02 | People Are Living Shadows with Howard Blott

Kevin Feeney, PhD, joins me for a conversation

He is a cultural anthropologist and lawyer currently working as a Program Director and Senior Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies – Social Sciences at Central Washington University. His primary research interests include examining legal and regulatory issues surrounding the religious and cultural use of psychoactive substances, with an emphasis on peyote and ayahuasca, and exploring modern and traditional uses of the Amanita Muscaria mushroom, with a specific focus on medicinal use and preparation practices. 

His research has been published in many journals such as the International Journal of Drug Policy, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs and many more. He is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants, and recently joined the Board of Advisors for Psyched Wellness, a Canadian health supplements company emphasizing medicinal mushrooms.

This episode is largely around Amanita Muscaria. Topics like Microdosing, interesting medical history, potential in helping those with autism due to ibotenic acid being somewhat an analog to glutamate in the brain, and so more more. We chat about cultural uses a bit, though in the shownotes there’s a link to another podcast with Kevin that does a great dive more on the cultural history and use of Amanita around the world.

We also talk about both the excitement of the mainstreaming of psychedelic therapy and our worries and hopes for the future.

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• His book, Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology & Exploration

• Autism on Acid (always best to try to find these books not on Amazon but they are there too)

• Amanita Cultural History podcast episode

• Psyched Wellness Amanita Tincture “Calm”

• Kevin’s Research Gate Page

• My Patreon

• Iboga Episode
  
  
• Salvia Episode

 

Master Shaman Hamilton Souther joins the show

Hamilton Souther is a Master Shaman, and Founder of the Blue Morpho Tours, an Ayahuasca and Plant medicine Retreat Centre in Peru. Hamilton is also Co-founder Gaia Labs and Source Independent Entertainment (SIE), and Full Stock NFTs. Hamilton is a visionary leader, speaker, author and international leader for Amazonian Sustainability and Conservation. 

This was one of my favorite conversations so far on the show, and one of the best I’ve had around AI, the processes that seem to be taking place with technology in a larger sense.  

He has a really amazing background, which if you haven’t heard much of you may want to check out a handful of other podcasts with him in it! He’s also been on quite a few other podcasts recently talking about some of these trends of technology also that are always amazing and insightful.

Mistake in the intro, I called the Navajo Codetalkers ‘codewalkers’ by mistake.

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• Blue Morpho Academy - train with Hamilton to become a master facilitator and guide for people’s journey’s

• Blue Morpho Tours - Hamilton’s amazing and professional ayahuasca/plant medicine retreat centre

• My Patreon

• Carl Sagan Flatland Video

 

Shaboy (PhD), joins me on the show

Shaboy is a meditation instructor, reiki master, and spiritual teacher living in Japan. He has an honorary pHD from the dean OIUCM - Medicina Alernativa (UN) for his work in alternative therapies and spiritual psychology. He became a Rieki master in 2002, an EFT practitioner in 2011, a yoga teacher in 2009, and has recently qualified as a Breathwork guide with the Breathwork Alliance. Psychedelics and entheogens have also played a huge role in this, and it’s synthesis into these paths. Part of his current work includes helping people prepare, integrate, and feel safe during LSD and DMT trips. 

He and his wife have operated their own healing retreat center in Japan for about 20 years called Healing Natural, bringing Reiki, EFT, meditation and Breathwork to thousands of seekers. In addition to his own center, he has participated as a guest meditation teacher and therapist for several other retreats, temples and workshops.

He’s sat for two years with a Zen master in Japan and masters of Tibetan, Thai and Srilanka lineages. He spent years doing deep yogic practices for 4-5 hours a day, and has participated in multiple 10 day silent fast retreats. He has experience in a broad range of healing modalities from energy work, massage therapy, aroma therapy, breathwork, acupuncture and homeopathy. 

He’s coming to Vermont in August to lead a retreat!
Join him from August 10 to 13th, email address is below to get in touch

The complete retreat course includes up to 4 weekly Hopkins/Griffiths Protocol online classes and 4 Weekly online integration sessions. Up to 2 free private counseling/EFT sessions if required. Specifically selected supplements proven to assist physical and mental condition before and after the retreat

Apologies for sounding like I’m in a tube a bit during the intro!

