Hi,

The next event, The Entheogenic Experience, is this Saturday, May 18th at 6pm at Undergrounds Coffee, 580 South Park Ave. Buffalo NY.

I'm reaching out to you again because you told me it was okay to let you know about upcoming events at The LENS. If you regret that decision, no worries, just hit me back and say, "I'm out!" I'll take you off the list. 

Still not sure what The LENS is? I took a stab at laying it all out here. In short, it's my attempt to get YOU, or someone you really give a shit about into meditation, psychotherapy, and psilocybin. You could also just do it on your own, but I'm convinced it's better to take on this project within the stable and supportive fellowship of a community. 

I consider The LENS to be an alternative (or adjunct) to church and mental health services. Churches need to be more like mental health agencies, and mental health agencies need to be more like church... at least in all the ways they reciprocally suck at being what they are. 

And why would you want or need any of this? Well... maybe you don't. But the rising tide of deaths of despair (check out the chart below*) seems to suggest that a growing number of us aren't able to find any meaningful satisfaction in our work or relationships. Despite all our material and societal advances, our lives are just as guaranteed as they ever were to contain pain, uncertainty, and an endless stream of problems only hard work can address. Anyone who lacks the tools and purpose to face these challenges is bound to fall into despair. As Viktor Frankl so potently declared in the wake of surviving Auschwitz: Despair = Suffering without Meaning. 

The LENS is offering meaningful tools, experiences, and relationships. 

Again… The next event, The Entheogenic Experience, is this Saturday, May 18th at 6pm at Undergrounds Coffee, 580 South Park Ave. Buffalo NY.

The topic is psilocybin and its proven track record as an entheogen. What does the word entheogen mean? What constitutes a profound mystical experience? What do researchers say about mystical experiences and their benefits to our health and wellbeing? We’ll examine the terms, history, effects, research, safety, and legal issues related to psilocybin. We’ll also review in detail what you can expect if you decide to attend one of our Entheogenic Retreat weekends later this summer.

NOTE: Perhaps it goes without saying, but there will be no illicit drug use during this informational event and no expectation or pressure for you to partake in illicit drug use now or in the future. All are welcome!

~Denis
The Lens

* Seriously! Have you seen how shockingly high these numbers are getting? Have you personally lost someone, even in this past year to suicide, drug overdose or alcohol related illness? This chart is from an article in Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2017 titled, Mortality and Morbidity in the 21st Century.