PlanEat
Nothing changes the planet as much as the way we eat
A film by Shelley Lee Davies and Or Shlomi
DVD, running time 72 minutes, English
USD 10.69
True Mind

It seems that what’s good for the environment is also good for our health. And it turns out we can make a difference. It’s as simple as breakfast, lunch and dinner. All we need to do is eat less meat and dairy.
Shelley Lee Davies

The documentary tells the story of three men’s life-long search for a diet, which is good for our health, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. With an additional cast of pioneering chefs and some of the best cooking you have ever seen, the scientists and doctors in the film present a convincing case for the West to re-examine its love affair with meat and dairy. The film features the ground-breaking work of Dr. T Colin Campbell in China exploring the link between diet and disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s use of diet to treat heart disease patients, and Professor Gidon Eshel’s investigations into how our food choices contribute to global warming, land use and oceanic deadzones.
With the help of some innovative farmers and chefs, PlanEat shows how the problems we face today can be solved, without simply resorting to a diet of lentils and lettuce leaves. (provided) 28 Nov 12

Dirty Pictures
A film by Etienne Sauret
DVD, 91 minutes
USD 14.99 | EUR 15.99 | CHF 21.90
Breaking Glass Pictures

Use them with care, and use them with respect as to the transformations they can achieve, and you have an extraordinary research tool. Go banging about with a psychedelic drug for a Saturday night turn-on, and you can get into a really bad place, psychologically. Know what you’re using, decide just why you’re using it, and you can have a rich experience. They’re not addictive, and they’re certainly not escapist, either, but they’re exceptionally valuable tools for understanding the human mind, and how it works.
Alexander Shulgin

Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin is the scientist behind more than 200 psychedelic compounds – including MDMA, more commonly known as Ecstasy. Considered to be one of the greatest chemists of the 20th century, Sasha’s vast array of discoveries have had a profound impact in the field of psychedelic research, making him a subject of fascination and controversy among fellow scientists and a folk hero to recreational users of psychedelics.
Dirty Pictures uncovers the lifework of Dr. Shulgin and takes viewers inside his Northern California home where he lives with his wife of 40 years and continues to carry out experiments in a makeshift laboratory. Director Étienne Sauret likewise delves into the broader world of psychedelic research – where the fields of chemistry, neuroscience and philosophy intersect – and investigates whether or not this particular field could aid in solving the deepest mysteries of the human mind. (provided) 24 Nov 12

Permaculture 
The Growing Edge 
A Documentary by Donna Read & Starhawk
DVD, 45 Minutes 
USD 19.95
Belili Productions

Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.
Bill Mollison

This film is an antidote to environmental despair, a hopeful and practical look at a path to a viable, flourishing future. It introduces us to inspiring examples of projects, and includes a visit to David Holmgren’s own homestead, tracking deer with naturalist Jon Young, sheet mulching an inner-city garden with Hunters Point Family, transforming an intersection into a gathering place with City Repair and joining mycologist Paul Stamets as he cleans up an oil spill with mushrooms. We interview some of the key figures in the Permaculture movement, including David Holmgren, Penny Livingston-Stark, James Stark, Paul Stamets, Mark Lakeman, Dr. Elaine Ingham, Maddy Harland, and others. Permaculture is a sustainable system of earth care that offers solutions to many of our grave environmental problems and a hopeful, proactive vision of change. The Permaculture movement, started by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the nineteen seventies, is now a worldwide network of skilled ecological designers, teachers, food growers, natural builders, environmental activists and visionaries. (zvg) 23 Oct 11

Vine of the Soul 
Encounters with Ayahuasca
A Film by Richard Meech
Running Time 52 + 48 Minutes 
Download USD 8.95
DVD 16.95 
Meech Grant Productions

