Sup,
It’s been a while.
I haven’t published a WWWW digest in long long time.
Actually, I haven’t published on WWWW much over the past 6 months.
I don’t publish regularly. I publish sometimes. Other times, I publish a WWWW digest in which I share things I enjoy from the world wide web, like music, articles, art, ideas…
This is a special WWWW digest because I’m trying a new format. I’ll be sharing a bit about what’s been going on for me while including relevant and not-so-relevant links. I hope you can get to know me better this way, and that I can get to know you better if you choose to engage with me via comment or DM. I’d love to know you better.
Thank you all for subscribing. WWWW is almost at 400 beloved subscribers, and 4 of you are paying me. That’s incredible. Your support is so motivating. Thank you!!!
If you have friends who are into psychedelics, meditation and consciousness, healing and personal growth, spirituality and religion and myth, technology and the future, culture and art, nature and the cosmos, philosophy and ideas, send them my way!
As the summer light returns I’m feeling a renewal of inspiration towards WWWW.
So, here I am. Writing again.
Okay, that was the intro.
Now, the main dish.
I’ve been busy with a few things.
One of those things: a graduate program in interdisciplinary psychedelic studies at the University of Ottawa.
I’m learning about Amerindian perspectivism, the profound intelligence and radical agency of plants amongst other fascinating subjects.
I can’t help but be struck by the narrowness of the Western perspective. While science and its accompanying worldview often garner widespread acceptance and reverence, it’s important to recognize that science is but one tradition among many.
Legitimacy within knowledge systems extends beyond empirical inquiry.
Myriad knowledge traditions exist, each offering a unique perspective on the nature of reality and the cosmos. From spiritual practices to indigenous ways of knowing, these traditions offer valuable insights that complement and, in some cases, challenge the paradigms of contemporary science.
One source of understanding that warrants closer examination is the realm of plant knowledge. Plants (and fungi) possess a profound intelligence that transcends our human-centric notions of cognition. Through intricate biochemical processes and symbiotic relationships with other organisms, plants exhibit a remarkable ability to sense and respond to their environment in intelligent ways. Plants communicate through chemical signals, engage in complex forms of cooperation, and demonstrate adaptive behaviours that defy traditional notions of cognition. By embracing the perspectives offered by plant knowledges, we not only expand our understanding of the natural world but also challenge the anthropocentric biases that permeate Western thought.
As you may (or may not) have guessed, I’ve been developing the Psygaia hypothesis with support from my professor. I am currently working on Part 2 of the Psygaia hypothesis, which explores the role of psychedelics in cultivating new (but actually ancient) ways of knowing that are in alignment with contemporary science.
I’ve also been building Psygaia (an organization which holds the hypothesis as a philosophical foundation) and Woven Journeys. I’m hosting breathwork circles, working at the rehabilitation centre, landing a job teaching breathwork and yoga asana alongside kinesiologists and physiotherapists at a new athletic rehab and performance centre, getting to know Indigenous elders and local plant life while developing the Talaysay website and their new wellness program, skiing, being a guest on a podcast for the first time ever (thanks Nick), falling in love with a friend (hey you, I miss you. See you in July).
Life’s got me in perpetual motion (recommendation: play this song while reading the remainder of this essay). Yet, I’m also rediscovering the eternal peace of the present moment through recommitment to daily vipassana practice and trail running.
Amidst the turmoil of a human life and this wild world, I’m somehow managing to find an abiding sense of peace, trust, and balance. I’m finding it all through a devotion to the present moment. An all-pervading stillness, accompanied by a sense of knowing, or trust is increasingly accessible. It appears in physical stillness, such as seated meditation, but also in physical motion.
The stillness and trust abounds during long runs or while skiing or while creating or while sitting in intentional meditation. It’s cool. I’m starting to experience some sweet fruits from a decade of dedication to spiritual practice and devotion to the God thing.
If you’ve been thinking about developing a meditation practice but haven’t been practicing. This might be your sign. Do it. Check out Tara Brach or Sam Harris’ app.
Also feel free to ask me anything.
