In A Perfect World

(aka the last 2012 panel discussion ever!) photo: Adam Taylor The Hopi Indian myths tell of a final age of Mankind, where a RAINBOW TRIBE shall appear of all peoples, all colors as one. The Mayans have their cosmogenesis telling of the shift coming in 2012, when the the Fifth World is born, even Australian Aborigines have their DREAMTIME mythos.  Ethnobotanist and philosopher Terence McKenna helped fuel the idea of Dec 21st, 2012 as a 'Strange Attractor at the End of Time'... And here we all are, the latest in a long line of youth cultures affected by our relationship with the Earth and the deeper, Gaian consciousness that birthed us... Is Global Trance Culture a bridge between previous youth movements and something even older peaking in waves throughout His-story? What can we do to sacralize our dance, to empower our hearts, and to connect with these potent times to make a difference? Are we the ones we've been waiting for…? Join experiential journalist Rak Razam on this provocative tribal discussion pan

Without the moral compass of a connection to the spiritual dimension are we a lost tribe on the brink of extinction? As Western civilization slides into the Kali Yuga of materialism and a denatured relationship with nature, can examples from previous earth-based cultures show us the way forward? Is the return of the feminine and the Goddess part of the rebalancing, and if so why is it mainly men that are entheogenic spokespeople? What role have psychedelics played in the evolution of human imagination? What is the link between mystical experiences, neuroscience and parallel dimensions? Are we on the cusp of making the great leap forward into an evolved consciousness, and what does that mean to be aware of our place in the web of life? A provocative panel discussion held at the Brisbane Origins of Consciousness tour Thursday 18th October, 2012 with Graham Hancock, Dennis McKenna, Mitch Schultz, Darpan, Des Tramacchi, Dan Schreiber and Rak Razam, facilitated by Steve McDonald. Image courtesy of Lost Tribes

Experiential journalist Rak Razam meets the world's leading experiential author and researcher, Graham Hancock, as they explore the "fingerprints of the gods" in the archeological record from the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Sphinx and more. Was there an 'Ur-Race' that predated the historical record, so altered by the 'achitecture of cataclysm', and how does that relate to the use of psychedelics in ancient cultures? Was mankind blessed with greater powers in connection with the earth and stars, and are we nowdays a species with amnesia? Is there a conspiracy at work flatlining the true story of our past, and what agenda does controlling history serve? Are we now entering the 'End of His-Story', and the beginning of a new world age? And if so, how can we best awaken to our full potential, to step up to our role as galactic citizens? For more information: see Graham's website and also his YouTube channel , and see his alternative news desk for your daily news. This work is licensed under a Creative Commo

In ancient days the sun was worshiped as a living entity, life giver and destroyer all wrapped in one… Entire cultures sacrificed and fed energy to the sun, understanding that the delicate cosmic web must be maintained, and that the process of life works both ways… As we near the time of galactic alignment on Dec 21st 2012, the sun and our solar system has risen above the galactic plane and are now being bombarded with intense galactic energies. The sun is changing, waking, and the earth is following suit, as solar flares affect our magnetic field and change consciousness itself. Join experiential journalist Rak Razam, shamanic practitioner Darpan and the visionary founder of Starseed Gardens Dan Schreiber in an intimate tribal discussion about the living sun and its connection to the sun within, how to cleanse and heal our energy bodies and the assist the process of true illumination. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Josh Davis, founder of the Human Mandala Project, an ambitious living sculpture based on yoga principles and made of fractaling human beings. According to ancient vedic tradition the body can be a building block opening energetic portals within, and when combined with other bodies in sacred geometries a deeper morphic connection can be revealed. Can the group mind be engendered in the group body? What are the potential of these gestalt organisms in yoga, festival and trance cultures around the world? Like Dr. Emoto and the water crystals, can conscious intent placed into and through these flesh sculptures radiate into the world? Is the 'humandala' the next step towards a hive mind consciousness like insects have? As the species fractal flowers, what can we become? This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Experiential journalist Rak Razam hosts a provocative panel discussion from the 2012 Nimbin Mardi Grass on strategic responses to the War on Nature's ally, marijuana. In 1973, almost 40 years ago, the laconic Australian town of Nimbin was first “occupied” by the Aquarius Festival, and twenty years later in 1992, Bob Hopkins heralded the next “occupy” cycle with his one-man protest-surrender at Nimbin police station. Where are the politics of change in 2012 - locally, nationally and internationally? What has evolved, for the better or the worse, over the last four decades? Is 2012 the beginning of a new wave of drug law reform activism? Is there anything to learn from the successes of other political/social movements who have also struggled for fairness and justice? This special 2-hour panel is for organisations and individuals to share their plans, visions and information about their activities, as well as providing an opportunity for seeding synergies and alliances. With PANELISTS: Graham Askey [Help End M

