We return to the world of Aurduin with this week's episode with the next two chapters from the Audiobook of The Alchemist and the Eagle. In chapter 14, Orobai ponders his choices for the future and in chapter 15, Nataali discovers that her mother has made a startling choice indicating that she's more aware of world events than Nataali had assumed ...

To kick off the first episode of 2026 and my 19th year of podcasting, my guest is recent Ph.D. recipient, Azul DelGrasso, who wrote his dissertation at the California Institute of Integral Studies about 5-MeO-DMT. We had a lengthy conversation about it a few months ago to help him celebrate being perhaps the first person in the world to earn his Ph.D. by writing about 5-MeO-DMT.

Also on the 5 front, I announce the dates for the next offering of my 5-MeO-DMT Integration Specialist Training course with Mindscape Institute, which starts on March 4th. Enrollment is now open - feel free to contact me for details.

We conclude the 18th year of the Entheogenic Evolution Podcast with some zany, mind-bending fun with a representative of Mindcom, a Division of Octocorp ...

For anyone out there who's been listening to this weekly podcast for 18 years ... you're amazing! Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy this end-of-the-year episode and I'm looking forward to your continued listening as we enter the podcast's 19th year with 2026 ...

My guest this week is Christian Rasmussen from AMENTARA (formerly MN Nice Ethnobotanicals) to discuss amanita mushrooms, blue lotus, kava, and more. We get into dosage, experience, and why Christian feels that amanita is the most demanding experience of them all. Visit them online here: AMENTARA.com

I've got a husband and wife team as guests this week on The Entheogenic Evolution Podcast - Stephan and Amber Kerby of Mindscape Institute. They've just released their co-authored work, The Embodiment Protocol: A Practical Guide to Awakening with 5-MeO-DMT, which is now available as paperback and ebook on Amazon. As this is Amber's first time being interviewed on the podcast, we devote a great deal of the interview to letting her introduce herself and her entry into psychedelic therapy and teaching.

Also, my 5-MeO-DMT Glossary is now available, which I created for our students at Mindscape and it's now out for the general public as a full-color art book, ebook, and audiobook.

Lastly, it's my birthday this week and I'm giving away my new album "Solar Return," which is available for free download at www.martinball.bandcamp.com

My guest this week is psychedelic comic book creator, Daniel Moler. We had a very engaging and wide-ranging discussion about psychedelics, representational art, the nature of story telling, super heroes, fascism, and the joy of creating good old fashioned physical objects such as will be produced with Daniel's Crowdfundr campaign to produce copies of his latest offering, "Psychonaut 5." Find out more about Daniel at his webpage, www.danielmolerweb.com

- This week's cover art by Daniel and this is the image we discuss in the interview.

My guest this week is Clementine Kruczynski who uses a unique "private law" and "private trust" approach to establishing legally protected entheogenic churches. While I've featured lawyers who seek to apply Religious Freedom Restoration Act legal exemptions for creating entheogenic churches, Clementine promotes an entirely different route and is thus sharing with the listening audience a new way of thinking about legal protection. Clementine offers both individual consulting as well as classes and workshops on the topic and you can find out more about her services and approach at her website, www.themindofclementine.com

My guest this week is founder of Enfold, a full-service 5-MeO-DMT facilitation program near Vancouver Canada that specializes in 5-day protocols with both vaporized and injectable 5-MeO-DMT. We had an excellent conversation that, for me, highlights many of the things that I like to encourage with 5-MeO-DMT facilitation. To learn more about Steve's work, visit the website Enfold.org