MetaFilter posts tagged with shamanism

The Ayahuasca Monologues

homunculus — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:24:14 -0800

Surrendering to the Spirit Vine. Artist Alex Grey (previously) describes his experience with "the champagne of ayahuascas."

The Sacred Mushroom

homunculus — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:35:32 -0800

One Step Beyond - The Sacred Mushroom. A 1961 episode of One Step Beyond investigates whether or not psilocybin mushrooms can give you extra-sensory perception. Part 2, Part 3. [Via Neurophilosophy]

Gary Snyder, Speaking for the Trees

digaman — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:15:46 -0800

Gary Snyder, sublime and seminal poet of ecological awareness and activism [YouTube link], Zen appreciation of "ordinary mind" and American speech, shamanistic intimacy with the natural world, and surviving member of the Beat Generation (West Coast posse) at age 78, has won the $100,000 Ruth Lilly poetry prize. "Gary Snyder is in essence a contemporary devotional poet, though he is not devoted to any one god or way of being so much as to Being itself," said Poetry magazine editor Christian Wiman. "His poetry is a testament to the sacredness of the natural world and our relation to it, and a prophecy of what we stand to lose if we forget that relation.” Previous recipients of the Lilly prize include Adrienne Rich, John Ashbery, and W.S. Merwin. [Previously mentioned here.]

Strange Brew

homunculus — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:30:23 -0800

Ayahuasca: A Strange Brew. "Can a psychotropic jungle potion cure the existential angst of the McMansion set?" Previously.

Cause Dick is America, America is Dick.

jrb223 — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:36:33 -0800

Healing Dick

Ayahuasca

homunculus — Fri, 26 May 2006 12:05:42 -0800

Hell and Back: "Deep in the Amazon jungle, writer Kira Salak tests ayahuasca, a shamanistic medicinal ritual, and finds a terrifying—but enlightening—world within." Interesting tale found via this interview with Charles Grob on the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelics. The legal status of ayahuasca in the US was recently discussed here.

Santa Claus, super shaman

homunculus — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:47:37 -0800

Psychedelic Santa Claus. "Modern Christmas traditions are based on ancient mushroom-using shamans." [Via J-Walk blog.]

Iboga and Ibogaine

homunculus — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 01:36:00 -0800

Tripping on iboga: author Daniel Pinchbeck describes his experience with the psychedelic drug tabernanthe iboga, which is used in the rituals of the Bwiti in West Africa. Ironically, the active chemical in iboga, the indole alkaloid ibogaine, is said to be useful in the treatment of drug addiction (PDF.)