A Nation of Mystics - Book II: The Tribe

by Pamela Johnson

  Looking down the hill onto the Berkeley campus from Christian’s bedroom windows, they watched as helicopters still swooped and circled. Beyond, the afternoon sun reflected a blinding glare on the still bay. Kathy squinted hard, trying to see whether she could make out the National Guard bivouac with its troop trucks. Instead, she saw only a flock of seagulls, dark across silver water.

  “What now, Christian?”

  When she turned to him for an answer, she saw he stood close, wearing only a pair of jeans, his hair wet from the shower, his eyes looking out over the bay. On his face was the same spaced look she had seen the first time they’d met at Bob’s. Gently, she touched his arm.

  “What is it?”

  At the concern in her voice, he turned. “I’ve got a lot of things on my mind.”

  “Kevin,” Kathy said quietly, tears beginning again without warning. “I talked to Debbie today. I have to go out to Michelle’s tomorrow. Marcie’s coming. God, Christian, what do I say?”

  “Just tell her we will always love her. That she … and Kevin … will always be a part of our brotherhood.”

  “How do we go on without him?”

  He looked deep into her eyes. “I haven’t told you yet, but there’s no reason Kevin had to die. A state nark shot him in the back. Meant to kill him.”

  “Oh, Christian, are you sure?”

  “I talked with Joe O’Brian. This nark has a history.” He took a deep breath. “Kathy, I can’t let Kevin’s death go. I simply … can’t. I’m going to work with Joe. He has some ideas. We’re going to see what can be done about this man Bremer.”

  “Christian,” she whispered softly, her emotions a mix of fear and love, vulnerability and tenderness, “I’m not yet twenty years old, and already life seems so … fragile. I’ve made a decision, too. I love you more than anything in this world. If you’re still willing, I’d like to move in full time.”

  “Willing? That’s all I’ve wanted since I first set eyes on you.”

  “From now on, I’ll be here when you need me. Sleep in your bed every night. Make a home for us. And maybe … maybe we can work on your healing.”

  Hurting, he pulled her close, needing the feel of her. He slid his hands under the T-shirt, pulling it over her head. The towel wrapping her hair fell to the floor.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, her breasts warm against his chest. “I just want to get into you and forget everything. Just for a little while.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, “just get lost in each other.”

  APPENDIX A

  LIST OF CHARACTERS

  Albert Wright

  Chemist, child genius, student at California Institute of Technology, Doug’s partner

  Alex

  Richard’s grammar school friend and current partner, dealer in the Haight-Ashbury, Honey’s old man

  Andy

  Kathy’s friend, social activist, in part responsible for creating the politics of the People’s Park

  Anita Auclair

  Erika’s friend and smuggler from Amsterdam

  Annie

  Keith’s old lady on Maui

  Barry Hume

  Anthropology graduate student, UC Berkeley; member of Dr. Miller’s expeditionary team

  Benjamin Miller

  Professor and botanist at the University of California, Berkeley

  Bert Parker

  Lance Bormann’s new law partner

  Bob

  Member of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, surfer, and dealer in Laguna Beach

  Bremer, Supervisor Dolph

  Northern California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement

  Carolyn

  Larry’s old lady in Tucson

  Christian Brooks

  UC Berkeley history student, son of Christian missionaries in India, dealer, Berkeley

  Danny

  Kathy’s partner in Berkeley

  David

  Dealer in the Haight-Ashbury, likes women and coke

  Dean Putnam

  Jerry’s father, professor and botanist at the University of California, Berkeley

  Debbie

  Kevin’s old lady in the Haight-Ashbury, skilled in embroidery and clothing design

  Dharma

  Surfboard craftsman, motorcycle mechanic, dealer in Laguna Beach

  Felix Ringer

  Lead guitarist for Electric Reason

  García, Nicolás

  Professor of Anthropology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Dr. Miller’s colleague among the Mazatecs

