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Episode

#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
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2:34:28
Published: Fri Jan 27 2023
Description

Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 800M+ users, FreshBooks cloud-based small business accounting software, and ButcherBox premium meats delivered to your door.Wade Davis (@wadedavisofficial, daviswade.com) is Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Between 2000 and 2013, he served as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. Named by the NGS as one of the Explorers for the Millennium, he has been described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet, and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.” An ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker, Wade holds degrees in anthropology and biology and a PhD in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. Mostly through the Harvard Botanical Museum, he spent over three years in the Amazon and Andes as a plant explorer, living among 15 indigenous groups while making some 6000 botanical collections. His work later took him to Haiti to investigate folk preparations implicated in the creation of zombies, an assignment that led to his writing The Serpent and the Rainbow, an international bestseller, later released by Universal as a motion picture. In recent years, his work has taken him to East Africa, Borneo, Nepal, Peru, Polynesia, Tibet, Mali, Benin, Togo, New Guinea, Australia, Colombia, Vanuatu, Mongolia, and the high Arctic of Nunavut and Greenland. Wade is the author of 375 scientific and popular articles and 23 books including One River, The Wayfinders, Into the Silence, and Magdalena. His photographs have been widely exhibited and have appeared in 37 books and 130 magazines, including National Geographic, Time, Geo, People, Men’s Journal, and Outside. He was curator of “The Lost Amazon: The Photographic Journey of Richard Evans Schultes,” first exhibited at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. In 2012 he served as guest curator of “No Strangers: Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World,” at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. He was curator of “Everest: Ascent to Glory,” Bowers Museum, February 12–August 28, 2022. National Geographic has published two collections of his photography: Light at the Edge of the World (2001) and Wade Davis: Photographs (2018).His 40 film credits include Light at the Edge of the World, an eight-hour documentary series written and produced for National Geographic. His most recent film, El Sendero de la Anaconda, a 90-minute feature documentary shot in the Northwest Amazon, is available on Netflix.A professional speaker for 30 years, Wade has lectured at over 200 universities and 250 corporations and professional associations. In 2009 he delivered the CBC Massey Lectures. He has spoken from the main stage at TED five times, and his three posted talks have been viewed by 8 million. His books have appeared in 22 languages and sold approximately one million copies.Wade, one of 20 Honorary Members of the Explorers Club, is Honorary Vice President of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and recipient of 12 honorary degrees. He has been awarded the 2009 Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the 2011 Explorers Medal, the 2012 David Fairchild Medal for botanical exploration, the 2015 Centennial Medal of Harvard University, the 2017 Roy Chapman Andrews Society’s Distinguished Explorer Award, the 2017 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration, and the 2018 Mungo Park Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2018 he became an Honorary Citizen of Colombia.Please enjoy!*This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 800 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by ButcherBox! ButcherBox makes it easy for you to get high-quality, humanely raised meat that you can trust. They deliver delicious, 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef; free-range organic chicken; heritage-breed pork, and wild-caught seafood directly to your door.ButcherBox has a special offer running for you, my dear listeners. Use code TIM to get $20 off your first box. Sign up at ButcherBox.com/Tim and use code TIM to get $20 off.*This episode is also brought to you by FreshBooks. I’ve been talking about FreshBooks—an all-in-one invoicing + payments + accounting solution—for years now. Many entrepreneurs, as well as the contractors and freelancers that I work with, use it all the time.FreshBooks makes it super easy to track things like expenses, project time, and client info and then merge it all into great-looking invoices. And right now, there’s a special offer just for my listeners. Head over to FreshBooks.com/Tim to get 90% off your FreshBooks subscription for 4 months. *​​[06:34] The Wayfinders.[17:01] The Earth’s caretakers of Northern Colombia.[25:31] Coca and mambe.[34:17] Zombies, mysterious elixirs, and a sorcerer pimp.[49:35] The social implications of zombification and dangers of datura.[57:57] David Maybury-Lewis, Richard Evans Schultes, and living exploration.[1:02:13] Why helping young people is a top priority for Wade.[1:07:43] Pessimism is an indulgence. Choose optimism.[1:13:10] Rites of passage.[1:17:26] The night Wade had to light himself on fire.[1:20:37] The scar Wade doesn’t regret.[1:23:41] Raising kids to be better citizens of the world.[1:31:02] Wade’s own hero’s journey.[1:34:19] Ayahuasca origin stories and uses alternative to healing.[1:47:34] The real tragedy of coca.[1:50:29] Dosed dogs, provocative gardens, and the cosmology of bitter manioc.[1:53:41] What psychedelics gave Wade earlier in life vs. later on.[2:06:34] How did Wade teach himself to write well?[2:18:50] Work points and outlining the course of a book.[2:28:26] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
FreshBooks is a tool that can help you streamline and automate your bookkeeping and accounting tasks, saving you valuable time.
00:00 - 03:31 (03:31)
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FreshBooks
Summary

