Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy

Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy
Author :
Publisher : Inner Traditions / Bear & Co
Total Pages : 258
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0892819979
ISBN-13 : 9780892819973
Rating : 4/5 (79 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy by : Clark Heinrich

Download or read book Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy written by Clark Heinrich and published by Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. This book was released on 2002-09 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illustrated foray into the hidden truth about the use of psychoactive mushrooms to connect with the divine. • Draws parallels between Vedic beliefs and Judeo-Christian sects, showing the existence of a mushroom cult that crossed cultural boundaries. • Contends that the famed philosophers' stone of the alchemist was a metaphor for the mushroom. • Confirms and extends Robert Gordon Wasson's hypothesis of the role of the fly agaric mushroom in generating religious visions. Rejecting arguments that the elusive philosophers' stone of alchemy and the Hindu elixir of life were mere legend, Clark Heinrich provides a strong case that Amanita muscaria, the fly agaric mushroom, played this role in world religious history. Working under the assumption that this "magic mushroom" was the mysterious food and drink of the gods, Heinrich traces its use in Vedic and Puranic religion, illustrating how ancient cultures used the powerful psychedelic in esoteric rituals meant to bring them into direct contact with the divine. He then shows how the same mushroom symbols found in Hindu scriptures correspond perfectly to the symbols of ancient Judaism, Christianity, the Grail myths, and alchemy, arguing that miraculous stories as disparate as the burning bush of Moses and the raising of Lazarus from the dead can be easily explained by the use of this strange and powerful mushroom. While acknowledging the speculative nature of his work, Heinrich concludes that in many religious cultures and traditions the fly agaric mushroom--and in some cases ergot or psilocybin mushrooms--had a fundamental influence in teaching humans about the nature of God. His insightful book truly brings new light to the religious history of humanity.

Sacred Mushroom/Holy Grail

Sacred Mushroom/Holy Grail
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 164
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0988412241
ISBN-13 : 9780988412248
Rating : 4/5 (41 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Sacred Mushroom/Holy Grail by : Terry Atkinson

Download or read book Sacred Mushroom/Holy Grail written by Terry Atkinson and published by . This book was released on 2013-11 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terry Atkinson's study presents a fresh and startling theory about the true origin of one of our most enduring legends - the quest for the Holy Grail. Many authorities agree that the core theme of this seductive story, through all its metaphoric mutations over the centuries, is humanity's unrelenting desire for spiritual transcendence - for a state of heightened consciousness. Our modern concept of the Grail dates from the 15th Century story of the chalice from Christ's Last Supper, brought to the British Isles and then buried or somehow lost, and the subsequent holy mission of King Arthur's knights to retrieve the icon. But in traditional cultures of past millennia, where the legend originates, the goal of this sacred quest was a religious encounter of a different order. Our ancestors sought to reveal the presence of the divine being within through a mind-expanding experience rooted in nature. Every version of the Grail legend features near-impenetrable coded references to its entheogenic origins - the ritual use of naturally occurring psychedelics to reach transcendence. Approaching the subject like a detective solving an ancient mystery, the author employs textual forensics to explain for the first time the meaning behind several aspects of the story that have puzzled scholars for centuries. Unlike such works as "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" (whose theory was used as the basis of "The Da Vinci Code"), Atkinson's book delves deeply into Grail literature from the 12th Century, particularly the very earliest written work, Chretien de Troyes' "Parsifal." Launching a detailed investigation of the legend's intriguing fish symbolism and examining the key role of shamanism in Celtic and other ancient cultures, the author also uses clues drawn from Grail scholar Jessie Weston's "From Ritual to Romance, " the classic study that inspired T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." The Grail is more real than most recent explicators and fabricators imagine, but in a very different way from that assumed by the old-school searchers. The author's astonishing conclusion is that the hallucinogenic mushroom "Amanita muscaria" is the long-lost secret origin of the legend. "

The Psychedelic Gospels

The Psychedelic Gospels
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 376
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781620555033
ISBN-13 : 1620555034
Rating : 4/5 (33 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Psychedelic Gospels by : Jerry B. Brown

