My Forest's Tears

Shamans Of The Amazon

"Excellent documentary about the Amazonian Shamans and their use of the sacred Ayahuasca vine to communicate with the Spirits of the Forest. Includes footage of peaceful drug-prohibition protests, an interview with Terence Mckenna, criticism of the so called "war on drugs" (essentially a form of cultural genocide), the corruption within large oil companies and governments, many civil rights issues, etc.

"During the making of this film:

* 16 million acres of Amazon Rainforest was destroyed.
* 150,000 species became extinct.
* In Ecuador, 9 oil spills released millions of gallons of crude oil into the head waters of the Amazon.
* Scientists worldwide agreed that Global Warming and climate change is a major threat facing all life on Earth.
* Natural disasters including volcanic eruptions increased.
* In the Netherlands, the case against the Santo Daime was thrown out of court. The judge found Ayahuasca use was not a risk to public health and their constitutional right to freedom of religion must be respected.
* Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Belguim and The Netherlands decriminalised most drugs.
* The USA gave the Taliban in Afghanistan $43 million dollars for the War on Drugs.
* The USA was voted off the United Nations Human Rights Commision.
* Humanity stands at the crossroads..."

TEDTalks - Explorer Wade Davis on our amazing "ethnosphere"

"In this stunning talk, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the world's indigenous cultures, many of which are disappearing, as ancestral land is lost and languages die. (50 percent of the world's 6000 languages are no longer taught to children.) Against a backdrop of extraordinary photos and stories that ignite the imagination, Davis argues that we should be concerned not only for preserving the biosphere, but also the "ethnosphere," which he describes as "the sum total of all thoughts and dreams, myths, ideas, inspirations, intuitions brought into being by the human imagination since the dawn of consciousness." An anthropologist and botanist by training, Davis has traveled the world, living among indigenous cultures. He's written several books, including The Serpent and the Rainbow and Light at the Edge of the World. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 22:44)"