Entheogens and Religion

Did Jesus and his disciples use cannabis and other drugs in magical ceremonies? Author and cannabis historian Chris Bennett takes us through some of the startling ancient evidence of early Christianity’s drug-fuelled rituals.

An illustrated version of this article can be accessed here - https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2016/12/20/early-christianitys-drug-fuelled-magic-rituals/

A mildly chronological overview of the philosophers who may have been inspired by the use of psychoactive chemicals, inc. Plato, de Quincey, Davy, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, James, Bergson, Benjamin, Jünger, Paz, Marcuse, Sartre, Foucault; and a mention of the Outsight project.

This article was based on a talk given for the University of Exeter Philosophy Society (video: https://youtu.be/X2eY4n37FC0) and at the ICPR2016 conference. It was published in the popular HighExistence magazine on August 2nd 2016, and has received over 90 000 social media shares (http://highexistence.com/hidden-psychedelic-influence-philosophy-plato-nietzsche-psychonauts-thoughts).

Reference:
Sjöstedt-H, P. 'The Psychedelic Influence on Philosophy', HighExistence.com (2nd-08-2016)

Abstract
The Mystery Religions of the ancient world frequently, if not always, employed the use of psychoactive drugs or entheogens to induce altered states of consciousness. Such experiences were indispensable to the initiation of members, their rituals relating to spiritual development, and ultimately the attainment of the “peak” experience(s) that represented the apotheosis and fulfillment of their theological and spiritual initiations.
Thus, more than any other principle, the entheogenic—i.e., pharmacological—induction of nonordinary states defines the theology and practice of the ancient Mystery Religions.

Letcher, A. (2022, February). In the twinkling of an eye: A brief history of the magic mushroom. Invited talk for the Psychedelicacies Salon at the Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities & Last Tuesday Society (online), 10th February. Hosted and curated by David Luke & Maya Bracknell Watson.

https://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/event/in-the-twinkling-of-an-eye-by-andy-letcher-on-zoom/

Entheogenic Plant Sentience – A private symposium. Tyringham Hall, September 2015. (Curator and compère)

Video trailer for the event: https://vimeo.com/156248371

Anton Bilton, Dr David Luke & Rory Spowers
Introduction from the hosts and curators

Dr Graham St John
The Pineal Enigma: The Dazzling Life and Times of the ‘Spirit Gland’

Dr Dennis J. McKenna
Is DMT a Chemical Messenger from an Extraterrestrial Civilization?

Dr Jeremy Narby
Amazonian Perspectives on Invisible Entities

Peter Meyer
Concerning the Nature of the DMT Entities and their Relation to Us

Dr Erik Davis
How to Think about Weird Beings

Dr Ede Frecska
The Second Foundation of Knowledge, True Visions, and Plant Sentience

Dr Andrew Gallimore
The Neurobiology of Conscious Interaction with Alternate Realities and Their Inhabitants

Dr Rupert Sheldrake
Morphic Resonance, Psychedelic Experiences and Collective Memory

Dr Rick Strassman
The Nature of the DMT Beings: Perspectives and Prospects

Graham Hancock
Psychedelics, Entities, 'Dark Matter' and Parallel Dimensions

Dr Rick Strassman
The Nature of the DMT Beings: Perspectives and Prospects

Dr David Luke
Entheogenic plant sentience and DMT entities: A summary of what we think we know

Los papiros medicinales y mágicos, los textos de los autores de la Antigüedad, así como los datos procedentes de los repertorios iconográficos y de las excavaciones arqueológicas, constituyen todos ellos valiosas fuentes de información que nos permiten una aproximación a los conocimientos de los antiguos egipcios sobre toda una serie de recursos farmacológicos de características neurotóxicas.

Abstract

There are many similarities amongst Mesoamerican religious practices that cannot be overlooked. This paper seeks to establish the commonalities between the origin stories and religious practices of three Mesoamerican cultures. In this manner, one can begin to better understand the extent to which these similarities were within the pre-Columbian Maya, Inca, and the Aztec.

Ceremonial practices and the use of entheogenic plants to achieve a desired altered state has been well established through archaeological finds throughout what is now known as Central/South America. Many of the same entheogens have been recorded in use amongst pre-Columbian cultures. Practices that would seem unimaginable to most people living in the current day were carried out with zeal with the desired result well documented through several available sources. The use of said plants in ritual (and medical) occasions is shrouded with mystery and intrigue, however great strides have been made in our current understanding of pre-Columbian ethnobotanical rituals. Historians, ethnobotanist, biologists, anthropologists, mystics and even a few “kooks” have contributed greatly to our understanding of their use, yet little is known regarding how widely spread these acts (uses) were.