Can a sacred plant from the Amazon heal our minds and spirits? For centuries, indigenous people of South America have used ayahuasca, a psychoactive plant medicine, to cure all manner of psycho-spiritual ills.
Today, thousands of Westerners, seeking healing and spiritual awakening, attend ayahuasca ceremonies around the world to drink the vision-inducing tea and experience dramatic transformations in their lives.
Vine of the Soul is a documentary that explores this brave new world, offering insights into the nature of faith, mystical experience and self-healing through a heightened state of consciousness. Filmmaker Richard Meech follows key protagonists as they journey to Peru – and back home – capturing in verité style both the life-altering epiphanies and nights of terror encountered after drinking the sacred brew. 
Is ayahuasca a doorway to direct knowledge of the divine or a path that leads to psychological trauma? Can it cure modern addictions to drugs and alcohol or is ayahuasca itself a possible substance of abuse? Some people call it a medicine, others a sacrament; the Amazonian shamans say it is simply a ‘plant teacher’ that tells you what you need to know. 
Throughout the film, in-depth interviews with Peruvian and Canadian shamans, ethnobotanist Dennis McKenna, addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté and scholar Kenneth Tupper speak to the increasing use of ayahuasca outside the Amazon and the potential benefits for Western medicine, personal spiritual growth and a new understanding of nature. 
Featuring Guillermo Arévalo, Metsa Niwue and Ronin Niwe. Shot on location at Espíritu de Anaconda near Iquitos, Peru and at other locations in North America. 15 Jan 11
http://www.vineofthesoul.com (zvg)

2012 • Time for Change 
A Film by João Amorim
Running time: 85 minutes, Color|B&W DVD, English 
USD 30.00
Mangusta Productions in association with Curious Pictures and Postmodern Times

2012: Time for Change presents an optimistic alternative to apocalyptical doom and gloom. Directed by João Amorim, the film follows journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the bestselling 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, on a quest for a new paradigm that integrates the archaic wisdom of tribal cultures with the scientific method. As conscious agentsof evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological principles to make a world that works for all. Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 heralds the birth of a regenerative planetary culture where collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile materialism that has pushed our world to the brink.www.2012timeforchange.com (zvg) 28Oct10

Something Unknown is doing we don’t know what 
A Fascinating Spiritual Journey Into the Science Behing Psychic Phenomena 
By Renée Scheltema 
DVD, 16:9, PAL 
Running Time 105 minutes 
Telekan – Something Unknown

Is it possible that some people can read your mind, “Telepathy”? or look into the future, “Clairvoyancy”? Why is it that some people can cure themselves while in the last stages of a deadly cancer, “Healing”? Does mind over matter really exist, and if so, how do we explain this “Telekinesis”? 
Millions of people claim to ‘see’ distant objects or places “Remote Viewing”. Where is the boundary between ‘real’ magical powers and fraud? Can these ‘miracles of the mind’ be explained? These and more questions will be answered in the quirky feature award winning, documentary “Something Unknown is doing we don’t know what” by Dutch filmmaker Renée Scheltema, who was inspired to explore the realms of psychic phenomena after a series of curious and unexplainable events happened around her all in a short period of time. She travelled to the US to meet up with the top scientists, para-psychologists, psychologists, physicians, and doctors within the field of research, like Prof Charles Tart, Prof Gary Schwartz, Dr Larry Dossey and Dr Dean Radin. Along the way she collects anecdotal stories from celebrities within the field, such as psychic detective Nancy Myer, author Arielle Ford, astronaut Dr Edgar Mitchell and intuitive Catherine Yunt.
Renée found that experiments of today reveal how science is verifying numerous kinds of connections: ‘mind to mind’; ‘mind to body’ and ‘mind to world’, demonstrating that psychic abilities are part of our inherent nature. www.somethingunknown.com (zvg) 13 Oct 10

Feminine Mysticism in Art 
Artists Envisioning the Divine 
DVD, Running Time 110 minutes 
USD 19.95 
New Paradigm Publishing

This colorful and inspirational slide show of transcendental art synchronized to uplifting music is a stunning collaboration of art works by over fifty contemporary visionary artists from an assortment of spiritual traditions. The purpose of the DVD is to not only document a genre of art referred to as feminine mysticism, but also to reveal powerful images of the Divine in his/her myriad forms. Feminine Mysticism is a spiritual movement devoted to the re-enchantment of the feminine face ofGod, which has been lost to many westerners, but is beginning to resurface in various ways. The core artistic mission is to cultivate an awareness of the Great Goddess so that we can move into a new mode of consciousness, a symbiotic union between the masculine and feminine aspects within the human psyche and society at large. However, before this shift in consciousness can occur, the awakening of the Divine Feminine needs to occur on a massive level, which is why it is crucialto get as many images as possible into the public’s view at this time. 
Someof the contributing visual artists are Martina Hoffman, Maura Holden, Mark Henson, Daniel Mirante, Amoraea Dreamseed, Daniel Holeman, Paul Heussenstamm, Blaze Warrender, Mariela de la Paz, Francene Hart, Victoria Christian, Hrana Janto, Suzanne Deveuve and several other transcendental artists. (zvg) 9|13|10

