by Crazy Horse
Mon Aug 20th, 2012 at 03:55:30 AM EST
Not much time this AM, so will keep this short. Because today's headline regards the Invasion against Prague Spring, I wanted to highlight what I believe is a key angle.
There was a huge amount of LSD research going on then, as well as a flourishing underground scene. It has been reliably reported that Alexander Dubc̆ek himself had participated. Here is a recent follow-up report.
Because the spread of LSD and other means of expanding consciousness was a global phenomena, one might well compare Prague Spring to the Summer of Love. When one takes the experience out of the set and setting of military hospitals, and onto the vibrant streets of artists and visionaries, wonderful insights flourish.
MAPS: LSD in Prague
A fascinating overview of the global connections from psychedelic historians Bruce Eisner and Peter Stafford produced this gem:
Who Turned On Who
Then Spofa Pharmaceuticals in Czechoslovakia began manufacture, providing a high-quality product which became available to anyone in Prague who wished 10 try the experience under medical supervision.
Communist parry leader Alexander Dubcek and most of the city's artistic community took advantage of the offer, which many claim led to the "Prague Spring" of 1968 that ended in a Soviet invasion. Spofa, however, continued to supply the drug until just very recently.
And of course there's always Dr. Stan Grof.
....
UPDATE Evening 20.08.12
At the risk to what's left of my career, i've decided that this is the first of a series on altered states of consciousness, hopefully enlarged over the years here on ET. Since enlightened political/economic change will not happen without an enlightenment of the entire society, let's get started.
CAUTION! Discussion of the use of plant and chemical substances to alter perception has always been an area where vehement disapproval from those with the most to lose make them monsters. And many people with no idea whatsoever of any facts tend to have almost violent opinions. But we must go forward, and upward, now.