Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments:
An Entheogen Chrestomathy
Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D. and Paula Jo Hruby, Ed.D.
Author Index | Title Index
The Adventure of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness and New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Inner Exploration.
Grof, Stanislav. (1988).
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
| ISBN: | 0-88706-541-4 paperback |
| 0-88706-540-6 hardcover |
Description: Paperback, xviii + 321.
Contents: Introduction, 2 parts divided in numerous sections, 1.
Dimensions of Consciousness: New Cartography of the Human Psyche,
2. New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Inner Exploration, Appendix:
Psychedelics in Self-Exploration and psychotherapy, Appendix b: Table
of Basic Perinatal Matrices, bibliography, index.
Excerpt(s): Several profound personal experiences with psychedelic
substances and clinical observations of their effects in psychiatric
patients attracted my attention early in my professional career to the
remarkable healing and transformative potential of nonordinary states of
consciousness. Systematic exploration of the theoretical significance
and practical value of these states has been the central focus on my
research for over three decades.
During the first twenty years, this work focused almost
exclusively on various psychedelic substances; it was carried out
initially in several research facilities in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and later
in The Maryland Psychiatric Research Center in Baltimore, Maryland. This
work convinced me that Psychedelics-if used properly and judiciously
under expert guidance--represent extraordinary tools for psychiatry and
psychology. Instead of inducing drug-specific states like other
pharmaca, they function more like unspecific catalysts or amplifiers of
the unconscious processes. By increasing the energetic niveau of the
human psyche, they reveal its deep contents and intrinsic dynamics.
Clinical work with LSD and other psychedelics thus is not the
study of a powerful and exotic psychoactive substance or a group of
compounds, but probably the most promising avenue of research of the
human psyche and nature. (pages xi-xii)
Among the most interesting archetypal experiences are found
insights into their esoteric meaning. Experiences of this kind support the
understanding of symbols suggested by Carl Gustav Jung. In contrast to
Sigmund Freud's interpretation of symbols as representing something
already known but objectionable, Jung saw symbols as the best possible
representations of something that belongs to a higher level of
consciousness and cannot be in principle expressed in any other way.
Far form being cryptic statements about simple biological functions,
universal symbols refer to complex transcendental realities. What Freud
described as symbols--cryptic allusions to elements on the same level of
consciousness--can best be referred to as signs.
In nonordinary states of consciousness, visions of various
universal symbols can play a significant role even I experiences of
individuals who previously had no interest in mysticism or were strongly
opposed to anything esoteric. These visions tend to convey instant
intuitive understanding of the various levels of meaning of these symbols
and generate a deep interest in the spiritual path. The most frequent of
these symbols that I have observed in my research were the cross, the
quadrated circle, the Indo-Iranian swastika in both its ominous and
peace-bestowing from, the ancient Egyptian ankh (Nile cross or crux
ansata), the lotus blossom, the Taoist yin-yang, the Hindu sacred phallus
(Shiva lingam) and vulva (yoni), the diamond and other precious stones,
the Buddhist wheel, and the six-pointed star, both in its Hebrew form of
the Star of David and its Tantric form as the symbol of the union of the
male and female energy.
As a result of experiences of this kind, subjects can develop
accurate understanding of various complex esoteric teachings. In some
instances, persons unfamiliar with the Kabbalah had experiences
described in the Zohar and Sepher Yetzirah and obtained surprising
insights into Kabbalistic symbols. Others were able to describe the
meaning and function of intricate mandalas used in the Tibetan Vajrayana
and other Tantric systems. Subjects who had previously ridiculed
astrology, alchemy, and the ancient forms of divination, such as the I
Ching and Tarot, suddenly discovered their deeper meaning and found
genuine appreciation of their metaphysical relevance. Similarly, such
illuminating insights can suddenly open skeptical individuals to Gnostic
teachings or the Pythagorean theories of geometrical solids and of the
numerical order in the universe. (pages 138-139)
Modern consciousness research and experiential psychotherapy
have thrown entirely new light on the problem of spirituality and religion
and have returned to the human psyche its cosmic status. In full
agreement with the Jungian perspective, spirituality or numinosity
appears to be an intrinsic property of the deeper dynamics of the
psyche. Whenever the process of experiential self-exploration reaches
the perinatal and the transpersonal levels, it leads to spiritual awakening,
and the individual becomes interested in the mystical quest. I have seen
many highly educated persons undergo this process in our psychedelic
training program and in holotropic workshops, and have yet to see a
single individual, including atheist, Marxists, and positivistic scientists,
whose scepticism and cynicism about spirituality would survive such an
experience.
The form of spirituality I am referring to is fully compatible with
any level of intelligence, education, and specific knowledge of the
information amassed by such disciplines as physics, biology, medicine,
and psychology. None of the sophisticated subjects I have worked with
found any conflicts between their spiritual experiences and the
information they had about the physical world. However, they often had
to give up certain undefendable generalizations and unfounded
metaphysical assumptions that had been part of their academic
education. There exists these days extensive literature suggesting that
many revolutionary advances in modern science points to a radically
new worldview. Although we are still far from a comprehensive
synthesis, significant elements of this emerging paradigm show
far-reaching convergence with the worldview of the great mystical
traditions.
However, it is important to emphasize that this does not
necessarily mean convergence of science and religion. The spirituality
that emerges spontaneously at a certain stage of experiential
self-exploration should not be confused with the mainstream religions
and their beliefs, doctrines, dogmas, and rituals. Many of them lost
entirely the connection with their original source, which is a direct
visionary experience of transpersonal realities. They are mainly
concerned with such issues as power, money, hierarchies, and ethical,
political, and social control. It is possible to have a religion with very little
spirituality, complete absence thereof, or even one that interferes with
genuine spiritual quest. (pages 268-269)
This compilation by Thomas B. Roberts & Paula Jo Hruby
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