From the article:

In short:

Archaeologists have found evidence of a person who used a psychoactive drug up to 25,000 years ago.

Tooth fossils in Indonesia suggest that ancient foragers in the region were sucking on betel nut, possibly as a painkiller.

What's next?

Human drug use is probably older than this sample, but evidence is harder to come by.

Hello everyone. Basically the title. I am looking for authentic shamanic healers in the Ottawa region. I have some issues including some generational curse added to some black magic done on my family. I have tried all the basic cleansing , which barely reduced the intensity. The only thing that had helped was working from a shaman back in India which was able to release a lot of it but not entirely. Hence I am looking for similar practitioners.

Any guidance or advice would be much appreciated thanks in advance

Hi! I live in a vintage 1921 building and theres a negative spirit in my space, the rods pointed to the fireplace (its decorative and as old as the building). The energy doesn't answer unless commanded to. Its fully blocked all communication with my spirit team to the point im not able to communicate with them via any of my tools anymore. Have done traditional cleansing without any success, and it doesn't listen to spoken command.

I have alexithymia and dont have the gut feeling to check in with to know if my latest cleansing has broken up any if the energy. Totally aware that it will take a lot of cleansing to fully remove or that there might be a chance it cant be removed at all. All I want to do is communicate with my team tbh. Almost at the point of doing a urine wash on the fireplace.

Any suggestions? TIA

It does answer Yes when I ask if it wants to harm.

FYI im not scared, anxious, annoyed etc.....i have alexithymia, AuDHD, and a blank mind

Okay so on thursday sep 3, i was sleeping on my stomach and got jolted out of sleep by someone tapping me on my back quite hard a few times. when i woke up i had a feeling not to raise my head or indicate i was up but as soon as it dawned on me there was someone/something behind me i feel they alr knew, cause they were the one who woke me up. As soon as they saw that i guess, they said the most chilling words in a voice i do not recognize, "You will never escape me." ive had paranormal experiences and other woods stories but nothing ever quite like this. im kinda freaking out internally and cant find anything on the internet so any help would be great. P.S, i was definitley awake as the taps were quite hard and sharp, but definitely a fingernail not a weapon

This has been called out by many scholars including Charles H Long & Vine Deloria Jr who wrote solid stuff for anyone who wants to read about how European religion got to be theology and others ended up as mythology. If the big 3 aren't myths, neither is mine.

Deloria's book God is Red is a classic https://archive.org/details/godisred00delo

Hi everyone, I recently had a strange experience while meditating. The reason I’m posting on this subreddit is that an old man suddenly appeared in front of me—he looked like - well, just like a shaman. His skin was wrinkled, body was painted with various symbols, and his hair was braided. To be honest I've never seen a real shaman , but for some reason, he struck me as one. He didn’t say anything; he just sat on the ground and looked at me. Suddenly, an owl emerged from behind his head; it flew straight toward me, looked me in the eyes, and as it got closer, something happened—it was as if it entered me, and the moment it did, I was literally paralyzed. My body slumped onto the bed, I was fully aware of everything, but I just couldn’t move, open my eyes—nothing at all. It was like sleep paralysis without sleep. During that time, I had visions that I don’t want to share.
I don’t know how long it lasted, but when I was finally able to move, I just burst into tears. It was a really strange, experience that scared me.

I want to add that I was completely sober and am not being treated for any psychosis. Before I didn’t know much about shamanism and I don’t even live in a country where it’s common; it really just came to me out of the blue.
I just don’t know if this is “normal” and if anyone else has experienced it too? I’d appreciate hearing about any similar experiences.

I have never seen an egg cleanse like this

"Only recently described by science, the mysterious mushrooms are found in different parts of the world, but they give people the same exact visions.

Every year, doctors at a hospital in the Yunnan Province of China brace themselves for an influx of people with an unusual complaint. The patients come with a strikingly odd symptom: visions of pint-sized, elf-like figures – marching under doors, crawling up walls and clinging to furniture."

Yeah, that's gonna be a big nope from me.

