Terence McKenna at Esalen Institute in 1989

Terence McKenna passed away on April 3, 2000. Twenty years later, we honored him around the world in an online tribute event. On April 3, 2020, we premiered this never-released video of Terence lecturing at Esalen Institute in 1989.
After the video, we streamed a virtual fireside chat with Dennis McKenna and Erik Davis: • Tribute to Terence McK...
Terence McKenna was a cultural commentator, speaker, author, raconteur, and curious mind who became an iconic figure for the psychedelic community throughout the 80s and 90s. His provocative ideas about the role of psychedelic mushrooms in human evolution, and his notions about the nature of time, which became known as Novelty Theory, attracted wide attention. His talks and lectures, many still accessible online, led some to characterize him as the ‘Bard’ of psychedelia, and the ideas he articulated are still very much part of the contemporary conversation.
Big Sur, CA
June 19, 1989
Filmed by Noelle Imparato, PhD
Watch more free psychedelic conversations at:
www.psychsems.com/episodes

[@psychsems]

Replay the Crowdcast with Dennis McKenna and Erik Davis at: www.crowdcast.io/e/mckenna/

[@psychsems]

The rest of the Tribute to Terence series will be streaming at: www.crowdcast.io/e/tributetoterence

[@thepatternologist]

@@psychsems it has no sound.

[@psychsems]

@@thepatternologist What has no sound?

[@thepatternologist]

@@psychsems the crowdcast recording...

[@thepatternologist]

www.crowdcast.io/e/tributetoterence this has no sound....

[@10kCrows]

Who else is here in the insanity of 2021 wishing Terence was here today

[@luked5028]

Have been interested in psychedelics recently. Terrence seems to be at least to me the most knowledgeable about how they work and the experiences associated, intelligent man he was

[@DustyNothing]

He already left us all the neurolinguistic breadcrumbs necessary for the evolution of human consciousness, great job Teach. I feel ya though, he’ll always be missed.

[@gongusdeedeetow1510]

@@luked5028 hes THE guy.

[@eternaldoorman5228]

Me.

[@mikesullivan7153]

Me!

[@charleshorowitz543]

I was there...he was the best teacher, I loved hearing him talk. And funny!

[@dillonbeck1147]

On behalf of those who are too young to have been influenced by Terence as we grew up, I am thoroughly jealous that you were able to witness this.

[@spiralmorning5784]

I wish....

[@n1mbusmusic606]

Jealous!

[@jstu7186]

Tell us more!

[@patswayze7359]

Janat Horowitz that's amazing

[@avedic]

Oh wow! :D A McKenna talk........that was filmed........that I have _not_ seen? I was beginning to think such an experience was forever in my past. I mean, I've seen every single one of his filmed talks, an average of probably 10 times each. Then this pops up in my feed? THANK YOU to whoever uploaded this....you goddamn saint.

[@emilialopez6280]

jeje you are like the kid that lay down next to terence ...new old material for aour minds from Deep Matrix Times

[@austincagan3258]

For real I thought I’ve seen it all

[@dr.inkwell1070]

Check out the youtube channel "Adam Sturch" he uploads tons of Terence McKenna videos along side his own mesmerising artwork.

[@777Creations]

I’ve never heard anyone else speak the way he did. Terrance is the man.

[@smcole23]

What a treasure Terrence was. A treasure to be shared with all, to be sure. I have never been able to stop any of his talks before reaching the end.

[@spiritlevelstudios]

Thanks for uploading. Epic day today.

[@dudecctv]

Great. Thanks for posting, was in the shower for this part of the seminar.

[@Jd-zd6om]

Thank you so much, I missed this on the website. Much love for Terence!

[@jamescook9010]

Thank you whoever put this up, thank you

[@wlve_]

I spent this whole video watching his mannerisms that I failed to pay attention to what he was saying. I love you Terence.

[@zachbaker5259]

We must achieve symbiosis in order to evolve. We are inherently trying to (the World Wide Web) but may not realize it. Until we do, we will continue to be plagued by fatal diseases and wars. God Bless all of my fellow thinkers and explorers.

[@PatchGuitar1]

Zach Baker Amen

[@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379]

This is a common misconception of the word. We already are symbiotic with the earth and each other, however the form of symbiosis is parasitic and not mutalistic.

