With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, vacations might be out of the question this holiday ... [+] season, but trips are not.
From a fixture of the counterculture to a sector on the stock market, psychedelics have gone mainstream in a big way in 2020, and with that, the psychonauts in your life have likely come out of the proverbial closet. (If there isnt a friend in your circle talking about microdosing yet, its only a matter of time.)
With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, vacations might be out of the question this holiday season, but trips are not. After a year like this one, venturing into the recesses of the mind with the help of an entheogen could be one way to bring some clarity to 2020so long as youve put some planning and intention into your experience and youve prepared a safe and comfortable setting. Many of the gifts on this list are also complementary to meditation, yoga, and other wellness or spiritual practices.
While safety is priority number one when taking a mind-altering substance, enhancing the sensory effects of a psychedelic journey comes in at a close second. When the trip is over, integration is also key. This list was built with these things in mind.
A private online sound bath with Dynasty Electrik
Dynasty Electrik is Jenny Electrik (vocals, theremin, singing bowls) and Seth Misterka (production, ... [+] DJ, sax, guitar, vocals, singing bowls, gong).
Any experienced psychonaut knows the synesthesia that comes with a psychedelic experience begs for some sort of sound, whether its your favourite Tame Impala record or the sounds of nature. Now imagine floating along the vibrational waves of a private sound bath complete with gongs, singing bowls, flute, vocals, electronic tones, and more while your turned on, tuned in, and dropping out. Seth Misterka and Jenny Deveau, the musicians and practitioners of Dynasty Electrik, say their work at the Mystic Journey Crystal Gallery in Venice, California takes listeners on a sonic healing and restorative journey, promoting deep states of meditation and relaxation while helping to balance energy. The duo has adapted to Covid-19 by offering virtual events as well as private customized sound baths. You can assure the recipient of this gift this will be unlike any Zoom session they've had all pandemic.
Mindfold Relaxation Mask
The Mindfold mask blocks out all light while still allowing the wearer to keep their eyes open.
Invented by legendary psychedelic artist Alex Grey back in 1978, the Mindfold has since been redesigned for comfort, and is not your average eye mask. It is a light-tight eye covering that allows the wearer to keep their eyes open, making it a great tool for facilitating the journey withinalthough customers also rave about its usefulness for things like meditation, sleep, travel, and headaches. Its high-density soft foam padding makes for a comfortable fit, while the adjustable strap means it will stay in place while youre wearing it. The Mindfold comes with a pair of memory foam ear plugs to block out sound if youd prefer to deprive your senses and fully dive inward.
DoubleBlind is a biannual print magazine and media company covering "untold stories about the ... [+] expansion of psychedelics around the globe."
A subscription to DoubleBlind Magazine
The beauty of a biannual print magazine is the buildup to each issue, and the two creators behind this psychedelia-centred publication have it down pat. Since Shelby Hartman and Madison Margolin launched the magazine in 2019, DoubleBlind has become a preeminent publication on psychedelics, curating a mixture of long-form articles, poetry, art, photo essays, and more in their twice-a-year print issues. Online, DoubleBlind offers readers features with headlines likeWhy We All Need to Be Spanked and Trip Right Now and How Tripping Can Help Us Reimagine Capitalism Ahead of Psychedelic Commercialization. The magazines store offers an assortment of options including the Essentials Kit with its three latest print issues, the choice to buy individual issues, or the option to subscribe.
Artwork by Chris Dyer
Chris Dyer is a Peruvian-Canadian artist based in Montreal where he works out of his home, nicknamed ... [+] "The Positive Portal." Dyer's work is available in prints and also on clothing, home decor, and more.
The work of Peruvian-Canadian artist Chris Dyer can be described as vibrantly colorful, impeccably detailed, and positively hallucinatory. For two decades the Montreal-based artist has been creating art inspired by the psychedelic experience, painting murals and sharing his work in cities throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as in Australia, Cuba, Jamaica, and Thailand, among others. The artists medium of choice is painting, but for those who arent on the hunt for wall fixtures, Dyers online shop offers a wide variety of merchandise for the multidimensional explorer, including clothing, bedding, skateboards, tapestries, yoga mats, puzzles, pillows, and more.
The Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku, foreword by Graham Hancock
The Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku explores the role psychedelics have played in the origins ... [+] of Western Civilization.
