A Word About Psychedelics
The difference between synthetic and natural entheogens
In finding my voice I’ve had to accept that not everyone will like what I have to say. In fact, what I have to say will at times be alienating to others. In learning to sing my song I’m having to make peace with aloneness, and the fact that in sharing my voice I may at times empty the room.
I’m not a psychonaut. I have never been one to try mind altering substances simply to see what they do. There is a place for that. Monkey curiosity is the source of all human ingenuity and knowledge. But curiosity and exploration must always be tampered with a healthy amount of caution and discernment.
Just because something is possible does not mean it is a good idea. If the metacrisis could be distilled into a few words it would be that it is the coming to fruition of all of our civilization’s unintended consequences.
Many people in the psychedelic space use synthetic and botanical psychedelics in a choose your own adventure fashion, while public policy and opinion largely lump them together into the same category. I think this is the wrong approach both for intrepid psychonauts, psychedelic researchers, and policy makers.
Botanical entheogens co-evolved with humanity. There is evidence that 5.3 million years ago pre-homo sapien sapiens were using psychedelic mushrooms in their religious ceremonies, and that this was the genesis of human spirituality. There is also mounting evidence that naturally occurring entheogens have been a driving force of human evolution.
I believe these medicines have once more resurfaced into mainstream culture to assist humanity with its next evolutionary step into what some are calling homo luminous - which is a type of human that is multi-dimensionally aware and cosmically connected.
As a lawyer and spiritual activist I don’t think the government has the right to prohibit the cultivation, consumption, or distribution of natural entheogens. There simply isn’t a sufficient risk to public health to create a compelling government interest that warrants prohibition.
This is of course my opinion, and not the law. The federal government continues to assert that most if not all natural entheogens are Schedule I Controlled Substances punishable by fine and/or imprisonment.
But what is legal is not always what is just or true. Slavery was once legal. Women use to be the property of their husbands. But our evolving sensibilities, compassion for one another, and the righteous anger of the oppressed has caused those laws to change.
From a shamanic perspective outlawing natural etheogens is akin to outlawing God. Which is something no human authority has the right to do.
Synthetic psychedelics are fundamentally different. This class of substances which includes MDMA, LSD, Ketamine, etc. involves the chemical extraction of active compounds from largely botanical substances to illicit altered states of consciousness.
These substances open doorways of perception that can facilitate healing and expansion of awareness, but often come with unintended consequences. If I have a prejudice against synthetic psychedelics it is my belief that they are simply an inferior technology.
Natural entheogens are an outgrowth of the Earth’s intelligence and a part of the ecosystem. Those who have worked with these substances will find that they have their own intelligence and connect us with archetypal energies that facilitate our journeys and serve as teachers/healers and guides.
These substances are of the Earth and connect us to her intelligence. They are teachers of multidimensional awareness that have a benevolent concern for our healing and evolution.
In the indigenous traditions that have stewarded these medicines for millennia one who serves these medicines is an extension of their consciousness. Through their own healing and ingestion of the medicines they have become one with the plant in the most intimate and respectful way possible.
By contrast synthetic psychedelics are an inherently colonial and extractive creation. They plunder nature’s jewels, rather than court them with reverence. As a result we end up with substances that open doorways of perception which have no benevolent archetypal guide on the other side. We get interesting sometimes overwhelming experiences that may be healing to some degree, but which ultimately lack basic harmony with the natural world and our own psychospiritual and biological makeup.
Natural entheogens done with respect and humility are elixirs of health and vitality which heal the mind, body, and spirit, and assist with the soul’s evolution. Synthetics are often accompanied by physical and psychospiritual dysregulation that can take a long time to recover from.
I have limited personal experience with synthetic psychedelics. Some will say that disqualifies me from speaking on these matters. But I have known and worked with a lot of people who use them in my coaching practice, and have assisted people who have been spiritually injured by psychedelic assisted therapy and bad journeys.
