PS268 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Fathom, Entheogen, Mental Disorder
CHAP 14: HALLUCINOGENS
Animism and Religion:
-plants that are able to alter our perception of the world and of ourselves fit right into the
view of animism
-if the plant contains a spirit, then eating the plant transfers that spirit to the person who
eats it
-the spirit of the plant can speak to the consumer, make that person feel the plant's joy.
-in early societies, certain individuals become specialists in the ways of these plants and
pass down traditions, with colourful stories used to teach principles to apprentices
(shaman, medicine man etc)
-because these shamans are also experts on obtaining power from the spirit world, their
function in early societies has as much to do with the origins of religion as with the origins
of modern medicine
-these plants and their psychoactive properties were probably important reasons for the
development of spiritual and religious traditions and folklore in many societies around
world
Terminology and Types:
-Lewis Lewin referred to these groups as a class of phantastica (drugs that can create in
our minds a world of fantasy)
-peyote
-psilocybin
-LSD
Document Summary
Plants that are able to alter our perception of the world and of ourselves fit right into the view of animism. If the plant contains a spirit, then eating the plant transfers that spirit to the person who eats it. The spirit of the plant can speak to the consumer, make that person feel the plant"s joy. In early societies, certain individuals become specialists in the ways of these plants and pass down traditions, with colourful stories used to teach principles to apprentices (shaman, medicine man etc) Because these shamans are also experts on obtaining power from the spirit world, their function in early societies has as much to do with the origins of religion as with the origins of modern medicine. These plants and their psychoactive properties were probably important reasons for the development of spiritual and religious traditions and folklore in many societies around world.
