Hello friends,

Spring is here, and with it, the urge for renewal-inside and out. Ruth and I just returned from Breaking Convention in Exeter, one of Europe’s largest psychedelic conferences. As always, it was incredible to immerse ourselves in this vibrant community connecting with people united by a mission:

We listened researchers, shamans, therapists, policymakers, ex-undercover cops, and medicine makers, all confirming what many of us know in our bones:

This year, our experience at Exeter was deeply coloured by what’s happening at home. As my son faces the pressures of GCSE exams, he turns to coping mechanisms - some labeled as Autism, ADHD, others as addiction. Screw the labels, they are all coping mechanism.

This is exactly why I want psychedelics legalised: because people like my son deserve better options. He could access healing and transformation at a young age, in a way I never could when I was growing up.

The conversations at the conference about the intersection of psychedelics and inner work, for both the young and the not-so-young (even our parents’ generation is getting curious about microdosing!) have inspired Ruth and me to step more fully into the open. After years of working quietly and word-of-mouth, we’re now making our collaboration on Inner Work public with our new website 😃

Take a look and see what we offer. Even if it’s not for you, please share it with someone who might benefit. Our intention is simple: to serve, to help others heal the past, and to reimagine the future.

I know some people (some painfully close to my own family) worry that psychedelics are unsafe and should never be made legal. But I invite you to look at Professor David Nutt’s research: alcohol is, by far, the most damaging drug to society, while psilocybin is among the safest. Not entirely surprising that Nutt got fired the day he presented this chart to the then Premier Minister of the UK, David Cameron.

Taking this serious, and being contrarians, Ruth and I have stopped drinking 5 years ago and never looked back! When it comes to labels like Autism and ADHD, or the well-intended but misguided push for everyone to fit into society’s narrow expectations, I ask: do you really want to be “normal” in a sick society? Or do you want to become your truest self? As Mark Twain said:

Inner work is the lifelong process of discovering who you are and why you exist. Some get there without psychedelics, but ancient wisdom and modern science both show that psychedelics can greatly increase the odds.

What is the purpose of life anyways? One perspective is by modern Samurai Sensei Riichi Kitano, who said something along this line on Aubrey Marcus podcast:

I don’t want to live a happy life. I want to die happy.

If, with your last breath, you feel peace, then you probably made the most of your life.

With love and gratitude for this community,

Marcus aka antaur.eth (my onchain pseudonymous persona)

I hope that you'll live for at least another 10 years...because you will then experience mass adoption of blockchain and crypto currencies - mark my words! That's why another of my mission is to educate, inspire you to become early adopters now. Next course cohorts are in May, June and July.

Blockchain for Beginners by Marcus Druen: change maker & blockchain early adopter and antaur: my onchain pseudonymous persona on Maven

Onchain is the new Online: discover why blockchain will redefine your digital future and empower you to thrive in a decentralized world.

https://maven.com

The AI I am using for my visual content is Leonardo.

If you want to upgrade your AI workflow skills, but don't know where to start, ask me and I'll show you. If you wonder what Inner Work, Psychedelics & Crypto have in common (a lot!) let's have a dialogue. I am also curious how you make sense and meaning of what is emerging in the world right now...

https://calendly.com/marcusdruen/deepdive (60 min Zoom Call)