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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]

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>> One of the mysteries
of the New World,

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beyond the debated origins
of the Native Americans,

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is the length of their
inhabitation on this land

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and their use of
psychoactive plants.

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How did these
indigenous discover

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the psychedelic effects of
many of the New World's plants,

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and how were they
used for ceremony?

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We must look back
into history through

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archaeological
discoveries and listen

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to the stories of the natives.

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And with any luck, we
might be able to construct

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a glimpse of what the
psychedelic cacti known

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as Peyote and Huachuma meant
to them and how they were used.

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When a Franciscan
friar and ethnographer

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named Fray Bernardino De Sahagun
studied the Shisha Mecca nomads

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and Toltec culture, he
found that a specific cactus

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was venerated through rituals
from almost 2,500 years ago.

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Then, in the late 1800s, the
Danish explorer Carl Sofus

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Lumholtz discovered carvings
in lava rocks from Mesoamerica

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with the symbol of the
Tarahumara Peyote ceremonies,

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putting the origin considerably
farther back in history.

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Excavators in the 1930s
discovered the Shumla Cave

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near the Lower Pecos
region of southwest Texas

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in which processed
Peyote slabs were found.

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The radiocarbon
dating puts the origin

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of these items at
roughly 4,000 BC.

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And throughout the
region, depictions of what

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is known as the White Shaman
appear, as well as depictions

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of early European explorers.

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Though many interpretations
of the origin of Peyote use

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abound through several
regions, the true origin--

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like that of most psychedelics--
are lost to history.

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Peyote Roadman
Chris Long has been

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working with this medicine
and the Native American church

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for years and recounts the
most common origin myth.

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>> It's said, amongst
many different tribes,

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there is a story of the
pregnant woman who's lost.

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And she's been lost in the
desert for about four days,

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and so she hasn't
had food or water.

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She hears this singing,
these voices singing,

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telling her that she
is surrounded by water.

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And that, if she would only eat
this medicine, that she could

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find her people, and that
she could deliver the child

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and be able to breastfeed.

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She's dried out,
she has no milk,

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and she's about to give birth.

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And so they tell her that
she can have an easy birth,

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and that her milk will flow.

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So she asks, "Where are you?"

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And they said, "We're
this plant at your feet."

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And so she bites it off
the ground, like the deer.

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And so she had learned
those original songs

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during that experience.

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>> An origin myth claiming
that the plants express

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their intentions and power to
the first humans through sacred

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songs is not an
isolated phenomenon.

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In the Amazon jungle
of South America,

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many indigenous,
such as the Shipibo,

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claimed that they discovered the
powerful visionary properties

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of the ayahuasca vine, chacruna
leaves, and other teacher

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plants that sang themselves
to the original shamans

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many thousands of years ago.

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The songs were only to be
heard by those pure enough

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to hear their language.

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[WHISTLING]

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As if Gaia-- or the
intelligence of the planet--

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bestows messages and
teachings only to those

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worthy of such power by
singing to their higher

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faculties of perception.

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Meanwhile, hundreds of miles
west in the vicinity of Chavin

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de Huántar, Peru, the oldest
archaeological evidence

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of psychedelic plant use was a
carving of a Huachumero holding

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the Huachuma cactus.

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Huachuma is a psychedelic
cactus containing

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the phenethylamine
alkaloid called mescaline,

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the same psychedelic
compound found in Peyote.

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However, each of them
have several species

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from different locations
with different sub-alkaloids

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which create a wide
spectrum of psychoactive

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complements to the
effects of mescaline.

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These psychoactive differences
create the plant's signature

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entourage effect.

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Different soil content, watered
and fed throughout its lifetime

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in varying amounts, and the
parental history of the cacti

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will produce different
percentages of alkaloids,

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and therefore, a different
entourage effect,

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making every plant unique
in effect and story.

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Some are even believed to
have MAO inhibitors, which

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would keep the enzyme
that breaks down mescaline

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from being produced, accounting
for the long 8 to 12 hour

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duration of the journey.

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But is there a way to simply
look at a psychedelic cactus

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and tell what the
properties are?

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Is it even possible to
know what the plants want?

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>> One reason why cactus grow
needles is to prevent you from

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touching them.

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And this is this really
ingenious method of protection,

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right?

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Cactus protect themselves
by covering themselves

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with needles.

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But some cactus grow
needles in a way

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that allows you to touch them.