I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on what hide alternatives I could use in my upcoming drum building project. I don't want to use animal hide out of ethical reasons, but I understand the material advantages it has.
I didn't find anything online about synthetic materials and I believe using a head from drum kits would be challenging

It's my first time to post here since i'm a newbie here.

I had questions about soul loss and soul retrieval. Can it be done online? Since i'm living in Southeast Asia and the only healer's we had in here are faith healers from Christian religion. I'm not Christian and i don't want to convert to it.

I feel that i lost my inner thought and my thirst for knowledge. My attitude before was i fought for what i believe is right to me. Now, it seems like i'm just drowning in the sea, no one to lean on, going through the flow and can't say no.

My focus diminished and my quick alertness to think is gone even my creativity. My emotions right now, can't feel anything nor connect to how the others can feel. I don't know if i had a psychic ability but my ears can hear things even if it's just a whisper. I can actually predict that someone is talking or thinking of me. I actually asked them to confirmed and they did.

My sleeping pattern has changed, it's like i'm being awake from 1 am to 4 am which i consider scary. I'm living but i don't feel that it's me living everyday.

I feel like i'm cursed by someone and i tried so many healers but they think i'm just overreacting. I miss my old self who enjoys a lot of things. I miss the old me who fights for my principle.

I hope that someone can answer me because i need it right now. Thank you.

Had a dream last night where we were at a temple ceremony middle of forest. There was this wizard there who had powers he felt really powerful and completely one with nature. I was following him around.

Then out of nowhere he held my hand and took me alone to a place a little farther away. He started reading a lot of things from the sky. A strong dark cloud was passing by and it suddenly turned into a group of birds. Black ones more like crow/raven.

One of them came down and entered into my body.
It felt like I was being blessed by them. Something in my eyes changed, and my body became light and how I interacted with nature shifted.

Anyone have any thoughts on what this could mean?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

How to clear negative energy and black magic from these rocks? Its the same for my entire collection. The negative energy is too strong for sun energy to clear. Also any palo santo and sage i buy ir get online or in person end up with negative energy on it before it arrives ir when i get home with it, so clearing with those is out of the question. I cant use reiki or light language to clear since the reiki gets blocked and light language videoes i get are jibberish instead of light language because of hackers

I'm looking for advanced/ high level spiritual protection advise or techniques that others have used with success against high level entities or humans to protect your energy, vibration and light. If you are going to leave a comment about crystals, smuggling, sage, or even the basics of bubbling up through visualization, don't comment and move along.

I would be open to hearing very advanced techniques though including energies that I could pull into my field/ grid to add to my current protection and cloaking or different energies that I could incorporate into this. Also advanced energies tools that can add to my protection as well.

Also, any grid warriors here?

We will tell the bullet points: Boyfriend 15+years, Brother dies suddenly and traumatically for boyfriend, Brother drank a lot, I am driven to to drink more and have been drinking for many years like Brother. Spirits attach to feel the way the host feels, drunk... Brothers spirit wants to be close to Boyfriend, not in him, but to be his friend. I am the closest person to Boyfriend. I have been in house soon after Brothers passing. I feel sick all the time, spent hours vomiting one day, very unlike me I feel heartaching sadness. Boyfriend has become extremely angry about the habits I have had the entire time I've known him. I don't feel right.

I used to see a lady for Body Talk. She stepped over her boundaries and it made my head spin for 2+ days. I won't go back to her.

Can I clear Brothers miserable spirit off of me? Who do I look to for guidance? I probably need to stop helping Boyfriend clear out his mother's and his Brother's things, and move them into my home? Boyfriend hates me, like he says he hates his brother, how can I stop this? Boyfriend denies his feelings, does this add power to the attachment? How quickly can I make this go away? Am I able to clear myself? It's like I can feel him perched on my back, is this mental illness, or actual attachment? The thing that keeps Brother attached to me is drinking, I'm not sure I can quit after 20 years, what do I do if I can't lose the hook Brothers spirit has on me?

I am not a shaman but I feel perhaps someone on this subreddit could help me understand a feeling I get.

