PTSF 39 (with Jonas and Kristina of the Psychedelic Literacy Fund)

Published: Dec. 25, 2020, 2 p.m.

In today\u2019s Christmas episode of Solidarity Friday, Kyle and Joe take a break from the news and instead sit down with Jonas Di Gregorio and Kristina Soriano of the Psychedelic Literacy Fund, a donor-advised fund working to raise money and co-finance the translation and publication of the most important books on psychedelic therapy into a variety of different languages.\xa0

Their first project is both volumes of Stan Grof's The Way of the Psychonaut, which they hope to have translated into German, French, and Italian by July (for Grof's 90th birthday), and they have started a list of future projects, with Christopher Bache's LSD and the Mind of The Universe likely next. They talk about early interactions with Rick Doblin, why they went with a donor-advised fund rather than a crowdfunding model, the synchronicities they saw at early steps in their path, what Grof's work has meant to them, and a possible future goal of setting up a Grof museum in Prague. Kyle and Joe also share stories of their interactions with Grof and how his work (and how little he was being discussed) led to the beginnings of Psychedelics Today 4 years ago.\xa0

If you're feeling some holiday generosity and want to help more people gain the knowledge Grof has brought to so many, please visit Psychedelicliteracy.org and make a donation (or volunteer translation services or suggest future projects).

Lastly, if you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas from Psychedelics Today!

Notable Quotes

\u201cWe have an inherently global mission. We\u2019re an Italian and a Philippino living in America, trying to translate the work of a Czech psychiatrist.\u201d -Kristina

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s his capacity to really connect different fields, from quantum physics to psychiatry, [to the] history of religion- it\u2019s really remarkable. The depth of his knowledge is so wide, and I think it can speak to so many people coming from different fields. I remember as a teenager, sharing the content of the books by Grof with friends that were studying physics and friends who were studying philosophy and friends who were studying psychology, and all of them could find something they could really appreciate.\u201d -Jonas

\u201cA book can be a harm reduction tool. ...Just having a book at the right time can really help you integrate a difficult experience and change the course of your life. Definitely, this has been the case for me. I didn\u2019t know anyone in my community at the time that could really guide me, and these books played that role.\u201d -Jonas

\u201cEspecially now, there\u2019s a lot of conversation about diversity- how to increase diversity in the psychedelic community. Maybe the way to do that is literally to speak their language.\u201d -Jonas

\u201cI think the mental health crisis isn\u2019t language-specific. I think it happens everywhere.\u201d -Kristina

Links

Psychedelicliteracy.org

Rsfsocialfinance.org

The Secret Chief Revealed Paperback, by Myron J. Stolaroff

LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious, by Stanislav Grof

A Course in Miracles: Foundation for Inner Peace

The Six Pathways of Destiny, by Ralph Metzner

Psychedelics Today: Susan Hess Logeais

Thewayofthepsychonaut.com

Oregonlive.com: One of the architects of Oregon\u2019s bid to legalize psychedelic mushrooms, Sheri Eckert, has died


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