others • Explores DMT beings, plant sentience, interspecies communication, discarnate consciousness, dialoguing with the divine, the pineal gland, the Amazonian shamanic perspective on Invisible Entities, and the science behind hallucinations Encounters with apparently sentient beings are reported by half of all first time users of the naturally occurring psychedelic DMT, yet the question of DMT beings and plant sentience, interspecies communication, discarnate consciousness, and perhaps even dialoguing with the divine has never been systematically explored. In September 2015, ten of the world's leading luminaries noted for exploring the mysterious compound DMT (dimethyltryptamine) gathered with other researchers at Tyringham Hall in England to discuss the subject. Over three days, they pooled their expertise from a wide range of subjects-archaeology, anthropology, religious studies, psychology, neuroscience, chemistry, and psychopharmacology, to name a few-to explore the notion of "entheogenic plant sentience" and the role of DMT as a conduit between Spirit and Matter. Offering cutting-edge insights into this visionary domain, this book distills the potent exchange of ideas that occurred at Tyringham Hall, including presentations and discussions on DMT entities , the pineal gland that houses the Spirit Molecule, the possibility of DMT as a chemical messenger from an extraterrestrial civilization, the Amazonian shamanic perspective on Invisible Entities, morphic resonance, and the science behind hallucinations. Contributors to the talks and discussions include many leading thinkers in this field, including among many others. David Luke, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Greenwich and a guest lecturer at the University of Northhampton. He has published over 100 academic papers on tran-spersonal experiences and altered states of consciousness and regularly gives public lectures and conference presentations. A cofounder and director of Breaking Convention, a biennial international conference on psychedelic research, he lives in East Sussex, England. Rory Spowers is an ecological writer, filmmaker, and author. He is the founder of The Web of Hope, a UK charity and ecological education resource, and the creative director for the Tyringham Initiative. He lives in Ibiza, Spain.

The title of this chapter was not chosen lightly. It brings two highly controversial terms together in a novel combination and, in so doing, attempts to call attention to a specific phenomenon in contemporary religion, namely the religious use of psychoactive substances as means of access to spiritual insights about the true nature of reality. The question of why, and in what sense(s), this type of religion should be understood as a form of "esotericism" will be addressed below; but something must be said at the outset about the adjective "entheogenic" and its implications. The substantive entheogen was coined in 1979 by a group of ethnobotanists and scholars of mythology who were concerned with finding a terminology that would acknowledge the ritual use of psychoactive plants reported from a variety of traditional religious contexts, while avoiding the questionable meanings and connotations of current terms, notably "hallucinogens" and "psychedelics". 1 As suggested by its roots in Greek etymology (ε '΄ νθεος), natural or artificial substances can be called entheogens (adjective: entheogenic) if they generate, or bring about, unusual states of consciousness in which those who use them are believed to be "filled", "possessed" or "inspired" by some kind of divine entity, presence or force. 2 While the altered states in question are pharmacologically induced, such religious interpretations of them are obviously products of culture.

Did Jesus and his disciples use cannabis and other drugs in magical ceremonies? Author and cannabis historian Chris Bennett takes us through some of the startling ancient evidence of early Christianity’s drug-fuelled rituals.

An illustrated version of this article can be accessed here - https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2016/12/20/early-christianitys-drug-fuelled-magic-rituals/

Abstract

There are many similarities amongst Mesoamerican religious practices that cannot be overlooked. This paper seeks to establish the commonalities between the origin stories and religious practices of three Mesoamerican cultures. In this manner, one can begin to better understand the extent to which these similarities were within the pre-Columbian Maya, Inca, and the Aztec.

Ceremonial practices and the use of entheogenic plants to achieve a desired altered state has been well established through archaeological finds throughout what is now known as Central/South America. Many of the same entheogens have been recorded in use amongst pre-Columbian cultures. Practices that would seem unimaginable to most people living in the current day were carried out with zeal with the desired result well documented through several available sources. The use of said plants in ritual (and medical) occasions is shrouded with mystery and intrigue, however great strides have been made in our current understanding of pre-Columbian ethnobotanical rituals. Historians, ethnobotanist, biologists, anthropologists, mystics and even a few “kooks” have contributed greatly to our understanding of their use, yet little is known regarding how widely spread these acts (uses) were.

Julian Vayne  (29th September, 2010) – Drugs and Magic: The Chemicals of Chaos. The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness Salon, The Institute of Ecotechnics, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London. (Host and compère)

In this talk entitled 'The Chemicals of Chaos' Julian will introduce the heady brew that is bubbling in the cauldron of his next literary work. By exploring the Book of Nature, and privileging direct experience over scriptural knowledge, the magician, the artist and the scientist are all engaged in a radical project. This project is political dynamite, hence the necessity for secrecy and conspiratorial action. Chaos magic is an expression of this same drive for direct illumination, aiming as it does for gnosis through practices culled from many different spiritual traditions. The use of psychoactive chemicals are one such technique for plugging directly into the numinous that obviate the need for gods, guides or gurus, and this may be why both left and right wing governments want to see them banned.
So come and join in a mystical tour that starts in prehistory, shadows the story of the Knights Templar, hides in the Invisible College and finally bursts into view with the discovery of LSD. You have nothing to loose but your mind...

