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21 December 2012 was believed to mark the end of the thirteenth B'ak'tun cycle in the Long Count of the Mayan calendar. Many people believed this date to mark the end of the world or, at the very least, a shift to a new form of global consciousness. Examining how much of the phenomenon is based on the historical record and how much is contemporary fiction, the book explores the landscape of the modern apocalyptic imagination, the economics of the spiritual marketplace, the commodification of countercultural values, and the cult of celebrity.
This book explores marijuana from a variety of angles, including its impacts on the brain and body, potential for abuse, and legal status. Relying on science rather than sensationalism, it answers young readers' most pressing questions about this controversial drug. In 2022, medical marijuana is legal in 37 states and recreational marijuana is legal in 18, yet the drug remains illegal at the federal level. Public opinion on marijuana has changed substantially in the last 20 years, and today many young people view the drug as benign or even beneficial. But how exactly does marijuana affect the body and mind, and what are the potential risks of abuse or addiction? Books in Greenwood's Q&A Heal...
As Alice in Wonderland discovered, cave entrances, tunnels, spirals and mirrors can transport people to strange worlds where anything is possible. Portals investigates how we move beyond the conscious and physical world using our senses, into other realities of the spiritual and the divine. Portals looks at the techniques used to alter consciousness practised by shamans, monks and other religious specialists. These include the use of drugs, as well as drumming, chanting and meditation. The book provides a new, anthropologically-grounded perspective on the wide-ranging questions about the realities of human consciousness and mystical, spiritual and religious experience.
Marijuana has been illegal in the United States since 1937. Yet, thanks in large part to a loosely connected underground world of breeders, dealers, and smokers, there are currently more than 2000 varieties available. And since 1996, when California first passed legislation allowing for legalized medical marijuana, the underground has slowly surfaced, pushing what was once a decentralized, lawless world closer to the corporate world of business, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. Super-Charged gets up close and personal with the people who have transformed this controversial drug. With personalities and backgrounds as diverse as the plant itself, the growers include a former Silicon Valley so...
An insightful introduction to hippie culture and how its revolutionary principles in the 1960s helped shape modern culture. This title explores how hippies, and 1960s counterculture in general, developed and influenced popular culture in America. Covering the years between 1961 and 1972, this is the first volume focused exclusively on the emergence, growth, and lasting legacy of hippie culture, on everything from clothing, hair styles, and music to attitudes toward sex and drugs, and anti-war, anti-establishment activism. Hippies includes a chronology, topical chapters on hippie culture, biographies, primary documents, and a glossary. Coverage ranges from an examination of hippie involvement in drug use, politics, sexual behavior, and music, and a contemporary perspective on lasting impact of hippies on modern American life. Readers will encounter famous icons of the era, from Abbie Hoffman to Timothy Leary, while getting a real sense of what life inside the hippie counterculture was like.
From a much-loved expert and popular science writer comes this straight-from-the-trenches report on how and why folks from all walks of life are using magic mushrooms to enhance their lives. Interest in psychedelic mushrooms has never been greater – or the science less definitive. Popular science writer and amateur mycologist Eugenia Bone reports on the state of psychedelics today, from microdosing to heroic trips, illustrating how “citizen science” and anecdotal accounts of the mushrooms’ benefits are leading the new wave of scientific inquiry into psilocybin. With her signature blend of first-person narrative and scientific rigor, Bone breaks down just how the complicated cocktail ...
Journey Inside and Outside Yourself to Develop Psychic Powers through Fascinating and Effective Techniques The mind is a powerful tool that, when properly focused, can do amazing things for both your body and the world around you. In Mind Over Matter, Loyd Auerbach presents an impressive variety of topics, including telekinesis, faith healing, spirit communication, stigmata, shamanism, firewalking, psychic attacks, levitation, and more. This remarkable book helps you develop your psychic abilities, build your confidence and self-esteem, and keep a responsible attitude as you learn to psychically affect yourself and others. You'll also explore how to: Ease your body's ailments through mental health Investigate ghosts and be at the center of a poltergeist experience Improve your physical performance by exercising your mind Move objects through psychokinesis
Prog Rock FAQ traces the controversial, but much misunderstood musical genre through its five-decade history, highlighting the rise, eventual decline, and recent resurgence of one of the most inventive and storied popular musical forms of the latter half of the 20th Century. Prog Rock FAQ digs deep to deliver a view of progressive rock as you've never known it: Technical wizards, cosmic messengers, visionary producers, groundbreaking album-cover illustrators, and even innovative musical instrument vendors separate memory from myth, fact from fiction, to recount prog rock's most historically significant milestones and little-known tales. This interview-rich, unapologetic volume addresses topics taboo and burning alike, while welcoming the reader on an enthralling journey replete with rapturous visions, wondrous stories, and endless enigmas.
Geared toward high school students, undergraduate students, and general readers, this reference work provides a thorough and unbiased treatment of sex, gender, and transgenderism—social issues of particular importance in today's world. Sex and Gender: A Reference Handbook is a single-volume book that introduces a variety of personal, social, political, and ethical issues of concern to every young adult in the United States today. Written in a style that is accessible and engaging for student readers and researchers, this book examines subjects that are rarely discussed for readers of this age group, providing authoritative information on topics such as gender roles, gender development, and...
“Cody Johnson beautifully balances historical knowledge with cutting-edge science to produce a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read which paints a holistic picture of the risks and benefits of psychedelic use in modern day medicine and culture.” —Rick Doblin, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Magic Medicine explores the fascinating history of psychedelic substances and provides a contemporary update about their growing inclusion in modern medicine, science, and culture. Each chapter dives into the rich history of a single plant or compound and explores its therapeutic and spiritual uses in cultures near and fa...