Entheogens And Synthesis Essay

Elialde author of The Sacred and the Profane introduces a new model of the sacred and the profane. Elialde’s model is meant to be universal, therefore meant to be appropriate for any recognized religion. David Carrasco author of Religions of Mesoamerica and Kay Almere Read and Jason J. González authors of Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America, discuss their interpretation of the Mesoamerican religion although their views on the Mesoamerican religion differs in some aspects when compared to Eliade’s model of the sacred and the profane there are a few noticeable similarities between both views.

Another clinical study of psilocybin done at the University of Arizona and led by Francisco Morena, was conducted in 2007 to evaluate the effects of psilocybin on the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in nine subjects. The researchers addressed two questions: does oral ingestion of psilocybin lead to an acute decrease in OCD symptoms and is what dose is required to demonstrate significant reduction in symptoms. The results revealed that when administered in a supportive clinical environment, psilocybin was safe and well tolerated. The psilocybin was associated with “transient symptomatic reduction of OCD symptoms in subjects with treatment-resistance OCD”( ). Although there is an understanding of the psychedelic mechanism of action of psilocybin, it’s not clear exactly which receptors and pathways are involved in mediating the anti-obsessional responses. The intent of the study was not to conduct psychedelic-facilitated therapy, however five of the subjects readily described their experiences as very psychologically and spiritually enriching and four of the subjects reported profound positive transcendental experiences such as exploration of other planets, visiting past-life reincarnations and interacting with deities. The results also showed most subjects reporting symptom reduction experiences a period of relief that extending far beyond the session. In summary, although there are some gaps in the understanding of how the psilocybin interacts to reduce OCD

The Huichol Indians are an indigenous group that lives “in the Sierra Madre Mountains of northwestern Mexico” (Woolcott). The Huichol religion is an animistic religion. According to Dr. Pamela Lindell, animistic religions are “religions that believe that all of nature – humans, animals, plants, rocks, the ocean, etc. - is animated by spirits and souls” (“Professor’s Notes 2” 3). To better understand the Huichol Indians and their religion, this paper examines Huichol myth, symbolism, rituals, religious specialists, and deities from various anthropological perspectives.

Hallucinations and the experience of Peyote are seen as not only a cosmic experience, but also a personal reflection life and its many lessons as well.

Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims.

In these tales, either a god or the beloved of said god is transformed into a sacred plant and ascribed the character of the divinity. It is believed that the celebration of the Eleusian Mysteries involved the consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms to effect union of the initiate with the gods.

It has recently been brought to my attention that our school is looking to adopt a sustainable menu into our meal program and I would like to give my viewpoint on the matter. As one many students here at Oxford Academy this change will affect me directly. Although people may at first oppose this conversion I think if we are able to overcome the first obstacles, this change would bring a great positive impact to the environment and the health of our students.

In his article “Psychedelic Psychotherapy: The Ethics of Medicine for the Soul,” Brian Anderson supports the use of psychedelics in transpersonal psychotherapy, a new field of mental illness treatment using psychology instead of medicine. More specifically, he recalls from scientific studies that psychedelics are capable of altering a person’s states of consciousness. According to Anderson,

Psychedelics have been used for spiritual journeys and religious rituals for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians have used the “Blue Lotus” by putting it in their wine for recreational use. The flower was also used during religious ceremonies. Higher beings are seen when the plant is inhaled. The plant’s psychedelic effect is powerful enough to invoke “Egyptian gods”. It isn’t a coincidence that Ancient Egyptians drew “Gods” om vases and inside the catacombs. These symbols containing “Winged Gods” can be seen maybe by inhaling the Blue Lotus.

I will begin by giving an overview of mysticism in other religious traditions—Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Islam, and Judaism—and then concentrate on the role that mysticism and experience should have in

Throughout today’s society, media contributes to almost everyone’s daily life. From informative news channels to comical television shows, media proves to be effective in advertisement, releasing messages and informing the audience. Although media proves to be wildly effective in advertising, releasing messages and informing the audience, periodically destructive and misleading messages are provided to the audience and directly influencing women. Cultural critics widely agree that media tends to negatively influence women and all the critics point to research which supports the belief that women are portrayed as subordinate to men, having no

It is no secret that drug use has the ability to completely alter a person’s state of consciousness, whether it be through extreme euphoria, increased hyperactivity, pain relief or psychedelic hallucinations. Although many drugs are used for medical purposes, the global issue of recreational drug use is now being fronted as an extremely serious matter that is steadily on the uprise. Recreational drug use is often associated with negativity, addiction and as having serious physical and mental repercussions. One of the few class of drugs that is often associated with both positive and negative connotations are hallucinogens, otherwise known as “psychedelics”, which have powerful altering effects on ones sense of perception, brain function

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.

His trip to Mexico to take the psychedelic fungi with the shamans of Oaxaca caught the public’s imagination and is often cited as the root of the counter-culture’s interest” (O’Neill, 2014). Wasson, a New York banker and vice president of J.P. Morgan, along with friend and New York society photographer Allan Richardson, states being “the first white men in recorded history to eat the divine mushroom” and defined his experience as profound and spiritual. A small excerpt from Wasson’s Life Magazine essay helps to explain his event, “The visions were not blurred or uncertain. They were sharply focused, the lines and colors being so sharp that they seemed more real to me than anything I had ever seen with my own eyes. I felt that I was now seeing plain, whereas ordinary vision gives us an imperfect view; I was seeing the archetypes, the Platonic ideas, that underlie the imperfect images of everyday life. The thought crossed my mind: could the divine mushrooms be the secret that lay behind the ancient mysteries? Could the miraculous mobility that I was now enjoying be the explanation for the flying witches that played so important a part in the folklore and fairy tales of northern

Since then conservative ideology and federal laws have prevented research or studies into entheogens and the human mind. To understand whether or not entheogens can produce religious experiences it important to understand the parameters and definitions that make up the typology of religious experiences, the effects of entheogens like lysergic acid diethylamide on the human mind, and previous case studies that tried to understand the relationship between entheogens and religious experience.