FreshBooks is a tool that can help you streamline and automate your bookkeeping and accounting tasks, saving you valuable time. A benefit survey found that customers save up to 11 hours a week through their time-saving features.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Anthropologist Wade Davis explains how anthropology reveals that other cultures are not inferior versions of one’s own, and highlights the importance of preserving humanity’s cultural diversity.
03:32 - 10:10 (06:38)
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Anthropology
Summary

Anthropologist Wade Davis explains how anthropology reveals that other cultures are not inferior versions of one’s own, and highlights the importance of preserving humanity’s cultural diversity.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The idea that societies progress from "savage" to "civilized" has been debunked by modern science, and there is a haunting fact that half of the 7,000 languages spoken today are moribund on the brink of extinction.
10:10 - 17:13 (07:03)
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Societies, Diversity, Oceans
Summary

The idea that societies progress from "savage" to "civilized" has been debunked by modern science, and there is a haunting fact that half of the 7,000 languages spoken today are moribund on the brink of extinction. However, geneticists have proven that we are all brothers and sisters, and technology allows us to better understand the world's oceans.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Wade Davis discusses the Lost City, a hidden metropolis located in the Colombian mountains, and its significance to the indigenous Kogi people who inhabit the region.
17:14 - 26:05 (08:51)
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Colombia
The preferred coca of the Inca, erythroxan Novogranitensia, was taken down the coast of Colombia to Trujillo in Peru and became the coca imported by Coca-Cola each year.
26:05 - 35:24 (09:19)
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Coca, Colombia, Peru
Summary

The preferred coca of the Inca, erythroxan Novogranitensia, was taken down the coast of Colombia to Trujillo in Peru and became the coca imported by Coca-Cola each year. Efforts are being made to create a legal nutraceutical market for coca to provide a livelihood for the 150,000 families in Colombia that depend on cultivating coca and to generate tax revenue for the country.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In the early 1960s, Clavius Narcisse was misdiagnosed dead by two physicians, but he later revealed that he was under the effect of a poisonous substance that could bring a state of apparent death so profound it could fool a physician, and yet the victim could survive.
35:24 - 41:14 (05:50)
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Medicine
Summary

In the early 1960s, Clavius Narcisse was misdiagnosed dead by two physicians, but he later revealed that he was under the effect of a poisonous substance that could bring a state of apparent death so profound it could fool a physician, and yet the victim could survive.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The purpose of finding drugs to make zombies was not to explain the social phenomenon, but rather to understand a cultural and religious practice that had been used in a racist way.
41:15 - 50:23 (09:08)
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Zombies
Summary

The purpose of finding drugs to make zombies was not to explain the social phenomenon, but rather to understand a cultural and religious practice that had been used in a racist way. Some people may remain in servitude as zombies for an extended period of time.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Wade Davis explains how the Haitian zombie is created through tetrodotoxin and is able to put someone into a state of suggestibility and fear, but they remain aware of what has happened to them.
50:23 - 56:32 (06:08)
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Science
The speaker reflects on the importance of courage as the mother virtue, enabling other virtues to emerge.
56:32 - 1:10:57 (14:24)
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Mentoring
Summary

The speaker reflects on the importance of courage as the mother virtue, enabling other virtues to emerge. They credit their success in life to giving themselves fully to their mentors and being the architect of their own life. They also discuss the moral obligation to tell the stories of disadvantaged groups and become liaisons for their voices.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Reflecting on the changing perspective of the natural world, the speaker compares the Christian and Vedic traditions, stating that the latter emphasizes the idea of thickening the plot in the face of the existence of evil.
1:10:57 - 1:18:05 (07:08)
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Environmental Awareness
Summary