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And, you know, the
cactus medicine

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has told me that this is
the cactus telling us,

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"Come in contact with me."

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And something that I've
observed is, the less

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the needle structure there is,
and the more blue that there

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is, the combination of those
things, the more medicine

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content that there is.

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But this grew this
much in one year.

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I can tell because this pinch
is when it grew the next year.

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Then the head was somehow cut
off here or got knocked over,

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and it started growing fresh
new nodes out of this point.

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And these fresher nodes
that are newer, actually

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have more mescaline
content in them.

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And you can see that from
the blue that they express,

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that kind of blue power.

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Huachuma likely used
this kind of language

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to speak to the old Huachumeras
and Huachumeros, the medicine

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workers of this
particular plant.

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This shamanic heritage dates
back into the ancient world.

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The Huachuma carving found
at Chavin de Huántar is said

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to date back to
at least 1,500 BC.

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It should be remembered
that though this

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is the earliest remnant pointing
to a psychedelic society

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in Peru--

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over 3,500 years ago--

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it is unlikely that the
use of this plant sacrament

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started right at the time that
the carving was constructed.

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The sacred use of Huachuma could
date back considerably farther.

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And like the kykeon beverage
in the Eleusinian Mysteries

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in ancient Greece, the temple
grounds of Chavin de Huántar

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was likely a spiritual mecca and
was equipped with a public area

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above the ground,
while the initiates--

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seeking universal mysteries--
were ushered into secret

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underground galleries.

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They would likely
imbibe the Huachuma brew

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and undergo a transformational
psychedelic journey

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in these dimly lit halls.

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Acoustic studies-- with the
help of Stanford University--

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were conducted and determined
that this underground labyrinth

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must have been constructed
for mind-altering sonic

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experiences, causing
the environment

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to come alive and play
tricks on the senses,

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as well as transport sound
to other areas of the temple

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complex.

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These were likely initiation
chambers to test candidates

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for the higher and elite
levels of governance.

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Those entrusted with
the secrets of the world

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history, humanity's origins,
and the practice of magic.

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The Raimondi Stele was carved
in a highly polished granite,

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depicting a curandero
holding two Huachuma cacti,

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gazing towards the heavens
as animal totems emerge

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from the crown of his head in
an apex of entwined serpents.

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Much like the
caduceus of Hermes--

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which is a symbol most commonly
associated with healing--

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all throughout this
region and north

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into Central America
and present day

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Mexico, similar
artistic styles were

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found amongst ancient
cultures, including headdresses

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that plume from
the wearer's head,

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like the Indian
belief where the crown

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chakra is depicted with 1,000
petals of different colors.

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This represents what is known
as the rising of the kundalini.

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The origin myths of
psychedelic plants, as well as

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the art that
surrounded them, are

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too similar to dismiss
as coincidence.

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Are these similarities
across time and geography

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from a common
origin of humankind

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or did the plants
impart the messages?

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>> People discovered how to
combine these plants through--

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basically with divination
with other plants.

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You know, they
asked the plants--

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or through the plant
they ask the spirits--

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what are these other plants for?

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And as a group, it would be
shown different things, what

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to do through our subconscious.

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That's the datura
tree, tree datura.

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So, that was the
plant, I believe,

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that showed how to make
these other concoctions.

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The datura taught people all
kinds of incredible things,

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like how to turn into
animals and how to fly.

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In Middle East,
they flew on carpets

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and the witches flew on brooms.

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And that was the same exact
recipe with that plant.

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And even in this
area, people would fly

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in baskets the very same way.

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And also the story of
the werewolves too,

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that was the same plant and
pretty much the same recipe.

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>> Psychoactives like Datura,
and psychedelics like peyote,

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and even shamanic rituals may
be the common denominator behind

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the legends of
shapeshifting, flying,

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and other miraculous feats.

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>> So, what that medicine is is,
it's medically turning the fork

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in your brain that allows
you to perceive sound, light,

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vibration, energy,
spirits, those things.

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It's a bridge.

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>> This is the difference
between what we call

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hallucinating and
increased perception.

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Hallucinating is when you're
seeing things that don't exist,

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which is also fun.

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I think it's like imagining.

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But increased perception allows
you to see things that exist

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but because your mind is
not trained to see them

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in normal activity,
the peyote helps you

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to see what's already there.

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Some of this is
this energetic body.

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And of course, if anybody
studies the energetic body,

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you know that there's a
magnetic design to it.

