Terence McKenna

For the Canadian documentary filmmaker, see Terence McKenna (film producer).

Terence McKenna
Born(1946-11-16)November 16, 1946
Paonia, Colorado, U.S.
DiedApril 3, 2000(2000-04-03) (aged 53)
San Rafael, California, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, lecturer
EducationBSc in ecology, resource conservation, and shamanism
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Period20th century
SubjectShamanism, ethnobotany, ethnomycology, metaphysics, psychedelic drugs, alchemy
Notable worksThe Archaic Revival, Food of the Gods, The Invisible Landscape, Psilocybin Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide, True Hallucinations.
SpouseKathleen Harrison (1975–1992; divorced)
Children2
RelativesDennis McKenna (brother)
McKenna's voice
On Steven Weinberg's book, The First Three Minutes
Recording date unknown

Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946–April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist and mystic who advocated for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including psychedelic drugs, plant-based entheogens, shamanism, metaphysics, alchemy, language, philosophy, culture, technology, ethnomycology, environmentalism, and the theoretical origins of human consciousness. He was called the "Timothy Leary of the '90s",[1][2] "one of the leading authorities on the ontological foundations of shamanism",[3] and the "intellectual voice of rave culture".[4]

McKenna formulated a concept about the nature of time based on fractal patterns he claimed to have discovered in the I Ching, which he called novelty theory,[3][5] proposing that this predicted the end of time, and a transition of consciousness in the year 2012.[5][6][7][8] His promotion of novelty theory and its connection to the Maya calendar is credited as one of the factors leading to the widespread beliefs about the 2012 phenomenon.[9] Novelty theory is considered pseudoscience.[10][11]

  1. ^ Znamenski, Andrei A. (2007). The Beauty of the Primitive: Shamanism and Western Imagination. Oxford University Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-19-803849-8.
  2. ^ Horgan, John (2004). Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-547-34780-6.
  3. ^ a b Brown, David Jay; Novick, Rebecca McClen, eds. (1993). "Mushrooms, Elves And Magic". Mavericks of the Mind: Conversations for the New Millennium. Freedom, CA: Crossing Press. pp. 9–24. ISBN 978-0-89594-601-0.
  4. ^ Partridge, Christopher (2006). "Ch. 3: Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Contemporary Sacralization of Psychedelics". Reenchantment of West. Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture, and Occulture. Vol. 2. Continuum. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-567-55271-6.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Jenkins was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference EsquireJacobson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dery21C was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference ScientificAHorgan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Krupp2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference bruce was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference normark was invoked but never defined (see the help page).