David LukeDmt Dialogues: Encounters with the Spirit Molecule

Absolutely amazing book! Love how they discuss at the end of each dialogue!

There are two main classes of psychoactive substances: tryptamines (structurally similar to serotonin, eg. DMT, psilocybin and LSD; and phenethylamines (structurally similar to dopamine) which includes mescaline and MDMA. According to Dr David Luke DMT is a “simple organic molecule naturally occurring in humans, a wide range of animals and probably all plants.. which no doubt is part of why it is so often experientially considered to be the strongest and strangest of all psychedelics, delivering half of all high dose users to new, yet curiously familiar alien worlds, where sentient non-human beings await to greet them.”Dr Luke is a foremost researcher into mind-bending experiences based at The University of Greenwich. Incidentally, he is also responsible for putting on the biennial Breaking Convention on psychedelic consciousness (next one is in August this year). I would highly recommend checking out his introductory lectures online which are confected in an easy informative style that nicely sets the scene for this book if you are a newbie. He wryly jokes at the start of his presentations how he went into psychology because he was a messed up young man - now he understands why he is still messed up...DMT Dialogues contains the transcripts of the first private Tyringham Hall initiative (2015), a symposium on the subject of Entheogenic Plant Sentience hosted by Anton J G Bilton and moderated by David Luke. Attending were a stellar cast of writers and researchers in the subject area, amongst them Dr Dennis McKenna, Dr Jeremy Narby, Dr Rupert Sheldrake and Dr Rick Strassman. There is a distinct air of humility running throughout the discussions which I found engaging (and refreshing) as many of the speakers position themselves as agnostic. Therefore, the conclusions raised are highly speculative since the anomalous exceptional experiences which have contributed to them do "not fit in to the kind of gaining knowledge process accepted in western thinking."Dr Ede Frecska, a psychiatrist who presents a paper about The Second Foundation of Knowledge explores this dichotomy in an up-down as opposed to left-right brain fashion. He compares the reasoning of induction derived from local senses of space time constraints as ordinary states of consciousness which through the neuro-axonal networks of the body filter the outside world (culture). Whereas, the intake of information by deduction is at the sub cellular level and consists of the micro-tubular cytoskeleton network including the rather academic sounding ‘quantum array antennae network’. This array receives nonlocal holographic representations of the environment, i.e. it touches with the inside world of the universal akashic field.It is into this nonlocal realm of the senses (if the word ‘senses’ can be applied) that endogenous DMT - often referred to as the messenger or spirit molecule - plunges the experient and is the source of contemplative and shamanic traditions as well as the prophetic state. The evidence is rich enough to suggest that for 25 percent of those taking psychoactive plant substances the effect is to induce a mystical experience aimed at psychological growth rather than or intended as solely recreational. As such DMT fits into the category of an entheogen and the information reported back can often seem “nebulous and unreplicable...ineffable, non-transferrable” not having being learnt by outside observation (objective) using perceptual-cognitive (reductionist) processes.As one might expect from a heavily charged body of intellectuals who have taken psychoactive compounds, such as the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) a lot of fumbling about for technical terms, some invented, some borrowed from related disciplines like theology and anthropology are bandied about in a brow-furrowed attempt at creating new cartographies derived from inside observation (subjective). However, even accounting for using direct-intuitive (visionary) ways of knowing the book could lend itself to having a glossary In My Honest Opinion.If you are at all disenchanted with literal materialism and would like a broad and eclectic introduction into the further outer most reaches of consciousness courtesy of some esoteric counter narratives then this is an excellent place to start regardless of whether psychedelics is your thing or like me you find your lungs are the preferred source of flooding the brain with DMT. To immerse oneself in a ‘Mystery School for the New Renaissance’ and learn from the findings of a number of distinguished psychonauts who have managed to fuse academic research together with direct personal experience of the ‘weird world of appearances’ is not for appearances sake. What an utterly fantastic read.

if you are a druggie then stop reading. I bought this book to see what all the fuss is about. It pretty much confirms my suspicions that this is chemical divination, and what waits for you at the other side are demons and the powers of hell. the book is written ok overall. this drug is very scary and I bought the book to bring myself up to speed about it being a medical doctor. this book satisfied my curiosity.

Fascinating book. Very informative. Quite remarkable how such brilliant explorers can sit down with each other and have a serious discussion about close encounters with the little people. Begorra! Life is full of surprises. Thanks for getting this marvelous book out.

The subject matter is presented so well. The concept of this strange brain chemical is explained clearly and in a wonderful manner.