The New Science of Psychedelics : At the Nexus of Culture, Consciousness, and Spirituality

What does the future hold for humanity, and can psychedelics help take us there? • Shares insights from the author’s discussions with Terence McKenna, Edgar Mitchell, Rupert Sheldrake, Deepak Chopra, Candace Pert, and others • Investigates the role of psychedelics in lucid dreaming, sex and pleasure enhancement, morphic field theory, the survival of consciousness, encounters with nonhuman beings, and the interface between science and spirituality For as long as humanity has existed, we have used psychedelics to raise our levels of consciousness and seek healing--first in the form of visionary plants such as cannabis and now with the addition of human-created psychedelics such as LSD and MDMA. These substances have inspired spiritual awakenings, artistic and literary works, technological and scientific innovation, and even political revolutions. But what does the future hold for humanity--and can psychedelics help take us there? Sharing insights from his discussions with luminaries such as Terence McKenna, Edgar Mitchell, Candace Pert, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Jerry Garcia, Albert Hofmann, Annie Sprinkle, and Rupert Sheldrake, author David Jay Brown explores the revelations brought about through his psychedelic experiences and his work with visionaries of the psychedelic and scientific communities. He investigates the role of psychedelics in lucid dreaming, time travel, sex and pleasure enhancement, morphic field theory, the survival of consciousness after death, encounters with nonhuman beings, and the interface between science and spirituality. Examining the ability of psychedelic drugs to incite creativity, neurogenesis, and the evolution of consciousness, he explains that they are messengers from the plant world designed to help elevate our awareness and sense of interconnectedness. Revealing not only what psychedelics can teach us about ourselves and the world around us, Brown also shows how they are preparing humanity for a future of enlightened minds and worlds beyond our solar system. Spirituality/Entheogens Cover 1 Title Page 5 Dedication 7 Epigraph 3 Table of Contents 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 13 Transcendental Meditation 14 DJB Meets THC 16 How Does Cann abis Boost Creativity? 18 Discovering the Secret Room 21 DJB Meets LSD 23 Staying Online 26 Everything Is Interconnected 28 Firing the Cosmic Trigger 31 Changing One’s Mind among the Greatest Minds of Our Time 34 Chapter 1. Head West and Get High, Young Man 39 Psychedelics, Evolution, and Sensory Deprivation Tanks 42 Developing Genetic Awareness 46 Why Are Psychedelic Drugs Illegal? 50 My Encounter with Homeland Security 52 Solving the World’s Problems with Shamanic Vision 54 Everyone Is Omnipotent and All Powerful 56 Putting Things in Perspective 59 Chapter 2. Confronting the Mysteries of Science 61 Encountering Unexplained Phenomena 62 Tantric Earth Lights 65 Unexplained Phenomena in Science and Research with Rupert Sheldrake 68 The Unexplained Powers of Animals 70 Research into Unusual Animal Behavior Prior to Earthquakes 73 Electrical-Field Theory 77 The Nervous System and Electric Fields 78 Disruptions in the Mind Field 80 Morphic-Field Theory and the Presence of the Past 81 ESP and Psychic Phenomena 83 Altered Perceptions of Time 85 Chapter 3. The Future Evolution of the Human Species 91 Will the Human Species Survive? 91 The Mighty New Supertechnologies 93 Eve of the Apocalypse or Dawn of a Renaissance? 95 Do Clues to Our Future Evolution Lie in Our Past? 101 Paying Attention to Youth Culture 103 Have We Already Been Visited by Extraterrestrials? 106 Mischievous Daimonic Spirits in Our Midst 109 Chapter 4. Approaching the Singularity 111 Neophobia and Neophilia 112 The Cambrian Explosion and the Singularity 113 The Mystery of DMT 114 Nonhuman Entity Contact 115 DJB Meets DMT 119 Ketamine and My Encounter with the Extraterrestrial Rabbit Scientists 122 Ketamine and John Lilly 124 Ayahuasca and the Future 127 The Reality of Lucid Dreaming 130 Personal Experiences with Lucid Dreaming 132 How It Feels to Become a Deity 138 Shared Dreaming Experiences 141 Chapter 5. Models of the Mind and Interpreting Psychedelic Experiences 145 Intelligence, the Eight-Circuit Model of the Brain, and Neural Imprinting 147 My Experience with Multiple Personality Order and Disorder 154 Corresponding with Charles Manson 159 My Experience with Schizophrenia, Psychosis, and Bipolar Disorder 162 Terence McKenna and the End of Time 166 Singing Songs of Ecstasy with Carolyn Mary Kleefeld 171 One Foot in the Future and Beyond 172 R.U. Sirius and Mondo 2000 174 Chapter 6. The Psychobiology of Gods and Goddesses 177 The Healing Potential of Psychedelics, and Mind-Body Medicine 177 DJB Meets Salvia 182 Adventures with Mazatec Mint 183 Salvia’s Possible Medical Applications 185 What Does an Experience with Salvia Feel Like? 188 Learning More about Salvia 194 DJB Meets N20 195 Up, Up, and Away in My Giggly Balloon 196 Synergistic Psychedelic Combinations 198 Nutritional Support with Psychedelics 202 Research Chemicals for Psychonauts 204 Chapter 7. Exploring the Synergistic World of Sex on Drugs 209 Forbidden Knowledge and Ancient Secrets 211 Psychedelics and Masturbation 212 Sex, Death, and Evolution 213 Where Were the Bonobos in the Planet of the Apes? 216 Planet Earth’s First Truly Psychedelic Civilization: Black Rock City 219 Reaching Toward Immortality 222 The Right to Die 224 The Future of Medicine 226 Chapter 8. What Happens to Consciousness after Death? 228 One, Two, Three—WAMM ! 230 What Happens to Us after We Die? 234 What Do I Think Happens after We Die? 271 My Near-Death Experience 273 Contact with the Dead 275 Chapter 9. How Have Psychedelics Affected Human Culture? 278 Science and Psychedelics 279 Psychedelics and Popular Culture 287 Art and Psychedelics 296 Music and Psychedelics 302 Medicine and Psychedelics 305 Spirituality and Psychedelics 307 The Relationship between Creativity and Psychedelics 310 Appendix 1. Transcending the Medical Frontiers 313 A Brief History of Time-Dilation Studies 314 The New Wave of Psychedelic Drug Research 315 The Science of Pleasure 316 Creativity and Problem Solving 318 ESP and Psychic Phenomena 320 Higher Dimensions and Nonhuman-Entity Contact 323 The Study of Divine Intelligence 325 Interviews with David Jay Brown 327 Appendix 2. The Man Behind Mavericks of the Mind 328 Appendix 3. Altered Statesman 334 Recommended Reading 342 Index 345 About the Author 344 About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company 356 Copyright & Permissions 6 Backcover 358 Spirituality;,Entheogens