Liquid Crystal Vision 
Documentary by Billy Rood and Torsten Klimmer DVD with 5.1 Surround sound in English 
Running time 60 minutes, plus bonus footage 
USD 29.99 plus shipping & handling 
Omananda

Liquid Crystal Vision fuses the ancient and the future. It blends scenes of exotic places such as Angkor Wat, Goa, Laos, Japan, and others with superb graphics, sounds, performances, and channeled interviews. LCV presents dancing as one of the means to initiate a far-reaching personal evolution. It contrasts control versus freedom. The impact of the mystical arts movement on planetary consciousness is highlighted during the 60 minutes wake-up call. Liquid Crystal Vision makes an artistic and political statement that leaves a strong imprint on the audience. Watching this film triggers a psychological response that unchains deep inner truths. Its hallucinatory sights and sounds catapult viewers into cosmic spheres. LCV recognizes the principle of positive change: divine inspiration expresses itself on all levels of existence, often simultaneously. As a global peace prayer the film presents all religious symbols equally in its deliciously visionary story line. Find out more about the making of the film and watch it online for free: Liquid Crystal Vision (zvg) 05|05|10

Who’s Driving the Dreambus?
Exploring Life’s Most Profound Mystery
2 DVD discs with extra features 
Running time 99 minutes 
GBP 19.95 | USD 29.95 
Baci Films

Life is full of big questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Why is there suffering? Is there life after death? And – ultimately – the question we all try to find the answer to, How can I find happiness or peace of mind? But what if that search for happiness was based on a huge misconception, a misconception that has been drummed into us since birth, that we are separate individuals? 
In Who’s Driving the Dreambus? filmmakers Boris and Claire Jänsch go on a personal journey through a series of interviews with eminent spiritual teachers, philosophers and writers – in a quest to unravel what it means to be alive. This radical and challenging documentary, ventures into the heart of the mystery of identity, flipping the idea of spiritual endeavour on its head, revealing a message so profound and yet so simple that it might just end the search. 
Narrated by Boris Jänsch, the film opens with extraordinary footage from his actual birth filmed by his father, and it becomes clear early on that Boris’ search for answers has until now been somewhat unfulfilled. This poetic and uncompromising film comes full circle as it examines birth, death and asks the big questions. No spiritual stone is left unturned as the interviews also tackle wide-ranging topics including suffering, choice and free will, enlightenment and meaning. 
At times uncomfortably honest but equally humorous Who’s driving the Dreambus? is unlike any film in it’s genre to date and delivers a message with a radically non-dualistic flavour. If you have a treasured belief system, whether it’s based on religion, agnosticism or indeed atheism, then this film may be a hard pill to swallow – because what this film is pointing to is the end of individuality. 
You may have been searching for answers your whole life but are you ready to acknowledge that there might not be any? As Tony Parsons puts it: ‘Oneness creates the idea of being a separate individual and goes around looking for something called not being a separate individual… it’s a joke, it’s the biggest joke in town.’ (zvg) Who’s Driving the Dreambus? 5|1|10

Robert Anton Wilson and Joseph Matheny 
Robert Anton Wilson: The Lost Studio Session 
CD, Running Time 1 hour 
USD 16.95 
The Original Falcon Press

