The Entheogenic Evolution (Martin W. Ball)

This week we welcome back Tom Hatsis to discuss his new book, LSD: The Wonder Child. We discuss the "Phantastic 50s," as he puts it in his book, when LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin were of great interest to philosophers, psychiatrists, religious scholars, the CIA, and more. 

I'm joined this week by author (and musician) Daniel Murtaugh to talk about his alphabet book, NOTHING from A-Z. To be more specific, we're discussing nonduality and the nature of being. Enjoy!

My guest this week is the multi-talented Daniel Schmidt: founder of the Awaken the World foundation, director of the Samadhi Retreat Center, musician, artist, filmmaker, and more. We have a wide-ranging conversation about awakening, healing, sleep, and all of the above. Find out more at www.awakentheworld.com 

I'm joined this week by Daniel McQueen, discussing his just-released book, "Psychedelic Cannabis." We get into somatic therapy, training programs, trauma release, cannabis blends, and more. You can find out more about Daniel's work at www.medicinalmindfulness.org 

This week I'm joined by long-time author but first-time novelist, Sarah Seidelmann, discussing her new coming-of-age novel, "Where the Deer Dream." We talk about her decision to include psychedelic healing in the novel, as well as her own path from mainstream medicine to shamanic healing and visionary plants and a whole host of other topics from her work and writing along the way. Her book is out now and you can learn more about Sarah and her work at www.followyourfeelgood.com 

Carlos Tanner from www.AyahuascaFoundation.org returns for another fascinating discussion, this time about "Dieta" and how relationships are created and maintained/negotiated with plant spirits in the context of ayahuasca shamanism and healing 

Author and server of Huachuma, Sergey Baranov, is welcomed back to The Entheogenic Evolution Podcast with host, Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., to discuss his latest book, The Cactus of Sanity. In this interview Sergey shares what he sees as his role as a facilitator of the huachuma experience at his center, Huachuma Wasi, in Peru, and how huachuma helps not only with depression, anxiety, and trauma, but also with establishing the basic sanity of human beings as expressions of the Universal and Unitary Consciousness that is all of reality, experiencing itself from the perspective of the human form. The conversation steers through current events and realities to experiences of healing, shifts in those seeking psychedelic experience, and the place of the unitary and connected experience in the psychedelic landscape as more fundamental and universal than the use of psychedelics for therapy or “healing.” 

Sergey is a founder of Huachuma Wasi, a healing center in the Sacred Valley, Peru.  You can contact Sergey at www.huachumawasi.com or follow him on Instagram @huachumawasi 

I'm joined this week by septuagenarian and author, Charles Wininger, who waited until his 70s to come out of the proverbial psychedelic closet with his 2020 book, "Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA." We had a great, heart-felt conversation, human-to-human, the other day, talking about this amazing molecule. You can find Charles' book at www.listeningtoecstasy.com 

My guest this week is Magda, a 5-MeO-DMT facilitator in Canada. We discuss her personal background, what got her into psychedelic medicines, and how she understands her practice, as well as her association with the Samadhi center and how the 5-MeO-DMT experience nicely tops off extended meditation retreats with microdosing iboga. 

I'm joined this week by Wesana Health founder and CEO, Daniel Carcillo. We discuss his experience with psychedelic healing for sports-related brain trauma and his effort to bring psychedelic therapy to athletes

Here's a great episode for all you philosophical brainiacs out there: discussing Psychedelic Qualia, Philosophy of Mind, and Phenomenology with Andres Gomez Emilsson. This conversation is quite unlike any previous episode of the Entheogenic Evolution and I'm very excited to present it to you. We talk about Salvia Divinorum, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, MDMA, and more . . . Put your thinking caps on, and enjoy! 

This week we welcome back Nyx Ingen to talk more about her practice of working with 5-MeO-DMT along with MDMA and DMT and are joined in our conversation by Helgi, who has not only been Nyx's housemate, but a client, as well. We try and cover numerous aspects of facilitation from the facilitator's, client's and housemate's perspectives, sharing notes, experiences, and points of view. Nyx is also looking for support for her upcoming surgery - if you'd like to support her, visit nek.uno to show your support. 

My guest is Rob Bateman from Adeptus Psychonautica here for a lengthy and fun conversation covering a wide range of topics from issues in psychedelic culture, ritual and ceremony, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, podcasting, and the creation of Adeptus Psychonautica on Youtube. 

