Latest news with #MichaelPollan
Mint
5 days ago
- Science
- Mint
Climate Change and You: The folly of human control
Dear Reader, Our annual mango season is almost over. I hope you ate some good ones as they are not easy to find these days. India's beloved fruit is mired in a cauldron of misfortunes, which include wayward weather, poor orchard management and unsafe post-harvest practices. Frankly, I am worried about what will happen a few decades from now. Will the 500-year-old Alphonso still be around? What will we lose if we lose our best varieties, most of which are centuries old? Don't lose sleep over it just yet— a lot many things in this world are hanging by a fine thread. Let me tell you a different story. One that I learnt not so long ago and it took my breath away. The story of agriculture, we were told, is a result of 'domestication' of different plant and animal species by humans – a result of human ingenuity which began 10,000 years ago, laying the foundations of modern civilization. But, it appears, the forces that drove the human-plant relationship is much more complex. Did we really tame, craft, and create the grains and fruits we eat today or was it the plants which made us do it in a co-evolutionary deal? To paraphrase Michael Pollan from his 2001 book, The Botany of Desire- A Plant's-Eye View of the World, did we domesticate the potato, or did the potato domesticate us? We did tame a wild species of grass and turned it into the rice we eat. But one can also look at it this way: a wild grass, a weakling when compared to giant trees, used humans to clear vast patches of forests and colonize parts of the planet. How fleshy fruit like mangoes evolved over millions of years inside tropical rainforests may sound like a thriller set in geological time scale. A catastrophic event about 66 million years ago— known as the K-Pg extinction event – wiped out a chunk of the earth's plant and animal species, including all non-flying dinosaurs. Likely due to a massive asteroid which hit the planet, the explosion blocked sunlight and killed three quarters of all species. The next age, known as the Paleogene witnessed a rapid evolution of mammals including primates (our early ancestors), and angiosperms or flowering plants. The angiosperms co-evolved with other species. From insects to birds, these flowering plants employed other species to multiply themselves. The bees lured by the nectar would carry pollens, the birds would eat the fruit and deposit the seeds far away. So, in exchange for a reward, angiosperms took the help of other species to colonize the planet. The theatre in which the mango came into its own did not exist before the K-Pg cataclysm, I learnt from the book Mangifera indica—A Biography of the Mango and conversations with its author Sopan Joshi. About 56 million years ago, during a phase of global temperature spike, the dense canopies of tropical rainforests prevented dispersal of seeds to newer areas. So, angiosperms had to find another way to propagate. They produced bigger seeds tucked inside even bigger nutrition-packed fruits. Then they struck a deal with primates living in trees to do the job of seed dispersal, luring them with changing colours of ready-to-eat ripe fruit. This was a period of co-evolution. Primates gained the ability to see a range of colours. They also developed forward-facing eyes (providing a better perception of depth in dense forests), unique shoulder joints, and dexterous hands that could grasp fleshy fruits. Joshi told me that the current scientific understanding is that, living on trees and searching for colour-coded ripe fruit in the canopies of tropical rainforests shaped the primate body. This process of primate co-evolution with angiosperms is again a counter to the notion that humans are in control. We need not think of agriculture as an example of our mastery over nature. Plants have shaped us too. For me, this is a humbling rejoinder to the history of the human race as it sets out to 'save' the planet. This is not to discount the role and imprint of our actions. As Pollan says, whether the apple or the snow leopard survives the human-induced climate crisis will depend very much on our desire to conserve one species over another. State of the Climate It's the season of devastation in India and elsewhere. Extreme rains and floods in Gujarat and the north-east claimed at least 60 lives in May and June. In the ongoing June-September monsoon season, at least 80 rain-related fatalities have been reported from the hill state of Himachal Pradesh while 38 are missing. The deaths were due to flash floods, drowning, electrocution, accidental falls, landslides, lightning strikes, and snake bites. Himachal received 35% more rains compared to normal till 8 July. Rainfall for the entire