Spirituality

Why ayahuasca is [often] a new age spiritual scam

“What’s often overlooked is that ayahuasca powers an entire micro-tourism industry that has sprung up in the Amazon. Opportunistic shaman prey on naive Westerners for cash and compete with each other by sometimes using dangerous ingredients to create ever-stronger brews that will reel in customers that want more bang for their buck. People have died…

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Spirituality

Why psychedelic history matters

“What’s different about the psychedelic renaissance of the 21st century, of course, is that it’s here and actually happening, with once marginalised ideas entering the mainstream in legitimate ways…what might actually be significant about the psychedelic renaissance of the 21st century is that it’s the first psychedelic renaissance from which the past can be viewed…

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Spirituality

Global commission on drugs calls for worldwide drug decriminalization

“Only then,” the report says, “can the societal destruction caused by drug prohibition be properly mitigated.” The report, Advancing Drug Policy Reform: A New Approach to Drug Decriminalization, is a product of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a high-level commission that includes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and…

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Spirituality

The existential medicine

“Ultimately, his friends and daughter—entering college by this time—convinced him that he needed to address his mental wellbeing. He tried counseling, but it didn’t improve his outlook. Neither did antidepressants. After several screening and counseling visits, Martin found himself sitting on a couch in a converted medical office/living room on Hopkins’ Bayview campus.” Meanwhile, early…

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Spirituality

An uncanny mixture: god, alcohol and even cannabis

“On a farm in Merced, California, nuns from the Sisters of the Valley, show their devotion to healing through medicinal products made from their own marijuana crop.” Sister Kate Meeusen founded the non-aligned religious order in 2015. While dressed in Catholic habits, the group’s spiritual practices are derived from what they call “ancient wisdom”. “We…

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Spirituality

Can psychedelics make us more moral?

“In truth, the ban [on psychedelics] has been brief…it has always been about marketing.” Earp, a research associate at the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics, does not limit his discussion to psychedelics. For example, psychopathy is a chemical misfiring: emotional stimuli, such as words like ‘murder’ and ‘rape,’ have no effect on a psychopath’s nervous system.…

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