This week I'm joined by Timothy Ko, CEO of Entheon Biomedical, a Vancouver-based company looking to develop addiction treatment with DMT. Timothy shares his own personal story of addiction in his family, barriers to dealing with addiction in society as well as in Asian cultures where shame and family honor can get in the way, his motives for creating addiction treatments, and how Entheon is developing research studies to work with DMT. You can learn more at www.entheonbiomedical.com 

The other week "Hal Lucious Nation" and I recorded this conversation for inclusion in my new book, "Facilitating 5-MeO-DMT: An Anthology of Approaches to Serving The God Molecule." The transcription of the conversation comes as an appendix in the book, and the first chapter in the book after my Editor's Introduction is a more direct account of how the Temple of Awakening Divinity, "TOAD," operates. Here, Hal shares how he was first introduced to 5-MeO-DMT, how he got started with TOAD in late 2007, and how he and I established our personal relationship and dynamic of 5-MeO enthusiasts from different sides of being public versus private. Intimate, illuminating, and fascinating, this conversation is sure to keep your attention. 

I've got a 5-way conversation for you this week with the team from the upcoming "Bridging Heaven" retreat - Rak Razam, Quilley Powers, Eugene Alliende, and Joel Brierre. The aim of the retreat is to combine low doses of 5-MeO-DMT with meditation and the practice and study of nondual yoga philosophy. You can learn more at www.bridgingheaven.com, and of course, right here with this lengthy and informative conversation. 

This week I'm joined by Patrick, one of the contributors to the "Facilitating 5-MeO-DMT" anthology book. Patrick shares a bit more of his background and entry into facilitating 5-MeO along with more details about his approach and work with "toadsters" - enjoy! 

My guest this week is Griffen Thorne of Harris Bracken Law Firm, specializing in religious freedom and entheogens. We discuss the legal landscape around entheogens and religious rights and other related issues. 

My guest this week is Christi Myers from the Flow Integrative Ketamine clinic in Encinitas, California. We talk all things therapeutic about Ketmanine. You can find out more about the clinic at www.flowintegrativeketamine.com 

Here's the conversation Rak Razam and I had a few months ago to prep his entry for the multi-author anthology of Facilitating 5-MeO-DMT. I've been holding onto this for a while now and it's a pleasure to bring it to you here on the podcast. Of course, the entire book is available in both paperback and ebook. 

My guest this week is James Lanthier, CEO of Mindset Pharma of Toronto, Canada, a company that is seeking to develop novel psychedelic analogues to existing psychedelics such as psilocybin, DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT for more targeted delivery, efficacy, and therapeutic potential for use in the developing psychedelic healthcare field. You can find them online at www.mindsetpharma.com 

My guest this week is Victoria Wueschner, Founder and President at F.I.V.E., Director of Education at Kaivalya Kollectiv, Head Retreat Leader at Tantava Retreats, and also contributor to the anthology, Facilitating 5-MeO-DMT. We had a great conversation about Victoria's entry into the world of 5-MeO, her emphasis on training, support, and integration, and how she's working to educate others about the potentials of 5-MeO-DMT and serve with integrity. 

My guest this week is founder of Psoiree.com, an online membership-based community for those seeking fellowship and support for heroic and super-heroic mushroom doses and the Psychedelic Diaries podcast, Ray Christian. We talk about the online community, Ray's entry into the world of psychedelics, podcasting, and more. You can find him and his work online at www.psoiree.com, and you can join up with the promo code "50Martin" to receive a discount on membership. 

Author, death doula, and founder of PlantMedicinePeople.com, Kat Courtney is my guest this week. We have a wide-ranging conversation about serving psychedelic medicines in the modern west, creating new models for non-indigenous people using traditional medicines, working with integrity, self-care, personal growth, and so much more. 

My guest for this episode is author, Sean Manseau, and we discuss the very curious and interesting ideas articulated in his book, A.P. Psychedelics: Going Beyond Set and Setting to Achieve Visionary Virtuosity, and if you've ever wondered what creating an emotionally-charged rock and pop music playlist, large doses of mushrooms, magical practices, and experimental ritual theater might have to do with each other, then this is the interview for you! 

I'm joined this week by Prash Puspanathan and Agnieszka Sekula from Enosis Therapeutics, an Australian-based company looking to develop and implement virtual reality in psychedelic therapy as applied in specific stages of the therapeutic process. You can learn more about Enosis at www.enosistherapeutics.com 

I'm joined this week by author Cliff Dunning as we discuss his book, Cannabis and Sexual Ecstasy for Men: Awaken the Prostate for Multiple Orgasms. I'm sure you'll find this a stimulating episode. 

My guest this week is plant medicine facilitator and equine therapist, Heather Wickman. We discuss how she sees psychedelic and horse therapy as complimentary and in congruence (but not at the same time!) and what inspires her in the work she does, as well as the results. You can learn more about her work at beuntethered.co 

Two of the founders (and newly married couple) of the Church of Psilomethoxin, Greg and Jenna Lake, are my guests this week. We discuss the formation of the new entheogenic church whose sacrament is an edible form of 5-MeO-DMT, "psilomethoxin," which is produced by introducing 5-MeO-DMT to psilocybin mushrooms, which then go on to produce 4-OH-5-MeO-DMT rather than psilocybin and psilocyn for a true merging of science and religion. You can learn more at www.psilomethoxin.com 

The team at www.BridgingHeaven.com of Rak Razam, Eugene Alliende and Quilley Powers are welcomed back to The Entheogenic Evolution Podcast to discuss how their first meditation and low-dose 5-MeO-DMT retreat went in 2022 and what they're reflecting on for their upcoming 2023 retreats. 

