• We have an Independent Submission Program for anyone who crafts herbal products, makes music, or has a DVD that will fit with the vibe and theme of our website. We've found ourselves with a voice we never expected and want to share it with all of you. If ou make a product, if you have a CD, or have made a DVD that you feel like-minded folks like us would like, send it in.

For our own community in Chicago:

• We donate to BUILD, Inc, who, in their own words; "Since 1969 has worked in some of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods giving at-risk youth alternatives to the violence that takes away their positive potential. BUILD's mission is to help redirect the behavior of gang-affiliated youth and potential recruits to gangs in order to improve their chances of leading fulfilling lives and to increase the stability and safety of the communities in which they reside."

 For the American Indians in the United States:

• We have signed a contract with the Cherokee Nation who will be manufacturing all of our Private Label incense from now on. American Indians from reservations in Colorado, North Dakota, and Missouri will be providing everything from our natural sticks, to our essential oil incense and our exclusive "resin on a stick" incense. They have also started making our high quality incense cones for us as well. Please learn what you can about the plight of the American Indians...their story is one of the most tragic in history, yet they are a people with the deepest connection to this Sacred Earth that we have ever encountered.

For indigenous cultures and emerging nations elsewhere:

• We have partnered with a supplier of top quality organic herbals who worked for the U.N. for 11 years as a consultant to struggling farmers, teaching them nitrogen-rich farming methods. This person has used her contacts with growers in emerging nations, and offered to purchase herbal from them if they reserved a part of their farmland for specific herbal items. Many of these products are featured in our Private Reserver Section, as well as interspersed throughout the site, such as our Whole Calamus Root, our Three Lotus Paste, and many others.

• We donate to the Dream Change Coalition, to their POLE Program, which, as they say; "was created to fulfill the promise made to the Amazonian peoples to change the dream of the industrialized world through educational programs and materials that: shift attitudes and transform consciousness; guarantee protection of natural habitats; preserve ancient traditions that empower the dreams and lifestyles of indigenous peoples." John Perkins is a modern-day warrior for indigenous cultures, and is also the author of several great books, including; "The World is As You Dream It". After having an opportunity to meet him, there was no question that his passion is genuine, and that he had a great organization directly affecting positive change for indigenous peoples.

• Among the Peruvian herbal products we purchase directly from indigenous tribes is our new Maca products, the profits of which go are going directly to the people who grow this incredible product for us. The government is selling off parcels of land in the Amazon to outside buyers (mostly to the pig iron and oil industries from the USA), and these ancient people have a chance to buy their land from the government before it is sold off. (Yes, even though they have lived there in harmony with the land for thousands of years, the government can sell their land, with them on it to the highest bidder.) We are helping them to expand their products and markets so that in a year or two, they will be able to buy it outright, rather than being forced to move, or to clear-cut the forest to raise cattle.

For personal freedom:

• We donate to the Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics, who The CCLE is dedicated to protecting and advancing freedom of thought in the modern world of accelerating neuro-technologies. Our paramount concern is to foster the unlimited potential of the human mind and to protect freedom of thought.

• We are avid supporters of Entheon Village and related groups such as the Conscious Alliance.

We are continually looking to expand upon this exciting system of direct purchasing. We buy our Siberian Amanita muscaria from a small religious cult that still practices today. Our Kratom comes from a supplier who cares about the forest he gets his leaves from, and actually helps encourage new growth. Our African Dream Herb comes directly from a tribe that uses the African Dream Herb in their present-day rituals. Africa, we are discovering, is a vast untapped resource for entheogens. The main feature of most Shamanistic African tribes, is that they concentrate on herbs that induce vivid dream imagery, because they believe that they contact their ancestors through dreams. We are searching for the plants most used by these cultures before the knowledge of them disappears altogether.

Refer back to this page often to see what other products we are carrying that are purchased directly from indigenous cultures, tribal groups, and struggling artisans both home and abroad. Much of our Tibetan incense is purchased from Artisans in Nepal and Tibet, and the gift boxes come directly from the artisans themselves.

PERSONAL WORDS

No matter what products we carry at the shop, we only buy from suppliers who do not steal their crops form indigenous or protected lands, and who are ethical and trustworthy in all aspects of their business. This often costs more, but we don't care. The reason I began this place in the first place, is because I was tired of waiting weeks for my products, while paying incredibly high prices for low quality, and I was also tired of never being able to reach anyone by phone, as my repeated e-mails went unanswered. I thought that there must be a better way and set out to create that better way.

So, this is a team effort that wouldn't be possible without our loyal customers, and we are more than pleased with what we have been able to accomplish already. Whenever you buy any of the above products, know that they come direct from the source, and that you are helping cultures that are disappearing at an alarming rate, find ways of surviving in harmony with their environment, protecting it for future generations. Admittedly, this is only a drop in the bucket, but we feel that a drop is better than nothing at all, and we hope that other importers and venders will take this example and do the same.

My dream was to find a way to help support both the entheogen community, and support, in whatever small way, to conserve the rainforests and indigenous cultures that are disappearing at an alarming rate. None of it would have been possible if it weren't for so many people spreading the word about our shop and our work, and for that we are eternally grateful, and it's something we and I try to never forget. We show our thanks in keeping our prices low, by keeping the quality extraordinarily high, by continually researching and adding new products that we believe in, and through our unparalleled customer service. Sarva Shanti, Bodhi