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RAM DASS
WHEN RAM DASS passed away in December of last year, a collective wave of grief moved across spiritual communities around the world.
hat’s because Dass was revered throughout many of the world’s spiritual traditions. But how did he come to spirituality? The answer lies in the molecules that make up the compound known as lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD.
Dass was born Richard Alpert in 1931, raised in a Jewish family in Boston, and said that he felt that his religious upbringing was hollow. Dass said he “didn’t have one whiff of God until taking psychedelics.” In college, he studied psychology – eventually earning his Doctorate in 1957 from Stanford University. A year later, he was an assistant professor at Harvard, teaching clinical psychology. In 1961, he met fellow Harvard professor Timothy Leary, devoting himself to the study of the therapeutic effects of psilocybin (found in mushrooms) and LSD.
One of the most notorious trials of hallucinogenic compounds on individuals at Harvard took place in 1962. Dubbed the ‘Good Friday Experiment’ Leary and Alpert (along with graduate student Walter Pahnke) conducted a T
double-blind experiment that administered psilocybin to theology students prior to the Good Friday mass. Almost every member of the group that received the hallucinogenic dose reported having a profound religious or mystical experience.
While this experiment was revelatory, it also had the effect of getting both Leary and Alpert dismissed from Harvard. From there, the two founded the International Federation for Internal Freedom (IFIF) in upstate New York. In this location, known as Millbrook, Leary and Alpert set up a sort of communal setting for “seeking the divinity within each person” and rapidly changed the substance for seeking from psilocybin to LSD.
In the late 60s, Alpert journeyed to India where he met the person who would change his life and name forever. It was Neem Karoli Baba - whom Alpert referred to as ‘Maharaji’ - who gave Alpert the name ‘Ram Dass’ meaning ‘servant of God,’ and set him on the spiritual path that would define the second half of his life.
Dass told a poignant story of one of his first meetings with Maharaji, where the guru asked Dass, “Have you got any of that yogi medicine?” Dass figured out that what he was asking for was, indeed, LSD. From there he gave the Maharaji capsules that were 300 micrograms each (the guru asked for 3, which in Dass’s opinion was a massive dose).
From there, Dass recalled, “Well this will probably be very interesting, but then – absolutely nothing happened.” Dass went back to the United States and told the foundation members the story of the LSD having no effect on the guru. He started to believe that the wise sage had fooled him and done a slightof-hand, not actually consuming the LSD.
Upon returning to India two years later, the Maharaji asked, “Did you give me some medicine last time you were here?” Dass replied, “Yes, I did.” The guru then asked, “Do you have any more?”
He then proceeded to take 400 more micrograms from Dass, carefully placing each dose on his tongue so that he would observe that he did, indeed, eat the acid. After about an hour, the Maharaji (still seemingly unaffected) looked back at Dass and said, “These were known about thousands of years ago,” but went on to explain that yogis don’t do the proper preparation anymore to prepare for the experience. Dass asked if he should continue the experiments with LSD and the yogi replied, “Yes, but only if your mind is turned toward God.” After these experiences, Ram Dass began work on what would become his most famous work, “Be Here Now” - the 416-page illustrated book and manual for conscious being that is still in print today.
This is but a simple overview of the life of a very important human being who spent time on this planet. Dass’s contributions to society are far greater than his work with psychedelic drugs. For example, his work with end-of-life care is some of the most inspiring - but we only have so much time and space in this article.
The reader is encouraged to go and explore more of his ideas in independent study.
Jackson Ursin
ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH
ENLIGHTEN ALASKA 2600 SPENARD RD, ANCHORAGE / (907) 290-8559 / ENLIGHTENAK.NET
JACKSON URSIN is closing in on two years over at Enlighten Alaska on Spenard Road in Anchorage. Always upbeat and eager to assist with first time users as well as seasoned veterans of consuming, we had the chance to chat about why he loves doing what he does. WHEN DID CANNABIS FIRST COME INTO YOUR LIFE? Cannabis first came into my life close to the end of my senior year of high school. My first experiences with it were much earlier, around middle school, but not frequently until later in high school. I fell in love with the culture that went along with the plant. I also started to grow a little bit around this time as well! I was really into the biology of the plant. I was into the artists making glass. I really immersed myself in the culture of it all. I grew for a few years, but am not growing at the moment.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A BUDTENDER? Well, I graduated college with a degree in education, and I really didn’t want to get into a job where I would be locked into a contract. I still had aspirations for traveling and stuff along those lines. So, I initially got into budtending because of that. I had worked as a barista in school, and I feel that type of skillset translated very well to what I am doing now! I have loved it since day one, and still love it today.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF BEING A BUDTENDER? Probably educating people on Cannabis. I really like explaining concentrates with customers. What the process that goes into it is, what the differences are between a shatter or a wax, what is in a cartridge, what are diamonds? I really like being able to help people understand them more.
FAVORITE WAY TO CONSUME? A nice clean bong rip. You can’t go wrong with that - will always be one of my favorites. But I am also really into concentrates, so I will never say no to a good dab. It’s almost a 50/50 toss up on which one sounds better. I go through my phases. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE STRAINS AND PRODUCERS? I am a huge fan of Mercy Fruit Haze by Mercy Tree. It is a crazy good high throughout the day. It’s a very clean smoke. A lot of sativa plants tend to make me cloudy, but this one, my head stays so clear and alert. For concentrates, I have to say almost any hash rosin from Cold Creek. Their products are always top notch. I also want to give a shout out to AKO. They have been putting out fire.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT CANNABIS FOR A CUSTOMER? If they are unsure, we just get to chatting about what they plan on doing. Are they trying to melt into the couch or remain on the go and alert? I try to stay as informed as I can on all the products that we have coming into the store, so I can really help give my two cents about everything we carry. My approach is very customer driven.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING AT ENLIGHTEN? We are all basically family and hang out outside of work. The owners are always doing things with us as well. It’s nice to know that they have our backs. We have so many repeat customers, where they know us all by name, and of course we know them by name. I love working here.
HOBBIES OFF THE CLOCK? I’ve been rock climbing for three years now. It started as a casual thing, but I am getting seriously into it. I just got a puppy (a blue heeler/lab mix). She is a very active dog, so I can take her into the mountains with me. I get to visit some beautiful places and love to have my camera with me. And finally, I love spending time with my wonderful fiancé!
