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Om Namah Shivaya · Shivarati Kirtan

2/17/2015

"Serpentine Apotheosis" by Hakan Hisim.

Today is Shivarati, marking the celebrated day in which Lord Shiva broke into his divine Tandava dance. The Tandava, especially in the west, is typically misunderstood as an appalling act of destruction, after all, it is with this dance that Shiva destroys the whole of the universe. However, this interpretation of the symbolic cosmic dance is distorted and short-sighted. In Vedic culture the process of destruction is not considered evil, in fact, it is necessary for creation. It is in this destructive spirit that Lord Shiva angelically destroys the universe by dancing. Shiva destroys the material universe to make more room for the spiritual infinite. He is, in effect, destroying in order to create more room for creation.

An accurate metaphor would be the controlled National Forest fires that firemen intentionally use to burn away patches of forested American land such as Pisgah, Yosemite and Yellowstone. Forest fires are essential for the survival of the forests. It is the immense heat of the flames that break open certain seeds that are encased in protective shells. These destructive fires clear out the under brush and rotting foliage so seeds can take root in the fertile soil. The forest fires get rid of big, dead timber to clear the way for the smaller, growing trees to get a chance at some nutritious sunlight. This process microcosmically mirrors the macrocosmic cycles of creation and destruction.

GALACTIC GIGAPIXELS · EPIC M31 ZOOM IN

1/21/2015

Image credit: NASA, ESA, J. Dalcanton, B.F. Williams, and L.C. Johnson (University of Washington), the PHAT team, and R. Gendler

2015 has started off with a galactic bang. NASA has literally released the largest photo ever taken. This massive 1.5 billion pixels Hubble Telescope-captured image would require 600 HD TVs to see the luminous photo in it's uninterrupted entirety.

The image is of the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31, is the nearest spiral galaxy neighbor to the Milky Way, and only a 2.5 million light-year voyage from Earth. A larger than normal galaxy, Andromeda, is estimated to contain more than twice the amount of stars as the Milky Way; which means there are approximately 1 Trillion stars (and quite possibly 1 trillion solar systems) in Andromeda alone.

A Last Look at The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Lawrence Fishburne Recites "Freedom is a Breakfast Food"

12/23/2014

Lawrence Fishburne recites "Freedom is a Breakfast Food" on Late Late Show Interview with Craig Ferguson.

"Deeds cannot dream what dreams can do."

Craig Ferguson, known as the dark-humored, Scottish-American host of the Late Late Show said his final good night this past Friday night. I remember randomly tuning into his appropriately titled late night talk show back when I was in high school and college. There was always an underlying wink to the twisted tone of his show that was characteristic of the post-midnight time slot.

I specifically remember watching this interview he had with Lawrence Fishburne, where the actor felt like he was in a comfortable enough environment to recite the inter-linguistic e.e. cummings poem, Freedom is a Breakfast Food. This is the type of setting that Craig Ferguson's show was able to foster. You won't typically see the highest form of poetry being expertly recited by an A-level actor on cable television—and it is this nocturnal, laissez-faire overtone that allowed for liberating interviews, such as this one, to happen. Enjoy a last look at the laid-back platform that allowed these living words of e.e. cummings to re-flourish.

Rewild Yourself · Daniel Vitalis Interviews Dennis McKenna [Podcast: Serotonin Upgrades, Magic Mushrooms and DMT]

12/11/2014

Rewild Yourself Podcast: Hunting Magic Mushrooms and DMT in South America with Dennis McKenna.

The ethnopharmacologist, Dennis McKenna, the overshadowed younger brother of the late Terence McKenna, recently appeared on Daniel Vitalis's nascent ReWild Yourself Podcast. Vitalis brings up numerous relevant talking points, such as the importance of psychedelics in indigenous diets, the notion of "serotonin upgrades," and the "La Chorrera" magic mushroom and DMT hunting adventures of the McKenna brothers. The podcast can be listened to in its entirety by simply subscribing to it on iTunes or clicking here.