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Just like if you put a magnet
underneath some iron filings,

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you'll see how the magnetic
force creates a pattern.

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Well, every human being
has an energetic pattern.

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And sometimes these
patterns are disrupted

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through what we
call diseases, which

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are imbalances or malfunctions
in the cellular structure.

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So, peyote helps
you to see this.

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>> With peyote, I would be able
to see people's sicknesses.

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You know, if somebody was
clogged in their uterus,

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or clogged in their intestines,
or if they had spinal issues,

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or if their circulatory--
like, I would see these things.

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And in seeing them, it's
like I looked at the person

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and the thought would
come to my mind.

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>> Seeing illness in people is
just one of the phenomena that

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these peyoteros or huachumeras
claim to be capable of.

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Some even claim that peyote can
put you in touch with ancestors

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or give glimpses into the
raw nature of world issues

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without transporting you
to a foreign dimension.

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Daniel McQueen from
Medicinal Mindfulness

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recounts his experience with the
Native American Church peyote

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ceremonies.

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>> You know, while peyote
is a classic psychedelic,

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mescaline is a little different
than other psychedelics.

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And you can have
visuals, you can

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have experiences of
engaging with spirits

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and communicating with
entities beyond this world.

244
00:13:36,950 --> 00:13:38,670
But it's a little
different in that

245
00:13:38,670 --> 00:13:42,780
you can feel more lucid,
more clear, more present

246
00:13:42,780 --> 00:13:44,390
than you've ever felt before.

247
00:13:44,390 --> 00:13:46,950
And so it's kind of a paradox.

248
00:13:46,950 --> 00:13:49,230
You can be incredibly
altered in the experience

249
00:13:49,230 --> 00:13:54,810
but also feel very, very
present in this world

250
00:13:54,810 --> 00:13:58,206
and engaged in this reality.

251
00:13:58,206 --> 00:13:59,580
And it seems to
have the capacity

252
00:13:59,580 --> 00:14:04,950
to open up our frontal cortex,
our capacity to think clearly.

253
00:14:04,950 --> 00:14:08,850
And so instead of having
to sort through something,

254
00:14:08,850 --> 00:14:11,310
figure something out,
a complex problem

255
00:14:11,310 --> 00:14:14,430
out, or looking
for understanding,

256
00:14:14,430 --> 00:14:15,480
it's just right there.

257
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,390
It's just revealed to you.

258
00:14:18,390 --> 00:14:22,220
>> The issues peyote or huachuma
introduced to those who drink

259
00:14:22,220 --> 00:14:25,500
are said to usually come
from our own subconscious,

260
00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:28,260
even if that issue is an
outer phenomena that we are

261
00:14:28,260 --> 00:14:30,540
struggling to come
to terms with,

262
00:14:30,540 --> 00:14:33,660
coming from the angle that
all events in the universe are

263
00:14:33,660 --> 00:14:37,210
intimately linked to
human consciousness.

264
00:14:37,210 --> 00:14:39,910
And though the traditional use
of these plants cannot be put

265
00:14:39,910 --> 00:14:43,390
into one simple explanation,
the commonalities tend to be

266
00:14:43,390 --> 00:14:46,660
involved in community bonding
rather than isolated healing

267
00:14:46,660 --> 00:14:48,250
procedures.

268
00:14:48,250 --> 00:14:54,355
>> The use of this medicine has
always been a community event.

269
00:14:54,355 --> 00:14:58,540
But if somebody needed healing
and they came to a road man,

270
00:14:58,540 --> 00:15:04,780
they could do it individually,
but that's more rare.

271
00:15:04,780 --> 00:15:09,100
It's almost always done
in a community setting.

272
00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:11,110
>> Clearly there were
ways in which the use

273
00:15:11,110 --> 00:15:15,010
of the psychedelics augmented
our ability to be moral

274
00:15:15,010 --> 00:15:17,320
individuals, to have
compassion for others,

275
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,560
and to take action on behalf
of others that were not

276
00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:22,120
our immediate family members.

277
00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,000
What we see in traditional
societies around the world

278
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,640
is that they were
used for augmenting

279
00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,610
the effects of ritual,
enhancing bonding

280
00:15:30,610 --> 00:15:33,040
among members of the
community, and using

281
00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:34,840
these dynamics for healing.