My guest is Susannah Rose Stokes, former marine turned medicine worker, discussing her healing path and journey into psychedelic medicines and the formation of the "House of Metamorphosis" as a religious non-profit to help others along on their path of transformation

For this week's episode, I'm joined by underground 5-MeO-DMT facilitator, Jason, discussing his unique approach to addressing mineral health and use of art and color therapy as adjuncts to both preparing for and integrating 5-MeO-DMT experiences. 

The conversation around Psilomethoxin and its official church continues with one of the church founders and entheogenic religious freedom lawyer, Ian Benouis. We dive into the history of entheogenic religious rights (and rites), the burgeoning movement to create legally recognized entheogenic churches, psilomethoxin, and some of our other favorite molecules. 

My guest is Samala, who has come into the practice of helping others integrate their entheogenic experiences with Universal Mindfulness after her own introduction to the world of psychedelic medicines via MDMA and 5-MeO-DMT with Nyx Ingen in Iceland. 

My guest this week is Marik Hazan, founder of Tabula Rasa, a psychedelic healthcare investing venture. We discuss how psychedelic healthcare is being invested in and developed, and also how he's undertaken to bring awareness around the topics to the wealthiest of the wealthy at Davos. You can learn more at: www.tabularasa.ventures

My guest is 5-MeO-DMT facilitator, Stephan Kerby, who is also the founder of The Unchurch, (www.theunchurch.com), Wounded Healer Outreach (www.woundedhealeroutreach.com) and The Entheogenic Explorers Podcast. We discuss his personal story, helping those in need, founding the non-doctrinal "Unchurch," facilitation, and integration. 

My guest this week is author Paul Austin and we talk about all things microdosing - health and wellbeing, flow states, creativity, problem solving, leadership and more! He's the author of the book, Mastering Microdosing, and is also the creator of the mircodosing support and education website, www.thethirdwave.co, which offers information about the practice, coach training, and molecule-specific instructions. Additionally, Paul was a co-founder of Synthesis (and is no longer associated with the business), which recently went bankrupt while in the process of training the first generation of psilocybin assisted therapists here in Ashland, Oregon, so we get into what went down and how others are picking up the pieces.

My guest this week is man from the land down under, John Wood, the founder of www.rageheart.co, which focuses on helping people navigate and integrate psychedelic experiences with an emphasis on emotional expression and somatics, especially for men. Listen in and learn more about "The crazy Aussie who doesn't believe in meditation" . . . 

This week's episode is all about healing with Iboga with Tisha Ingram of www.discovertheroot.com. Tisha is trained in traditional use of Iboga with the Bwiti in Gabon and seeks to bring healing to others with grounded ceremony and conscientious use of this powerful entheogen.

This week's episode is my reading of an essay I've been working on since returning from The Church of Psilomethoxin's event, EntheoGenesis, last weekend in Austin, Texas. While no definitive answers are provided, I explore the topic of Usona's "study" that psilomethoxin is "fiction" and "placebo effect" by taking a well-rounded look at claims made, the context of the church and their practices, and as a participant-observer in a truly wonderful and nurturing event. 

My guest this week is the founder of the Center for Cinesomatic Development (www.cinesomatics.org), Andrew Daniel. We get deep into his own story of discovering his authenticity and how traumas and patterns are encoded in the body and our expressiveness, and how he developed the cinesomatic program to help others release and transform themselves 

This week Lama Mike Crowley comes back on the podcast to discuss his new book, Psychedelic Buddhism: A User's Guide to Traditions, Symbols, and Ceremonies. It's always great to have Mike - a vast reservoir of knowledge of Buddhism and Indian religions - back on the podcast. His new book is available now. 

Joining the Entheogenic Evolution Podcast for her interview debut, my guest is Jessica Marie who shares her own healing story with a chronic health condition and psychedelic medicines, her work with Bufo, her experience with Tom Lane and the ceremony of the deified heart, and her entheogenic church, the "One World Heart." You can find out more at www.oneworldheart.love 

My guests this week are Carson Barker and Clif Haley from the marketing firm, IcaroConnect.com, which specializes in marketing for legal psychedelic services such as therapy and entheogenic churches. Based in Austin, Texas, a progressive island in a sea of reactionary conservatism, we talk all about how they got into the business, what they offer, and how it's a sign of the times as the legal landscape shifts and grows.

It's a great pleasure to welcome back Rachel Harris to the podcast. In this conversation, Rachel shares all about her new book, "Swimming in the Sacred," which documents the practices of female underground psychedelic practitioners who have no intention to going "above ground" in their work with entheogenic medicines. Listen in and find out more. 

