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
Anyone who has atomically, quantumly, or cosmically travelled on a very high dose of psychedelics truly knows what "tripping" is about. These molecular spaceships (DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, LSD, Psilocybin, Mescaline) are often overlooked as ordinary chemicals, but many experienced voyagers recognize these molecular structures as much more than a group of atoms bonded together. These psychedelic molecules may also double as micro-sized spaceships to the gnostic explorer. In fact, the common theme of out-of-body-experiences and flying are shared by shamans the world around.
The renowned Shipibo shaman visionary painter, Pablo Amaringo, often included images of spaceships in his hallucinogenic paintings. Pablo Amaringo pointed out that these vehicles may take many shapes and travel at infinite speeds. I have personally experienced and talked to Shipibo shamans and apprentices who nonchalantly talk about traveling to distant galaxies with the nuerochemical assistance of Ayahuasca. Forget about going interstellar in a clunky, multi-billion dollar rocket, Mars will be about as far as astronauts will travel to in our lifetime. The fascinating notion is that with the right psychedelic dose you can neurochemically synthesize your own Nolan-like wormhole and black hole in your own brain, all "you" would need to do is build up enough courage to go through these weird, micro portals to interact with higher dimensions, quantum experiences and parallel universes. Astrophysics and quantum mechanics mathematically theorize the existence of 11-dimensions, subatomic dancing strings of energy and paradoxical quantum concepts—ingesting psychedelics, on the other hand, empirically verify some of these theories through direct experience.
In the podcast, Dennis McKenna recalls a high-dose LSD experience he had in the past. The primary message extracted from the experience was that the only way "out" was to travel within. I'm sure Dennis McKenna isn't the only person to have realized this. The book of Rick Strassman's anthology is mentioned, and sums up that sentiment nicely in the title alone: "Inner Paths to Outer Space."
The renowned Shipibo shaman visionary painter, Pablo Amaringo, often included images of spaceships in his hallucinogenic paintings. Pablo Amaringo pointed out that these vehicles may take many shapes and travel at infinite speeds. I have personally experienced and talked to Shipibo shamans and apprentices who nonchalantly talk about traveling to distant galaxies with the nuerochemical assistance of Ayahuasca. Forget about going interstellar in a clunky, multi-billion dollar rocket, Mars will be about as far as astronauts will travel to in our lifetime. The fascinating notion is that with the right psychedelic dose you can neurochemically synthesize your own Nolan-like wormhole and black hole in your own brain, all "you" would need to do is build up enough courage to go through these weird, micro portals to interact with higher dimensions, quantum experiences and parallel universes. Astrophysics and quantum mechanics mathematically theorize the existence of 11-dimensions, subatomic dancing strings of energy and paradoxical quantum concepts—ingesting psychedelics, on the other hand, empirically verify some of these theories through direct experience.
In the podcast, Dennis McKenna recalls a high-dose LSD experience he had in the past. The primary message extracted from the experience was that the only way "out" was to travel within. I'm sure Dennis McKenna isn't the only person to have realized this. The book of Rick Strassman's anthology is mentioned, and sums up that sentiment nicely in the title alone: "Inner Paths to Outer Space."
Painting by Pablo Amaringo featuring interdimensional beings, a flying serpent and a jeweled, luminescent spaceship.
Don't think you're on a paleo diet if you're not ingesting some kind of hallucinogen. That's part and parcel of the hunter gatherer diet. ~ Daniel Vitalis
Some of us have explored these pulsating neurochemical avenues in other countries (Indonesia, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador), religious settings (Santo Daime, UDV), indigenous cultures (Shipibo, Kogi, Mayan, Mazatecan), psychedelic festivals (Boom, Rainbow Gathering, Burning Man), or underground settings. However, because of the existing laws of our glorious, prohibitionist-styled society, most of us have been denied the right to explore these transcendental states of consciousness. Because of this, society at large is nutritiously deficient in psychedelic nootropics. Recent studies have proven that psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms, creates a hyperconnected brain by disrupting normal neural communications and connecting previously unconnected regions of the brain, generating new neural interactions, and therefore allowing new thoughts and foreign ideas to flourish in the brain. What else can be considered an ultimate nootropic if not psilocybin mushrooms?
In the podcast, Vitalis points out that there are many people who proudly claim they are on a "paleo diet," unconsciously ignoring that the original "paleo diet" almost always included some sort of hearty, hallucinogenic nutrients. Whether these sacraments were ingested in the form of a cactus, mushroom, snuff, smoke, or potion, the anthropological reality of these ancient diets should not be dismissed or overlooked. Especially in the age of the archaic revival or the "paleo" dieting fad.
In the podcast, Vitalis points out that there are many people who proudly claim they are on a "paleo diet," unconsciously ignoring that the original "paleo diet" almost always included some sort of hearty, hallucinogenic nutrients. Whether these sacraments were ingested in the form of a cactus, mushroom, snuff, smoke, or potion, the anthropological reality of these ancient diets should not be dismissed or overlooked. Especially in the age of the archaic revival or the "paleo" dieting fad.
It's hard not to see that other (psychedelic) place as... [struggles for words] It's difficult to say... I just... I guess I see it as... It feels more sophisticated. It doesn't feel like some kind of experience that I could've possibly conjured up. It doesn't feel like something I could've thought of. If it is, it means that I have such a repressed genius that I am walking around sort of dumbing down because my experience is "me" on such a significant upgrade that I struggle to even process the same way when I come back from that experience. It's hard not to see these as, almost, seratonin upgrades in some way. ~ Daniel Vitalis
Because of the neutral charge of certain psychedelic tryptamines, they are able to pass the blood brain barrier (BBB) and brush up against neural receptors. If the psychedelic molecules and neural receptors are an appropriate fit, the crystals and receptors merge for a period of time, allowing the experience to take place in the brain. These are the same receptors that fit together with serotonin, which is why Vitalis refers to the "serotonin upgrade" typically experienced with psilocybin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, LSD, etc.
These experiences undoubtedly feel expansively sleek, high-tech, fluid, cosmically elegant, and futuristically sophisticated. Why is that? These experiences are obviously difficult to explain, but I believe the conscious manipulation of syntax, metaphors, poetry and other linguistic tricks allow for a semantic connection with the logos—with the Other—with the ineffable. Being able to bring that transcendental "Other" here, is the nectar of the message we receive in hyperspace.
These experiences undoubtedly feel expansively sleek, high-tech, fluid, cosmically elegant, and futuristically sophisticated. Why is that? These experiences are obviously difficult to explain, but I believe the conscious manipulation of syntax, metaphors, poetry and other linguistic tricks allow for a semantic connection with the logos—with the Other—with the ineffable. Being able to bring that transcendental "Other" here, is the nectar of the message we receive in hyperspace.
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