The Doors of Perception (1954) by Aldous Huxley is probably the most well-known and influential trip report ever written. The Doors took their name from the title of the book. And many who read Huxley’s engrossing description of his mescaline experience would become inspired to embark on their own psychedelic journeys. What stands out in…
View Post
There is a common narrative in psychedelic culture that early psychedelic research – which flourished in the 50s and 60s – was abandoned in the 60s because of then US President Richard Nixon’s ‘War on Drugs’. However, while drug prohibition was certainly a contributing factor, it was not the sole reason why psychedelic research slowed…
View Post
On 10th June, French metal band Mirar released a six-track EP titled Mare. This EP, and the band in general, falls into the metal genre ‘thall’, which combines elements of progressive metal, death metal, and mathcore. Thall is an offshoot of djent and originated with Vildhjarta, who started using the term in 2011; the genre…
View Post
In an earlier post on AA founder Bill Wilson, I dispelled the idea that he used a psychedelic to get sober (a claim made on the Netflix series How to Change Your Mind, and which has appeared elsewhere). Wilson was given a deliriant concoction (belladonna and henbane) to beat his addiction to alcohol. This occurred…
View Post
Why are humans obsessed with sport? A common explanation is that we are tribal creatures, and so because sport involves teams, we are naturally drawn towards this form of competition. One’s team becomes part of one’s identity, and one’s emotions become intensely invested in the team’s success. Of course, sports also display a level of…
View Post