My guest this week is author, Mike Marinacci, discussing his just-released book, Psychedelic Cults and Outlaw Churches: LSD, Cannabis, and Spiritual Sacraments in Underground America. It's a fascinating historical read and brings to light both well known and obscure religious movements in the US where psychedelics have been used as part of religious practice, covering from the formation of the Native American Church all the way up to internet religions in 2021. 

Stephan Kerby of The Unchurch (www.theunchurchchurch.com) returns to the Entheogenic Evolution Podcast to share about his upcoming certification course on being a "Trauma Informed Entheogenic Guide." In addition to talking about the course, we cover more info about the UnChurch and Kerby's desire to move from facilitation to more education. There's still time to sign up for the course and Kerby is offering a discount to listeners from the podcast and you can use this affiliate link: https://theunchurchchurch.mykajabi.com/affiliate_users/sign_up

Approximately 2.5 years ago, completely out of the blue, Psymposia came along and weaponized a then-five-year-old video of one of my public talks and through blatant distortion and radical decontextualization, launched an abusive campaign against me. Despite engaging in clearly unethical journalism, Psymposia's labeling of me as an "abuser" has been widely accepted, promoted, and complacently repeated throughout much of the psychedelic world. Their smear campaign has been very successful in getting me "cancelled," with a few notable exceptions. Because I'm continually coming up against the wall of exclusion that Psymposia created, I'm revisiting the issue here on the only real platform I have - my podcast. In this episode, I discuss what things were like before Psymposia, what Psymposia did and why it's unarguably unethical journalistic abuse, how I've been personally and professionally harmed and blacklisted, and issue a re-exploration of the context that Psymposia purposefully neglected. Ultimately, this is my request to have my case reconsidered by the public, hold Psymposia accountable for their abuses, and to encourage supporters to push back against the narrative they've created about me, my work, and who I am as a human being. Thank you for listening.

This week I welcome Tom Lane back onto the podcast to continue and expand on our conversation about the Yuta Tnoho Codex from a few years ago. Tom returns with some new interpretations and ideas on how psilocybin mushroom rituals and religion worked in Mesoamerica and was encoded in the codex. I've also created a video for YouTube with the images we are discussing in this episode. You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPXAb13n5oU

This week my guest is the fascinating and dynamic Acacea Lewis. Acacea shares her story of personal struggles, being a precocious youth, studying astrophysics, alchemy, her work with Mike Crowley, Kilindi Iyi, and Tom Lane, her use of high-dose mushrooms and her efforts to educate people on the topic, and so much more. It was my pleasure to not only meet Acacea and get to hang out, but also speak with her for this podcast episode. Enjoy! 

The other month I was contacted by a person looking to make use of my nondual entheogenic integration services with a twist - he proposed that we record the integration call and make it available as a podcast episode. So, that's exactly what we've done. As an additional bonus, we've got a surprise twist for you at the end of our conversation ;). If you'd like to set up a consultation for yourself, check out www.nondualentheogenicintegration.com for more info. 

This week my guest is Sarah Knapik and she's here to share her own healing and transformation journey and her work as a Bufo facilitator. Due to the lengthy nature of our conversation, which was then followed up by an additional conversation/interview, I've split it into two parts, with part II coming out next week. Sarah is an interesting case in that she worked as a facilitator, was intending to found an entheogenic church, and then walked away from it all . . . only to come back a couple of months later. These two podcast episodes will share all the details, so enjoy! 

This week we continue with the conversation with Sarah Knapik, discussing her practice with Bufo, what caused her to walk away and the reassessment that occurred, and why, after a couple of months of reflection, she decided to step back into her role as Bufo facilitator. 

The other week I was invited to co-facilitate a psychedelic retreat for personal growth and transformation using psilocybin mushrooms and 5-MeO-DMT. This episode recounts my experience of the participants requesting that I engage in nondual energy work with them during their medicine sessions, a practice from which I've been retired for the past seven years. Here's my take on diving back into this practice, how it went, and why the participants were keen on receiving this kind of work from me during their medicine sessions. 

It's all about the music this week with my guest "Hewkii" (AKA Helgi Freyr Tomasson) whose new album, "Ecstasy Juice from God," is coming out this Dec. We've got an exclusive pre-release listen here on The Entheogenic Evolution. We talk about music, creativity, entheogens, inspiration, and of course, get into the tracks themselves, several of which Helgi brought me in on as a guest voice and musician. You can find Hewkii online via this link: https://linktr.ee/hewkii

This week my guest is Edwin Jansen, who was inspired to reach out after listening to the "A Marine, A Monk, and a 5-MeO-DMT Facilitator Walk into a Bar . . ." episode, given his shared enthusiasm for the Enneagram and 5-MeO-DMT. We talk more about the Enneagram (I took a test and we talk about it), get into Edwin's regular practice of using the M-Pen (www.mind-fully.co) for microdosing and meditation, and what he experienced when he went all the way. Plus, we talk a little about Edwin's interest in using AI for coaching services. 