country was15% above normal between 1 June and 8 July. It seems the monsoon this year is going to be very wet. Keep a tab on weather updates and forecasts before you make any travel plans. The challenge is, climate change is making it harder to forecast localized events like extreme rainfall, director general of the India Meteorological Department Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told Mint. The lead-time for forecasts has shrunk, for instance, from three days earlier to one-and-a-half days now. Elsewhere, Europe is reeling under extreme heat. Roads have cracked open in Germany and tourists were barred from visiting the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris as temperatures soared to a high of 41 degree Celsius. A new heat record was set in Spain at 46 degrees. In Texas, US, over 100 people have died, including girls camping by a river bank, after heavy rains triggered flash floods. 'This is what happens when you let climate change run unabated and break apart the emergency management system – without investing in that system at the local and state level," an expert told The Guardian. The news in brief Know Your Jargon A flooding event which leads to a quick surge in water levels following a few hours of heavy rain is known as a flash flood. Flash floods occur in small catchments where rapidly rising and fast-moving waters create a devastating impact. A typical flash flood is often the result of multiple thunderstorms within a short span of time. Hydrological factors like terrain slope, soil type and vegetative cover often determine its impact. For instance, in a steep rocky terrain which is also heavily concretized, a relatively small amount of rainfall can trigger a flash flood. Flash flood events have become frequent because of rising global temperatures. Warmer air holds more moisture for a longer period of time. The accumulated moisture is then dumped quickly, like a month's rain in just a few hours – as in Wayanad, Kerala, last July when continuous heavy rains triggered landslides and slope collapse, leading to 373 fatalities. Prime Number Less than three out of every 100 cars and six out of every 100 two-wheelers sold in India in FY25 were electric vehicles. These numbers are lower than industry estimates from a few years back. As a result of the underwhelming sales, legacy car makers are now moderating their bets on electric and considering a diversified portfolio of vehicles. This Long Story in Mint looks at the obstacles facing EV manufacturers, ranging from the availability of rare earths and lithium-ion batteries to the government's changing perception around electric vehicles. Play of the Month New games are combining adventure with environmental themes, offering players a chance to mock-save the planet while enjoying immersive gameplay. In one such game named Wheel World, you can take on elite cycling teams, scour the earth for rare parts, build the ultimate bike, and perform a ritual to save the world. In another game, ominously named Mycopunk, a ragtag squad of robots is tasked to rid the earth of a deadly fungal menace. That's all, for now. Bibek will be back with the next issue, in a fortnight.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Darina Allen: Three homegrown recipes to avoid ultra-processed foods
At last, the conversation around the impact of ultra-processed foods on the health of the nation is gathering momentum. I've written before about how we are sleepwalking into a health crisis of gargantuan proportions. It has crept up on us so rapidly and stealthily, that it has almost gone unnoticed. Ultra-processed foods now make up over half of the average diet in Ireland. To be precise, 54.9% according to research published in The Journal of Public Health Nutrition. Ireland tops the poll in 19 EU countries, contrast that percentage with 10.2% in Portugal. Ireland is now the second most obese country in Europe with more than a quarter of the adult population classified as obese. For some time now, it has been altogether easier to find what used to be called fake or junk food now called UPF's, than real food… Plus, there's huge confusion amongst the general public about what exactly constitutes UPF's, ultra-processed food. These are foods that are mass-produced in industrial systems, purposely engineered to be irresistible and hyperpalatable, cheap with a long shelf life. Foods that you couldn't make in your home kitchen with ingredients you would never find in your pantry. Packed with artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, flavour enhancers… Often with a long list of ingredients, many unrecognisable to the general public. A chicken curry on the recently introduced Free School Meals menu had over 50 ingredients. Where are our priorities…? These foods