Episode 86

Written By Michaela Carlin
 
 

Exploring the cultural and spiritual depths of psychedelics, Acacea Lewis offers perspectives on the importance of cultural and historical context in the use of sacred plant medicines. Acacea, a cultural anthropologist and spiritual practitioner, shares her personal experiences with psilocybin mushrooms beginning from a young age, and how they aided her in overcoming suicidal thoughts. She also offers insights into the global history of entheogenic plants and the effects of their commercialization in Western society.

The discussion expands into spiritual practices, including the profound healing potential of Buddhist chanting, advanced meditation techniques and tea ceremonies. With reflections on profound personal loss and the journey through grief, this conversation highlights the integration of ancient traditions with contemporary practices for personal and collective transformation and offers heartfelt insights into self-discovery and continuous spiritual practice.

Acacea Lewis is a lecturer and leader in the field of Cultural Anthropology in Psychedelics. She founded Divine Master Alchemy, a school dedicated to providing cultural context in entheogenic exploration. Her mission is to guide both newcomers and experienced individuals deeper into their communion with mushrooms through vibrant, contextually relevant, and meaningful ways.

Acacea's approach integrates cultural, medicinal, expansive, and historical narratives, enriching the exploration of psychedelics. She has spoken at dozens of universities and in a variety of academic, and professional settings, currently she offers several courses that people can purchase and watch live or recorded on Kajabi.

Episode Highlights

01:19 Acacea Lewis: cultural anthropologist and psychedelic expert

04:39 Acacea's unique upbringing and early academic journey

05:42 The impact of Acaea’s early psychedelic experiences

07:32 Making sense of the mystical and scientific aspects of psychedelics

10:17 Cultural and historical contexts of psychedelic use

26:03 The Western approach to psychedelics and its limitations

31:54 Ethical and sustainable practices in psychedelics

49:45 The benefits of eucommia flowers

50:27 Emotional health and chinese medicine

52:04 Microdosing and conscious dosing

54:17 Amanita mushrooms: benefits and misconceptions

55:38 Teaching global plant medicine

57:57 The journey to non-duality through buddhism

01:19:00 Daily practices and nutrition

01:30:43 Grief, healing and spiritual growth

01:39:18 Buddhist practices and mantras

Acacea Lewis’ Links 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Acacea’s Gift to You:

50% off of her upcoming psychedelics course via Yawn on Instagram.

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Special thanks to Jeremy Colbert (Taragápe) for the original podcast theme music.

You can find out more about Jeremey’s work here:
taragape.com and @taragape

Michaela Carlin
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