"The unsustainability of trying to build starships seems so crude compared to the ability to journey there from within." ~ Daniel Vitalis

Extreme Aestheticism · How David Blaine Held His Breath for 17 Minutes [TEDMED VIDEO]

12/2/2014

"It's practice, it's training, and experimenting while pushing through the pain to be the best that I can be. That's what magic is to me." ~ David Blaine

David Blaine attempting to break the static apnea world record in Lincoln Center.

What separates David Blaine from other elite magicians is his dedicated exploration of the uncharted realms of human potential. Experimenting with the unknown is precisely what drives the well-known Brooklyn magician. This fact becomes obvious if you simply look at his list of attempts at human insanity—you might even expand your understanding of what you thought was humanly possible in the process:

Buried alive in NYC for 7 days in a coffin with nothing but water. (This fun underground experiment piqued Blaine's interest in the practice of extreme aestheticism.)
Froze himself in a block of ice for 3 days. (A freezing feat much more difficult than he originally expected.)
Balanced himself on top of a 100-foot pillar for 36 hours. (The Brooklyn magician claims he hallucinated so hard he felt as if the buildings were transforming into big animal heads.)
Lived in a small glass box suspended over London for 44 days with nothing but water. (Blaine claims this was the most beautiful experience of his life.)

Blaine completing a 44 Day fast while living in a glass cube.

These boundary-dissolving experiential explorations opened new doors for the magician. He successfully deprived himself of life's non-negotiable essentials: food, water, sleep, light, companionship, equilibrium, security and comfort. After his Jesus-like 44 day fast, Blaine reached a point where the only thing left he felt he needed to forgo was the luxurious element of air. How long could the magician go without the most valuable human resource in the world?

Awake: The Life of Yogananda

10/27/2014

Screening of the Paramahansa Yogananda documentary "Awake" at the Village East Cinemas.

I first became aware of the life of Paramahansa Yogananda (January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952) when I was a teenager in either middle school or high school. My father kept me privy to some of his teachings as I was growing up. Eventually, I came across Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi" as I walked down a particular northern New Jersey Barnes & Noble aisle. I remember looking at the cover in slight disbelief, fantasizing about the lifestyle, wisdom and secrets of a yogi.

I bought the book, and slowly read it contemplatively for months. The spiritual teachings and ancient yogic notions in the book were backed by the latest physics and nueroscience of his time. He was a spiritual genius. The words he wrote were radical, yet innately sensical notions. Yogananda's message is responsible for igniting the modern yoga movement and effecting millions of westerners since his first visit to America almost 100 years ago.

These memories of Paramahansa Yogananda and his cosmically meditative messages were shaken up in me when I had the opportunity to watch the recently released documentary, Awake: The Life of Yogananda. If you're in New York or California you're in luck! The screenings have been widely extended to November 6, 2014. Here are some of the cinemas where you can catch the screening of Awake for at least one more week.

DOORWAY TO HYPERSPACE DISCOVERED! [HD VIDEO]

9/26/2014

In the circuit-blowing video below the legendary Terence McKenna, Graham Hancock and Joe Rogan take us on a 23-minute and 52-second verbal tour over towards the door to Hyperspace. You will realize that you've been walked over to the ultimate door by these guides after watching the video, but whether or not you decide to break through the door is ultimately up to you. I hope you enjoy the ontological, audio-visual digital candy we decided to distribute this Friday afternoon. Enjoy.

"One of the great puzzles about this compound is why more people don’t know about it. Why this is not four-inch headlines on every newspaper on the planet, I cannot understand, because, I don’t know what news you were waiting for, but this is the news that I was waiting for. The DMT thing, it’s like an avalanche of orgasmic beauty, but a certain kind of beauty. The only words that I can find for the kind of beauty that it is, is: 'bizarre,' 'alien,' 'outlandish,' 'autre,' 'freaky,' and at the very edge of what the human mind seems to be able to hold. Well, where is this coming from? And, WHAT—IS—HAPPENING?" -Terence McKenna

Flashback Fridays · Peyote Trip Report · Entering the Yawn

8/1/2014

Huichol Hikuri Art: Multi-colored beaded deer.

The old-school mining tunnel, "El Ogarrio."

