Tastes of Paradise offers refreshingly succinct social analyses of the roles that spices, coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, and alcohol have played in Western culture, and complements longer works that cover similar territory, such as Dale Pendell’s Pharmako~ trilogy. [ read more ]
Author Zoe Seven’s magnum opus on contacting spirit forces, conspiracy theories, and working in Brazil with his plant allies, ayahuasca and Salvia divinorum. [ read more ]
Originally written in Portuguese—the language in which the majority of writings about ayahuasca religions have appeared—the book’s release in an English-language edition offers a reference guide that promises to stimulate further dialogue between people working with ayahuasca in ritual settings, and those from the scientific world. [ read more ]
An excellent resource for those interested in indoor and outdoor psychoactive mushroom cultivation; it appears to be the most elaborate and thorough text on the subject since Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide, written by Oss and Oeric. [...] complements the methods described by Oss and Oeric, and includes overviews on more recent methods, including the PF Tek and outdoor cultivation approaches for Psilocybe species not even known to exist three decades ago. [ read more ]
Ball has definitely covered previously unwritten ground in his discussion of Salvia divinorum. This is a significant contribution, which helps flesh out Terence McKenna’s oft-repeated urgings for us all to “map out hyperspace.” With all the easy talk of entheogenic shamanism this past decade or so, Ball steps up to the plate and provides concrete examples and structures to work with. [ read more ]
The author wisely chose to focus Peopled Darkness entirely on his own first-person experiences with the plant, and the philosophical questions that those experiences raised. While many people try any given drug once or twice, and can write up spectacular trip reports or even hit the lecture circuit as “experts,” relating riveting tales of their limited encounters, it is much more difficult to take the time to develop a long-term relationship with a single plant ally, like Arthur has done with Salvia divinorum. [ read more ]
The novice and experienced alike will be wowed by Leary’s articulation of the mental and physical sensations of his drug trips. A good collection of writings for anyone with even a fleeting interest in Leary or psychedelics. The majority of writings from the 1960s are presented within the context of the psychedelic movement and the new people and drugs that threatened to upset the status quo in America. Similarly, those writings from the 1990s focus on technology’s role in the future. [ read more ]
The quality of the art in Metamorphosis is absolutely breathtaking. Herein you will not find any fractal, computer, or totally abstract art; what binds this collection together is an emphasis on a classic approach. The editors have struck an excellent balance between light and dark themes, as well as drawing from a truly international pool of creative souls. The images are so varied and intense that I found it impossible to absorb the book in one sitting. [ read more ]
Mark Plotkin, who now runs an Amazonian preservation organization, delivers a fascinating story about his travels to the jungles of South America in search of medicinal plants. ...So elegantly detailed and well-written that even 16 years after its initial publication, it is still a must-read for anyone remotely interested in plant-based shamanism, or even for those just looking for a great book about life and adventure in the jungle.
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Exploring this book is a delight, with jewel-like bursts of color surprising the viewer down every passageway and excavated chamber. Like ineffable experiences of the Godhead, so too the impact of the art and architecture that make up the Temples of Humankind can not be adequately expressed in the words of any review. Quite simply, Damanhur: Temples of Humankind belongs in every entheoart lover’s library. [ read more ]