I'm an MBA student specializing in operational and project management.


ALL PROJECTS are in fact a series of MANY SMALL PROJECTS.

We need to create a list here of all the small projects that need doing


edit: Here is our Project To Do List

To start:

+ We need a name
(careful with "Foundation," it traditionally means a grant giving institution--which maybe we'll become?)

+ We need a Mission Statement

+ What are our positions on issues?

+ We need to think structure- how ought we communicate and organize ourselves?

+ What are simple ways we can start communicating with the public?
(I really like this of a "Best Experience Report" collection. Most of the public doesn't even know what a JOURNEY is. I really like this this new one, amongst MANY others.)


+ ???.....


Please add away! Think small and simple.

good to have you acolyte! this is exactly what we need!

im really excited about this its soooooooosoooo so needed.

I think for starters we should refrain from using the term "trip"..not sure what would beused instead but things like "journey" or even just "experience" sounds alot better..

Personal freedom needs to be a big thing here..a main focus..thats what this whole thing is about..the war on personal freedom. As long as we arent harming anyone else with our actions we should have the choice to grow, purchase and ingest whatever we choose to ingest, legally..

Maybe some insight into the historical implications of these things should be brought to light as well..this IS NOT A NEW THING..this is ancient..this is a well established spiritual practice and method of self exploration...even an overview of shamanism, what it means today, how it realates to things liek psychotherapy etc would be good so that old dogmas attached to this stuff long ago by religious organizations can be dropped.

People need to be educated on the reality of psychedelics and the role they REALLY play insociety today..removed from the mainstream paradigm held in reguards to psychedelics in which they are associated with narcotics and addiction etc..pointing people towards the real work being done at places like MAPS and John Hopkins is a start..

ok look the first post is about actual practical stuff
almost everything else is chatter about the NAME! I know the name is all tied in with the objectives and a lot of discussion about the name is really about defining and integrating our ideas, but seriously...

Its tempting and romantic to get all excited and obsess about the name for something that so far has no substance...
If you're serious about this leave the naming till later and focus on what we WANT to achieve, what we CAN achieve, WHERE WHEN and HOW, then name it.

[EDIT I also think E.L.F. is great, actually]

Collaboration is the key. Not just with each other, either. The criminalisation and subsequent isolation of drug culture from 'proper society' may have helped unite people under the entheogenic banner, but the 'war on drugs' has created a dichotomy, a pair of opposed 'sides'; ending the perception of entheogenic use as just another part of western drug culture is important, as is ending the 'war' that aligns us against the government, law, non-drug using public, etc

it may sound naive, but instead of working against these groups I would ideally rather work with them [to a certain extent obviously] to help them understand us. The best experience report idea is brilliant IMO. I was motivated to use every one of the entheogens I have used by some anonymous trip report, they spark a natural curiosity and interest in a lot of people.

How to get a brilliant report out to the public is the question. A leaflet, newsletter type thing can easily be designed centrally, but produced and distributed by individual cells all over the world; I could post them through a load of letterboxes all around this part of the city, easy. With more people... we could get a lot of information out to a lot of people. Not often enough to be spamming everyone, but even once would make the headlines down here in the UK if enough people were aware of the campaign, and that in itself would start debate and questions about all of it

Also, the first thing many people think about entheogens or psychedelics, is harm.
The first thing they think about groups advocating the opposite, is cult.

Change this. We need to realistic in our goals and actions, strong enough to destroy the first association, but moderate, sensible and professional enough not to incur the second.

Logo?

This is far from immediately important, but I'd think it'd eventually become an issue.

We've got many good artists on the forum, maybe a very simple set of lines/shapes could be organized into a basic symbol to represent ELF.

Something that's not too abstract (to remain approachable) but also not so mundane that it's lost to the eye. Simple so that it may be printed easily/cheaply and is not distracting from whatever it's next to.

Maybe a collaborative project with individual submissions to select/draw from, evolving it until we have something simple and friendly that resonates with ELF?


EDIT: All after we settle on a name, work from that for this external image stuff.

Keep up the good work!


Here's a few more for The Project To Do List:


+ find psychedelic friendly lawyers

+ Create a detailed, well-rounded and concise History of Ethnobotanicals

+ Human Resources page of our skills

+ A Donations WebPage ==> will need to incorporate as a non-profit ==> Where? Netherlands? California?

