Reflecting on the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, a key figure discusses both successes and missteps from his early research days. He emphasizes the profound shifts in consciousness and societal perceptions, transforming psychedelics from taboo to tools for personal growth. The interplay of science and spirit is explored, highlighting the therapeutic possibilities these substances offer. As cultural revolutions unfold, the journey towards self-worth and collective transformation is celebrated, urging a deeper understanding of these experiences within society.
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Leary Sparked Ram Dass's Journey
Ram Dass credits Timothy Leary for starting him on a profound spiritual journey.
Leary helped him escape the fate of being a "successful citizen" and discover richness in life.
insights INSIGHT
Psychedelics Changed Reality Perception
Psychedelics shifted perception from absolute to relative reality.
This change challenged social institutions and fueled cultural upheaval and growth.
insights INSIGHT
Horizontal Power Over Vertical
Psychedelic culture brought horizontal power structures.
It undermined vertical institutions and changed societal values on a wide scale.
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In this book, Huxley recounts his first psychedelic experience with mescaline in May 1953. He describes how the drug altered his perception of the world, making ordinary objects and experiences take on profound aesthetic and philosophical significance. Huxley draws on various philosophical and spiritual traditions, including those of William Blake, Meister Eckhart, Plato, and Buddhism, to contextualize his insights. The book challenges conventional views on perception and reality, suggesting that certain substances can reveal deeper aspects of existence that are normally filtered out by the human brain's 'reducing valve'[1][2][4]
Speaking at a MAPS conference in the early 1990s, Ram Dass looks back at some of the benefits and mistakes of the work he and Timothy Leary did with psychedelics in the 1960s.
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This episode of Here and Now comes from a talk Ram Dass gave at a MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) conference in the early 1990s. It immediately followed a talk given by Timothy Leary.
Ram Dass reflects on the funny position he’s in between his desire for this gathering of MAPS to put on a good face and be responsible researchers, and his feeling that what has happened is far more profound than that. “What we are doing now,” he says, “is trying to find a way to bring more people along through trying to legitimize our game in society. But the underground process in which psychedelics have continued to be used in the society and have come into mainstream consciousness, that goes on independent of whether we lose or win on the front we’re talking about in research.”
Ram Dass speaks to some of the benefits that came out of the pioneering research into psychedelics he conducted with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the 1960s. This includes therapeutic possibilities, opening people up to wisdom from the East, and shifting our perception of reality.
Ram Dass finishes by talking about some of the mistakes they made along the way, including how they got too involved with the revolutionary aspects of psychedelics rather than the evolutionary elements. But ultimately, the genie is already out of the bottle when it comes to psychedelics. “Truth cannot be repressed,” says Ram Dass. “It cannot be legislated out of existence. Psychedelics are a healthy pseudopod of society, and they have to be honored. And they will be honored.”
This episode closes with a live performance of "Sit Around The Fire" performed by East Forest at the 2023 LSRF Ram Dass Legacy Retreat. This soundscape interweaves wisdom from Ram Dass around identity, inner work and interconnection. "Sit Around The Fire" was composed by East Forest and Jon Hopkins for the album Music For Psychedelic Therapy.
The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in meaningful discussions about the podcast. We invite you to join us and share your curiosities, insights, and wisdom. Sign up for the General Fellowship to receive event invitations directly in your inbox.
“I think we got a little confused about evolution and revolution. I think we played with the revolutionary aspects of psychedelics, when to me, the far more interesting issue is the evolutionary aspects. I think that had we been more evolved in our wisdom, and not feeling we were inventing the wheel all over again, we would have had an appreciation of what the fears were of the society and how to work with those fears rather than just pitting ourselves against them. I don’t think the way we did it was the only way it could’ve been done.” – Ram Dass
Ram Dass Here And Now 