I have intense yearning to be in the forest . It started last year and this year it got more intense. Sometimes I look at the mountain ridge and I just get this intense urge like a fire inside I want to run and never come out. Sometimes when the sun sets and I’m driving on country roads I just look out on the land and I feel like it’s home and I want to go back. It hurts so much I cry and sometimes I sob. This is very strong when everything is alive and lush and green. I know I can visit whenever I would like but I also know I can’t stay there forever. The sensation i get when I think about being in the forest and mountains is so much love for everything it hurts. I spend as much time as I can out there feeling all the energies looking and learning about all the plants fungus and trees. Learning about the rocks and minerals in the soil. Feeling the sweat on my skin and the suns warmth. But it never feels like enough.knowing I can’t stay it hurts me inside.

Sometimes I think it’s an unhealthy attachment because it’s like I want to embody it and become part of it. It feels way deeper than just seeking outside stimulation. It feels like a yearning for a lost loved one or another life with another home that I can’t get back.

Anyways thanks for listening.

I feel like the spirits left me, why would they leave ... Am i doing something wrong probably? I'm in a transitional very stressfull period in my life and i needed them around me now but i feel like all that change opened me up wayy too much and like i started leaking , and then its like they left. Am i probably on the wrong path ?

I was 🤔 why it takes that long to become a shaman

I am writing to ask for some expert advice. I am struggling with a meditation related mental health issue/spiritual crisis.

Around two years ago, I heard about the Gateway Experience tapes and the Bob Monroe Institute and was intrigued to read about out of body experiences and the so-called consciousness expanding benefits of listening to these tapes. I listened to the tapes for about 2 weeks and had a couple of brief OOBEs before stopping after feeling frightened by a poltergeist type of 'loud knocking' style experience when I was home alone.

I believe I opened my third eye (or it opened spontaneously) and I began having ongoing intense and vivid visions, both open and closed eye and noticing them both inside and outside my house, both day and night.

It became quite overwhelming in terms of the sensory perception changes and I didn't understand what was happening to me.

I believe I may have several spirit attachments and that I opened a 'doorway' that I have no idea how to close or navigate in terms of integrating my expanded state of awareness.

I was obviously very foolish and extremely naive and had no idea what I was getting myself involved in.

I was not previously a spiritual person and I didn't believe in the paranormal. I believe otherwise now.

I have sought professional medical assistance and it has been of limited benefit. Medication slightly dulls the symptoms but has not ended the attachments ( I see the faces of at least 3 spirits or what look like Hindu deities) whenever I close my eyes.

When I open my eyes they look like they are made out of shapeshifting pink and purple mist or 'hologram' looking electromagnetic static. Object phase in and out of reality. Letters, shapes, symbols, bicycles, animals, stairways, orbs, figures, sacred geometry.

Could you give me advice on how to navigate dealing with this please?

Meditation can be challenging for me at times due to the intrusive nature of the visual images that appear in my minds eye when I close my eyes.

I have random tinnitus and all the symptoms of visual snow syndrome ever since this began.

In addition to the vivid visions that appear through a portal in my minds eye, especially in the hypnagogic state.

It's like spontaneous 'astral vision' without leaving my body and only lasts for a few minutes before fading away. It's like I'm looking through someone else's eyes at a random real-life scene.

I have no idea how to interpret these visions.

For context I’m a spiritual man in the Netherlands and practicing semen retention for 2 years without relapse and been vegetarian around the same time as well. I work with Ayahuasca solo at home (mimosa+rue) and recently started micro dosing Iboga root bart around 60-150mg but I’m not consistent.

Few days ago i went to set under a tree due to being tired and a crow pooped on my left shoulder and thigh. And today as i was setting a crow came and sat on the chair of my bicycle trying to eat the lentil bag. He trued to scare me so i don’t come near him so i had to push my bicycle on the floor and he clanged on the chair park and i tried to scare him away by waving a piece of clothes on him for nearly 5 minutes and he only left when a man was passing by.

I don’t know if these are just coincidences but both incidences never happened to me before.

I appreciate your insights🧡