SHAMANISM

Here is a photo of a witchdoctor my friend David took while in Borneo. He is no doubt whiping up a potent brew.

Shamanism is not dead. It lives in all the remaining tribes around the globe, as well as in western society. From the deserts of Australia, to the rain forests of South America, shamanism is alive, and old fashion shamans are practicing their trade. (although they don't have websites) Even in our backward uptight western world, neo-shamans are among us.

As you may have guessed, I am also interested in ethnogens. Although I like them all, one of my favorites is ayahuasca. I know a group in Amsterdam that does ayahuasca rituals that are open to the public. They're called Friends of the Forest, and if you are ever in The Netherlands I would highly recommend a session with them. They also organize an annual trip to Brazil, where ayahuasca grows on trees, and shaman's run wild.

By definition ethnogens have an ethnic, cultural background. The psychedelic drug which I consider American is LSD. Tim Leary, may he rest in peace, will always hold a place in my heart. His life was devoted to ethnogens and he pioneered the integration of LSD into our own culture through the use of media. His obsession with the cyber-space is felt in his outstanding internet presence. Tim lives on the web.

Of course, I wouldn't dare leave out Terence McKenna from this page. His work has touched many of us personally, and he is for all intensive purposes a neo-shaman. Thank you Terence, for all the advice and sense-making light you have shed on the world.

My friend Bruce runs a foundation called Island Group here in Santa Cruz. This group is dedicated to creating a society modeled after the one in Aldous Huxley's book Island. (one of my favorites) If you have a spare tropical island you would like to donate to the cause please do so, it is tax deductible. Meanwhile, the island exists in our hearts as well as in cyber-space.

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