Psychedelic Science 2023: How to be a warrior without going to battle.

Traveling back from the Psychedelic Science Conference on Alaska Airlines flight 764, I ruminated on the previous 5 days of high vibration and high drama. Rumbling through the walls of the Denver Convention Center, the occasional drum beat of summer thunderstorms echoed the contention brought forth by the many sides of a very complex and nuanced state of affairs. Like an impossible, multidimensional world cast upon one's consciousness by a high dose of Sacred Mushrooms, voices from across cultures, disciplines, ideologies, and belief systems parried and preached about what is right, and from the din, no clear and unifying answer arose.

The truth is, many voices at Psychedelic Science 2023 are right in many ways. And most mean well, coming from a place of higher consciousness and collective good. We want to change a world that desperately needs changing, yet in our desperation to communicate our rightness, we sometimes fall into the darkness and tumble head over heels into the destructive pit of righteousness, standing in dialectical opposition to the sacred wisdom of the plant and fungi teachers.?

Yes, it's true that debate and critical objectivity is paramount to bringing these medicines to the world. The incredible complexity of these molecules, layered with the many flavors of the human condition and infinitely confounding and paradoxical multiverse of consciousness, need humanity's most ancient wisdom and greatest minds to ensure we get it as right as can be. But discourse in our beloved space of healing and exploring the vast waters of Consciousness often falls into a dualistic battle of right and wrong. And when we look at humanity's history when righteousness rears its ugly head, well things get ugly. Just look at the horrors of colonialism and religious dogma as two glaring examples of humanity's darkness when human-indoctrinated perceptions of right and wrong are imprinted on a people.?

These medicines and molecules are tools of Consciousness. Like meditation, mindfulness, yoga, sensory deprivation, sound, breath, and dozens of other modalities, psychedelics enable us to tap into our Divine Truth. And like a crystalline snowflake or a wet, spotted stone shining on the bank of a flowing river, we are all unique expressions of consciousness and we must have myriad access points and modalities with the medicines in order to meet each of us where we're at. Whether a polished clinical setting, with faux living room decor or the dripping humidity and mystery of the jungle, the medicine speaks to different people in different ways.?

Plant and fungi medicine consciousness is a reflection of the universal field. The duality of right and wrong, good and bad, dark and light, and surrender and control are all sides of the same paradoxical coin, mirroring humanity's most imposing challenge - that the mirage of duality is driving our species to ruin.?

So, how do we turn things around? How do we break the shackles of egoic nonsense that pits us against each other and fuels our obsession to compete in Nature’s system of cooperation and symbiosis? How do we stop the senseless pursuit of MORE that’s rapidly advancing our species’ extinction??

Like all profound questions of existence, purpose, and meaning, perhaps the answer is as paradoxically simple as it is mind-blowingly beyond the comprehension of our materialist human brain? Things that make you go, hmmmm…

I pull away from these thoughts as the plane begins its descent into the Seattle area. My ears pop and as I read this over, I pause and ascertain that the questions require further meditation, pondering, and postulation.?

Days later I’m back at the cabin, the wind in the leaves bathing the sunny day in a rustle of soft, white noise. I’m still integrating from the conference, as if my attendance was augmented with the spirit of a plant or fungus and I’m still sorting out the insights wrapped in mycelial metaphor and plant parable.?

For those on The Path and those who have experienced shifts in awareness that wake them from the egoic dream state of what we think this human experience is about, the shift is usually accompanied by an existential struggle that confounds and confuses. And of course inherent in this metaphysical conundrum is the ever-present aura of our good friend, Paradox. We want to share with the world. We want our loved ones to experience the pure joy and inner peace with which we’ve been gifted. We want to help others awaken, and we want to change the world! We understand that this is all within each and every human ability - perhaps all they need is the right nudge? So, back to the question, how do we nudge? How do we become a warrior of Consciousness without going to battle and fall to the sword of righteousness?

Like everything in life, the answers are all within each of us. And the point in the time/space continuum where the rubber hits the road is in the Present Moment. Change begins from within. and the only sliver of this human experience where we have control is in the present moment. So change, for better or for worse, blooms from each and every moment of each and every day. For you control freaks out there, think about that. A fraction of a second - go to town and control the fuck out of that! And all you have to do is choose: Love or Fear.?

Reflecting back on the Psychedelic Science Conference 2023, I think about all the voices at war - battling ideologies, approaches, beliefs, backgrounds, molecules, competitors, and anything else you can think about that differentiates and categorizes, both materially and metaphysically. The various camps and tribes spread far and wide, each expressing their voice in what they believe ‘is right’ only fueled the distraction of duality. It’s a beautiful chorus of human voices, the vast majority who truly care, but echoing and amplifying their cries is the resounding theme of contrast, the paradoxical underpinning of all Creation and the foundational driver of duality, division, and fear.

So, all we have is the Present Moment. That’s it. And it is in that moment of Divine Choice where we step forward and walk the walk and practice Conscious Awareness in our everyday lives, choosing Love over Fear in each beautiful miraculous moment of Being. This is what the Sacred Molecules try to teach us over and over again - they SHOW us lessons - it is action and acts of kindness and compassion that shifts the energy of the world around us, and each act, accompanied by the moving silence of gratitude raises our inner vibration and connects us to our Truth - we ARE the Universe, experiencing itself in human form. We are Consciousness. We are pure and absolute LOVE!

Talk is cheap and when grounded in a belief in what is right, often descends into the dank rabbit hole of righteousness. Not a good look on anyone. So what’s a good consciously aware human being to do? For starters, begin or amplify your practice of conscious awareness today. Make it a game of being Present throughout your day and see what happens, especially when things get challenging.? Walk the walk, choose love over fear, and allow compassion to lead the way…you’re just human, so start with compassion for yourself and the resolution that all of this is just a school, a curriculum of challenges and triumphs, lessons and setbacks, adorned with mystery, mayhem, and awe.?

I can think of no other area of human culture where Presence is more needed than in this blossoming medicine space. And with my prana still lit from the beautiful energy of so many of the 12,000+ attendees at Psychedelic Science 2023, I feel full of love, gratitude, and hope that we are turning the troubled ship Humanity around. Together, as warriors armed with love, compassion, humility, and gratitude, we’ll pass this cosmic test and rise above our troubled world, melding the heavens with our magical, earthly home - and we’ll do it, without ever heading to battle.??

Much <3

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