Talking Psychedelics & Culture with Dennis McKenna

“So these things are really cognitive learning tools I think and one of the things characteristic of the psychedelic experience is this property called portentousness. Portentous meaning it is profoundly meaningful. Portentous and psychedelics tend to bring portentousness as a perception into our perception. This is why you can stare at a flower for 6 hours on LSD and realize this is the most profound thing in the universe because you can see the layers of significance that is has. Well of course it is and it isn’t the most profound thing in the universe. Everything is profound like that. But, it lets you see that there are layers and layers of association of meaning associated with perception. It is not one dimensional. That is what I think psychedelics teach in part.” -Dennis McKenna

I had the absolute honor of interviewing ethnopharmacologist, psychedelic researcher, and founder of the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosphy Dennis McKenna in 2017 when he was in Boulder for an event I did with a past job. Along with being incredibly mesmirizing to listen to, Dennis McKenna is a vessel of psychedelic knowledge and experience with a kind heart doing this work for his love and respect of the plants and fungi. Enjoy this short 30 minute interview with a psychedelic legend.

“Ya know I just have to remember it’s not about me. There is a temptation to say it is about you, it isn’t really about me. It’s about Us. It is about Us collectively.” -Dennis McKenna