Jasmine Virdi and Oriana Mayorga explore the emergent field of psychedelic chaplaincy, exploring the ways in which spiritual and religious experiences are understood within the contemporary psychedelic landscape.
Jasmine Virdi interviews Jahlani Niaah, Rastafari scholar and community member, about the little-known and often misunderstood Rastafari movement. Within the psychedelic renaissance, the sacramental use of ganja by Rastafari is often overlooked. In this interview, Niaah provides a historical overview of the origins of the Rastafari movement, explaining certain key elements of Rastafari praxis, and about the sacramental use of ganja among the Rastafari.
Jasmine Virdi interviews Regina Célia de Oliveira, a Brazilian biologist and professor at Brasília University, specializing in the study of Banisteriopsis caapi and other plants that make up the ayahuasca brew. In this article, Regina shares about the different varieties of the B. caapi vine, the deeply sophisticated knowledge of traditional peoples about these vines, and the importance of protecting these plant species amidst ongoing ecological destruction in the Amazon Rainfor-est.
Jasmine Virdi interviews Nidia Olvera Hernández, a Mexican ethnohistorian, specializing in the history of psychoactive substances and drug poilices. In this article, Nida shares about some of her earlier research into the history of marijuana in Mexico, detailing cannabis’ arrival with Span-ish colonizers who intended to use the plant for industrial purposes, and how the conception of the plant shifted over time, eventually coming to be referred to as “marijuana” as opposed to “hemp.”
Jasmine Virdi interviews Martha Hartney, an attorney fighting for the legal use of aya-huasca as a religious sacrament within the United States. In this article, Martha Hart-ney shares about the legal status of ayahuasca, how this intersects with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), and how we can collectively work towards securing the right to drink ayahuasca in bona fide religious settings.
Jasmine Virdi explores how ayahuasca facilitators have adapted and changed their practices and ceremonial protocols to meet the challenges that have emerged as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Jasmine Virdi explores how coronavirus has impacted the ayahuasca drinking indigenous groups of the Amazon basin, taking a look at the broader implications of coronavirus for Amazonian peoples such as the loss of elders, the threat of genocide, the return to traditional plant medicine, and the vital importance of reciprocity.
April 21, 22, 23 and 24, 2022 Chacruna Institute has organized 9 unique conferences in multiple countries. Each year we
The Chacruna Institute is committed to providing a platform for Indigenous voices in the Psychedelic Renaissance. This guide to Chacruna’s Indigenous resources is meant to provide an easy reference for those wishing to learn from Indigenous knowledge keepers and experts on the topic of psychedelics.
Recent fallout from a YouTuber’s infiltration of a Santo Daime group in Spain has brought to the forefront the need to destigmatize ayahuasca use. In response, scholars, researchers, NGOs, and members of ayahuasca groups have united to fight for the religious freedom of the use of ayahuasca. This call, signed by members of the psychedelic community, outlines the situation and steps that need to be taken to honour religious and ethnic minorities’ use of ayahuasca and other psychedelic medicines.
