) was a German organic chemist. He wrote that he discovered the ring shape of the benzene molecule after dreaming of a snake seizing its own tail, a common symbol in many ancient cultures known as the Ouroboros. This dream came to him after years of studying the nature of carbon-carbon bonds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sweet dreams my friends :-)

How to become a psychedelic researcher ?

soyouth — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 09:26:10 GMT

Hello my friends, I am slowly finding my way in the academic field to work on altered states of consciousness from a neurocognitive science perspective. Four years ago I have been heavily looking for some information and I was glad I could find some bits of it on Maps.org website. In their latest bulletin they issue a very well written article intended for undergraduates on how to become a researcher in the field of psychedelics. Also on why & why not become a researcher in this field. Exactly the kind of article I would have liked to read a few years ago. So please spread the info around you to whom it may concern. Here is the link : HTML http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v16n2-html/so_you_want_to_be_a_psychedelic_researcher.html PDF http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v16n2/so_you_want_to_be_a_psychedelic_researcher.pdf For those of you who don't know Maps, here is some description. I strongly advise you to contribute even modestly because they are fighting for our future and dreams ! Cosmic Love and Change Alex ------------------------------------------ The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a membership-based non-profit research and educational organization. We assist scientists to design, obtain approval for, fund, conduct and report on research into the healing and spiritual potentials of psychedelics and marijuana. With sound research results, psychedelic psychotherapy and medical marijuana research have the potential to help millions of people in alleviating the pain, psychological distress and other symptoms of such illnesses as cancer, AIDS and addiction. Research will also help us to better understand our human potential and bring the tools of science to the study of spirituality, meditation and mental functioning. Can you imagine a cultural reintegration of the use of psychedelics and the states of mind they engender? Please join MAPS in supporting the expansion of scientific knowledge in this area. Progress is only possible with the support of people who care enough to take individual and collective action. More info on www.maps.org

Earth Energy party

soyouth — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 05:17:57 GMT

we are just lleaving for the daze maze party, i wil post more comments soon. Very warm welcome by psy16 crew. Deep underground spirit in a camping place dedicated to many trance events. We played two 3h VJ set and had much fun doing it ! tanoshikatta !

ZaZen initiation in Japan

soyouth — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 05:13:42 GMT

After our stay in Kyoto we went to spend one night at the kyoto kokusai zen temple. Zazen session, then sleep and waking up at 4:50 for another zen ceremony alongside with sutra chanting (Anna shingyo...). Then time for cleaning the temple and some manual work in the fields... Our mind and bodies had been set ready for thee earth energy party.... I feel at home and in peace here.... Boom

Massive melting down with Goa Gil @ Fuji San

soyouth — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:26:37 GMT

No words... We have been welcomed very well and have been connected to so many great beings. Ariane opened the night with tribal music and gil took the flame for 24 hours of psychiatric psychedelic tunes. The Japanese crowd is so nice, respectfull and full of positive emotions that they allow you to completely let yourself go into the flow of consciousness and have your molecules vibrate in synchrony with everybody. Chikyuya, the organizers did a great job. Peace and harmony were contagious and love was all around. Sunny weather, good mood, japanese spiritual power (Yabai !!), Fujisan as a surprise decoration in the morning...a party i would never have dreamed So many to thanks and so much to say.. just a big boom ! Cosmic Love

I love Japan !

soyouth — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:16:41 GMT

I have been there for 3 days and I feel at peace like never in my whole life ! Japanese people really have a very deep spiritual life that is not often perceived by outsiders. Eventhough they are technologically highly advanced, they seem to have kept a deep connection with all forms of life on earth. I am in a process of deep and slow metamorphosis, getting in closer touch with nature and the surrounding energies. I am meeting so many beautiful people ! I cant wait to be in Kyoto and feel the vibe there. i ll keep you updated ;-) Life is simply unfolding as a dream...

We are in Japan !

soyouth — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 02:17:03 GMT

So many nice memories are coming back to me... smells, sounds, heat, visions... I am a child again ! You can reach us @08034072891 We will post infos and pics regularly... We are leaving for Goa Gil party at Mt Fuji in less than one hour. We will be performing a "lysergic shamans" special VJ set there. Cosmic Love to all beings