megalomania megastar
who is the hero?
Back to cool on INSTAGRAM.
Please follow me!
Yo,
I am not the hero.
Like the heroic journey, the healing psychedelic journey doesn't come out of nowhere. We are not arriving or emerging with healing unexpectedly. We are intentionally walking this path together. If you are here with me, this has to be about you too.
This is an invitation to explore psychedelics alongside the history of indigenous practices that utilize a shift of reality to promote and facilitate growth. Let's be cautious not to allow our practices to become a colonial project or create a fast-track offer of spiritual tourism.
When psychedelics are famed by privileged people just following the latest trend, you'll notice a focus on the individual as the hero. That's what makes psychedelics so quickly co-optable.
Traditionally, after taking a journey into the underworld and navigating inner trauma, the hero returns triumphantly with newly acquired knowledge and understanding. They've endured a legendary quest on behalf of the community.
The Future is Fungi
As bizarre as they may seem, mushrooms have the potential to help us shift toward a world that works with rather than against nature by simulating natural wonders to suit our human needs. The more we can learn from biological systems and integrate them into our daily lives, the more resilient and regenerative we will become.
But who (or what) is the real hero?
Myths and narratives serve as anchors in a person's worldview. Every psychedelic experience is unique, but these stories are a fundamental part of that experience. And we all share them. We can work through stories individually and collectively for everyone's healing.
And, it has to always be both.
The pain and suffering that lives in these stories exist within all of us. It's ongoing through generations. We're unlocking and healing generations of trauma with psychedelics. Thanks to our ancestors' work, we're even able to do this work, so we must honour that.
Access to these sacred healing plants is vital because they allow us to experience heroic journeys while remembering to connect to our own. The ancestors deserve sacred reverence, just as the sacred plants deserve credit for their pure and perfect wisdom.
People are opening up about how drugs have positively affected their lives, and Michael Pollan is among them—focused on the psychedelic's potential and megastar status.
This week, let's begin to question who the real hero is. Is it the plants, the psychonaut, or the ancestor? All three are interdependent.
It is also true that psychedelics have influenced popular culture in profound and, at times, troubling ways.
Megalomania will persist. Medicine will always be vulnerable to distortion and co-opting. Drugs have always been part of the answer to living a meaningful life for centuries in all cultures. Today these substances are increasingly embraced for their therapeutic, spiritual, and recreational value, and Michael Pollan has emerged as the most celebrated champion of their bounties. These plants are our birthright, and we would be wise to learn what they offer and the lineage that connects to the story that belongs to us. Let's take time to recognize that the hero, the culture, the indigenous traditions, and society are interdependent.
What makes this work sacred and also allows for personal liberty? What immerses you more deeply and connects you to your place in the world?
I’d love to know,
Resources:
COMEBACK OFFICIAL - Check out the new look on INSTAGRAM. Finding a safe corner of the internet to sit and share quietly. Please follow me!
Substack art and 9 Grid on IG - Designed and delivered by Deanna Seymour!
In 1929, Marxist critic Walter Benjamin described self-centred bourgeois narcosis as "that most terrible drug—ourselves—which we take in solitude."
Carl Hart offers the radical approach: stop demonizing "drugs"—and stop fetishizing them. If we accept that drugs are usually beside the point, then perhaps we can meet human needs the old-fashioned, low-tech way: together. Written by Sharon Marcus
Speaking of togetherness. Need therapists or guides who can prepare you, talk with you, and help you integrate the experience? Psychedelic Peer Support Line is staffed by compassionate, supportive volunteers from diverse backgrounds trained to listen deeply and from a place of non-judgment. Call or text 62-FIRESIDE
Survey: Psychedelics & Relationships—Researchers at Columbia University seek individuals who have used a psychedelic while in a romantic relationship for an anonymous online survey. Both individuals & couples are invited to participate. Yes, we did!!