The Psychedelic Origin of Religion
The following is a chapter in the upcoming book The Science of Reincarnation: Why We Come to Earth.
All Religions are based on Psychedelic Experiences
The world's religions share a common heritage of shamanism and entheogens. The modern religions of today: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam - all find their origins in shamanism. Entheogens - which come in various forms of plants and extracts - are substances that allow us to access the God within us. After thousands of years, a large body of research now exists to explain how entheogens and shamanic practices helped give birth to modern religion in both Eastern and Western civilizations.
The research of various scholars makes very persuasive arguments for sacramental plant use in various cultures from Vedic Brahmins to Greek mystery religions and Christian mystics and Manicheans. Researchers have further focused their attention on various myths, folklore, and art to articulate the central and ancient role of “magical plants” from an Irish Soma to Tantric Buddhist sects. This extends to the heirs of these ancient religions in such traditions as Islam...[0]
After much searching, I have found sufficient evidence to confidently claim all organized religion is based on mystical shamanic experiences using psychedelic plant medicine.
Shamanism: The World’s Religion
Shamanism traces its origins back to the age of hunter-gatherer societies. It is a religious practice that involves the interaction with the world of spirit through altered states of consciousness.
Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are among the most illuminated mystics in history. They were undoubtedly tuned in to a higher plane of reality than most of us will ever be able to conceive of. But how do you think they reached such a level of enlightenment?
There are many ways to alter one’s consciousness. The mystical Sufis of Islam practice whirling dervish. The San people of Botswana conduct a trance dance - an indigenous ritual that uses rhythmic dancing and hyperventilation to achieve an altered state. Buddhist, Hindu and Christian monks practice meditation to elevate their consciousness and achieve nirvana. New age spiritualists teach astral projection where practitioners learn to use the dream state to access the astral realm. The tribes of South America have utilized a combination of the psychedelic brew Ayahuasca, fasting, and Sun dancing to raise their consciousness. Altering consciousness is so common we find it in every culture and every religion!
In all their forms, these acts of shamanism seek a divine mystical connection with the field of information that is best called Spirit, God, Consciousness, Allah, Brahma, Christ or All that is and All that will be.
The oldest archeological evidence linking humans and psychedelics comes to us from 7000-10000 years ago from art in the Paleolithic age from Tassili, Algeria cave paintings depicting Psilocybe mairei mushrooms [0], [1], [2], [3].
The U.S. Forest Service acknowledges Tassili as “the oldest known petroglyph depicting the use of psychoactive mushrooms,” adding the postulate that “the mushrooms depicted on the ‘mushroom shaman’ are Psilocybe mushrooms” [4].
Cave murals found in Spain that date to around 6000 years old appear to depict the use of Mushrooms in religious rituals - which would be the oldest evidence of their use in Europe. The Selva Pascuala cave mural near the town of Villar del Humo has a bull in the center, but researchers from America and Mexico are focussing on a row of 13 small mushroom-like objects.
Brian Akers at Pasco-Hernando Community College in Florida, and Gaston Guzman at the Ecological Institute of Xalapa in Mexico say they believe the objects are Psilocybe hispanica, a local fungi with hallucinogenic properties [5] [6].
Today, shamanism - once universal - survives primarily among indigenous peoples.
Psychedelics in Ancient India
We can trace the origins of Indian society to around 3300 BC when the original Ayran people left central Eurasia to migrate to the Indus Valley [0], [2].
In eastern Siberia, A. muscaria was used by both shamans and laypeople alike and was used recreationally as well as religiously [0]. This mushroom is still consumed in parts of Afghanistan [1] and western and northeastern Siberia [0].
"It is not surprising that the mushroom should have become the center of a mystery cult in the near east which persisted for thousands of years. There seems good evidence that from there it swept into India in the cult of Soma some 3,500 years ago; it certainly flourished in Siberia until quite recent times and is found even today in certain parts of South America" (Allegro 1970).
India is home to the world’s oldest and largest religious text at ~3500 years old - the Rig Veda. It contains 1000 Hymns, containing over 10,000 verses divided into ten books. Soma is mentioned in almost every one of the thousand Hymns as the preferred drink of both Gods and men. The Soma beverage is considered to be the most precious liquid in the universe, and therefore was an indispensable aspect of all Vedic rituals, used in sacrifices to all gods.
