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Hardcover. First UK Edition. Octavo. xvi + 304pp. SUMMARY: "For centuries, hallucinogens have been of great significance in the ideology and religious practices of primitive societies. In fact, the use of psychotropic plants to achieve states of religious ecstasy goes back almost to the beginning of human culture. Furthermore, the content of the psychedelic experience in the West today has been found to be similar to that of the religious pilgrimages of Oriental and aboriginal New World groups. But one fundamental difference overshadows all In the traditional cultures described in this collection of ten essays, the hallucinogenic "trip" is a means to an end--a quest for confirmation of traditional values, for unity with the tribal ancestors. In contemporary Western society, by contrast, it tends to be an end in itself and a rejection of the society's values--perhaps, it has been suggested, because Western drug-users tend to be a-cultural. Clearly, we have much to learn from an objective study of societies with long histories of sanctioned, and controlled, drug use to achieve recognized cultural objectives." CONTENTS: Introduction -- An Overview of Hallucinogens in the Western Hemisphere -- Tobacco and Shamanistic Ecstasy Among the Warao Indians of Venezuela -- The Cultural Context of an Aboriginal Hallucinogen: Banisteriopsis Caapi -- The San Pedro Cactus in Peruvian Folk Healing, To Find Our Life: Peyote Among the Huichol Indians of Mexico -- The Divine Mushroom of Immortality -- What Was the Soma of the Aryans -- Ritual Use of Cannabis Sativa L: An Historical-Ethnographic Survey -- Tabernanthe Iboga: Narcotic Ecstasis and the Work of the Ancestors --Hallucinogens and the Shamanic Origins of Religion -- Bibliography -- Index -- The Contributors. CONDITION: VG. No Dust Jacket. This is a vintage item in used condition. Minor signs of wear and use to exterior covers and spine. Minor creasing to front boards. Red cloth binding and silver foil text on spine. Minor flea bite to spine, wear and creasing to headcap. Minor dings and edgewear to corners and edges. Vibrant red endpapers. Uncracked hinges. Illustrated with B&W photos and some botanical drawings. Book is tightly bound and secure. Some age-toning to interior. Contributors include R. Gordon Wasson, Richard Evans Schultes, William A. Emboden, Jr., Weston La Barre, Douglas Sharon, Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, Johannes Wilbert, and Peter T. Furst.
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