Goodbye Psychedelic Community

[Jungleheart]

For the last part, I agree, it's an excuse. However, it's a baked in excuse by virtue of the fact that what leads to it is cognitive biases and heuristics, which by definition, are largely unconscious. When you say you feel that the psychedelic community is behind this, could you elaborate, because i don't see this as specific to any domain. It's ubiquitous.

I've always felt like an outsider in the psychedelic community. I felt in order for my voice to be heard I either had to be overtly sexual, exhibitionist, or associated with a man, etc. I couldn't just be myself and speak and have people care what I said.

This is in stark contrast to the rest of my life, where my female friends are all killing it, I'm being mentored by both men and women, I'm seen as a professional instead of just a vessel of feminine wisdom. I can be myself without putting on an act to get recognition. I've generally considered myself normal and sought interaction with productive people over psychedelic users.

 

[Jungleheart]

My point is that the traditional psychedelic community is dying and the valuable aspects have already been absorbed into the mainstream - for the better.

My definition of the psychedelic community is people who make psychedelic use and advocacy their main mission in life. This group of people are shrinking and becoming more irrelevant. How many people are just taking drugs and sitting around when they could be doing non profit work or moving society forward in some way?

Perhaps the adage "a few bad apples spoils the bunch" applies.

I agree with @Voidmatrix , a big problem is listening too much to talking heads and trying to fit in instead of doing the work. People need to do more, and I believe the path will take them outside the psychedelic community more than not. We just don't need that many healers, the plants do the healing themselves.

@modern, maybe less common in Brazil, but many of us have been raised without gender roles and don't relate to the "archetypal energies" at all anymore. If a large percent of the population breaks the mold in some significant way, is the model useful?

Also, I don't necessarily believe we should be modeling ourselves after civilizations that are 100s to 1000s of years in the past. Many of these indigenous communities are inherently extremely forward thinking. Perhaps they are happy, but perhaps they would rather have access to modern advancements. What kind of person doesn't want central air or 800 thread count Egyptian sheets? We make a lot of assumptions about what they want for us, and I don't think we really have that information.

From what I've witnessed indigenous communities are safeguarding their wisdom rather than sharing it widely. I wonder why...

 

[Voidmatrix]

I've always felt like an outsider in the psychedelic community. I felt in order for my voice to be heard I either had to be overtly sexual, exhibitionist, or associated with a man, etc. I couldn't just be myself and speak and have people care what I said.

This is in stark contrast to the rest of my life, where my female friends are all killing it, I'm being mentored by both men and women, I'm seen as a professional instead of just a vessel of feminine wisdom. I can be myself without putting on an act to get recognition. I've generally considered myself normal and sought interaction with productive people over psychedelic users.

I do as well, granted for different reasons than yourself. However, you all know me, i won't sacrifice my position, morals, or scruples in order to "fit in," hence why i am a bit of an outsider in many regards myself. The enigma trickster I guess.

My definition of the psychedelic community is people who make psychedelic use and advocacy their main mission in life. This group of people are shrinking and becoming more irrelevant. How many people are just taking drugs and sitting around when they could be doing non profit work or moving society forward in some way?

Well, now, I think we should acknowledge what the psychedelic experience opens up where forward societal movement becomes a focus in this community. Psychedelics breakdown internalized frameworks and open us up to new ways of thinking, some of these ways lead people towards certain kinds of change. They are an experiential catalyst. Moreover, they connect us with something potentially deeper, which also augments our values and behaviors. It's almost a necessary crucible.

But yep, there's too many people trying to be healers, and not doing a very good job.

Off to the gym.

One love

 

[Jungleheart]

Well, now, I think we should acknowledge what the psychedelic experience opens up where forward societal movement becomes a focus in this community. Psychedelics breakdown internalized frameworks and open us up to new ways of thinking, some of these ways lead people towards certain kinds of change. They are an experiential catalyst. Moreover, they connect us with something potentially deeper, which also augments our values and behaviors. It's almost a necessary crucible.