[@TheMalogBal]

@@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379 I'd argue moreso that we are simbiotic, but choose to deny it (through cultural teachings, religious teachings, etc) or are simply just not aware of it...

[@ASMR-XI-ZUI]

@@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379 ok how can we fix it?

[@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379]

@@ASMR-XI-ZUI End capitalism.

[@MarcusBarnabassisSystersSonne]

"look around you...someone here has what you need!"--TM

[@wpahp]

thanks for the great events and footage!

[@fatmunch6318]

Hey love your channel

[@_mynewcareer]

"meme traders" he was onto it!

[@KarusMBII]

My thoughts exactly, he spoke about memes often

[@squeegeeboard]

Many thinkers were onto this idea in one way or another.

[@monokhromerainbow]

he is helping the nature to digest the fallen leaves... good one sir

[@davidhalliday616]

This is my kinda class. Cushions on grass in the sunshine.

[@NoahsUniverse]

While smoking grass on orange sunshine

[@rr7firefly]

Such a hopeful vision for the future, combining intelligence and ethical standards. This was 30+ years ago and my immediate reaction is that since then humanity has been sidetracked into rigid conformity with dark dead ends. Everywhere there is culturally acceptable ignorance. Everywhere there is intrusive propaganda that sharpens the appetite for the weird, the crude and the obscene. All of it has become so conveniently accessible. We have become accustomed to accept a compromised reality.

[@evergreenreality9141]

Noe ,who is the we you're talking about, there is no we, only individuals, The question is have you accepted it?

[@rr7firefly]

@@evergreenreality9141 From my comment I think it is obvious that I have not bought into the compromises of modern life. I do not mean to say that everyone is a walking zombie who regurgitates the trendiest meme. But I do see quite often that people buy things without thinking about the actual need. Impulse buying is a behavior encouraged by the market. It's insidious and highly calculated.

[@artschool673]

Brilliant comment

[@jro1611]

I see what you’re saying but I think maybe you can always see these types of things when you look at the majority of society. The only difference is we weren’t there to see it in the past. I am a big believer in what we focus on and the ideas we perpetuate tend to influence more people than we think and in stronger ways each party anticipates. Maybe that’s wishful thinking but I really feel like the Terrence Mckennas of the world, etc. will triumph in the end no matter how small their numbers are. Overall the opinion of the masses is almost always something to be shunned, ignored, or avoided at all costs.

[@Tylertrismegistus777]

I had this one quite weird experience where Terence was the logos in my head for the majority of the experience

[@marcus8710]

I'd take that any day. Humor guaranteed Id assume

[@missmiller7]

Tyler the creature was this during a trip? And what did he say?

[@Tylertrismegistus777]

Yamilla as cliché as it sounds he told me secrets of the universe and narrated the experience telling me about my hallucinations as they happened as if he was speaking from experience. It was quite bizarre i was convinced I was the man himself and I grinned ear to ear at this idea because it all made sense some how. And if this was so then I would be personally participating in the experiences at La Chorrera.

[@yungone6089]

@@Tylertrismegistus777 Terence did say "I’ll try to be around and about. But if I’m not, then you know that I’m behind your eyelids, and I’ll meet you there" who's to say

[@kararice4279]

Tyler the creature probably just him reaching out and guiding your trip from the collective unconscious 🤷‍♀️

[@jonnyperez7749]

Thank you

[@roxypalmer7810]

This is wonderful, I just love Terence!!

[@the_musiccellar]

This is one of the best!! 40 minute mark, lots of good talk of the mushroom as ET

[@DM-py9si]

Whoever disliked this video knows nothing about Terence. Put your bias aside and just listen don’t judge his physical character.

[@Larsholden702]

What's wrong with his physical character?

[@DM-py9si]

Lucywon obviously you didn’t read that right

[@DM-py9si]

Cause nothing is wrong

[@Larsholden702]

@@DM-py9si You kind of implied that in your comment. As if there would be something off about his appearance or something.

