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OverviewFull Product DetailsAuthor: Terence McKennaPublisher: Ebury Publishing Imprint: Rider & Co Edition: New edition Dimensions: Width: 12.70cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 19.80cm Weight: 0.286kg ISBN: 9780712670388ISBN 10: 0712670386 Pages: 416 Publication Date: 06 May 1999 Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General , Tertiary & Higher Education Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock  We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviewsEssential reading for anyone who ever wondered why people take drugs -- Rupert Sheldrake The culture's foremost spokesperson for the psychedelic experience * L.A. Weekly * The modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens * The Washington Post * The single most influential spokesperson for organic psychedelics * The Independent * The ethnobotanist co-author of Psilocybin: The Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide (not reviewed) puts forth the theory that magic mushrooms are the original tree of knowledge and that the general lack of psychedelic exploration is leading Western society toward eventual collapse or destruction - controversial statements, to say the least, though the argument's details often prove fascinating. In the beginning, McKenna tells us, there were protohumans with small brains and plenty of genetic competition, and what eventually separated the men from the apes was an enthusiasm for the hallucinogenic mushrooms that grew on the feces of local cattle. Claiming that psilocybin in the hominid diet would have enhanced eyesight, sexual enjoyment, and language ability and would have thereby placed the mushroom-eaters in the front lines of genetic evolution - eventually leading to hallucinogen-ingesting shamanistic societies, the ancient Minoan culture, and some Amazonian tribes today - McKenna also asserts that the same drugs are now outlawed in the US because of their corrosive effect on our male-dominated, antispiritual society. Unconsciously craving the vehicles by which our ancestors expanded their imaginations and found meaning in their lives, he says, we feast on feeble substitutes: coffee, sugar, and chocolate, which reinforce competition and aggressiveness; tobacco, which destroys our bodies; alcohol, whose abuse leads to male violence and female degradation; TV, which deadens our senses; and the synthetics - heroin, cocaine and their variations - which leave us victimized by our own addiction. On the other hand, argues McKenna, magic mushrooms, used in a spiritually enlightened, ritual manner, can open the door to greater consciousness and further the course of human evolution - legalization of all drugs therefore is, he says, an urgent necessity. Provocative words - often captivating, but not often convincing. (Kirkus Reviews) McKenna, an explorer who has travelled the world to live and work with shamans from many cultures, has many radical views on the relationship between humanity and psychoactive substances. If, he argues, we accept that drugs will be an increasing part of global culture, we need to reappraise the patterns of drug-related experience throughout the centuries in order to understand what is happening to our society. Drawing on years of research, McKenna argues for a possible revival of what he calls the archaic attitude towards community, recovering a former relationship with nature in order to promote a more humane future. His views are controversial but his arguments are fascinating, ranging far and wide through humankind's cultural history to demonstrate what we have lost and what we might hope to gain. (Kirkus UK) Author InformationTerence McKenna (1946-2000) was an American ethnobotanist, psychonaut and author noted for his groundbreaking research into and knowledge of psychedelics, metaphysics and subjects ranging from shamanism to the origins of language and civilization. His other books include True Hallucinations, The Archaic Revival and The Invisible Landscape. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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