A 2016 animation by Bang Sangho about the trascendental chaotic visionary infinite beauty of global evolution. Or whatever. It is short enough and there is a didgeridoo in the accompanying soundtrack.
There is obvious overlap between the ideas and definitions of queerness and the characteristics of mystical experiences engendered by psychedelics. Both queer theory and the mystical characteristics note the limitations of ordinary language to capture the actual experience one is having, whether that experience is one of timelessness that is over in 30 seconds, or one that lasts “a lifetime” (whatever that actually means). Notions of transiency in the mystical experience mirror ideas in queer theory about the fluidity and non-solidity of identity labels. The passivity in sexual activity that was pejoratively pointed to in the original meanings of the word queer is an actual prerequisite in the psychedelic realm, both to decrease the possibility of having a “bad” or even “horrific” trip, as well as to be open to the majestic spaces the medicines can take one to. And, notions of the “true self” are present in both, as something to encounter and, perhaps, eradicate.
Jeanna Eichenbaum, LCSW
Jeanna Eichenbaum, social worker and self-identified trans woman explores the relationship between psychedelic and queer theories and relates a personal story exploring, learning and dissolving boundaries from her own identity. link
Here are photos of over a billion Facebook users. It is challenging for me to explore this pandora’s collection and not concurrently problematize the philosophical implications of (1) big data and (2) being a drop in the sea of humanity. Enjoy.
From the Imaginary Foundation, zoom into the galactic. Just a fun visualization. link
Update: I don’t think this works on phones (or at least iOS).
Check out the PsychedSubstance YouTube channel. It offers opinionated and educational advice on a variety of psychedelic-related topics. Below is one on “trip killers”, exploring methods to end what the narrator describes as a “stuck in a nightmare trip” vibe.
When should you take a trip killer? Preferably never. A bad trip can unlock a door and show us secretive aspects of our personality or psyche or things that we need to heal in our life. It shows us things we need to work on…
Psychedsubstance youtube channel
A few other trip killing reasons not mentioned in this video for those who aren’t all in on the psychonaut gung-ho ethos: (1) you just need to go to bed because you now have responsibility tomorrow; or (2) your trip just has lonely sharp edges.
Reddit’s Shower Thoughts is a crowdsourced collection of miniature epiphanies. A few I found amusing:
Sleeping five minutes in is infinitely more valuable than going to bed five minutes early. u/Nebula-X1
Swans are loud, territorial, violent, aggressive, terrifying, and an emblem of romantic love. u/nothingweird
Word “synonym” doesn’t have a synonym, but antonym of word “antonym” is synonym. u/downpour92
Using solar panels to power an air conditioning unit is like using the sun’s power against itself. u/amagnificentbiscuit
Adulthood is when you stop expecting surprises to be good things. u/GatorMech89
Most orchestras are just 1800’s cover bands. u/basspl
A gold fish’s job is to introduce kids to dying. u/es_price
The tallest person in the world has been everyone’s height once. u/contemplative-lemon
Nobody ever sneezes or coughs in movies unless it contributes to the plot. u/edinhass
A ton of people is literally 12 to 15 people. u/cornfish pie
When you were little knowing how to snap your fingers and whistle seemed like essential skills for adulthood. u/orange_lazarus1
Drinking water while going swimming in the rain on a cruise sheep at sea is the ultimate aquatic experience. u/saylittledomuch
Two all knowing beings could never have a meaningful conversation. u/mrditz
If the human race goes extinct and our cities are buried several feet underground, museums will really fuck with alien archaeologists. u/urban_biologist
When you say nothing at all ‘forward’ or ‘back’, your lips move in those directions. u/manofproto
Eating is inappropriate in both extremely clean and really dirty places. u/counterpro0
Buying a cat to catch mice is basically like hiring an assassin. u/Kamikaze_Rabbit780
Every night, we lose consciousness and quietly and harmlessly go temporarily insane. If we don’t do this, after a few days, we actually do go insane. u/exhihiloadinfinitum
Just like the person you have a crush on doesn’t even know you exist, there’s probably someone with a crush on you that you don’t even know exist. u/smellmyweenie
Your dirty talk voice is just the voice you use when talking to your pets, but in a minor key. u/TheTrashGhost
You’ve probably seen the same pigeon twice. u/upidaboss
When you’re 30 you’ve already spent a month celebrating your birthdays. u/lolexplode
This should test your brain’s balance. Come for the initial sensation but don’t stay a while unless you enjoy vertigo.
In undergrad 20some years ago I took a class focused on female artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. I think it was called Her-Story. I found the course challenging and I don’t think the professor liked me but I left with favorite artist.
Remedios Varo was a Spanish surrealist. The European Surrealist scene was a boy’s club, but there were standout women as well, including Leonora Carrington and of course Frida Kahlo. But I was drawn to Varo’s style: lonely, beautiful, otherworldly but familiar, immensely personal, and she explored feminism long before is was cool (is it cool now?). She lived in Spain and Paris but was eventually exiled to Mexico due to the rise of the Nazis. Her artistic interests included alchemy, magic, self-exploration and analytic psychology.
Here are a few of my favorites of her works:
MDMA leads to permanent brain damage is a recurring refrain, even today. This idea has roots in a study in the early 2000s. Johns Hopkins researcher George Ricaurte injected squirrel monkeys with what was described as a “heavy party night’s dose” of MDMA. Ricaurte’s team reported the results, that even one evening’s dose of MDMA may lead to brain damage (at least in monkeys) that resembles Parkinson’s Disease in humans. The study was repeated with baboons with similar results.
The drug war hopped on the bandwagon: “We’ve long known that repeated ecstasy use damages serotonin brain cells,” Alan Leshner, a former director of the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), told The Guardian following the study. “This study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people—don’t experiment with your brain.”
However, it was all a mistake/lie. During the peer review process it was discovered that they weren’t injecting MDMA, but rather Methamphetamines. The bottles were mislabeled in the lab and the original study results were not replicable. Ricaurte retracted the paper from the prestigious journal Science.
These days, MDMA is back on the research track with human subject studies on adults with PTSD and end-of-life mental health issues. This study could have derailed any legality of pursuing these sorts of studies, had it not been corrected. However, the cultural impacts of this problematic study seem to exist to this day.
NOTE: I did not deeply research this article and this single article was my primary source. As I learn more I’ll update this post. Further, if any readers have thoughts/corrections/updates, please comment.
The Atlantic Magazine called Tristan Harris “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience.” Harris, formerly a “Design Ethicist” for Google and recently co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology delivered deeply provocative and crystal-clear testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee about how the business model of social networking companies are invested towards maintaining a subversive, imbalanced relationship with users and how these companies sell predictions about our future choices and identities before we we even know. As my friend wrote Jesse Stout summarizes: “It’s not the tech, it’s the business model. Extractive incentives inevitably create dystopia.”