We recently connected with Jade Mycelia and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jade, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I’ve always been a pretty bold woman. Outspoken, ambitious, and willing to take risk. As a child it was climbing pine trees and collecting birds with broken wings to nurse back to health. In my teens it was an armor of attitude and blunt, unfiltered motions. My flame was a bit more untamed and farrell back then. Now in my late 20’s, coming up on my golden birthday at age 28, I’ve learned how to be mindful and cautious of my gift for risk, and I attribute much of this to my relationship with psychedelics.
My journey of psychedelic activism began in 2014 through free-range experimentation. It was at the end of high school and I was in a true era of rebellion, taking risks and exploring tastes of freedom. I consider myself to be a bit of a “free agent” in psychedelic space. Guided by intuition versus a particular ritual, ancestral lineage, or passed down through cultural and traditional ties, it was these experiences where I entered the journey of self discovery. Though, this did come with challenges. My adolescent boldness was impulsive and explosive, while my college mindfulness presented as overthinking and analytical. I had the ability to travel deeply through thought but no control over the direction. At times spiraling into mental spaces I did not want to occupy. Yes, a carefully curated psychedelic practice or ritual could have guided this transition of expansive consciousness. But, I was able to tread these waters independently, with my partner, and build practices organically through raw experience, trial, and error. I often say that psychedelics shatter your reality so you can rebuild with intention. The untamed expansion had to break free and realize infinite potential. It was my job then, to bring my mind back to center, and truly learn what balance feels like to me. Relearning what self is. Who self wants to be, because the potential is infinite.
My husband Stig and I officially launched Big Psych in 2020 during the pandemic. I was graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2020 and on lockdown, so we finally had time and energy to fuel our passion project we had been manifesting for years. At this point, Big psych had a name, and years of psychedelic reflections we intended to infuse into a space that felt accessible, diverse, and inclusive. We had been to an academic psychedelic conference before but nothing that felt representative of our experience. No where that felt open and accessible. Big Psych is not only a space for community to come together, but a learning tool for Stig and I. We had been exploring psychedelics just the two of us for so long that we needed to remember how to socialize again and connect these powerful experiences to the community around us. The community we were hoping to build. We had to face social fears and integrate our years of psychedelic exploration into our social lives. A whole different sphere of self to learn from. Big Psych was the next step in our psychedelic journey. Growing into advocates and sharing stories from our personal journeys. What we have seen and been through with psychedelics. And creating space for others to do the same. Creating a platform for the people. We tapped into the power of honesty and transparency. To speak freely and openly about our wellness journey felt like a natural born right. Freedom of speech and freedom to heal. Something that shouldn’t be shunned or criminalized. In highschool, we questioned psychedelic concealment and as we got older, we really began to advocate for freedom of choice in the exploration of our own minds.
This year Big Psych is hosting our fourth annual psychedelic symposium and connecting with other thoughtful grassroots organizations around the world, learning and growing with one another. I took the risk of committing to psychedelics in a time when this was very taboo due to my own experiences of growth and self-discovery. Experiencing first hand the internal transformation and potential for healing was enough grit to really propel the movement forward and bring the conceptual into physical reality. In sharing my journey with transparency and authenticity, I hope to inspire others to embrace the transformative potential of psychedelics and cultivate a culture of openness, empathy, and growth.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I run a psychedelic activist and education organization called Big Psych, along with my husband Stig. I act as the executive director, while Stig manages our cultivation and fungal education program. We support community in cultivating a direct relationship with plant medicine, to translate and integrate our own teachings. We prioritize accessibility to and representation of the diverse approaches to psychedelic exploration. We protect free speech by activating discussions that center diversity of thought, explore the dimensions of morality, and practice respectful conversation. We advocate for sustainable growth, open conversation, and creative exploration. At Big Psych, we are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the psychedelic landscape. Through our organization, we strive to amplify diverse perspectives and provide platforms for underrepresented voices to share their experiences and insights. As an experiential learner and advocate for transformative healing, I am deeply passionate about sparking meaningful conversations and fostering connections that transcend boundaries of race, gender, background, and perspective.
Our first event was an open mic at the Lowry cafe in north Minneapolis. This was during the uprising and the juxtaposition of the the fully decked out military officers and their armored vehicles right across the street, while we are gathering for community fellowship, really set the tone as people migrated into the space. These monthly gatherings started as a safe place to discuss psychedelics and share experiences. Then as the space evolved and as we evolved, it became a place to cognitively deconstruct and rebuild with intention. To be seen in your growth & exploration of self. We activate discussions that cause people to question their belief system, and offer space outside of comfort in many ways.
We found that too often spaces place limits on natural expression and questioning. We practice respectful conversation in the face of disagreement and allow room for those questions to be held and explored. We found political correctness to be a barrier in our spaces that did not lend to digging deep in those realms of morality or honoring diversity of thought. This deprogramming of conformity was the next chapter of unlearning for us. Being able to welcome all with differing opinions and truly hold spaces of adversity with grace. Our discussions center much of what I’ll be discussing today, from psychedelic elitism, to spiritual bypassing, to accountability, ethics, and boundaries in the psychedelic space. This event is held at New rules in north Minneapolis the first sunday of every month.