First recorded in Chicago in 1994, this previously unreleased audio session with the renowned Robert Anton Wilson has been stored away for fifteen years … and almost lost entirely. If Bob knew how many synchronicities surround the rediscovery and release of this “lost” studio session, he would be chuckling in that half jolly, half mischievous way of his. If you believe in any kind of afterlife, maybe you can imagine him laughing right now. I like that image: Bob the laughing Buddha, still having one over on us from the great beyond.
Robert Anton Wilson is the coauthor (with the late Robert Shea), of the underground classic the Illuminatus! trilogy which won the 1986 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. His other writings include Schrodinger’s Cat trilogy, called “the most scientific of all science fiction novels” by New Scientist, and many nonfiction works of Futurist psychology and guerilla ontology. Wilson, who sees himself as a Futurist, author, and stand-up comic, regularly gives seminars at Esalan and other New Age centers. Wilson has made both a comedy record (Secrets of Power), and a punk rock record (The Chocolate Biscuit Conspiracy), and his play, Wilhelm Reich in Hell, has been performed throughout the world. His novel Illuminatus! was adapted as a 10-hour science fiction rock epic and performed under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Great Britain’s National Theatre, where Wilson appeared in a special cameo role. He is also a former editor at Playboy magazine. (zvg) 3|9|10

Metamorphosis
Ayahuasca: Journey to the Self
A film by Keith Aronowitz
DVD NTSC 16:9
Running time 95 minutes, color
2 Disc Special Edition 
USD 24.95
Mono Blanco Films

Ayahuasca has been used by Shamans and those they help for hundreds if not thousands of years. Found all over the Amazon, Ayahuasca and its incredible ability to heal has been slowly but steadily creeping into western consciousness. Metamorphosis is a documentary that follows several westerners as they undergo five Ayahuasca ceremonies and experience the gamut of emotions – from utter fear to outright ecstasy. It also explores the shamans who work with the medicine as well as all the key elements of an Ayahuasca ceremony.
The film also tells the story of Hamilton Souther, who earlier in life had no belief of and in spirit. After having a spiritual awakening, Hamilton is led to the Amazon where he apprentices as an Ayahuascero. Hamilton and Maestro Don Alberto, an indigenous master shaman for over thirty years that practices with Hamilton, take us through the ceremonies as well as explain the meaning behind them. As the film progresses, we follow the journey that the participants take through the plant medicine. The difficulties of the experience are revealed as well as why each of the participants has come. Integral elements of the ceremony, such as the icaros (songs sung in ceremony) and the “purge” are explored further. 
Finally, we get to see the transformations people have undergone, from physical to emotional to spiritual, after having spent more than a week with Ayahuasca. They reflect on their experiences and share what they have learned, leaving profoundly transformed from when they first arrived. (zvg) 09|30|09

The Voice
Explore the Conversation Between the Cosmos and the Quantum Universe 
A Film by David Sereda 
DVD, NTSC Running Time 180 minutes 
USD 27.95 
Voice Entertainment

This film examines the merging of spirituality, religion and science. In this grand marriage, we can hear the voice of a new kind of wisdom that will not threaten our view of God, but will only deepen our understanding.
The Voice helps us answer questions that human beings face: What is consciousness? How does consciousness affect our reality and how do our thoughts become things? What is mind over matter and how does this occur? The science of consciousness provides us with tangible methodology of how to reach enlightenment!
What is the experience of enlightenment like? Find out what experiencers are telling us and discover ways to achieve heightened states of awareness. Witness ordinary people having extraordinary spiritual experiences, Saints and consciousness explorers and scientists who are pioneering the way with the latest technology who have groundbreaking evidence. (zvg) 08|25|09

Manifesting the Mind
Footprints of the Shaman –
Part 1 of 3
A Film by Andrew Rutajit
Running Time 120 Minutes
NTSC
USD 19.95
Bouncing Bear Films

This film is the first in a series of three films discussing various aspects of shamanism. Manifesting the Mind is a broad look at psychedelics in general. Why are psychedelics so brutally suppressed in our culture? What exactly are some of the psychedelic plants and chemicals and how can they benefit us? With philosophy and insight from a variety of experts this film is not to be missed by anyone interested in psychedelics and shamanism.
Interviews include Robert Bussinger, Mike Crowley, Timothy Freke, Peter Gandy, Alex Grey, Clark Heinrich, Nick Herbert, John Major Jenkins, Dennis McKenna, Terence McKenna, Daniel Pinchbeck, and Dr. Rick Strassman. (zvg) 07|10|09

Cognition Factor
Documentary, directed by Mike Kawitzki
Running Time 60minutes
NTSC, PAL
USD 24.99
Headspace Studios