The effects of the Soma drink should capture one’s attention: it is said one who consumes it could connect with the bliss of all existence and the source of the universe. The legend states through the use of Soma, man could grant immortality and man could become God.
We have drunk soma and become immortal, We have attained the light and found the Gods. -The Rig Veda, Hymn 8.48.3
Soma is portrayed in the Rig Veda as a lightning-born god, and an elixir of health and strength, as well as being praised for as the direct means of communion with the gods.
Let Indra drink, O Soma, of thy juice for wisdom, and all Deities for strength. So flow thou on as bright celestial juice, flow to the vast, immortal dwelling-place. Flow onward, Soma, as a mighty sea, as Father of the Gods to every form.-The Rig Veda, Hymn 9.109
Of the ten books of hymns that make up the Rig Veda there is one book that is devoted entirely to the glory of Soma. The Rig Veda describes Soma, as a small red plant having no leaves, and lacking both roots and blossoms.
So if the ancestors of Ancient India were drinking this Soma and connecting with the divine, the question becomes: what the heck was in that drink?
Lord Shiva Holding a Mushroom on the Bas Reliefs at Angkor Wa [A]
Wasson claims, “my candidate for the identity of Soma is Amanita muscaria - the brilliant red mushroom. As far back as records go, it has been the Sacred Element in the shamanic rites of many tribes of northern Siberia.” [0].
The earliest written compositions of the Indo-Aryans were called the Brahmanas. They discuss the surrogates to be used for Soma in the ritual but fail to describe the original plant. However; some clues that led Wasson to believe that Soma was a mushroom rather than a plant was that the Rig Veda describes a substance that: had no leaves, flowers, blossoms, or seeds; no roots, trunk, or branches. Nor was there a description of propagating the plant.
Funny then that we find the Rig Veda specifically states that Soma can only be found growing in the mountains - which is where A. muscaria can only be found in the latitude of the Indus Valley.
There is much speculation about what exact plant, fungi, or extracts were in Soma. In a presentation given at the ayahuasca conference Aya 2014, Dr. Matthew Clark postulated that soma could have been a counterpart to ayahuasca because it combined plants containing both MAO inhibitors (such as Syrian Rue) and DMT [3].
India’s earliest preserved medical text, the so-called Bower Manuscript, a text from Kashmir dating to the 6th century CE, has two formulas for amrita (soma) [4]. Researchers analyzed these formulas and found it contains both DMT and MAOIs in several of the plants. Six of the plants discussed are native to South Asia and known to have psychoactive properties. They propose that this formula, probably in a stronger form (or dose), was the basis of the soma of the Vedas [5].
In Nepal, we find Nepalese shamanism where using entheogens to achieve altered states of consciousness is still being practiced. Shamans use a large variety of poisonous and mind-altering plants. What is most spectacular and little known is that the shamans use mushrooms, such as Amanita muscaria and different kinds of psilocybes [6].
Contemporary use of A. muscaria as an inebriant in Central Asia was discovered in Afghanistan during the 1960s, by Said Ghoulam Mochtar and Hartmut Geerken [7]. In the Shutul Valley, dried A. muscaria is ground to a powder by the inhabitants for its use as an inebriant. They boil the Amanita powder with fresh mountain snapweed and soured goat-cheese brine, and in this way produce a well-known local specialty, “Extract of Shutul.” [8].
The Doddahundi Nishidi Inscription is from the Doddahundi (Mysore) period 890 AD.
According Thomas Alexandar, "the stone carvings depict the event of sallekhana, a Jain ritual performed by the Ganga King Nitimarga in 869 AD. These "Hero Stones", were raised in parts of India to honor noted Jains who committed Sallekhana ritual death.
Notice the mushrooms in the image. Perhaps this ritual death is what we now call "ego death" from the psychedelic experience?
Psychedelics in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptians were an incredibly spiritual people. The Egyptians were the first to teach that the human soul is immortal [A]. They believed death was only a gateway to another, eternal life, and the desire to ensure immortality was woven into their daily rituals [B]. An individual's life on earth was considered only one part of an eternal journey.
