Voices in the Dark

LAW 14: Pose As A Friend, Work As A Spy

Who are you working for?? Well, yourself... or you should be. Law 14 isn't about insincerity or screwing your friends over, but it's a sharp lesson in social intelligence and self-awareness. We explain how to learn about the people you're dealing with – especially those who're more powerful than you – and how to charm and disarm them into revealing more about themselves and their buttons than they intend. To use Law 14 effectively, you must calibrate yourself to other people, but this doesn't have to be insincere. There are risks, however: don't end up playing by their rules by being too keen to take on their worldview: always retain your own independent headspace. Ready to hone your social intelligence? Let's get going...

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/09/05/pose-as-a-friend…power-episode-14/

This Episode includes:

• The Voices in the Dark kitten, Ned: check out his Instagram!
• A reminder that when it comes to people, knowledge, of all kinds, is power
• The egotism of expecting other people to share your goals and needs
• How to read and understand microexpressions – revealing what people are actually feeling
• How psychedelics can help us understand other people and read their emotions... and even their motivations
• The difference between verbal and emotional communication – and why the latter is the most important
• How to be a great conversationalist... by saying almost nothing
• Jon backpeddles on his previous slander of Andy Warhol after visiting a cool exhibition... understanding what he was trying to do made his actions understandable, as this Law teaches us
• Using the present to predict the future
• What your social media posts inadvertently reveal about you
• Remember to give before you take – and to ask questions to make other people like you and being in your company
• Lessons from Steve Jobs and Bill Clinton
• Playing Devil's Advocate to get a rise out of people and thereby find out what they really think
• The power of telling (false) secrets to others: they feel compelled to reciprocate
• Which version of you do you bring to the party? How to change your persona to increase others' openness

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Conan tells us what is best in life
• Daniele Bolelli's Drunken Taoist Podcast
• Lagavulin whisky
• Parks and Recreation
• The industrialist, Andrew Mellon
• The TV show Lie to Me
• Dr Paul Ekman – the pioneer of the science of microexpressions
• Ryan Holiday – author, thinker, strategist – and his book Ego is the Enemy
• The BBC's amazing show, Sherlock
• Jon was recalling a quote from Alan Watts: 'if you don't argue with me, I don't know what I think'.

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/09/05/pose-as-a-friend…power-episode-14/

Join us as we continue our 48 Laws of Power review, exploring Robert Greene's provocative and compelling book, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the 'modern Machiavelli', we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they've either observed or transgressed them).

Meet Neo: homeless by choice, musician by chance, and social activist by conviction. He's been a silver-service waiter to royalty, trained with the British karate team, travelled – homeless – around the world, and recorded a remarkable album just 10 months after he first picked up a guitar. He's packed about a dozen ordinary lifetimes into his 45 years, but this, he tells us from behind his rockstar dark glasses, is just the beginning.

I met Neo on the streets of Oxford when his voice and the song he was playing stopped me dead. Rocking his self-described 'gothic cowboy' look, he's been called a male Adele by some... and they may not be far from the mark. Music industry aficionados have begun to take note and he's soon to appear on the TV show 'The Voice', but he's not looking for fame. He wants to change how we understand homelessness and support people trying to get off the streets.

Neo's vision is to create a Crisis Centre run by the homeless, for the homeless – a place sensitive to each person's background and needs, unlike the often toxic, spreadsheet-driven environments government and council programmes create. Retired doctors and nurses are already pledging their support and Neo's donating 100% of the profits from his music to raise the £3 million they need to make the Centre a reality. And even that is just the beginning.

This podcast will challenge everything you think you know about homelessness, inequality, and life on the margins of society. With a roll-up wedged between his lips, Neo opens up about a life few of us can imagine but all of us can identify with. We talk about love, loss, violence, family, music, mental health, and much more besides. It was, without exaggeration, a privilege to spend time with him, and to share this conversation with you here.

This is the second episode of 'Talking the Walk', the show that brings you conversations with interesting people doing cool and unusual things. We'll talk about life, people, philosophy, music, politics... Quality pub conversations with a microphone, in short.

Many thanks to Tom McRae for the beautiful theme music

When Asking For Help, Appeal To People's Self-Interest - Never To Their Mercy or Gratitude

Does this make you squeamish? Or maybe this is the Law you're already most comfortable with...

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/08/30/when-asking-for-…power-episode-13/

As ever, we're your guides on how and when to apply this law and this week we dive into the need to remember other people's interests and the serious dangers of guilt-tripping them into doing things for you. Reminding people that they owe you is a sure-fire way to piss them off and makes you sound like a desperate lover who can't handle being left.