Inspired by Terence McKenna, iconoclast gonzo filmmaker Mike Kawitzky probes the outer limits of consciousness in Cognition Factor. One cyberpunk’s search for enlightenment in a digital age, as twenty of the top minds of our times give their opinions on the “Big Five” questions relating to the human experience. Using 3D scenarios and backed by an original score from ambient masters, Cognition Factor is one of the world’s first smart movie with a dynamic way of presenting word, picture, music and opinion to increasingly informed audiences who are bored with media prescription.
The plot takes place in a stream of consciousness as a cyberpunk quests for enlightenment in the digital age. The viewer is transported to a narrated virtual world in search of answers to the “Big Five” questions. It’s a totally human experience as Cognition Factor stitches live conversations with Terence McKenna, brother Dennis McKenna, along with Ralph Abraham, Rupert Sheldrake, Ralph Metzner, Alex Grey, and twenty more of the top thinkers of our times. It’s a narrated gonzo documentary, showcast inside a 3D landscape backed by original compositions from top musicians, like Dr. Lx Paterson, Dom Beken and Phil Le Gonedic, of The ORB, Merv Pepler (EatStatic/Ozrik Tentacles), Colin Angus& Matt Catt (The Shamen/Pablo Sandoz), Steve Hillage (System 7), all brought together by ambient composer, performer and originator, Mike Martin (Indidginus). (zvg) 06|09|09

LSD: Problem Child and Wonder Drug
The International LSD Symposium held on the occasion of Dr. Albert Hofmann’s 100th Birthday, Basel, Switzerland, January 2006
Documentary, directed by Michael McAteer
Running Time 60minutes
Subtitles in English and Japanese
USD 25.00 
Open Mind Vision

In January 2006, some 80 speakers and more than 2000 participants from 37 countries gathered for the three day International LSD Symposium held in Basel, Switzerland, organized by the Gaia Media Foundation, at the occasion of Dr. Albert Hofmann’s 100th birthday, and to hear the father of LSD speak first hand about his life, his discovery and his thoughts on the psychedelic experience. It was also an opportunity for leading doctors, researchers, artists and thinkers in the psychedelic field to present their work. By documenting this historic symposium, LSD: Problem Child and Wonder Drug articulates the scientific, medical, artistic and spiritual issues at the core of the psychedelic debate. While experienced psychonauts will inevitably be touched by the words and the demeanor of Dr. Hofmann, the DVD is also ideal for introducing inexperienced friends, parents and colleagues to the reasons why psychedelic experience cannot simply be ignored.
The DVD captures the fascinating story of LSD as it is eloquently spoken by Dr. Albert Hofmann, the 100 year old sage-scientist who brought it into the world. With interviews and presentations by Rick Doblin, Goa Gil, Alex Grey, Stanley Krippner, Martin A. Lee, Ralph Metzner, Carl Ruck, and others, this historic message from the father of LSD is a timeless relic and an immediate source of inspiration. (zvg) 04|28|09

“This is an important film. It is a comprehensive document of the various effects of LSD and of their meaning. The film is a good document of the uniqueness of LSD.”
Albert Hofmann

“This is a very good film.”
Anita Hofmann

Timewave 2013
The Odyssey II
A Film by Sharron Rose
Running Time 84 Minutes
USD 24.95
Sacred Mysteries

What lies ahead for the human race? Will we reach the destiny that awaits us? In the film 2012 The Odyssey, author Sharron Rose went on a quest to understand the many prophecies around the year 2012. In this sequel to that film, she travels far beyond the world of 2012.
During this fascinating expedition into the nature of time itself, Ms. Rose speaks to many of the world’s experts on mythology, alchemy, astrology, anthropology and ancient history; Jose Arguelles, Gregg Braden, Riane Eisler, William Henry, Jean Houston, John Major Jenkins, Rick Levine, Dennis McKenna, Terence McKenna, Daniel Pinchbeck, Geoff Stray, Whitley Strieber, Alberto Villoldo and Jay Weidner. They discuss topics such as the shift of the ages, the galactic alignment, global warming, the pervasive role of the media in our lives, the secret place of refuge, the mystic work of Benjamin Franklin, renewal of the American spirit and the transformation of humanity.
Journey with Ms. Rose beyond the Georgia Guidestones, Denver Airport, Cross of Hendaye and Mayan Calendar to the Sacred Valley of Peru where we sit in ceremony with the powerful Shaman/healers of the Q’ero people and listen to their powerful prophecies for the future of humankind.
While firmly based in a rich perspective on our past history, and a new understanding of the nature of the times we live in, Timewave 2013 offers a clear, yet positive vision of what is to come. (zvg) 10|17|08