In other news, I still feel like I’m spending too much time at my computer but, that’s something I’m okay with right now. I want to make a living through the internet. Yet, I also love to work in-person, with people. I’m trying to figure out how to do both while optimizing for financial and location freedom. It’s a difficult thing. Still figuring it out.
I love the internet. It’s incredible. I meet inspiring people on X all the time. Reflecting on it, 80% of all opportunities have come my way thanks to X or Instagram.
Don’t underestimate the power of writing online and reaching out.
Most recently, I met with the founder of neos.life, “a village for a new way of living” in Portugal. I may just travel there in 2025 to contribute to the developing project, like I did at Holos in 2023. Both these opportunities are thanks to the internet.
There’s nothing like sending or receiving a cold DM.
In other other news, summer’s right around the corner and I am feeling ancient feelings anew. The sun is shining and my mind is getting brighter and lighter. I feel spirit becoming more energized with the rays of the sun.
I feel like I’m coming back where I started, again.
For the nth time.
But with a new perspective.
Like an eternal soul with new eyes.
I want to run long distances again (which I’ll be sharing more about on Instagram because I bought a running vest and can now carry my phone while running).
The joys of self-imposed suffering under the scorching heat of the blessed sun.
Worth sharing.
In other other other news, I will be travelling to NYC in May to host AFTERGLOW 3.0. I will also be hosting a mushroom-assisted mindfulness retreat for men in BC with my dear friend and collaborator Jack. If you’re reading this, hey Jack.
Thanks for being you.
I will be deepening my practice as a yoga, mindfulness meditation and breathwork teacher, continuing to work with people suffering from addiction and depression, and now also working with athletes seeking to optimize performance and heal injuries. I will continue to develop a macrodosing course for Psygaia and to offer 1:1 guided journeys with mushrooms and 5-MeO-DMT at Woven Journeys.
I’d like to start writing again too.
I haven’t been writing, partially because I stopped smoking weed 120 days ago, and I love writing when high as a kite. I’d like to cultivate a sober writing habit, but, it will take some time, effort and patience. I get so many ideas from communing intimately with Gaia through my awesome (and addictive) friend, the cannabis plant.
Although, I’m on mushrooms right now, so, I may also just talk to the mushrooms more often. I feel this pressure to create from a place of “sobriety” and “purity” but I’m not sure this is necessary. Creating with the help of plant and fungi allies is cool too. Especially considering the fact that our mind is the mind of the cosmos, so, technically I’m just tapping into deeper intelligence of the cosmos via symbiosis.
Coming into relationship with ancient plant and fungi beings to enhance creativity feels natural even though something in me believes it’s “cheating” or something.
Also, I’m going to make some WWWW merch with our logo.
Overall, I feel inspired and grateful for everything even though we are entering increasingly chaotic times as a planet. I recognize my privilege, and I seek to give back as much as I can. I feel that the more we have, the more we must give.
I have a lot. Sometimes I feel like I have too much, but, this isn’t a healthy thought since it brings about shame and guilt, and I’m managing to transmute those dark emotions into enduring light through dedication to service and creating beauty.
I would rather give with love than to waste my time feeling like a shit.
As I reflect here, publicly, I feel deeply that it is to our individual and collective benefit to learn and engage with simple and grounded healing practices which provide direct access to the universal truth of our interconnection and divinity.
Mindfulness meditation, conscious connected breathing, intentional use of psychedelics… these elemental practices lay the foundations to a multigenerational process of individual and collective awakening, healing and liberation.
Sidebar: teaching conscious connected breathing on Zoom tonight. Join us?
As I continue to deepen my commitment to these practices and share them with others, I am reminded of an Indigenous teaching from a Blackfeet elder I had to privilege of sitting in ceremony with. He told me: it all starts and ends with us.
The elder is speaking to the interconnection between all life and how what we have most control over is how we show up in the world. It is our very personal responsibility to take good care of all parts of ourselves so that what we put out into the world and the way we live is done in a way which honours our interconnection.
Being in right relationship is super cool.
And it all starts within, rippling outwards from our hearts.
Thanks again, for everything. I’m grateful you exist. Peace and wholeness.