We also cover the need to remember that other people are not simply playing a supporting role in your movie; they're not automatically going to want to help you out, but still we tend to act as though they should. We unpack why people are so suspicious of goodwill in modern societies, introduce our new cat, Ned, and take a trip into the Voices in the Dark dungeon to wonder when a guest stops being a guest and becomes a prisoner.

Let us know your thoughts and experiences with the Law... and don't forget to be good humans!

This Episode includes:

• Just because something is the honourable or proper thing doesn't mean it's going to happen
• Why James Bond gets to break all the rules... And why we're totally fine with that
• Apple's dubious morality
• How to avoid creating a new enemy out of an old friend
• The danger of placing a burden of gratitude on another person; no one likes to feel they owe their position or good fortune to someone else
• Finding the balance between play and obligation
• Don't let everything you hear or see become a statement about you... It's not all about you
• How to tell people convincingly that what you want will also benefit them
• The thin line of punching above your weight and losing perspective on what's actually important
• Which mind-altering substances do you want us to record under in future?
• Jon loses his cool over people not doing their jobs (not for the first or last time, either) and their defensiveness when you prompt them to do so
• Call centre frustrations: how can you get people to help you when you can't offer them something in return?
• Choosing where to spend your energy; don't start needless arguments to make yourself feel righteous
• The importance of using Fuck You Money to say Fuck You
• Back to Law 2: Don't depend on friends unless you're appealing to their self-interest
• Why it's selfish to be enraged by others' selfishness
• Beware the pious: don't appeal to the self-interest of those who think they're better than that... Appeal to their self-image instead
• Some people like to feel needed; you reward them simply by needing them
• Why being grateful doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't be dissatisfied at times
• We don't expect people to act the way we. do, but, more dangerously, the way we think we would
• The insanity of using guilt to try to make someone stay with you

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Plenty of Game of Thrones references this week!
• Armstrong & Miller's wonderful 'Kill Them' sketch
• Ryan Holiday's great new book, Ego is the Enemy, and Jon's article about it
• The amazing and stimulating Joe Rogan Experience
• L'esprit de l'escalier – the French phrase, meaning 'staircase wit', which perfectly describes the feeling when you come up with the perfect one-liner or argument winner when the moment has already passed
• Dan Carlin's Hardcore History series on the Mongols, Wrath of the Khans
• Amazon's Marco Polo series

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/08/30/when-asking-for-…power-episode-13/

Join us as we continue our 48 Laws of Power review, exploring Robert Greene's provocative and compelling book, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the 'modern Machiavelli', we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they've either observed or transgressed them).

Law 12 - Use Selective Honesty And Generosity To Disarm Your Victim

When is honesty not truly honest? And when is generosity less than generous? Ethical issues unravel as we venture into the seeming contradictions of Law 12. In this episode we explain how to master the skill of the indirect approach and what it means to give before you take, all the while fighting our cultural conditioning which assumes anything but constant and total honesty is somehow a bad thing... We explain why this is not only bad advice, but is totally hypocritical in the first place. We ponder how Trojan Horses work in the modern world and challenge you to try a random act of generosity and observe its effects. And Jon gives an update on how well he's managing to implement the 48 Laws of Power into his own life (clue: it's less than smoothly). Rounded off with a spontaneous and powerful discussion about cultural appropriation, this is one packed episode, so let's get into it!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

• Random Acts of Honesty: Find someone you normally see as a rival or enemy and do something thoughtful or nice for them. Buy them a gift. A thoughtful but inexpensive one; give it without an agenda... And observe the consequences.
  • Let us know what happens next in the comments below: Do they change their behaviour towards you? How did the balance of the relationship shift afterwards?

This Episode includes:

• Why honesty is a blunt instrument
• The perils of bundling asshole-ishness
• When to bring up the things you want
• Deploying different versions of yourself at the right time
• The importance of losing... and learning
• How to give before taking what you want: the art of strategic gifting
• Seducing your target with selective revelations about yourself
• The difference between looking your best and showing off
• Don't waste your time giving feedback, even when asked for it
• What happens if you're simply 'yourself' all the time? Are you dishonest with yourself if a big part of you would rather just sit home and eat cake all day?
• Master the skill of nesting your real deception inside a series of fake deceptions
• Avoid random acts of honesty: focus and choose your targets wisely
• What singing in public can do for you
• Dre's personal philosophy revelations courtesy of a Large Salad Dressing experience: If you don't cater to people's basic needs out of some sort of misplaced intellectual puritanism, you're doomed to fail
• Why cultural appropriation is usually a very good thing
• Remember: other people don't have to follow your rules and probably won't