282
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,480
>> One of the hallmarks
of expanded or flow states

283
00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,620
of consciousness brought
about by psychedelic plants,

284
00:15:40,620 --> 00:15:44,170
shamanic drumming and dancing,
or other methods seems to be

285
00:15:44,170 --> 00:15:46,730
the release of several
neurotransmitters,

286
00:15:46,730 --> 00:15:50,890
such as anandamide,
oxytocin, serotonin,

287
00:15:50,890 --> 00:15:54,940
and dopamine in varying amounts
depending on the method.

288
00:15:54,940 --> 00:15:56,980
These chemicals
on their own lend

289
00:15:56,980 --> 00:16:01,450
to feelings of closeness,
sensuality, relational bonding,

290
00:16:01,450 --> 00:16:03,580
and security.

291
00:16:03,580 --> 00:16:07,000
Several are present during
breastfeeding, lovemaking,

292
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,730
hugging, and even eye contact.

293
00:16:09,730 --> 00:16:12,460
Even single-celled organisms
that had grouped together

294
00:16:12,460 --> 00:16:14,950
to become more
complex creatures had

295
00:16:14,950 --> 00:16:19,390
the impulse towards community
bonding for a higher cause.

296
00:16:19,390 --> 00:16:22,300
And in this way, the
real shamanic medicine

297
00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:24,550
was understood to
be relationships,

298
00:16:24,550 --> 00:16:27,220
and the strength of the
group, and a great remembering

299
00:16:27,220 --> 00:16:29,940
of the deeper purposes of life.

300
00:16:29,940 --> 00:16:33,760
And the relationships begin not
only with the human community,

301
00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,400
but the plant community
used to guide and protect

302
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,160
the medicine work.

303
00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,100
[MUSIC PLAYING]

304
00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:43,830
And in some groups,
they pray with cedar.

305
00:16:43,830 --> 00:16:48,960
But most often, people
pray with tobacco,

306
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:50,790
and then the medicine
would come around.

307
00:16:50,790 --> 00:16:55,150
And everybody will have four
portions of the medicine,

308
00:16:55,150 --> 00:17:00,990
and that would go around at
least four times in the night.

309
00:17:00,990 --> 00:17:03,690
After we have the
medicine, then we

310
00:17:03,690 --> 00:17:06,630
get to sing with the
staff and the rattle.

311
00:17:06,630 --> 00:17:09,300


312
00:17:09,300 --> 00:17:12,936
And it goes on like
that until morning.

313
00:17:12,936 --> 00:17:15,069
[DRUMMING]

314
00:17:15,069 --> 00:17:18,660
I know that the rhythm of the
music in the Native American

315
00:17:18,660 --> 00:17:20,619
Church is very important.

316
00:17:20,619 --> 00:17:26,430
There's always been the
quick rhythm, rhythmic beat.

317
00:17:26,430 --> 00:17:32,040
It's very important, the songs,
to keep the rhythm the same.

318
00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,660
And also for everyone to
play pretty much the same,

319
00:17:36,660 --> 00:17:40,220
rather than trying to
show their individuality,

320
00:17:40,220 --> 00:17:44,900
because the ceremonies are very
much about learning by example

321
00:17:44,900 --> 00:17:47,450
and being consistent.

322
00:17:47,450 --> 00:17:49,800
[DRUMMING]

323
00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:51,990
>> The importance of the
group to be in the presence

324
00:17:51,990 --> 00:17:55,590
of, listening to, and even
performing the drum rhythm,

325
00:17:55,590 --> 00:17:58,800
is said to bring the individuals
into a hive mind where

326
00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,860
the intentions or thoughts
that they hold are as singular

327
00:18:01,860 --> 00:18:05,790
as one unit and
therefore more powerful.

328
00:18:05,790 --> 00:18:09,600
Dr. Luciano Bernardi, at the
Pavia University in Italy,

329
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,030
has shown that heart
rhythms in humans

330
00:18:12,030 --> 00:18:15,180
sync their pace to music,
showing that the heart listens

331
00:18:15,180 --> 00:18:17,560
to and responds to music.

332
00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:20,430
Together this would cause
a group's nervous system

333
00:18:20,430 --> 00:18:23,040
and cardiac rhythms
to come into harmony.

334
00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,770
Even in Silicon Valley,
startup companies

335
00:18:25,770 --> 00:18:28,920
have been toying with the idea
of using music and binaural

336
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,280
beats in headphones to a group
while electrodes are scanning

337
00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,110
their brainwave
patterns, finding

338
00:18:34,110 --> 00:18:37,290
that the music brings their
mental states into synchrony.

