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For me, deja vu occurs when something happens in real life reminds me of a dream. Most of the time I do not remember the dream, but after the deja vu feeling, if I contemplate it, the dream slowly comes back.

in Dili, East-Timor, betel is mainly chewed by the women, and to some people it is seen as a mark of the lower class, probably because it is a traditional practice that was frowned upon by the Portuguese missionaries. In the mountains it doesn't have such a bad rap and is still used in traditional religious ceremonies. It is generally sold dried on sticks with cuts down one side of the nut to expose the inside. As you mentioned they get a bit dirty and mouldy but the sellers are always furiously scrubbing them to keep them looking palatable. I bought about 50 nuts, a big wad of betel leaves and a huge bag of lime for 1 USD, but as a foreigner you always get ripped off. I didn't like the idea of basifying my mouth with lime so ended up just chewing the nut and leaf, and it was still pretty effective.

grouch does good dubstep and trance, but is not really fused together like merkaba dubstep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIx1bP7VFeU trance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaduNLlFu2s

haha ok maybe climbing a mountain after BBQ and beers is a bit optimistic

a BBQ and a bit of a foray in the forest somewhere sounds great! mt glorious is good but might be a bit far away for some people. always wanted to visit glass house mountains too, might be fun to climb to the top after a BBQ or something. lots of pine forests in that area aswell.

yeah that area is pretty amazing, I might have to check it out! might have to hit somebody up for a lift tho, happy to chip in fuel costs etc. would be great to have our own Corroboree camp!

would you say its worth growing melanoxylon in the back yard?

Care to elaborate? I didn't think McKenna had a specific thesis on the vedic Soma, other than he was skeptical that amanita could deliver a powerful enough psychedelic experience to be worthy of such attention. He communicated this concern to Wasson, and Wasson admitted that he never had a powerful experience on Amanita. I recall McKenna giving weight to the research of Flattery and Schwartz in "Haoma and Harmaline: The Botanical Identity of the Sacred Hallucinogen "Soma" and Its Legacy in Religion, Language, and Middle Eastern Folklore", where it is proposed soma/haoma is a syrian rue preparation. My view is that soma was probably a combination of syrian rue and mushrooms, maybe even both amanita and psilocybe species combined.

The furtherest northern location I have heard of them growing is near nimbin. I recently spent a good day scouring the bunya mountains for any signs of subs, but came up with nothing.

lol no I think matisyahu's rhyming is a bit cooler than hillsong he's been around for a while, but I only remember that king without a crown song rab posted. I really enjoy talking to people that have had any sort of spiritual epiphany, even when its mainstream religions, always an interesting story.... as long as they are not trying to proselytize. I can't say I have been in a car full of born again Jew's, but I have been confronted by a pack of evangelical christians at a folk festival

maybe I will pay Prince Leonard a visit next time I am in WA... sounds like an interesting fellow edit: make that next time I am in the Principality of Hutt River

in a sane world cannabis (as a plant that has been used for 1000's of yrs) would be legal, and this newly developed synthetic wouldn't be until it was thoroughly tested. I think products like kronic sets a bad precedent for the legalisation movement, as we want the plants legalised not synthetic analogues of their active chemicals. but the world isn't sane, so maybe having this stuff legal in the meantime is the better option. not going to get me trying any of it anytime soon though, plants trump labs in my book.

Hofmann states that that paspalum distichum contains only ergonovine and lysergic acid amide, and not the toxic ergotamine and ergotoxine. I wonder if your grass is p. distichum? Looks similar to the pic on wikipedia. Guess it would take a brave soul to experiment with this stuff though given the sub 1mg activity of most of the compounds.

an interesting idea... I like the production quality! the music sets a mysterious tone for the talk