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Email: luminous-psy@proton.me

Luminous Warriors Retreat Discord

@Shaboy on DMT World

@.shaboy on Discord

My Patreon

Full story about Ram Dass giving LSD to Neem Karoli Baba

 

Michael Garfield joins the show

This was an interesting and wide ranging conversation. We spoke of people and community as social molecules, time loops, AI and technology, and the need to come together in community towards some of the challenges facing us collectively, and much more. Also, brief appearance of Michael's daughter on the show for a moment!

Michael is an incredible polymath. He is a visionary artist and live painter, a fantastic musician, podcast host (Future Fossils and until just recently Complexity Podcast for Sante Fe Institute), science communicator, writer and soon to be author, and all around sponge of knowledge for seemingly everything.

Michael is working on a project likely to become a book from integrating what he’s learned from his time at the Sante Fe Institute, and exploring how the science and philosophy of the Jurassic Park franchise (books, films, games, rides) sheds light on and entangles with the evolution of AI, VFX, biotech, and other monsters of modernity since JP’s first edition back in 1990.

He’s also working on a new album called The Age Of Reunion, and has been making some great AI music videos with some of his work, so check that out. 

And please! Everyone go check out his Martian Arts EP. One of my favourite pieces of music, it’s one piece of music over 5 or 6 tracks and about 30 minutes long, but is one of the best ambient pieces for journeying with psychedelics I’ve found. Some of Michael’s other music has been used in official MAPS MDMA therapy playlists also. 

The painting in the circle in the Podcast art is Beija Flor by Michael Garfield

• Michael’s Link tree for all his stuff (music, art, etc)

• Future Fossils Podcast

• Complexity Podcast

• Medicine of Woman painting from my dream premonition

• Future Fossils Ep 117 on Time Loops

• Time Loops book

• Martian Arts EP by Michael Garfield

• Guitar Assisted MDMA Therapy by Michael Garfield

• Michael's Substack

• My Patreon

Matt Semke, the artist behind Catswilleatyou joins me on the show.

Matt is an amazing multidisciplinary artist who has potentially the longest running daily art streak of any artist on the planet, with over 6000 days straight of posting his new art pieces online. He’s a VR artist, AR artist, digital artist, physical artist/painter, NFT Artist, and so much more. He works to really push the boundaries on art and tools that can be used for art.

He has created his own art metaverse with I believe somewhere around 1-10% of his collection available to look at (and interact with to purchase) in an art metaverse that is like being inside one of his paintings.

He has physical pieces to NFT pieces, and NFTs that he sends you physical pieces with that have AR/Animation/music elements on them.

Catswilleatyou piece in the cover art: Let Us Summon The Egregore (I believe actually based off of a conversation in my discord server)

• My Patreon
• Master page with links to buy his art, see his VR, different NFT marketplaces, everything
• Website: www.catswilleatyou.com
• Metaverse here. Password is 'none'
• VR Art tools:
  • Vermillion VR (Multiplayer)
  • Gravity Sketch
  • Open Brush
  • BrushworkVR
  • PaintingVR

Alex Maas of The Black Angels joins the show

The Black Angels have been my favorite band almost immediately since I heard them about a decade ago, so this was an incredible episode for me.

The conversation starts off talking about the Levitation music festival and how my Indigenous Web3 organization, 400 Drums, may do some work with them to help bring some Indigenous artists and representation to the event.

After the little transition, the second half of the conversation is all around music and medicine, where these can tap us into, and the source and flow of inspiration.

Tamara Goddard joins us for part of the conversation around Levitation. She’s a Co-Founder of 400 Drums and CEO of Four Our Future Indigenous Economics. She’s an amazing artist from the Saulteau Nation in BC, and I definitely need to do an episode with just her in it

Though we talk a bunch about Iboga and microdosing, as well as kratom, these are plants that are important to exercise caution with. Iboga has many effects on the heart and is recommended you have a EKG before going through a large dose or microdosing with iboga because of potential consequences. 

Check out Episode 4 of my podcast for more info on ibogaine

Directions to See a Ghost by The Black Angels just turned 15! This is a really great album to check out if you haven’t heard much of this band. And have a new album out called Wilderness of Mirrors.

And remember, “The Black Angels challenge you to question authority and think for yourself”

 

Songs played in episode:

Slip Into - Alex Maas

Snake in the Grass - Black Angels

Links:

Levitation.fm

Luca his solo album

The Black Angels

MIEN

Kyle Espenshade is back for another great conversation.

