An Interview With Tim Gaze, a Pioneer of Asemic Writing

​​Tim Gaze is an Australian artist who currently resides in the Adelaide Hills. Since the late 90s, he has been an active poet, writer, publisher, and performer. He is also notable as an artist specialising in asemic writing (expressive mark-making that has the appearance of a language).  In 1997, Gaze, along with fellow artist Jim…

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The Psychedelic Afterglow: What It Feels Like and Its Therapeutic Potential

Unlike many other substances, psychedelics can create a lingering feeling of well-being, long after the altered state of consciousness has subsided. This is known as an ‘afterglow’.  Drugs like cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and (for many) MDMA are associated with ‘comedowns’. When the high fades after the use of these drugs, you may be left with…

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The Ancient Origins of the Jester

How far back in history can we find the presence of the jester? This is a somewhat difficult (if not impossible) question to answer. While we have accounts of jesters, or similar figures (e.g. clowns), from many cultures in the world, extending far back in time, there is uncertainty as to when jesters first emerged.…

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The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on a Psychedelic Experience

‘Set’ – what you as an individual bring to a psychedelic experience – plays a significant role in how a specific trip will turn out. This one half of ‘set and setting’ (the latter encompassing environmental factors) is often framed as your mood and emotional state going into an experience. Do you feel positive and…

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The Gestures of DMT Jesters

In my essay on DMT jesters and tricksters, I described how the entities of the DMT experience often take on the appearance and behaviour of court jesters and trickster beings found in mythology, offering an ultimately Jungian explanation, but stressing still how mysterious and idiosyncratic this psychedelic effect is. I also examined the psychological and…

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