[@cathithomas2888]

@@Larsholden702 ... I thought that’s what he meant also

[@joejoe722]

This is a good one! I love the topic are mushrooms an artifact from an alien civilization around the 42:04 mark

[@johnherman2195]

Truly magical

[@hunterrwebb6491]

LONG LIVE MCKENNA

[@davidforshaw4810]

👍👍👍👍👍🕉⚡☯️

[@TerenceMcKennaOfficial]

*For I am eternal..!*

[@CubsSuck05]

Aya is a wonderful medicine that saved my life and soul! A true blessing from God!

[@CubsSuck05]

@Michael Kean My whole life i was diagnosed "disorders" Aya showed me these were gifts. She showed me love and bliss I never experienced before. She reunited me with myself and broke me of all my addictions. How about your story?

[@CubsSuck05]

@Michael Kean Lol Love

[@TheDruDogg84]

I wish I had it. Sometimes I fall apart

[@BenGebo]

Brilliant talk from the greatest mind of the last century!

[@davidforshaw4810]

Totally agree wi you ☯️⚡🕉

[@BlackShampoo75]

Well said.. TM was a very interesting dude. I've been attention for 7 yrs now.. so much more to learn from him

[@BenGebo]

@@BlackShampoo75 It's almost endless the amount of talks he has. So thankful people recorded him.

[@BlackShampoo75]

@@BenGebo I have to say this idea of the escaton is really fucking with my head lately. After looking into Frank Tipplers work on the subject I actually think it might be true and if it is true that's quite a scary idea. I even saw it in a DMT flash once.. that totally freaked me out

[@thelucidinstitute]

this is beauty

[@miltonmysticmeditationmusi1930]

Do you guys have any more of this? Thank you so much for posting! I have never seen this material!

[@psychsems]

We have a whole channel of content!

[@dannytodd3393]

If anyone has trouble processing his particular manner of speaking, click the gear icon, click "playback speed" and click either 1.25 or 1.5. His words flow a bit smoother and the sentences are easier to hold. His vocabulary can get heavy stretched across a mid-thought meandering sentence. Increasing playback speed makes it sounds like he's had a couple espresso.

[@Sayheybrother8]

Interesting that the rate of his speech is pretty much 25-50% slower than what we are accustomed to in the day to day.

[@crazypath573]

Alot of his talks are on tape which is slowly degrading. The speed is actually slowing down over time.

[@dogwalk3]

i just noticed i already had it at 2.0 & thought it was normal ha

[@queenieqt2033]

I actually enjoy his way of speaking

[@tethathehuman5861]

He’s so fricken cool jeez

[@tristantzara68]

Some people come ahead of their time. He was one🙏

[@cristianocastagno9680]

What a mind Terence had ! Interesting analysis, he was almost there !!! Ahahaha ! Intriguing truly. I love this man.

[@GravInducedSleepTrac]

Was any one else here in "89" " 90" ?I missed this lecture and curious if I will see myself, John Slavens, Carrol Dinner,etc walking in the back ground? Memories!

[@queenieqt2033]

Wow!!!!

[@indigochildrenband]

i want more ):

[@FrenchFryAwesome]

COME TOGETHER

[@voodoochile68686]

what a scene

[@GravInducedSleepTrac]

Was any one else here in "89" and "90"? I missed this lecture, I'm curious if I will see myself, John Slavens, Carrol Dinner etc walk by in the back ground? Memories!

[@CL-xz6hp]

Does anyone know if Terrence had any first hand experience participating with the Santo Daime people? If so, where can I learn more of his accounts?

[@A-Chap]

He talks about ayahuasca having detrimental effects on things like malaria. I wonder how relevant that would be today with the covid-19 virus being so similar to malaria in makeup

[@DimiGem]

look up wim hof covid 19

[@marcus8710]

I was wondering the same. Imagine if a psychedelic was the only sure way to defend against an aggressive epidemic....

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

I got covid symptoms in the colombian Amazon while partaking in Ayahuasca ceremonies this Feb .. I't didn't help 😁

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

@@marcus8710 it's an entirely different thing

[@chrisrios3391]

Sound like a future research paper topic

[@FoFrx]

judging by this audio (I broke out my strobe tuner) Terrence it tuned to A438 just south of standard tuning

[@siriplaydopethrone8973]

Was that a sonic boom from a jet near the end of the video? The timing was fuuucking perfect :D

[@dorianwallace5177]

51:30 wait for the boom! Perfect timing. Coincidence? I think not.

