∂an

yes I agree, but it wasn't simply a lack of intelligence in the traditional sense that psychedelics showed me. they showed me that there are many more levels of coherence to reality than what is normally perceived, that patterns are operating in higher dimensions to form our observed reality. this is what I am trying to get it regarding the definition of intelligence. although psychedelics can make people more intelligent in the traditional sense of being able to come up with a better design, more creative piece of art etc, their more important effect is to reveal how the world really works, and how to better position your life to live in harmony with its flow/current/field.

Gili Meno off the coast of Lombok is great for beaches, snorkelling, fishing, meeting locals and mycology. bbq'd cod and palm wine around a beach bon fire... fucking amazing.

hmm I have to disagree on your assumption about intelligence, specifically that the creation of 'pretty things' by the eurasian peoples such as clothing, advanced tools, agriculture and general engineering of the environment makes them more intelligent than primitive hunter gathers. are the australian aboriginals not intelligent for living in symbiosis with nature in a sustainable way for the better part of 100,000 yrs? my point is that intelligence is not a simple concept.

very good points. I guess the word 'creative' sprung in my head the image of a reclusive, socially inept - but brilliantly creative - artist, while the word 'intelligent' conjures an image of a well spoken, clean-cut individual with lots of 'classical' knowledge and wisdom. but these are only cultural stereotypes that I was guilty of accepting, subconsciously. what does it really mean to be intelligent then? I think it should mean someone who can calmly assess the state of the world/universe around them, and then set out on a path that will provide the largest possible benefit to the program of life in the universe. By this definition, creative people such as musicians, artists and poets are perhaps highly 'intelligent', in that they are lifting the hearts of all those that lay eyes and ears on their work. And if shamans/psychedelic voyagers really do work with the energy fields that lie behind 4D existence, deftly weaving together the reality we experience - which I believe they do - then they certainly are on a path that seeks to benefit the program of life in the universe. Sp to the extent that psychedelic experiences allow you to assess your path and then make changes based on your intuitions as what is best for you and the universe, then yes they promote 'intelligence'. I have seen this creature. They like to watch wheel of fortune with a VB in tow and hit a spice pipe... true story. Actually I think bogan is a derogatory term - ask anyone you meet what a bogan is and they will just point to someone lower on the socioeconomic pyramid than themselves.

eeek! a mouse...

yeah intelligence might not be the best word to use, as psychedelics are also associated with creativity which is typically a different quality to intelligence. so perhaps psychedelics enable increased mental capacity, and to which faculties this is directed depends on the individual. I would say inquisitive people are drawn to psychedelics, irrespective of their intelligence.

pretty amazing that monkeys have gone from swinging in trees to modelling the future of our galaxy! the presenter is a bit naive to say that the simulation is modelling 'every single particle', however; the smallest individual mass element would probably weigh more than our sun. here is an xray image of a real galactic collision captured by the Chandra space telescope.

I'm the same, wake up at the first hint of light or bird activity. using ear plugs and an eye mask helped me stay asleep in the morning when needed. taking any meds just before sleeping is just an all round bad idea, you want a clean natural state to achieve deep rem sleep. 5HTP in the morning and lots of sun exposure during the day does wonders, too.

From my experiences with extract in the US, I'd have to agree. All the commercially marketed Sally D extract did for me was make me lose motor control and then black out, with some interesting dreams afterwards. It definitely seems like a powerful plant tho, and I'm sure a home grown plant taken in the traditional way could deliver the goods.

or better still avoid the issue of farmers altogether by not looking on private property. in SE QLD there are many forests with hiking trails where cattle are grazed.

yeah last year the 'season' seemed to be late october to early may, with only a few spotted either side of this.

Perhaps by seeking to live in true symbiosis with the biosphere around us. I would like to think that an alien race that had the technology to traverse the universe would have morals and ethics of a similar level of sophistication. So therefore aliens that arrive in parking orbit around earth will probably less likely to exterminate us if they can see we are making a conscious effort to support the program of life on our little planet. Maybe nuclear weapons would have a use in destroying an incoming asteroid that threatens to impact Earth. But even this is uncertain as more subtle 'nudging' methods may be more effective, and nuclear detonations aren't even that effective in space due to the vacuum (we would have to plant the device deep inside the asteroid so it had some matter surrounding it to affect). The best use for our nuclear weapons stockpile, in my mind, would be to dismantle the warheads and use the uranium and plutonium for energy production and use the rockets to send science experiments or satellites into low earth orbit.