Mara’akame Paritema (Don Santos) (17th July, 2013) - Huichol cosmology: A mara'akame shares Wirraritari cosmovision and mythology. The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness Salon, The Institute of Ecotechnics, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London. (Host and compère)

The origins of the Wirraritari or Huichol people are uncertain: are they an Aztec tribe or were they independent of the pre-Hispanic Aztec empire? In any case it is know that they resisted the Spanish throughout the conquest of Mexico and still remain independent. The Wirraritari cosmovision is full of myths, gods, and legends, and this cosmovision is embodied and experienced directly during the practice of their many ceremonies, which take place throughout the year. In Wirraritari society the Mara’akames are medicine-men and leaders. There are different types of Mara’akame; those who simply sing and communicate with the spirits, those who do treatments with energy, extracting disease and materialising it as it is sucked out by the mouth, and those who sing and heal as Mara’akame Santos does. Mara’akame Santos is going to share some of the Wirraritari myths of Creation, the origins of the people and their cosmovision. He will also share a sacred ceremonial song.

Graham Hancock (26th May, 2009) – Supernatural: Did psychedelic experiences make our ancestors human? The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness Salon, The Institute of Ecotechnics, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London. (Host and compère)

Modern technological societies value only the alert, problem-solving state of consciousness, and have demonised trance states brought on by the consumption of psychedelic drugs. But in his book Supernatural, the background to his talk at the October Gallery, Graham Hancock presents staggering new information that experiences induced by plant hallucinogens may have played a vital role in the evolution of our species – opening our ancestors to supernatural realms and making us truly human for the first time. It all happened very recently.

Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no art, no religion, no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking. Then, in a dramatic and electrifying change, described by scientists as ‘the greatest riddle in human history’, all the skills and qualities that we value most highly in ourselves appeared already fully formed, as though bestowed on us by hidden powers. In his lecture, Graham Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious ‘before-and-after moment’ and to discover the truth about the influences that shaped the modern human mind. His quest takes him on a journey of adventure and detection from the stunningly beautiful painted caves of prehistoric France, Spain and Italy to remote rock shelters in the mountains of South Africa where he finds a treasure trove of extraordinary Stone Age art.

He uncovers clues that lead him to travel to the depths of the Amazon rainforest to drink the powerful plant hallucinogen Ayahuasca with Indian shamans, whose paintings contain images of ‘supernatural beings’ identical to the animal-human hybrids depicted in prehistoric caves and rock shelters. And Western laboratory volunteers placed experimentally under the influence of hallucinogens such as mescaline, psilocybin and LSD also report visionary encounters with exactly the same beings. Scientists at the cutting edge of consciousness research have begun to consider the possibility that such hallucinations may be real perceptions of other ‘dimensions’.

Could it be that the human brain is not just a generator of consciousness, but also a receiver of consciousness, and could the ‘supernaturals’ first depicted in the painted caves and rock shelters be the ancient teachers of mankind? This new approach strongly suggests that human evolution is not just the ‘blind’, ‘meaningless’ process that Darwin identified, but something else, more purposive and intelligent, that we have barely even begun to understand. By criminalising and demonising the consumption of psychedelic drugs it may even be that our societies are blocking off the next vital step in the evolution of our species.

Mike Crowley (30th October, 2012) - Stoned peacocks and blue-throated gods. The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness Salon, The Institute of Ecotechnics, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London. (Host and compère)


Video of lecture here:
https://vimeo.com/53116835

Drawing upon myth, folklore and Sanskrit word-play, Mike Crowley demonstrates that the peacock was used in both Hinduism and Buddhism as a symbol for psychedelic mushrooms, particularly those which bruise blue, such as Psilocybe cubensis. This hypothesis offers an explanation for the association of peacocks with amrita (the tantric psychedelic sacrament) and various deities (Amitabha, Mahamayuri, Janguli, et al.). It also may account for the curious name of a Shaiva monastic order known as matta-mayuri ("the intoxicated peacocks"). While this is the main focus of the talk, it may well provide a jumping-off point for other topics covered in the book Secret Drugs of Buddhism.

The idea that Jesus could have healed with cannabis, at first glance, seems preposterous, yet, it becomes more believable, the more you look into it. Moreover, this information has garnered international media attention, in reputable news sources like the BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Vice, and other media. In a 2014 youtube documentary, Kaneh Bosm: the Hidden Story of Cannabis in the Old Testament, which featured a number of academic interviews, I detailed the potential role of cannabis in the Old Testament, under the Hebrew name kaneh bosm, an idea based on the pioneering work of Sula Benet, and which has been gaining increasing acceptance in academic circles, I first wrote about this for cannabis culture back in 1996, and since then it has become increasingly well known. Since that time archeological evidence has confirmed the ritual use of cannabis in ancient Israel.