“It was this obsession with life that caused them to pursue all means to ensure the attainment of [spiritual] immortality,” added Hairani Hassan, the National Museum of Singapore curator.
Ancient Egyptians believed that mushrooms were plants of immortality and called them “a gift from the God Osiris” [0]. The Pharaohs' of Egypt decreed mushrooms were food for royalty and that no commander could even touch them.
Documentation of the Egyptian fungi may date back to 4500 BC when ancient Egyptians produced several hieroglyphic depictions of plants (many of which are psychedelic) on walls and within texts throughout Egyp
Notice the Mushrooms in the hieroglyphics.
In Mushrooms and Mankind, James Arthur writes the pillars of tombs in ancient Egypt are shaped like giant mushrooms, some like Amanita and some like Psilocybe [0]. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Papyrus of Ani (Budge 1967), mushrooms are called “the food of the gods,” or “celestial food” and “the flesh of the gods” [2]. In other places, we read of ‘bread of eternity’ and ‘beer of eternity.’
Stephen Berlant theorized the plant known as the Eye of Horus was an entheogenic mushroom cap. [3] The theory that the Eye of Horus was an entheogenic mushroom cap can also be supported by noting that the Egyptians personified this eye in the very same way ancient Hindu priests personified Soma [2].
The Egyptians personified Horus and Osiris as eyes, just as the Rig Veda describes the Soma plant and its elixir as an eye (Rg Veda I 875ab; IX 94; IX 10 ab).
The Egyptians personified Horus and Osiris as the sun, just as The Rig Veda personifies the spirit of the Soma plant, which also yielded a divine elixir, as a luminous, solar deity (Rg Veda I, 4610ab; IX, 26c; IX, 275ab).
The Egyptians described Horus and Osiris as luminous lunar deities, just as the Rg Veda describes the Soma plant and its elixir as a luminous lunar deity (Rg Veda 8.082.08;10.052.02: 6.039.03).
The Egyptians claimed that the Eye of Horus could confer immortality on those who consumed it, or an elixir made from it, just as the Rg Veda describes the Soma plant and its elixir as having the ability to confer immortality on those who consumed it (Rg Veda, 8.048.03; 1.091.06; 1.091.18;8.048.12; 8.048.11)
The Egyptians associated or personified Horus and Osiris as hawks, just as the Rg Veda as well as the Taittiriya Samhita and Aitareya Brahmana, associate Soma with a hawk, claiming that this hawk brought Soma to India(Rg Veda 1.080. 02; 1.093.06; 8.082.09) (Taittiriya Samhita6.1) Aitareya Brahmana (3.25–27)
Take the various crowns in Ancient Egyptian art. Some researchers suggest these are symbolic of Psilocybe mushrooms. Wearing mushroom-inspired head-ware was said to be indicative of having achieved enlightenment. Stephen Berlant theorizes that that Egyptian White and Triple Crowns were early forms of Psilocybe cubensis [3].
For over 3000 years the Blue Lotus was used by the priesthood of ancient Egypt for its medicinal properties and as a spiritual sacrament. So important was this flower, the Egyptians dedicated a god, Nefertem, to protect and care for it. In the mid-1800s, archeologists began to realize ancient Egyptian Blue Lotus carvings had to be more than artistic. Representations of Blue Lotus are carved on every temple and every tomb. Even King Tut was found covered in the sacred flowers [C] [D]..
In Egyptian art, water lily and mandrake depictions began in the Fifth Dynasty (about 2560-2420 BC) and continued until the Ptolemaic Period (330-323 BC). These two plants appear intimately associated with each other. In the hypothesis that the Egyptian prelate mixed drugs. These drugs are the Mandrake, water lily, and, perhaps, opium. To obtain a powerful vehicle, called didi, to reach deep states of consciousness in a state of apparent coma [E].
Psychedelic Tree of Life
The ancient Egyptians considered the Acacia tree to be sacred and regarded it as “the tree of life.”
The Acacia Nilotica is a tree that grows along the Nile River. It was revered by Egyptians because it was used for many properties, perhaps most of all because it contains DMT - known today as the spirit molecule. The ancient Egyptians used the Nile acacia for enlightenment and talking to the gods. Osiris - whose spirit Egyptians believe lived in the Acacia - along with his consort Isis provided enlightenment, which is the true rebirth of the spirit, more important than the birth of the flesh.