My guest this week is "Caps," a 5-MeO facilitator in the American Midwest, who shares his unique approach to inspiring creativity with low-dose 5-MeO-DMT experiences (but significantly, only AFTER a full-release dose!), how he got into serving. We also get into his interest in long-distance endurance running, the topic of suffering during psychedelic experiences, and what brought him into first experiencing personally and then facilitating 5-MeO. It's a long one, so sit back, relax, and enjoy! 

My guest this week is Jon Kamin, creator and curator of the Frshminds website where Jon complies information about psychedelic retreat centers with loads of information to help people navigate and choose which retreat might be best for them. We discuss how he sought to personally visit as many retreat centers as possible, find reliable information about them, and how he's sorted it all to help those looking for the perfect psychedelic retreat. 

Psychedelic toads, AI gods, rogue avatars, feral humans, a galaxy-spanning society, nonduality, and Burning Man come together for epic story-telling in this brand new AI-imagined art illustrated version of my 2016 novel, The Solandarian Game. This new illustrated version, available in PDF and ebook, features over 600 carefully curated AI-generated images, bringing the story, characters, and locations to life in beautiful and colorful detail. What better way to bring a story about an enlightened Artificial Intelligence to life than with AI art? This was an epic project to embark upon, and I’m extremely pleased with the results. The full color PDF version is now available for purchase at my shop at www.patreon.com/martinwball and also as an ebook at Kindle and the iBookstore. To help promote the new version of the book, I'm sharing the first two chapters from the audiobook to bring you into the story and hopefully get you excited about this new illustrated version.

I've also made a free 5-Chapter Sampler of the illustrated novel available for download. You can get the FREE SAMPLE HERE

This week my guest is Andrew Tansil from Sayulita Wellness Retreat in Mexico. We talk about what brought Andrew into running a psychedelic retreat, how they function, and what they offer, as well as Andrew's own transformative experiences with psychedelic medicines. You can find the retreat online at www.sayulitawellnessretreat.com

This week on The Entheogenic Evolution we're exploring a different kind of altered state of conscious: that of sleep and the many in-between states. My guest is author and sleep expert, Philip Carr-Gomm. For the interview, we did a book swap where I read his book about getting better sleep, The Gift of the Night: A Six-Step Program for Better Sleep, and Philip read my medical memoir, A Sleep Story: an Unintentional Exploration of the Altered States of Being Awake. We have an enlightening, personal, and practical discuss about sleep, how things can go wrong, what the experiences are like, and what to do (and NOT do!) about it. 

My guest this week is April Pride, founder of Of Like Minds website and host of The High Guide Podcast. April joins me to discuss the topic of women and psychedelics, touching on issues of women in the psychedelic and cannabis space, how women's shifting hormones impacts their sensitivity to psychedelics, women and microdosing psilocybin, being an entrepreneur and podcast host, and more.

Also, I'm inviting listeners to download a free 5-Chapter Sampler of my AI-Illustrated Novel, "The Solandarian Game." You can use THIS LINK to get your free copy. 

Starting in late March, TheUnchurch University is offering an 8-month weekly training program for those who are looking to facilitate with 5-MeO-DMT. The course is designed by Stephan Kerby, and I will be serving as a lecturer and adjunct professor with the training program, teaching 1-2 classes each month. In this podcast episode, we have some back-and-forth about 5-MeO-DMT, what makes it unique, what we're looking to offer in the training program, and more. There's still a spot or two left in the program. Use the link in the description if you want more info. 

We are now into the appendices for the audiobook of Faciliating 5-MeO-DMT. Appendix A is one of my own contributions and is "Integrating 5-MeO-DMT: Embodying Your Relationship to Yourself as the Divine." The sharing of this selection just so happens to coincide with the release of my newest book, 5-MeO-DMT Integration: Embodying Nonduality is Not What You Think - Education and Empowerment for Working with the God Molecule, which is now available in paperback and ebook on Amazon and Kindle, and also as a full-color PDF at my Patreon Shop. The new book is basically a fully-fleshed out expansion of the ideas expressed in this appendix. The audiobook is forthcoming, but in the meantime, you can find my 12 other audiobooks at Audible, Amazon, and the Apple iBookstore. 

Entheogenic Religious Rights lawyer, Greg Lake, returns to the Entheogenic Evolution Podcast this week to discuss a pro bono case he's currently litigating in Detroit where a Black-run entheogenic church has been raided and shut down. Greg tells us all about the case and why he feels it's important for broader issues in religious freedom. If you're interested in supporting Greg's pro bono work, then I encourage you to visit his Patreon Page

A few weeks ago, The Church of the Sacred Synthesis released information to the public that their year-long research into the chemistry of their sacrament, the novel compound of Psilomethoxin (4-HO-5-MeO-DMT), had yielded promising results. To help us understand what they've done and what they've found, I've invited their science officer, Adam McKay, and Ian Benouis to join me in a 3-way conversation about the research, the results, and where they're going from here. Just a reminder to my listening audience: I am not a chemist! Adam presents as a careful researcher and his findings seem interesting and compelling to me, but again, I'm not a chemist. Listen in and hear what he has to say . . .