An illustrated version of this article can be accessed at - https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2016/10/13/jesus-heal-cannabis/

This dissertation is an exploration of the Santo Daime Church in Miami, focusing on the challenges of balancing institutional stability with continual growth and innovation. Santo Daime—whose central ritual entails the consumption of the mind-altering ayahuasca brew—is a new religious movement that amalgamates indigenous Amazonian, Afro-Brazilian, and popular Catholic traditions. Between June 2016 and December 2018, I employed participant observation, semi-structured interviews, exegesis of sacred songs, and document analysis to investigate the meanings and lived experiences of church leaders and adherents as they relate to their religious identity and agency. Specifically, this study asks three research questions: What global processes facilitated the expansion of Santo Daime in Miami? What changes have occurred at the organizational level of the Miami-based churches? Lastly, how have these impacted the identities of this church and its followers in the city of Miami? To answer these questions, a theoretical framework utilizing postmodernism and bricolage was used to anchor and unify the factors influencing the global expansion of Santo Daime and its receptivity in Miami. In terms of identity, postmodernity involves the deconstruction and reconstruction of the self as fluid, fragmented, and eclectic. These characteristics of the new postmodern self permit an equally eclectic pick and choose attitude of spiritual traditions. I use bricolage as a theoretical tool to describe the bundle of diverse religions promoted under the Santo Daime canopy as well as the postmodern willingness to combine symbols from disparate codes, even at the cost of disjunction and eclecticism. Using Weber’s theory on authority and leadership, I analyze how intra-church and inter-church power struggles among two Miami-based Santo Daime churches tested their capacity to resolve the conflicts between and among the leadership and devotees as well as consolidate their position in Miami and globally. This study suggests that the Americanization of Santo Daime found in one of its Miami churches undermines Church orthodoxy and hierarchies both in Miami and Brazil, Santo Daime’s birthplace. The dissertation concludes that the Santo Daime churches reproduce the same divisions, inequalities, and discrimination found in the Miami social environment, yet maintained their healing efficacy among practitioners.

Undoubtedly, TIK's most extreme example of overreach is its postulation of a chain of linear historical diffusion from Stone Age mortuary rituals to early Greek and Christian Mysteries, and to medieval witchcraft. Here in order to defend his central thesis, Muraresku executes a series of intellectual somersaults that are best tenuous and at worst unsubstantiated.

TIK will entice general readers but exasperate academics, even those who may agree with its specific conclusions regarding the role of entheogens in the Eleusinian Mysteries or early Christianity. Despite its popular appeal as a New York Times Bestseller, TIK fails to make a compelling case for its grand theory of the "pagan continuity hypothesis with a psychedelic twist" due to recurring overreach and historical distortion, failure to consider relevant research on shamanism and Christianity, and presentation of speculation as fact.

Gallimore, A., & Luke, D. (2015). DMT research from 1956 to the end of time. In D. King, D. Luke, B. Sessa, C. Adams and A. Tollen (Eds), Neurotransmissions: Psychedelic essays from Breaking Convention (pp.291-316). London: Strange Attractor Press.

From a representative sample of a suitably psychedelic crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who couldn’t tell you all about Albert Hofmann’s enchanted bicycle ride after wallowing what turned out to be a massive dose of LSD. The world’s first acid trip (Hofmann, 1980) has since become a cherished piece of psychedelic folklore. Far fewer, however, could tell you much about the world’s first DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) trip. Although less memorable than Hofmann’s story, it was no less important. The folklore would come later and reveal itself to be far weirder than anyone could have predicted. A DMT trip is certainly one of the most bizarre experiences a human
can undergo and, although six decades have passed since the very first DMT trip, the experience continues to confound and remains fertile ground for speculation regarding its significance and meaning.

This article will summarize some of the most important points in identifying the suggested role for cannabis in the Vedic Soma and related Avestan Haoma traditions, based on the latest textual and archeological information. This synopsis is based on material from my 2010 book Cannabis and the Soma Solution, along with the most current discoveries and research.

This article is part of a series on the identity of the ancient plant behind these Vedic and Avestan mysteries. The Vedic tradition’s soma  and the Avestan’s haoma were plant based ritual drinks that inspired their imbibers. A Common origin is attributed to both. The texts describe the preparation of soma/haoma by means of extracting the juice from a plant, the identity of which is now unknown and debated among scholars. In both the ancient Vedasand the Avesta, the name of the drink and the plant are the same. Various plant candidates have been suggested for Soma/Haoma. This article is part of a series of Papers regarding the Soma-Haoma Solution, that also examines other candidates such as Syrian Rue, and various Psychedelic mushrooms as well.

In opening, I want to be clear, so I am not guilty of cultural appropriation, that the view that soma was likely cannabis, has been held by a variety of Indian scholars and much of my own research in this area is built upon their earlier contributions, particularly in regards to descriptions of the plant soma in the Vedic material, and in identifying descriptions of its preparation, as well as understanding the various texts that indicate the original plant’s prohibition and its later replacements. It should also be noted in this regard, The Mushroom Soma Theory, which will be discussed in a later article in this series, is the creation of Western researchers, and I know of no prominent Indian sources that agree with that identification.

