In this episode of Eco Justice Radio, we journey into the rich and ancient world of Indigenous plant medicine and ethnobotany. We feature excerpts from documentaries and lectures by renowned experts in the field. We explore the sacred use of peyote among Native American tribes and delve into the profound insights of Canadian botanist Wade Davis, Harvard professor Richard Evans Schultes, and the legendary psychonaut Terence McKenna.
Mysteries
Archeologists, cryptologists, historians and investigators seek to explain the greatest mysteries of the world. The divine creation, the esoteric mythologies, the secrets of human mind, secret histories, and powers of the paranormal. We look into it here.
Dark Omen: Climate Chaos Converges with Solar Eclipse Wisdom
Since the solar eclipse of 2017, climate and tectonic instability has accelerated across the Earth: Rehearsal for the End Times? Predicted fossil fueled climate disruption and superstorm cataclysm? Sun-Moon alignment that bulged the Earth’s crust, precipitating earthquakes? What really is happening here? We survey scientific, religious, and traditional indigenous belief for answers.
Aleister Crowley’s Secret Society of Magick and Excess
Self-promoted as the “Great Beast 666″ from the Bible’s Book of Revelations. Slandered by the British press as the “Wickedest Man in the World.” Yet, theatrical occultist Aleister Crowley pioneered a radical re-imagining of self determination through managing paranormal spiritual entities, shaking up early 20th Century polite society. He founded the libertine religion of Thelema, and through sex rituals and extreme drug abuse emphasized the not-necessarily-wicked ritual practice of Magick.
“Embrace of the Serpent” Film: Journey of Healing and Ethnobotany
Ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes, one of the most important plant explorers of the 20th century, served as a key inspiration in a recent film called “Embrace of the Serpent.” In December 1941, Schultes entered the Amazon to study how indigenous peoples used plants for medicinal, ritual, and practical purposes. After nearly a decade of fieldwork, he made significant discoveries about the sacred hallucinogen ayahuasca. In total, Schultes would collect more than 24,000 species of plants including some 300 species new to Western science.
Lucifer Rising: God of Light and Color in Experimental Film
Lucifer Rising is Kenneth Anger’s portrait of the love generation, the dawning of a new age and morality. Inspired by the ancient solar religions and conceived with occultist Aleister Crowley’s vision of the Age of Aquarius.
Ayahuasca: Fake Shamans and The Divine Vine of Immortality
Every day, more and more tourists arrive in Iquitos, Peru, seeking spiritual enlightenment or a psychedelic experience first made popular by William Burroughs and the Beatniks in the 1960s. Unfortunately, some well-paid “shamans” lack the experience or understanding of the powerful and sacred botanical brews used for thousands of years for healing and divination. And the gringos-on-holiday often get over their heads in the wilds of the Amazon.