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>> One of the mysteries of the New World,
beyond the debated origins of the Native Americans,
is the length of their inhabitation on this land
and their use of psychoactive plants.
How did these indigenous discover
the psychedelic effects of many of the New World's plants,
and how were they used for ceremony?
We must look back into history through
archaeological discoveries and listen
to the stories of the natives.
And with any luck, we might be able to construct
a glimpse of what the psychedelic cacti known
as Peyote and Huachuma meant to them and how they were used.
When a Franciscan friar and ethnographer
named Fray Bernardino De Sahagun studied the Shisha Mecca nomads
and Toltec culture, he found that a specific cactus
was venerated through rituals from almost 2,500 years ago.
Then, in the late 1800s, the Danish explorer Carl Sofus
Lumholtz discovered carvings in lava rocks from Mesoamerica
with the symbol of the Tarahumara Peyote ceremonies,
putting the origin considerably farther back in history.
Excavators in the 1930s discovered the Shumla Cave
near the Lower Pecos region of southwest Texas
in which processed Peyote slabs were found.
The radiocarbon dating puts the origin
of these items at roughly 4,000 BC.
And throughout the region, depictions of what
is known as the White Shaman appear, as well as depictions
of early European explorers.
Though many interpretations of the origin of Peyote use
abound through several regions, the true origin--
like that of most psychedelics-- are lost to history.
Peyote Roadman Chris Long has been
working with this medicine and the Native American church
for years and recounts the most common origin myth.
>> It's said, amongst many different tribes,
there is a story of the pregnant woman who's lost.
And she's been lost in the desert for about four days,
and so she hasn't had food or water.
She hears this singing, these voices singing,
telling her that she is surrounded by water.
And that, if she would only eat this medicine, that she could
find her people, and that she could deliver the child
and be able to breastfeed.
She's dried out, she has no milk,
and she's about to give birth.
And so they tell her that she can have an easy birth,
and that her milk will flow.
So she asks, "Where are you?"
And they said, "We're this plant at your feet."
And so she bites it off the ground, like the deer.
And so she had learned those original songs
during that experience.
>> An origin myth claiming that the plants express
their intentions and power to the first humans through sacred
songs is not an isolated phenomenon.
In the Amazon jungle of South America,
many indigenous, such as the Shipibo,
claimed that they discovered the powerful visionary properties
of the ayahuasca vine, chacruna leaves, and other teacher
plants that sang themselves to the original shamans
many thousands of years ago.
The songs were only to be heard by those pure enough
to hear their language.
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As if Gaia-- or the intelligence of the planet--
bestows messages and teachings only to those
worthy of such power by singing to their higher
faculties of perception.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles west in the vicinity of Chavin
de Huántar, Peru, the oldest archaeological evidence
of psychedelic plant use was a carving of a Huachumero holding
the Huachuma cactus.
Huachuma is a psychedelic cactus containing
the phenethylamine alkaloid called mescaline,
the same psychedelic compound found in Peyote.
However, each of them have several species
from different locations with different sub-alkaloids
which create a wide spectrum of psychoactive
complements to the effects of mescaline.
These psychoactive differences create the plant's signature
entourage effect.
Different soil content, watered and fed throughout its lifetime
in varying amounts, and the parental history of the cacti
will produce different percentages of alkaloids,
and therefore, a different entourage effect,
making every plant unique in effect and story.
Some are even believed to have MAO inhibitors, which
would keep the enzyme that breaks down mescaline
from being produced, accounting for the long 8 to 12 hour
duration of the journey.
But is there a way to simply look at a psychedelic cactus
and tell what the properties are?
Is it even possible to know what the plants want?
>> One reason why cactus grow needles is to prevent you from
touching them.
And this is this really ingenious method of protection,
right?
Cactus protect themselves by covering themselves
with needles.
But some cactus grow needles in a way
that allows you to touch them.
And, you know, the cactus medicine
has told me that this is the cactus telling us,
"Come in contact with me."