  Greta

  Merlin’s old lady in the Haight-Ashbury

  Hanson, Lieutenant Frank

  Berkeley Police, Narcotics Department

  Heinrich Müller

  Christian’s childhood friend, works for a Dutch pharmaceutical company

  Jacob

  A dealer in Berkeley and Danny’s contact in San Diego

  Jennifer

  Joe O’Brian’s secretary, partner, and old lady

  Jerry Putnam

  Botany student at UC Berkeley; Myles’s best friend, partner, and colleague on several expeditions

  Joe O’Brian

  Private investigator working closely with Lance Bormann, former Free Speech Movement activist

  Jose

  Larry’s friend from pacifist training, business partner, dealer in Tucson

  Julie

  Bob’s old lady in Laguna Beach

  Kali

  See Lisa

  Kathy (Kathleen) Murray

  Former student at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, political activist, transports marijuana from Tucson to the San Francisco Bay area

  Keith

  Member of the Brotherhood in Maui, grower

  Kevin

  Artist and dealer in the Haight-Ashbury, Christian and Bob’s contact

  Lance Bormann

  One of the new “drug attorneys,” former Free Speech Movement activist

  Larry

  Dealer in Tucson, Carolyn’s old man; Kathy’s love interest and contact

  Lisa

  Dropout philosophy major at the University of California, Berkeley; housemate of Christian and Matt; later, a devotee at the Ananda Shiva Ashram; renamed Kali

  Marcie (Marcelle) Arceneaux

  Kathy’s best friend and college dorm mate, political activist, Richard’s old lady

  Marge Halloway

  Neighbor of the Bremers in Eureka, California

  María Guadalupe

  A curandera of Santa María de Mazatlán, Mexico

  Matt

  A dealer in Berkeley, Jacob’s partner, Lisa’s ex-boyfriend

  Max Jackson

  Rock promoter and restaurant owner, one of Myles’s marks

  Merlin

  Richard and Alex’s former runner, Greta’s old man in Humboldt

  Michelle

  David’s old lady

  Myles Corbet

  Botany student at the University of California, Berkeley; police informant

  Neil Bolton

  Mountain redneck, threatens to burn hippies out

  O’Dell

  Police chief in Eureka, California

  Padmananda

  Disciple of the Master of the Ananda Shiva Ashram, Daya Nanda

  Philip Corbet

  Myles’s father; head of biology department, UC Berkeley

  Phillips, Agent Ted

  Northern California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, undercover agent

  Richard Harrison

  Dealer, Marcie’s old man

  Russ

  Friend of Merlin and Greta’s in Humboldt County, California

  White Bird

  Merlin’s attraction in Humboldt County, California

  Wilson, Agent Ed

  Northern California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Bremer’s protégé

  APPENDIX B

  GLOSSARY

  A

  Acid: n. Lysergic acid diethylamide, a psychedelic altering thinking pr
ocesses, producing visuals and synesthesia and documented spiritual experiences; a key sacrament in the 1960s counterculture; used currently by medical researchers in understanding death and dying and anxiety disorders

  Ayahuasca: n. A hallucinogenic substance containing DMT (dimeth-yltryptamine), derived from vines found in the jungles of South America

  B

  Brahmacharya: n. One who accepts celibacy in the practice of attaining higher consciousness through meditation of the sacred rather than the sensual

  Brahman: n. The highest form of Ultimate Reality in Hindu religion; all Hindu gods are a manifestation of this Ultimate Reality, and man’s purpose is to unite with this Reality through self-awareness

  Brotherhood of Eternal Love: n. A loose-knit confederation of men and women who believe that higher consciousness can be achieved through the psychedelic experience; originally begun in the Laguna Beach area of Southern California by John Griggs

  C

  Cap: n. A dose of a drug or psychoactive medicine in a gelatin capsule; v. to place a drug or psychoactive medicine into a gelatin capsule by stuffing one half of the capsule with powder and joining the two sides of the capsule together