Hofmann’s Potion
A Film by Connie Littlefield
Running time 56 minutes
USD 24.98
National Film Board of Canada
Alive Media

Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to “tune in, turn on and drop out,” lysergic acid diethylamide (or LSD) was being used by researchers committed to understanding the workings of the human mind. Discovered in 1943 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, LSD was hailed as a powerful tool for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide a window into schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Much of that pioneering research was done by the team of Humphry Osmond, Abram Hoffer and Duncan Blewett, all working in Saskatchewan. While researchers were establishing the medical benefits of LSD, others – like the friend of Humphry Osmond, author Aldous Huxley – promoted the drug as a powerful tool for mental exploration and self-understanding. At Harvard, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Ram Dass became popular heroes after the university cancelled their research into psychedelics.
With thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, Hofmann’s Potion is an invitation to look at LSD with a more open, compassionate mind. More … (zvg) 09|09|08

2012
The Odyssey
A Film by Sharron Rose
Running Time 55 Minutes
USD 19.95
Sacred Mysteries

The Mayan Calendar is ending on 21st December 2012. What will happen to us between now and then? Are there other prophecies that also predict the closing of this world age and the start of a new beginning? Join author Sharron Rose on an adventure into the future. In this exciting and thought provoking feature documentary she travels across the entire United States speaking to the many experts on this fast approaching prophecy. They help her to reveal the secrets that will unfold before our eyes and will shape our future. Featuring noted experts Jose Arguelles, Gregg Braden, John Major Jenkins, Rick Levine, Geoff Stray, Moira Timms, Alberto Villoldo, Jay Weidner, the Incan Elders and more, this film shows us that the coming world is ours to reshape and to remake in any way that we deem possible.
Sharron Rose also travels to the Georgia Guidestones, Washington D.C., the Denver Airport and many other places to discover that there are numerous groups and people who understand that this present age is ending and a new world is now just beginning.
Discover the secrets of the Mayans, the Incans, the Alchemists, the Christians, the Masons and others of our ancient ancestors concerning the end of time and the promise of our destiny as human beings. (zvg) 09|05|08

Terence McKenna
The Alchemical Dream
Rebirth of the Great Work
A Film by Sheldon Rochlin
Running Time 55 Minutes
USD 19.95
Mystic Fire, Sacred Mysteries

In the mid-1990′s Terence McKenna and Mystic Fire’s Sheldon Rochlin teamed up to make this rich and exciting film. Little did they know that this would be their last film. Filmed in Prague with Terence portraying his usual erudite rendition of the Irish Bard, this filmed classic takes us on a journey into the alchemical renaissance of King Frederick V and his wife Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia. Playing the role of John Dee, court magician for Queen Elizabeth of England, Terence McKenna shows us how the promise of a return to the tradition of alchemy was almost instituted in Europe. He also shows us that this early attempt at the creation of an alchemical kingdom actually lead to the European Renaissance and the institution of Cartesian science and the beginnings of rationalism within the western mindset. This incredible film is not only beautifully filmed but is Terence McKenna’s finest performance and a worthy eulogy to his genius. (zvg) 09|05|08

If only a fraction of McKenna’s thought is true, he will someday be regarded as the Copernicus of consciousness. 
The Village Voice

FlicKeR
The true story of Brion Gysin and the Dreamachine
A Film by Nik Sheehan
Running Time 75 Minutes
USD 26.98
Alive Mind

In 1960, poet, artist, and beatnik Brion Gysin invented the Dreamachine, a hypnotic light device with the power to induce hallucinations. The Dreamachine enthralled mystics and freethinkers everywhere, with William S. Burroughs claiming that it could “storm the citadels of enlightenment”. With interviews from some of the counterculture’s most eccentric icons – from Iggy Pop to singer Marianne Faithfull – FLicKeR is a riveting documentary that explores the life of Brion Gysin and his quest to transform human consciousness. Taking the dream machine as the basis of its explorations, FLicKeR asks crucial questions about the nature of art and consciousness, and imagines a humanity liberated to explore its creativity in complete freedom. (zvg) 08|08|08
More …

