Park Street Press

DNA dictates the physical features of an organism. But what dictates how something grows - from the division of cells in a human being to the fractal patterns of a crystal? Massimo Citro reveals that behind the complex world of Nature lies a basic code, a universal information field - also known as the Akashic field, which records all that was, is and will be - that directs not only physical devel

In search of something to restore his spiritual connection to life after his release from captivity as a political prisoner in Brazil, Alex Polari de Alverga had a transformative encounter with Padrinho Sebastiao Mota de Mela, one of the two revered founders of Santo Daime. A potent synthesis of Christianity and indigenous Amazonian practices of enthnogen use, mediumship and healing, the Santo Dai

It has been more than 50 years since sacred mushrooms were plucked from the shamanic backwaters of Mexico and presented to the modern world by R. Gordon Wasson. After sparking the psychedelic era of the 1960s, however, the divine mushroom returned underground from whence it mysteriously originated. Yet today, the mushroom's extraordinary influence is once again being felt by large numbers of peopl

· Shows how peyote and other visionary plants do not distort reality but gloriously unveil it, pulling the mind out of its cosmic slumber and revealing our unity with all life · Explains the necessity when working with peyote to remain the master of one's mind and consciously work on oneself· Examines how modern society's revulsion to sacramental plants and other consciousness expanders is deeply

Rupert Sheldrake's theory of morphic resonance challenges the fundamental assumptions of modern science. An accomplished biologist, Sheldrake proposes that all natural systems from crystals to human society inherit a collective memory that influences their form and behaviour. Rather than being ruled by fixed laws nature is essentially habitual. THE PRESENCE OF THE PAST lays out the evidence for Sh

For as long as humanity has existed, we have used psychedelics to raise our levels of consciousness and seek healing—first in the form of visionary plants such as cannabis and now with the addition of human-created psychedelics such as LSD and MDMA. These substances have inspired spiritual awakenings, artistic and literary works, technological and scientific innovation and even political revolutio

On May 27, 1963, Dr. Timothy Leary and Dr. Richard Alpert were dismissed from Harvard University's Psychology Department - a watershed event marking the moment when psychedelic drugs were publicly demonised and driven underground. Today, little is known about the period in the early 1960s when LSD and psilocybin were, not only, legal but, also, actively researched at universities. Presenting the f

Widely recognised by anthropologists as the most powerful and widespread shamanic hallucinogen, ayahuasca has been used by native Indian and mestizo shamans in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador for healing and divination for thousands of years. Made from the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi and the DMT-laden leaf of Psychotria viridis, ayahuasca is regarded as the embodiment of intelligent plant being

Most people do not “grow out” of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). For many, their ADHD traits have led to difficulties in school, relationships and work. But for our hunter-gatherer ancestors these characteristics were necessary for survival. Hunters must be easily distractible, constantly scanning their environment and unafraid of taking risks.

Extending deep into the caverns of humanity's oldest memories, beyond 60,000 years of history and into the Dreamtime, this collection of Australian Aboriginal myths has been passed down through the generations by tribal storytellers. The myths were compiled at the turn of the century by K. Langloh Parker, one of the first Europeans to realize their significance and spiritual sophistication. Saved

Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's preeminent biologists, has revolutionized scientific thinking with his vision of a living, developing universe--one with its own inherent memory. In The Rebirth of Nature, Sheldrake urges us to move beyond the centuries-old mechanistic view of nature, explaining why we can no longer regard the world as inanimate and purposeless. Sheldrake shows how recent devel

Hemp, Cannabis sativa, has been called the world's most versatile plant. Materials made from hemp fibre have been discovered in tombs dating back to 7000 B.C. During the Middle Ages hemp was used to treat fevers, insomnia and malaria. Columbus's ships had sails of hemp and during colonial times it was universally grown because its strong fibres made superior ropes, sails, cloth and paper. In fact,

In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants--those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness--have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive PlantsChristian Rätsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and pr

Explains the phenomenon of shaktipat, the spiritual transmission of power from a teacher to a devotee • Shows how technology has eroded personal power and how insight and awareness can play a higher role in our lives • Reveals how insight is the vehicle for profound self-transformation Shakti is the creative force, the bonding power, that holds the universe together. Shaktipat is the

An illustrated foray into the hidden truth about the use of psychoactive mushrooms to connect with the divine. • Draws parallels between Vedic beliefs and Judeo-Christian sects, showing the existence of a mushroom cult that crossed cultural boundaries. • Contends that the famed philosophers' stone of the alchemist was a metaphor for the mushroom. • Confirms and extends Robert

The 1960s were a time of huge transformation, sustained and amplified by the music of that era: Rock and Roll. During the 19th and 20th centuries visionary and esoteric spiritual traditions influenced first literature, then film. In the 1960s they entered the realm of popular music, catalysing the ecstatic experiences that empowered a generation. Exploring how 1960s rock and roll music became a sc

After the deaths of Jerry Garcia, Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey, it appeared that the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s had finally been suppressed. But the opposite was occurring, evident in the popularity of transformational festivals like Burning Man and BOOM!, the media coverage of ayahuasca use and the growing number of celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires readily admitting the benefit

Drawing on more than 50 years' experience as a transpersonal psychotherapist, Ralph Metzner explores the spiritual overtones, karmic undercurrents and ancestral connections that shape our individual psychologies.Sharing 15 detailed histories from his casebook and the innovative practices he uses in his therapeutic sessions, Metzner shows how the psychological problems we confront often derive from

Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, clinical psychologist, Dr. Richard Louis Miller, discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine - and what will happen in the future - with top researchers and thinkers in this field, including Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, Dennis McKenna, David Nichols, Charles Grob, Ph

Art, magic and the occult have been intimately linked since our prehistoric ancestors created the first cave paintings some 50,000 years ago. As civilisations developed, these esoteric forces continued to drive culture forward, both visibly and behind the scenes, from the Hermetic ideas of the Renaissance, to the ethereal worlds of 19th-century Symbolism, to the occult interests of the Surrealists