Download or read book The Psychedelic Gospels written by Jerry B. Brown and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals evidence of visionary plants in Christianity and the life of Jesus found in medieval art and biblical scripture--hidden in plain sight for centuries • Follows the authors’ anthropological adventure discovering sacred mushroom images in European and Middle Eastern churches, including Roslyn Chapel and Chartres • Provides color photos showing how R. Gordon Wasson’s psychedelic theory of religion clearly extends to Christianity and reveals why Wasson suppressed this information due to his secret relationship with the Vatican • Examines the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels to show that visionary plants were the catalyst for Jesus’s awakening to his divinity and immortality Throughout medieval Christianity, religious works of art emerged to illustrate the teachings of the Bible for the largely illiterate population. What, then, is the significance of the psychoactive mushrooms hiding in plain sight in the artwork and icons of many European and Middle-Eastern churches? Does Christianity have a psychedelic history? Providing stunning visual evidence from their anthropological journey throughout Europe and the Middle East, including visits to Roslyn Chapel and Chartres Cathedral, authors Julie and Jerry Brown document the role of visionary plants in Christianity. They retrace the pioneering research of R. Gordon Wasson, the famous “sacred mushroom seeker,” on psychedelics in ancient Greece and India, and among the present-day reindeer herders of Siberia and the Mazatecs of Mexico. Challenging Wasson’s legacy, the authors reveal his secret relationship with the Vatican that led to Wasson’s refusal to pursue his hallucinogen theory into the hallowed halls of Christianity. Examining the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels, the authors provide scriptural support to show that sacred mushrooms were the inspiration for Jesus’ revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven and that he was initiated into these mystical practices in Egypt during the Missing Years. They contend that the Trees of Knowledge and of Immortality in Eden were sacred mushrooms. Uncovering the role played by visionary plants in the origins of Judeo-Christianity, the authors invite us to rethink what we know about the life of Jesus and to consider a controversial theory that challenges us to explore these sacred pathways to the divine.

Secret Drugs of Buddhism

Secret Drugs of Buddhism
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 340
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0907791743
ISBN-13 : 9780907791744
Rating : 4/5 (43 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Secret Drugs of Buddhism by : Michael Crowley

Download or read book Secret Drugs of Buddhism written by Michael Crowley and published by . This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secret Drugs of Buddhism explores the historical evidence for the use of entheogenic plants within the Buddhist tradition and calls attention to the central role which psychedelics played in Indian religions.

Green Hermeticism

Green Hermeticism
Author :
Publisher : SteinerBooks
Total Pages : 300
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781584205456
ISBN-13 : 1584205458
Rating : 4/5 (56 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Green Hermeticism by : Peter Lamborn Wilson

