Magic mushrooms are one of the most potent plant medicines in the world, when used responsibly they can be a highly effective treatment for many different mental health issues, such as addiction, depression and anxiety, just to name a few. They do not mask symptoms or temporarily numb pain but can potentially assist people in overcoming and conquering their mental health issues for good. Organically grown magic mushrooms do not contain any artificial substances which means that they do not lead to many of the negative side effects associated with pharmaceutical drugs, such as dependency, disease or death, you cannot become addicted to, or overdose on magic mushrooms. Yet even though they are far safer and more effective than pharmaceutical drugs they are surrounded by hesitancy, resistance, excessive precautions, fear, stigma and prohibition. This irrational behavior is not due to any predictable risks of danger or injury but is mainly driven by unconscious fears. The issue is not that magic mushrooms are dangerous, but that the psychedelic experience that they induce triggers three unconscious fears which are present within most human beings, these are the fear of the self, the fear of the unknown and the fear of the sacred. This is why psychological development and self-knowledge are so important, without an understanding of your own psychology you are bound to be ruled by unconscious forces. Those who lack self-knowledge are not only ruled by unconscious forces but highly susceptible to self-deception as well, a man cannot think freely or independently unless he has individuated, until then he will remain bound to the collective and his thinking, words and behaviors will be constrained to the limiting beliefs and prevailing narratives of the collective unconscious. What is interesting about this phenomenon is that it doesn’t matter if you are a highly educated and distinguished professional or an uneducated and utterly ignorant fool, both can be just as influenced by unconscious forces in the absence of self-knowledge, the study of psychology is indispensable. The fact that people can remain unconscious to such a large degree, before, during and after being educated in Western society is egregiously concerning. The psychedelic experience is one of the best ways to raise your consciousness and free yourself from the fetters and limiting beliefs of the collective unconscious. Having psychedelic experiences on a regular basis can result in massive expansions of consciousness in relatively short periods of time, one psychedelic experience may induce a greater expansion of consciousness than what may have otherwise taken years of concentrated effort to accomplish without the use of psychedelics. This can enable you to become aware of, and activate the multi-dimensional aspects of your self, affecting you mentally, emotionally, physiologically and spiritually. Magic mushrooms are often referred to as teachers or guides, they appear to have a mirroring effect which reflects the level of consciousness and state of mind of the individual, giving them only what they are ready for. The study of Jungian psychology can be used as an additional form of guidance for exploring the self through the psychedelic experience and is also a powerful way to raise your consciousness in and of itself. Combining the two can act as a powerful catalyst to the initiation, amplification and acceleration of psychological development, promoting massive expansions of consciousness with a strong sense of direction and understanding. This is not to say that you should rush the process of raising your consciousness, you should always start by taking it slow and finding your own pace, going too fast can potentially overwhelm you and may lead to various psychological disturbances and imbalances. Again, this does not necessarily mean that magic mushrooms are dangerous, because you can just as well induce these psychological issues by raising your consciousness too fast through the study of Jungian psychology, even without the use of magic mushrooms. Jungian psychology and magic mushrooms are invaluable tools in the journey to self-hood and should be utilized by anyone who seeks self-knowledge. The biggest barrier that people face in relation to the psychedelic experience, psychological development and raising their consciousness is fear, fear hinders growth, progress and development keeping people’s psyches in a state of default. Many of the mental health issues and psychological problems that people struggle with can be greatly alleviated or even resolved by facing their fears. Arrested psychological development, fear and unconsciousness are so rampant in society that they are not only viewed as normal and acceptable, but even demanded through conformity, those who are unconscious are pathologically hostile and resistant to those who are not. One of the first steps to overcoming your fears is to become aware of them. By learning about the three great fears of the psychedelic experience you can gain great insight into yourself and how much these fears may be affecting you; this can also enable you to grasp the magnitude of how influential these fears are in dictating the behavior of entire societies. It is very easy to notice these fears in other people, and although we can learn much from observing others, we must guard against projection and avoid getting distracted from ourselves. Far too many people get caught up in projection because it allows them to judge the shortcomings, flaws and folly of others while ignoring their own, and it always happens that what they tend to notice in others is exactly what they should be addressing within themselves. Or as Jung stated, “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”. In order to better understand these three great fears and the level of influence that they have on human behavior I will share a brief summary of each, but keep in mind that unconscious fears are complicated, they may be viewed from many different perspectives and in various combinations depending on your level of understanding.1-The Fear of the Self Why is the fear of the self so rampant in modern societies, is it because the societies themselves are structured in a way that promotes materialism, vanity and triviality, naturally leading people to become identified with their persona, while completely