are highly profitable and are aggressively marketed to both children and grown-ups. In the UK, only 2% of advertising is on real food, 98% is spent on ultra-processed food. I've no doubt it's similar over here. The reality is, our food system is built for profit not to nourish the population. New research links harmful ultra-processed foods to the alarming rise in obesity, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, cancers, even early death. So why, knowing what we know, is it legal to sell these foods? What will it take to reverse this trend and break free? But reverse it we must. We may think we actually have a choice in what we eat, but the reality is that an immense amount of money, thought and research goes into making these foods utterly irresistible and addictive and super cheap. UPFs have quietly taken over the food system and they are unquestionably making us sick. Is it possible that the manufacturers are unaware of this? About 10 major food corporations control 80% of the food supply on our supermarket shelves. Meal Deals, takeaways, grab, gobble and go, Deliveroo and its many incarnations have become a way of life... So, what to do? In the words of Michael Pollan, 'Eat nothing your grandmother wouldn't recognise as food,' kind of sums it up simply. Chris Van Tulleken's excellent book 'Ultra-Processed People', published by Cornerstone Press draws a direct correlation between high levels of ultra-processed food consumption and the rise in both physical and mental health issues. Should the production companies not be required to pay for the ill health they are causing? How long before the Irish government will no longer be able to fund the health service? So, what to do? Time for bold and coordinated action and a huge rethink about how to tackle the decline in national health. This will not be an easy matter, many of the major food corporations are wealthier and more powerful than governments. As the grandmother of 11 grandchildren, the UPF food situation is keeping me awake at night. We need a coalition of parents, teachers and citizens to demand action. We urgently need to reexamine our priorities — after all, what could be more important than the future health of the nation, our children and grandchildren. This is no easy task to tackle. but what could be more important, what could be more urgent? After all, the wealth of the nation depends on the health of a nation and the health of a nation depends on the food we eat…time for action! Many of the foods we take for granted are ultra-processed. Here is an alternative to the bottled tomato sauce which has become a staple for so many. Avoid the majority of breakfast cereals, with a few rare exceptions like real porridge, most are ultra-processed. Fish Fingers with Garlic Mayo recipe by:Darina Allen A perfect after-school dinner Servings 8 Preparation Time 5 mins Cooking Time 10 mins Total Time 15 mins Course Main Cuisine Irish Ingredients 8 pieces fresh haddock, hake or pollock cut into fingers 11.5 x 3cm (4 1/2 x 1 1/4 inch) approximately salt and freshly ground black pepper white flour, seasoned well with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little cayenne or smoked paprika (optional) For the egg wash: 2-3 beaten free-range, organic eggs and a little milk panko or dried white breadcrumbs To serve: crunchy little gem lettuce leaves For the garlic mayo: 225g (8oz) homemade mayonnaise 1-4 crushed garlic cloves (depending on size) Method Add the garlic to the mayonnaise and season to taste. Heat the oil in a deep fry to 180˚C/350°F. Season the fingers of fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then, dip the fish, first into the well-seasoned flour and then into the beaten egg and finally coat evenly all over with the crumbs of your choice. Pat gently to firm up…! Heat some olive oil or clarified butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the fish fingers until golden and crispy on the outside and cooked through into the centre. Drain on kitchen paper. I love to wrap them in crunchy little gem lettuce leaves, add a dollop of garlic mayo (aioli) or your mayo of choice and enjoy. Ballymaloe granola recipe by:Darina Allen A million times more delicious, nutritious and satisfying cereal than virtually anything you can buy. Servings 20 Preparation Time 5 mins Cooking Time 30 mins Total Time 35 mins Course Baking Ingredients 350g (12oz) local runny honey 225g (8fl oz) light olive or grapeseed oil 470g (1lb 1oz approx.) oat flakes 200g (7oz) barley flakes 200g (7oz) wheat flakes 100g (3 1/2oz) rye flakes 150g (5oz) seedless raisins or sultanas 150g (5oz) peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds or cashew nuts split and roasted 70g (2 3/4oz) wheatgerm and /or millet flakes 50g (2oz) chopped apricots, chopped dates