339
00:18:37,290 --> 00:18:38,880
Why are they doing this?

340
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,040
Because they find that
groups perform better

341
00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,620
when there's a form of
mental cohesion or a hive

342
00:18:43,620 --> 00:18:45,090
mind happening.

343
00:18:45,090 --> 00:18:47,340
Even high-level
military intelligence

344
00:18:47,340 --> 00:18:51,120
sees the importance of thinking
as a group with no leader

345
00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:53,740
except the one who
knows what to do next.

346
00:18:53,740 --> 00:18:56,460
This may be the basis of all
human history's community

347
00:18:56,460 --> 00:18:58,110
rituals.

348
00:18:58,110 --> 00:19:01,170
But even though the medicine
is useful for community bonding

349
00:19:01,170 --> 00:19:05,310
and cultivating a hive-like
mind, the spirit of the cactus

350
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:09,180
is differentiated from other
plant medicines like ayahuasca

351
00:19:09,180 --> 00:19:12,240
and sings a message from a
very particular and masculine

352
00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,310
standpoint.

353
00:19:14,310 --> 00:19:17,400
Ayahuasca has this
very feminine energy,

354
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,060
where it's kind of
like she basically

355
00:19:21,060 --> 00:19:25,560
allows you to feel, and
have emotions, and be very

356
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,430
watery in how you're
experiencing it,

357
00:19:29,430 --> 00:19:31,690
while peyote has a
very masculine energy.

358
00:19:31,690 --> 00:19:35,750
It's more like you're doing,
and you're making it happen.

359
00:19:35,750 --> 00:19:37,140
And you know, even
in the prayer,

360
00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:40,950
because with ayahuasca the
songs are more romantic.

361
00:19:40,950 --> 00:19:42,830
They're more organic.

362
00:19:42,830 --> 00:19:47,412
I mean, they're both organic,
but they're more feminine.

363
00:19:47,412 --> 00:19:49,370
And then with peyote,
the songs are more like--

364
00:19:49,370 --> 00:19:49,725
[VOCALIZING BEAT]

365
00:19:49,725 --> 00:19:52,020
- because you're with
the drum the whole night.

366
00:19:52,020 --> 00:19:53,585
So, it's literally a drum.

367
00:19:53,585 --> 00:19:57,260
So, that sound is more masculine
sound, more physical sound.

368
00:19:57,260 --> 00:20:01,017
And as a woman, it
definitely taught

369
00:20:01,017 --> 00:20:02,850
me a lot of what it
means to be a woman when

370
00:20:02,850 --> 00:20:05,710
I was faced with so much
masculinity in that tee-pee.

371
00:20:05,710 --> 00:20:08,470
It taught me more
than I ever thought

372
00:20:08,470 --> 00:20:13,440
I would ever think I would be
taught by a masculine entity.

373
00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,950
>> It is a belief among modern
psychonauts and neo-shamans

374
00:20:16,950 --> 00:20:19,560
that the planet has a
family tree of psychedelic

375
00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:21,900
and psychoactive plants.

376
00:20:21,900 --> 00:20:25,560
Each one is here with a
specific message for us.

377
00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,930
>> Plant medicine's role has
been the same for thousands

378
00:20:27,930 --> 00:20:29,110
of years.

379
00:20:29,110 --> 00:20:30,880
It's to teach us.

380
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:32,670
And so these are
different teachers

381
00:20:32,670 --> 00:20:37,440
that are put here to give
us different lessons.

382
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:43,740
>> Earth has designed these
plants that are curing humanity

383
00:20:43,740 --> 00:20:48,600
because humanity is affecting
the functioning of the Earth

384
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,380
as a living organism.

385
00:20:50,380 --> 00:20:53,580
So, the Earth needs
to protect itself.

386
00:20:53,580 --> 00:20:58,434
So through these chemicals that
are contained in the peyote,

387
00:20:58,434 --> 00:21:01,040
the consciousness of
the spirit of peyote

388
00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,010
is helping human
beings to cure and heal

389
00:21:05,010 --> 00:21:08,920
all of these society ailments.

390
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,720
>> Together, these plants
alter perception differently

391
00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,670
and offer deeply unique
and profound teachings,

392
00:21:15,670 --> 00:21:18,250
all to protect the
balance of life.