Kyle is a SOMA Breath Master Instructor, Healing Tao Qigong instructor, Transformational Coach, music producer, and ecstatic dance DJ, with over a decade of experience in internal alchemy arts. He is the founder of Soma Alkhemy, a syncretic system of holistic healing and transformation for the modern day spiritual seeker which combines ancient alkhemy practices from both eastern and western traditions with modern technology and scientific understanding.

We talk about psychedelics but largely from an angle of what it's pointing you towards rather than just the fleeting experience itself. How you can seek further what you've been shown but through your own body rather than just the ingestion of external chemicals.

We also go deep around Hermes and The Emerald Tablet, and his work he's been doing to align the body-based Eastern systems with some of the more Mind-based Western occult systems

He does online sessions also! If you're interested at all, check out his website below and you can find the link to sign up. Intro sessions, weekly group sessions and longer monthly session are available plus his new course! 

• Website: www.somaalkhemy.com 

• Emerald Key Course: https://www.alkhemy.academy/courses/emerald-key

• Darkness Retreats (audio essay of Erick Godsey’s experience)

• DERO the private blockchain network

• Bittensor AI

 

Trent Stephens joins the show after another year away. I have some more episodes coming up so let’s hope I don’t have such an extended break again.

Trent is many things. He lives on a somewhat self sustaining farm, studied as an eco tour guide, has worked to become essentially a self trained full stack developer, he’s working with web 3 and VR to facilitate some amazing project ideas he's had that we talk about on this episode. He’s also a Realtor, outdoorsman and survivalist, extreme sport enthusiast, a family man and more.

We weave a lot of ideas in this episode, about consciousness, expectation and belief, and how to navigate this in ourselves. The later half of the show is around the intersection of education, AI and VR, some of what Trent is working on, and many other good nuggets.

Unfortunately, a few seconds of audio were clipped out in a few parts from the recording program

Find Trent on different platform:

-@phatyfoods - Twitter

-T.rex Ophora on other platforms, or Uncle Festers Nephew

-Join his Continuing the Conversation discord HERE

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You Are Two video to expand further on some ideas in the intro rant

Bittensor AI Platform

Auphonic AI Audio Program was used to help make Trent's mic hearable after a weird glitch

Weird Studies Podcast Episode 143: On UFOs shoutout for that Henri Bergson quote in his book Matter and Memory while I was in the middle of writing that intro. Interesting timing.

Geese in Flight Facing Left by Benjamin Chee Chee is the Ojibwe art piece I mention

Companion Plants is the cactus greenhouse Trent mentioned

Centre for Non Violent Communication

Jesse Shwaluk joins me after nearly a year away from the show! After a decade of close friendship I thought it was worth getting one of our conversations out. Jesse is a massage therapist near Vancouver, BC.

In this episode, we go on a deep dive on meditation and our experiences going to 10 day silent Vipassana meditation retreats.

Stay tuned after the episode with Jesse, there's an extra few minutes talking about one of the worst experiences of my life, a bad trip off of a cannabis edible after coming back from my first retreat, definitely stick around to hear that.

Find Jesse on instagram @sheepotato

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- Jesse mentioned Andrew Huberman and his Huberman Lab Podcast

- Video I had one of my first mystic experiences to - Live Nerve Stretch Kundalini Yoga

- My Vipassana retreat write up

- Dhamma.org, the Vipassana retreat website. There's a directory with centres all over the world.

- The full episode where my bad trip story was pulled from

Lucas is a biodynamic farmer living in Vermont. Working in these ways with understandings of permaculture has given him the inspiration for his own journey and inner work. He is a Holotropic Breathwork instructor after having studied under Stan Grof and Tav Sparks.

Lucas is also a Warm Data Host, training under the International Bateson Institute. They do some online sessions called 'People Need People' which he invited me to participate in and it really made me want to get him on the show.

I've known Lucas for a few years online but we had never really connected until we decided to record an episode. This is one of my favorite conversations on the show yet so I hope you enjoy.

Megan Kelleher is the wife of Tyson Yunkaporta that we mention in the show, definitely check out Sand Talk!

https://batesoninstitute.org/

Instagram: @biodellic

Book mentioned: LSD and the mind of the Universe by Chris Bache

Notes:

Here2Help Community non profit crowd funding: gf.me/u/zidf3z

Here2Help Community 18 minute podcast

Coinbase: coinbase.com/join/bevan_sm?src=android-link

Shakepay: https://shakepay.me/r/6MA6SZH

HackenAI: https://in.hacken.ai/Sibxcf4U6XwHKEfN7

Background art by Furybean