Method Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Mix oil and honey together in a saucepan, heat just enough to melt the honey. Mix well into the mixed flakes. Spread thinly on two baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, turning frequently, making sure the edges don't burn. It should be just golden and toasted, not roasted! Allow to get cold. Mix in the raisins or sultanas, roasted nuts, toasted seeds, chopped dates, apricots and wheatgerm. Store in a screw top jar or a plastic box, keeps for 1-2 weeks. Serve with sliced banana, berries in season, milk and/or natural yoghurt. Tomato fondue recipe by:Darina Allen Tomato fondue is one of our great convertibles. It has a number of uses. We serve it as a vegetable or a sauce for pasta, filling for omelettes, topping for pizza… Servings 6 Preparation Time 15 mins Cooking Time 30 mins Total Time 45 mins Course Main Ingredients 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 110g onions, sliced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 900g very ripe tomatoes in summer, or 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes in winter, but peel before using salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste 1 tbsp of any of the following; freshly chopped mint, thyme, parsley, lemon balm, marjoram or torn basil Method Heat the oil in a stainless steel sauté pan or casserole. Add the onions and garlic and toss until coated. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured -— about 10 minutes. It is vital for the success of this dish that the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added. Slice the peeled fresh tomatoes or chopped tinned tomatoes and add with all the juice to the onions. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity). Add a generous sprinkling of herbs. Cover and cook for just 10-20 minutes more, or until the tomato softens, uncover and reduce a little. Cook fresh tomatoes for a shorter time to preserve the lively fresh flavour. Tinned tomatoes need to be cooked for longer depending on whether you plan to use the fondue as a vegetable, sauce or filling. SEASONAL JOURNAL Sophie Morris Questions… Check out Sophie Morris on Instagram. She uses her page to raise awareness about food labels, reducing ultra-processed foods, clever supermarket swaps…she's got quite the following. Instagram @sophie_morris Grow It Yourself Grow At School Programme Bravo GIY… As written about overleaf by Joe McNamee, GIY's Grow At School programme is in over 700 schools providing food gardens and supporting resources to teachers to use food growing and garden-based learning. Their aim is to roll it out to all 3300 primary schools; reaching over 500,000 children and their families. They are calling on the government to commit to embedding food growing education in schools and to support GIY in a national roll-out of Grow At School to every school. They need help in spreading the word by posting/sharing wherever you can and tagging your local TDs and key politicians. Really worth supporting…. Tag GIY on what you post to Instagram @giyireland and @mickkellygrows Read More Darina Allen: Three ways to try the sublime flavours of Southwestern France
New York Post
18-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Lock into longevity at Lanserhof Sylt, the iconic German wellness retreat
Before there was Michael Pollan and his 'intentional eating' MasterClass, before there was 'intermittent fasting' and the Wim Hof Method, there was Franz Xaver Mayr, the early-20th-century Austrian physician. His revolutionary Mayr Method was grounded in the belief that the secret to health and beauty starts in the gut. His cult-like following led to the opening of his own clinic, and, eventually, to Lanserhof, a wellness and longevity retreat at whose fourth outpost I presently find myself. Somehow by my own choosing. Arriving to the remote German island of Sylt, considered by some to be the Teutonic version of the Hamptons, if the Hamptons had fewer beach clubs and more colonics, takes some effort. Which is, of course, the point. Guests must take a four-hour train ride across the Hindenburg causeway from Hamburg to arrive at the town of List, where, among the waves and heather, Lanserhof Sylt seems to levitate above the dunes. The whisper-quiet, thatch-roofed structure (the largest of its kind in Europe) designed by architect Christoph Ingenhoven offers no check-in desk, no custom scent, no chipper guide to assuage your fears of eating only 750 calories per day. This, too, is the point. At Lanserhof, escaping the pressures of the real world, tuning your senses to your body and your environment, is also part of the treatment. 