Some of Leary’s visions of the erotic life in tribal communities
Leary envisions some of the specific characteristics of tribal communities made up of psychedelic marriages. Community rituals, focus on children, and festivals that “blow minds” are among the important aspects of successful tribal communities.
Sound bites: Disc 3 of 4, Track 8, 1:15-1:58
A very interesting and important device in any sort of commune of this sort is a sauna or a sweat-lodge. We look to our tutors and gurus, the Indians, and they have so much to teach us about this, because in some of these communes that Rosemary and I have been in, every afternoon about three o’clock all the women assemble and have a sauna, and every night at five or six o’clock the men, after they come back from cutting the wood, or plowing, or going out dealing or whatever they do, they come back in and... the men sit around in a sauna, and there’s that sense that you’re sharing this sensory, righteous, spiritual experience, and you’re conscious of a... at the same levels.
Sound bites: Disc 4 of 4, Track 1, 3:25-3:40
Now, in the tribal, the tribal commune, of course, you have lots of children, where you have the male/female unit and the children coming along, and each family has its own house, and it really is an incredibly beautiful place for children to grow up.
Sound bites: Disc 4 of 4, Track 1, 3:53-4:39
... in the first place, there is an increasing trend on treating pregnancy not as a disease, but as an ecstatic and spiritual experience. This means that the child is consciously conceived, usually at the highest point of illumination of the parents; that the pregnancy is seen as a nine-month preparation for a great celebration; not only the mother, but the father and all the friends. . .
Sound bites: Disc 3 of 4, Track 8, 00:00-01:14
The only way, however that a tribal group of this sort can exist and survive is if they take plenty of dope. Or unless they have built in some tribal series of festivals that blows the mind regularly. You’ve got to have that. Otherwise the energy is such that... you see, by taking dope, or having some festival which blows minds... and it’s got to be pretty regular, too-the use of marijuana or LSD or similar substances-they tend to muffle the Level 6 emotions. People get uptight, and there are always problems and frictions when you get high-energy people and you get high-energy people moving at fast accelerations into a psychedelic age, you’re bound to get frictions, and collisions, and so forth. But the effect of the Level 4 and Level 3 experience is to muffle the anger, muffle the resentment, and pretty soon you’re giggling and laughing. And of course, what you’re doing there is you’re building up, not just Level 5 telepathy and communication, but Level 4 as well.