Download or read book Green Hermeticism written by Peter Lamborn Wilson and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2007-05 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hermeticism, or alchemy, is the ancient, primordial mystery science of nature through which people in all times and places have, for the sake of world evolution, sought to unite Heaven and Earth--divinity, cosmos, earth, and humanity, as a single whole. Selfless, intimate, dedicated to healing and harmony, Hermeticism has accompanied and sustained every religious epoch and revelation. It may be found in all historical cultures, from the traditions of India and China in the East to the Judeo-Christian West. It could even be said that Hermeticism is the primal cosmological revelation and the common ground of all spiritual traditions. Nevertheless, in the great revival of mystical, esoteric traditions and practices during the last century, Hermetic tradition--in fact, Nature herself--has been largely ignored. Today, when the Earth seems most under attack, Green Hermeticism is especially appropriate. The book explores not only the ancient Masters' inner science, but also their science of Nature. During spring and summer 2006, Pir Zia Khan convened a series of gatherings to begin to unfold the contemporary meaning of ancient, sacred science for our time. Green Hermeticism is a partial record of that meeting. Peter Lamborn Wilson, explores the many ramifications of the alternative worldview offered by Hermeticism; Christopher Bamford provides a broad historical overview of the tradition from the Ancient Mysteries to contemporary manifestations of the alchemical tradition; while Kevin Townley brings a practical dimension to the gathering teaching the preparation of herbal elixirs and demonstrating that cosmology and philosophy can become a truly healing path for the Earth. Green Hermeticism is necessary reading for anyone seeking a spiritual and cultural path for the healing of the current ecological and cultural crisis. "In Alchemy, there is an injunction to quicken, or revive, the dead, which is illustrated by a dead tree growing verdant again. That is exactly what this wonderful and rare work does in awakening human consciousness to its Divine potential and Ultimate Destiny. Art thus helps Nature to achieve its ideal Perfection. The authors must be congratulated for their insightful words. I wholeheartedly recommend reading it again and again, and again." --Stanislas Klossowski de Rola, author Alchemy: The Secret Art and The Golden Game: Alchemical Engravings of the Seventeenth Century "Environmental solutions today are largely technical, but the planetary crisis is also a crisis of soul--or better yet, of the Imagination. Too tricky for religion, too poetic for reductionist science, Green Hermeticism reheats a prophetic imagination still in love with the material world--a new alchemy of ancient nature." --Erik Davis, author, The Visionary State: A Journey through California's Spiritual Landscape "Just when you felt numb and disenfranchised, thinking the world had become bleak and dead, along comes this rare, much needed book to remind us that there is still some sanity, depth, and creative energy percolating up from the heart of Reality. Thank God (and the Goddess Nature) for this smart and inspiring breath of fresh air! Green Hermeticism is where the wasteland ends--and where the world becomes re-enchanted with genuine living thought that goes beyond superficialities. It's a rare pleasure to be in the presence of living minds who actually know something wonderful and have not been deadened by the opiates of capital or the tenure track. Very highly recommended." --David Fideler, publisher (Phanes Press) editor (Alexandria), author of Jesus Christ, Sun of God and translator of Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition (with Sabrineh Fideler) "The publication of Green Hermeticism has the sense we so rarely get, of a genuine moment in cultural history. It is not just the eloquence of its authors' knowledge and arguments or that they are showing us, once again, the depth and range and beauty of alchemy, and the Hermetic tradition, and what Peter Lamborn Wilson calls Romantic Science. Nor is it even the links they establish between the Hermetic tradition and ecology, and the value of a science that perceives the world as alive rather than a machine. What makes this work significant is the sense that it shows us how we can use these ideas and knowledge to create a genuine counter to destruction and despair, an alchemy of our politics as well as of our spirit." --Rachel Pollack, author of 78 Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot "Green Hermeticism reminds us that the art of the Great Work is to enter more deeply into the dynamic and practical wisdom of the universe, which is our laboratory, where work and prayer combine. When we engage with the All, we know ourselves to be one kindred with all in the viriditas--God's greening power--where body, soul, and spirit honor each other." --Caitlín & John Matthews, authors of Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus

Ancient Psychedelia

Ancient Psychedelia
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages :
Release :
ISBN-10 : 173445332X
ISBN-13 : 9781734453324
Rating : 4/5 (2X Downloads)

Book Synopsis Ancient Psychedelia by : Joshua Bempechat

Download or read book Ancient Psychedelia written by Joshua Bempechat and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Alchemically Stoned - The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry

Alchemically Stoned - The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry
Author :
Publisher : Lulu.com
Total Pages : 194
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780578194004
ISBN-13 : 0578194007
Rating : 4/5 (04 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Alchemically Stoned - The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry by : P.D. Newman

Download or read book Alchemically Stoned - The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry written by P.D. Newman and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2017-06-21 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: P.D. Newman's bold and daring theory provides a radical interpretation of Masonic symbolism. In the tradition of Wasson, Hofmann and Ruck, in ""The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries"" (1978), and Heinrich's ""Strange Fruit: Alchemy, Religion, and Magical Foods"" (1995), Newman suggests that practical psychoactive pharmacology, rather than philosophy, lies concealed in the root of some of our allegories and mysteries. Admitting to being more than a mere theoretician, Newman draws from his own personal experiences, and a wide range of sources, in presenting his theory in a logical manner, which merits consideration. - Arturo De Hoyos, 33* Grand Archivist and Grand Historian Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction