The Mind Explorers: A Psychedelic Weekend

Posted on December 22, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

And here it is – the culmination of my ‘magic mushroom’ retreat with the UK Psychedelic Society in September. The film made by Rebecca Coxon. In most of my appearances I am weeping and in one manage to sob while laughing. Perfect. Crying is a natural way of purging (another one is vomiting, eg like with ayahuasca) so it’s normal that I created a mini flood 🙂  Share your thoughts or your mind expansion experiences in the comments.

Update: I have added another blog post which you may find useful A Year Later: What Psilocybin Taught Me.

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Michael Pollan’s “How to change your mind,” and the theory of the entropic brain

Posted on December 15, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse
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I continue to explore the new world that opened to me. I heard that Michael Pollan’s ‘How to change your mind’ was a sort of Bible of psychedelics so I borrowed it from the local library. I consumed 414 pages within a week and I feel like I know everything I need to know, ever. It’s a very balanced and science based historic summary and experiential account of all things psychedelics. I was pleased to see multiple mentions of British researchers in the field. Below I share 2 quotes on the theory of entropy from a British researcher Robin Carhart-Harris. Sometimes all we need is a bit more chaos, organised of course 🙂

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How can someone figure out their purpose in life?

Posted on December 8, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

I grappled with this question for years. Of course the answer is as simple as it’s difficult. And it’s only recently that I actually felt it. Below is an extract from Jack Kornfield’s book titled ‘After The Ecstasy, The Laundry’ that I mentioned last week. It’s a Zen story (koan) on what the purpose of life is.

Got it? There is no purpose, just life, and you live it the best you can — doing good, helping others, nurturing your spirituality, just living. So yeah, this is it, just go do what the moment demands (and non-doing is as valid as doing), whatever your heart/ soul call you to do and do it in the most awakened, conscious way with as much love as possible. Simple-s 🙂

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Mind Explorers screening – my 15min of fame :)

Posted on December 2, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse
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Yesterday was the day – I had my 15min of fame first as a (mostly sobbing :)) character in the Mind Explorers documentary aiming to challenge the stigma around psilocybin and promote its use as part of mental health treatment as well as spiritual growth. It was fun taking part in the Q&A on stage with a psychedelic guide (Stefana Bosse, the one who guided my experience!) and a neuroscientist. The documentary goes live on Youtube on December 13th, I will share the link here. Interestingly, this article came out recently and it’s about the same retreat that I went to – psychedelics on Forbes? Plant medicines are going mainstream, folks.

A still from IMDB with me going through the Total Compassion stage of the psilocybin trip.
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Chores as a way to enlightenment. Washing dishes as a meditation

Posted on November 24, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

These past couple of weeks I’ve been reading like mad. Suddenly there is so much new stuff to learn and the books landing on my radar are just amazing. If you are interested in a book carefully cataloguing various stories of spiritual enlightenment (and ways to achieve it), read ‘After the ecstasy, the laundry. How the heart grows wise on the spiritual path’ by Jack Kornfield. Below are 3 quotes on how to transform boring tasks or chores through mindfulness. Washing dishes or folding the laundry will never be the same!

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The Mind Explorers – London premiere and live Q&A, come and say hi!

Posted on November 18, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse
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Recently I posted A new milestone… a new door opened… a new world discovered…. So what has been this amazing spiritual growth experience that has blown my mind so much?

Inspired by the likes of Stan Grof, Ram Dass and Jason Silva, around 6 weeks ago I have went on the psychedelic retreat in the Netherlands with the UK Psychedelic Society. I’ve taken psilocybin (magic mushrooms) which is legal there in the controlled environment with trained guides and integration (therapeutic) work afterwards.

As if to make it even more surreal, I was offered to take part in a documentary about the retreat which I did – it premieres on December 1st in London, if you want to learn more about psilocybin and how it could be used for spiritual growth (and see me sobbing most of the film), come and say hello.