My guest this week is Pablo Lopez, a psychotherapist in Spain, who is interested in how the nonduality and energetics of the 5-MeO-DMT experience relate to human development, egoic blocks, sexuality, and more. We have a wide-ranging conversation on these and other topics in this interview. Due to its length, the last 3rd of the conversation has been posted to my Patreon page exclusively for my Patrons.

Also, as a special treat this week, we've got the track "Love is the Law" from musician Coren Smith who has just released his newest album, "Divine Will". The album is out now on all digital music platforms and you can find it at Spotifiy here 

This week I'm joined by author, Astraeus Amori, to discuss his new book, Psychedelic Sacred Sexuality. We discuss the role of various psychedelics in sexual experiences and how to work with your consenting partner. You can find out more about him and his book at his website.

My guest this week is author Paul Karasik who's here to discuss his newly released book, Getting High on Leadership. In addition to being an author, Paul is from the old school psychedelic world who has found new life in the modern psychedelic movement and is the founder of the Psychedelic Institute of Los Angeles and is the organizer of the Psychedelic Awakening event in LA, which got started in 2023 and will be returning for 2024. In this interview we discuss his early experiences with psychedelics, his renewed interest in the "psychedelic renaissance," and of course, his new book.

Inspired by his recent post about receiving religious freedom tax exempt status, I invited Ian Wallin of Ashland's Psilo Sangha for an interview to share his story of the process of setting up a religious ministry for psilocybin sacraments. We met at Ian's downtown Ashland office where he shared his emotionally raw and surprising story of attempting to work through two different psilocybin assisted services facilitator training programs for the state of Oregon, which did not go well, to put it bluntly. In this lengthy and very personal interview, Ian gives us an intimate inside look at some of the problems in the state-run program, and how it inspired him to take his mission into his own hands and make Psilo Sangha official.

And here's an additional statement from Ian: "I'd like to start by saying thanks again, Martin, for giving me the opportunity to share my experience in creating Psilo Sangha and giving me the opportunity to introduce our church to the community. I want to give a big shout out to our amazing team and board of directors, Jaron Riddle, Anna keppen, Dani Thomas, Urith Davis, and Caleb Upperton, along with all of our beautiful supporters. We're an eclectic group from different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities, and I'm just extremely thrilled we've found each other and united in support of this spiritual work and practice. I also want to bow and thank my mom, Jaymie Lujan, for being so supportive of me as I've tripped and stumbled and crawled and dusted myself off along this path. We've often had a difficult relationship but this medicine has been very healing for both of us. Our board is going to visit her where she lives in Oaxaca next year, and she's going to connect us with a traditional curandera, in support of our efforts to better honor and understand the indigenous roots of these practices. I know we're all really excited to deepen our relationship with this medicine and hopefully build a bridge with that community in Oaxaca."

This week I'm joined by Madison Callahan to discuss her work with Iboga Healing Retreats in Portugal as well as her work as an integration coach specializing in Iboga and Bwiti traditions. We discuss being a parent, raising kids outside of the US and in the context of traditional medicine work, her time with the Bwiti, and more. You can find out more about the Iboga retreats at IbogaHealing.com and learn more about her integration work at Roots Integration

My guest for this week's episode is founder of the Universal Shamans of the New Tomorrow Bufo Alvarius Church in Texas. Brooke and I discuss her process of her coming into working with Bufo, the inspiration for founding the church, how church services work in her outside ceremonial space, and also their integration services and facilitation training through developing a relationship with the medicine. You can find out more about the church at their website, USNTchurch.com. 

Continuing with my ongoing theme of collecting narratives from founders of modern entheogenic churches, this week's episode features a lengthy conversation with James Hin, founder of the Psilo Temple in Eugene, Oregon. James shares his story and his emphasis on Psychedelics, Sound, Integration, Love, and Oneness (P.S.I.L.O.), his personal journey into entheogens, his experience of operating the church, membership, offerings, community relations, and more. You can find out more about the church online at Psilotemple.org. 

My guest this week is director and filmmaker, Jeffery Lando, who's here to share all about his new film, "Lissa's Trip". A young actress accidentally takes too much LSD and has to take an inner and outer trip across Los Angeles for an audition in this delightful indie film which makes novel use of AI in a variety of ways, including the production of psychedelic visuals. Jeffery joined me for a lively discussion all about it. You can find the film online HERE.

