The pineal gland, which is located at the centre of the brain, is responsible for the production of a serotonin derivative known as melatonin; a hormone that helps to regulate and keep a healthy
For thousands of years,
The two shamans on my Skype screen aren’t exactly fighting for my attention, but they are as close to fighting as such spiritual practitioners are likely to get. John Germain Leto has just led me through a chakra meditation meant to a...
Why is shamanism in all its varieties becoming increasingly popular? Why is this happening now?
In a nutshell we can say that as human beings we have an innate drive to develop into ‘all that we can become’, and that we have rea...
Neuroscientists from the University of Sussex made a pretty neat discovery as they claim to have just found evidence of a higher state of consciousness. Consciousness is measured on a sliding scale by the diversity of the brain signal...
What is actually known about the psychoactive substance mescaline and its relationship to humans, considering a millennia old bond between the two? Although the scientific research into this question has begun over a century ago by a ...
The day after Apollo 14 landed on the moon, Dennis and Terence McKenna began a trek through the Amazon with four friends who considered themselves, as Terence wrote in his book “True Hallucinations,” “refugees from a society that we t...
Western cultures have always dismissed shamanic healing and other native medicine powers as "primitive superstition," mainly because we had no explanation for how shamans do what they do. Shamanic healing was the main form of healing ...
Since ancient times, shamans in Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest have been concocting a psychedelic brew called ayahuasca or yagé. Made out of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and other plants native to the rainforest, the psychedelic tea c...
Inside the backyard of a south Sydney property, a postmodern shaman grows a selection of psychedelic plants he says he uses for medicine.
The shaman, who wishes to be known only as Boaz, claims to be one of many suburban healers...
So how are yoga and shamanism connected? In 2006, Kripalu presenter Ray Crist was recovering from a serious illness. A yoga teacher, martial artist, and Reiki practitioner, Ray had spent four years traveling the world seeking those wh...
Every person on this planet can develop a great relationship with their own Spirit. In fact, one can find the connection with their inner healer and heal oneself spiritually and emotionally. It is not an easy thing to do but the road ...
Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness. We form friendships so that we can feel certain emotions, like love, and avoid others, like loneliness. We eat specific foods to enjoy their fleeting presence on our tongu...
What is shamanism?
"Because it is not an organized religion as such, but rather a spiritual practice, shamanism cuts across all faiths and creeds, reaching deep levels of ancestral memory. As a primal belief system, which...
Pineal gland
The pineal gland – mythical seat of spirituality and consciousness, the site of the primordial “third eye” – has been of fascination to humanity since its function and importance were discovered. It is well-...
Only six people in the world know how to do what Sergio Pacheco is about to do.
A middle-aged man who rarely smiles, Pacheco stands in the middle of a crowd on the National Mall, wearing a feathered headdress, beaded necklace an...
Do you ever find yourself worrying about an upcoming situation, even though similar past experiences have worked out fine? Or do you worry about your relationship or finances in a way that is out of proportion with your actual circums...
The shamanic path is an ancient way of exploring the landscape of consciousness from the soul level. Shamans walk between the worlds of normal reality to altered states where they communicate with the spiritual plane to bring back mes...
Let me guess…You drank ayahuasca, had a life-changing experience, and now you want to be an ayahuasca shaman… so that you too can wake people up. You develop a plan to bring back medicine from the jungle and / or bring people down to ...
Originally published in 2013 ‘Cactus of Mystery: The Shamanic Power of the Peruvian San Pedro Cactus’ is written by Ross Heaven, with additional contributions from David Luke, Eve Bruce, Morgan Maher and others. Heaven is a psychologi...
The battle against drugs and drug usage rages on today and for good reason. However, with the near constant limelight that the ‘drug war’ receives today, it can seem like the most common drugs have only just been discovered. Although ...
Activism, Deep Ecology & the Gaian Era — Lynn Margulis, Stephen Buhner and John Seed
Lynn Margulis, Stephen Buhner and John Seed speak to a crowd at Amherst College in 2005.
In the past 20 years, the field of near-death studies has thoroughly documented the existence of this phenomenon. The field now appears to be evolving from a purely academic one to include an applied, clinical component. I discuss the...
Some spiritualists, regardless of their background, describe themselves as shamans in the same breath that they also call themselves