Experiential journalist Rak Razam talks with independent researcher, author and lecturer Jan Irvin from Gnostic Media about his forthcoming documentary on Gordon Wasson, influential New York banker and the godfather of the modern psychedelic movement. According to the historical record Wasson, an amateur mycologist, first 'discovered' 'magic' mushrooms via Maria Sabina in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1955, the account of which was published in the seminal LIFE magazine on May 13, 1957. Irvin, however has uncovered documentary evidence which points to the possibility of a secret history of the mushroom in the elite power structures of the West, and to the life and times of Gordon Wasson himself. What would it mean to history if the mushroom's true story, at the foundations of world religions, came to light? Does Wasson's entrenched position within the power elites of the banking and establishment world reflect an ongoing fixation with the mushroom and other mind altering sacraments within their own ranks, and in their ap

In this continuation of In a Perfect World 33, experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews author and academic Robert Forte about the origins of the Psychedelic Movement and manipulation by the power elites as a social engineering tool for control of the dominant paradigm. This far-ranging discussion covers Huxley, Wasson, Hofmann, Leary et.al and the social milieu and the role of the CIA and elite steering of the dissemination of psychedelics in the West and the vested interests behind them that have culminated in the global police state that confronts us today. The medical, spiritual and religious arms of the movement are dissected in light of the political agendas that control civilization, as Forte and Razam examine the revolution of the 60s and the revolutionary times we now live through. They ask the critical question: is the commodification of the modern psychedelic movement a prelude to global Soma, and can individuals awaken to their own cosmic sovereignty before it's too late? ROBERT FORTE, AMRS,

Experiential journalist Rak Razam chats with "radical anthropologist" and global freakologist Graham St John about the evolution and current direction of Global Trance Culture. With origins in the 60s Acid Tests and the legendary Goa beach parties, the archaic revival of psychedelic trance and dance and group mind has blossomed into a cathartic Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ) in almost every modern culture across the planet. Why is this revival of tribality so important and what human need is fulfilled in the psychic moshpit of the dancefloor? How does an anthropological perspective inform these liminal zones and does trance culture itself point towards some gestalt consciousness awakening in the species? Graham's latest book, Global Tribe: Technology, Spirituality and Psytrance will be published by Equinox Press in June/July 2012 . Click here to download his first anthology on Australian doof culture, Free NRG: Notes from the Edge of the Dancefloor , which also contains the story by Rak Razam, "Directio

Experiential journalist Rak Razam talks with Kilindi, an African-American warrior-teacher who works with psilocybin mushrooms as entheogenic guides in the mapping of the inner realms. Where Terence McKenna posited five dried grams as the 'heroic dose', Kilindi regularly takes 20-30 dried grams and goes deeper than most people have experienced, right to the core bardos of existence. His background with martial arts /warfare training colors his approach to exploring innerspace, drawing upon his African ur-shamanism lineage. What are the dangers of colonizing the invisible landscape and encountering interdimensional entities? Could territorial battles result in a 'West Bank of hyperspace?' as humans found 'interdimensional villages'? Does the mushroom access an interdimensional library of translinguistic information that underpins our physical reality? Does it have an agenda and are we ourselves being absorbed by it's mycellium consciousness? Join this fascinating discussion about high doses towards an organic s

