Park Street Press

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

Encounters with apparently sentient beings are reported by half of all first time users of the naturally occurring psychedelic DMT, yet the question of DMT beings and plant sentience, interspecies communication, discarnate consciousness and perhaps even talking to the divine has never been systematically explored. In September 2015, ten of the world's leading luminaries noted for exploring the mys

In FUTURE SACRED, Julie J. Morley offers a new perspective on the human connection to the cosmos by unveiling the connected creativity and sacred intelligence of nature. She rejects the “survival of the fittest” narrative - the idea that survival requires strife - and offers symbiosis and cooperation as nature's path forward. She shows how an increasingly complex world demands increasingly complex

Just as the search for the philosopher's stone is the core symbol of the alchemical tradition, Ralph Metzner, psychotherapist and one of the respected elders of the psychedelic research community, sees it as the central metaphor of his life-long quest to find methods of healing and insight through heightened states of consciousness. Through captivating stories, Metzner shares his encounters from t

One of the oldest and most potent natural stimulants, the leaves of the coca plant is the organic source from which cocaine is synthesised. Fresh coca leaves and products made from them have verified medicinal and healing properties - and not the same addictive qualities or negative side effects as cocaine. In the late 19th century, coca products became hugely successful in Europe and the United S

Unbeknownst - or unacknowledged - by many, there is a long tradition of psychedelic magic and religion in Western civilisation. As Thomas Hatsis reveals, the discovery of the power of psychedelics and entheogens can be traced to the very first prehistoric expressions of human creativity, with a continuing lineage of psychedelic mystery traditions from antiquity through the Renaissance to the Victo

Women have been shamans since time immemorial, not only because women have innate intuitive gifts, but, also, because the female body is wired to more easily experience altered states, such as during the process of birth. Whether female or male, the altered states produced by psychedelics and ecstatic trance expand our minds to tap into and enhance our feminine states of consciousness as well as r

Just as we can write and install apps in our electronic devices, we can construct “mindapps” and install them in our brain-mind complex and, just as digital apps add capabilities to our devices, mindapps can expand our mental powers and creative abilities, allowing us intentionally to redesign our minds. Using psychedelics as the prime example, Thomas B. Roberts explores the many different kinds o

In India, both yoga and cannabis are considered gifts from the Hindu god Shiva. They are seen as twin currents of wisdom and enlightenment, allies for healing and consciousness expansion. As ethnobotanist and yogi Chris Kilham explains, when wisely and thoughtfully combined, cannabis and yoga offer profound benefits for body, mind, and spirit. Kilham examines the history and lore of both cannabis

On November 24, 1979, Christopher M. Bache took the first step on what would become a life-changing journey. Drawing from his training as a philosopher of religion, Bache set out to explore his mind and the mind of the universe as deeply and systematically as possible, with the help of the psychedelic drug LSD. Following protocols established by Stanislav Grof, Bache's 73 high-dose LSD sessions ov

Scientific orthodoxy views the universe as conceived of matter-protons, neutrons, electrons, down to the smallest particle, quarks. But, when you keep digging, what is “beneath” quarks? The scientific worldview does not take into account consciousness or life itself. How did consciousness become part of the material universe? Is it a by-product of brain chemistry or a constituent of reality? Or, t

Our ecological, social, and political issues all stem from the ideologies that drive our collective actions. In contrast to our innate humanity, which is rooted in unity, these ideologies have led us to believe that we are separate from each other, separate from nature and separate from the results of our actions. Such a worldview encourages individuals to maximize self-interest, which then causes

In a world that keeps us separate from each other, MDMA is the chemical of connection. Aptly known in popular culture as “Ecstasy,” MDMA helps us rediscover our own true loving nature, often obscured by the traumas of life. On its way to becoming a prescription medication due to groundbreaking research on its use to treat PTSD, Ecstasy can offer benefits for all adult life stages, from 20-somethin

An expert in child development, Joseph Chilton Pearce (1926-2016) devoted his life to exploring the optimum development and astonishing capacities within each individual human being. Across his 12 visionary books and thousands of lectures, he blended cutting-edge science with spirituality and explored the amazing power of imagination for both children and adults - the space where we are able to pl

One of the original female psychedelic pioneers, Rosemary Woodruff Leary (1935-2002) began her psychedelic journey long before her relationship with Dr. Timothy Leary. In the 1950s, she moved to New York City where she became part of the city's most advanced music, art, and literary circles and expanded her consciousness with psilocybin mushrooms and peyote. In 1964 she met two former Harvard prof

Selections from three Eastern love texts in one volume, handsomely illustrated with a unique collection of Indian art.

Found throughout the plant and animal kingdom, DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is also naturally occurring in humans, where it is released during near-death and actual death experiences, earning it the title “the spirit molecule.” When taken as a psychedelic, either via ayahuasca or in pure form, DMT is experientially considered to be the strongest and strangest of all entheogens. The majority of high-do

Exploring the initial stages of psychedelic study in Europe and America, Thomas Hatsis offers a full history of the psychedelic-fuelled revolution in healing and consciousness expansion that blossomed in the 1950s--the first “golden age” of psychedelic research. Revealing LSD as a “wonder child” rather than Albert Hofmann's infamous “problem child,” the author focuses on the extensive studies with

There is no better source of information on death and the afterlife than someone who has died and lives in spirit. Channelling his late son, Jordan, psychologist Matthew McKay offers a post-death guide for the living, revealing in vivid detail what to expect when we die and how to prepare for the wonders of the afterlife. Specifically describing the transition experience and the early stages of th

Exploring the latest developments from the flourishing field of modern psychedelic psychotherapy, this book shares practical experiences and insights from both elders and newer research voices in the psychedelic research and clinical communities. The contributors examine new findings on safe and skilful work with psychedelic and expanded states for therapeutic, personal, and spiritual growth as we