And something that I've observed is, the less
the needle structure there is, and the more blue that there
is, the combination of those things, the more medicine
content that there is.
But this grew this much in one year.
I can tell because this pinch is when it grew the next year.
Then the head was somehow cut off here or got knocked over,
and it started growing fresh new nodes out of this point.
And these fresher nodes that are newer, actually
have more mescaline content in them.
And you can see that from the blue that they express,
that kind of blue power.
Huachuma likely used this kind of language
to speak to the old Huachumeras and Huachumeros, the medicine
workers of this particular plant.
This shamanic heritage dates back into the ancient world.
The Huachuma carving found at Chavin de Huántar is said
to date back to at least 1,500 BC.
It should be remembered that though this
is the earliest remnant pointing to a psychedelic society
in Peru--
over 3,500 years ago--
it is unlikely that the use of this plant sacrament
started right at the time that the carving was constructed.
The sacred use of Huachuma could date back considerably farther.
And like the kykeon beverage in the Eleusinian Mysteries
in ancient Greece, the temple grounds of Chavin de Huántar
was likely a spiritual mecca and was equipped with a public area
above the ground, while the initiates--
seeking universal mysteries-- were ushered into secret
underground galleries.
They would likely imbibe the Huachuma brew
and undergo a transformational psychedelic journey
in these dimly lit halls.
Acoustic studies-- with the help of Stanford University--
were conducted and determined that this underground labyrinth
must have been constructed for mind-altering sonic
experiences, causing the environment
to come alive and play tricks on the senses,
as well as transport sound to other areas of the temple
complex.
These were likely initiation chambers to test candidates
for the higher and elite levels of governance.
Those entrusted with the secrets of the world
history, humanity's origins, and the practice of magic.
The Raimondi Stele was carved in a highly polished granite,
depicting a curandero holding two Huachuma cacti,
gazing towards the heavens as animal totems emerge
from the crown of his head in an apex of entwined serpents.
Much like the caduceus of Hermes--
which is a symbol most commonly associated with healing--
all throughout this region and north
into Central America and present day
Mexico, similar artistic styles were
found amongst ancient cultures, including headdresses
that plume from the wearer's head,
like the Indian belief where the crown
chakra is depicted with 1,000 petals of different colors.
This represents what is known as the rising of the kundalini.
The origin myths of psychedelic plants, as well as
the art that surrounded them, are
too similar to dismiss as coincidence.
Are these similarities across time and geography
from a common origin of humankind
or did the plants impart the messages?
>> People discovered how to combine these plants through--
basically with divination with other plants.
You know, they asked the plants--
or through the plant they ask the spirits--
what are these other plants for?
And as a group, it would be shown different things, what
to do through our subconscious.
That's the datura tree, tree datura.
So, that was the plant, I believe,
that showed how to make these other concoctions.
The datura taught people all kinds of incredible things,
like how to turn into animals and how to fly.
In Middle East, they flew on carpets
and the witches flew on brooms.
And that was the same exact recipe with that plant.
And even in this area, people would fly
in baskets the very same way.
And also the story of the werewolves too,
that was the same plant and pretty much the same recipe.
>> Psychoactives like Datura, and psychedelics like peyote,
and even shamanic rituals may be the common denominator behind
the legends of shapeshifting, flying,
and other miraculous feats.
>> So, what that medicine is is, it's medically turning the fork
in your brain that allows you to perceive sound, light,
vibration, energy, spirits, those things.
It's a bridge.
>> This is the difference between what we call
hallucinating and increased perception.
Hallucinating is when you're seeing things that don't exist,
which is also fun.
I think it's like imagining.
But increased perception allows you to see things that exist
but because your mind is not trained to see them
in normal activity, the peyote helps you
to see what's already there.
Some of this is this energetic body.
And of course, if anybody studies the energetic body,
you know that there's a magnetic design to it.
Just like if you put a magnet underneath some iron filings,
you'll see how the magnetic force creates a pattern.
Well, every human being has an energetic pattern.