Shamanism, a practice based on the mediation between the immanent worlds, is one of the oldest religious tradition in the world. We find its traces among a multitude of religions still existing. The pre-Buddhist Bön religion is one example. There are several shamanic practices in this religious structure, including: spiritual transactions, trance, healing practices and alteration of consciousness. The important aspect of the shamanic tradition that matters to us in this work is the use of entheogenic substances in the tantric traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Primarily, an entheogen is considered a psychoactive substance that induces an altered state of consciousness, often used for spiritual and shamanic purposes. These substances were used, with the help of rituals, to reach altered states of consciousness. This paper will delve in three separate analysis of three distinct papers in order to form a concise and understandable view of the use of entheogens within Tibetan Buddhism.

This chapter explores the performative process occurring in the dance-floor/stage of a psytrance event as ‘technognosis’, a concept that combines media, arts, performance and technology with the notion of gnosis. Technognosis is proposed as an overarching concept, able to theorize the whole transpersonal range of the psytrance experience, including its spiritual dimension, enabled by the induction and facilitation of alterations in consciousness. The psytrance experience is analyzed it terms of aesthetic, visionary and mystical experiences understood here as qualities of gnosis. At the same time, this chapter contends that technognosis affects participation and invites its multi-media and performative expression, triggering fundamental changes in ways of human thinking, imagining and operating; potentiating the adoption of participation as the next paradigm in human existence. In parallel, the chapter proposes a post-modern approach in researching and analyzing the psytrance phenomenon as a whole, combining media and performance studies with religious studies methodological tools.

Was cannabis the source of inspiration for Richard Wagner’s Holy Grail based operatic masterpieces Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal’? Could this have inspired its use by certain secret societies? New information has come to light indicating this may well be the case….

An illustrated version of this article can be accessed at - https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/07/20/hashish-richard-wagners-prose-and-the-ordo-templi-orientis/

As fossil fuelled capitalism drags global civilisation towards the strange attractor of ecological implosion, can we get any help from outside (what the secular mainstream in the west generally recognises as), the human social field? This paper makes the case for the pedagogical potential of the naturally-occurring psycho-active 'entheogens', that is, substances which, taken sacramentally, are held to 'engender the divine within'. Handled in a thoughtful way, these substances, I argue, are potential allies for the remaking of the revolutionary movement in an age where human extinction is now thinkable. Between the existing radical left in its various forms, and this ally, however, there are some obstacles. One such obstacle is the atheism of the dominant European revolutionary tradition. In this paper Mikhail Bakunin's influential critique of religion as a form of human domination , as an enemy of human freedom, is taken as exemplary of this tradition. The testimony, meanwhile, of entheogenic experience puts this familiar leftist-atheist standpoint in question. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with users of entheo-gens including ayahuasca, vaporised DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT toad venom, I argue that a left willing to open itself to these experiences could gain a new standpoint from which to oppose and outflank capitalist ecocide.

After exploring our current psychological and sociological understanding of mystical experience, this article attempts to provide a sophisticated and neurologically grounded theory of what most call mystical experience, but what the author simply calls a connection experience or connection event. The author traces connection events to the neurological suppression of the Default Mode Network (DMN). Following identification of the DMN as the “seat” of connection experience, the author explores measures (the Q-Scale) of mystical experience, suggests ways to use of “Q” as a both a dependent and independent variable, and suggests several avenues of further research. During the course of the paper the author introduces several concepts and ideas designed to facilitate a syncretic dialog between disciplines and spiritual traditions.