[@justinakers3196]

I remember hearing airplanes breaking the sound barrier when I was a kid. They’re not allowed to do that anymore I don’t think but I definitely remember it happening

[@N_tropy_]

Watch his mouth right when the boom happens!

[@KarusMBII]

THATS SOOOO EERIE! Thanks for sharing, I probably would not have noticed! I fall asleep a lot to these Terence lectures lol

[@89bresnahan]

the man was truly in a state symbiosis. complete one-ness with nature

[@psychsems]

We just uploaded a KZbin version of the post-video Crowdcast w/ Dennis McKenna & Erik Davis: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYq3oGuqrc-Gmq8

[@trainingtrix]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@n1mbusmusic606]

19:50 is perfect

[@snookmeister55]

I reccomend: Into the Screaming Abyss By Dennis McKenna

[@BenHaskellFF]

ive been watching and rewinding and rewatching trying to figure out if this video is edited or not lmao

[@thomastest1252]

Does anyone know where I can get a sweater like this?

[@syzygy.levity]

Hims vibin'

[@evansgate]

I want those sunglasses...

[@kkaoruu1]

This is a top of a high wonder mountain where only some elves arrive ^^

[@fatchants]

they weren't "machine elves" when Terence had an experience with them that devastated him to the point of not returning for the 10 or so years before he died. it's a euphemism to wall off the authorities from the otherwise intimidating seeming quality that had people in hysteria about LSD.. but psilocybin is can be as fierce and overwhelming as it can be endearing. THAT SAID - they are utterly benevolent and loving, but they are the holy communion, the Creator of living things, including mosquitoes and viruses. "machine elves" is a conveniently small piece of the character they possess 😇

[@kkaoruu1]

@@fatchants well i think I get what you mean, it makes sense at least in my head. I looked for some Terence speach, and i found again that he was talking about this machine elves but no words about what you mean. Please, as the english is not my lenguage and i may missunderstand or lose info sometimes, please could you explain me in otherwords? Eventhough i am sure u explained well. Just for me to understand. Thanxx

[@kkaoruu1]

Well he talked about the elve machine which I guess is not the same as machine elves?

[@fatmunch6318]

Yeah elves is a rather benign term for them lol

[@fatmunch6318]

They were def tripping balls lol

[@coltonaustin0]

Mckenna got dripped asf for this speech

[@oljastevanovic]

Socks and slippers was soo in in 80's :) but love TMcK the teacher :)

[@Huckabuck]

I refuse to believe this man was killed naturally by cancer, can’t help but think of Bob Marley’s case.

[@Huckabuck]

Abu Dabu quit-ed? Please explain I’m mad interested lol as I loo over at my Bill Hicks poster *wink*

[@evergreenreality9141]

A lot of the early psychedelic people didn't really think much of the body, meaning they didn't treat it very well, its changed now though.

[@octavioavila6548]

51:33 Epic serendipity

[@Sayheybrother8]

54:21 and I just saw the sock and sandal mentioned in comments and read 45 minutes ago.

[@TheB0Bthrob]

The part about shrooms possibly being alien technologies still blows my mind.

[@jarrettsmith6398]

Take 5 grams and meditate in the dark 😎🤙

[@thepdw]

Where can I buy that sweater?!

[@ML-yj3nd]

It looks like a South American sweater, maybe made from alpaca wool, but I can't say for certain because I've never seen one with a collar like that. Maybe someone else can chime in

[@kanthakathewhite1012]

Those shades are top

[@franknstein8176]

His shades are dope.

[@halosin5080]

What sunglasses are those?

[@U2On3]

I think you have to be Terence to rock them ^^

[@emilialopez6280]

mackenews (= felt like the kid min 18;00 finding this new lectures Deep Matrix Terence

[@robertbendik9901]

A super-civilization that wanted to see the universe with some kind of message.

[@TerenceMcKennaOfficial]

*;)*

[@ottokarvonschnallenburg2572]

Boom

[@ralphm8088]

Where can I get my McKenna actionfigure?