And sometimes these patterns are disrupted
through what we call diseases, which
are imbalances or malfunctions in the cellular structure.
So, peyote helps you to see this.
>> With peyote, I would be able to see people's sicknesses.
You know, if somebody was clogged in their uterus,
or clogged in their intestines, or if they had spinal issues,
or if their circulatory-- like, I would see these things.
And in seeing them, it's like I looked at the person
and the thought would come to my mind.
>> Seeing illness in people is just one of the phenomena that
these peyoteros or huachumeras claim to be capable of.
Some even claim that peyote can put you in touch with ancestors
or give glimpses into the raw nature of world issues
without transporting you to a foreign dimension.
Daniel McQueen from Medicinal Mindfulness
recounts his experience with the Native American Church peyote
ceremonies.
>> You know, while peyote is a classic psychedelic,
mescaline is a little different than other psychedelics.
And you can have visuals, you can
have experiences of engaging with spirits
and communicating with entities beyond this world.
But it's a little different in that
you can feel more lucid, more clear, more present
than you've ever felt before.
And so it's kind of a paradox.
You can be incredibly altered in the experience
but also feel very, very present in this world
and engaged in this reality.
And it seems to have the capacity
to open up our frontal cortex, our capacity to think clearly.
And so instead of having to sort through something,
figure something out, a complex problem
out, or looking for understanding,
it's just right there.
It's just revealed to you.
>> The issues peyote or huachuma introduced to those who drink
are said to usually come from our own subconscious,
even if that issue is an outer phenomena that we are
struggling to come to terms with,
coming from the angle that all events in the universe are
intimately linked to human consciousness.
And though the traditional use of these plants cannot be put
into one simple explanation, the commonalities tend to be
involved in community bonding rather than isolated healing
procedures.
>> The use of this medicine has always been a community event.
But if somebody needed healing and they came to a road man,
they could do it individually, but that's more rare.
It's almost always done in a community setting.
>> Clearly there were ways in which the use
of the psychedelics augmented our ability to be moral
individuals, to have compassion for others,
and to take action on behalf of others that were not
our immediate family members.
What we see in traditional societies around the world
is that they were used for augmenting
the effects of ritual, enhancing bonding
among members of the community, and using
these dynamics for healing.
>> One of the hallmarks of expanded or flow states
of consciousness brought about by psychedelic plants,
shamanic drumming and dancing, or other methods seems to be
the release of several neurotransmitters,
such as anandamide, oxytocin, serotonin,
and dopamine in varying amounts depending on the method.
These chemicals on their own lend
to feelings of closeness, sensuality, relational bonding,
and security.
Several are present during breastfeeding, lovemaking,
hugging, and even eye contact.
Even single-celled organisms that had grouped together
to become more complex creatures had
the impulse towards community bonding for a higher cause.
And in this way, the real shamanic medicine
was understood to be relationships,
and the strength of the group, and a great remembering
of the deeper purposes of life.
And the relationships begin not only with the human community,
but the plant community used to guide and protect
the medicine work.
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And in some groups, they pray with cedar.
But most often, people pray with tobacco,
and then the medicine would come around.
And everybody will have four portions of the medicine,
and that would go around at least four times in the night.
After we have the medicine, then we
get to sing with the staff and the rattle.
And it goes on like that until morning.
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I know that the rhythm of the music in the Native American
Church is very important.
There's always been the quick rhythm, rhythmic beat.
It's very important, the songs, to keep the rhythm the same.
And also for everyone to play pretty much the same,
rather than trying to show their individuality,
because the ceremonies are very much about learning by example
and being consistent.
[DRUMMING]
>> The importance of the group to be in the presence
of, listening to, and even performing the drum rhythm,
is said to bring the individuals into a hive mind where
the intentions or thoughts that they hold are as singular
as one unit and therefore more powerful.
Dr. Luciano Bernardi, at the Pavia University in Italy,
has shown that heart rhythms in humans
sync their pace to music, showing that the heart listens
to and responds to music.
