i think it all depends who you know and where you are... at a rave/ festival there is usually a large diversity of people, and chances are, there are always people there on your level, if you are able to find them. i used to feel more alone in my psychedelic use... but in the past year i have been amazed at how many amazing people i've met... its like i'm now part of this vast tribe of people with extreme musical/artistic talent, interest in meditation/yoga/eastern thought, and a general affinity for the collective mindset. we all have our own individual lives and such but when i'm with this general group of people... the dynamics are so communal and filled with love. keep looking and you may find the group of people you desire... while psychedelic/marijuana use is rampant in this general group... a desire to move towards a society of greater love and compassion, and not just drug use, needs to be the central theme. i highly reccomend drum circles/ mass jam sessions for bringing a group towards collective mind
^ you are a little young for the bar scene but perhaps you've been to some parties, how would you say psychedelic culture compares with alcohol culture? In terms of the drug itself but some of these peripheral aspects you mention too like drum circles/eastern thought vs. Maybe like clubs/western thought? (Those are just examples, use whatever you want )
As for psychedelic culture, I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, in a college town and have no knowledge of such a culture. This may be due to my extreme introversion and that all of my friends only like alcohol. I would love to encounter the culture if it existed.
If you live in newark, DE there isn't much of one. I mean its nothing like the bar scene, which i wouldn't want it to be like anyway. Its college and alot of the people in that area are douch bags from jersey and other places out of state, all they want to do is drink and start fights.. There are some diamonds in the ruff though
well i mean alcohol is much more socially lubricating and conducive too meeting new people as well as seeking out members of the opposite sex, and theres a lot more talk about sports and people doing stupid shit. acid culture i find has a lot more interesting discussions going on, and while the effects of alcohol may make it easier to meet someone, i find the personality of psychedelic people to be much more open welcoming other people and their differences. especially when i see stuff like giant cuddle puddles and crazy laughing fits in groups of people and close connections that i just don't really see in the more alcohol based culture... haha its hard to explain. like in the psychedelic culture i found it easier to make a profound connection with someone i dont see as often or have known for very long.. yet i feel like we have known each other for a while because we are on a similar 'frequency'. i hope that makes sense i might get back to you on that.
i don't think it necesarily a result of using psychedelics, its also that the same type of people often seek psychedelics.
Yeah. It is pretty awful in terms of fun things to do. I don't drink (for medical and personal reasons) so when my friends come down, all they want to do is go to obnoxious bars and make me drive for them. Luckily, I live outside of the actual city of Newark, so I rarely encounter the annoying people you accurately describe.
I live in a University town here in south Ontario, and there is not a huge psychedelic scene. I have no delusions there is no one else around interested. But the bar scene is ridiculous sometimes and people are a lot more interested in MDMA. Even the dealers who can get you most anything have trouble finding shrooms on occasion. And I have yet to encounter acid here. Thats not to say it is not here, I have just not encountered it yet.
So, as of today, I have independently started Newark Delaware's psychedelic scene. I hope it grow ;-)
In the old days psychedelic culture was everywhere. Living in a hip neighborhood I really could drop on a Tuesday morning, walk out the door and in 15 or 30 minutes find someone else also high. Many advanced people around. Lots of sincerity and some degree of naiveté – we can turn on the world! (Well, we did stop a war, bring a new openness in relationships, sexuality and so on.) There was plenty of what I think you call schwag around, unlimited acid, mostly in barrels, and assorted other things, especially speed. Leary was just one of many hip people – I never knew anyone who was like a follower or whatever. Lots of teaching done by people like Alan Watts, Stewart Brand, Stephen Gaskin, Allen Ginsberg and so on; lots of guidance and support from bands like the Beatles, the Dead, Incredible String Band, etc. Plenty of undesirable people as well, the most notorious being Charlie Manson, but also various scam artists, liars, and outright criminals, like some biker gangs. Many pretenders then. A few years ago I started to reconnect with a scene. One not too great thing was going to a Rainbow Gathering. Too many burnt out cases there. A few psy-oriented fests were better. A recent small gathering in the Austin Hill Country was perfect. Psychedelic Sciences Conference last year was illuminating. Met some very experienced trippers, including therapists, shamans, and the like – people using these medicines in the healing process. Spent some high times in the mountains with a sexuality therapist I met at the conference. Other good things happening as well. Vast amounts of information here on HF. And like someone else said, a high degree of honesty and openness on this forum. There is vastly better smoke and a never-ending variety of psychedelics – RCs are a breakthrough, especially in the scarcity of acid. Probably about the same ratio of dedicated/honest trippers to pretenders now as before. Overall, the scene is not as pervasive now, and it's a good scene. Good scene in Europe, India less of a scene, and SE Asia is no scene at all.
^That was a quality, informative post. The first paragraph almost read like a Hunter S. Thompson excerpt. I'm certainly not exempt from this but as we talked about earlier in the thread I'm a little uneased by the blending of psychedelic culture with other hard drugs. I'm certain it happened back in the day too but I think it doesn't bode well in terms of proving some sort of legitimacy to the ideals and beliefs of a psychedelic culture when a good portion end up moving onto or incorporating harder drugs of abuse. There are definitely some knowledgeable people on here and elsewhere in regards to psychedelics. There are some prentenders too as you say, I think it may be possibly more difficult to pick out online but I have read a couple people rally behind some of those specialized positions/terms we associate with psychedelics like shaman, psychonaut, therapy, spirituality, etc all the while practicing something different. I have no issue with those who use psychedelics recreationally and I admire those who strive for more serious/deeper levels with their use, but justifying the use with no intention of practicing it slightly bothers me.
just my personal response to that...i don't use any "hard" drugs. the only thing i abuse is weed. besides that it's just psychedelics for me. i don't take tripping purely for recreation, but i don't take them purely for therapy/spirituality, etc. either
Same here. And actually psychedelics pulled me away from hard drugs. A lot of people find that hard to believe though.
Not if they are informed about psychedelics. LSD therapy for alcoholism and drug addiction still holds the best percentage of success over all other forms of treatment. Sadly it was stopped before it could really be explored completely. But that is slowly changing.