you might enjoy the west coast of canada and the US obliguhl..there is a very large psychedelic underground here in the PNW. The trade off is the high cost of living that is going up and up and more rich foreign people move here..but then you also get to live close to nature, the ocean etc.

Eating mushrooms here just seems like a right of passage at some point..doesnt mean everyone here is tuned in though..hardly.

Obli, I hear ya. I am from round there and left as fast as I could for the same reasons. It's been 20 years now..It has loosened up some since then but in essence it's still the same. I don't even like going back to visit. Glad I am each time to come back to my happy little bubble here.
Not to say you can't have a good time bumming around in Germany for a while, but if you are locked down, like you it can suck. It's hard to find 'the family' there. Hippies aren't the same either. They may have dreadlocks but they snort coke and will steal. Even the obligatory patchouli scent is replaced by commercial grade perfume…just like real 'Faux Hippies'.
Why are they like this? I think it's mostly the constant influx of alcohol and the fact that everyone avoids being challenged internally (in other words 'not dealing with their shit', not being encouraged to communicate, withholding emotions and thus fostering repressed mental issues manifested as national passive-aggressiveness. But it's all nice and pretty on the outside…
If you were to deal with your shit it is imperative to take that big stick out of your ass and give up control just for once. But we all know that's not the German style..
Germans call Austrians the "insidious mountain tribe"…you know what you'll get there..If you don't have asperger's, you are gonna feel a little out of place there.

And for all the ones that admire 'green german politics (me included), please read on here. It's not as rosy as you may think:
http://www.slate.com/art...ar_power_subsidies_.html

Obliguhl

No worries my friend, I understand completely where you are coming from... Indeed maybe a geographical location that is less centered around western consumerism may suit you better. I too hope to relocate to perhaps South America in the near future as I truly feel I will be able to live a far more low key sustainable lifestyle there. I wish you the best of luck and try keep your chin up and your head held high as its not worth letting the daily grind get you down.


Much Peace and Happiness

Yes Jamie, that's what i figured. What i miss is the possibility of meeting someone who is "serious" about psychedelics. But then, if i had to think about it...i met one on a train once. It was totally absurd. He was sitting on the spot i had reserved even. We talked the whole time about ayahuasca, mushrooms etc. He went to the amazon though and had some ayahuasca there so he kinda escaped this culture for a while....

Oetzi...
What a lovely characterisation! You seem to have a sharp mind and an eye for culture.



I'd say that some people do raise their voice but it's all political childishness..defiance..yelling. It seems that not many people are trying to really build a different cultural system of some sort. I am "locked down" or i'd rather say ...locked inside. If you are really outgoing and fearless, you can have fun everywhere and you might even find germans cute:



But if you are living there? I mean, identity is a two sided process. You're telling yourself what you are, and the people around you are telling you what you are supposed to be. I guess that's why communicating with the spirits is so important...to get a third opinion.

I recently stumbled upon this video from a german Travel journal:

http://www.prosieben.de/...yahuasca-trip-1.3331298/



Really a disgusating segment, but very typical. That Travel guy looks really alternative with tattoos and a long beard but he isn't. He's arrogant and treats the whole experience as if it would be something ridiciolous he has to do demonstrate how insane the rest of the world really is. I don't really like the UDV, but they were all treating him with respect and you can see that they were even comforting him during his ayahuasca session. But he'S just like "oh wahtever, tomorrow i'll be eating insects, that's exotic too". I mean, this is a holy ceremony for these people and he's belittling it with his constant "Think of the children!" rant and you can really hear in his voice how he's laughin about the whole thing and treats these people like circus clowns.

This is really typical. There is no cultural vocabulary available to put drug experiences into a sacred context.