To clarify, I think psychedelics are extremely necessary. But I believe they have already been adopted by the mainstream. Where I came from, there are basically no barriers to access, they are decriminalized, and everyone is using them (way more normies than hippie types). The current government administration is talking about them openly. The stigma seems to be gone and there is less need for advocacy than there may have been in the past.

 

[CommonConduit]

A psychedelic community worth its name puts manifestation of the mind/soul at the center of a way of life.

Substances may create potent altered states, but maybe they are not the core ingredients/compounds of the psychedelic experience?

Isn’t it this vessel we inhabit? How big or how small we perceive it to be?

 

[Voidmatrix]

To clarify, I think psychedelics are extremely necessary. But I believe they have already been adopted by the mainstream. Where I came from, there are basically no barriers to access, they are decriminalized, and everyone is using them (way more normies than hippie types). The current government administration is talking about them openly. The stigma seems to be gone and there is less need for advocacy than there may have been in the past.

Are you in Colorado? Jk

Anyway, give it time. Society is in a honeymoon period with them right now. I doubt people with stick with entheogens in the longterm like some of us here.

However, I don't think that the mainstream paying attention to psychedelics is a bad thing. It's how they can become more accepted and how they can work their magic to induce positive change.

However psychedelics are non descript amplifiers and so there's a lot to correct with respect to how people are now taking interest in them and the conclusions they draw and how these conclusions are drawn. There's still a whole lot of advocacy needed, we can't drop our arms yet, its just the beginning. Like in ceremony, you stay focused until the entire thing has come full circle.

One love

 

[modern]

@Jungleheart I was raised in the states from 4-26 years of age and gender roles even if not imposed are always present. IMO not wanting to 'associate' certain inherent behaviors is just deluding yourself since even animals shows this trait and are not 'taught' these roles. There are always exceptions. Not saying 'kitchen is where the woman belongs' as most top chefs are actually men and women have more value but a caring role naturally falls to women. Animals of even different species have taken care of infents of different species where men would ignore or kill it. (we are more rational most of the time)

I think I have a better understanding on what you ment on the thread that the old 'psychonauts' groups are dying since accessibility is wide and use isn't as taboo. This is normal just like historical equality groups have for the most part ended like with women, black, gays, and other rights groups. Some till 'fight the fight' but for the most part all the equality and rights have been matched. There are people that still make it their lifes goals to continue fighting for the what they think of as inequality but to me its more as a means of monetary gains and not actually the equality. Gay rights activits now isn't what it was say 40 years ago.

Isn't this the goal that pioneers have fought for? Why not progress to another field rather than holding onto the past?

The issue I see with legalization is those that actually experimented and shared the collective advancement never are compensated for the most part. With most extractions and usage methods being developed in underground groups and slowly make it mainstream. Most don't seek recognition and preform these things as hobbies and just personal passions projects. But once legalized all that changes is accessability but only already large or rich groups profit. Decriminalization is a far enough step IMO where those that want it will find it but not easily accessed.

"From what I've witnessed indigenous communities are safeguarding their wisdom rather than sharing it widely. I wonder why..."
The sense of tradition and understanding your roots are important and a big part of community and identity. Like with peyote native users and people just saying use synthetic or trichocereus isn't the point but rather the ritual of the harvest and connection they feel. A constant usage of these plants isn't nessesary but usualy with men a ritual of manhood tends to be lacking and the breakdown of the nuclear family leaves many with issues of belonging or understanding the 'natural' role imposed on men. Many in poor communities tend to seek this via gangs or sports, and others seek different paths. The ritual of a cerimonal 'adulthood' dosing which some trips do or others make the boys survive a week in the jungle or kill a monkey to become a 'man'. In the 'west' or modern men tend to want to simplify many traditions and remove spirituality completely and

"I don't necessarily believe we should be modeling ourselves after civilizations that are 100s to 1000s of years in the past"
This is always a personal opinion obviously technological and medicinal advancements are far superior but new times have brought many issues along the way which past civilizations didn't have if thru brute force or simply the lack of time to worry about these issues. If that is the right path or not I have zero idea but there is a revertion that everyone wants be it plastics, fossil fuels, our diets are whatever it is. A phase I like is "Hard times make hard men, hard men make easy times, easy times make soft men, soft men create hard times"

These are just my personal opinions are you can easy discard them as backwards or non-progressive. I enjoy reading different perspectives and questioning my own.