This is the first Volume of a collection of primary and secondary sources, and commentary, which help to show how various Pagan and Gnostic influences are at the root of Western Occultism, particularly the Merkabah, Kabbalah, and Goetia, but also ceremonial magick more generally.  To start with, scholars like Gershom Scholem have argued that Gnosticism had a strong influence on Jewish mysticism, and so this Volume seeks to organize some of the texts on them in an effort to reconstruct their views and rituals, as especially those with references to Paganism.  I have also collected some Pagan texts which explain these Gnostic references, and I interpret them in light of later Western Occultism.  Still, some scholars like Simo Parpola  have argued  a Pagan influence on Judaism right from the start, and that this includes Kabbalistic influence, which can be seen in pre-Gnostic Jewish texts and even the Old Testament itself. While collecting texts and explaining the details of Jewish Kabbalah, Merkabah, and Goetia is largely beyond the scope of this, and some knowledge on this by the reader is assumed, I will shed light on Pagan influences on Judaism, as they indirectly influenced Western Occultism. As part of this, I will provide evidence of ritualistic, or even Shamanistic motifs, utilizing psychoactive drugs for religions purposes, ie "entheogens" and "ethnopharmacology." I have come to find we cannot explain the history of Western Occultism without explaining the history of entheogen use, and showing how these provide a universal context for understanding ritual mechanics and philosophical inspiration, even in very distinct religions.  While some of this is necessarily speculative, I have collected the relevant primary texts so that you can make up your own mind, as it is not so much a matter of IF entheogens were used, but identifying particular plants correctly.  In this I will also focus heavily on the Greek Magical Papyri, and Zoroastrian/Persian traditions of flying Palanquins and Abrahamic like motifs regarding Merkabah "throne mysticism" and how this relates to cosmology and demonology.
Simon Magus is credited with founding Gnosticism, and he was undoubtedly heavily influential in creating the archetypal image of the "Magician" or "Magus."  In this Volume and further ones, I will focus on Simon in particular, as by examining the symbolism he used, we can gain insight into the Pagan practices which he combined to create his form of Gnosticism. By reconstructing the tradition of Simon Magus we can also gain insight into other Gnostics he influenced, and how this comes up in later Western Occultism. As I will show, Simon is the ideal microcosm of ancient syncretism, taking from many sources, and so he forms a conceptual bridge from Paganism to the Abrahamic traditions. So, even if Simon was incorrect about history, by understanding his world view, we can understand the world view of a magician in general. In this way, I will try to reconstruct history as Occultists see it, rather than try to sort out any truly historical theory of diffusionism, I will focus on analyzing practical methods and symbolism and the philosophical implications of how all this developed by drawing upon many myths as well. We can see that while their is incredible diversity in all these sources, as especially in terms of symbolism, there is a coherent, underlying theory of individualistic syncretism and henotheism based on experimentalism, and other Occult/Alchemical ideas. That is the ancients themselves, Abrahamic and otherwise, were trying to reconstruct the  "perennial philosophy" of a "golden age" which some associated with the Adamic language from before the confusion of tongues. To understand this we must know that Christians used NeoPlatonism and other Pagan sources to try and explain the origins of all the worlds religions, but also attempted to reconstruct antediluvian practices. The key to all this involves an understanding cosmology and soul flight, with entheogens or without, for the purposes of "self directed neuro-plasticity" and Theurgic enlightenment, and even a notion similar to Noam Chomsky's theory of "universal grammar." To understand this we must also understand the symbolism of astrotheology, ie  how souls would ascend as comets, or become stars, or how fallen angels and giants refer to meteorites, and reincarnation occurs through meteor showers. All this and more will be introduced in this Volume, and will be greatly elaborated in further Volumes, with a mind to reconstruct the most practical aspects, followed by explanations and texts which show how this inspired Western Occultism and Witchcraft centuries later in Christian Europe. In this first Volume, I will focus especially on incense fumigation rituals and initiation rituals, as it relates to throne mysticism and the Golem, along with the Books of Enoch and related demonology.

The first Volume of a collection of primary and secondary sources, and commentary, which show how various Pagan and Gnostic influences are at the root of Western Occultism, particularly the Merkabah, Kabbalah, and Goetia, but also ceremonial magick more generally. Gershom Scholem argued that Gnosticism had a strong influence on Jewish mysticism, and so this Volume seeks to organize some of the texts on them in an effort to reconstruct their views and rituals, as especially those with references to Paganism. I have also collected some Pagan texts which explain these Gnostic references, and I interpret them in light of later Western Occultism. Still, some scholars like Simo Parpola have argued a Pagan influence on Judaism right from the start, and that this includes Kabbalistic influence, which can be seen in pre-Gnostic Jewish texts and even the Old Testament itself. While collecting texts and explaining the details of Jewish Kabbalah, Merkabah, and Goetia is largely beyond the scope of this, and some knowledge on this by the reader is assumed, I will shed light on Pagan influences on Judaism, as they indirectly influenced Western Occultism. As part of this, I will provide evidence of ritualistic, or even Shamanistic motifs, utilizing psychoactive drugs for religions purposes, ie "entheogens" and "ethnopharmacology." I have come to find we cannot explain the history of Western Occultism without explaining the history of entheogen use, and showing how these provide a universal context for understanding ritual mechanics and philosophical inspiration, even in very distinct religions. While some of this is necessarily speculative, I have collected the relevant primary texts so that you can make up your own mind, as it is not so much a matter of IF entheogens were used, but identifying particular plants correctly. In this I will also focus heavily on the Greek Magical Papyri, and Zoroastrian/Persian traditions of flying Palanquins and Abrahamic like motifs regarding Merkabah "throne mysticism" and how this relates to cosmology and demonology. Simon Magus is credited with founding Gnosticism, and he was undoubtedly heavily influential in creating the archetypal image of the "Magician" or "Magus." As I show, Simon is a bridge between Pagan and Gnostic traditions, who also criticized Jewish and Roman Christian magick

After an explanation of the used methodology and Ayahuasca itself, this study presents a personal account of the researcher's experience of an Ayahuasca Medicine Ceremony. Based on an  complete participant observation, a casestudy of the ritual acts during the ceremony is offered to analyze its structure and meaning. Finally, the main question “What is the ritual structure and meaning of an Ayahuasca Medicine Ceremony as experienced in the context of a Western participant in a postmodern society specifically The Netherlands?” is being answered.

