Aldous Huxley

Grow-shops in the UK By LazyStrain

As a Sociologist grow-shops interest me. Perhaps it is the fact that there is now, at least, one hydroponics shop in ever major-city in the UK. Perhaps it is the spatial location of these grow-stores and the people that frequent them that fixes my interest. Either way something catches my attention. As the roving reporter that I am, I decided to check out the present grow-shop scene in the UK, with view to unravelling some of its secrets...

The first observation is that, whilst few grow-shops sit in leafy suburbs, many are located in what sociologist term ‘Social Wild Zones’- upon rundown industrial estates, and on dead-end side streets (and/or in the back corner of the local headshop). The characteristic shared is that most grow-shops seek refuge upon the fringes of society. The first thing then, that must be made clear, is that grow-shops abstract from the norm. They act as set-aside to the horticultural industry within the UK, whilst playing nemesis to local councils and constabularies.

The second thing you will notice is that grow-shops (like anything) come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The ad hoc (often hip-hap) arrangement of product displays is however a familiar aspect of any grow-shop (which it must be said, adds a certain degree of ambience and character to their facade). Another thing you will notice is the shops eco-cyber type image, sort of like NASA comes to Kew Gardens on acid (!) There will usually be a cacti house, complete with the latest hydroponic drip-feed system in one corner, and there will often be some fancy gadget in the other. Then there’s the sacs of compost, rock wool, endless bottles of fertiliser, lamps, water tanks and fans; all of which guarantee growing success. It’s like stepping into a cannabis grower’s utopia, either/or somebody else’s trip…

Next up, it is fair to say that, many different types of people work in grow-shops. I like to think of them as those that talk and those that don’t. Some (the talkers) like to act as the local sales representative for a particular product, while others (the nontalkers) live and let live, giving balanced information as and when required. Overall don’t expect smiles of joy the first time you visit a grow-shop. Perhaps most people are too stoned for all that “Good morning. How may I help you” stuff. (I suppose it goes with the territory). Then there is always the question of the legal disclaimer, whereby nobody says the word “cannabis” in the UK (but that’s another issue altogether). Anyhow, if and when you get to know the people behind the counter, you will find that they are at the cutting-edge of cannabis culture. The service in many grow-shops, it must be said, is often as ad hoc as the product displays behind the counter. Prices vary from one place to another, and from one day to the next; and only half the stock for sale is ever labelled (I get the impression that these prices are made up on the spot). There is however, always a wide range of products on offer, and it is good to see many outlets now stocking organic products, in both bio and hydro ranges. This is perhaps the selling point of any good grow-shop- it can supply the demands of its customers. Most growing outlets are in fact very friendly towards their client’s needs and anything out of stock (or off the list) can usually be ordered in for collection. Several outlets also provide a delivery service at an extra cost. I mean, how much compost could one person carry?

At present it would seem that the number of commercial outlets and on-line stores across the UK (let’s not forget the Internet) is set to rise. The ‘hustle’ of selling lamps and bulbs to hippies, has cultivated itself into a “green industry” that sustains are large percentage of the indoor horticultural market within the UK. In short, this is big business- Business that neither the taxman nor the town crier can ignore.

In the future, it is hoped that the grow-shop will find a place beyond the fringes of mainstream society, towards something more central. To do this, three things must be accomplished. Firstly, the grow-shop must harness a sense of respect and value within the community. Secondly, the educational and environmental benefits of intensive methods of horticulture must be promoted by the grow store itself. Thirdly, the people that frequent grow-shops must uphold their own image- three things that I am convinced shall eradicate misinformation and emancipate cannabis growers from social attrition.

>> Hollywood films. One of these was a reworking of Jane Eyre, the classic by Anne Bronte. Non other than the illustrious Orson Welles could portray Rochester so fascinatingly. If you pay attention to the dialogue, you cannot mistake the resonant tones of Aldous Huxley.

The Doors of Perception

One summer afternoon in 1953, Aldous Huxley took his very first trip. He ingested regular doses of mescaline. He wanted to make himself free for hypothetical thinking, “Apart from a few useful ideas, every culture contains an enormous collection of unrealistic concepts, some of which are of no value whereas others have served a purpose for the continuation of the species, but due to changes in circumstances of preceding history, have since become completely irrelevant.”

Given that human beings pay as much obedient attention to symbols as they do to first hand learning experiences and given that most of those human beings naively accept the enculturated naming of things as just as real or even more real than the thing itself despite their own observations, then the damage done by these outdated and nonsensical concepts is enormous.

Thanks to realistic ideas that do survive culture, Mankind makes progress and in some aspects even progresses. But due to the damaging effect of the nonsense that is pumped into an individual as enculturation, Mankind is kept in an impasse, survival and progress notwithstanding. blind people. And this fearful game continues.

During his trip, Aldous Huxley took notes and had a tape recorder running. To summarise:

The ability to remember things and think straight has remained intact. (When I listen back to the recording I do not sound any sillier than usual). Visual impressions are highly intensified and the eyes seem to rediscover the endless joy of childhood innocence. Interest in time and space is minimal. Even though the intellect remains intact and perception has been sharpened considerably, the will to change anything is slight, mainly because one cannot foresee the consequences. A person using psychedelics does not feel compelled to do anything specific yet at the same time can experience

the usually mundane events in life as overwhelmingly interesting. He certainly does not want to get stressed out, he has far more interesting things on his mind. These interesting things are happening both inwardly and outwardly.

Publication of this material made Aldous Huxley the world’s most controversial figure overnight. However, because he had failed to keep to the dictates, he was also demonised by the establishment. He was shown to be the servant of Satan who was out to poison the population with drugs. convinced critic of drug use, would fall on deaf ears. “To understand a psychedelic experience, it is necessary to take a psychedelic trip. Otherwise, try to explain colour to someone who is blind.”

Did you know that many growers are still getting busted for the simple reason that they talk too much about their growing activities? The majority of grow operations that are discovered and closed down are thanks to someone grassing them up to the police.

Island

In 1955 Huxley’s first wife, a Belgian woman called Maria Nijs, died. They had been close companions for very

many years and her death came as a blow to him. By 1961 he had married Laura, who is still alive and who has just published a tribute to her late husbands memory. Misfortune continued to plague Aldous Huxley when in the same year, his house burned completely to the ground. He lost everything he owned including his expansive library.

Ever pragmatic, Aldous Huxley managed to save the novel he was working on at the time, Island. This work was to be his swansong and was a total reverse on Brave New World. harmony. The population is finally brought low through good old fashioned western greed. And not by drugs!

He will go down in history as the most important intellectual of the 20th century to seriously pioneer the use of mind expanding substances.

Progress, Wealth, Oil and True Spirit.

Aldous Huxley produced about sixty publications. Modern novels, historical novels, ethical sketches and countless essays. Much of his work has been translated into other languages but these are often no longer reprinted. Harper and Collins still publishes much of his work.

Laura Huxley’s memoirs are published under the title, This Timeless Moment and is published by Mercury House in San Francisco. There is also a record of a fascinating conversation between Huxley and Hoffman in LSD, My Problem Child by Albert Hoffman (the man who discovered LSD). The text can also be found on Internet via the Gutenberg Project.