  Charas: n. Hand-rolled hashish from the Himalayan foothills of India, dark in color

  Chula: n. A small cooking stove made of clay, placed low on the ground so the cook can squat to feed the fire and attend to food; the fuel for the chula is either bits of wood or animal dung that is generally mixed with straw

  Cocaine (coke): n. A naturally derived central nervous system stimulant produced from a plant grown in the Andean region of South America

  Cop: n. A police officer; v. to buy from someone

  Curandero, curandera: n. A Latin American shaman who heals and divines through herbs and psychoactive substances

  D

  Drop: v. To take LSD; to release a batch of LSD into the market

  E

  Ergotamine tartrate: n. An alkaloid of the ergot fungus from which lysergic acid can be made, used medically as a vascular constrictor and migraine medicine

  F

  Front: v. To loan products for sale; after the sale, the established price of the goods is returned to the lender; any further profit belonging to the seller

  G

  Ganesha: The elephant-headed Hindu god of success; the god of education, knowledge, wisdom, and wealth; the destroyer of pride and selfishness

  Geshe: n. A Tibetan monk or lama with a high degree in the study of Buddhism

  Ghat: Most generally, steps leading down into the Ganges River in India

  Grass: n. Marijuana, one of the various species of Cannabis: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, or Cannabis ruderalis

  Groovy: adj. Sixties colloquialism; really outstanding, cool

  H

  Hashish (hash): n. A product composed of compressed Cannabis resin

  Heat, the: n. The police

  Hippie: n. One of the flower children of the 1960s, believing in the principles of peace and love, especially those of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco

  Hold: v. To be in possession of a drug or psychedelic sacrament

  I

  Iboga: See Tabernanthe iboga

  J

  Joint, jay: n. A marijuana cigarette

  K

  Kachina: n. A masked dancer that embodies a spirit in Hopi religion; a small carved figure representing a masked dancer

  Kali: n. The Hindu goddess of destruction

  Karma: n. A complicated system of cause and effect that occurs on different levels of existence; in this world, the generally immediate results from personal choices, and in the next, the result of the accumulated actions that produce a destination of rebirth or afterlife.

  Kata scarf: n. A traditional offering scarf, particularly in Tibetan Buddhism, that is given and returned with a blessing

  L

  Lid: n. An ounce of marijuana

  Load: n. The product that is transported or bought

  Lysergic acid: n. A crystalline compound prepared from natural ergot alkaloids from which LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) can be made

  M

  Man, the: n. The authorities, police, narcotics agents

  Mic: n. Slang for microgram, usually relating to dosages of LSD

  Mudra: n. A gesture or position of the hands, generally used in meditation or prayer

  N

  Namaste: n. A salutation among Hindus of South Asia; lit. “I bow to the divine within you”

  O

  Old lady: n. A female partner and lover in common law living or marriage

  Old man: n. A male partner and lover in common law living or marriage

  Om: n. and v. A mantric sound considered to be the complete expression of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality

  Owsley, Stanley: LSD manufacturer, especially between 1965 and 1967, who worked as sound manager for the Grateful Dead, closely connected to the author Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters

  P

  PCP (phencyclidine): n. A powerful anesthetic used primarily on animals, accepted into the psychedelic scene of the 1960s as a sacrament until its adverse effects became apparent

  Pig: n. Pejorative slang for police officer

  R

  Roach: n. The short remains of a marijuana cigarette, often relit to smoke and held in a roach clip

  Roach clip: n. Any metal holder that can hold a roach so that the fingers are not burned

  Rolling box: n. A shallow box that allows for marijuana leaves to be separated from seeds by tipping the box so that the seeds roll to one side

  Runner: n. A lieutenant who works for a dealer

  S

  Sadhu: n. An ascetic Hindu holy man

  Savio, Mario: One of the most well-known leaders of the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1965

  Stash: n. A supply of drugs, usually hidden, for personal or business use

  STP: n. 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine, a psychedelic amphetamine