Simon G. Powell
Metanoia
A New Vision of Nature
Running Time 94 Minutes
GBP 5.99 to 7.99
Psychoactive Media

Employing a healthy blend of science, art and metaphysics, author Simon G. Powell presents a radical new perspective on the meaning and significance of life in this innovative and highly unorthodox documentary. Central to the film is the concept of natural intelligence. Hitherto unattested, the concept of natural intelligence holds that the evolution of life on Earth is essentially an intelligent information-gaining process driven by an intelligently configured Universe. Despite the controversial nature of such a claim, Powell marshals plenty of evidence to support the natural intelligence paradigm. Accompanied by original upbeat music throughout, Metanoia will thus guide anyone with an open mind to a new appreciation and a new understanding of Nature. So poised, our relationship with the rest of the biosphere may yet be healed. More about the author and his work underPsychoactive Media (zvg) 01|24|08

Shamans of the Amazon
A Documentary by Dean Jefferys
Featuring: Terence McKenna, Rick Strassman, Yatra De Silvera Babosa, Enrique and Raphael, Shamans from Ecuador and Pablo Amaringo from Peru.

Shamans of the Amazon, is a personal account of filmmaker, Dean Jefferys, returning to the Amazon with his partner and one year old daughter. They journey deep into the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest to meet two Amazon shamans to learn about and experience the ancient hallucinogenic ayahuasca ritual.
The film brings to the viewer an intimate and fascinating look at the shamans of the Amazon, their culture and their rituals that are fast disappearing. It is said ayahuasca allows the shaman to enter other dimensions where complicated healings, shamanic battles, clairvoyance, initiations, ancestral knowledge exchange and communications with the plant, animal and spirit world is possible.
The ayahuasca ritual involves the drinking of a combination of two hallucinogenic plants in the presence of a trained shaman. Using the first person narrative the video follows Dean and his family’s journey, to meet with these Amazon shamans and explore this mysterious psychedelic world. The journey takes Dean around the globe to meet with people from several western countries who have developed their own unique style of the ayahuasca rituals. Dean participates in filmed ayahuasca rituals where he drinks the ayahuasca brew with both Amazon and “new age” shamans, giving first hand accounts of his experiences.
Shamans of the Amazon examines the effects the outside world is having on the Amazonian shamans and explores how they and the ayahuasca rituals are adapting to these changes. The program examines how and why this ancient ritual is now spreading around the world, focusing on several western individuals and religious members who use ayahuasca. The video examines the legalities of using ayahuasca for the Amazon shaman, the curious westerner and people who want to get the use of ayahuasca legalised for their spiritual pursuits. 
In Amsterdam Dean meets Yatra Silvera de Barbosa, a Brazilian woman in her forties who has been running rituals and importing ayahuasca legally into the Netherlands since 1994. Yatra has been developing a program incorporating ayahuasca use to help heroin addicts quit their addiction. Yatra describes the police raid of the Santo Daime church in Amsterdam where the spiritual leaders of a ritual are now facing between 7 and 15 years in jail for drinking and serving ayahuasca. 
The documentary reports the first ever public emonstration to legalise ayahuasca and briefly examines the effects of the global war on drugs. The video examines the chemical composition of this shamanic brew and hear how some “new age” alchemists are deriving these active compounds from other plants. 
In Australia an active ingredient of the Amazon shamans potion Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is extracted from a native acacia or wattle tree. The video describes DMT’s traditional use amongst some Amazonian tribes.
A key subject in the film is world renowned psychedelic explorer, lecturer and author, Terence McKenna, who had een researching and experimenting with hallucinogens including DMT since the sixties. Four months before Terence died of cancer Dean interviewed him at his home in Hawaii.
Shamans of the Amazon utilises the latest in computer graphics technology to simulate the feelings and visions one has during the ayahuasca ritual or DMT experience. The shamanic experience is illustrated via the animation of elaborate drawings of ayahuasca visions by an Amazon shaman and artist, Don Pablo Amaringo to help illustrate the visions of the traditional shamans.
Witness a dramatic and violent uprising by thousands of Ecuadorian Amazon people, (which includes two of our main characters) against an American oil company that is destroying the forests and polluting the local rivers. Some contemporary Amazon shamans are using ayahuasca to determine their strategies to fight the oil companies and other invaders on their traditional land. As the crisis facing the Amazon shamans changes with the times, so does their use and application of ayahuasca. 
Similarly some westerners appear to be using ayahuasca to receive knowledge, understand their relationship with nature and to seek visions of Shamans of the Amazon will show how the ayahuasca and their relationship with nature. This is the type of relationship with the natural kingdom many in the developed world are struggling to rediscover. 
Beginning the millennium, in a “say no to drugs” era, the video reveals a new subculture emerging, based on an ancient ritual of hallucinogenic plant use. In a time when indigenous people, their culture and our natural environment are experiencing dramatic changes, the video examines what these Shamans of the Amazon and their hallucinogenic rituals have to offer. (zvg) 08|14|07
Shamans of the Amazon