Reflecting on the changing perspective of the natural world, the speaker compares the Christian and Vedic traditions, stating that the latter emphasizes the idea of thickening the plot in the face of the existence of evil.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The lack of formalized rites of passage leaves young males without a clear transition into manhood, while women have a natural rite of passage.
1:18:05 - 1:26:27 (08:21)
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Rites of Passage
Summary

The lack of formalized rites of passage leaves young males without a clear transition into manhood, while women have a natural rite of passage. It's important to approach these transitions with empathy and love.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker believes in the importance of physical labor in the initiation rites of young boys, and suggests the creation of a Youth Conservation Corps in every state and national park to provide teens with the opportunity to travel, experience other parts of the country, and work to make America a better country.
1:26:27 - 1:33:46 (07:19)
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Youth, physical labor
Summary

The speaker believes in the importance of physical labor in the initiation rites of young boys, and suggests the creation of a Youth Conservation Corps in every state and national park to provide teens with the opportunity to travel, experience other parts of the country, and work to make America a better country.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This episode talks about the different origin stories of ayahuasca brew and how they are used by different tribal groups, cultures, churches, and syncretic religions.
1:33:46 - 1:45:17 (11:30)
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Ayahuasca
Summary

This episode talks about the different origin stories of ayahuasca brew and how they are used by different tribal groups, cultures, churches, and syncretic religions. It also discusses the profound cultural insights of the Badassan and the Makuna, who view plants and animals as people in another dimension of reality.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Michael Pollan discusses the potential benefits and risks of using ayahuasca, a sacred plant with a long history of safe use that is believed to have a range of psychological benefits.
1:45:17 - 1:52:13 (06:56)
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Ayahuasca
The host talks about the fascination of human beings with entheogens as they have the capability to reveal ethereal wonder, especially to young kids who are trying to deconstruct the world around them.
1:52:13 - 2:01:08 (08:55)
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Entheogens
Summary

The host talks about the fascination of human beings with entheogens as they have the capability to reveal ethereal wonder, especially to young kids who are trying to deconstruct the world around them.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The author Wade Davis talks about using ayahuasca in his older age to remember what it was like to write One River and to find inspiration once again as he approaches death.
2:01:08 - 2:13:31 (12:22)
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Ayahuasca
The act of writing, similar to sculpture, requires attention and creativity.
2:13:31 - 2:19:23 (05:52)
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Writing
Summary

The act of writing, similar to sculpture, requires attention and creativity. Creating rhythms in every line and ending every paragraph with something that will draw the reader in is crucial to becoming a great writer.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this transcript, the guest speaker discusses how writing through the use of work points can help clarify and outline the contents of a book on a specific theme, such as the experience of death during the Great War.
2:19:23 - 2:24:57 (05:33)
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Writing
Summary

In this transcript, the guest speaker discusses how writing through the use of work points can help clarify and outline the contents of a book on a specific theme, such as the experience of death during the Great War.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The relationship between women and war is complex and cannot be summarized in a few lines.
2:24:57 - 2:31:07 (06:09)
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War history
Summary

The relationship between women and war is complex and cannot be summarized in a few lines. This topic is discussed in detail in Max Hastings' book about the last year of the Pacific War, which explores the overwhelming dominance of the Americans and leads to personal experiences of loss and grief, such as Diana Manners', who said that every boy she danced with had died by the end of 1916.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
According to a benefit survey of FreshBooks customers, automation of bookkeeping and accounting tasks can save up to 11 hours a week.
2:31:07 - 2:34:25 (03:17)
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bookkeeping, accounting, automation
Summary

According to a benefit survey of FreshBooks customers, automation of bookkeeping and accounting tasks can save up to 11 hours a week. This can be achieved through tasks such as time tracking, invoicing, and expense tracking.

Episode
#652: Famed Explorer Wade Davis — How to Become the Architect of Your Life, The Divine Leaf of Immortality, Rites of Passage, Voodoo Demystified, Optimism as the Purpose of Life, How to Be a Prolific Writer, Psychedelics, Monetizing the Creativity of Your Life, and More
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show