  Summer of Love: n. The summer of 1967, when approximately 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco as part of the hippie movement

  T

  Tab: n. A pharmaceutical tablet; v. to create tablets, usually by machine

  Tabernanthe iboga: n. A West African perennial rainforest shrub used as a hallucinogen in a sacred ritual by the Bwiti people of Gabon, currently used in Western medicine to treat addiction to opiates

  Thangka: n. A Buddhist religious painting on a scroll that can be easily rolled for storage and travel

  Toke: v. To inhale while smoking, usually marijuana

  Trip: n. An experience brought on by the use of psychedelic medicine; v. to use psychoactive medicine

  Tulku: n. A reincarnated Lama who is recognized as a higher being

  V

  Velada: n. The traditional and sacred mushroom ceremony of a shaman to heal or divine

  W

  Weed: n. Marijuana, any species of Cannabis

  White Lightning: n. Very good LSD made by Stanley Owsley in 1966 and 1967

  A PREVIEW of

  A NATION OF MYSTICS

  BOOK III

  JOURNEYS

  KATHY

  WOODSTOCK, NEW YORK

  AUGUST 1969

  The journey had begun before dawn in California. Now, hurrying north out of New York City, following the Hudson River, the hired bus passed scores of small towns on the way to the Woodstock Music Festival. Just off the Saugerties turnoff, traffic slowed, and as far as the eye could see, a long chain of cars jammed the two-lane highway, bumper-to-bumper—an unexpected, unbelievable sight. Local residents stood along white picket fences or sat in old rockers on porches to watch as mile after mile of cars, trucks, vans, old bread wagons, hearses, and paisley-painted vehicles slowly wound their way along the road in stop and go traffic.

  Kathleen Murray stood in the bus, looking from the windows, both astonished and gleeful, an arm around Christian’s shoulders.

&n
bsp; “Danny!” she cried, and turned to peer at him over her shoulder. “What a party for your eighteenth birthday!”

  Then, shaking a finger at Richard, she scolded teasingly, “And you didn’t want to come! Thought you’d miss something by leaving the Bay! Well, think about missing this!”

  “Yeah, well,” Richard mumbled, “I just wish Alex and Honey had come with us.”

  The discomfort in leaving Alex behind in Marin County showed clearly on Richard’s face. Alex was his business partner, his friend since third grade, but Alex had decided he couldn’t make this journey with the rest of the family. Kathy knew his absence bothered Richard, not simply because Alex resisted being a part of the whole, but—truth be told—because Richard was concerned about just what Alex might be doing while he was in New York.

  Marcie leaned against Richard, holding baby John on her hip, and laughed at the delight in Kathy’s voice. “Well, we’re here. We’ll just rub it in when we get back. Richard, there are so many of us!”

  Two years ago, in the fall of 1967, Richard had given up the lease on the Ashbury Street flat in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. All throughout the Summer of Love, the home had offered shelter to travelers and a safe space to make the psychedelic journey. Although the Victorian home, with its brightly painted walls of flowers and rainbows was now a piece of history, the people who had joined hands in friendship and spiritual experience were still close—a family, a tribe—bound by their original intent to create revolution through psychedelic discovery.

  Since moving from the Haight, there had been marriages and children born and more children on the way. Greta and Merlin had just had their second daughter, a tiny infant, three weeks old—Eden Azura, named for the paradise of their mountain home in Humboldt and for the color of the azure blue sky on the day she was born. Other friends were now experimenting with environmental organizations, wellness through yoga and meditation, neighborhood food communes, organic farming, new clothing designs, left-wing newspapers and small publishing companies for poetry and experimental fiction, innovations in music and art. The Youth Movement was growing, beginning to mature into something permanent. Yet, no one truly had any idea how large or diverse the culture had grown, not until today, when they stood staring from the bus windows at miles and miles of a snaking line of vehicles filled with the young.