By Carolanne Wright
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

Whenever the idea of decriminalizing illicit drugs in the U.S. is raised, there are always those who rant that such a measure would be the downfall of society, drug use would sky rocket and our moral fabric as a country would be irreparably torn. But these claims paint a very different picture from what actually happens in countries where the possession and use of small quantities of drugs — like weed, cocaine and heroin — isn’t a felony or even considered a criminal offense. Instead, drug use is considered a public health issue, not a criminal one.

Portugal is an excellent example of what transpires when drugs are decriminalized. In the face of dire predictions made by drug-policy makers, Portugal took the path less travelled — with surprising results.

By Carolanne Wright
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

The Dann sisters, Carrie and Mary, are two Western Shoshone elders who live on ancestral and environmentally sensitive lands of Crescent Valley, Nevada. From time immemorial, the Shoshone peoples have lived in a balance of stewardship and reciprocity within this environment. As part of their core values, the Shoshone believe life is a prayer and offer small ceremonies for everything taken of mother earth. The sisters were told by their grandmother that there are nature spirits everywhere. And each time you eat a grain of rice, a grain of wheat, you are eating this thing we call life — don’t waste it.

Unfortunately, Shoshone reverence for the natural world lies in sharp contrast to the desires of the United States Government and its corporate masters. In 1863, the U.S. government, along with the Shoshone nation, signed the “Treaty of Peace and Friendship” in Ruby Valley, Nevada. At the time, the Shoshone laid claim to 26 million acres of land in Nevada. The treaty between the government and the Western Shoshone nation allowed for settlers and ranchers to have access to the land, but did not include land title. Nonetheless, all of this changed a century later due to a coveted and ecologically devastating resource: gold.

By Ethan Indigo Smith
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

The Big “If”

The history of marijuana and hemp prohibition is a dark and shady story with all the makings of a diabolical thriller. In a dystopian world, shady oligarchs institute prohibition in order to benefit their institutions in the short term, leading to the inception of a police state in which sustainable agriculture is ridiculed, shamanic medicine is scorned, and generations are forced into punitive situations as a result of the plant’s contraband status.

Now, I don’t normally dwell in the “what-if’s” and rarely speculate about the “what-might-be’s” either; I think it’s more important to consider the “what-is”. But in fact, if we concentrate on the “what-is”, we can more easily ponder the “what-if” (our potential) and, importantly, more decisively define “what-will-be” (our future).

By Michael J. Roads
Guest Writer for Wake Up World

Some months ago I had a book recommended to me, The Elephant Whisperer, by Lawrence Anthony. And as the author quickly states, the whisperer is the elephant! It is a very well written and truly inspiring book. Why I am mentioning this is that the book is actually about consciousness … although the (now sadly deceased) author might not have realised this at the time of writing.

Obviously enough, it is the true story of the relationship between a dominant female African elephant and the author. Just briefly, a small, displaced herd of elephants had become very aggressive and dangerous to the local native villagers, and the herd was to be shot. Lawrence, who was blessed to own 5000 acres of game reserve called Thula Thula, set in pristine bush in Zululand, South Africa, is told about this and asked if he can take the whole herd to save their lives. Although this represents a multitude of staggering problems for him, Lawrence instantly agrees.

By Jack Adam Weber
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

“Pilgrims are persons in motion passing through territories not their own, seeking something called completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit’s compass point’s the way.” ~ H. Richard Niebuhr

Life is a pilgrimage, whose heart is experience. Yet, some sojourns are especially poignant and change our lives forever. That’s why the most meaningful experiences and rites of passage require our courage, patience, and our passion. They also require our intuition, to determine where our spirit’s compass is pointing, so we know what direction to take, even moment-to-moment.

In the moment to moment experience of feeling into and following our gut sense — approved by our right yet daring mind — is our innocence, our newness, our ability to encounter the world as freshly as we humans might be ever be able, given the cargo of our pasts we bring to the present.