With clinical psychiatrist Rick Strassman's DMT: The Spirit Molecule as a vehicle, the pineal gland has become a popularly enigmatic organ that quite literally excretes mystery. Strassman's top selling book documented groundbreaking clinical trials with the powerful mind altering compound DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) conducted at the University of New Mexico in the early 1990s. Inflected with Buddhist metaphysics, the book proposed that DMT secreted from the pineal gland enables transit of the life-force into this life, and from this life to the next. Since that study, the hunt has been on to verify the organ's status as the " lightening rod of the soul " and that DMT is the " brain's own psychedelic. " While the burden of proof hangs over speculations that humans produce endogenous DMT in psychedelic quantities, knowledge claims have left the clinic to forge a career of their own. Exploring this development, the article addresses how speculation on the DMT-producing " spirit gland " —the " intermediary between the physical and the spiritual " —are animate in film, literature, music and other popular cultural artifacts. Navigating the legacy of the DMT gland (and DMT) itself in diverse esoteric currents, it illustrates how Strassman's " spirit molecule " propositions have been adopted by populists of polar positions on the human condition: i.e. the cosmic re-evolutionism consistent with Modern Theosophy and the gothic hopelessness of H. P. Lovecraft. This exploration of the extraordinary career of the " spirit molecule " enhances awareness of the influence of drugs, and specifically " entheogens, " in diverse " popular occultural " narratives, a development that remains under-researched in a field that otherwise recognizes that oc/cult fandom—science fiction, fantasy and horror—is a vehicle for religious ideas and mystical practices.

I show how couples can go beyond the [misnamed[ hypothalamic Fight of Flight Mode  to mature an innate, crossculturally referenced perineum-spinal-heart-hypothalamic-cerebral-puberty-of-entheogenic-hormonal-potencies. I name this co-created maturity and its Wittgensteinian “Form of Life”:  Coentheogenesis that renders all conceptions as Conscious and most abortions as Obsolete, toward a DNA-epigenetic World Family Identity of a "shared-generative-gender-mystery." 
See serotonergic aspects of xylemic maturity at
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0302283805003106  with 143 citations of this article, to date.
See also  https://post.edu/blog/science-love-impacts-brain/ 
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/docs/ELEVATE_00e_Factsheets.pdf
Bernardi, L., Sleight, P., Bandinelli, G., Cencetti, S., Fattorini, L., Wdowczyc-Szulc, J., & Lagi, A. (2001). Effect of rosary prayer
and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms: comparative study. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 323(7327), 1446.
Gallace, A., & Spence, C. (2010). The science of interpersonal touch: an overview. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 34(2),
246-259.
McCraty, R., Atkinson, M., Tiller, W. A., Rein, G., & Watkins, A. D. (1995). The effects of emotions on short-term power spectrum
analysis of heart rate variability. The American Journal of Cardiology, 76(14), 1089-1093.
McCraty, R., Atkinson, M., & Tomasino, D. (2001). Science of the heart: Exploring the role of the heart in human performance.
HeartMath Research Center, Institute of Heart-Math, Boulder Creek, CA, Publication, (01-001).
Perry, B. D. (2009). Examining child maltreatment through a neurodevelopmental lens: Clinical applications of the
neurosequential model of therapeutics. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 14(4), 240-255.
Rustin, M. (2003). Learning about emotions: the Tavistock approach. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counseling, 6(3),
187-208.
Schacter, D. L., & Addis, D. R. (2007). The cognitive neuroscience of constructive memory: remembering the past and
imagining the future. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 362(1481), 773-786.
Tiller, W. A., McCraty, R., & Atkinson, M. (1996). Cardiac coherence: A new, noninvasive measure of autonomic nervoussystem
order. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2(1), 52-65.

This is an article in two parts. The first part discusses current research in psychoactive preparations of ergot in various religious systems with a particular emphasis on Persian, Greek, Jewish and Islamic sources. Certain poems, hadith, and scriptural writings suggest an entheogenic heritage to various ancient sects that exerted and received philosophical and ritual influences over large distances and over time. Particularly, some esoteric Shia and Sufi writings are highly suggestive of a "celestial botany" that employed psychoactive plants for initiatory and ritual purposes. The second part will address current research methods that render ergot alkaloids nontoxic and entheogenic, a most crucial part of the discussion in the absence of a modern bioassay. This is essential, as without a chemical reality to support that such a preparation of entheogenic ergot is possible, all ergot theories concerning mystery traditions would remain largely speculative.

