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The Big & Dandy Psychedelic Books Thread

^Hah I would hope


And I have to say Island (Huxley) is an absolutely amazing book. Just finished up on that one a couple days ago. A lot of really great insights on society focused on happiness instead of productivity. I really enjoy how the book treats the psychedelic experience (through what is called moksha-medicine) as just another way of experiencing true awareness that can be accessed through any other means, instead of treating it as a special key. The observations and remarks about the flaws in modern day society are quite great and I find I agree with most things stated in the book. Highly highly recommended.

I've recently been reading the Discworld books, and though they are somewhat of satirical fantasy books, I've been seeing a very psychedelic side to the humor and reality that has been created within the stories.

Douglas Adams is also a very psychedelic author. I'm sure hitchhikers guide has already been mentioned, but also there are the two Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency books:
"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul"
only just started the second book so far, but the first book blew my mind somewhat in the awesome manner in which everything ends up tying together.

I tend to find most science-fiction sorta books to be very psychedelic in nature really. Though a small part of that is because of smoking DMT during periods of marathon sci-fi reading sessions in which DMT has actually placed me into the stories I was reading.



As far as less fictional psychedelic reading material. "The Infinite Book" was really cool. Just goes into detail describing the many many quirks of the concept of infinity.


Maybe I'm getting off track, is this thread supposed to be for books About psychedelics? Or can it just be books with truly mind-manifesting topics, ideas, language, etc.?


Anyway, if it hasn't been mentioned, "Leaves of Grass" is my favorite collection of poetry ever and I try and read some of it during every psychedelic trip I take and have the book on hand. I have had many an insightful experience sitting in the woods and breaking this masterpiece open.
 
^Island is one of my all time favorites. In addition Brave New World and his psychedelic classic, Doors of Perception, I also highly recommend After Many a Summer Dies the Swan.

Desert Solitaire is another book I recently finished that I highly recommend:

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"Men come and go, cities rise and fall, whole civilizations appear and disappear—the earth remains, slightly modified. The earth remains, and the heartbreaking beauty where there are no hearts to break. Turning Plato and Hegel on their heads I sometimes choose to think, no doubt perversely, that man is a dream, thought an illusion, and only rock is real. Rock and sun.

Under the desert sun, in that dogmatic clarity, the fables of theology and the myths of classical philosophy dissolve like mist. The air is clean, the rock cuts cruelly into flesh; shatter the rock and the odor of flint rises to your nostrils, bitter and sharp. Whirlwinds dance across the salt flats, a pillar of dust by day; the thornbush breaks into flame at night. What does it mean? It means nothing. It is as it is and has no need for meaning. The desert lies beneath and soars beyond any possible human qualification. Therefore, sublime."
 
Has anyone had a chance to read the Psychedelic Encyclopedia? LINK

I'm looking for a few books similar to this to buy for myself and keep at my house on my coffee table in my room for me and/or others to look at while sitting there. This table is also the place I keep the majority of my drugs and paraphernalia, so it's only fitting that I have a few books like this.

I'm looking for books that are very factual and cover a wide range of psychedelics, not just specializing in one or two (unless it's a great book about LSD, DMT, or another similar compound).
 
I really want to read the Doors of Perception. Aldous Huxley was a brilliant man from all I have read of him thus far.
 
^Get on it, it's very short, it'll take a couple of hours tops.
 
Dance of the four winds

Dance of the Four Winds recounts the adventures of the American psychologist Alberto Villoldo as he journeys to Peru to explore the visionary ceremonies of the native shamans. Here Quecha masters use the jungle plant ayahuasca to further their spiritual progress along the four paths of the Medecine Wheel. Entering a magical realm of enigmatic sorcerers and powerful animal totems, Villoldo confronts the hidden powers of his own mind as he unlocks the secrets of the human psyche.

If you like psychedelics then this book is a must read.
 
Has DMT: the spirit molecule been mentioned in this thread yet? I really dont wanna go through all of them but this book by Rick Strassman will totally blow your mind.
 
Hey

I'm looking for scientific texts on the history and neuroscience of psychedelics.
What I mean by this: Heavily-footnote laden texts, written by people with PhDs/MDs and no New-Age-all-humanity-is-unity stuff.

History of psychedelics. I'm currently reading Lee/Shlain: Acid Dreams, but a) it's only semi-scientific (not citable for a history paper) and b) the whole we-good-cia-bad-narrative is getting annoying.

Neuroscience: Basically, I'm looking for a book on how drugs influence the brain and in turn the mind.

If someone knows good books on sociology/psychology of psychedelics, feel free to post too.
Thanks a lot!
 
They don't really get into the neurology/neuroscience aspect but some good books on the psychology side were written by Stanislav Grof.

"Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research" by Stanislav Grof is what I would recommend.
 
Psychedelics book recommendations?

Does anyone have any good recommendations on a book of psychedelics? I've heard the Psychedelics Encyclopedia is pretty good but I'd like to hear some other opinions on other books that you have found useful.
 
dmtlunatic said:
Timothy Leary - Flashbacks
Click to expand...

probably wouldn't have done many psychedelics if it weren't for that book. I want to read it again soon.

Terrence Mckenna - True Hallucinations

Ram Dass - Be here now

I think that ^ those two are more for people who are already experienced with psychedelics and are seeking understanding or relatability with certain experiences/ ideas they have.
 
i can recomend The holographic Universe by Micheal Talbot.
Some of the science types here might be able to point out holes in the theory, and i myself was disappointed after doing a bit of googling to check his facts [ he mentions sali baba a few times and the guy is an obvious fraud ]

But something about it all rings true, its not about psychedelics, but they are mentioned. Personally i felt it put into words things i had been thinking / feeling for a long time.

the way i tried to explain it to friends when i had just finished it was - reality is like a pop-up book, when matter is flat and the page closed it is existing in the non-local space, when it pops up we can percieve it / it becomes 'real'
but the narative sequence is created in our minds to help us make sense of things, in reality every paghe of the book is open at the same time.

the theory of a non-local space where time doesnt exist kinda reminded me of salvia world.
 
John C. Lilly - The scientist
Michael Hollingshead - The man who turned on the world
 
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