Guest speaker: Dr. Timothy Leary
PROGRAM NOTES:
[NOTE: All quotations below are by Dr. Timothy Leary.]
“Psychedelic art is the public face of the communication device of our new religion.”
“Man’s attempt to turn on just staggers the imagination. There’s hardly anything that hasn’t been used one time or another, or in one culture or another, to get this [psychedelic] experience.”
“We don’t care what method people use [to turn on]. We treasure and glorify any method that can get you high, that can turn you on. But we also insist that no one tell us that we can’t use our sacraments that seem to work for us.”
“We’re convinced, and I think it wouldn’t be hard to prove my point, that most Americans are involved in a meaningless, robot, assembly-line series of activities. They don’t really know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, but they’re just pushed off to this assembly-line and off they go.”
“[By drop out] we mean drop out of the meaningless and tune in to the productive.”
“You have to go out of your mind to come to your senses.”
“There’s no more room for mythological, supernatural religious teachers.”
“We use this word ‘psychosis’ the way we used the word ‘devil’ or ‘devil-possession’ or ‘witchcraft’ two or three or four or five hundred years ago.”
“When the time comes, let your kids turn you on. That’s my message to the middle-age, middle-class, whiskey-drinking American suburban family.”
“So jail to us is not a middle class disgrace. Here I am, a former Harvard professor, I’ve been arrested three times in the last year. Isn’t that disgraceful? To me that just means I’m doing my job. And if I don’t get the establishment a little worried, I wonder if my message is not getting through.”
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BTW,chapter nine of “The Genesis Generation” (titled Caitlín’s Salon) takes place at one of those salons. It will give you a little better feeling for what went on there.
Comments from original blog page: http://www.matrixmasters.net/blogs/?p=848
amic
48:52 “Let your kids turn you on …that’s my message to the middle aged, middle class, whiskey drinking, suburban, american family” that is so profound, yet so wrong sounding…
Lorenzo
What is “wrong sounding” about it?
Lorenzo
In this podcast I read an email that brought up the question of how to get more involved with the psychedelic community. Just now I read the beginning of a thread that has begun on that topic over at TheGrowReport.com. You can find it at:
http://thegrowreport.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=…
amic
Not wrong as in “incorrect or flawed”.. it’s just my little attempt at humor after a couple too many bong hits one night.
A line that is “wrong sounding” only if taken out of context… yes, in this instance it’s perfectly acceptable. But… if you print a bumper sticker that says “my kids turn me on” you’ll soon see how a line of sage wisdom from a tribal elder can be misunderstood in a comical way.
Lorenzo
I had a feeling that was what you meant. Thanks for clearing it up. And I agree with you, that the phrase does lend itself to a wide range of ways to think about in. … and, BTW, there is no such thing as “too many” bong hits. (my attempt at humor 🙂 )
EROCx1
I loved this talk Lorenzo! Great pick! These talks really help our community get to know Dr. Leary. Too many people dismiss and blame him as the sole cause for entheogens becoming scheduled. Here we can listen to his philosophy and practice first hand. Was his non-elitist approach the downfall of psychedelics legal status? His actions may have contributed. However he should be minimally given some credit for making our country more aware, innovative, caring and loving. Not to mention his putting what he believed in before his career.
IMHO the path he choose is more effective at curing culture then putting these sacraments only in the hands of Dr’s and corporations (for profit or not). Repealing the prohibition of these sacraments for spiritual purposes would be more beneficial to society then the for therapeutic use only cause. I do appreciate the work of Dr.’s and organizations trying to legalize medical use. However I believe the right to use entheogens under freedom of religion needs to be perused equally if not more then the medical acceptance efforts.
EROCx1
I was really burned out when I posted the comment above. Sorry for the misspellings…
Countmein
Lorenzo,
Quick question
At the very end of the podcast you mentioned the Maui taxi cab driver. You mentioned “The Last of our little salons held in Venice Beach”
Can you elaborate on this. Was this held for the public? & maybe how I can get more info on these little gatherings. I would have loved to chat you again & other like psychonauts.
Loved the podcast by the way! Thanks.
Lorenzo
re: “The Last of our little salons held in Venice Beach”
Alas, that was a precise description. For eight years now our beloved Kathleen has hosted a salon (originally called “The Hofmann Foundation Potlucks”). But circumstances have forced her to leave her wonderful house in Venice Beach. … however, the spirit of her salons will live on forever!