My guest this week is Pyasa Neko Siff who's here to share her beautiful and moving 5-MeO-DMT-inspired spoken word piece, which is also available as a visually captivating video HERE. We have a deep conversation about the 5-MeO experience and the process of articulating deep truths from the experience, such as is available here with her spoken word. 

The other week, as part of the course I'm helping teach with the Mindscape Psychedelic Institute, I, along with several of the students, visited The UnChurch in Iowa for in-person training. This week's episode recounts my impressions and reflections on the week, what I feel the students got out of it, why instruction on both theory and practice are important, as well as a few comments made by the students themselves of what they feel they've gained by participating in the course. 

My guest this week is Hamilton Souther of Blue Morpho Academy. In our conversation we get into Hamilton's spiritual awakening, his controversial apprenticeship in the world of ayahuasca, and the development of Blue Morpho and its programs for serving ayahuasca and dietas. 

My guest this week is Jeffrey Stevens from Psyched Wellness which has developed an effective and safe amanita muscaria extract product, "Calm." Having used it myself, I can attest to its calming, relaxing, and dreamy effects - completely unlike psilocybin mushrooms. It's primarily marketed as a sleep aid, but can be used for enjoyment as an alcohol alternative, as well. We discuss the product, sleep, and more. 

My guest this week is Spencer Burton, founder of Iboga Rebirth, the first and only legal entheogenic church in the state of Oregon that provides Iboga retreats. This interview adds to my growing collection of conversations about entheogenic churches and is another addition to those that are specifically in the great state of Oregon. Spencer and I had a lengthy conversation about his own initiation into Iboga, his time with the Bwiti, and how he sees Iboga as assisting in the process of rebirthing oneself into a more authentic and present way of being and living life. 

While smoking DMT at a gathering of friends, Charles Patti made contact with something more, and his life was changed. This is his story of how he healed with DMT, got into Ketamine therapy, opened a clinic in Florida, developed a podcast, created a non-profit for veteran access to psychedelic healing, his experience with psychedelic parenting, and more. So many interesting topics, all in one episode! Find out more about Charles and his projects with these links: Clinic, DMTx, Warriors of Consciousness

Production note: there were some occasional transmission hiccups on Charles' side of the conversation. I've tried to edit them as best I could, but expect a few places where the audio gets a little glitchy. 

Put your thinking caps on and relax into your float tank or sensory deprivation chamber for a lively conversation with philosopher, Randolph Dible. You can learn more about Randy's work and interest in float tanks and the phenomenology of consciousness and nonduality (The Ball of the All, or the Universal Ontology of the Infinite Sphere) at his website, RandolphDible.com

Nyx returns to the podcast this week to discuss her new book, The Dawn of the Astrorganism: Aligning Humanity, AI, and the Earth's Future. I'll let our conversation unpack all of that. You can learn more at her website, Astrorganism.earth

Shaun Ryan was my fellow panelist at Psychedelic Awakening 2024 in Los Angeles last month and is an ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT facilitator. Since we shared the stage together, I thought it would be fruitful to invite him onto the podcast so I could get to know him better and also bring you another great conversation, so that's what happened. Shaun shares his personal healing and transformation journey with psychedelic medicines, his ayahuasca apprenticeship, and his work with 5-MeO-DMT. You can learn more about Shaun and his offerings via his website, Divine Guidance

This week's episode features a group conversation with Dr Zinn, Dan, and Michelle, the three of whom are exploring facilitating the 5-MeO-DMT experience via sub-cutaneous injections. This is a very different modality than the more common vaporization with 5-MeO-DMT and allows for a slower come-up, longer duration during the peak, and a more gradual come-down. Learn all about it here in this four-way conversation. Note: this method of delivery is only accessible through pure molecule 5-MeO and is not an option when working with toad secretions. 

My guest this week is new author, Wade Richardson, whose book, The Psychedelic Mindmeld is being released this month. Wade's book address the phenomenon of psychic and energetic cross-over when normal egoic boundaries are suspended or dissolved. Our conversation covers examples, practices, and methods for getting into these profound states. Obviously, this is not work for beginners and is best suited for couples and those who are consciously agreeing to work within nondual energetics where divides between self and other are transcended where informed consent is paramount. Learn all about it here! 

My guest, Julio Rivera, offers super-heroic mushroom retreats in Jamaica for advanced practitioners which combines Jungian psychology with Tibetan Buddhist energetic parasite extraction. Sound exotic? Well, listen in to learn more! If it sounds like something you'd like to participate in, you can find more info about Julio and his offering at www.shape-my.life. We also discuss Julio's anonymous publication of the Ayahuasca Manifesto. 

