"Mushroom Magic," or, "Terror in Mother Africa"
by Sub-commandante X

Return to Africa, or more precisely, back to the mushroom dotted plains of Africa 10,000 years ago. Before war, possessions, or standing armies. Before ego. Before, before...

Humanoids exploring what it means to be human, apart from the animal-nature reality. Mushroom magic threw the door wide open. Its imagination makes the difference. And, we had it knocked.

No families, no countries, no tribes - back when fear and hatred were still unlearned - all we knew was abundance, community and love.

That's what we're nostalgic for, these days. And we're getting ready to return to it. I don't wanna shock you, but...

Archeologists refer to the civilization of pre-dynastic Egypt as the "high plains of Eden." Terence McKenna says in the Food of the Gods,

"The Tassili-n-Ajjer of 12,000 BC may well have been that paradise whose loss has created the most persistent and poignant of our mythological motifs - nostalgia for paradise, the idea of a lost golden age of plenty, partnership and social balance."

"In this milieu the psylocibin-containing mushrooms were encountered, consumed and deified..."

Note to the observant self:
Don't chew off more than you can bite... 'Cause you wanna bite down hard.
--the Editor as artist whispered

Okay, we've just returned from Sierra Leone, Mother Africa. And, what have we learned since we've been away?

Britain's U.N. ambassador, Jeremy Greenstock said,

Diamonds are a state's worst friend... greed and the desire to control the lucrative diamond trade are what's fueling wars in Sierra Leone and other African countries."

With diamonds, you pay for the gems, but you get the blood and terror for free. Enjoy the hot rocks. What a bargain, just be sure to wash your hands.

Desire to possess the sparkling mineral is getting bloody bloody. Last July a 'peace' deal was signed giving rebel leaders top government posts and amnesty for their war atrocities. Some peace.

Today many rebel leaders are in U.N. detention camps, but the U.N. can't quite figure out who to negotiate with. They're working on it, though.

It don't look too good. Ritualized killings, and ritualized mutilations (hacking off arms and legs), is the political modus operandi. And, we're told that's just the way things go.

But don't you buy it. 'Cause you know there's gotta be another path. Diamonds are pretty and nice to look at, but let's get real. Diamonds don't last forever, but death and mutilations do on this 3-dimensional trail of tears.

10,000 years of paternal dominator culture is about all we can stand. Working all the time with everybody ripping everybody else off, in this mad dance of "the juvenile obsessions of the marketplace" is getting pretty old.

No time is 'quality' time, when you ain't got none. Hey, somebody's gotta say it,

"Fuck This Shit..."

Well now, looks like it's up to you...

Sub-X is a survivor of the radical '60s. These days he's attempting to get beyond the 'Them' and 'Us' duality of Conflict Consciousness. Trying to eliminate conflict from one's reality is a lot like dealing with alcohol. It's an on-going process. Currently, Sub-X seeks solutions and asks, "Why not more beauty, love, and joy?" We know we can do so much better. OK, so why not?