393
00:21:18,250 --> 00:21:21,030
And this family tree of
psychedelic plant medicines

394
00:21:21,030 --> 00:21:24,480
is thought to tell a complete
story of human history,

395
00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,020
potential future, and
life's purpose to assist us

396
00:21:28,020 --> 00:21:30,450
in the coming turbulent days.

397
00:21:30,450 --> 00:21:33,720
And this is why medicine
spreads due to plant migration

398
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,750
or human intervention.

399
00:21:36,750 --> 00:21:41,250
>> This medicine spread from
tribe to tribe all across North

400
00:21:41,250 --> 00:21:43,770
America, all the
way up into Canada,

401
00:21:43,770 --> 00:21:47,970
because people were
really desperate for help.

402
00:21:47,970 --> 00:21:51,060
And so some people
would say that it

403
00:21:51,060 --> 00:21:52,860
was prophesied
that it would come

404
00:21:52,860 --> 00:21:55,650
to them to help the people.

405
00:21:55,650 --> 00:22:00,810
So, I believe that this medicine
is here to help the people.

406
00:22:00,810 --> 00:22:03,360
And just as in the
past, it helped

407
00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:08,580
us to integrate into European
culture and academic way

408
00:22:08,580 --> 00:22:10,500
of life.

409
00:22:10,500 --> 00:22:14,850
Now it's also a way of
connecting back to your roots

410
00:22:14,850 --> 00:22:20,970
and connecting back to the
ancient ways of all people.

411
00:22:20,970 --> 00:22:23,580
>> But these cultures did more
than simply reconnect with

412
00:22:23,580 --> 00:22:24,940
the past.

413
00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:27,660
They also foresaw the future.

414
00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:30,570
The fact that Western society
is becoming increasingly

415
00:22:30,570 --> 00:22:32,820
interested in
psychedelic substances

416
00:22:32,820 --> 00:22:35,910
and their historical
shamanic application

417
00:22:35,910 --> 00:22:39,750
is said by some to be signs of
an ancient prophecy believed

418
00:22:39,750 --> 00:22:42,660
to have stemmed from
Andean Quechua, New Mexican

419
00:22:42,660 --> 00:22:47,640
Hopi, Guatemalan,
Honduran, Ecuadorian Shuar,

420
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:48,930
and Mexican Mayan cultures.

421
00:22:48,930 --> 00:22:51,870


422
00:22:51,870 --> 00:22:55,770
>> The ancients foresaw
the coming of the Europeans

423
00:22:55,770 --> 00:23:00,000
and the destruction of
civilization as we know it.

424
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,740
But they also
foresaw the time when

425
00:23:04,740 --> 00:23:12,120
the culture of the indigenous
people was going to reemerge.

426
00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:16,350
And part of the culture of
native people inherent in all

427
00:23:16,350 --> 00:23:22,470
of this is the use
of plants to create

428
00:23:22,470 --> 00:23:27,390
a higher level of consciousness
for the human societies.

429
00:23:27,390 --> 00:23:33,600
And it was also
predicted that 500 years

430
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:39,630
after the initial
onslaught of Christianity

431
00:23:39,630 --> 00:23:44,910
and European colonization, a
new time was going to come,

432
00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:48,840
which is the time
we are living now.

433
00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:53,610
And this was referred
to as the Prophecy

434
00:23:53,610 --> 00:23:57,260
of the Condor and the Eagle.

435
00:23:57,260 --> 00:24:01,940
>> And a lot of people see
it as a spiritual thing

436
00:24:01,940 --> 00:24:04,490
that's happening, which is
definitely what's happening

437
00:24:04,490 --> 00:24:09,950
with the Native American Church
because it's just as strong

438
00:24:09,950 --> 00:24:13,010
in South America as it
is in North America now.

439
00:24:13,010 --> 00:24:14,840
But another part
of that prophecy,

440
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,060
the next part of
that, is that they

441
00:24:17,060 --> 00:24:20,270
would soar as one, that
the eagle and condor would

442
00:24:20,270 --> 00:24:22,960
soar as one.

443
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,010
And that can be interpreted
in many different ways.

444
00:24:27,010 --> 00:24:33,400
But I think amongst most
people in spiritual circles,

445
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,240
they see that as a spiritual
unification of the people.