Some theologians have said there is reason to believe Moses was tripping on a hallucinogen when he saw the burning bush. This is just one of several instances in the bible believed by some to be associated with psychedelic plant medicines. While there has been much speculation on the role psychedelics may have played in early Christianity and the origins of Western civilization, Brian C. Muraresku seeks to bring some clarity to the conversation in his debut book. In The Immortality Key: The Secret History of The Religion With No Name, Muraresku puts 10 years of research to paper, offering readers a deep dive into the connections between Ancient Greece, Christianity, and the ancient use of visionary drugs. Using scientific research, classical literature, biblical scholarship and art, Muraresku offers the real story behind Jesus and the biggest religion in the world.
Glow CBD Bath Bomb by Kush Queen
Kush Queen's Glow CBD bath bomb is a great enhancement to your post-trip soak.
After a psychedelic trip, taking time to reflect and integrate is important. Olivia Alexander is the founder of cannabis brand Kush Queen, and is an advocate for cannabis and psychedelics for health and wellness. She began her line of bath bombs for people to experience cannabis in a more approachable way. After an experience with psilocybin, one of her favourite ways to ponder it is with a bath. When I trip, I think having a bath the next morning can really take the experience deeper, like putting a period on the end of the sentence of a trip by bringing you more into your body, she says. The Glow bath bomb features 200 milligrams of hemp-derived CBD, a combination of essential oils, and a special non-toxic ingredient, mica, to make it glow in the dark. A little charge under a light before your soak and this handmade bath bomb will bring some groovy vibes to the tub. Use a black light for a more intense glow.
Chocolate molds
Psilocybin-infused chocolates make ingestion of magic mushrooms much, much more pleasant.
While some might be content to chew magic mushrooms whole, eating what tastes like a mouthful of dirt might not be the most ideal method of ingestion for some. Its easy enough to toss a couple of stems and caps onto a pizza, but the shared history of mushrooms and chocolate (well, cacao) makes them a great combinationand one thats much more delicious than eating the dried fungus on its own. The Aztecs sometimes combined cacao, the food of the gods, and mushrooms, the flesh of the gods, in a beverage to be consumed in religious ceremonies as the two ingredients are thought to have a synergistic effect. Making mushroom-infused chocolates is one way to capitalize on this connection. Combined with this DoubleBlind recipe for infused chocolates, a fun set of chocolate molds make a great stocking stuffer for the DIY-type on your list. Try Etsy for mushroom-shaped molds and Amazon for, well, anything else.
The Story of the Grateful Dead: A vinyl boxed set on 14 LPs
This 14-record set comes complete with four studio albums, four live albums, a six-episode podcast, ... [+] a book of liner notes, and a commemorative box.
Because no psychedelic-themed wish list would feel complete without a nod to the Deadheads out there, this curated boxed set by VMP is for the people on your list who were tripping on psychedelics during the Summer of Love and the years that followed. This 14-vinyl set will take listeners on a joyride through one of the deepest catalogs and richest legacies in rock history, and comes with eight essential albums, a six-episode podcast series about the band, a booklet of liner notes featuring essays by contemporary musicians about the Dead, and a commemorative box to hold it all together. Pressed on 180-gram colored vinyl, all titles but one were cut from the original analog tapes. According to VMP, the quality is so good, it sounds like the Dead is playing in your living room.
A subscription to Synctuition, a meditation app that uses 3D sound
The Synctuition app stands out from the crowd of existing mindfulness tools for its rich layers of ... [+] sound, personalization, and friendly user interface.
Meditation apps are nothing new, but for the psychonauts out there, one stands out from the crowd of existing tools for its rich layers of sound, personalization, and friendly user interface. Developed over the course of 10 years, Synctuition combines 3D sound, binaural beats, rhythmic sounds, and your own personalized frequency (determined with a voice recording when you set up the app) to provide a series of 25-minute soundscapes for meditation that promote better sleep, relaxation, clarity, lower stress, and reduced anxiety. On a personal note, I maintain a regular meditation practice and was intrigued to learn about Synctuitions features. When I tried it for the first time (without the use of psychedelics), I found myself taken to a place far away from this world, but deep within myselfprecisely where you want to be when youre meditating or on a psychedelic journey. Subscribers rave about the app, lauding it for promoting more creative thinking, a deeper connection to intuition, and even spurring lucid dreams. Find it in the app store.
Read more:
Holiday Gift Guide 2020: What To Buy The Psychonaut On Your List - Forbes
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