Experiential journalist Rak Razam hosts a panel discussion at Entheogenesis Australis on the 2012 date and the implications for entheogenic culture in the year ahead. Is there a 'strange attractor' at the End of Time that entheogens have been presaging? What do the plants and indigenous cultures say about this critical juncture in time? Can we #Occupy our Hearts and lend that energy to the social movements transforming the world? Should we prepare for the apocalypse, or awakening? Are we a culture ready to step forward into our local communities and facilitate change, and can we make a difference? If in plants we trust, how can we not? Ambient recording at the outdoor conference on Dec 4, 2011, with guests Steve Macdonald, Mitch Schultz, Margaret Cross, Joseph Gelfer, Dan Gooden and Dan Schreiber. Photo © Adam Taylor, 2011. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

A lecture given at the EntheoGenesis Australis Conference, Dec 3, 2011. At the height of the first wave of psychedelia Ken Kesey promoted the idea of the Next Step, which at the time he envisaged as "beyond acid". What if acid was merely the latest in a long line of entheogens secreted by the planet to regulate humans, and each one was merely a stepping-stone to the Gaian awareness of hyperdimensional connectivity? What if the Next Step was a post-human species upgrade seeded by entheogenesis, and synchronizing with the galactic alignment and intensified energetic bombardment? What if we all had it within us to be Gods, then what? In this provocative lecture experiential journalist Rak Razam weaves together strategic ideas from entheogenic elders and indigenous wisdom with the latest factual research from astrophysicists and other science to reveal the big picture of life on earth, the planetary changes we are now living through and the key role of entheogens as messengers and activators. The lecture has a pa

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of the legendary Ken Kesey on Nov 10, 2001, experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Ken Babbs, one of the last Merry Pranksters, to chat about the life and impact of Kesey and his coterie on the counterculture of the 1960s–and the world. Discover the origin of the Pranksters' name and the first-hand account of their infamous 1964 journey across America in the day-glo bus 'Further', blazing the first wave of psychedelia behind them. Learn the only thing that ever slowed Neal Cassady down–and it's not what you think! From the Acid Tests to Goa and Global Trance Culture, the Pranksters' legacy expands beyond the party to a deeper understanding of reality itself, to the idea of Group Mind–and how to play the Game. Absorbed by history into the tapestry of American folk-lore, the story of these psychedelic pioneers has been recounted in the recent documentary Magic Trip by Magnolia Films. But here join master storyteller Ken Babbs as we learn why the psychedel

Experiential journalist Rak Razam gets all down-to-earth with Shane and Margaret, shamanic practitioners–not shamans!–in Australia trained in the Peruvian style with both Wachuma and Ayahuasca entheogenic sacraments, and part of the spiritual business of the second generation of the global shamanic resurgence. Hear their intimate stories of shamanic initiation and the challenges they and healers like them across the plantet face as they work their local communities. How much of the indigenous practice can be incorporated in the Western model without a type of spiritual imperialism encroaching? Shane and Margaret, affectionately known as "Mother" and "Father" by their clients, often young "chicks" under their wing, create space as the new elders to undergo classic initiation rites, as foretold by the Peruvian legend of the Eagle and the Condor. As the rise of Western Shamans continues are we seeing the rebirth of the Children of the Sun, or a mongrel spirituality? A laid-back, family conversation with mum an

Join experiential journalist Rak Razam and his special guest 'Cleva Fela'–and his many children–in this unique character profile of a white man dreaming the indigenous Australian land and culture. 'Cleva Fellas' is a slang expression for medicine men in Aboriginal culture, and this Cleva Fela, whilst making no claims to the role, has spent years in the indigenous way of life, and shares with us here his experiences. Learn about the songlines, mobs, naming conventions, the dreaming clusters, the use of entheogenic plants and altered states of mind within a culture that already sees the world as an altered state of being. Cleva shares his initiation into the cultures of Australian aboriginals and the challenges of integrating their world view into our own, in this intimate family conversation held in Mullumbimby, NSW. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