yeah I was thinking the same thing as I was on my way to the airport last week, and had a look at a reliable spot north of bris - but looked like it would need another few weeks of rain at least for any cubes. there were cubes and meanies up until june this year, so maybe the start of the season will be pushed back a bit. mountainous areas on the NSW border would be definitely worth a look tho, that area defies all rules... the one time I asked a farmers permission to pick mushrooms this is how the convo went: M: "Hi there, did you know you have hundreds of mushrooms growing in your paddock?" F: "Yeah, those damn kids come sneaking around at 3am scaring the shit out of me. I've blasted my shotgun off a few times but they keep coming back." M: "Oh shit thats no good. How about I spend 30mins cleaning them out for you?" F: "Hmm well you don't really look like a wild type... so long as you steer well clear of the herd and out of here in 30minutes, I'm happy." M: "Thanks mate!" Easy as that.

plastics outgas various noxious chemicals when exposed to high temperature gases. It's the worked glass that you are paying for - ever tried putting a hole in a glass bottle? Bongs I can do without, lets hope they don't smarten up to the next generation of devices too soon...

entheopanic: oops I meant to + your comment above, not neg yeah I think I agree with you on some level but didn't like the examples put forward to your initial post - ie that the contemplative traditions are used to make the case regarding the centrality of ecstatic trance, and Strassman's DMT experiments for the effectiveness of the altered state itself. I believe that the trance state is necessary, but not sufficient - it's the beginning of the path.

New Zealand is such an amazing place... enjoy the spring

But mystical ecstasies and trances are central to more primitive traditions, such as the San Bushman, aboriginal Australians, peoples of Upper Paleolithic Europe, Babongo and Mitsogo people of Gabon, amongst many others. In fact I would wager that ecstatic trance through dance and intoxication is the Urreligion of all primitive peoples. Why is it that throughout history there has been a trend away from ecstatic trance and towards the contemplative traditions? Was it forced upon us due to lack of availability or loss of knowledge of techniques of ecstasy? Or was it a natural, conscious evolution towards a more sophisticated spiritually that was required to manifest the modern intelectual paradigm? A very interesting and complex issue indeed. Personally, I lean towards ecstatic trance being necessary to attain true Gnosis.

There is a context to London's riots that can't be ignored I'm not sure I totally agree with the point of view put forward in this article, but it raises some interesting questions. Firstly, it seems to me that there is a spectrum of people involved in the riots and looting - from anarchists seeking to simply cause havoc to opportunistic criminals looking to steal. But what they all probably have in common is that they are pissed off at how they are treated by society. I don't accept that the London Police can simply arrest those causing this trouble and the problem will be solved. To me this kind of violent outburst, which is becoming more and more common in many countries (france, chile, canada etc), is the product of a dysfunctional society that produces a socieconomic hierarchy with a large, disillusioned underclass. Sure, most of the people rioting and looting probably don't have a grand political agenda at the forefront of their mind, and get a big thrill out of doing so. But a truly balanced, caring, and humane society would not produce people that would feel it was ok to steal and destroy property. It's alarming that there are reports now that the UK government is under pressure to rethink spending cuts for the police, when the correct response to dealing with the underlying problems would be to focus on public infrastructure, education, employment etc. We are all in this together; when we see a section of society behaving in a way we disagree with, we can't just make scape goats of them and claim if we weed them out it will all be okay - we need to deal with the underlying issues.

hmmm not sure how I feel about this. I understand his desire to try and do something proactive with respect to changing the current illegal status of DMT, and perhaps even commend him for doing so. How many of us feel short-changed by the law, endlessly talk about how our rights and freedoms are being eroded, but don't do squat about it? But I don't like the whole 'providing ayahausca kits free of charge' part. I equally dislike the whole MHRB market in the US and europe, as it reduces dmt to a commodity - and this it seems is how the dmt will be sourced. Maybe its a puritan attitude, but I believe powerful sacraments such as dmt will come to those who need it without proselytizing, and should be grown and not bought.

Looks like a healthy plant to me. Are you trying to keep it small and dense by pruning? The phyllodes look a different shade of green to my plants though, but probably due to seasonal and climate differences. Here in Oz at least, my maidenii plants responded very well to full sun after being planted out in the spring at about 6 months of age. Here is one of them at 2 years old: Another that I don't have pics of got run over by a lawn mower early on , but regrew quickly and is now about half the size of the one shown. I found that despite the relatively poor soil quality they really loved being planted in the ground, and the rate of growth much exceeded when in even a large pot. I would recommend planting out as soon as you can, but maybe someone more knowledge can say when the best time of the year to plant is. I remember seeing heaps of acacia's growing wild on Crete, so can't see any reason why you shouldn't plant out if you have space.

sounds like a fun pastime It's almost an art piece, the first thing I saw when I looked at that photo was a green eared ogre wading through a pool of stones... but then again I probably had too much red wine.

very cool!

whoa looks amazing! especially liked the 3d fractals and flowering acacia. not going to be able to see it unfortunately, will it be released as a dvd or online?

This is what they call a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir! Serves that fox right being such a smart ass

I think this gives the powers that be too much credit. They aren't that smart and influential. I worry that theories such as this distract from the real 'conspiracy', which is that consumer-capitalism creates a disillusioned underclass with no hope for the future.