Notes

If God can be found through the medium of any drug God is not worthy of being God

Meher Baba wrote, “If God can be found through the medium of any drug, God is not worthy of being God.”[While not a Christian, and writing in 1966, Meher Baba succinctly sums up many Christian’s attitudes to drugs. While one may be left with an impressive, even legitimately life-changing experience, one has to question the....

Visionary plant use throughout the history of Christianity and before.

Judaism and Christianity / Drugs and religion. Visionary plant use throughout the history of Christianity and before.[Few Christians would be happy to think that their religion was based on a bunch of drug experiences. Neither are they ever happy when one of their neighbours starts behaving like a lunatic. As Jesus said, “no prophet is....

Some history of entheogens in Europe

[Christians may or may not have made use of entheogens – psychoactives – to see God, but the Greeks did, and so did some eastern Europeans and the people who lived and travelled through the Middle East and India, of course. ] Fresco at Plaincourault Chapel. 12th c. chapel. Knights Hospitaller. Mérigny, Indre, France. [Wikipedia....

Psychoactive drug use can be traced to prehistory….

[We imagine some would say that historical psychoactive drug use in Christian Europe, where it was available, would be tempered by religious faith which was capable of bringing people closer to the divine – otherwise, frankly, what good was it? That someone like Faust would turn away from such an opportunity was the scandal, but....

The Vienna Dioscurides or Vienna Dioscorides….

The Vienna Dioscurides or Vienna Dioscorides…. It’s a boy! A pot plant from around 512 AD. Apparently males provide better, softer fibre.]“The Vienna Dioscurides or Vienna Dioscorides is an early 6th-century illuminated manuscript of De Materia Medica by Dioscorides in Greek. It is an important and rare example of a late antique scientific text. The....

Witches’ weeds—Datura plants are often mentioned along with henbane…

[Witches’ weeds—Datura plants are often mentioned along with henbane, belladonna, mandrake and nightshade as plants used by witches for the sensation of flight and other things. All of those plants are closely related—and as closely related to the potato. While it appears the Datura (and Brugmansia) species are almost entirely American, and would have been....

A thing that comes to mind regarding psychedelics in Europe

[A thing that comes to mind regarding psychedelics in Europe and Christianity generally, is the lack of mention. On the other hand, the Greeks may have been using psychedelics for spiritual purposes in groups settings in the pre-Christian Eleusinian Mysteries.The Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece ran for 2,000 years before they were terminated by the pro-Christian....

Forbidden fruit

Forbidden fruit[The interesting thing about the frescoes adorning the walls of Plaincourault Abbey is that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from the Garden of Eden, the very fruit of which opened our eyes and got us kicked out of that same garden, is represented as a psychoactive Amanita muscaria mushroom, suggesting....

Paracelsus wanted a better pharmacopeia

[Paracelsus (1493–1541) wanted a better pharmacopeia (an encyclopedia of drugs). He was a relentless and impatient iconoclast – a breaker of idols – and traditional medicine and moribund academics were his targets. It was a time for iconoclasts, and for burning same. The world was changing. This was about the time of the possible real....

Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen as a Gardener

Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen as a GardenerBy Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (circa 1472/1477-1533)Pasted from

Images relating to witchcraft and potions from the Wellcome Library

[A sample of images relating to witchcraft and potions from the Wellcome Library. The Wellcome Library consists of a large collection of books, manuscripts and images, particularly concentrating on the medicine and the history of medicine. Many of the images are available for public use, and the Library has contributed a large number of images....

Terence McKenna on Drugs:

Terence McKenna on Drugs:[More from Terence Mckenna. We’ve said he was credulous, he says we’re hearing him wrong.]Terence McKenna — Tree of Knowledge: “…I feel like I should say this. Its more for my ease rather than yours. I’ve reached the conclusions I now espouse through skepticism, reason, rationalism and tough argument. So it may....

Hermeticism & Alchemy (Terence McKenna)

Hermeticism & Alchemy (Terence McKenna)[Good old Terence McKenna, psychonaut. He had some good insights and died too soon. He wrote a lot and there’s stuff on Youtube. He believed in entheogens. He believed the drugs had something to say to him, and he gave them every chance he could. Maybe he was a little too....

Rodrigo Lopez was Queen Elizabeth’s physician during the time of

[Rodrigo Lopez was Queen Elizabeth’s physician during the time of Christopher Marlowe, and is mentioned in Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus—but not by Marlowe.]From Wikipedia on Rodrigo Lopez: “Rodrigo Lopez (c. 1525 – June 7, 1594) was physician to Queen Elizabeth, and may have been an inspiration for Shakespeare’s Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.”He was born....

As Christianity grew in influence…

[An herbalist (for example) might recite a short prayer before collecting a plant. Before Christianity, his/her ancestors would have used a traditional folk invocation. After Christianity, the herbalist would replace the old formulae with something more suitable and more powerful (since Chrstianity was the “true” faith, and the old ways, while good, were fatally misguided).....

A discussion of the place of the Acacia in Freemasonry….

[A discussion of the place of the Acacia in Freemasonry. Acacia is mentioned in the Bible and attracts attention because some species contain the so-called “spirit molecule,” DMT. Of all psychoactive drugs, DMT can provide most convincing religious experiences, including experiences of God. Is it mere coincidence that links religion and DMT?Acacia is not a....

Goethe’s Faust – Faust is about to drink a glass of poison

[Faust is about to drink a glass of poison – this excerpt is from the beginning of Goethe’s Faust as he contemplates his failures and limits. Should he just end it all now? This is from Tony Kline’s own translation of Faust, available at his website, http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/German/Fausthome.htm.] I salute you, phial of rare potion, I....

A few references to potions from Goethe’s Faust

[A few references to potions from Goethe’s Faust:]Goethe’s Witch’s Kitchen: “With this drink in your body, soon you’ll greetA Helena in every girl you meet.” [A potion is given to Gretch to give to her mom. But the difference between a medicine and a poison, they say (Paracelsus said), is in the dose ( target=”_blank”>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison).....

The ancient and revered emblem of the Mysteries….

[This is from Manley-Hall’s famous 1928 book, The Secret Teachings Of All Ages: “Among the ancient Egyptians and Jews the acacia, or tamarisk, was held in the highest religious esteem; and among modern Masons, branches of acacia, cypress, cedar, or evergreen are still regarded as most significant emblems. The shittim-wood used by the children of....

Liebeszauber is a late 15th century painting which portrays a young, naked witch

‘Liebeszauber’ (love charm) is a late 15th century painting which portrays a young, naked witch. The painting is by the master of the Lower Rhine (that is, attributed to a specific painter whose works are known, but whose name is not known), around 1470-80. According to “Sexy Witch” (whose blog page is now password protected)....