5 Lanserhof is tucked on the remote German island of Sylt. Courtesy of Lanserhof Sylt I arrived from New York depleted — existentially tired in a way that no spa day or vacation could possibly resolve. Time had no meaning, I was exhausted, unfocused, unable to sleep. Relentless deadlines, continental moves, the news cycle… it was enough to throw me into a midlife spiral that, I decided, only a week away, alone, could heal. So, no, I hadn't booked myself into Lanserhof to lose those few winter pounds (as one gentleman guest revealed) or to keep a chronic illness in check (as a sufferer of 'leaky gut syndrome' told me). I was here to sleep without meds and to enlist in Lanserhof's Longevity Program, one that would sustain my body on this mortal coil for as long as possible, in peak(ish) fitness. In other words, I was here for what Lanserhof promises at its core: a scientifically rigorous, medically monitored reset. 5 A weeklong visit at the retreat begins with a series of health tests to gauge visitors' wellness needs. Courtesy of Lanserhof Sylt The clinic's approach, the Lanserhof Cure, is rooted in what practitioners call 'Medicine 3.0' — an evolution of preventive medicine that sees aging itself as a treatable condition. That translates to personalized diagnostics, one-on-one consultations and daily interventions calibrated to your own genes, cells and metabolism. It also means that a weeklong stay begins with a series of tests (blood panels, body composition scans, a fragility score assessment) and meetings with medical directors Jan Strizke and Christina Haeggberg, who walked me through my data with clinical candor. Turns out, my vitamin D was low. My calcium, borderline. My posture? Protective. My hips and knees and shoulder were subtly rotating to shield an overworked psoas muscle — a compensation I would never have known about if not for the wizarding osteopath who, in a single session, released my lower back and relieved a steady pain I'd endured for two decades. If the diagnostics and physical therapies were hardcore, the protocols were equally so. I received an infusion of something yellow (Vitamin D?) during two CellGym sessions, designed to mimic altitude training and increase my mitochondrial health. I braved five stints in a cryo chamber chilled to -110°C, my breath slowing as the technician danced along with me outside the glass door to three-minute classics. ('Time Warp' seems to know no language barrier, and certainly speeds along the endless 180 seconds, as its title suggests.) My massage therapist insisted I was too tight for a conventional massage. 'You need abyanga,' she said. 'Something deeper.' No kidding. 5 Regimens at Lanserhof are designed to recalibrate your body, from posture to digestion. Courtesy of Lanserhof Sylt Deeper was a theme. At Lanserhof Sylt, the body is treated as a system of interdependent parts, not a series of symptoms to manage. You have to get to the cellular level to manifest change. Nutrition was no exception. I met with the clinic's quietly formidable dietitian, who analyzed not just what I ingest, but how. Her verdict: I wasn't eating enough, and when I did, it was inconsistent. Worse, I wasn't chewing properly — an offense here of almost spiritual magnitude. Dr. Mayr believed that each bite of food requires 30 to 40 chews, and, rather shamefully, Dr. Haeggberg had to teach me how to chew properly. 'Digestion begins in the mouth,' she insisted. Other beads of wisdom: No talking while eating. No water for thirty minutes on either side of a meal. Nothing but tea after supper, which should end by 7:30 pm. To ensure my colon was cleared by week's end, every day began with a swig of Epsom salts. Thank goodness I sat alone, not complaining to my table neighbors at lunch. Instead, each meal forced me to reflect on my choices, on the wind, on my relationship to food and people. Sparse but elegant, meals consisted of a dainty serving of coconut yogurt, a small plate of spelt pasta with vegan Bolognese, smoothies presented in bowls with tiny spoons. By day four, my headache and my hunger faded. My appetite recalibrated. I began to taste food again — not just consume it. It's amazing what 40 chews can do. 5 Guests work with experts to regulate their sleep schedules. Courtesy of Lanserhof Sylt Not everything was about food or fascia. I spent quality time with Heide, a therapist who gently suggested I schedule a daily 'worry window' to contain my anxiety around falling asleep. (Good sleep hygiene is critical to longevity.) Her sleep retraining strategy required me to lie in bed and observe my breath for 30 minutes, then get up and read in another room. It felt punitive at first, leaving my nerves threadbare and my body tired. But by Wednesday, my brain had learned how to self-soothe, how to surrender. Months later, I remain Ambien-free. Other than running on treadmills strapped to some tubes or sitting