Injury can result from irresponsible use of botanical entheogens as well. But in my experience they are different in kind to what I see with synthetic injuries. The natural entheogens have many guardrails, most of which we take for granted. In most cases you will purge before you take a lethal dose of a natural entheogen. With synthetics that isn’t the case. Moreover, many people working with synthetics receive more multi-dimensional awareness than they can process or integrate, and in some cases have difficult re-entries that leave them feeling dissociated.
I don’t say these things to sow fear. But caution is needed. Good facilitation for the unexperienced person is extraordinarily important whether you are working with natural entheogens or synthetic psychedelics.
Working with synthetic entheogens requires even more care when it comes to facilitation. Because the resources available for inner guidance are more limited to what the participant and facilitator are able to bring to the journey.
There are a lot of people doing good work with synthetic entheogens. I don't want to disparage them, or the good work they are doing. The people I know doing the best work in the field of psychedelic assisted therapy are deeply resourced shamanic individuals who have a long history of spiritual practice and exploration. They may hold qualifications from some of the emerging certification programs, but they have also spent a lifetime exploring and expanding their own consciousness.
Many argue that synthetic entheogens are the best hope we have for addressing the mental health crisis. They are recognizable to allopathic medicine and our existing healthcare systems. Allopathic medicine values the quantifiable. In this model there is a healer which must remain objective and separate from the patient, and a setting for treatment which should remain controlled and sterile.
This is very different from the indigenous containers that have held natural etheogens for millennial. The Curandero must continually surrender to the great mystery of life, and humble themself before the medicine and Creator on an ongoing basis. The Curandero is inseparable from the patient, and often shares the burden of their sickness in order to help transmute it. The Curandero lives in harmony with nature, and invites the patient to do the same as a necessary and indispensable part of their healing.
My path is Curanderismo. I seek to court the mysteries of Gaia with reverence and respect. I’m still learning, and have not always lived up to this ideal. I came to the medicine with the colonial biases of my culture and ancestors. I have at times engaged in disrespect out of my own ignorance and naïveté.
Fortunately the medicines are extraordinarily patient and forgiving. They meet us where we are at, in our ignorance and brokenness, and invite us into wholeness and right relationship.
The medicines, like the Earth herself, are forgiving and generous teachers. But as we move from infancy into adolescence the lessons are getting more difficult, and our responsibility for living in integrity with our knowing is becoming greater. In short, once we know better we must do better.
Most of the modern world is in its infancy when it comes to psychedelics. Colonial arrogance struggles to admit the limitations of its knowledge and methods for knowing. I believe synthetic entheogens are serving us in our education, but we must learn the lessons and take responsibility for what we learn.
For my part I’ll keep listening to the plants and to those who are listening better than me.
DISCLAIMER: The contents of this post are personal opinion and not legal advice. One should be familiar with the laws of their state or jurisdiction before ingesting psychedelic substances. Nothing in this article is intended to condone or encourage the use of psychedelics. The use of psychedelics is a highly personal decision that each individual must make as a matter of conscience, with an informed understanding of the risks and benefits unique to them and their life situation.
RAMAKA KRIYA
At the behest of my lineage I have started teaching yoga through the vehicle of Ramaka Kriya, which literally translates to "Rama's Spirit in Action." Ramaka Kriya is a path of self and god realization dedicated to restoring Dharma through the use of effective spiritual practices and the righteous use of energy.
It is universalist in the sense that it honors the perennial wisdom tradition and seeks ever greater integrity with truth. While truth is an endless exploration, the key pillars of the tradition are based in mystical Christianity, Hinduism, and indigenous Earth based spirituality.
SATSANGS
I have begun traveling and teaching Ramaka Kriya to raise funds for Ramaka Temple. If you would like to sponsor an event please reach out.
MEDICINE COUNSEL
I offer mediation services and consultations on entheogenic law and integration coaching through Medicine Counsel.