@Voidmatrix I think that mainstream and complete legality is an issue and will likely end up being prohibited again since it's 'legal' it must be safe then people will abuse the drugs like with kratom being so mainstream that many states are regulating or banning. Saliva and others as well as bark and other materials.


In any case everything tends to go full circle and cycles.

 

[🌺🔥🫧]

Are you in Portugal??? or what how can I become a citizen

The real world demands tangible contributions, like supporting small businesses, non-profits, and the arts.

Helping people cultivate the sentimental seeds of those actions in their heart and mind, is one and the same with manifesting tangible positive changes. Nice people DO nice things. So I don't really see much separation at all between the psychic levels of mind and the more 'material'. The change you seek of in the world is also reflected within, and within without. Perhaps though you have some sentiment in your heart and you are witnessing the world to be something unbearable, so you feel the need to change it. If You change IT, things will be better, from your point of view. But you can also let IT change You, and It will be better from It's point of view. My mind has been mush though the last few days xD I can't really type rn haha

Thank you for this, it resonates deeply with me. While I consider myself not part of the community you describe, your assessment feels painfully accurate.

With the extensive scientific research that has been done, and the globalization of the last 70 years, there are many amazing people scattered around the world, diving into the heart of matters which you find here in this community. They may oftentimes not be found at the psychedelic subculture, but they are spending a lot of time with the plants, and otherwise being very amazing people in all sorts of ways. Also, many of the older people not really participating in the psychedelic subculture anymore. Many of our the Nexus forum members are occasional visitors, or do not come back altogether. There are many scientists, who are also psychonauts, may herbalists who are also psychonuats, many 'spiritualists', artists, athletes, mothers, fathers, etc etc who are also psychonauts yet spend most of their time in other places ~ and not the psychedelic subculture. Community itself has become a bit more scattered with the rise of digital communications and information. Where before you had to go to 'the scene' to get your psychedelics, get your culture, get your knowledge and skills and friends, now you just get them online, and perhaps you friends do as well, and you both happen to chat about it a lot. That is your community right there! xD It's so diffuse now.

I've always felt like an outsider in the psychedelic community. I felt in order for my voice to be heard I either had to be overtly sexual, exhibitionist, or associated with a man, etc. I couldn't just be myself and speak and have people care what I said.

I struggle a lot with what I can only artistically describe as the 'loud culture' which is where I find so much noise reflected everywhere that more silent voices are not heard. I even see it physically manifest in our technologies and social organization. For instance, I feel like the written symbol, books, computers, and art are 'loud culture'. I also feel like super elaborated hierarchies, structures with rules, and really excessive tool use are 'loud culture'. I know it sounds wild and out there, but, for lack of better words, I don't hear feminine sentiment, or the voice of children, animals, nature, or mystical forces reflected in our culture as a WHOLE oftentimes. it's not only a 'man's world, it's also an 'adults (not elderly! no kids!)' world, it's a human world over other creatures which do constitute our identity. Many of these sentiments are not found in the politics, not in the knowledge of our culture, not in the tools, not in how we organize ourselves, not even in our languages, yet the sentiments are are large part of the way into the future. They are a large part of your path into wellbeing.

