Psychedelic Ritual Magick:
Set and Setting for Sacred Tripping

Since the beginning of history, human beings have been tripping balls as a sacred act. From the Vedic texts to the Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead, read the world's sacred texts and you'll see reference after reference to deep psychedelic states. Some anthropologists even believe that all of human culture, language and religion might be rooted in the psychedelic experience.

Fast forward to 2014: After the consciousness revolutions of the 1960s—with all of their successes and failures—substances that were once reserved for shamans and elite priesthoods have become commonplace. From mushrooms to salvia to incredibly potent medicinal marijuana, these substances are everywhere, carrying varying degrees of legality. And legal or not, young people throughout the world are doing what young people have always done: getting loaded in order to grasp at transcendence.

But what's been lost is the deep shamanic and esoteric wisdom that traditionally accompanied the use of these substances. While they might be sacred when used properly, that's certainly not how most people are using them!

In this course, we will examine methods drawn from world shamanism, world religion and the Ceremonial Magick of Western culture to approach tripping as a sacred act—to do so safely, wisely and as a way of entering the living mystery.

Now, mind you, we're not advocating the use of substances—rather providing a public education service, saying if you're going to do this, do it safely and intelligently for f*k's sake!

Just a few of the topics we'll cover:

• How to begin by grounding yourself in a solid, sober meditation and/or spiritual practice;

• Preliminary diet and cleansing, and how to make sure you're properly physically prepared for tripping;

• “Set and setting"—how to create a secure, sacred, ritualized space to ensure a safe and happy trip, and even as a way of focusing trips on specific intentions;

• Supervision: Working either with a psychedelic therapist or using a non-tripping sitter;

• The subtle human bodies or auras (etheric, astral and causal), how they interact with entheogens, and how to keep them healthy, safe and protected;

• How to use the techniques of Western ceremonial magick to “dial up" specific experiences in psychedelic space;

• How to understand “where you are"—maps of psychedelic space drawn from Eastern and Western culture;

• How to LET GO—the ultimate key to the psychedelic experience (and, ahem, life), the Philosopher's Stone that turns all trips into gold;

• What to do if you get into uncomfortable territory;

• Managing tripping in groups: How to establish safe boundaries and practices to make sure everybody has a good time;

• How to properly come down, stay grounded, process and integrate your experiences;

• Knowing when to stop: How to know when you've “gotten the message" and to begin transitioning from entheogens to deepened traditional spiritual practice and work on psychological integration. How to find the form of spiritual or psychological practice that's right for you.

We'll also examine the various substances people use as sacraments, including a look at the legalities and danger factors. We'll focus on how to safely take legal substances, and also look at safe(r) use and harm reduction of non-legal substances for those who may already be using them.

The information provided in this course is NOT offered to urge people to take substances—in fact, all of the techniques can just as easily be used with sober yoga and meditation, which we will provide info on. Rather, the information is provided in the knowledge that people around the world are already using these substances, and in the hope that this can be done more safely and productively for individuals and society, so that we can avoid the drug burnouts that were endemic in the 60s, and which unfortunately continue in the psychedelic and Burner subcultures. Let's be smarter this time around!

You'll walk away with a full toolkit for tripping as a sacred art. Stay safe and stay legal!

(Image is a Tibetan thangka of Blue Tara, 19th century)