We also have cultivation workshops each November and May. These classes are more catered to folks who want to be fully self-reliant in their cultivation practice. My husband stig covers the entire process as it pertains to psilocybin mushrooms and really teaches a relatable form of craft cultivation that prioritizes a symbiotic relationship with fungi. We are grateful for the first round of successful workshops and look forward to building this community of cultivators here in minneapolis. Stig is also this past year’s exotic mushroom champion at the psilocybin cup so he specializes in mushrooms you have probably never even heard of before. This is another practice of transparency for us because many cultivation workshops that we’ve seen are under the guise of gourmet mushroom cultivation and we massage that boundary a bit by being open with our education courses to increase that accessibility and normalize the conversation.
And finally, we have our annual psychedelic symposium happening here in Minneapolis Minnesota every August! This year marks the fourth Psychedelic Symposium, where we have speakers from throughout the world to offer educational psychedelic resources that support individual autonomy and freedom of exploration. We are excited to share our expanded vision for the symposium under the theme ‘What is Community.’ Our goal is to explore deepened connections with nature, lifestyle, and relationships by offering resources that extend beyond psychedelics themselves, but the communities they bring light to. .
Our symposium will feature several tracks designed to provoke thought and inspire action. These tracks include ‘Nurturing Generations’ which focuses on aspects such as women’s & men’s wellness, LGBTQIA+ issues, sex, birth, death, & family, and BIPOC experiences; ‘Sensory Wellness’ which explores bodywork, scent, art, and movement; ‘Holistic Homestead’ which delves into sustainable living practices; such as beekeeping, herbalism, and cultivation; ‘Mindful Hallucinations’ which examines the scientific and therapeutic aspects of psychedelics along with mycology; ‘Sustainable Communities’ which addresses wellness infrastructure and legislative advocacy; and ‘Honoring Cultural Traditions & Heritage’ which celebrates diverse cultural perspectives.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities that were most impactful on my journey would be the foundation of a clear mission, a determined and creative DIY work ethic, and a diverse team that offers checks and balances of perspective. I really appreciate that I had the opportunity to forge my own belief system and practice before the big psychedelic boom. The years of reflection in psychedelic solitude. I did not have to navigate the influx of psychedelic perspectives. Nor learn every detail before exploring a substance. Just my partner and I exploring the depths of our minds. I sometimes question if this era is extinct. When I was a teenager, there was not the plethora of resources dedicated to psychedelics. It was not something you talked about openly or had the opportunity to study. I question how the domestication of psychedelics impacts the experience and the broader culture. They become clinically examined, medically applied, and extracted for specific uses. As more experiences and opinions are shared, the experience becomes defined before people can define it for themselves. We are flooded with approach propaganda, academic studies, media influence, and medical influence, that we begin to shape rather than receive the psychedelic experience. I am truly grateful for my free-range experimentation and continue to advocate for the right to approach psychedelics in any way that feels authentic to you because there is no one way to experience psychedelics. I advocate for diversity of thought in the psychedelic space and developing your own practice outside of the mainstream or traditional. Being mindful of your needs and cultivating a practice that reflects your unique experience, with the resources to do so. This philosophy was cultivated through years of psychedelic reflection, morphed into passion, and became a mission for Big Psych.
After choosing to officially launch Big Psych, we had to actually do so. I’m blessed with a heightened organizational capacity from six years of University, so this came quite natural to me. I took it step by step, learning how to apply our vision to the real world. I’m a very DIY type of person so this really put my skills to the test. Like a multifaceted creative art project I could put my all into. I learned about sponsorships, local collaborations, how to book venue, how to build a website, marketing, graphics, you name it. I put everything into Big Psych and continue to innovate and grow with this organization alongside my husband.
The first piece of advice someone gave me when I was just beginning to forge this concept into reality was, “you need a team, you can’t do everything by yourself.” My husband and I are both only children. We are fairly independent and know our vision in and out. The idea of sharing Big Psych with the world and even bringing other people in to support this vision was very alarming. I was fearful of our vision being “stolen,” exploited, altered, the conspiracies were endless. It was the act of facing that fear, moving towards the discomfort, and trusting the universe for protection, that felt like my first initiation and accomplishment. After putting Big Psych out in the open, it was time to build a support system. We slowly began to build relationships with other passionate and dedicated folks in the psychedelic community. I learned so much from all the people we worked with, even if our intentions did not align. I learned how to stand confident in our mission as our team shifted and evolved. Having diversity at your table offers an integrated check and balance system. I don’t want to be surrounded by yes men. I want people with different lived experiences that can check my blind spots. I’d encourage any and all people to have diversity at their table. This doesn’t mean that it is easy. Diversity can be challenging. It may cause you to think a little more and introspect a little harder. But this is something I personally value in my journey.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
The feeling of overwhelm is common. I’ve learned to mitigate this by not taking on more that I can accomplish with quality. I live in Minnesota where we experience the extremes of all seasons. The winter months tend to be our slow season. We’ve just finished our annual symposium and have some down time before our next planning season. In my earlier days, I would fill up this down time with projects, commitments, and future plans. Then came our busy season and I would be completely overwhelmed. I learned to bask in the relaxation. Enjoy the down time and not take on too much. I made a commitment to flow with the seasons and this really helped me stay grounded and accomplished. Quality over quantity.
Contact Info:
- Website: bigpsychmpls.com
- Instagram: big.psych
- Facebook: bigpsychmpls
Image Credits
Annabella Sardelis, Emily Davis, Jason Buczkowski