Peter Russell
From Science to God
Exploring the Mystery of Consciousness
Running Time 23 Minutes
Hartley Film Foundation Production, USD 19.95

“How is it that something as unconscious as the matter of the brain ever gives rise to something as immaterial as an experience?,” muses Peter Russell in Peter Russell: From Science to God, a beautiful meditation exploring spirit, science and the miracle of consciousness.
Science cannot explain the fact that humans are conscious, says Russell, and he calls the human capacity for inner experience “the great mystery.” According to Russell, who studied mathematics and theoretical physics before he delved into experimental psychology, humans are locked into the view that consciousness itself is somehow created by the brain. He believes that we need to question that basic assumption.
Russell tries to always notice “what is, as it is, without thinking about it,” and observes that “our experience of the body is always in the present moment, but our thinking about it takes us out of the present.”
Religions seek to open us to the inner world of the spirit, which Russell views as the inner world of the mind. Western science has proved very successful in explaining the world and advancing technology, but Russell’s concern is that science has not provided humans with a value system. He calls for integration of scientific understanding with the wisdom of spiritual traditions. “The next great frontier is not outer space,” Russell concludes, “it’s inner space.” (zvg) 08|14|07
From Science to God

Worldspirit
A landmark audio-visual theater experience featuring poetry and storytelling by visionary artist Alex Grey, music by electronic composer and violinist Kenji Williams (ABA Structure), and multi-screen projections of Alex Grey’s world-famous paintings.

This innovative multimedia package represents a radically new form of entertainment that brings together evolutionary spiritual teachings, visual art, music, live performance, and advanced technology, speaking at once to body, mind and spirit. It is presented in the form of a double-disc box set, comprised of a DVD, an audio CD, and a 28 page booklet presented in a beautiful custom die-cut package. The “Worldspirit” DVD is a product of MagneticPresence. Enjoy! (it) 08|14|04

A beautiful, brilliant, exhilarating multimedia presentation of sacred art & music. Dazzling from beginning to end, and deeply moving throughout. Highly recommended!
Ken Wilber

Mind States IV
A DVD of highlights from the
Mind States IV conference of
last year is available now.

Mind States Highzzz has stunning visual art created by Omananda, Arcane, Tantric Demon, Xavi, and Pablo Amaringo. It features talk excerpts and/or interviews with: Luke Brown, Carolyn Garcia (aka Mountain Girl), Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Stanislav Grof, Mark Henson, Martina Hoffmann, Sandra Karpetas, Jah Levi, Ralph Metzner, Jean Millay, Sheldon Norberg, Jefe de los Ongos, Mark Pesce, V.S. Ramachandran, Nicholas Sand, Wrye Sententia, Alexander T. Shulgin, Ann Shulgin, R.U. Sirius, Myron J. Stolaroff, Fred Tomaselli, Robert Venosa. A blotter art presentation by Mark McCloud is also included on this DVD. A trippy interface guides you through three hours of vital drug education! This live edit by the creator of Liquid Crystal Vision is a great memory of Mind States IV and makes a wonderful present. (zvg) 05|25|03