Together this would cause a group's nervous system
and cardiac rhythms to come into harmony.
Even in Silicon Valley, startup companies
have been toying with the idea of using music and binaural
beats in headphones to a group while electrodes are scanning
their brainwave patterns, finding
that the music brings their mental states into synchrony.
Why are they doing this?
Because they find that groups perform better
when there's a form of mental cohesion or a hive
mind happening.
Even high-level military intelligence
sees the importance of thinking as a group with no leader
except the one who knows what to do next.
This may be the basis of all human history's community
rituals.
But even though the medicine is useful for community bonding
and cultivating a hive-like mind, the spirit of the cactus
is differentiated from other plant medicines like ayahuasca
and sings a message from a very particular and masculine
standpoint.
Ayahuasca has this very feminine energy,
where it's kind of like she basically
allows you to feel, and have emotions, and be very
watery in how you're experiencing it,
while peyote has a very masculine energy.
It's more like you're doing, and you're making it happen.
And you know, even in the prayer,
because with ayahuasca the songs are more romantic.
They're more organic.
I mean, they're both organic, but they're more feminine.
And then with peyote, the songs are more like--
[VOCALIZING BEAT]
- because you're with the drum the whole night.
So, it's literally a drum.
So, that sound is more masculine sound, more physical sound.
And as a woman, it definitely taught
me a lot of what it means to be a woman when
I was faced with so much masculinity in that tee-pee.
It taught me more than I ever thought
I would ever think I would be taught by a masculine entity.
>> It is a belief among modern psychonauts and neo-shamans
that the planet has a family tree of psychedelic
and psychoactive plants.
Each one is here with a specific message for us.
>> Plant medicine's role has been the same for thousands
of years.
It's to teach us.
And so these are different teachers
that are put here to give us different lessons.
>> Earth has designed these plants that are curing humanity
because humanity is affecting the functioning of the Earth
as a living organism.
So, the Earth needs to protect itself.
So through these chemicals that are contained in the peyote,
the consciousness of the spirit of peyote
is helping human beings to cure and heal
all of these society ailments.
>> Together, these plants alter perception differently
and offer deeply unique and profound teachings,
all to protect the balance of life.
And this family tree of psychedelic plant medicines
is thought to tell a complete story of human history,
potential future, and life's purpose to assist us
in the coming turbulent days.
And this is why medicine spreads due to plant migration
or human intervention.
>> This medicine spread from tribe to tribe all across North
America, all the way up into Canada,
because people were really desperate for help.
And so some people would say that it
was prophesied that it would come
to them to help the people.
So, I believe that this medicine is here to help the people.
And just as in the past, it helped
us to integrate into European culture and academic way
of life.
Now it's also a way of connecting back to your roots
and connecting back to the ancient ways of all people.
>> But these cultures did more than simply reconnect with
the past.
They also foresaw the future.
The fact that Western society is becoming increasingly
interested in psychedelic substances
and their historical shamanic application
is said by some to be signs of an ancient prophecy believed
to have stemmed from Andean Quechua, New Mexican
Hopi, Guatemalan, Honduran, Ecuadorian Shuar,
and Mexican Mayan cultures.
>> The ancients foresaw the coming of the Europeans
and the destruction of civilization as we know it.
But they also foresaw the time when
the culture of the indigenous people was going to reemerge.
And part of the culture of native people inherent in all
of this is the use of plants to create
a higher level of consciousness for the human societies.
And it was also predicted that 500 years
after the initial onslaught of Christianity
and European colonization, a new time was going to come,
which is the time we are living now.
And this was referred to as the Prophecy
of the Condor and the Eagle.
>> And a lot of people see it as a spiritual thing
that's happening, which is definitely what's happening
with the Native American Church because it's just as strong
in South America as it is in North America now.
But another part of that prophecy,
the next part of that, is that they
would soar as one, that the eagle and condor would
soar as one.
And that can be interpreted in many different ways.
