Hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent discuss the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, heroin overdose and addiction, the transition from prescribed opiates to heroin, the mainstream news' fascination with the "Heroin Epidemic", and how opiates kill the groovy love and good times in counterculture scenes.

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The Blessèd Jerome:
THE LIFE OF PAULUS THE FIRST HERMIT

Translated by Wm. Henry Fremantle, 1893.

Vita Sancti Pauli, PL 23:25
(written in the Syrian desert A.D. 374 or 375 and dedicated to Paulus of Concordia)

1. It has been a subject of wide-spread and frequent discussion what monk was the first to give a signal example of the hermit life. For some going back too far have found a beginning in those holy men Elias and John, of whom the former seems to have been more than a monk and the latter to have begun to prophesy before his birth. Others, and their opinion is that commonly received, maintain that Antony was the originator of this mode of life, which view is partly true. Partly I say, for the fact is not so much that he preceded the rest as that they all derived from him the necessary stimulus. But it is asserted even at the present day by Amathas and Macarius, two of Antony's disciples, the former of whom laid his master in the grave, that a certain Paul of Thebes was the leader in the movement, though not the first to bear the name, and this opinion has my approval also. Some as they think fit circulate stories such as this: "that he was a man living in an underground cave with flowing hair down to his feet", and invent many incredible tales which it would be useless to detail. Nor does the opinion of men who lie without any sense of shame seem worthy of refutation. So then inasmuch as both Greek and Roman writers have handed down careful accounts of Antony, I have determined to write a short history of Paul's early and latter days, more because the thing has been passed over than from confidence in my own ability. What his middle life was like, and what snares of Satan he experienced, no man, it is thought, has yet discovered.

2. During the persecutions of Decius and Valerian [AD 249-260], when Cornelius at Rome and Cyprian at Carthage shed their blood in blessed martyrdom, many churches in Egypt and the Thebaid were laid waste by the fury of the storm. At that time the Christians would often pray that they might be smitten with the sword for the name of Christ. But the desire of the crafty foe was to slay the soul, not the body; and this he did by searching diligently for slow but deadly tortures. In the words of Cyprian himself who suffered at his hands: they who wished to die were not suffered to be slain. We give two illustrations, both as specially noteworthy and to make the cruelty of the enemy better known.

Hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent continue their discussion on modern spirituality with the return of Rev. Dr. Nicholas Buxton, author of "Tantalus and the Pelican: Monastic Spirituality Today". Topics discussed include the shelf-life of New Age ideas, religion as power, spiritual consumerism, the fireworks of mystical exploration, and the need for accountability and transformation in spiritual practice.

The DoseNation Podcast is now available on Stitcher. Support this show by subscribing to DoseNation with the Stitcher application for Android or iOS.

Hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent discuss the use of Amphetamines in the Syrian civil war, the Trans Pacific Partnership and it's impact on copyright law, and the idea of global internet monitoring. James and Jake also discuss viewer feedback, and continue their discussion on New Age spirituality.

Hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent discuss a rat study which shows trace amounts of DMT in the pineal gland, read viewer comments, rant about the New Age vs. traditional approaches to spirituality, and much more.

Peter McCoy of the Radical Mycology project joins hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent to discuss the role of mushrooms in society, science, culture, and more. Topics include mycology, how mushrooms could be used to clean up pollution and radiation, mushrooms as food and medicine, psychedelic mushrooms, the Radical Mycology project, and more.

Fine more information please visit radicalmycology.wordpress.com and visit the Radical Mycology campaign on indiegogo.com

Hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent discuss freewill and determinism and why James dislikes philosophical discussions. Also discussed, Jake and James wish Noam Chomsky a Happy Birthday, talk about human rights, address 9-11 conspiracies, and analyze the motivations of an alien invasion. This and more on DoseNation.

Bob Tuff, reformed cocaine smuggler and author of "Thirty One Lives" joins Hosts Jake Kettle and James Kent to discuss his amazing life which finds him in Papua New Guinea, missionary boarding school, the Vietnam War, and the heady cocaine culture of the 1970s and early 1980s. An amazing life story and a great guest!

For more information on Bob Tuff visit bobtuff.com.

The Rule of Saint Benedict Chapter 2: The Qualities of the Abbot
Commentary by Jake Kettle

Throughout the course of one’s study of monasticism, the doubtful researcher will surely ask, why does a monastery need a domineering Abbot in order to function properly as a spiritual and mystic enterprise? The question is valid, but it comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of Saint Benedict of Nursia’s writings in Chapter 2 of the Rule, which are on The Qualities, and furthermore, illustrates a fundamental misunderstanding of monasticism and western asceticism in general. The Abbot is not the judge and the jury, nor is he a domineering figure, put in place by the Church in order to keep the Brothers and Fathers of the Monastery in order, but rather it is the role of a gentle Shepard, and though sometimes he must use his staff for the general protection of his flock, and for the protection of their souls, he is still a Shepard who loves and cares for his flock. A Shepard gives the flock direction, support, and nourishes them. This is the same as the role of the Abbot in the Monastery, he is a Shepard of men seeking God. This fundamental misunderstanding of the role of the Abbot, which will be discussed in greater detail in the following passages, may be the crux for many individuals seeking the monastic life, or seeking a fuller understanding of Christianity, and Monasticism.

Many people simply fail to read the Rule of St. Benedict, and rather rely on what they see or what they hear to understand the Role of the Abbot. The only true way to get an idea of the function of the Abbot is to read the Rule of St. Benedict itself, or to visit a Monastery and observe the daily functions of the Abbot in his native setting. In the very first paragraph of Chapter 2 of the Rule, St. Benedict states “He (the abbot) is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery, since he is addressed by a title of Christ, as the Apostle indicate: You have received the spirit of adoption of sons by which we exclaim, Abba, the Father.” With that in mind, he is required to be fair. If he holds the place of Christ in the monastery, he must emulate Christ, as all Christians or Monastics do, but he must do so in his rulings over the brothers, and in his other functions in his Monastery. This is a very important point to understand, for it lays the foundation for the rest of Chapter 2. St. Benedict then writes the follow a few sentences later,
“Let the abbot always remember that at the fearful judgment of God, not only his teaching but also his disciples’ obedience will come under scrutiny. The abbot must, therefore, be aware that the shepherd will bear the blame wherever the father of the household finds that the sheep have yielded no profit. Still, if he has faithfully shepherded a restive and disobedient flock, always striving to cure their unhealthy ways , it will be otherwise: the shepherd will be acquitted at the Lord’s judgment.”
This clearly illustrates that the Abbot must be fair. He cannot be the domineering figure that many would like to make him out to be. He is at the judgment of the God, he is responsible for the souls of the faithful brothers of the Monastery. It is he who will be held responsible, for not only his actions but for theirs. He must be prudent in his proclamations and decrees, for it is Almighty God who he will ultimately answer to. This provides for a check and balance system within the Monastery. It allows for the proper formation of a religious superior. Without this spiritual guidance of the Abbot, the brothers would fall into spiritual disunion and become prone to vanity and strokes of mortal sin. Furthermore, in the Rule itself the Abbot is instructed to be a fair and wise man, for it is of the benefit of all in the Monastery to have such a superior.

Hell yes! Casey William Hardison is a free man and joins Jake Kettle and James Kent to discuss his life, his pursuit of psychedelic chemistry, being a clandestine chemist, his bust in the UK, his unique Cognitive Liberty defense, fighting the prison system from the inside, the retrurn of the bison, and more.

Read "On Cognitive Liberty" or visit CognitiveLiberty.org for more information.