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Our favourite Bismarck T-Shirt, designed by the wonderful Savannah Em
• Misanthrotees – cynical t-shirts to arm yourself against the tough world outside your door
• 'You win or you learn' – the quote Dre mentioned has been said by lots of people, it turns out, as a casual Google reveals
• Ryan Holiday's excellent book on Stoicism, The Obstacle is the Way
• Marcus Aurelius's life-changing and life-affirming Meditations
• Robert Harris's historical novels, Pompeii, Imperium, Lustrum, and Dictator
• Turns out Dre was right and 'didactical' is a word. Points to Dre!
• The artist Alexander Ward – check out his amazing [Ayahuasca Jungle Visions: A Coloring Book
• Former Dire Straits frontman, Mark Knopfler

Join us as we continue our 48 Laws of Power review, exploring Robert Greene's provocative and compelling book, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the 'modern Machiavelli', we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they've either observed or transgressed them).

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/08/22/use-selective-ho…power-episode-12/

Inspired by our friends over at Digital Communion, this is the first of a series of short (20 mins) but deep conversations between Jon and Dre. Each episode begins with a question designed to make you (and us) reflect and to think about life and our experience of it.

Today's episode poses the question: 'What are you most afraid of?'

• Dre's desire to live forever… which Jon finds very difficult to grasp
• Why be scared of death?
• The positives and negatives of having boundless ambition
• The fear of living in a state of self-delusion: how do you know when you're kidding yourself?
• Avoidance tactics when faced with disappointment or not living up to expectations
• When death can be used as a weapon – or can it?

Learn To Keep People Dependent On You

An uncomfortable Law that makes us consider just who we are important to – and how precarious that can be as we struggle to become the power behind the throne. This is about the need to become indispensable... or at least to appear to be, making it the complementary piece to Law 1: here we learn how to be and remain The Master, but also how to remain essential to a Master without coming to outshine them. Along the way we hear how Dre managed to keep ahead of the game by diversifying his skillset before he became replaceable, while Jon failed at every turn to seed doubt in the minds of others or to defeat any bureaucrats at all. We also drop in on the bizarre world of Russian cloakrooms, dog-eating squirrels, and take time to consider the artificial, fast-food way we try to feel power over our lives by using social media, rather than cultivating meaningful relationships.

This Episode includes:

• How to make yourself indispensable, and the price you pay if you don't
• The awesome power of coat-check attendants in Russia
• Ally yourself with someone weak who you can help make strong; don't get lost in the crowd of the already-strong
• Find your niche, which will become your domain of power
• How modern, short-term thinking distracts you from the road to power: play the long (even the 'infinite') game if you want to succeed
• Does knowing other people's secrets make you powerful, or more vulnerable?
• How to drop hints to make people worry that you have power over them
• The master of psych-outs: Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Why power only exists in relation to other people
• Becoming the power behind the power behind the throne, and the web of dependence involved
• The bizarre cult of 'authenticity'
• Dre goes full Machiavelli and reveals his plans to predict all human behaviour

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Our favourite Bismarck T-Shirt!
• The famous painting of the declaration of the formation of Germany, featuring Bismarck as the central figure
• 'Dropping the Pilot' – the cartoon satirising Wilhelm II's dismissal of Bismarck – a decision that would have disastrous consequences
• Dre's 'best film ever': Pumping Iron
• Some of Michael Schumacher's most controversial moments in the pursuit of victory
• Russia's terrifying killer squirrels
• The Russian dogs who know how to ride the Moscow Metro
• The book Jon mentioned: Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse
• The picture of the Éminence grise Dre described
• Sir Thomas More – another ultimately dispensable figure in Henry VIII's court
• Chris Ryan's brilliant podcast, Tangentially Speaking, and his upcoming book, Civilized to Death
• Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy and the idea of Psychohistory

Join us as we continue our exploration of Robert Greene's provocative and compelling study of the 48 Laws of Power, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the 'modern Machiavelli', we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they've either observed or transgressed them).

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/08/15/learn-to-keep-pe…power-episode-11/

Infection: Avoid The Unhappy And Unlucky

Ever find yourself dragged down or enmeshed by the negativity of the people around you? Does misfortune rain on their heads with implausible regularity? In this episode we deconstruct who these people are and how you can avoid their corrosive influence in your personal and professional life. This Law is the more intelligent and effective way to 'upgrade your peergroup', but Jon and Dre also set about redesigning society from the ground up; discussing the brainwashing effects of western society; the BS of unpaid internships; and why you should stop trying to be happy all the time.