in on lectures about gut health or group yoga sessions, there's little to do at Lanserhof Sylt. At least, that was what I entered this journey thinking. Once my sleep and my hunger were regulated, I made myself available to nature. One day was marked by a lengthy bike ride into town. Another included a 10-mile run on the boardwalk, resisting the urge to buy a beer at a café. I read three books by the fireplace. (No electronics allowed!) One night, I sipped kombucha and watched the sky blush pink and gold as the sun melted into the sea through the glass wall, a scene so quietly introspective, it resided a world apart from offspring and deadlines. Conversations with my fellow guests — in the pool, on a morning walk, by that fireplace — were deeply personal and earnest. It was easy to forget that most of us had arrived here feeling broken, hoping 'The Lanserhof Cure' would cure us all. 5 Forcing you away from electronics and deadlines, retreat guests rediscover nature and mindfulness through holistic practices. Courtesy of Lanserhof Sylt On my final morning, confident in my newfound 'wellth,' I layered my coat over my swimsuit, stripped down, and marched into the North Sea. The sting of the salty 2°C water was instant. My extremities went numb, my core felt hot. For a full minute I fought the urge to run. Or to cry. And then, without fanfare, the pain passed. I emerged euphoric, unreasonably proud of my silly, self-imposed achievement. I can do hard things! Even sleep without meds. Even chew a bite of spelt bread 40 times. Maybe I can even live in health forever. 8-night Lanserhof Classic Plus from €4,046, not including accommodation. Rooms from €649 per night; Lanserhof
Scoop
04-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Psychedelics, Mystical Experiencing, And Organized Religion
Having been prone to so-called mystical experiences since before I knew what they were, I've never sought altered states, or used psychedelics to have one. So I wonder, is the use of psychedelics to have mystical experiences a mistake, or can they open the door? A long, carefully crafted but ridiculously entitled essay in the New Yorker, 'This Is Your Priest on Drugs,' purportedly answers this and other questions, though it leaves basic assumptions unexamined and unquestioned. The questions at the core of a 2015 program at John Hopkins, 'Seeking Clergy to Take Part in a Research Study of Psilocybin and Sacred Experience' were: 'Would a high-dose psilocybin trip enhance the well-being and vocation of religious leaders? Would the experience renew their faith, or make them question it? Would a bunch of religious professionals taking mushrooms reveal a common core shared by all religions?' The disturbing subtext of the New Yorker essay, and the push by the well-funded John Hopkins researchers to get religious leaders to experiment with psychedelics, is the unexamined need to preserve and reanimate organized religion. No one asked, then or now: How responsible is organized religion for bringing humanity to this hellish pass? And should religious belief, theology, dogma, ritual and intermediation be preserved at all? The author of the New Yorker essay, Michael Pollan, summarized his untroubled takeaways from the study: 'I was struck by the fact that these people regarded mystical experiences as authentic—not simply as a drug experience. Several people had encounters so transformative that the course of their careers have been altered. Three of them have started separate psychedelic organizations. So, in a way, they've had a conversion experience— but it was conversion to the value of psychedelics, within their faiths.' The conclusions of the study are as dubious as the attempt to place mystical experiences in the context of organized religion. For example, Pollen says, 'I think it's ironic, and somewhat humorous, that under the influence of psychedelics God turns out to be more female than male. I enjoyed finding that out.' Only that's not exactly what the study found out. The only Muslim and one of the few women in a study (which skewed 97% white and nearly 70% male), Sughra Ahmed, reported after her psilocybin trip that God was neither masculine nor feminine. 'God was above gender, above everything . . . an existence, not a figure.' 