Foreword to the HTML Edition
by Forbidden Donut
You, dear reader, are an extremely fortunate
individual to have stumbled upon this particular digital doorway. What
lies ahead is one of the most important volumes in the canon of psychedelic
literature. The Essential Psychedelic Guide was written by D.M.
Turner, an extraordinarily courageous and articulate pioneer in the exploration
of the imaginal realm. However, due to a tragic series of events resulting
in the untimely death of its author, this book was very nearly lost forever.
Only a few psychonauts lucky enough to have found copies from the initial
print runs would have ever been the wiser. Luckily, though, some mysterious
force for good in the universe has seen fit to digitize it for your reading
pleasure. I, for one, am awfully thankful.
The Essential Psychedelic Guide,
while deceptively slim in its printed form, is a veritable well-spring
of knowledge for the aspiring psychonaut. It brings together in a single
volume the basics of psychedelic history, essential information on physical
and mental safety, and detailed chapters on 8 of the major entheogens,
including hard to find, accurate data on dosage and administration. Turner
also presents quite a bit of highly novel thinking with regard to the philosophical
underpinnings of the bizarre, extreme, and sometimes sublime dimensions
that entheogens can make accessible. Indeed, one could scarcely dream of
a better introductory text for the newcomer to the visionary way, or a
more practically useful reference for the experienced psychedelic voyager.
What really puts Turner's work in a
class by itself are his vivid, lucid and evocative narrations from the
very frontier of consciousness itself. His trip stories convey the essence
of the psychedelic experience in a manner that I had not previously thought
to be possible using such a crude instrument as the English language. Also
particularly noteworthy is the wide variety of novel and challenging chemical
combinations which this master alchemist brought together within his physical
alembic and then reported on. This makes the work especially important,
as he was likely the first and only person ever to have tried some of these
mixtures. Some may consider certain of them to be excessive or even dangerous;
indeed, Turner's death appears to have been directly related to one of
his experiments. Following his death, it has been pointed out that he was
a bit of a "hard-head"; it took him much higher dosages than most need
to acheive the desired effects. 'Caution' is the watchword, especially
for newcomers to the psychedelic arena. Nevertheless, we must remember
that Turner was the Chuck Yeager of psychonauts, a test pilot's test pilot.
His voyages should therefore be judged accordingly.
The sad circumstances regarding his
demise, however, have cast a foreboding shadow over some of his more intrepid
adventures, and unfortunately have turned a hero's story into a cautionary
tale. On or about December 31, 1996, Turner prepared for another voyage,
presumably to celebrate the coming of the new year. Sadly, it was to be
his last. Shortly thereafter he was found dead, drowned in his bathtub,
with a vial of ketamine nearby. It seems likely that he either slid beneath
the waterline while under its effects, or slipped, fell, and hit his head
upon arising afterwards, leaving himself unconscious to drown in several
inches of water. In light of Turner's glowing praise for ketamine in this
book, how exactly is the reader supposed to view the fact that it seems
to have played at least a supporting role in his passing? My own favorite
interpretation is from an anonymous friend's recollection of Turner in
the Summer 1997 issue of The Resonance Project:
Mr. Turner was in the process of revising his
Essential Psychedelic Guide, but as the changes may never come to light,
it should be stated that his opinion of ketamine had changed considerably.
He was sensitive to safety issues, and was increasingly troubled by what
he called the 'psychedelic heroin' properties of ketamine. He confided
in friends that DMT, which he considered his most helpful ally, had a difficult
time counteracting the addictive and increasingly life-negative effects
of this drug. DMT conveyed to him that ketamine was a sort of 'Frankenstein
molecule' that didn't obey the shamanic rules, and he was given several
warnings to drop it from his program. Ultimately, his failure to completely
do so led to his untimely passing.
Whether or not one entirely agrees with
the preceding quote, I believe that it offers the most useful perspective
from which to learn from the great loss that the psychedelic community
suffered on New Year's Eve 1997. If nothing else, I hope that Turner's
death inspires us all to be just a little more careful when surfing the
cosmic jetstream. Indeed, if only he had a sitter nearby on his final voyage,
he might still be among the living. Also, I would hope that this tragedy
might teach us to more fully listen to our personal intuition's guidance
as regards these powerful tools, using it as a balance by which to gauge
the veracity of what the materials themselves may tell us in one of their
capricious moods. During the thirty-four years he spent in his incarnation
as D.M. Turner, he touched innumerable lives with his warmth, wisdom, honesty,
courage, and kindness. And thankfully, he has left us with a rich and impressive
legacy. Enjoy...
Forbidden Donut,
September 29, 1997 |
|