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New people, new style: Barry Cooper.

Migrated topic.
I always find it hard to understand how people can have serious experiences with psychedelics such as ayahuasca, as this Barry Cooper presumably has, and still have no idea what it's all about. I suppose a similar thing happened with acid in the Sixties, but at least the fallout from that didnt impact on an indigenous culture and the ecosystem which supplied it, as these stunts with aya surely will.

On reflection, spiritual practices throughout history have been hijacked and debased by power hungry megalomaniacs. The Roman empire and Christianity for example.
 
Lolwut?!

"Former" narcotics officer "turned anarchist" organizes megalomaniacal ayahuasca gig in a 5 star tourist resort, charging a $350,- fee, for anarchists. What could possibly go wrong?

Is he perchance related to this Tommy Cooper? At least it would make more sense that way.
 
They add tradition and nostalgia and although they deserve our deep respect and acknowledgement, they are not necessary for the DMT to provide a life transformative experience.
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oh the irony.

i think good old bazza needs to be strangled with his imaculately maintained dreadlocks
 
"Anarchahuasca", "ayahuascapulco", "anarchopulco", tripping next to vogue models........ I think it's beautiful.

If his record breaking ceremony had an Elvis theme...Adam Kokesh as a shaman in an Elvis costume, Elvis tunes as icaros and fried peanut butter and jelley sandwiches as the pre ceremony dieta. I think that those kinds of additions to the program would help to up the kitsch factor.
Call the documentary "Fun in Ayahuascapulco" and put me down for a copy.
 
A bit like a 60s Love-in, but with a 21st century twist?
It sounds kind of amazing, actually, to observe, though, rather than participate.

PS I hope Barry keeps his hair dye and his beard dye in easily distinguishable bottles, otherwise he's really going to find out what anarchy looks like. Ay carramba!
 
:lol: those links. Yeah I've heard of Barry Cooper. I personally would stay clear. Quite a few red flags throughout both those links.

too funny :twisted: :d :lol:
 
Assuming this is for real, ANYONE considering travel to Acapulco would be well advised to consider the very real threat of physical violence courtesy of Mexican drug cartels. Aside from the fairly low probability of being caught in the maceratingly grotesque crossfire, kidnapping has become a cottage industry in Mexico. While many regions of Mexico remain statistically "safe", Acapulco isn't one of them.

Peace
 
The really sad thing about this is that there will probably be no shortage of applicants for this crap.

As has been shown with out and out scammers like Trinity Guzman and James Mooney here in the states, there are plenty of people searching for answers and this nebulous healing that these charlatans offer, who will gladly open up their checkbooks to them.

Isn't there another post here somewhere about this guy, i remember making fun of his hair...
 
Legarto Rey said:
Assuming this is for real, ANYONE considering travel to Acapulco would be well advised to consider the very real threat of physical violence courtesy of Mexican drug cartels. Aside from the fairly low probability of being caught in the maceratingly grotesque crossfire, kidnapping has become a cottage industry in Mexico. While many regions of Mexico remain statistically "safe", Acapulco isn't one of them.

Peace
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Maybe a crossfire or two adds to the strong tales to tell afterwards when you show people your certificate obtained :?:

But seriously, you have a point there, how comes BC getting away with all he does in the midst of hellhole #1 ? The ropes of a DEA agent are inscrutable I guess.
 
What exactly is your critique?
That he is doing it all in the "wrong place" ?

I always find it hard to understand how people can have serious experiences with psychedelics such as ayahuasca, as this Barry Cooper presumably has, and still have no idea what it's all about
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Enlighten me...what is it all about ?
 
obliguhl said:
What exactly is your critique?
That he is doing it all in the "wrong place" ?

I always find it hard to understand how people can have serious experiences with psychedelics such as ayahuasca, as this Barry Cooper presumably has, and still have no idea what it's all about
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Enlighten me...what is it all about ?
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I meant he's doing it for the wrong reasons, wealth and fame, personal power. Powerful psychedelic experiences tend to erode the ego and all this kind of stuff which stems from it, and promote a more universal feeling, the interconnectedness of all things etc. For myself at least, these experiences have been humbling and beautiful beyond description, ecstatic and terrifying. Felt like something sacred, which I couldnt imagine trying to package and promote like some kind of tourist attraction. A bit like turning a beautiful, pristine piece of countryside into a tacky theme park.

Anyway, Im well aware not everyone feels this way after their own psychedelic experiences, just cant understand why..

As to what it's all about, youll have to book a place on my weekend workshop; 'What psychedelics are all about' only £599.99 pp at the luxury Dalai Lama intercontinental hotel in downtown Lhasa, Tibet. :thumb_up:
 
ijahdan said:
I meant he's doing it for the wrong reasons, wealth and fame, personal power.
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From where do you know? Do you know how he maybe supports his family, friends, the local farmer and crafter, by f.e. buying their products, and even if so, what is wrong (with it)? What are the "right" values. What defines right from wrong?

ijahdan said:
Powerful psychedelic experiences tend to erode the ego and all this kind of stuff which stems from it, and promote a more universal feeling, the interconnectedness of all things etc.
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No exclusion.