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/08/08/infection-avoid-…power-episode-10/

This Episode includes:

• Whose frequencies are you (un)consciously tuning yourself to?
• The toxic and desperate world of academia
• Getting sucked into the seductive yet destruction maelstrom of other people's lives
• The 'If I ain't fucking ya' Rule
• What to do when you find yourself trapped in a real-life Soap Opera
• Getting trapped in a world of heightened emotions
• Why actions always matter more than words, even when the words are true
• The importance of personal honour and why it should matter more in the modern world
• How we're conditioned to be risk-averse... and why that's killing your power in every sphere
• Debating the significance of a guaranteed Universal Basic Income
• How long would it really take to get your life back if you just chucked it all in and tried something new?
• Accepting offers at face value, or deal with the spiralling emotional consequences
• Why you should avoid the goody-two-shoes who get off on virtue signalling and being recreationally offended
• The absurd but widespread sense that we have to justify our existence
• Why you should stop trying to be happy: it's an addiction
• Killing the Buddha if you meet him
• Why we need humour – the darker the better

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Geoff Thompson's work and background, and his interviews (one and two) on London Real.
• The tuning fork experiment – one makes another resonate in identical fashion
• The insider world of The Oxford Union
• Wikipedia description of a Universal Basic Income
• The episode of The Journey Podcast Jon mentioned
• Neil Strauss's superb new book, The Truth
• The related title by Pia Mellody, Facing Codependence
• Are our Misanthrotees shirts transgressing the Law, or sticking a pin in the pretensions of the earnestly unhappy?
• Jon Ronson's book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed
• Endless food for thought (as well as shenanigans) from Joe Rogan
• The dark humour of Frankie Boyle
• Jon was just about right: it was Wittgenstein, but he didn't propose a history composed entirely of jokes, it was a work of philosophy: 'A serious and good philosophical work could be written consisting entirely of jokes.'
• The amazing chocolate and whiskey makers Jon mentioned, Cacao Prieto in Red Hook, Brooklyn
• Baltasar Gracián's superb The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence

Join us as we continue our exploration of Robert Greene's provocative and compelling study of the [easyazon_link identifier="0140280197" locale="US" tag="vointhda-20" cart="y" localize="y"]48 Laws of Power[/easyazon_link], in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the 'modern Machiavelli', we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they've either observed or transgressed them).

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/08/08/infection-avoid-…power-episode-10/

Voices in the Dark, what's it all about...

Recorded during a massive thunderstorm over London (in mid-summer, of course), Jon and Dre dive into what Voices in the Dark is all about; why we're exploring the 48 Laws of Power; what our other shows are going to be... and who the hell are we, anyway?

In a nutshell, we're 'just' exploring the human condition: what it is to be a human beings and the problems we face both as individuals and as a society.

In the process we talk about Dre's journey from severe autism to learning how 'to people' and Jon's struggles to overcome depression and rock-bottom self-esteem.

We also introduce Jon's solo interview-conversation show, Talking the Walk, which you'll find in your Voices in the Dark stream when you subscribe! Check out the first episode here, with the editor of High Existence, Martijn Schirp.

In This Episode:

• How society conditions us to follow 'the rules'... but the rules are lies
• Our experiences of living in different cultures (of power) – Italy, New Zealand, the USA, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere
• What drew us to Robert Greene's works? How have they helped us deal with autism and depression?
• The world of 'pickup' and what it really means to seduce people
• If you were a children's toy, what would you be?
• On not hugging autistic people... or Jon
• The real and harmful effects of not losing your virginity early
• The complexities (or not) of consent
• The dance of seduction and why we all, ultimately, want to join in
• What does 'Voices in the Dark' mean to us?

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Robert Greene's masterpieces, The 48 Laws of Power; The 33 Strategies of War; Mastery; and The Art of Seduction
• The '10,000 hour rule' was popularised in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink
• Jon's experiences with Ayahuasca, which he made a series of vlogs about
• Neil Strauss's controversial and brilliant book, The Game, and its remarkable sequel, The Truth
• The London Real podcast
• Neo, the homeless singer who Jon's interviewed for Talking the Walk. Check out his Facebook page and buy his beautiful music here
• The stunning Radiohead track, Reckoner and Jon's favourite remix of it
• Ryan Holiday's books, Ego is the Enemy (check out Jon's article on it, too!), and The Obstacle is the Way

Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument

A Law that many smart people fail to observe... not least the big-mouthed hosts of this podcast! In this episode we dissect the crucial differences between being smart and being effective, and dig into how to score results rather than points. Dre vents about his experiences with freelancers, while Jon has an existential crisis about how any of his academic work can observe the Law... And we both tell some excruciatingly embarrassing stories of how we've both been conned when others have used the devilish Reversal of this Law against us.

