StephenGray Vision

Dr. Maya Shetreat is one of the "new" brilliant and compassionate visionaries and influence leaders in the psychedelic field. The depth and breadth of her healing, leadership, and educational work is remarkable. In this interview she talks about the necessity of establishing a strong relationship with the plant medicines, bringing scientific and traditional knowledge together, the urgent need for enlightened leadership in this field, concerns about medicalization and corporatization, the spiritual bypassing trap among psychonauts, her upcoming Summit, and much more. The interview will also be available in video format on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel. Direct link here: https://youtu.be/7ku9vz_2gOU.

Note: To be informed about the next interview with leading figures in psychedelics and consciousness transformation, send me your email address on Facebook Messenger and I'll add you to my mailing list. I use it very sparingly, mainly for announcements like that, and I never share addresses or have advertising. 

William A. (Bill) Richards is a psychologist in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research in Baltimore, USA. He's been at the forefront of psychedelic research for decades, for eg. implementing groundbreaking and headline-grabbing psilocybin studies at the iconic Johns Hopkins U. Bill is truly one of the great figures in this work, also author of the remarkable Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, and one of the kindest souls I've ever met. Bill truly walks the talk. In this 45 minute interview for StephenGray Vision, he talks about the roles and responsibilities of the guide/therapist; differences between psycholytic and psychedelic therapy; altered traits vs. altered states; how the medical and "Oregon" models (unregulated, ceremonial etc) need not exclude each other, and much more.

Note: This interview can be heard on several audio platforms, including Spotify, and in video format on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/4ZAqj4SB6I0, where you can also find over 20 other interviews with leading figures in psychedelics and consciousness transformation like Chris Bache, Dennis McKenna, Martina Hoffmann, Jamie Wheal, etc.

Marguerite Rigoglioso has gone deep on this subject through extensive, often primary-source research. Strange and implausible as it may seem, there is a wealth of historical (and some contemporary) evidence pointing toward the reality of divine, virgin birth. This is not your conventional (ultimately anti-women, anti-sex, and yes, anti-life) dominator-male concocted Christian fairy tale of the pure virgin unsullied by human sexuality. It's actually about advanced spiritual practices, perhaps with the assistance of entheogenic plant medicines; female empowerment; and the rise of the sacred feminine as an essential balancing component for the urgently needed global consciousness transformation. Regardless of the inevitable skepticism many of us feel about this, you can't fault Marguerite on her rigorous research and her talent for articulating the argument. Listen for yourself and decide.

As always, this interview is also accessible in video format on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/q6LDvdlb7R4

And . . . Check out the over 20 other interviews on anchor.fm and the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel with brilliant spokespeople on psychedelics and consciousness transformation. 

Legendary anthropologist Wade Davis has an encyclopaedic knowledge of coca. The Inca called it The Divine Leaf of Immortality. It is central to life in tropical regions of South America. In this interview Wade makes an eloquent, passionate, and unimpeachable case that coca needs to be legalized and be welcomed into mainstream culture. As Wade says, "Of all these commonly used stimulants [coffee etc], without any doubt, the most benign, the most pleasant, the most effective, the most helpful, is coca." 

Wade says that comparing coca to cocaine is like comparing potatoes to vodka, and that is only illegal because it has been caught up in the ongoing, ineffective, absurdly expensive, and incredibly violent drug wars. Not only is coca the superior plant for daily use, there is huge potential benefit for farmers in tropical South America. We have to give the campesinos a legal market for their product.

Note: This interview was originally done for Casey McFarlane's Consciousness Continuum YouTube channel and is also accessible on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel.

Tom Lane is a treasure chest of little known, valuable—and applicable—knowledge about psilocybin mushrooms. He studied and trained with masters in Mexico and now after decades of experience is ready to share secrets of how to best benefit from their use. Here he talks about: the importance of the feeling body; how to prepare for and take the mushrooms; how to learn to see emanations of energy for healing and divining; how to move gracefully through difficulties with an open, loving attitude; and much more.

As with the other 20 or so (as of April 2021) interviews with leading visionaries, this one is also available in video format on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leFAh0fbIqw.

P.S. Please consider subscribing to the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel. It's not going to make me rich and famous (no ads etc), but it will help search engines find these interviews and get these important messages around to more people.

Mark Haden is one the great advocates for the legal and effective use of psychedelics. Among his many accomplishments, he was chair of MAPS Canada for years. Here he talks about: the increasing importance of skilled guides; the 6 essential competencies; trauma resolution skills; what would disqualify a guide; red and green flags for screening clients; an effective protocol for before, during, and follow-up; the components of effective integration; and much more.

Mark's excellent new book is "Manual for Psychedelic Guides," available at Amazon.

Note: As with the other nearly 20 StephenGray Vision interviews, this interview with Mark Haden is also available on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqTAERg5Z_8 

Mark Haden is one the great advocates for the legal and effective use of psychedelics. Among his many accomplishments, he was chair of MAPS Canada for years. Here he talks about: the increasing importance of skilled guides; the 6 essential competencies; trauma resolution skills; what would disqualify a guide; red and green flags for screening clients; an effective protocol for before, during, and follow-up; the components of effective integration; and much more.

NB: Along with nearly 20 other great interviews with leading spokespeople on behalf of psychedelics and consciousness transformation, this interview with Mark is also available on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/32PArkKmt0A

Chris Becker is a wonderful example of someone who did psychedelic therapy right and turned his life around. Chris had a traumatic childhood that led to alcohol addiction beginning in adolescence. Here he talks about the careful, extended process he undertook with a skilled guide; the dynamics of childhood trauma; essential qualities for psychedelic guides; the necessity of quality, ongoing integration, including regular spiritual practice like meditation and yoga; and how this kind of therapy could be more accessible and affordable.

Note: As always these interviews are also available in video format on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel, along with about a dozen and a half other interviews with leading visionaries, particularly those involved with psychedelics.

Here's the direct link to this interview with Chris Becker. https://youtu.be/WLTPbaICdkI

Tyson Yunkaporta is a brilliant, visionary Australian aboriginal academic, researcher, author, and artist. In his remarkable—and essential for our times—book "Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World," he talks here with Stephen Gray about: the illusion that many repeated psychedelic journeys are necessary for healing and awakening; the unsustainability of the growth economy in large nations; the need for regional and local governance and small communities; the necessity of non-hierarchical, decentralized, ego-free relationships for innovation and problem-solving; the value of interactive story-making (yarning); how to enter timeless Ancestral Mind; listening to animate nature, even rocks; our crucial role as a custodial species; and much more.

NB: As Always, these interviews with leading visionaries on consciousness transformation and the urgent need for an awakening humanity are also available on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel. This interview with Tyson Yunkaporta can be found at this link: https://youtu.be/KmLrgS_m3AU

Author/editor of "Cannabis and Spirituality" and ceremony leader Stephen Gray talks about how cannabis can deepen simple presence meditation; the Yogic principle of stopping the chatter of the mind;  a basic guide to meditating with cannabis; the central importance of breath; working with thoughts; dosage and strains; methods of intake; and more.

NB: This half hour video is also accessible with video on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/A5cqVNoJhPs

And: There are more than a dozen interviews with leading visionaries and spokespeople in fields related to psychedelics here and on the StephenGray Vision YouTube Channel.