This is in stark contrast to the rest of my life, where my female friends are all killing it, I'm being mentored by both men and women, I'm seen as a professional instead of just a vessel of feminine wisdom. I can be myself without putting on an act to get recognition. I've generally considered myself normal and sought interaction with productive people over psychedelic users

That's great, and it really sucks that your experience with the psychedelic community has been so sexed in a negative way ~ You seem pretty upbeat that the psychedelics are entering into those positive spheres you mentioned!

From what I've witnessed indigenous communities are safeguarding their wisdom rather than sharing it widely. I wonder why...

We are the ravaging gaze of Mordor.

Also took me a while to notice the pun
Lol

My definition of the psychedelic community is people who make psychedelic use and advocacy their main mission in life. This group of people are shrinking and becoming more irrelevant. How many people are just taking drugs and sitting around when they could be doing non profit work or moving society forward in some way?

I was surprised when you suddenly tried to define psychedelic community! xD I really like this definition, however I feel like we have very different takes on the subsequent comment there about irrelevance. What you perceive to be useless sitting around I also perceive to be... well, useless. and I feel like more than ever, with global reaches, we are hopefully going to start building a spiritual super culture that dives into the spirit of humanity and the universe, and paves the way for what humanity WILL become, because we must.

But I believe they have already been adopted by the mainstream.

Whether they are adopted or not, by humanity writ large, we have SO MUCH ahead of us.




These are just some of my reactions to the thread so far.

Best wishes to you all!

 

[northape]

People went batshit crazy since the introduction of social media and smartphones.
Many of us simply couldn’t cope with this level of stimulation and control.
I don’t know what to say about the amount of social experimentation in the US and other western countries.
And no one is exempt from this global influence. You could live on an island under the rock and plastic society would still find you.

One old indian myth comes to mind:

Kali Yuga (Sanskrit: कलियुग, romanized: kaliyuga or kali-yuga) means "the age of Kali",
"the age of darkness", "the age of vice and misery", or "the age of quarrel and hypocrisy".

I’d emphasise hypocrisy here.

So what to want from psychedelics, when they just mirror our crazy state.
It all comes down to each and everyone of us: to be sane and to be human.
It’s a hard project, but what else to do? Integrity is a rare trait nowadays.

Peace

 

[🌺🔥🫧]

Yeah, psychedelics are not easy to extract value from.

 

[CosmicRiver]

I think that the youngest people here, including myself, have never witnessed the "psychedelic community". The most similar things in my area are new age practictioners and shady ayahuasca retreat groups, but I never considered them the psychedelic community. Even underground free parties revolve more around ketamine than around psychedelics.

This forum instead, I think it qualifies as part of the psychedelic community. You define the psychedelic community as the people who advocate psychedelic use, but in my opinion the psychedelic community is more like this forum. People whose mindset has been changed by psychedelics and try to use that wisdom into daily life to better themselves and possibly the world, other peoples' lives, ecosystems' life.

On a more philosophical note, I think that psychedelics are maybe the closest thing to sacredness, spirituality or magic that remains in this materialistic society. And in my opinion every community needs something to be centered upon, and this should be something that's above what the world we want to change presents us. And something that is above the cultural ad religious differences between us.

I never thought about the cosplay thing but it's definitely true even in my own avatar here.
When it's used by people like the ones you mentioned in my opinion they just exploit this imagery and lore for their own means.

 

[Voidmatrix]

I appreciate this conversation.
I appreciate all that you all have shared.
I'm also appreciative that you guys haven't villified me

One love

 

[Jungleheart]

@modern , I was raised in a family with women who had outstanding success in traditionally male jobs, and performed better than 99% of men. My family did not raise me with traditional gender roles, and let me run wild and play with the boys or girls. Most of the women were not very nurturing, and I have found men are often more nurturing than women. Young people - Gen Z - are further breaking free from traditional gender roles in the last 5 years.

I have a lot of examples of both men and women breaking the mold in mind.

@🌺🔥🫧, I have purposely left out the plethora of boundary crossing sexual experiences I've been subjected to as part of the scene, because I felt it would bring the vibe down. I will say that I believe drug use attracts predators who ply young women with MDMA, GHB, dissociatives, alcohol, etc., and try to convince them not to use condoms or worse.