Now.

ijahdan said:
For myself at least, these experiences have been humbling and beautiful beyond description, ecstatic and terrifying. Felt like something sacred, which I couldnt imagine trying to package and promote like some kind of tourist attraction. A bit like turning a beautiful, pristine piece of countryside into a tacky theme park.
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The mysterium is experienced "inside", appears personal and intimate. Close your eyes or shut down the light and it looks everywhere the same. Sacredness is love is everywhere and not related to a special practice, form or place. Barrys participants experience the same magic you experience in your ideal setting, as long as he offers what he promotes. If someone wants to encounter psychedelics in a setting like this, perfect and not, it does(n't) matter.

ijahdan said:
As to what it's all about, youll have to book a place on my weekend workshop; 'What psychedelics are all about' only £599.99 pp at the luxury Dalai Lama intercontinental hotel in downtown Lhasa, Tibet. :thumb_up:
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You are free to offer, I am free to choose.

tseuq
 
Perhaps it's a knee-jerk reaction, but i tend to recoil when I see people of questionable ability offer 'healing' from serious conditions that can in and if themselves new life threatening, like addiction and PTSD. I did not go through the sites with a fine toothed comb but i didnt see any mention of medical personnel or facilities on site, and from what i understand it is best practice to have these on hand when using ibogaine specifically.

Ayahuasca has it's own foreseeable dilemmas associated with it's use that would hopefully be effectively dealt with with a well practiced provider of it.

Again I admit a quick reaction without a whole lot of digging my part that can be easily set off, and the points are good; but not every book should be judged by its cover and not every psychedelicicist cat be judged by their dye job. I just have a real bad taste in my mouth over my (distant) dealing with Ayahuasca Healings, Trinity De Guzman and Marc Shackman, who claimed to be able to provide legal retreats in WA state a couple years ago.
 
obliguhl said:
What exactly is your critique?...
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I do hope he succeed as it would prove the medicines to be functional outside traditional culture too, I would love that. It is good to try out a complete different format as an experiment, but I find it so unfortunate that he turned the whole thing into a cheap looking advertising stunt. I lost all confidence due that, all of it.
Mexico is also a country I would not cross back packing as BC proposes, maybe I'm a wimp or misinformed.
 
Jees said:
obliguhl said:
What exactly is your critique?...
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I do hope he succeed as it would prove the medicines to be functional outside traditional culture too, I would love that. It is good to try out a complete different format as an experiment, but I find it so unfortunate that he turned the whole thing into a cheap looking advertising stunt. I lost all confidence due that, all of it.
Mexico is also a country I would not cross back packing as BC proposes, maybe I'm a wimp or misinformed.
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Youre right.

I've seen a few of his old video's on utube, and although he had a point to make, its pretty obvious that he went about making that point in the worse possible way. Sure he got attention, but mostly the wrong kind of attention because he chose crazed Anarchy, instead of intelligence.

This new endevour of his is yet another example of this.
 
Well, Ive been thinking about why I find this whole approach to ayahuasca healing so repulsive and it's really just a gut feeling I suppose, that it's wrong to commercialise such a thing to this extent. Obviously the guy has to make a living, but on this kind of scale, he's doing more than just making ends meet. Dont know about how much he's benefitting the local community, I havent looked into it very deeply.

On the other hand, as tseuq points out, the participants will still experience the magic of ayahuasca regardless of how it's packaged, so probably some good will come out of it. I certainly don't think ayahuasca or any other psychedelics with long traditions of use must always be experienced in a traditional setting, with a shaman etc., but I'd like to think that the person guiding the experience, Barry in this case, was doing it out of a genuine desire to help people, and a deep understanding of the medicine.

Whatever happens, itll be interesting to see the outcome.
 
I think there is a problem with the perception (or rather claimed perception) of psychedelics in general and ayahuasca in particular in popular culture (or "Western" pop culture), that this Barry Cooper thing illustrates quite well.
It's a problem of confusion;

Are you taking ayahuasca for "self development" (what we old fogies would call "for fun" ) ?

Are you taking it because you are fed up, stressed out, and this is an experience that will allow you to unload, unburden yourself?

Do you have other psychological reasons for taking it? i.e. addiction or PTSD?

Are you taking it because you have a medical condition diagnosable by allopathic medicine? e.g. a degenerative neurological disorder, etc.

Do you need some kind of cultural precedent to make the ingestion of this psychedelic okay for you?

I presume the majority of Euro-American people who take ayahuasca do it for the first reason. I don't believe the thousands of young people who pass through the eco-ayahuasca tourism circuit in South America every year, or those who attend "ceremonies" at home, usually suffer from very much more than the sort of cultural ennui that effects all of us (and is in reality more a blessing than a curse).

And yet, how often do these people, or indeed how often in this thread, is ayahuasca referred to as "medicine".
Ayahuasca; This is not a drug, it is a medicine.
Cannabis, not a drug, but a medicine.
This pint of stout? Medicina.
This chip butty? Medicine my friend! Solo por curar!


I'm not saying ayahuasca not very valuable as a medicine, it clearly is. I'm saying that it would be much better for everybody if we were quite clear about when and how it is being used as medicine, and when it is being used for self development, or -other-.

So, what's my point? Hmmm. I think my point is that the real problem is that of people seeking treatment for serious ailments being lumped together with people with, shall we say somewhat trivial ailments, but the latter are also insisting on "medicine".
 
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