the playlist

Photograph by Dolores-Mae

This playlist project started with a very disappointing experience of a playlist that I was really counting on for a very important solo mushroom journey. It was made by someone who is a very respected psychedelic guide and who clearly didn’t consider how these songs would work side by side for that purpose. It was as if he hadn’t thought of the possibility that someone would be looking for a playlist that could help guide this kind of journey all the way through. This was a moment where I needed to go inward to make sure I was clear about a breakup. And if you’ve ever had a psychedelic journey, you know how important the soundtrack can be in bringing about the kind of mind, body, and soul coherence that can facilitate that kind of clarity.

I would usually make a point of doing a session with a shamanic practitioner who could guide me with live instruments for a journey like that, but I happened to be on tour in London and didn’t know anyone in the area who could provide that. As it turns out, people in the psychedelic space have been talking about the importance of set and setting for years, but we don’t talk nearly enough about the importance of sound in facilitating the full spectrum of feeling that we humans need to process.

That playlist I leaned on that day isn’t the only one out there that doesn’t take into consideration what we in the Sound Sanctuary Academy refer to as the 7 Stages of a Psychedelic Journey. So that moment in that London Airbnb became the catalyst for me to curate a playlist specifically for journeying. This playlist became a passion project that felt more significant the more I developed and shared it. One friend who used it for a mushroom journey told me, “This was the soundtrack to healing 15 years of pain.” And the most recent version inspired another friend to say, “I had my best journey ever with it.” Then I journeyed with the playlist and it helped me heal things I didn’t even realize I still needed to resolve.

Sound can help us clear stuck emotions and reclaim our energy in a way that nothing else can. Our habitual patterns and thought loops can sabotage the process, but having the right sound as an anchor can provide a pathway into a new level of harmony, resonance, and truth. So I developed this playlist for those who are looking for that but who might not be able to make it to our next Sound Sanctuary journey. I’m sharing this playlist with you so that you can have as transformative a journey as possible. And if you have any questions or want support to "land the plane" and integrate your journey afterward, please reach out here.

You can listen to the playlist here.

With love,

Quddus

P.S. If you’re in Amsterdam this Saturday, the 4th of July, and you feel called to experience a mushroom journey guided by me and 22 live instruments, click here. We have a few spots left. And if you’re in London on the 18th of July, we’ve got something special happening there too. Reply YES for more details.