I also think a lot of men tend to dismiss women's lived experiences as hysteria or insecurity. It's hard for many men to accept that a woman would have an informed opinion based on different information than a man might have. Men are also generally given the benefit of the doubt, in my experience.

Of course this varies drastically by social circle. Anyways, I could talk about this for a long time, but don't want anyone to feel like I'm pointing a finger, because that's not productive.

@Voidmatrix, I believe there is still a use for healers, but that the focus should be on mainstream adoption rather than myopically focused on the psychedelic community.

I also think it's difficult to profit off of psychedelics enough to sustain a comfortable wage. As a business person that means it's not an attractive market and the most value for society is not being created there. I think as creators, we have to take an honest look at what the universe needs most, not what we want to do the most. This is why most small businesses fail, people get wrapped up in their own ideas vs what the market demands.

 

[Voidmatrix]

@Voidmatrix, I believe there is still a use for healers, but that the focus should be on mainstream adoption rather than myopically focused on the psychedelic community

When it comes to healing, psychedelics are myopic because they are a therapeutic catalyst for change. I feel like there should be a recirprocal subsuming of the mainstream and psychedelic culture.

I also think it's difficult to profit off of psychedelics enough to sustain a comfortable wage. As a business person that means it's not an attractive market and the most value for society is not being created there. I think as creators, we have to take an honest look at what the universe needs most, not what we want to do the most. This is why most small businesses fail, people get wrapped up in their own ideas vs what the market demands.

In traditional cultures, being the healer isn't something one typically wants. It's hard. It's painful. I got into this because I was asked to and because I see things that I feel could use augmentation in the entire fray. That is to say that I have never expected to become wealthy or turn a real profit from this work. I'd like to just pay my bills and help people. And I've helped many, having over 400 hours in the space (I had to calculate that for my job).

I will say that when it comes to certain business perspectives, I don't care because I have a moral issue with how a lot of those things operate. There's a market for social media and we see the damage that has done and continues to do. I will say that I do think that there is value to society as most of society is mainstream and as been discussed, has been subsumed into the mainstream in some ways.

And our needs need to be covered as well. It's hard to be a proponent of something you're not into. But if someone is into psychedelics and thinks they can create change with their interest in psychedelics along for the ride, then that's a good thing.

What isn't a good thing is the lack of ego checking in all of this where so many people have an agenda in which they want to sway others to, effectively being mental missionaries for themselves.

One love

 

[Jungleheart]

@Voidmatrix, That is fair and if you are called to do it, you are called to do it. I am just concerned for your wellbeing when I think mainstream adoption can easily take another 5-10 years and come through existing institutions and licensing.

 

[modern]

@modern , I was raised in a family with women who had outstanding success in traditionally male jobs, and performed better than 99% of men. My family did not raise me with traditional gender roles, and let me run wild and play with the boys or girls. Most of the women were not very nurturing, and I have found men are often more nurturing than women. Young people - Gen Z - are further breaking free from traditional gender roles in the last 5 years.

I have a lot of examples of both men and women breaking the mold in mind.

@🌺🔥🫧, I have purposely left out the plethora of boundary crossing sexual experiences I've been subjected to as part of the scene, because I felt it would bring the vibe down. I will say that I believe drug use attracts predators who ply young women with MDMA, GHB, dissociatives, alcohol, etc., and try to convince them not to use condoms or worse.

I also think a lot of men tend to dismiss women's lived experiences as hysteria or insecurity. It's hard for many men to accept that a woman would have an informed opinion based on different information than a man might have. Men are also generally given the benefit of the doubt, in my experience.

Of course this varies drastically by social circle. Anyways, I could talk about this for a long time, but don't want anyone to feel like I'm pointing a finger, because that's not productive.

