Entheogen

This article is about psychoactive substances in a spiritual context. For general information about them, see Psychoactive drug and Hallucinogen. For the musical group, see Entheogenic (band). For religious views on drugs, see Religion and drugs. For comparison of entheogens, see List of substances used in rituals. Not to be confused with Ethnogenesis.

"The Creation of the Stars", 12th century, Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe
Fresco of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, 12th century, Plaincourault Chapel
12th century frescoes depicting alleged entheogenic mushrooms in Christian art

Entheogens are psychoactive substances, including psychedelic drugs (such as magic mushrooms), used in sacred contexts in religion for inducing spiritual development throughout history.

Entheogens have been used in various ways, including as part of established religious rituals and as aids for personal spiritual development.[1][2] Anthropological study has established that entheogens are used for religious, magical, shamanic, or spiritual purposes in many parts of the world. They have traditionally been used to supplement many diverse practices geared towards achieving transcendence, including healing, divination, meditation, yoga, sensory deprivation, asceticism, prayer, trance, rituals, chanting, imitation of sounds, hymns like peyote songs, drumming, and ecstatic dance.

The psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as those experienced in meditation,[3] near-death experiences,[4] and mystical experiences.[3] Ego dissolution is often described as a key feature of the psychedelic experience.[5]

  1. ^ Tupper, K.W. (2003). "Entheogens & education: Exploring the potential of psychoactives as educational tools" (PDF). Journal of Drug Education and Awareness. 1 (2): 145–161. ISSN 1546-6965. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2007.
  2. ^ Tupper, K.W. (2002). "Entheogens and existential intelligence: The use of plant teachers as cognitive tools" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Education. 27 (4): 499–516. doi:10.2307/1602247. JSTOR 1602247. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2004.
  3. ^ a b Millière, Raphaël; Carhart-Harris, Robin L.; Roseman, Leor; Trautwein, Fynn-Mathis; Berkovich-Ohana, Aviva (4 September 2018). "Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness". Frontiers in Psychology. 9: 1475. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01475. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 6137697. PMID 30245648.
  4. ^ Timmermann, Christopher; Roseman, Leor; Williams, Luke; Erritzoe, David; Martial, Charlotte; Cassol, Héléna; Laureys, Steven; Nutt, David; Carhart-Harris, Robin (15 August 2018). "DMT Models the Near-Death Experience". Frontiers in Psychology. 9: 1424. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01424. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 6107838. PMID 30174629.
  5. ^ Letheby, Chris; Gerrans, Philip (30 June 2017). "Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience". Neuroscience of Consciousness. 2017 (1): nix016. doi:10.1093/nc/nix016. ISSN 2057-2107. PMC 6007152. PMID 30042848.