I have a multi-guest interview for you to kick off the 18th year of The Entheogenic Evolution Podcast: Laurel Younis, Darron Smith, and Jenna Kluwe join me for an in-depth conversation about the psilocybin facilitator training program at Emerald Valley Institute in Eugene, Or. With the first legal psilocybin assisted services program in the country, Oregon is a model for how it can be done elsewhere in the U.S. As a legal psychedelic program, it's not without it's challenges, but you gotta start somewhere! This is one of those interviews that's exciting for me to share with you as it's a clear indication of how far things have come since I started this podcast waaaay back in 2008! Learn more about the program at Emerald Valley Institute

Also, if you'd like more info about the new 5-MeO-DMT Integration training program I'm offering via Mindscape Institute link through here or via Nondual Entheogenic Integration

For this episode I've invited Ezekiel Couper, who was one of the students in the first round of the 5-MeO-DMT Facilitator's course with Mindscape Institute onto the podcast to share his story and his post-class focus on providing integration services. Ezekiel comes with a rocky story of abuse, substance abuse, and finding healing and transformation with psychedelics. He shares his story, his experience of being in the 5 Facilitator's class, his take on the experiential portion of the program, receiving energy work from me, and more. You can find out more about Ezekiel's services as Sacred Journeys Integration

This week's podcast is a conversation between Stephan Kerby and myself about my upcoming class on 5-MeO-DMT Integration Specialist Training via Mindscape Institute. There are now only 3 spaces left in my class, so if you want in, the time to act is NOW. Class starts on Feb 26th (and next 5-MeO facilitator training starts April 27th).

Also speaking of 5, I'm giving another shout-out to Pyasa and her upcoming 5-MeO women's retreat

I'm joined this week by Nick Sun from the Land Down Under - Psychedelic comedian, author, podcaster, and fun time medicine man. We hope this interview puts a smile on your face. You can learn more about Nick at NickSun.com.au

I'm taking a detour from my regular rhythm on the podcast this week to share some of my thoughts on the current state of the US and the fascist regime change underway, orchestrated with maximum chaos, brutality, corruption, and incompetency. Here I'm reading from three essays I've previously posted online where I'm applying my background as a professor of Religious Studies. The first, "What is a Cult?" comes from Jan, 2021. The next, "A Brief Guide to the 'Spiritual' Forces at Play in Trumpism," was from Nov, 2024, and the final, "On the Apotheosis of Loyalty as the Ultimate Virtue in the Trump Cult Kakistocracy" is also from Nov, 2024. 

This week I'm welcoming back to the podcast Canada-based 5-MeO-DMT facilitator, Chad Charles. Chad has just launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for a one-of-a-kind 5-MeO-DMT research project. As he shares with us here on the podcast, he's collected a wealth of notes and data from all of his sessions and is now looking to comb through this trove of data to find patterns, results, and insights. You can support his project at www.gofundme.com/f/support-chad-charles-project and also learn more about him at ChadCharles.net

Also, Sarah Knapik has a new offering for women's work with 5 here

This week's episode is all about my personal creative process. I'm taking 5 tracks off my new album, "The Alchemist and the Eagle," and sharing with the listeners about the stories behind the stories behind the music. With each song, I share about what went into creating it, how it fits with the novel, and how events and experiences in my personal life shaped the characters and plot developments in the first place - so we get into some of my psychedelic experiences, my time as a grad student studying at the Mescalero Apache reservation, experiences at Burning Man, and more, and how it all helped shape the story. I get into how I worked to create the songs to go with the particular chapters and how it influenced the sounds, textures, and instruments used in the songs. You can stream the entire album HERE for free, if you'd like to hear the entire thing. I hope you enjoy this exploration of the creative process with me. 

I'm joined by Austin West this week sharing his journey into psychedelic medicines, healing through crisis, why "safety" isn't always the best priority, and more. Austin leads men's groups, offers mentoring, and also provides holistic approaches to wellbeing through Entheos Holistics. We had a great conversation the other month and here it is for your listening pleasure. You can find out more about Austin on his personal webpage HERE and check out Entheos Holistics HERE. 

I'm welcoming Mario Garnier back onto the podcast this week. Mario is one of the founders of the World Bufo Alvarius Congress, held for several years in Mexico City. He's now running a mens' retreat program in Mexico called "Bufo Camp," so I thought it would be a good time to bring him back on the podcast to share all about it. Mario also recently created an AI-generated conversation about Bufo and 5-MeO, and if you'd like to give it a listen, click HERE. 

This week the play and musical, "Ayahuasca Inside Out," debuts at the NY Fringe Festival, opening on Monday, April 14th, and running through the 20th. To help hype up the event, I had a great conversation with Loren Crea Abbade and Anthony Hidalgo to tell us all about it last week to get this out in time to mark their opening day and celebrate how what originated as a birthday surprise ended up as a theater production. 

We return to the world of Aurduin this week with the next two chapters from the audiobook of The Fate of Miraanni. In chapter 17, Kalzhat and his men lure a flying machine of the west into a trap and in chapter 18, Miraanni meets with the mysterious Mwataan and gets some face time with the mighty Serpent King.