+ ???


keep thinking!!!

Hello Acolyte

"+ We need to think structure- how ought we communicate and organize ourselves?"

I think you and fellow students could be a very powerful resource.

I'd bet there's not a college or university in the western world that doesn't have at least someone with an interest in entheogens/psychedelics.

Once the ELF is up and running we could seek out these people,to help disseminate the message,and reach a large amount of people.


Spicegnosis

A webzine to publish relevant news stories, community news and planned events, and occasional trip reports, art and such.

An eventual documentary, as they're getting easier and easier to produce.

I.think.a.section.of.all.SCIENTIFIC.articles.on.the.subject.is.absolutely.necessary.
The.point.is.to.try.to.show."non-tripping".people.the.benefits.

In.my.opinion.the.BestExperienceReport.will.not.convince.anyone.who.hasn't.had.the.experience.themselves.
If.we.can.centralize.all.info.about.the.theraputic.use.of.entheogens.we.might.have.a.bigger.shot.at.convincing.more.RATIONAL.people.
This.is.where.people.with.access.to.articles.will.come.in.handy.

Peace

I'm actually planning to do that as soon as I have the ressources. Videography is one of my things.

I agree, trip reports are great but only interesting to certain kinds of people. Therapeutic angles are important.
Interviews with or articles/essays by people who have benefited directly, or witnessed healing in others from the use of entheogens. Regular DMT users, Ayahuasca users, people who run Aya ceremonies, Cacti/mesc users, etc. Importance should be placed on ritual/ceremonial use (imo), we must avoid people equating it with "getting high"

Freedom to spiritually explore our inner selves rationally with safety and legality
EDIT: i reckon ELF would be better named: EFF (Entheogen Freedom Foundation) or even SEFF (Spiritual Entheogen Freedom Foundation)

I am on board with this. Mr. Enchantment, I agree that the public could definitely use a lot of education, in many areas including, incorrect stereotypes of psychedelics and users, the large issue of personal freedom, and the history of use.

The best way to reach people would probably be mainstream tv, mainstream magazines, and mainstream newspapers. But..... I think a lot of people on our side do not enter in to those sorts of positions because they disagree with how mainstream media is presented in the first place. So if mainstream media is out of the question, wouldn't youtube be the best medium to use? I mean, not showing ourselves in our experiences, but showing our attitudes, showing the type of people we are, dispelling negative stereotypes against users. The youtuber neurosoup is probably the most popular of the youtube psychedelic people. Though her videos are concise, she puts out a lot of information, a lot of it being safety information, and she presents the picture of an intelligent, educated, caring person. Her videos have over 8 million views.

Really interested in this. The world needs to know.

I think the easiest way to reach the public is by having a clean, professional website with lots of information (not too much either, we don't want to confuse people).

Information pamphlets that can be given to the public. Maybe have different versions, for different crowds (you dont wanna inform ravers the same way you want to inform soccer moms).

In the long term, I'd really like to see an Entheogen Freedom Magazine

Just a side note, I agree with fractal enchantment's idea about personal freedom, but I think it would be better packaged and named personal development. Personal freedom might also imply the freedom to self destruct. And while ultimately we may want that freedom as well, it's not really what we are about in the first place. I think it's important to keep the idea of progress and positive changes that can be brought forth with psychedelics in focus, rather than saying we want the freedom to fuck around...

I think whatever we write or say it is very important to think through the semantics of our statements carefully. This is a subject that is viewed in a very negative light by most, that is easily ridiculed and frowned upon, so we want to avoid giving our adversaries any kind of grounds to portray us as the losers they may think we are.
Eloquence, clarity and a clear aim for positivity is essential in this.

cheers
Enoon

ELF has already been used.
It's an ecoterrorism group. The Earth Liberation Front.
You definitely want to pick a different name.

You might consider organizing this in much the same way services societies do btw. To show society that entheogen users care about the community they live inland are not scary outlaws.'drug use needs a serious PR change.

Great idea, Enoon, about personal development.

Most people struggle with any changes in their perceptions. I believe people change their thinking most gracefully when it serves their own self interest to do so. If changing an opinion causes someone to feel better about themselves, they are more apt to change.

It could be helpful to ask:
What messages could CEL offer that illustrate how tolerance of entheogens is beneficial to someone's own self-interest?