446
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,910


447
00:24:39,910 --> 00:24:42,700
The prophecy is said to
foretell of a pachacuti,

448
00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:46,450
or 500-year period, in which
the eagle, which represents

449
00:24:46,450 --> 00:24:48,900
the people of the northern
hemisphere that walked

450
00:24:48,900 --> 00:24:52,150
the industrial, mental,
and masculine path,

451
00:24:52,150 --> 00:24:54,970
would bring about a
near-extinction of the condor,

452
00:24:54,970 --> 00:24:57,640
representing the people of
the southern hemisphere that

453
00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:59,110
follow the heart
and are connected

454
00:24:59,110 --> 00:25:01,390
with traditional
ways of the Earth.

455
00:25:01,390 --> 00:25:03,430
Followers of the
prophecy see this

456
00:25:03,430 --> 00:25:06,280
as having come true at the
time of the Spanish conquest

457
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,290
of the New World
shamanic and indigenous

458
00:25:08,290 --> 00:25:10,810
cultures around 1490.

459
00:25:10,810 --> 00:25:12,730
However, the prophecy
also foretold

460
00:25:12,730 --> 00:25:15,580
of a reunification of
the eagle and condor,

461
00:25:15,580 --> 00:25:21,090
starting at the end of
the pachacuti in 1990.

462
00:25:21,090 --> 00:25:23,670
A striking development in
the unification of people

463
00:25:23,670 --> 00:25:28,000
globally is the exchange
of ideas and values.

464
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:29,760
This has never been
as prevalent as it

465
00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:31,800
was with the advent
of the internet,

466
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,350
and this revolutionary
communication technology

467
00:25:34,350 --> 00:25:38,970
became publicly available
on August 6th of 1991.

468
00:25:38,970 --> 00:25:41,220
Many skeptics have
disregarded and debunked

469
00:25:41,220 --> 00:25:47,330
the details of this prophecy,
while all along, the remaining

470
00:25:47,330 --> 00:25:49,370
indigenous of the
original tribes

471
00:25:49,370 --> 00:25:51,290
carry on the belief
that regardless

472
00:25:51,290 --> 00:25:54,620
of the skepticism, the
prophecy is in motion

473
00:25:54,620 --> 00:25:56,950
and a revival of
shamanic traditions

474
00:25:56,950 --> 00:26:02,390
and interest among even the
Western world is growing.

475
00:26:02,390 --> 00:26:04,550
And signs of this
shift in consciousness

476
00:26:04,550 --> 00:26:07,550
may also be appearing in pop
cultural trends returning

477
00:26:07,550 --> 00:26:09,500
to nature-based activities.

478
00:26:09,500 --> 00:26:12,080
Exercise rituals of
just a few decades ago

479
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,630
are being revisioned
in a natural setting,

480
00:26:14,630 --> 00:26:18,110
linking the body and mind
back to these spaces.

481
00:26:18,110 --> 00:26:21,230
Dietary trends are looking
back into ancestral traditions

482
00:26:21,230 --> 00:26:24,830
that predate colonial
grain-based diets.

483
00:26:24,830 --> 00:26:27,650
Workshops are popping up around
the world with catchwords

484
00:26:27,650 --> 00:26:31,850
like rewilding, primal,
ancestral, and shamanic.

485
00:26:31,850 --> 00:26:33,740
Could this be a
sign of the times,

486
00:26:33,740 --> 00:26:36,590
that the innate balancing
intelligence of the collective

487
00:26:36,590 --> 00:26:41,060
senses the need for uniting
with our roots once more?

488
00:26:41,060 --> 00:26:45,990
>> We're reaching the point
where human beings are really

489
00:26:45,990 --> 00:26:50,800
changing drastically, and we're
becoming more intelligent.

490
00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:55,320
We're learning more, but we're
also becoming very conditioned

491
00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,860
and becoming domesticated,
very literally.

492
00:26:58,860 --> 00:27:02,670
And you can see the difference
between a domesticated animal

493
00:27:02,670 --> 00:27:06,550
and a wild animal, even
how different medicines

494
00:27:06,550 --> 00:27:12,280
and substances can have a
very different effect on both.

495
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,640
And one of my
concerns has always

496
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:19,260
been that we're losing
touch with our wild selves.

497
00:27:19,260 --> 00:27:23,430
I think it's very important that
the human race in the future

498
00:27:23,430 --> 00:27:28,530
stay in touch with our roots,
and where we come from,

499
00:27:28,530 --> 00:27:32,580
and what we really are rather
than thinking that we're just

500
00:27:32,580 --> 00:27:35,820
some kind of biological robots.

