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Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments:
An Entheogen Chrestomathy
Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D. and Paula Jo Hruby, Ed.D.
Author Index | Title Index
- Psychedelic Shamanism:
- The Cultivation, Preparation and Shamanic Use of Psychotropic Plants.
DeKorne, Jim. (1994).
Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited.
ISBN: 1-55950-110-3
Contents: Acknowledgments,
foreword, 15 chapters divided into 2 parts: 1. The Shamanic Hypothesis,
2. Psychedelic Catalysts, afterword, bibliography, index.
Description: Paperback
original, vii + 155 pages.
Excerpt(s): I am today
a psychologically and spiritually
enriched person because of psychedelic drug-experiences
I had decades ago, yet I'd be the last person to proselytize the
use of such materials as a path for everyone. These substances
are powerful catalysts for personal insight, yet when absorbed
into the metabolism of those who are not ready for them, they
have proven to be both individually and socially disruptive. Of
course, this is not a characteristic of the drugs, but of the
consciousnesses of those who ingest them, and our reactionary
laws against psychedelics may be seen as an index of how far we
have to go as a culture to attain even minimum levels of psychological
sophistication in these matters.
Suffice it to say that I and countless other individuals
have had deeply meaningful experiences with hallucinogens which
almost certainly would never have occurred without them. I have
learned that human awareness plays itself out between the poles
of unity and multiplicity, and that within this multiplicity reside
intelligences capable of becoming allies to human endeavor. What
is most important it seems to me, is that such occurrences are
not particularly unusual: others have received similar insights
both with and without the use of a chemical catalyst. Mystical
writings the world over reveal comparable ideas, and data collected
from researchers in depth psychology suggest that these perceptions
may actually constitute the hidden substructure of consciousness
itself! To prohibit legitimate access through rigid, fear-based
legislation may be one of the most egregious errors of our contemporary
culture, nothing less than a denial of our essence as human
beings. (page iv)
Compilation copyright © 1995 – 2001 CSP
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