The second time I stayed with Amanda at Beckley Park Court (maybe early 2010), it was a frigid night. There was a fireplace in the room, so I lit a fire to get warm, but something went wrong. Instead of the smoke rising through the chimney, it filled the room and then the entire storey, almost suffocating me and others in the mansion. Everyone woke up. Amanda kept her calm and quietly remarked that she had failed to accentuate the ramifications of the stork nesting at the top of the chimney of my room (by the way, the stork and its brood were unharmed).
That's what Amanda was like. The stork had a right to coexist just as much as the humans of the house. The idea that primordial nature does not have to be subdued and that life can be lived in a mutually beneficial way for all involved was a central characteristic of her understanding. In my opinion, the fact that the famous maze scene from one of the Harry Potter movies was filmed in her backyard is a testament to this. Real-time decision-making under conditions of uncertainty is a challenge we all face when negotiating the complexities of life. But Amanda's deep understanding and sweeping acceptance of (almost) everything around her allowed her to glide happily, wielding "Better Living Through Chemistry" and "Love" as her entourage.
Amanda, the Duchess of Wemyss and March, was an aristocrat of a different kind. The power that the British conservative system gave her as a legacy, she turned into a revolutionary axe that promotes psychedelic research and cognitive liberty. In this context, Amanda's impact cannot be understated.
So many things in Amanda's life were a constant interplay of fiction becoming fact and fact becoming fiction. The seat in the House of Lords that Amanda occupied will forever glow faintly with the psychedelic veneer that she brought flowing into this world like rainbow tsunamis.
In tears, I cry, “Amanda, I miss you”. I am proud to say that Amanda was one of my closest friends for a decade of my life. Sharing roof and rations, it was easy to mistake the friendship for a familial relationship - but I think Amanda had an ‘open house’ approach to anyone like-minded in any way. She was afraid of no one, and rejected only those who were bona fide evil or violent.
No one was a freak in Amanda's eyes. She was God’s Curator of Curiosity. All things new and novel delighted Amanda. I recall how we would stay up into the wee hours, with her asking follow-up questions to each answer I gave. Her appetite for knowledge was seemingly insatiable, and her appreciation of explanation, elucidation, and insight was a warm embrace of cerebroaffection.
Amanda worked hard until she finally succeeded in bringing BeckleyMed Labs to a position where it can continue to fulfill her legacy long after she's gone. The legacy of being a beacon, a safe harbor, and a place to gain both hope and composure for those innovators (in the neuroscientific space) who are on the brink of despair.
Noble in conduct, not just a commoner with an aristocratic title - We, and generations to come, can all enjoy the fruits of things like subcranial magnetic stimulation and reforms in drug policy thanks to Amanda's toil on our behalf.
Amanda, Thank You, and,
May you rest in Peace.