The resurgence and popularity of psychedelics
With the resurgence and popularity of psychedelics at an all time high,
I decided to do some exploring...
Zide Door is a Church in Oakland supporting the safe access and use of Entheogenic Plants. We follow a nondenominational, interfaith religion, The Church of Ambrosia
Zide Door Church is suing the city of Oakland and its police department, alleging that a recent raid violated its constitutional and religious freedoms.
In California, recreational marijuana is legal, and businesses with permits can sell it. In Oakland, elected officials voted unanimously in 2019 to effectively decriminalize certain natural hallucinogenic products, like mushrooms, although they cannot be sold.
To become a member, applicants must complete an online questionnaire that asks whether they work in law enforcement and whether they accept marijuana and mushrooms as “part of your religion.”
The church does not sell drugs. Instead, it charges a monthly $5 membership fee and then asks for donations in exchange for psychedelic products. As many as 200 people visit the church each day to get marijuana and mushrooms.
After this eye opening experience, it got me reflecting back to my early years experimenting.
I went to a lot of underground raves which were big in the 90s in Florida. I have clocked in literally hundreds of LSD and psychedelic mushrooms and dozens of MDMA ecstasy trips.
After trying marijuana for the first time and learning of the lies I'd been told by DARE regarding the harms of cannabis, I decided that if they had lied about pot, they must've lied about other drugs too, so I set off to experiment and find out for myself.
First was LSD. I convinced my friend Jimmy, who I also smoked weed for the first time, to try it with me. He was hesitant but I convinced him it was alright.
We had these surfer friends, Chris and Scott, that loved to smoke weed and trip out all the time. Chris and Scott were hilariously funny. We took our first of many trips with them. was classic old paper hits. I don't remember if they had designs on them, but many of them did back then.
I remember my world dissolving around me, the rush of adrenaline, and being amused and bewildered by everything. Including hand shadow puppets on the wall, while listening to trippy tunes, in black light.
They lived close to the intercoastal waterway in Seminole and we could wade out through the mangroves to find this hidden island that we would explore while tripping. It had huts like on Gilligan's Island, with a tree fort to climb and also a zip line, which we used to do tripping out of our minds.
I went to a lot of underground raves which were big in the 90s in Florida. I have clocked in literally hundreds of LSD and psychedelic mushrooms and dozens of MDMA ecstasy trips.
After trying marijuana for the first time and learning of the lies I'd been told by DARE regarding the harms of cannabis, I decided that if they had lied about pot, they must've lied about other drugs too, so I set off to experiment and find out for myself.
First was LSD. I convinced my friend Jimmy, who I also smoked weed for the first time, to try it with me. He was hesitant but I convinced him it was alright.
We had these surfer friends, Chris and Scott, that loved to smoke weed and trip out all the time. Chris and Scott were hilariously funny. We took our first of many trips with them. was classic old paper hits. I don't remember if they had designs on them, but many of them did back then.
I remember my world dissolving around me, the rush of adrenaline, and being amused and bewildered by everything. Including hand shadow puppets on the wall, while listening to trippy tunes, in black light.
They lived close to the intercoastal waterway in Seminole and we could wade out through the mangroves to find this hidden island that we would explore while tripping. It had huts like on Gilligan's Island, with a tree fort to climb and also a zip line, which we used to do tripping out of our minds.
Chris also turned me and Jimmy on to shrooms for the first time. It was Jimmy's birthday and I remember him blindfolding us and driving us to his favorite cow field.
We went back to his place and Clearwater and we made tea. I remember drinking a big ol' glass and having a conversation with Jimmy; the next thing I knew his face started to melt. But instead of freaking out I found it hilarious and started laughing out loud.
My friends Jimmy, Brad, and Manny got an apartment together in Seminole. John Gotsis, Phillip Stafford, were Manny's cousins and would hang out a lot. My other friend Buddy started getting ecstasy at this time.
I remember my first ecstasy roll. Buddy said they were white doves, pure MDMA. Electronic music was playing in the background. I was lounging in a recliner zoning out, when I started feeling a tingling throughout my body and the next thing I knew I was floating out of my seat feeling like I was in heaven.
Ecstasy allowed me and my male friends to open up and be vulnerable in a way I could never do before. Finally connecting with my dudes on a more mature level. Feeling like I could open up and express my emotions. I can definitely see why it's being used therapeutically in couples counseling, PTSD, and end of life issues.
When I was 15 me and my dad drove across the country, in his 71 VW van staying at state and national parks along the way. I was being turned onto all kinds of music, and ideas.
The most profound experience I ever had on psychedelics, was on the peak of a mountain in Grand Teton Wyoming. Clouds were blowing through me and I swear I was so high I could reach up and pluck a star of the sky. I had a vision on top of that mountain of the great bang and the universe unfolding in front of me and feeling an overwhelming connection to all.
Currently there is a burgeoning psychedelic Renaissance. Based on therapeutic use research has shown psilocybin and MDMA helpful in dealing with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other issues.
Psychedelics help expand awareness and allow for other perspectives to be entertained.
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through' narrow chinks of his cavern." The Doors of Perception Quotes by Aldous Huxley
It has been documented that Jim Morrison used LSD like he used a lot of substances, to excess. Fires lit, his soul clearly having broken through to the other side. Crossing the prophetic “doors of perception”, as predicted by William Blake, was becoming the only way to escape from this dirty, corrupt, agonizing world. At least, this was possible with our minds.
I was just exploring the limits of reality. I was curious to see what would happen. That was all curiosity.— Jim Morrison
The desire to escape from reality hides a deep need to know. We are fascinated by the unknown and we keep asking ourselves questions like, “What is the meaning of life?” “What comes after death?” “Are we alone in the universe?”
Resources:
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
https://maps.org/event/psychedelic-science-2023/
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