FULL NOTES & LINKS: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/07/18/win-through-your-actions-never-through-argument-exploring-the-48-laws-of-power-episode-09

This Episode includes:

• Why the need to be right actually places you in a weak position
• The trouble with freelancers
• Offer once, and only once
• How to weaponise clichés... but be on your guard against others doing likewise
• Why winning the logical argument isn't the same as winning the emotional – and more important – argument
• Why you must choose when to show off your qualities
• Listening for people's needs rather than to their words
• Telling your story, not trying to tell other people theirs
• Why the need to demonstrate a quality can reveal some harsh truths
• The perception of time and how deeply it can affect your happiness
• The shortcuts your brain takes to understand the world: why we're all living in our own simulations
• The voices in your head... which ones should you listen to?
• Why an attitude of 'that's not my job' leads nowhere good. #howtheholocausthappened
• The worrying realisation that you can't teach curiosity
• The dangers of wanting to believe the lie – of wanting to be tricked
• Why truth and reconciliation are more important than 'justice'
• Remembering that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Baltasar Gracián's superb The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence– a major source for the 48 Laws of Power. Check out the shirt, below, for this Law, featuring the perfect quote from Gracián
• Dothraki footnotes!
• The marvel of the Intervision Song Contest – the Eastern Bloc's Eurovision

Join us as we continue our exploration of Robert Greene's provocative and compelling study of the 48 Laws of Power, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the 'modern Machiavelli', we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they've either observed or transgressed them).

Martijn Schirp is the co-founder of HighExistence.com, a website dedicated to exploring spirituality, self-development, philosophy, cultural critiques, futuristic angles, and interpersonal dynamics – all aimed at improving the quality of life. In between attending a major conference on psychedelics research in Amsterdam, Martijn and I took a walk to a nearby park and recorded a raw, honest and wide-ranging conversation.

This is the first episode of 'Talking the Walk', the show that brings you conversations with interesting people doing cool and unusual things. We'll talk about life, people, philosophy, music, politics... Quality pub conversations with a microphone, in short.

ALL LINKS: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/07/14/talking-the-walk-01-seeking-a-high-existence-with-martijn-schirp

What we get into:

• The psychedelics research conference we were attending in Amsterdam
• Martijn's journey from professional poker player, via a breakdown and a Buddhist retreat, to becoming the editor of High Existence
• The damage of hiding from the shadows in our past; how can we escape damaging, repetitive patterns in our behaviour and the prejudices of our cultural conditioning?
• The limits of freedom when you have to live in society alongside other people
• Spiritual Bypassing – using spiritual lingo to avoid actually dealing with your issues
• Why it's best not to talk about psychedelic experiences
• Why you can't just wish for success, but working super hard doesn't guarantee it, either
• Finding yourself in philosophy books – the real insights into the self we can find there (especially when accompanied by a joint!)
• What poker teaches you about life and other people
• How to bring back the parts of yourself you disown as you grow up in order to become a truly integrated version of yourself
• Ayahuasca and reconnecting with your suffering inner child
• The benefits of giving yourself time to appreciate the small things
• How reading philosophy is like upgrading your personal operating system
• That you can only really understand Hegel while on drugs
• Society's schizophrenic attitudes to self-understanding and exploration
• The dangers of ironing
• The dark side of the self-help industry

Mentioned in the episode:

• Martijn's profile and contact details
• Find Martijn's articles on High Existence here
• High Existence on Facebook
• The ICPR psychedelics conference
• The talk on Dionysus and psychedelics in Ancient Greece and Rome
• Chris Ryan's wonderful podcast, Tangentially Speaking
• The Spiritual Bypassing article
• Jon's Ayahuasca vlogs
• Alain de Botton'sThe Consolations of Philosophy
• Pema Chödrön's The Places that Scare You and her teacher Chogyam Trungpa's book, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
• The film Seven Years in Tibet
• The work of Alan Watts
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Fooled by Randomness
• For Michel Foucault on schools being as bad as prisons, see, but don't read the opening pages on a full stomach
• Peter Sjöstedt-H's talk isn't online as yet, but you can read more about him here
• Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game
• Peter Sloterdijk's You Must Change Your Life
• Martijn's '5 Mind-Blowing Books that are Worth the Struggle to Read'
• The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies: MAPS
• The talk on MDMA and how it's reported in the press
• The remarkable documentaries The Union and The Culture High
• Martijn's most-gifted book, André van der Braak, Nietzsche and Zen
• The drunken Taoist, Daniele Bolelli
• Richard Doyle's Darwin's Pharmacy
• Dan Brown's ever-selling The Da Vinci Code

FULL SHOW NOTES