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Entheogen: Difference between revisions
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{{see also||List of entheogens}} | |||
[[File:Flowering San Pedro cactus.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right|Flowering San Pedro, an entheogenic cactus that has been used for over 3,000 years<ref>{{Citation | title=A Brief History of the San Pedro Cactus | url=https://www.mescaline.com/sanpedro/}}</ref>]] | |||
'''Entheogens''' (from the Ancient Greek ἔνθεος '''entheos''' ["god", "divine"] and γενέσθαι '''genesthai''' ["generate" - "generating the divine within"]) are a family of [[psychoactive substances]], typically of plant origin, that are used in religious, ritual, or spiritual contexts. [[Jonathan Ott]] is credited with coining the term in 1979.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors=((Wasson, R. G.)), ((Hofmann, A.)), ((Ruck, C. A. P.)) | date= 2008 | title=The road to Eleusis: unveiling the secret of the mysteries | publisher=North Atlantic Books | edition=30th anniversary ed | isbn=9781556437526}}</ref> | |||
Entheogens have been used in a ritualized context for thousands of years and their religious significance is well established with anthropological and academic literature. Examples of traditional entheogens include [[Naturally occurring sources|naturally occurring]] [[hallucinogens]] ([[psychedelic drug|psychedelics]], [[dissociative]]s, or [[deliriant]]s); [[psychedelics]] like [[Lophophora williamsii (botany)|peyote]], [[psilocybin mushrooms]], [[ayahuasca]], and [[iboga]]; quasi-psychedelics like [[cannabis]]; dissociatives like [[salvia]]; and [[deliriants]] like [[datura]]. | |||
More broadly, the term entheogen is used to refer to any psychoactive | With the advent of organic chemistry, there now exist many synthetic drugs with similar psychoactive properties, many of which are derived from these plants. Many pure active compounds with psychoactive properties have been isolated from these respective organisms and synthesized chemically. These include the [[naturally occurring sources|naturally occurring]] [[mescaline]], [[psilocybin]], [[DMT]], [[salvinorin A]], [[ibogaine]], [[ergine]], and [[muscimol]], the semi-synthetic [[LSD]], and synthetic substances (e.g., [[DPT]] used by the Temple of the True Inner Light and [[2C-B]] used by the Sangoma).<ref>{{Citation | year=2013 | title=2CB chosen over traditional entheogens by South African healers. | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014918/http://evolver.civicactions.net/user/chen_cho_dorge/blog/2cb_chosen_over_traditional_entheogens_south_african_healers}}</ref> | ||
More broadly, the term entheogen is used to refer to any psychoactive substance used for its religious or spiritual effects, whether or not in a formal religious or traditional structure. This terminology is often chosen to contrast with the recreational use of the same substances. Studies such as the [[Marsh Chapel Experiment]] have documented reports of spiritual experiences from participants who were administered psychoactive substances in controlled trials.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Griffiths, R. R.)), ((Richards, W. A.)), ((McCann, U.)), ((Jesse, R.)) | journal=Psychopharmacology | title=Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance | volume=187 | issue=3 | pages=268–283 | date= August 2006 | url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5 | issn=0033-3158 | doi=10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5}}</ref> Ongoing research is limited due to widespread drug prohibition; however, some countries have legislation that allows for traditional entheogen use. | |||
==Etymology== | |||
The term "entheogen" comes from the Greek en, meaning “in” or “within”; theo, meaning “god” or “divine”; and gen, meaning “creates” or “generates.” It translates as “generating or creating the divine within".{{citation needed}} | |||
==Entheogens in literature== | |||
Consumption of the imaginary [[mushroom]] ''anochi'' as the entheogen underlying the creation of Christianity is the premise of Philip K. Dick's last novel, "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer". | |||
Aldous Huxley's final novel, ''Island'' (1962), depicted a fictional entheogenic mushroom — termed "moksha medicine" — used by the people of Pala in rites of passage, such as the transition to adulthood and at the end of life. | |||
In his book "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East", John M. Allegro argues etymologically that Christianity developed out of the use of a psychedelic mushroom, the true body of Christ, which was later forgotten by its adherents. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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*[[Naturally occurring sources]] | *[[Naturally occurring sources]] | ||
*[[Psychonautics]] | *[[Psychonautics]] | ||
*[[ | *[[Hallucinogen]] | ||
*[[ | *[[Psychedelic]] | ||
*[[ | *[[Dissociative]] | ||
*[[ | *[[Deliriant]] | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Entheogen|*]] | |||
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