501
00:27:35,820 --> 00:27:40,620
And I think it's very
important, the role

502
00:27:40,620 --> 00:27:45,120
of the sacred sacrament
of the herb peyote

503
00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:48,000
and also these
other medicines that

504
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,680
come from different traditions
to understand who they really

505
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:56,139
are and where they come
from, that we are animals

506
00:27:56,139 --> 00:27:57,180
that come from the Earth.

507
00:27:57,180 --> 00:28:00,480


508
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,720
What if the missing puzzle
piece to harmony on this planet

509
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,510
is missing because of the
civilized, cultural concept

510
00:28:06,510 --> 00:28:08,580
we're fed from birth?

511
00:28:08,580 --> 00:28:10,650
The trend in the
West has unmistakably

512
00:28:10,650 --> 00:28:13,950
been a focus on technology
and human innovation that

513
00:28:13,950 --> 00:28:17,940
tends to alter nature, push
it out, subdue and enslave

514
00:28:17,940 --> 00:28:21,300
the natural world, and
bend it to our human will,

515
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:24,600
The same will that believes
animals living in factory farms

516
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:26,910
will yield the same
quality meat as those

517
00:28:26,910 --> 00:28:30,240
that live in their
natural, thriving habitat.

518
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,480
The same will that believes that
monocultured and low-dynamic

519
00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,380
environments will yield
the same quality crops as

520
00:28:36,380 --> 00:28:38,040
would appear in
their native homes

521
00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:40,980
in connection with
all other life forms.

522
00:28:40,980 --> 00:28:44,250
Does this medicine illuminate
the social sickness of amnesia

523
00:28:44,250 --> 00:28:46,830
towards our past
and hypnotic awe

524
00:28:46,830 --> 00:28:49,950
at our flashy and
convenience-driven future?

525
00:28:49,950 --> 00:28:53,220
Perhaps this is why peyote
ceremonies still to this day

526
00:28:53,220 --> 00:28:55,440
are typically conducted
in tee-pees, which

527
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:57,690
seat the participants
on the earth,

528
00:28:57,690 --> 00:29:00,300
with fire, and prayer,
and community holding

529
00:29:00,300 --> 00:29:03,510
intentions of healing
rather than the sterilized,

530
00:29:03,510 --> 00:29:06,360
nature-free clinics and
hospitals with synthetic

531
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,150
and compound isolated
meds intended to be

532
00:29:09,150 --> 00:29:11,850
taken and forgotten about.

533
00:29:11,850 --> 00:29:15,810
Healing practices have
never before been that way.

534
00:29:15,810 --> 00:29:18,570
Psychedelic plants, like
peyote and huachuma,

535
00:29:18,570 --> 00:29:21,480
are impossible to forget
about after ingesting

536
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,180
because the relationship
between their chemical makeup

537
00:29:24,180 --> 00:29:28,110
and our neurochemistry causes
a journey of engagement,

538
00:29:28,110 --> 00:29:31,980
attention, processing, and
coming to terms with all

539
00:29:31,980 --> 00:29:36,390
that we are and all that
is no longer serving us.

540
00:29:36,390 --> 00:29:39,090
There is no tuning out or
ignoring your subconscious

541
00:29:39,090 --> 00:29:42,360
under these shamanic states.

542
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,640
Perhaps if we engage
with these medicines

543
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,900
or other natural methods of
expanding one's conscious state

544
00:29:48,900 --> 00:29:51,270
and honor and respect the
cultures that have long

545
00:29:51,270 --> 00:29:56,880
done this good work to integrate
and bond with our community,

546
00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:59,820
then maybe, just
maybe, the prophecy

547
00:29:59,820 --> 00:30:03,450
of the eagle and condor will be
seen as more than lofty hopes

548
00:30:03,450 --> 00:30:07,140
and dreams but as a
return to the sanity

549
00:30:07,140 --> 00:30:11,220
of wild, ancestral nature.

550
00:30:11,220 --> 00:30:14,610
Up next, join us as we
investigate human's history

551
00:30:14,610 --> 00:30:19,650
with cannabis, humanity's oldest
cultivated crop, providing food

552
00:30:19,650 --> 00:30:22,800
medicine, and even
connection with the divine.

553
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:27,600


554
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,650
[MUSIC PLAYING]

555
00:30:30,650 --> 00:30:34,112