@Voidmatrix, I believe there is still a use for healers, but that the focus should be on mainstream adoption rather than myopically focused on the psychedelic community.

I also think it's difficult to profit off of psychedelics enough to sustain a comfortable wage. As a business person that means it's not an attractive market and the most value for society is not being created there. I think as creators, we have to take an honest look at what the universe needs most, not what we want to do the most. This is why most small businesses fail, people get wrapped up in their own ideas vs what the market demands.

I've been raised with a single mother that moved to a country without knowing the language and raised me well. I have female family members that can't even nurture a cactus like I mentioned that are always exceptions but to think our singular experiences is what the masses live/know is strange.

What do you see as breaking gender roles? Trans issues and sexuality? From observing my 2 gay cousins male/female they both fall into a classical 'male/female' dynamic even when they date the same sex. Men can obviously be home makers and cook clean and take care of kids but to think that even 10% will do it well without forcing themselves is not the reality IMO. Women can make money and be self sufficient and many that do genuinely enjoy it but a majority would prefer to stay with their kids or not need to be the main bread winner. Playing with both sexes until a certain age is one thing but around early teens both naturally start to think and experience the world differently. Now if you are shielded and live in only accepting communities and are privileged to not be discriminated good on you but not the norm. I've seen this in the states with having gone to school in predominantly white and rich schools and lived in poor black underprivileged areas. The experience of those young white gay men and young black gay men are worlds apart. Bring in gender roles of latin/black communities there are always the outliers but since most don't have access to their own community will conform without much trouble most of the times.

With any group/community live in the bubble enough you think you are the majority. Similar to how many get shocked with many world nations going to the right in politics and thinking just because you are a certain sex/age/sexual preference/race you will think or vote a certain way.

EXCEPTIONS are not the norm. The world is a cruel place and most of the times we tend to prefer the illusion of utopia. The world is a massive place and even with the small amount I've traveled I've had the mold I've made myself break many times even in privileged locations.

Again MAYBE just a mans biased perspective but If you have traveled overseas or even poorer locations in the states the situation is different. Maybe we each live in our own bubbles and don't see this other side.

 

[Voidmatrix]

You're so touching and kind and I'm thankful to have you in my corner.

Not gonna lie, I'm concerned too. One of the reasons that I work at the center is because I can bypass a lot of the institutional dogshit that is being proliferated right now. There are people dictating licensing for all this that have zero relationship with psychedelics. I feel like I have to stay. I'd be doing a disservice to humanity if I didn't put my most genuine effort in. I'm not okay with the idea of a therapist, who has never done psychedelics, but is interested in giving them to their clients doing so. They are not serving their clients authentically. They're just continuing to pander to the system. As I've shared, I'm an autodidact in this work, and while I've done and continue to do a great deal of research, there's no better training than to be in the space, alone, and needing to pull yourself through. Self-guiding. That was actually an approach I had when I started doing this: teach people how to guide themselves. But what I've noticed is that I need to have more time to do more intensive work with people to really teach this. Several prep sessions, the journey day, and several integrations isn't enough time. As a result I'm thinking of trying to figure out how I can teach cohorts of people this so that I can use as much time as I need in order to address everything that I feel pertinent.

And while I'm worried, I'm not that worried, I was doing this underground before the mainstream decided to be accepting and I'll just go back underground if need be. Say, hypothetically, it doesn't work out at the center, then I get a normal 9-5 again, and guide on the side. There are at least three people who have spoken to me in the past week about me guiding them from my gym alone.

However, I'd like to keep brainstorming with you as we have been. Something beautiful can come from it.

One love

 

[dithyramb]

A lot of great elaboration by many here, thank you!

Yes, the point of being a healer is not profiting with an efficacious business model. Although one does need to have at least their basic needs covered.

It's a completely different world now, practically opposite to traditional human existence in many ways. And the attempt at adaptation of traditional healing rituals may appear ridiculous in various ways. This is perhaps one of the most difficult phenomena to clearly see, make sense of, or define.