[@ssrs0pus]

Smoooooke on the wahhhter The fire in the sky… Deep Purple

[@ther6989]

lookin like a true G

[@nosqruiel9429]

42:52 couldn't get the author of "Strategies for extraterrestrial communication" ? :o

[@Ayahuaskafka]

Probably Ronald Newbold Bracewell

[@nosqruiel9429]

@@Ayahuaskafka thanks. but just really couldn't find such book

[@ihaddox1199]

@18:16 "you find a set of social ( m-word )" - morays? moraise?

[@lukehayward793]

"Mores are the customs, norms, and behaviors that are acceptable to a society or social group. " -Vocabulary.com

[@ihaddox1199]

@@lukehayward793 thank you!

[@skepticalgenious]

I wonder what doctor Huberman and his thoughts about plant's altering the mind and what neurology would involve in a group thought pertaining to this.

[@derek3200]

The book Terence mentioned when talking about probes to communicate in outer space I believe is “The Galactic Club - Intelligent Life In Outer Space” by Ronald N. Bracewell published in ‘74. I couldn’t find a book by the name he mentioned, but from what I have read that must be it.

[@jamie2866]

I didn’t know Esalen was an international airport

[@rishi9757]

is that finn beside terence ?

[@ImDefNotFamous]

Helicopter fucked me up 😂😂

[@detodounpoco37]

51:33 HAHA, Terence Magic

[@dominus6695]

I was 3 years old (89') lol

[@rsohlich1]

I was 5

[@UniversalHomeboy]

Can anyone explain to me how West Coasters can wear a sweater like that in the middle of June?

[@chrisramunni9090]

cuz its not humid like the east coast, and prolly has a nice ocean breeze

[@dylanrowe7906]

Dude I was wondering the same thing he takes it off but has a collared shirt on underneath lol

[@kevinbrown2589]

I was 8 .

[@idontinvest1039]

I can’t believe Drake have more views than this!

[@NoahsUniverse]

Terence had genius

[@katherinewong2901]

Classic helicopters buzzing the sunbathers.

[@mr.knowbody1988]

Now I know where Graham Hancock got his stuff

[@teglahunt]

When 1.25x or 1.5x play speed becomes relevant

[@yunggaucho3534]

Yo Terence has style lol

[@paulnix8602]

I keep looking at what He’s doing with his hands. Haha

[@ramborn9]

51:35

[@matthausepsteign1632]

S Y N C H R O N I C I T Y 🌩

[@esporita.]

6:00

[@edwardrichardson8254]

For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of paradise.

[@onelove8062]

10:30

[@tombechtel6354]

19:00

[@antihero105]

Who in the hell downvoted this??

[@halosin5080]

Someone with the attention span of a carrot.

[@mkor7]

@@halosin5080 Hey, that's an insult to carrots! :)

[@zacharekski9385]

nobody can tell anymore KZbin removed the dislike tally

[@stoopsyo]

The person coughing in the background i is lucky it’s not 2020. The year the witch-hunt began

[@davidforshaw4810]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@noelleimparato]

The person coughing, that was me, Noelle Imparato, the one behind the camera who shot Terence on my hi-8 camera as I was taking his workshop at Esalen. In 1989, we hardly even locked our doors in Los Angeles ... that's how much the world has changed.

[@davidforshaw4810]

Wow!" You got to meet the psychedelic messiah! That's one dude I would love to have met. ☯️⚡🕉

[@bellaperuana64]

😆

[@mkor7]

Awe, you poor pathetic snowflake. You had to wear a mask and limit public gatherings for a while to help limit a pandemic. Terrence would have mocked you like he did the people at the UFO conventions. lol

[@AZ-vy4gl]

thunder at 51:30

[@cheezymushies744]

The godfather himself

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

Omg the audio on this absolutely horrid; 😵‍💫

[@gregbrown5020]

A lot of what he says is conjecture or has meaning only to himself/non-social information/unverifiable.

[@tombellard3779]

Calling All Psychonauts. I have the Recipe. Hit me up.

[@blond1n]

C.i.a has joined the chat

[@iketerrible6661]

I want to see Terence in a DMT trip. Trouble is I have no dmt z

[@MichaelOfRohan]

Oh, Finn... :) Dont worry, we dont get it either... :)

[@dvk2photographer]

Esalen? So he was mind kontrolled.

[@yup-2067]

Even for the smartes ppl in 2021 couldent compare with the brain of mckenna