If you got something out of it more power to you, I'm watching my drinks around you though.

"Salvia divinorum."

This was a refreshing book to read when it came out and the fact that it seems a bit dated now is an indication of how much has happened since then, in terms of use of research chemicals and the expansion of festivals, than a reflection of the book.

It journals a mans journey from that of a cynical hack to a new age neo shamanic enthusiast, via assignments to the jungles to take shamanic potions and also via the use of research chemicals. Those descriptions are a touch navel gazing but better than many accounts of drug use in recent literature.

The books in itself is good but it is unfortunate that much of his subsequent book, The Return of Quetzalcoatl, contained so much information that was a re-hash of it.

The descriptions and history of Burning Man are one of the most original aspects of the book and certainly would have helped some decide on whether or not they would wish to spend days in the blazing sun with IT folks.

In terms of writing style, it is perhaps a bit American for English tastes but one certainly gets a sense of the angst of being Daniel Pinchbeck, which is what it's all about.

I went there.

Can’t recommend this highly enough to anyone interested in positively affecting human society and living a good and meaningful life generally.

The author’s personal journey is a moving one. He is honest and vulnerable about his own struggles with addiction, depression, and existential angst. He presents insights from his meetings and time spent with shamans, healers, and other psychedelic explorers. The book raises important questions about the nature of reality, the purpose of life, and the future of our planet.
The author is a gifted storyteller and a sharp observer of the world around him.

A great and provocative look into the world of contemporary shamanism and shamanistic practices through out the world. Part personal experience, part historical documentation, this book will take you through the spiritual and often raw experiences and practices of shamans in todays society. As well as discuss the different hallucinogenic and mind expanding entheogenic compounds that these shamans use, that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Very interesting investigative journalism at it's finest.

What starts a relatively objective become a little more woo-woo and New Age-y as it goes on. Also, don't forget he's been accused of being a sexual predator.

However, the idea of Shamanism meeting Modernism is an enjoyable and escapist narrative to consider in this world. The idea that the ecological crisis is a rite of passage or initiation for humanity collectively, forcing us to reach the next level of our consciousness as a species is an idea that fun to consider as the world appears to erode.

As such, this book is a nice throwback, its fun to consider a time when Burning Man wasn't so compromised and those ideas weren't so commercialized, but Pinchbeck's analysis is of shamanism and his conclusion is that it's a valid choice in a world that favors rational materialism.

He's a bit of a looney when he gets to Quetzalcoatl (not in this book), it's the noble idea that we are working towards being Star Children. The ideas of my favorite writers like Grant Morrison and Jodorowsky still lives on. It's a naive optimism to me, but sometimes we need that. Especially as Childhood ends.

Breaking open the head is a complete mind F%#@. The central theme of the book is drug use as a means of enlightenment and spiritual growth, with under lying themes of human perception and various interpretations of reality. The narrator travels to various remote cultures throughout the world and explores ancient rituals through the use of hallucinogens. Daniel Pinchbeck is a fascinating human being and I thoroughly enjoyed reading his first hand retelling of his adventures in the spiritual realm.

p37. Ibogaine in breaking addiction: One theory is that ibogaine restores a balance between the brains two hemispheres. Dr. Carl Anderson of McLean Hospital, Virginia believes that people prone to addiction suffer from an imbalance between the left and right hemispheres. The conventional model is that our "rational" processes-language, logic, scientific thoughts- spring from the left hemisphere, while the right hemisphere controls the "irrational" processes-emotions, intuitions

p196. psychedelics revealed to Terrence McKenna "a curious literary quality running across the surface of existence.".... the world is made out of language, woven from myth-in other words, an objectified expression of consciousness.

p228. "The last best hope for dissolving the steep walls of cultural inflexibility that appears to be channeling us toward true ruin is a renewed shamanism"-McKenna

p236. Alcohol, for McKenna, is the "dominator drug par excellence." "nor other drug has had such a prolonged detrimental effect of human beings, " he writes. "Alcohol and slavery often went hand in hand across the economic landscape... A 'besotted underclass' was a permanent fixture of mercantile society whether in the home countries or the colonies." The opposite of hallucinogenic openness, alcohol leads to a narronwing of conscsiounesss, a "condition of efo obesession and inability to resist the drive toward immediate gratification." repression of women, frat rapes, and wife beatings are typical outcomes of the alcoholic lifestyle.

An interesting account of one author's personal journey through experimentation with entheogens. Pinchbeck shares his experiences with Iboga (African psychotropic ritual substance) and Ayahuasca (South American hallucinogenic tea) in a manner that is very personal and immersive, thinking out loud about his reliance on alcohol throughout life and how these substances have effected his permanent consciousness. I found the continual speculation about the meaning of "life, the universe and everything" to be tiring, but this was simply due to my own personal beliefs on the subjects and I do feel we need this sort of dialogue within society. My guess is that anyone wishing to read this book has some interest in man's history with mind altering plants, and with that in mind, Pinchbeck has proved himself capable of engaging writing that pulls the reader in and immerses them in his own feelings and thoughts, aiding our own mental conversations.