'And God was love,' she said, adding, 'It was just mind-blowingly clear how wrong we have it as human beings, and how we need to nurture love, to put it at the center of our engagement with humanity and animals and the planet.' One clergyman gave the game away when he said: 'We need to be cautious about theologically prescribing psychedelics, because you don't want to mess too quickly with the institutional structures that support the entire culture.' What culture, this utterly diseased and dysfunctional one in America? Or the inchoate, capitalistic, consumer and entertainment-driven global culture, tinged locally with dying remnants of the geographically distinct cultures in which people formerly lived? Elaine Pagels, an historian and professor of religions at Princeton, was not being ironic when she stated, 'Traditions can become fossilized.' The truth is that traditions, removed from the contexts of formerly intact cultures, inevitably become empty, meaningless, hollow and irrelevant to the individual and humanity. With respect to the study, as a rabbi said, 'I guess the punchline is that if you enroll people in a study and tell them they're gonna have a sacred experience, then some people will have a sacred experience.' The experiences the participants had on psilocybin varied greatly. As reported, 'a Catholic priest from Mexico heard directly from Jesus, but a Protestant minister said with a shrug that 'there was nothing particularly Christian about it.' One needs to be careful, and not because you'll discover that all belief systems are impediments to mystical experiencing, but because it's not all sweetness and light. Despite the glowing reports of ecstatic experiences and visions, one woman, Rita Powell, the Episcopal chaplain at Harvard, declined a second session because her first brought her face to face with 'the abyss.' Powell said that her facilitators had not prepared her for something so dark. 'One of them kept trying to reassure me that experiences of psilocybin were good, and beautiful, and unitive,' she said. 'It seemed like kind of sloppy hippie stuff about love and harmony.' There's a saying: 'Be careful opening the door; Darkness finds it much easier to enter than Light.' The project of leading desperately thirsty religious leaders to the holy waters of mystical experience through psychedelics will not satisfy the thirst of the dwindling flocks they're trying to lead. And if the remedy of partaking in sacramental psychedelics is for everyone, what in God's name do we need priests, pastors, rabbis and imams for? As far as psychedelics as a means for the individual to initially experience the sacred, I remain agnostic. Perhaps they can open the door, but there are no shortcuts to transformation. Besides, directly experiencing the immanent sacredness of life isn't just about the individual having 'mystical experiences;' it's about the transmutation of the individual and humankind. What we call 'mystical experiences' are essentially precursor states of a higher order, painfully and haltingly emerging consciousness of human beings. There is nothing 'mystical' about them actually. So-called mystical experiences are normal when the norm is not the noise of thought, and one learns the art of allowing stillness and silence to be the baseline state of the brain. For me (and it cannot be just for me), stillness of mind comes naturally through passive watchfulness of the inner movement of thought and emotion in the mirror of nature. Without seeking anything 'more,' I see meditation as a daily cleansing of the brain's palate and palette. The intent is not to have a mystical experience, or reach a state of insight, much less 'attain enlightenment,' but simply to cleanse and order the mind and brain. The numinous, or the immanent, or whatever one calls it, appears as it will. A pastor said, 'I was able to experience what the mystics were for some reason able to experience spontaneously…I don't think that my experience was less than theirs.' Yes it was, because it was artificially induced, and because he compared it. Comparison, with others or one's own previous experiences, must be completely negated for experiencing the sacred to occur. Less than a kilometer's hike from the locked gate at the end of the gravel road into Upper Park, there's a stupendous volcanic gorge that even many people in town have never seen. A huge fire was intentionally started near there last year, so the first sight of the unmarred beauty of the gorge since then was a shock. In previous years, I'd take a meditation overlooking the gorge once a week. After a few minutes, the sense of familiarity with the scene returned, given my many meditations at the stunning spot in the past. However, familiarity is the enemy of beauty, and memory is the enemy of meditation. Watching memories arise in the same way I watched the vultures soar overhead, the past dissolved in awareness. Sensory acuity deepened, and effortlessly, the brain and body became fully present. The door to a deepening meditative state opened, and the unknown, which is the essence of beauty, obliterated the known. The steep, volcanic walls of the gorge, and the browning grass on the slopes of the canyon that surrounds it, were seen again as if the first time, allowing the ineffable sacredness of life to be.
