{"id":4061,"date":"2026-04-01T07:10:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T07:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/?p=4061"},"modified":"2026-04-01T16:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:51:10","slug":"goodnews-april-2026-editorial-psychedelic-culture-is-tribal-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaiamedia.org\/english\/2026\/04\/01\/goodnews-april-2026-editorial-psychedelic-culture-is-tribal-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"goodnews april 2026 \u2013 editorial"},"content":{"rendered":"

psychedelic culture is tribal culture\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a motto \u201cPeace, Love & Happiness\u201d may sound a bit scant; smilies, colourful clothes and nights spent dancing don’t yield enough either. So what else does psychedelic culture want?<\/p>\n

In the 1960s and 1970s, yoga and Zen arrived in the West, and with them Buddhism and Hinduism. The post-war generation fervently\u00a0championed peace. Or they mocked war, like the recently deceased singer-songwriter Country Joe McDonald, who shouted his derision right into the heart of the middle-class via its children. Meanwhile, during their \u2018bed-ins\u2019, John Lennon and Yoko Ono invited the media into their hotel room to give peace a chance. We should be doing the same today.<\/p>\n

The hippies were influenced by the Vedic principles known as the Yamas and Niyamas\u2014the first two steps on Patanjali\u2019s eightfold yoga path to enlightenment. Yamas and Niyamas govern our interactions with the environment and with ourselves. The Yamas include Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (moderation), and Aparigraha (non-attachment) as ethical pillars for a good and just life. The Niyamas require us to practice Santosha (contentment), Tapas (constant effort), Svadhyaya (self-reflection), and Ishvara Pranidana (trust in a higher power).<\/p>\n

These values were frequently discussed as an integral part of yoga classes, as well as among ourselves. The best book on the subject remains *Remember: Be Here Now* by Ram Dass. It helped us bring order to our inner lives, particularly as it did not preach or speak of guilt, but provided practical guidance for daily life. Moreover, we wanted to turn our backs on the city, embrace Mother Earth and live autonomously. Creativity was a top priority. Not just in an artistic sense, but also in terms of ingenuity and getting things done. We wanted to become something like Renaissance women and men \u2013 like Leonardo da Vinci, who was said to have been the last person to know everything that was available in terms of knowledge in his time.<\/p>\n

We realised that the world had become more complex since then, but we didn\u2019t need much, and certainly didn\u2019t need to get involved in everything. We had a healthy need for harmony and wanted to get on with one another. You could still live in the city and work on that mindset, bake your own bread and do many other things that took you back to your roots. A little bit more every day. Just like today, then?<\/p>\n

On 19 April, we celebrate Bicycle Day to mark the discovery of one of the most significant elements of that era, which brought a new and expanded consciousness (as well as one\u2019s fears) within the reach of many: LSD!<\/p>\n

For this year\u2019s psychedelic highlight, we\u2019ve teamed up with Eleusis Society <\/a>and PARAB<\/a>; you\u2019ll find their programmes via the links. We cyclers at gaiamedia will be meeting up at the former factory gate of Sandoz. You’ll find the exact location by clicking on the address on the top left on\u00a0bicycleday.ch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We are looking forward to seeing you!