Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time in psychedelic circles. For the most part, it has been an enriching experience, yet in recent months I’ve felt disquiet about the prominence of a new form of ‘toxic spirituality’. (1/8) Increasingly, I hear eugenic prophecies about the coming ‘shedding’ or ‘moulting’. This euphemism is extremely troubling: skin that is shed is superfluous, no longer of value—indeed, a hindrance to the healthy body. This vision of destruction is often framed in the passive tense.

Yesterday, I attended a conference at which an influential financier shared this unpublished map. Look at it. The estimated death toll is 2-3 *billion*; the timeframe is 20-30 years (previously: 50). Segments of the elite have simply 'written off' large parts of the Global South. The gathering was a psychedelic symposium. The vast majority of attendees seemed dedicated to working on climate solutions; many had been inspired by plant medicines. But it is also becoming increasingly common in these circles to hear about the coming 'shedding'. It's disturbing

Reasons why Le Pen can win in 2nd round: (i) Zemmour has made her look respectable; (ii) His voters will back her, as will the majority of Mélenchon's; (iii) Hatred of Macron is widespread, irrational, not based on record; (iv) Electorate is chronically complacent; (v) Abstention 6. Macron's start-up party, LREM, has a small activist base. It's very difficult for him to 'get out the vote' in conventional terms. Over the past year, Le Pen has detoxified her image & her party's brand: the anti-RN vote, which helped Macron win in 2017, is greatly diminished.