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"The data, much of which is precious
anecdotal material from the field's most creative explorer, stirs
the mind to consider new possibilities. It is a wonderfully
open and inviting text." - Richard D. Mann
Excerpts:
Several
profound personal experiences with psychedelic substances and
clinical observations of their effects in psychiatric patients
attracted my attention early in my professional career to the
remarkable healing and transformative potential of nonordinary
states of consciousness. Systematic exploration of the theoretical
significance and practical value of these states has been the
central focus on my research for over three decades.
During the first twenty years, this work focused almost exclusively
on various psychedelic substances; it was carried out initially in
several research facilities in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and later in
The Maryland Psychiatric Research Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
This work convinced me that Psychedelics-if used properly and
judiciously under expert guidance--represent extraordinary tools for
psychiatry and psychology. Instead of inducing drug-specific states
like other pharmaca, they function more like unspecific catalysts or
amplifiers of the unconscious processes. By increasing the energetic
niveau of the human psyche, they reveal its deep contents and
intrinsic dynamics.
Clinical work with LSD and other psychedelics thus is not the study
of a powerful and exotic psychoactive substance or a group of
compounds, but probably the most promising avenue of research of the
human psyche and nature. (pages xi-xii)
Among the most interesting archetypal experiences are found insights
into their esoteric meaning. Experiences of this kind support the
understanding of symbols suggested by Carl Gustav Jung. In contrast
to Sigmund Freud's interpretation of symbols as representing
something already known but objectionable, Jung saw symbols as the
best possible representations of something that belongs to a higher
level of consciousness and cannot be in principle expressed in any
other way. Far form being cryptic statements about simple biological
functions, universal symbols refer to complex transcendental
realities. What Freud described as symbols--cryptic allusions to
elements on the same level of consciousness--can best be referred to
as signs.
In nonordinary states of consciousness, visions of various universal
symbols can play a significant role even I experiences of
individuals who previously had no interest in mysticism or were
strongly opposed to anything esoteric. These visions tend to convey
instant intuitive understanding of the various levels of meaning of
these symbols and generate a deep interest in the spiritual path.
The most frequent of these symbols that I have observed in my
research were the cross, the quadrated circle, the Indo-Iranian
swastika in both its ominous and peace-bestowing from, the ancient
Egyptian ankh (Nile cross or crux ansata), the lotus blossom,
the Taoist yin-yang, the Hindu sacred phallus (Shiva lingam)
and vulva (yoni), the diamond and other precious stones, the
Buddhist wheel, and the six-pointed star, both in its Hebrew form of
the Star of David and its Tantric form as the symbol of the union of
the male and female energy.
As a result of experiences of this kind, subjects can develop
accurate understanding of various complex esoteric teachings. In
some instances, persons unfamiliar with the Kabbalah had experiences
described in the Zohar and Sepher Yetzirah and obtained surprising
insights into Kabbalistic symbols. Others were able to describe the
meaning and function of intricate mandalas used in the Tibetan
Vajrayana and other Tantric systems. Subjects who had previously
ridiculed astrology, alchemy, and the ancient forms of divination,
such as the I Ching and Tarot, suddenly discovered their deeper
meaning and found genuine appreciation of their metaphysical
relevance. Similarly, such illuminating insights can suddenly open
skeptical individuals to Gnostic teachings or the Pythagorean
theories of geometrical solids and of the numerical order in the
universe. (pages 138-139)
Modern consciousness research and experiential psychotherapy have
thrown entirely new light on the problem of spirituality and
religion and have returned to the human psyche its cosmic status. In
full agreement with the Jungian perspective, spirituality or
numinosity appears to be an intrinsic property of the deeper
dynamics of the psyche. Whenever the process of experiential
self-exploration reaches the perinatal and the transpersonal levels,
it leads to spiritual awakening, and the individual becomes
interested in the mystical quest. I have seen many highly educated
persons undergo this process in our psychedelic training program and
in holotropic workshops, and have yet to see a single individual,
including atheist, Marxists, and positivistic scientists, whose
scepticism and cynicism about spirituality would survive such an
experience.
The form of spirituality I am referring to is fully compatible with
any level of intelligence, education, and specific knowledge of the
information amassed by such disciplines as physics, biology,
medicine, and psychology. None of the sophisticated subjects I have
worked with found any conflicts between their spiritual experiences
and the information they had about the physical world. However, they
often had to give up certain undefendable generalizations and
unfounded metaphysical assumptions that had been part of their
academic education. There exists these days extensive literature
suggesting that many revolutionary advances in modern science points
to a radically new worldview. Although we are still far from a
comprehensive synthesis, significant elements of this emerging
paradigm show far-reaching convergence with the worldview of the
great mystical traditions.
However, it is important to emphasize that this does not necessarily
mean convergence of science and religion. The spirituality that
emerges spontaneously at a certain stage of experiential
self-exploration should not be confused with the mainstream
religions and their beliefs, doctrines, dogmas, and rituals. Many of
them lost entirely the connection with their original source, which
is a direct visionary experience of transpersonal realities. They
are mainly concerned with such issues as power, money, hierarchies,
and ethical, political, and social control. It is possible to have a
religion with very little spirituality, complete absence thereof, or
even one that interferes with genuine spiritual quest. (pages
268-269)
CSP's
Entheogen
Chrestomathy entry for The Adventure of Self-Discovery
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