You are cordially invited to the 50th podcast of In a Perfect World, for which experiential journalist Rak Razam hosts a dinner party unlike any other, held in these perilous times of planetary awakening in late July, 2011, or as is soon becoming apparent, the Edge of the Apocalypse. Joining us tonight are the Wizards of Oz: Darpan, global shamanic facilitator, Dan Schreiber, founder of Starseed Gardens in NNSW, Nen, perhaps the Grandmaster of Spice on the DMT-Nexus forums, and Kaiser Om, ruly zen master… On your menu in this epic conversation of fine minds and shamanic memes: * The origin of existence, and the nature of all things *Entheogenic plants, DMT and tryptamines in all their myriad forms as the chemical messengers of the earth * The shamanic revival and the hyperspatial experience as a precursor to species migration *Astronomical alignments, 2012 as a cosmic event, not a date; space weather, Comet Elenin and imminent planetary change *The End of Time, the Apocalypse or "lifting of the veil

Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Susan Joy Rennison, author of Tuning the Diamonds: Electromagnetism and Spiritual Evolution, and a physics and geophysics lecturer who focuses on the emerging science of space weather. Learn about solar flares, magnetars and cosmic rays coming from both galactic and universal sources that are bombarding our planet and causing severe earth changes from earthquakes to imminent pole shift. Rennison also documents the energetic catalyst fueling the consciousness leap in humans, as well as the DNA spike and discusses the scientific and metaphysical implications. Behind all this is an electrical universe, Rennison posits, with a plasma-based 'shadow biosphere' that is manifesting to take advantage of the increased energies on the planet, at once revealing and debunking classic UFO theory. She documents many under-reported scientific discoveries and a cover-up campaign by NASA and mainstream science in this far-ranging discussion that is essential listening to understand

Subversive independent documentary maker Ben Stewart, of The Esoteric Agenda and Kymatica fame talks with experiential journalist Rak Razam. What is the nature of media in todays social networked world, where millions of people download documentaries like Stewart's to explore the nature of reality? How does this 'subversive' infotainment change the hierarchical control and flow of information? As the 'conspiracy' stream evolves into a more whole system spiritual context, are these YouTube docos a rough type of digital mystery school, educating the global masses? Are these filmmakers fulfilling a shamanic need to bring to light repressed material for healing and transformation? Art is magic, so are DIY 'bedroom filmmakers' uploading a media spell to break the hold of Hollywood on the consciousness of the world? Is this the age of digital awakening? This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Experiential podcaster Rak Razam interviews Max Igan, 'memetic revolutionary' and podcaster of Surviving the Matrix on American Voice Radio and probes the intertwined issues of planetary awakening and control. As the illusion of democracy crumbles across the globe and a cancerous consumerism strip-mines the planet, are we on the verge of a New World Order of enslavement or enlightenment? Are they the two sides to a larger awareness? Just who profits from a dead earth, anyway? Can a new language give us words for concepts beyond revolution, or a Newspeak to entrain the left brain? Who writes the history books and how far back does the organized conspiracy we call history really go? Where did all the gold go and just who is the Central Intelligence whose eye is in the pyramid? Welcome to Planet Orwell (or is it All Well?), where everything you know is wrong, and the answers will provoke more questions… This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

TURN ON, TUNE IN, EVOLVE… In the 1950s corporations used psychedelics as creativity tools... can modern companies – and strategic individuals – use psychedelics to help solve some of the most pressing problems of our time? Can a global psychedelic village think its way out of planetary crisis, or get back into Gaian union? Can we all have the shared vision of a psychedelic utopia if we all have different psychedelic experiences? Is psychedelic elitism a danger and is our grasping at utopias falling prey to it? Should we be dosing Steven Hawking, and the world intelligentsia or should they be volunteering for the front lines of consciousness expansion? With a sense of urgency building on planet earth, is a NEW type of psychedelic revolution our best hope for planetary survival? Experiential journalist Rak Razam asks this provocative question to a panel of experts at the Entheogenesis Australis 2010 conference including: Rick Doblin (President of MAPS, the Multi-discipline Association of Psychedelic Studies),