I am quite an outlier to society (even though I never emphasize this and value harmonious interbeing). For much of my life I felt desperate to be understood, but I have finally arrived at the point where I have accepted that there is nobody who can fully understand my reality and I am ok with it.

For me, blindly following the market demand would be in stark contrast to the goodness in this phenomenon, and that goodness is about reconnecting us to what it means to be human, and helping us remain human in an exceedingly dehumanizing world.

That isn't to say any or all psychedelic activity is good or even benign at all.

I've had no connection to psychedelic festivals. I've never travelled to South America. In the country where I live even though "normies are rapidly flowing in to the playground," it's still very far from becoming part of the culture. For me also, the most tangible thing that comes to my mind with the words "psychedelic community" is this place.

Very interesting how you seem triggered by the invocation of the divine feminine. Needless to say, there is a lot of chaos going on around the concept of gender in this age. But whatever feels true to you, you should live that fully. Similarly, if others feel in harmony with such concepts, even feel the need for them for certain healing, they should live that fully. IMHO.

Loved the analogy of void - just as being present till the end of the ceremony, let's let this phenomenon come full circle All the chaos will transform into something meaningful and integrated. And I am referring to the entirety of human culture, not just the matter of psychedelics.

 

[Voidmatrix]

@modern I just want to respond to a few things you said. I smell what you're stepping in.

There have been studies that show in medical setting people respond differently to men than women, but that has been reduced to something biological, not a societal mandate. So I do think there are times when "gender" (really they're sex roles when it involves the biology and not an ideal) like when working with certain plants as you've mentioned above.

When I talk about garbage gender roles it involves whether a woman can be logical (they can), whether a woman can be a bread winner (they can), whether a woman can dominate a conversation (they can), whether a man can raise a child (they can), clean a home (they can), or cook a meal (they can). Things that deal more with the mind than biology.

And while an exception is not the rule, it is still extant with the rule, and the exception can always become the rule. It's happened countless times throughout history.

Again MAYBE just a mans biased perspective but If you have traveled overseas or even poorer locations in the states the situation is different. Maybe we each live in our own bubbles and don't see this other side.

You just hit the nail on the head.

One love

 

[modern]

You're so touching and kind and I'm thankful to have you in my corner.

Not gonna lie, I'm concerned too. One of the reasons that I work at the center is because I can bypass a lot of the institutional dogshit that is being proliferated right now. There are people dictating licensing for all this that have zero relationship with psychedelics. I feel like I have to stay. I'd be doing a disservice to humanity if I didn't put my most genuine effort in. I'm not okay with the idea of a therapist, who has never done psychedelics, but is interested in giving them to their clients doing so. They are not serving their clients authentically. They're just continuing to pander to the system. As I've shared, I'm an autodidact in this work, and while I've done and continue to do a great deal of research, there's no better training than to be in the space, alone, and needing to pull yourself through. Self-guiding. That was actually an approach I had when I started doing this: teach people how to guide themselves. But what I've noticed is that I need to have more time to do more intensive work with people to really teach this. Several prep sessions, the journey day, and several integrations isn't enough time. As a result I'm thinking of trying to figure out how I can teach cohorts of people this so that I can use as much time as I need in order to address everything that I feel pertinent.

And while I'm worried, I'm not that worried, I was doing this underground before the mainstream decided to be accepting and I'll just go back underground if need be. Say, hypothetically, it doesn't work out at the center, then I get a normal 9-5 again, and guide on the side. There are at least three people who have spoken to me in the past week about me guiding them from my gym alone.

However, I'd like to keep brainstorming with you as we have been. Something beautiful can come from it.

One love

There are always ways to monetize and market and if you have enough value. No need to elaborate on what service you provide but if you stop to think there will always be some thing missing or that you can do better that people are willing to pay for. May have to adapt a few times but there is always a market and if you are willing to risk it is worth while if successful.