A month ago I spent a weekend at a rave in the forest of Hope, British Columbia. This event was essentially a mini festival and one of the biggest social gatherings I had been to since COVID 19 gripped the world. Aside from getting a chance to escape the city and dance, I was also excited to attend because I had signed up to volunteer with the event's harm reduction crew. For anyone that doesn't know, harm reduction, in the context of a mini festival, is the concept of creating a safe and welcoming space for those that are having challenging mental experiences. This can be anything from a "bad" trip on a psychedelic drug to emotional distress from a relationship issue....
Just because psychedelics allow us to see through the veil, it does not mean that this veil is useless. It does not mean that the veil should be discarded. You need to actively integrate these experiences into the fabric of culture that we are woven into.
The psychedelic experience can afford an individual with an array of psychological tools that, if given some attention and intention, can be utilized for self-actualization. In this light, I think it is clear to see that self actualization itself is a privilege. By definition, self actualization only occurs after basic needs are met. Basic needs such as security and safety. Basic needs that, as a result of an oppressive system, are not afforded to everyone as a direct result of something as arbitrary as one’s skin color.