neglecting or rejecting their true self? Or is it possible that the collective fear of the self has actively influenced and shaped the structure of modern societies, creating a superficial role-playing environment which is congenial to those who lack self knowledge and are only conscious of their persona? One persona is usually insignificant and will rarely play much of a role in changing or influencing the structure of a society, but millions of people who are identified with their persona can shape and mold the structure of a society to an exceptionally large degree, even if it is done unconsciously. The persona is like a mask that ‘individuals’ wear mainly for social purposes and personal presentation, and although it is an important aspect of the self, those who are solely identified with it are predominantly unconscious. One must consciously pursue psychological development and look within to explore the self, unfortunately most people choose to shun, ignore or reject themselves out of fear, keeping their psyches in a state of default and remaining unconscious of their inner world. When an ‘individual’ chooses to shun, ignore or reject their own self, they become a puppet to unconscious forces which often turn them into their own worst enemy, wreaking havoc on their life, health and relationships through their own unconscious driven thoughts, choices and behaviors. Carl Jung summed up this phenomenon beautifully when he said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” This avoidance of the self is not only driven by the fear of the self, but also by a refusal to take responsibility, by remaining ignorant of the self the ‘individual’ is also choosing to remain unconscious which enables them to assume the role of a blameless victim. Unconscious ‘individuals’ are slaves to their lower desires, driven by greed, lust, gluttony, pleasure, distraction, etc., they will choose things, associate with people, engage in behaviors and put themselves in situations that lead to sickness, disease, depression, guilt, shame, turmoil, pain, suffering, danger, injury, abuse, etc., but will rarely ever acknowledge that the terrible things that befall them are the result of their own poor choices. Magic mushrooms may act as a solution to this because they can reconnect you to your true self, expanding your consciousness and leading you to self-knowledge, but only for those who are willing to face themselves, even in the presence of fear. Carl Jung summed up the fear of the self best when he said, “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls.”. Rejecting the self is not only an act of cowardice but a betrayal of the self as well, it leads to feelings of guilt, shame, regret and often drives men into states of mediocre stagnation or degenerate decline. Although the path to self-knowledge, growth and change can be challenging, it is well worth the effort, especially when you consider that the alternative is a type of unconscious self-induced hell. As hard as the journey to self-knowledge may be, it is not all bad, it is also empowering, energizing and invigorating, it can lead you to better health, vitality and a more meaningful existence. The difficulty for most people is that they have a lot of darkness that they must embrace and work through in their journey, this darkness may stem from repressed emotions, trauma or unresolved conflict. However, the most important darkness that an ‘individual’ must face is their shadow, the shadow is the dark aspect of the self which contains the qualities and traits that have been rejected because they are deemed to be bad, evil or unacceptable. Most people are not consciously aware of their shadow because they have not even begun their journey to self-hood, their shadow is usually completely repressed, if they do become conscious of its influence or presence they attempt to ignore or suppress it, but suppressing the shadow is a form of self rejection that can turn you into your own worst enemy in the same way previously mentioned. The shadow must be confronted and integrated into the personality, which is a vital part of the individuation process. The amount of darkness that an individual must embrace in their journey to self-hood will determine the potential brightness of the light that they will find in it. In this way darkness can be viewed as something good and beneficial because light could not exist without it. Or as Carl Jung wrote, “No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.”. It is one thing to fear the darkness within yourself, but many people are just as scared of their own light, or as Plato said, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”2-The Fear of the Unknown The fear of the unknown is one of man’s oldest and most powerful fears, people will go to great lengths to ignore, dismiss and deny the existence of certain subjects, information or ideas that may trigger this fear. The collective fear of the unknown has played a major role in the formation of Western academia and its doctrines, many subjects are foolishly dismissed and treated as taboo, not because they are illegitimate or have been discredited, but because they frighten people and cause discomfort. This fear of the unknown is triggered by magic mushrooms because the psychedelic experience is in many ways an embodiment of the unknown and mysterious. The reaction to the psychedelic movement that took place in the sixties can give us insight into how the unconscious fears of the collective can stifle and hinder the progress and advancement of everyone. Rather than embracing and integrating these plant medicines into society, the unconscious fears of the collective and the authoritarian tyranny of the state led them to be demonized and prohibited. Much of the unconscious fear around psychedelic plant medicines has been greatly amplified by deceitful propaganda campaigns that persuaded millions of people to believe that they were dangerous drugs that would lead to addiction and self destruction. Part of the reason that these campaigns were so successful is because the fear was already present. It seems that the state may have even strategically exploited the collective fear of the unknown in a way that enabled the population to cower from their fears with a false sense of righteousness and a facade of superiority, believing themselves to be better than the “criminals” and “degenerates” who use these “dangerous” and illegal “drugs”. This behavior between the state and the population resembles that of the relationship between a narcissistic parent who shields their child from reality, this overbearing protection prevents the child from growing up, causing them to become weak, docile and delusional. Only in this case it is grown men and women who are choosing to remain in unconscious ignorance with an infantile dependence on the state to protect them, telling them what and how to think even into their old age. These conditions of safety, comfort, and ease are the very breeding grounds for what Nietzsche referred to as “the last man”, a man who lives a meaningless life of ignorance, hedonism and laziness. The most dangerous aspect of this last man lies in the fact that he is the rule, he is like an ocean of mediocrity that threatens to drown all exceptional individuals in unconsciousness and triviality, one must be a strong swimmer to endure his superfluous presence and overwhelming influence. This is why it is so important to face adversity, many men instinctively know this and seek to challenge themselves through activities that promote strength, stamina and endurance, such as weightlifting, martial arts, boxing, cold exposure etc., this is also why many men prefer to work jobs that require hard physical labor. Physical strength, stamina and endurance are extremely important, but the greatest strength we can ever attain comes from within, and it only comes to those who are willing to face their fear of the unknown. Facing your fear of the unknown in this way can be seen as a form of mental adversity which will enable you to cultivate fortitude and grit. The psychedelic experience is naturally feared because it is unknown and mysterious, but when you combine that with the fear of the self and the fear of the sacred it becomes a powerhouse of unconscious fears. Facing each of these fears through the psychedelic experience should be viewed as opportunities to become stronger by overcoming them. Fear is a great robber of life which can prevent you from reaching your highest potential, or as Joseph Campbell put it, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. Fear of the unknown is our greatest fear. Many of us would enter a tiger's lair before we would enter a dark cave. While caution is a useful instinct, we lose many opportunities and much of the adventure of life if we fail to support the curious explorer within us.”3-The Fear of the SacredThe fear of the sacred is the greatest of these three fears because it encompasses the fear of the self and the fear of the unknown simultaneously. All life is sacred, including the self, but most people have become so disconnected from the sacred that they have grown to fear it, if by chance they do encounter or experience it they often interpret it as something separate from themselves, as something unknown. Magic mushrooms trigger this fear because the psychedelic experience that they induce is, or at least has the potential to become sacred depending on the nature and intention of the individual. Taking a full dose of magic mushrooms, which is 5 dried grams, may lead to what is referred to as a religious or mystical experience. These experiences are unique to the individual and usually difficult to articulate, but they can be broadly summed up as a powerful reconnection to the sacred aspects of reality, which include the self, the earth, nature, the cosmos and the universe. These experiences often lead to massive expansions of consciousness, psychological rebirths, personal transformations, spiritual awakenings and miraculous healings. They are usually described as the most powerful and meaningful experiences that the individual has ever had. Reconnecting to the sacred may be unfamiliar, strange and even terrifying for certain people, the further one drifts away from the sacred, the more their fear intensifies. The collective fear of the sacred is so powerful and prevalent in Western academia that it has virtually eradicated the knowledge of, relationship to and even the capability of having belief in the existence of the sacred. Much of the atheistic materialist reductionist doctrines of the West are the products of defense mechanisms within the collective unconscious which are meant to protect people from their fears by pretending that they do not exist, a type of denial through self-deception which masquerades as intellect. Hannah More described this cunning trickery when she said, “The ingenuity of self-deception is inexhaustible.”. Atheistic doctrines are naturally popular because they resonate with the collective unconscious, they offer the same type of protection to the masses that they do to those who create and/or regurgitate them. This is not protection from any danger or threat, but protection from fear, from facing truths, realities and subjects that trigger discomfort and uncertainty. This is why science has degenerated into somewhat of a religious cult, it is used as a haven by those who have chosen to shun the sacred out of fear. The fear of the sacred is particularly intense amongst the indoctrinated, they do not have the capacity to think beyond their education, this is the degrading and dehumanizing nature of atheistic doctrines, they mislead people into believing that they are an insignificant fluke, a product of chance in a universe with no meaning, which is a perfect recipe for nihilism. Logic would dictate that this fear of, and disconnection from the sacred would be absent in religious people, however, it is often just as strong in them as it is in their supposed opposites – atheists. Carl Jung shed some light on this paradox when he stated, “One of the main functions of organized religion is to protect people from a direct experience of God.”