The Egyptian goddess Lusaaset, meaning 'the great one who comes forth,' was considered the grandmother of all the Egyptian gods. The ancient Egyptian goddess Lusaaset was associated with the acacia tree known as the Tree of Life to ancient Egyptians [4]. More specifically, she was associated with the oldest known acacia tree at the time, which was situated just north of Heliopolis, Egypt, in the famous Garden of Heliopolis [5].
It is important to note that all species of acacia are known to be hallucinogenic, either in their bark, roots, leaves or fruit, due to the natural production of DiMethylTryptamine or DMT. Some claim acacia trees were used by the ancient Egyptians to make hallucinogenic wine. Tomb paintings often depict wine jars wrapped or draped in lotus flowers, suggesting that the Egyptians may have been aware of the narcotic qualities of blue lotus petals when mixed with wine [F]. The Egyptians called this wine Yrp, which when consumed during sacred ceremonies, caused the appearance of Lusaaset, 'the great one who comes forth.' [6]
'I am the son of Khepri, born in Hetepet under the tresses of the Goddess of Iusâas-town [i.e. Lusaaset], north of Ôn, who ascended from the vertex of Geb.'
- Egyptian priest, Utterance 519.**
This Egyptian scripture describes Lusasset - a metaphor for the acacia tree of - which is located in the Garden of Heliopolis and described as the 'tresses of the Goddess' which 'ascended from the vertex of Geb'. Geb was the god of the Earth. In this way, the hallucinogenic experience of drinking Yrp was a way to ascend the sacred Tree of Life and be reborn as a spirit into the heavens. [5]
Psychedelics in Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece established an enlightened society that gave birth to Western civilization. The Greeks invented democracy and law. They practiced the science of mathematics. They pioneered the art of philosophy, logic, and reason.
Spiritually, the Greeks believed in reincarnation and the immortality of the soul. This belief was taught at spiritual schools which were integrated into society. Greek society believed that death was not the end of our human journey.
“And underneath this clothing, we are all immortals in disguise - gods and goddesses destined to the stars for eternity.” [0]
These schools were home to the mystery traditions, in particular the famous mysteries of Eleusis [1]. The Mysteries originated in the city of Eleusis, 15 miles west of Athens, possibly as far back as the early Mycenaean period (c.1600 B.C). It was said that the Greeks - while at various spiritual schools - would partake in sacred rituals where they would die and be reborn with the knowledge of immortality. For two thousand years, people traveled from across the world to come, to learn, and to experience this feeling, this knowing, this sense of immortality.
During these rituals, the Greeks drank the Kykeon. Brian Muraresku's research demonstrates that the Kykeon was a psychedelic brew [2]. How can we know it was a psychedelic drink?
It all started with a little research into barley. Early agrarian societies - including the greeks - cultivated barley to make beer. Where there is barley, one would find Erogt - a fungus that commonly grows on barley. From Ergot one can extract LSD - this is how Albert Hoffman - the father of LSD - first extracted it.
The Greeks were brewing beer and drinking it at these mystery schools but were they drinking psychedelic LSD beer? If they were, we would expect to find the remnants of Ergot in the archeological records. Jordi Juan-Tresserras from the University of Barcelona discovered the remains of Ergot sclerotia amongst the ancient ruins at Mas Casteller de Points. He found it not once but twice in two different artifacts.
The fungus was found embedded between several teeth of a human jawbone. Microscopic evidence of the same organism was additionally identified in one of the miniature chalices that contained a "special beer". Jordi links whatever potion filled the tiny cup to the "consumption of the kykeon" during the Mysteries of Eleusis. [3]
It sounds like the Greeks - who believed in the immortal nature of the soul - were getting this divine information from psychedelic experiences. In the 1970s, Professor Carl Ruck from Boston University published a thesis that psychedelic brews were the origins of greek life [4]. He continued this analysis into the earliest generations of Christians who inherited a mind-altering sacrament from the Greeks.
Continue reading the rest of the Chapter at ScienceofReincarnation.com