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Quote by Terence McKenna

“So I submit to you that what we represent is a Fifth Column, a Fifth Column that represents the best aspirations that human community is capable of, a Fifth Column that is willing to look at the structure of the psyche in contrast to the mess of society, and willing to dream.”

Quote by Terence McKenna

Author

Terence McKenna

Terence McKenna was a renowned philosopher known for his profound insights into consciousness, botany, and human potential. His ideas were deeply influenced by his family's genetic research and studies on the evolution of human consciousness. more

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“We have the tools, the intellect, the will to create a caring global culture. It isn't going to come without a recognition of the power of the psychedelic experience. The psychedelic experience is the birth right of every human being on the planet. It is as much a basic part of each and every one of us as our sexuality, our national identity, our consciousness of self. And any society which attempts to hold back or impede this dimension of self-expression, when the history of that society is written, it will be called barbarous.”

“We're not going to save the monkey unless we can shed the monkey. And the greatest impetus, the greatest inspiration to the expression of our higher selves comes in the confrontation with psyche that occurs in the psychedelic experience.”

Self Inspiration Expression Higher Shed Monkeys Confrontation Psychedelic Higher Self Psychedelic Experience Impetus

Author:Terence McKenna

“One has, you know, a window of opportunity somewhere between zip and a hundred to solve, or understand, or penetrate, or appreciate, or come to terms with the conundrum of being, this amazing circumstance in which we find ourselves, both individually and collectively.”

Knows Opportunity Term Circumstances Hundred Appreciate Window Solve Penetrate Zips Window Of Opportunity Conundrums

Author:Terence McKenna

“The intellectual tension that seems to work its way through this society almost like fat through meat is the tension between scientific reductionism and the deeply felt intuition of most people that there is a spiritual dimension, or a hidden dimension, or a transcendental dimension.”

People Way Seems Spiritual Felt Intellectual Intuition Fats Meat Tension Dimensions Transcendental This Society Reductionism Spiritual Dimensions

Author:Terence McKenna

“So the conclusion that I reach, visa vie the individual and civilization, is this: Culture is not our friend. Culture is not your friend. It's not my friend. It's a very uncomfortable set of accommodations that have been hammered out over time for the convenience of institutions.”

Has Beens Culture Individual Civilization My Friends Institutions Conclusion Uncomfortable Convenience Visa Accommodations Hammered

Author:Terence McKenna

“And so, these are the things, the exploration of which, the singing about of which, makes us human beings. The exploration of the universe of the unseen is the business of human beings.”

Humans Universe Human Beings Singing Exploration Unseen

Author:Terence McKenna

“And what is shamanism but philosophy with a hands-on attitude. Philosophy not made around the camp fire, but philosophy based on the acquisition of extreme experience. That's how you figure out what the world is, not by bicycling around in the burbs, but by forcing extreme experience.”

World Made Philosophy Hands Attitude Fire Figures Extremes Camps Acquisition Shamanism

Author:Terence McKenna

“What they [psychedelics] cause is what I'm advocating, a fundamental revaluation of cultural values, because culture as we're practicing it currently is causing a lot of pain to a lot of people, and animals, and ecosystems, none of whom were ever allowed to vote on whether they wanted this process to go in this direction.”

People Wanted Pain Values Culture Causes Process Animal Vote Fundamentals Ecosystems Advocating

Author:Terence McKenna

“What is happening, I think, it's really bigger than psychedelics, it's bigger than human evolution. We are not making the waves in this ocean. We are corks, riding the waves of the ocean. But we are privileged, by perhaps chance alone, to occupy a unique moment in the history of the universe. A moment when the universe goes through some kind of self-transforming, evolutionary, inflationary expansion. That's what's happening.”

Thinking Humans Kind Self Moments Universe Chance Evolution Ocean Unique Happenings Bigger Wave Riding Expansion Privileged Transforming Human Evolution Cork

Author:Terence McKenna

“This is what I believe: That we are not pushed from behind by the casual unfolding of historical necessity, but that we are in the grip of an attractor of some sort, which lies ahead of us in time.”

Believe Lying I Believe Behinds Historical Casual Unfolding

Author:Terence McKenna