. Those who cling to atheistic materialist reductionist doctrines are not very different from many of those who cling to religion, their behavior is simply driven by unconscious fears. Most religious people use organized religion as a form of protection from their unconscious fears in the same way that others use science. They will go through the motions of going to church, listening to a priest, reading religious texts, etc., but will avoid any deep or meaningful religious practices, such as contemplation, introspection, meditation, ceremony, ritual, etc. What’s even worse is that many of them will criticize, slander and attack those who are involved in these deeper religious practices, foolishly labelling anything that triggers their unconscious fears as witchcraft, summoning demons, evil, etc. Atheistic academics do the same thing by referring to such religious practices as superstitious, imaginary, hallucinatory, etc., they also do this to their scholarly opponents and critics by labelling them as pseudo-scientists, quacks and conspiracy theorists. This is how unconscious cowardice defends its delusions, through dismissal, denial, and slander. People of this type are always compelled by programming and driven by unconscious forces; fear, conformity, tradition, convention, public opinion, political correctness, the need for acceptance, the desire to appear “good” to others, etc. What these types of people fail to realize is that until they raise their consciousness and begin to attain self-knowledge, their thoughts, opinions and perspectives are irrelevant and worthless in the presence of truth. The indoctrinated are often arrogant and narcissistic, when they can no longer rationally justify their position they resort to personal attacks, they will mock, scoff, ridicule, slander, sabotage and mischaracterize anyone who challenges their delusions. At this point objective truth becomes irrelevant and civilized discussion impossible, the mob will stand behind whoever affirms their delusions and embodies their ‘values’. This is why almost every position of power and influence in Western society is occupied by incompetent, mediocre and delusional men, democratically elected leaders are the epitome of the unconscious mob. Or as H. L. Mencken stated, “Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.”. Being disconnected from the sacred is a disease and shunning its existence out of fear is cowardice, the reason people are so resistant and hostile to the truth is because they are scared to face reality. Or as Friedrich Nietzsche put it, “Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed.” Nietzsche was well aware of man’s propensity to shun reality by creating phantasmagorical worlds in which he could shelter himself from his fears and from truths which he was not willing to face. In The Will to Power he wrote, “Metaphysics, morality, religion, science – they are portrayed in this book as nothing more than different forms of deception; with their help we can believe in life. ‘Life is supposed to inspire confidence’; the task thus imposed is tremendous. In order to solve this problem, man must already be an inveterate liar, but he must above all else be an artist. And so he is: metaphysics, religion, morality, science – all are mere artefacts of his determination to create appearances, to lie, to escape from ‘truth’, to deny the ‘truth’. This ability, man’s artistic ability par excellence, thanks to which he violates reality with his lies – he has in common with all that is. After all, he himself is a part of reality, truth and nature; how could he help but share in its genius for lying!...”. Magic mushrooms and the psychedelic experience can assist you on your path to healing and growth, but only if you are willing to face your fears and embrace change. Psychological development forces you to take responsibility for yourself because the more self-knowledge you gain, the more you begin to realize that you are in control of your life, and that it is your own thoughts, attitude, behavior and conduct which are continually shaping it for better or worse. The psychedelic experience can enable you to explore your own psyche in more depth, this is symbolized by the hero’s journey which leads to the fight with the dragon and the treasure hard to attain. This treasure is the inner wealth which can only be attained through self-knowledge, or as the Master Yeshua said, “But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty, and it is you who are that poverty.”. The implication here is that rejecting your self will lead to an inner state of destitution which can never be alleviated by anything external because it is the very absence of your own soul. It should become clear why some men can have everything they desire; money, power, influence, fame, women, yet they can still become depressed and even end up committing suicide. This is not to say that it is bad or wrong to be rich and enjoy material possessions, money can enrich your life and empower you to a very large degree, but if you are infatuated by these things and your life revolves around them, then you are merely a slave to them. The idolization of riches and material wealth is a sure path to bondage and desolation, or as it says in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?” One of the biggest problems with Western society is that people are encouraged and programmed to value and strive for money, wealth, luxury, comfort, fame, etc., as if attaining these things would lead to some kind of fulfillment, as if they were the very goal of life itself. These things and conditions can be useful for those who know how to use them, however, most people who attain them for their own sake are spoiled and corrupted by them, falling into decadence, weakness, degeneration, hedonism, perversion, sadism, arrogance, false pride, conceit, despotism, meaninglessness, nihilism, etc. In modern societies money is the most valuable asset that a man can attain because it is the only way for him to shelter and provide for his family, historically these tasks were far more difficult, they required physical strength, stamina, endurance, courage and survival skills, these were not optional traits that you could cultivate in your free time, they were instinctual necessities demanded by the conditions of nature. Living in safety, comfort and ease is antithetical to the nature of men, it disconnects them from their instincts and masculinity making them soft and weak. Men should learn to embrace adversity and view the challenges and obstacles that they face as opportunities to become stronger, no matter how daunting they may be. They should strive to excel in their physical strength, mental acuity and spiritual health through the pursuit of self-knowledge and personal development. Magic mushrooms can be used as the keys to personal evolution, but only for those who seek to evolve.