But I think amongst most people in spiritual circles,
they see that as a spiritual unification of the people.
The prophecy is said to foretell of a pachacuti,
or 500-year period, in which the eagle, which represents
the people of the northern hemisphere that walked
the industrial, mental, and masculine path,
would bring about a near-extinction of the condor,
representing the people of the southern hemisphere that
follow the heart and are connected
with traditional ways of the Earth.
Followers of the prophecy see this
as having come true at the time of the Spanish conquest
of the New World shamanic and indigenous
cultures around 1490.
However, the prophecy also foretold
of a reunification of the eagle and condor,
starting at the end of the pachacuti in 1990.
A striking development in the unification of people
globally is the exchange of ideas and values.
This has never been as prevalent as it
was with the advent of the internet,
and this revolutionary communication technology
became publicly available on August 6th of 1991.
Many skeptics have disregarded and debunked
the details of this prophecy, while all along, the remaining
indigenous of the original tribes
carry on the belief that regardless
of the skepticism, the prophecy is in motion
and a revival of shamanic traditions
and interest among even the Western world is growing.
And signs of this shift in consciousness
may also be appearing in pop cultural trends returning
to nature-based activities.
Exercise rituals of just a few decades ago
are being revisioned in a natural setting,
linking the body and mind back to these spaces.
Dietary trends are looking back into ancestral traditions
that predate colonial grain-based diets.
Workshops are popping up around the world with catchwords
like rewilding, primal, ancestral, and shamanic.
Could this be a sign of the times,
that the innate balancing intelligence of the collective
senses the need for uniting with our roots once more?
>> We're reaching the point where human beings are really
changing drastically, and we're becoming more intelligent.
We're learning more, but we're also becoming very conditioned
and becoming domesticated, very literally.
And you can see the difference between a domesticated animal
and a wild animal, even how different medicines
and substances can have a very different effect on both.
And one of my concerns has always
been that we're losing touch with our wild selves.
I think it's very important that the human race in the future
stay in touch with our roots, and where we come from,
and what we really are rather than thinking that we're just
some kind of biological robots.
And I think it's very important, the role
of the sacred sacrament of the herb peyote
and also these other medicines that
come from different traditions to understand who they really
are and where they come from, that we are animals
that come from the Earth.
What if the missing puzzle piece to harmony on this planet
is missing because of the civilized, cultural concept
we're fed from birth?
The trend in the West has unmistakably
been a focus on technology and human innovation that
tends to alter nature, push it out, subdue and enslave
the natural world, and bend it to our human will,
The same will that believes animals living in factory farms
will yield the same quality meat as those
that live in their natural, thriving habitat.
The same will that believes that monocultured and low-dynamic
environments will yield the same quality crops as
would appear in their native homes
in connection with all other life forms.
Does this medicine illuminate the social sickness of amnesia
towards our past and hypnotic awe
at our flashy and convenience-driven future?
Perhaps this is why peyote ceremonies still to this day
are typically conducted in tee-pees, which
seat the participants on the earth,
with fire, and prayer, and community holding
intentions of healing rather than the sterilized,
nature-free clinics and hospitals with synthetic
and compound isolated meds intended to be
taken and forgotten about.
Healing practices have never before been that way.
Psychedelic plants, like peyote and huachuma,
are impossible to forget about after ingesting
because the relationship between their chemical makeup
and our neurochemistry causes a journey of engagement,
attention, processing, and coming to terms with all
that we are and all that is no longer serving us.
There is no tuning out or ignoring your subconscious
under these shamanic states.
Perhaps if we engage with these medicines
or other natural methods of expanding one's conscious state
and honor and respect the cultures that have long
done this good work to integrate and bond with our community,
then maybe, just maybe, the prophecy
of the eagle and condor will be seen as more than lofty hopes
and dreams but as a return to the sanity
of wild, ancestral nature.
Up next, join us as we investigate human's history
with cannabis, humanity's oldest cultivated crop, providing food
medicine, and even connection with the divine.
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