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"Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terrence McKenna" by Dennis McKenna
SOFTCOVER NOW ON SALE! EVERYBODY SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

When Dr. Timothy Leary escaped from Folsom prison in 1970, thus becoming an international fugitive, and Dr. Richard Alpert turned his attention towards a yogic path and became Baba Ram Dass, the world psychedelic movement was suddenly relieved of its two most prominent (and often controversial) spokesmen. Barely missing a beat Terence McKenna emerged around 1975 to carry the torch for consciousness-altering drugs, particularly psychedelic plants and mushrooms.

The publication of landmark works such as The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I-Ching, in 1975, and later, Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge, which finds intriguing common ground between psilocybin mushrooms and the emergence of consciousness in early humans, solidified McKenna as the next generation's most profoundly resonant voice to speak on behalf the psychedelic movement. McKenna, however, lacked the autobiographical bent of his predecessor, Leary, and many admirers of his work were left deeply curious to find out more of the man himself. When Terence died of cancer in 2000, many feared that this remarkable rogue scholar's personal history might never be told.

Now, Dennis McKenna, Terence's younger brother and an ethnopharmacologist who co-authored two books with Terence-- The Invisible Landscape and Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide (under pseudonyms)--has brought forth a much-anticipated literary gift, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna.

This work, which was aided by the most successful book-oriented Kickstarter campaign to date, tells the tale of growing up, traveling, and working with one of the most prominent and intriguing counterculture figures in recent history. Within its pages we hear of the McKenna family history, the adventures of two brothers growing up in small-town America in the fifties, coming of age during the turbulent sixties, undertaking grand adventures, both terrestrial and otherworldly, in the seventies, and traveling down the winding river of adult life in the eighties and nineties. Also given is a detailed account, at times quite poignant, of the last days of Terence’s life here on Earth.

Full of observations and insights on everything from Terence’s work to politics, history, chemistry, family, and love, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss is sure to enrapture both those who already are admirers of Terence and his work, and those who have only just discovered him. Part biography, part autobiography, with plenty of side roads to psychedelic adventure and reflections on life, this is a must-read book for anyone interested in the works of Dennis and Terence McKenna, or simply interested in psychedelics in general. Highly recommended.
"Ayahuasca: Visionary and Healing Powers" by Joan Parisi Wilcox
Ayahuasca: The Visionary and Healing Powers of the Vine of the Soul is an autobiographical account of the author's work with ayahuasca, a potent and sacred plant brew of the Amazon region that is known for its extraordinary visionary and healing powers. As she learned from her experience, with the help of ayahuasca we are able to grasp our paradoxical nature, the first step to acceptance of ourselves in both our glorious and dark aspects. Ayahuasca teaches us how to release the illusions we hold about ourselves and makes it possible to integrate our many diverse aspects to acquire our true power.

This book reveals the ritual protocols that must be followed prior to partaking of ayahuasca, including the traditional preparatory "diet"--which requires enduring austere conditions, isolation, and only small amounts of bland food before receiving the powers of the plant spirit from an ayahuasquero, a healing master--and the sacred songs, icaros, that are sung when imbibing the substance. Although the use of ayahuasca is growing among "underground" spiritual seekers and through the burgeoning ayahuasca tourism trade in South America, few of its seekers understand how it is used traditionally and the importance of the rituals the indigenous people follow. With this book, the author hopes to restore the importance of these indigenous practices so that we may truly understand all the gifts of ayahuasca.
"Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants" - by Christian Ratsch
The most comprehensive guide to the botany, history, distribution, and cultivation of all known psychoactive plants.

• Examines 414 psychoactive plants and related substances.
• Explores how using psychoactive plants in a culturally sanctioned context can produce important insights into the nature of reality.

• Contains 800 color photographs and 670 black-and-white illustrations.

In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants--those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness--have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants Christian Ratsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artifacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them. The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives--such as cannabis, datura, and papaver--then presents 133 lesser known substances as well as additional plants known as "legal highs," plants known only from mythological contexts and literature, and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca, incense, and soma. The text is lavishly illustrated with 800 color photographs--many of which are from the author's extensive fieldwork around the world--showing the people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world's sacred psychoactives.

Christian Ratsch, Ph.D., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants. He is the author of Marijuana Medicine and coauthor of Plants of the Gods, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas, and Witchcraft Medicine. He lives in Hamburg, Germany, and lectures around the world.
"Magic Mushrooms in Religion & Alchemy" - by Clark Heinrich
An illustrated foray into the hidden truth about the use of psychoactive mushrooms to connect with the divine. *Draws parallels between Vedic beliefs and Judeo-Christian sects, showing the existence of a mushroom cult that crossed cultural boundaries. Contends that the famed philosophers' stone of the alchemist was a metaphor for the mushroom. Confirms and extends Robert Gordon Wasson's hypothesis of the role of the fly agaric mushroom in generating religious visions. An incredibly insightful, fascinating, and informative read.
"Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca" - by Ralph Metzner, PhD

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic Amazonian plant mixture that has been used for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years by native Indian and mestizo shamans in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador for healing and divination. Many Western-trained physicians and psychologists have acknowledged that this substance can allow access to spiritual dimensions of consciousness, even mystical experiences indistinguishable from classic religious mysticism.

In Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca Ralph Metzner, a pioneer in the study of consciousness, has assembled a group of authoritative contributors who provide an exploration of the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of ayahuasca. He begins with more than 20 firsthand accounts from Westerners who have used ayahuasca and then presents the history, psychology, and chemistry of ayahuasca from leading scholars in the field of psychoactive research. He concludes with his own findings on ayahuasca, including its applications in medicine and psychology, and compares the worldview revealed by ayahuasca visions to that of Western cultures.

About the Author(s) of Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca

Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist and professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He studied psychology and psychopharmacology at Harvard University and was part of the Psilocybin Research Project with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later Ram Dass). He is the author of Green Psychology, coauthor of The Psychedelic Experience, and editor of Sacred Mushroom of Visions: Teonanácatl. He lives in Sonoma, California.

Praise for Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca

"Ralph Metzner, world famous pioneer of psychedelic research and consciousness explorer, brings together a masterful collection of writings exploring the nature of this extraordinary sacred potion, from its chemical and biological properties and psychological effects to its enormous healing and spiritual potential. This book will be an inspiration for lay audiences and a treasure trove of information for scholars studying consciousneess and the human psyche." - Stanislav Grof, M.D., author of LSD Psychotherapy, Psychology of the Future, and The Cosmic Game