En el año 1979 se define por primera vez el término enteógeno, refiriéndose a aquellas drogas utilizadas en contextos rituales que favorecía el contacto con los dioses. Ese mismo año se publica Road to Eleusis, el primer trabajo que propone que estas sustancias eran utilizadas por los griegos antiguos en los Misterios de Eleusis. El uso de enteógenos por distintas culturas puede abordarse desde distintas disciplinas; además de ser estudiada por historiadores, ha sido analizada por antropólogos, sociólogos, y también desde el punto de vista de la Farmacología y las Neurociencias.
En nuestro estudio, nos hemos acercado a fuentes y documentos de todas ellas, sin olvidar que el objetivo fundamental es el conocimiento del uso y consumo de enteógenos en el mundo griego y romano de la Antigüedad desde un punto de vista histórico, es decir, utilizando fuentes y metodología propias del área de conocimiento de la Historia Antigua.
Metodológicamente, nuestro trabajo ha consistido en buscar y analizar la documentación literaria, arqueológica, iconográfica y numismática que nos acerque al contexto cultural y religioso de estudio y, por otra parte, nos ha parecido fundamental la búsqueda de información farmacológica, científicamente contrastada, sobre los efectos de las sustancias estudiadas.
A partir de todos estos datos presentaremos, en primer lugar, las plantas y sustancias enteógenas consumidas en el Mundo Antiguo y analizaremos sus bases farmacológicas y neuropsicológicas, así como los efectos que producen sobre el cuerpo y la mente humana, principalmente en relación con los denominados Estados Alterados de Conciencia de carácter místico y/o religioso. Como ejemplo destacado del conocimiento de estas plantas analizaremos las fuentes numismáticas y la iconografía de una de las plantas de mayor utilización en el Mundo Antiguo: la adormidera o amapola del opio.
Tras revisar brevemente los antecedentes históricos del consumo de sustancias psicoactivas desde la Prehistoria, nos centraremos en el mundo griego y en el debate que se generado en torno a la posible existencia del denominado «chamanismo griego». Para ello, comenzaremos analizando el fenómeno chamánico como tal, propondremos una herramienta conceptual, el chamán-tipo, que nos ayude a identificar a estas figuras y, posteriormente, volveremos a las fuentes antiguas para conocer con más profundidad a
aquellos sujetos de la Antigüedad que han sido identificados como chamanes historiográficamente. Finalizaremos proponiendo un nuevo acercamiento a la figura de las Pitias o sacerdotisas del Oráculo de Delfos.
Por último, estudiaremos en profundidad el consumo de enteógenos en tres grandes Misterios de la Antigüedad.
En primer lugar, los Misterios de Eleusis, los más importantes del mundo griego. Revisaremos las distintas propuestas realizadas hasta la fecha, especialmente la presentada por Wasson, Hoffman y Ruck en su Road to Eleusis y actualizaremos con datos arqueológicos la posibilidad del consumo de ergot contenido en una bebida ritual, el kykeon.
En cuanto a los Misterios de Mitra, la ausencia de textos litúrgicos y mitológicos obliga a una aproximación a partir de fuentes arqueológicas, iconográficas y literarias indirectas. En el libro titulado Mushrooms, Myth & Mythras (2011) se propone la relación entre los rituales mitraicos y el consumo de haoma, la droga utilizada por los antiguos iranios y que, tradicionalmente, se ha considerado equivalente al soma védico. Nuestro trabajo consistirá en contrastar esta hipótesis con las fuentes que nos han llegado.
Finalmente, retrocedemos en el tiempo y volvemos a Grecia para analizar los Misterios de los Grandes Dioses de Samotracia y de los Cabiros de Lemnos y Tebas. Proponemos un nuevo enfoque y asociamos el posible consumo de drogas psicoactivas con la danza ritual para obtener un Estado Alterado de Conciencia compatible con el éxtasis místico, favorecedor de la «experiencia de lo sagrado» propia de los Misterios.

This thesis examines the New Age spiritual movement in its relationship with Indigenous cultures. Indigenous spiritual traditions have been appropriated to support relevant New Age theories. It critiques New Age perceptions of Indigenous cultures as misinformed and argues this misinformation is proliferated through certain New Age practices. It argues that the New Age can achieve a sustaining, earth-based spiritual practice without resorting to the appropriation of Indigenous traditions. Neo-paganism holds many of the qualities that New Agers seek in Indigenous traditions and is a potential alternative avenue of spiritual solace to the appropriation of Indigenous culture. The embodiment of New Age goals can be understood within the context of environmental ethics philosophies. Alternative festivals that operate with a spiritual ethic are explored as evidence that the New Age can and in some areas, does operate in a positive, life-affirming manner. Importantly, the thesis argues that re-interpretation of Indigenous culture by the New Age is neither welcome nor necessary.

Since the synergistic mechanism integral to ayahuasca became known, ayahuasca analogues—botanical fusions said to simulate an “ayahuasca effect”, also called anahuasca, pharmahuasca, and acaciahuasca—have been explored in various world regional contexts beyond the Amazon. This chapter contributes to the study of ayahuasca analogues through its attention to Australian developments. Specifically, it will address the phenomenon of changa, a “smokable ayahuasca” sometimes referred to as “aussiewaska” and also promoted as an “intelligent DMT” blend. Changa is an Australian smoking blend typically involving B. caapi or other sources of β-carboline alkaloids infused with DMT alkaloids extracted from local species of Acacia along with a variety of other herbs. Pioneers and users have typically championed the authentically Australian botanical characteristics of these blends, especially given that Golden Wattle, a common name for Acacia, is Australia's national floral emblem. Others have speculated about the role of Acacia in the religious and cultural life of Australia's precolonial indigenous population. Since the 1990s, the consumption of changa has evolved from private events and workshops at local ethnobotanical symposia (notably Entheogenesis Australis), to seasonal dance music and global visionary arts festivals. In a variety of ritual and festive contexts, changa has been ab/used for entheogenic (spiritual) or recreational (pleasure) purposes. The chapter will address how these usages position changa vis-a-vis ayahuasca, covering the spiritual/recreational, individual/subcultural and local/global dimensions of changa.