en·theo·gen [god within; god- or spirit-facilitating] a psychoactive sacramental; a plant or chemical substance taken to occasion primary religious experience.
I listened to an excellent BBC documentary some time ago (last year perhaps). It was a 6-part radio series on the use of plants for various purposes, both by humans and other animals. One of the comments made was that present day society is the first society we know of in the known history of humanity to NOT use entheogenic plants as a normal part of their social and spiritual functioning. Not only do we not include the use of these plants in our social system, we go so far as to ban them and make it a crime to use or possess many of these plants — plants that have been used since the beginning of time (in human terms).
I’ve had an interest in the nature of reality and consciousness since before I was in my teens. That interest led me into many forms of self-exploration and discovery. The exploration of psychoactive substances and ethnogenic plants was part of that journey — a very significant and important part. I would be a liar to deny that. I would also be a liar if I did not let people know that this sort of ethnogenic exploration played an important part of my ongoing path to awakening. It’s not, however, something I’ve tended to draw much attention to or talk about with people. I think that is perhaps because it is a rather controversial subject thanks to the rather contracted view that our society has on all matters falsely swept under the umbrella of “drugs”. The so called “war on drugs” is not a war on drugs at all. First and foremost it is a business decision, or “business policy” that allows those who deal in drugs to make vast amounts of money for very little (the global drug trade is one of the biggest industries in the world), and secondly it is a war against human freedom — the freedom alter your consciousness in a safe way as and when you wish to, except in ways determined by “society” to be okay (like tobacco, coffee, cocoa, alcohol, etc., [all big money makers too]). Keep in mind that many of the most successful companies in the world have some degree of association or indirect affiliation with the drug industry. There is also a great deal (as in a HUGE AMOUNT) of evidence that indicates the American government and a number of its agencies also make a great deal of money out of the global drug industry.
I am not implying that many of the “drugs” people have access to these days are not potentially dangerous to the individual who users them, and to the society and other people associated with these individuals. What I am suggesting, however, is that Man has create this problem and continues to perpetuate it. It is our collective and deep set denial of ethnogenic plants and our ancient relationship to such plants that has brought about the what in today’s terms we call “drugs”. For a traditional user of Ayahuasca (one of many ethnogenic sacraments predating recorded history) this drink was not a “drug” as we think of “drugs”. It was consider a “food” that provided a level of sustenance and intelligence that ordinary day-to-day foods did not impart. It was also considered and referred to as a “medicine”. This was medicine for the spirit, and it’s efficiency at healing on this level also made it a medicine for the body — recognising the all physical ailments have the point of origin in the mind and ones relationship to Self as spirit.
Humans have an inherent and unavoidable need to experience states of consciousness that differ from the ordinary reality that most people live in all their lives. As already mentioned, we live in the first known human society that does not embrace (and in fact bans) the use of mind-altering substances. Hence people can not fulfil this basic need in a safe and open way. So this need is pushed into a place of shadow and that which goes into shadow by default becomes life-taking in nature. I don’t think I need to spell it out any more than that.
The other reason I have perhaps said little about the use of ethnogenic substances is that even within the “spiritual” circles, groups, religions, New Age followings, etc., there is a great deal of confusion about and disdain toward the use of ethnogenic substances as a valid spiritual experience. Again, this is not without reason, yet that doesn’t not imply that this attitude is healthy or entirely valid (or valid at all). I won’t bother going into these “reasons” as I perceive them as I am feeling too lazy to do so just now. Perhaps another time.
I am going to complete this entry here. I see it as a very brief and partial introduction to this topic. I will be adding an Entheogenic Plants section to my blog for the purpose of further discussing and exploring this topic. More articles on Entheogens will follow from time to time.
With love and blessings,
FEAL