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I don’t want to forget

Posted on November 10, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

How to not forget this?
To not let the memories fade?
To keep the fire burning
And see the wolf’s starry eyes in the night sky?
How to remember
That the void is just a hand away
And that this body can be left behind.
That time is solid
Or rather doesn’t exist.
How to remember
The truth in all its glory?
Shamanic drum is singing
A story of a dragonfly.
Or is this an angel
With four blue eyes?
The fire roars inside, awakened.
The divine force is alive.
The mushroom goes back to earth,
We go back to lives
That we now know
Aren’t what they seem.  
Putting an old mask
On a new truth.
What next? How do you live now?
I breathe into chakras
Of worthiness and love
Ha ha ha ha ha.
A bolt of lightning in my hand.  
An acorn in my pocket.  
Tears in my eyes.  
Sand in my shoes.
Light in my heart
Glowing, buzzing
With an omnipresent force of creation
That is love.

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‘Go ahead, light your candles and burn your incense and ring your bells…’

Posted on November 3, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse
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Yep, not fun being on the anvil and letting go of the brass – nowhere near gold I am afraid and it is not getting any easier. But I do love the process… You know that question – if you were super rich and you did not need to work again, what would you do? I would continue on my spiritual path of finding out who I am, being present, mindful, trying to bring love and light to the world, creating for the sake of creation… Off I go to burn my incense 🙂  Tibetan incense and a smell of freshly cut asters is what autumn smells like…

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A new milestone… a new door opened… a new world discovered…

Posted on October 27, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

It’s been 4 weeks this week since I’ve done something nuts and hit another milestone or rather opened another door on my path. All will be revealed at the right time 🙂  For now I have so much to share! I’ve opened a completely new to me world with amazing people, knowledge, perspective and tools. This inspired me to make new art. I will be sharing everything here. First, I wanted to share this amazing song? musical meditation? that will pull your heart strings and breathe fire into your beauty appreciation chakra…

 

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Baz Luhrmann — Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen

Posted on October 20, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

Amen to this! Floss indeed. Origin story here.

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What if money was no object?

Posted on September 22, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

We’ve had our first session of the ‘Exploring What Matters’ course from Action for Happiness that I am running as a volunteer. It was amazing. That night I felt elated, buzzing, euphoric. We have been blessed with 20 participants who are open, positive and willing to make their lives happier. I will be sharing some of the resources we use during the course here. I wanted to start with this famous video by Alan Watts:

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Be a loner (to all introverts out there)

Posted on September 15, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

Being an introvert is absolutely fine! Focus on your strengths – many historic figures and amazing people were introverts. Feeling different is ok – you will come to realise that you are not so different, everything and everyone is one. Being shy is ok – just don’t cut off yourself from vital energy that is love, be it friends or loved ones. Being told that you should be more of a ‘team player’ at work is fine – one day you will find the right environment to thrive as a lone wolf that you are and if not, you will create it for yourself, at or outside of work. Be yourself. Love yourself. Realise your purpose.

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On death: the best eulogy, according to a physicist

Posted on September 8, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

I was reminded of Aaron Freeman’s words (full text here) recently when I wanted to console to a lady on Quora whose husband of many years died suddenly in hospital.

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The Waking by Theodore Roethke

Posted on September 1, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.

Theodore Roethke, “The Waking”
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Action for Happiness course – Exploring What Matters

Posted on August 25, 2018 by nomadoftheuniverse

This fall, I am volunteering to organise and co-lead Exploring What Matters, an 8-week course designed by the Dalai Lama endorsed charity Action for Happiness, in the area where I live.

We will explore what really matters for a happy and meaningful life, discuss some of the biggest questions in life, explore ways to create happiness for ourselves and others, learn mindfulness and ways to improve mental health in the group of like-minded friends.

If you are around this neck of the woods, do join (search “Action for Happiness Rochester”), if not and you think it’s a great idea, you can join your local AfH course or organise your own. Here is to creating a happier and more caring world!

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