I'll throw out a few mediocre ideas:
a) Describe several 'outed' trippers and discuss what these people did for the world. (Steve Jobs, Watson, etc)
b) Present a list of famous artists and songs that would not exist except for the trippers who wrote them.
c) Go back in history and describe some inventors/artists/authors who used entheogens. (there are lots)
d) Document the interaction between psychedelics and the creation of the internet.
e) Discuss how much government expense would be saved if the drug war ended. How much would each person save in tax?
f) idk, but I'll keep thinking

This line of thinking is a little bit cynical, but it might be interesting to discuss, "What causes people to change their opinions?"

Lastly, I have posted a few times about entheogenic use from a spiritual perspective and I've seen some negative reactions to that idea. Some on Nexus are very independent and want nothing to do with anything that could be called a dogmatic religous practice. I understand this sentiment well and I would fall into this category...except...a few years back I decided I could have a spiritual relationship with the universe on my own terms. I don't need anyone to tell me how a sincere spiritual practice will unfold.

The Council on Spiritual Practices has a good site CSP Home. As an example, they have documented an ethics code here This is just their version of an 'Attitude Page' and even though they call it a "Code of Ethics for Spiritual Guides", what they write is not religous dogma, but rather common sense. I'm just trying to say that sincere spiritual intent doesn't mean Vatican Approval.

America has been the host to a wide range of religous whackjobs for centuries. I think most Americans feel good about our religous freedom heritage. If indeed you are using these substances for exploration, enlightenment, knowledge, to be humbled, to look within, to question...or just to peer upwards and say, "I am thankful for this beautiful day". To me, that is sincere spiritual intent.

Those are some great ideas cker. You're right, people are more apt to change their opinion if it somehow benefits them. It seems that even if people are neutral towards psychedelics, they don't seem to care either way whether a person is deemed criminal for their use.

Also, I do believe it would be helpful, for a group that calls themselves "spiritual" to outline what spiritual means to them.

Well to reach the poplulace youtube was a good idea. Theres a huge connection with nearly everyone who has a computer. Short documetaries, history, background of the group, etc etc. But not too much, you want to spark just enough interest to point them to a grander source of information: the website. Great idea. The website could have the background of various substances, their use all throughout history, their uses etc. It could have a background on the site and go more in depth on the group itself why the group does what it does, what its pushing for, its views on various things. It must reinforce the fact that we are not just some hippy group pushing to get drugs legal, it must show that we are regular people with jobs and families, that we are proffesionals and not long haired stoners who mooch off society. Were ordinary people who dont do crazy things through the use of these substances as the media portrays so often. Also as previously stated bybalaganist, we should put up interviews/stories of people who have benefited through the use of these substances. Have to reinforce that they are in no way addicting! People often associate illicit drugs with addiction and people with no life. Have to break that stigma.
We also need too show that they have been used spiritually by shamans for many many years and show that we arent merely trying to "trip" of drugs, but rather find a more spiritual connection with the world in which we live. Should probably put up why the government has banned the substances and correct the bad info they give (they always make the stuff seem worse than it is) and hit home the point that these substances are not to be treated lightly and should be respected and used only by mature adults, ready and capable of handling the experience.

Besides the website, Seminars. Hosting seminars to build awareness to such things in a community can be essential for getting the word out. We musnt rant about it, but rather "show the path" if you kind of get me. We dont want to throw ourselves at them, but rather invite them into this world in which we live. Pamphlets were another good idea, speakers with first hand experience, scientists, doctors, etc (it may be hard to find one for the cause but someone is out there somewhere) reputable people are essential also. Id take a doctors advice on how the substances work on the body than easier than just some random person ya know?

Personal freedom was another great thing to stress. We are in a "free" country and as such we should be able to say what does and does not enter our body. Of course if your the legal age of course We must show that these subtances can indeed help as remedies and the stuff the government gives use hurts us way more. Prescription pain pill addiction has skyrocketed by 400% in the past decade and destroys our body. Our organs cannot take that kind of strain for so long, yet these outlawed drugs can help cure many of our problems with no adverse reactions! Why should they be outlawed and these substances the government issues allowed?? Stuff like that should be stressed.

If enough public awareness is achieved, we can push for legalization. Just look at marijuana. Enough has been done by the public that it has been a serious debate for legalization and medicinal MJ is already available in some place.

Theres a lot we can do, but Ill stop ranting haha sorry for the long read. What do you guys think?