I think part of the problem is that many people have not been educated in scientific rationalism and feel antagonised when scientists present arguments full of scientific rhetoric that they don't understand. The fact of the matter is that the only way your going to have a true idea as to the validity of anthropological global warming (AGW) is to study climate science. I find the use of the word 'believe' in the whole AGW debate a bit disconcerting. What does it matter that I, a lay person in climate science, believe in AGW? I haven't studied analysed the ice core data, done a statistical analysis of temperature measurements taken across the world in the past year, or performed numerical simulations of CO2's influence on the earths thermal balance – so really my belief is of little consequence, as it based purely on my instinct. Human's have a bad habit of only reacting when under great pressure. If the majority of the world's climate scientists are right and global warming is real, the only way the population at large is going to be convinced enough to act is (a) the climate changes such that it inconveniences them (ie the rising sea floods their beach front holiday house) or (b ) they have a firm enough grasp on climate science that they can read the warning signs themselves. I think it behoves all of us to educate ourselves on climate science, and put emotions behind us, as this is a very serious issue that can only be dealt with by a properly informed population. Also, those people that do understand climate science need to realise the negative impact their rhetoric can have on non-scientific people. I sign of a good intellectual is when they can communicate an idea clearly without resorting to specialised language that most people can't understand (hope I haven't just contradicted myself here )

no way its all valuable, you have just demonstrated how variable amanita can be. maybe the milk extraction is very necessary?

On your way through, I would recommend visiting Washpool and Gibraltar Range National Parks between Grafton and Glen Innes. There is a 9km circuit at Washpool that goes through some beautiful subtropical rainforest, and the granite boulder fields at Gibraltar are spectacular. Coombadjha Camping area at Washpool is especially good if your taking a tent with you, has a creek right next to it and lots of fungi to be found.

Pretty sure its not longifolia. These things started to flower all over SE QLD about 2 or 3 weeks ago which is too early for longifolia.

if thats the case I'd be keen, a mountain creek sounds much better than 'Cruiser park

nice site, thanks for the link. Although, I would have thought that The Australian was an even greater purveyor of climate change skepticism than the Herald Sun.

There are still some psilocybe cubensis and panaeolous cyanescens mushrooms (dung dwellers) around the hinterland areas due to all the rain, but not many as its getting cooler. I have seem some inactive Gymnopilus species in forests, so might be able to find some of their active cousins around too. People have found psilocybe subaeruginosa in northern NSW so might be worth checking out pine forests in cooler parts - would love someone to present evidence of this mushroom in QLD. Amanita muscaria has also been found in QLD, another one to be found in pine forests. Search the forum or the shoomery for photos of these species.

very nicely set out webpage! the photos are great, I especially like the anaconda and tarantula snaps my friends feel a bit hesitant about going doing the whole ayahausca tourist thing in south america as the place seems overrun with gringo. but your friends experience looks very authentic, thanks for sharing.

haha thanks really enjoyed that! this guy has obviously never heard of Occam's razor.

An interesting discussion on millenarianism at Reality Sandwich: Beyond the End of the World: Navigating our Personal Apocalypse Every night billions of people dream and every week many millions of people seek out conscious visions by taking drugs, meditating, praying, fasting or drumming. If more than a tiny minority of these people interpreted their visions in a literal manner and were bold and dogmatic enough to encourage others to follow them, millenarian groups would be springing up every minute of every day. Similarly, if everybody took their dreams and visions literally and acted on them, the world would become a huge open air asylum or battleground. Therefore, it is apparent that what defines a prophet is not their visions, which are easy to obtain, but their arrogant assumption that their visions are of unique significance and that they should be followed by others. This may reflect the intensity of certain individuals' visions but it may also be connected with the pushy character of those who claim to be prophets. ... If we take apocalypse to mean uncovering or revealing, I would speculate that 2012 will be remembered as a significant date. Changes in the external world are happening faster and faster, information about local events can be shared with the world within moments and human beings are more aware of themselves and others than they have ever been. I can be sure that apocalypse will take place in 2012 and beyond as I am aware that it is happening already - and not merely in the imaginations of fanciful millenarianists. It is happening in the minds of people all around the world as they become more conscious of realities and able to share these internationally.

what a life she has had! given that she was only 18 at the time most of this happened, I think she handled it all pretty well.