EMK also draws influence
from the counter-culture of the 1960s, particularly the psychedelic movement. Timothy
Leary, Aldus Huxley, Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and the Electric Kool-Aid
Acid Test, and the culture surrounding the Grateful Dead, all espoused the use
of psychedelics in the creation of neo-tribal societies based on community and
individual freedom. This philosophy is perhaps best summarized in the works of
Terence McKenna, and his “stoned ape” hypothesis. McKenna suggested that great
advances in human evolution took place due to our species’ use of psychedelic mushrooms,
and that a return to their use, along with tribal spiritual values, are key to
us returning to Earth-based principles and avoiding the catastrophes of global
war and environmental destruction. In our view, the great social experiment of
the 1960s led to massive advances in rights for women and minorities, and
universal enfranchisement. The reaction of the totalitarian right ended that
progress abruptly. EMK seeks to refine the methods used by those earlier
counter-culture heroes and lead that experiment to its fruition.