I met the good-natured Mexican ranchero, Don Carlos, in the spectacularly quaint desert pueblo, Real de Catorce, while traveling through Mexico last year. I met him and his wife while admiring the products they were selling at their pop-up shop by the old mining tunnel that help to spill the people into town. Among these products was a peyote and hemp-based cream that was being marketed as a pain-relieving muscle-relaxant. After applying some of this uniquely blended cream on my shoulders, neck and traps that night I came back the next morning and started asking about potentially importing the popular peyote cream to sell on the ZOOMDOUT Smart Shop. After discussing and considering it at length, it turned out that the risky, semi-illegal logistics proved to be too complicated to make the venture worth my time.

While we talked about the benefits and techniques involved in producing the peyote cream, Don Carlos casually asked me if I was interested in eating peyote at his ranch.

"Why, I thought you'd never ask," I thought to myself.

I told him I would think about it since I had many things to do in a cramped amount of time before leaving this quaintly, dusty desert village.

A couple of days after meeting and talking with Huicholes, admiring Hikuri art, listening to live Huichol and Mexican music, desert trekking, lunching on cactus tacos and enchiladas, savoring red wine and salvia tea, thoroughly exploring the town and mentally preparing myself for an all-night peyote voyage, I decided to contact Don Carlos in order to take him up on his offer.

Real de Catorce.

Hikuri (Huichol Art)

Huichol Elder.

Hikuri (Huichol Art)

Don Carlos scheduled to bring me a horse to the trodden hotel I was staying at later that same afternoon. Once he got to my place I packed my bags on top of the horse, mounted the beast and began horseback riding down the winding desert cliff of Real de Catorce.

Flashback Fridays | Amazon River and Nihue Rao Icaros 2012

7/18/2014

Flashback Fridays: Trying to stay away from Malaria (2012). Amazon River some where in between Santarem and Belem.

The Maloka at Nihue Rao.

Ricardo Amaringo is a Shipibo shaman based out of Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual. This Shipibo spiritual center is set in the jungle about 90 minutes outside of the city of Iquitos, Peru. I made it to this place after traveling around the Ecuadorian coast and the beautiful Cajas National Park. After relaxing in Montañita and dipping into the hot springs of Baños de Cuenca, I took a 24 hour bus ride down the northern Peruvian coast to the giant capital city of Peru—Lima. After taking less than a day's worth of rest from bus life, I immediately hopped back on a bus for another 24 hours to the perfectly placed high stoned city of Cusco. Cusco was enchanting and magnificent from an architectural, culinary, cultural, historical and Mother Nature point of view. After exploring the city for a few days I coordinated a five-day expedition to Machu Picchu, trekking through the much lesser traveled Salkantay Mountain. Hoards of crunched up groups of people take up the Inca Trail every day, but the Salkantay trek is a liberatingly expansive and much less crowded trek up the backside of the Salkantay Mountain towards the sacred Incan city. This beautiful alternative route is so quiet at times you can hear the notorious goblins howling at night.

ZOOMDOUT Digital Visionary Gallery · Nicholas Kalmakoff

7/9/2014

Painting by Kalmakoff

Nicholas Kalmakoff died a lonely and impoverished death in the north of Paris in 1955. The ignored and talented, misanthropic visionary artist went largely unnoticed throughout his productive life as a painter. He grew up on Grimm's fairytales, which on some level, influenced his life as a painter of the fantastical. This, combined with his eccentrically suppressed beliefs on sex, spirituality, decadence and his fascination with his orthodox depiction of a hoof-and-horned devil influenced his life's direction into an alternative world of misogynistic eroticism.

A contemporary actor of Kalmakoff's time named, Mgebrov, recounted a rather peculiar encounter with the talented, but, deranged, devil-obsessed painter:

One day, while I was visiting him, he whispered to me mysteriously that, for some time now, he'd been painting the devil. 'I have all the sketches upstairs' he said with a strange glint in his eye. 'I stay awake late into the night and keep watch for him. I've caught a glimpse of his eyes... his tail... even his hooves... but I haven't yet seen him entirely. Still, I've made hundreds of sketches - do you want to see them?' And, in fact, in the dusty attic of his bizarre little home he showed me a fascinating and frightening variety of sketches portraying the devil's eyes, tail and hooves. He was absolutely certain that these were things he'd seen.