What's New

The Second Annual Ayahuasca Monologues: Tales of the Spirt Vine is just around the corner - next Thursday, April 17th at CoSM in NYC. Following on last year's successful event, we are pleased to present five new visionary stories about ayahuasca, the renowned sacred brew of the Amazon. For centuries, shamans have drunk this powerful concoction to heal illness, obtain mystical insights, contact spirit guides, and explore magical worlds. Hear of experiences both miraculous and terrifying when Westerners access ayahuasca's incredible gifts.

This week RS entered the wonderful world of StumbleUpon in our continued mission to evolve consciousness throughout the cybersphere. Each day we'll link to a story online that grabs our interest (we won't be using SU to promote Reality Sandwich articles, only to link to things on other sites). We invite you to add us as a friend if you're already on StumbleUpon, or if you're planning to join.

Also, the Reality Sandwich Reading Group is now discussing Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire by Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt. You can participate in this discussion, facilitated by RS contributor Antonio Lopez, in our online Forum.
Lastly, you'll notice a new link at the bottom of every Reality Sandwich article: "Printer-friendly page." Finally we've made it easier to take RS posts with you offline, away from the weird glow of the evil screen.

We publish new stories on Reality Sandwich daily, M-F. Below are teasers for recent highlights. We hope you will enjoy these articles, and share them with your colleagues, collaborators and co-conspirators. 
* * *
How Shamans Dream the World into Being
by Alberto Villoldo
The power to dream is the power to participate in creation itself. For the Earthkeepers, dreaming reality is not only an ability but a duty, one we must perform with grace and love.
* * *
Money: A New Beginning
by Charles Eisenstein
Money has turned abundance into scarcity. Not money per se, only the kind of money we use today, the kind of money that is evaporating as we speak, money with a very special characteristic that ensures its eventual demise.
* * *
Cleaning Up Soap: Why The Bronner Family Is Washing Out a Few Mouths
by Jill Ettinger
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps recently issued cease and desist letters to top "organic" soap manufacturers in an effort to stabilize an industry bubbling out of control.
* * *
A History of Hallucinogens
by Bill Machon
A promising new documentary airing on the History Channel this month, Peyote To LSD: A Psychedelic Odyssey, explores the colorful history of hallucinogens.
* * *
Transcending Possessiveness in Love and Music
by Michael Garfield
Consider polyamory side by side with copyright law. They are both symptoms of a deep struggle that we as individuals and as a society are having with the concept of ownership.
* * *
The Trash Man
by Jennifer Flynn
From the devastation of the tsunami to post-Katrina New Orleans, the new film Garbage Warrior follows Michael Reynolds' dreams and struggles to create sustainable homes from recycled materials.
* * *
Metagenomics: Accessing the Aliens Inside Us
by Sam Michael
Microorganisms are the oldest, most plentiful, and most adaptable life forms on earth. A revolutionary new field of microbial genetics called Metagenomics could provide clues to cure diseases, reverse pollution, and even explain the origins of life.
* * *
Fear and Renewal in A Western Shoshone Sweat
by Jonathan Phillips
I overcame my greatest fears in a Western Shoshone sweat lodge during a protest against the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. Over 1,000 nuclear devices have been detonated above and below this land, making it the most bombed nation in the world. Now the Longest Walk 2 brings new attention to the environmental protection of this sacred place.
* * *
Meditations on the Pineal Gland
by Tristan Gulliford
A new scientific study suggests a connection between meditation and the activation of the pineal gland.
* * *
Buy Organic, Buy Local, Buyer Beware
by Derek Beres
We pay more for sustainably produced items. But we need to be sure that their quality is superior to the conventional goods.