Rob Dickins is well known as a guru of psychedelia and an avid participant in the British festival scene and here, in his first novella, he blends the two ingredients in a startlingly original and creative fusion. Erin takes place over the span of the Solpsycle Gathering; a medium-scale festival with a strong New Age … Continue reading
Independently and originally published in 2012, David Biddle’s ‘Beyond the Will of God’ is a novel that artfully combines elements of the popular psychedelic movement with the plot distinctions of mysteries and thrillers. Biddle’s first novel, having also written for The Harvard Business Review, RAIN Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Kotori Magazine, as well as … Continue reading
Originally published in 2010 ‘Pharmakon: Plato, Drug Culture, and Identity in Ancient Athens’ by Michael A. Rinella is a scholarly exposition of the use and understanding of the pharmakon in ancient Greek culture generally, and in the works of the philosopher Plato specifically. Rinella is currently the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at … Continue reading
Originally published in 2012 ‘The Shamanic Odyssey: Homer, Tolkien, and the Visionary Experience’ is written by Robert Tindall, with Susana Bustos. Tindall, a professor of English and a writer, has previously published ‘The Jaguar that Roams the Mind’ (2008). His wife, Susana Bustos, is a professor of psychology, a transpersonal psychotherapist and an independent researcher … Continue reading
In late 2012, music writer and avid record collector Patrick Lundborg returned with a follow-up to his acclaimed book Acid Archives. This time though, the focus was not exclusively on psychedelic music, but rather psychedelic culture in a general, all encompassing sense. In Psychedelia: An Ancient Culture, A Modern Way of Life, the Swedish DIY … Continue reading
Published in 2011 by the University of Washington Press, ‘Darwin’s Pharmacy’ is written by Professor of English, science, technology and society, at Pennsylvania State University, Richard M. Doyle. It is an analysis of the bond between psychotropic literature and human evolution. It attempts to link how plants, animals and the environment are all interconnected by … Continue reading
Originally published in hardback in 2012 ‘Cultural Ecstasies: Drugs, Gender and the Social Imaginary’ is written by Ilana Mountain. This review is written from the 2013 softback edition. Mountain is an Honorary Research Fellow and a member of the Discourse Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University. This work analyses discourses surrounding drugs, addiction, prohibition, treatment and … Continue reading
Originally published in 2012 ‘The Book of Baphomet’ is jointly, and seamlessly, authored by Nikki Wyrd and Julian Vayne. Utilising elements of history, science, cosmology, drugs, personal experience and the occult, the book’s poetic blend explores the ‘occult deity of Life on Earth, Baphomet’ and paints a beautiful picture of how we might reimagine our … Continue reading
Originally published in 2012 ‘Yanantin and Masintin in the Andean World: Complementary Dualism in Modern Peru’ by Hillary S. Webb is the result of the author’s work as a psychological anthropologist in Peru. It is both a personal and scholarly work that investigates a number of philosophical ideas within this shamanistic culture, which Webb further … Continue reading
Originally published in 2012 ‘Shedding the Layers: How Ayahuasca Saved More than My Skin’ by Mark Flaherty is an autobiographical account of the author’s efforts to cure himself of severe eczema by undergoing a series of ayahuasca sessions in Peru. Mark Flaherty suffered a severe case of eczema, which affected large areas of his skin … Continue reading
