ePub Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals by Huston Smith in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Well thought out.By A long standing Jung / Hesse fanIt`s a well placed afterthought to Huxley`s work. We are beginning to understand the mind`s logic and how it can be enhanced.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Valuable scholarship for a number of reasonsBy Gregory OlsenThis book collects essays from nearly 40 years of Smith's research into psychedelics. It addresses a number of issues:o The experiential dimension of the drugso The relationship of the drugs to religiono The history of psychedelics in the United StatesThe historical dimension is fascinating for children of the baby boomers; who are too young to have experienced the 1960s. He discusses the experiements conducted at various institutions in the 1960s. He talks about Aldous Huxley; Albert Hoffman; and Timothy Leary.Leary gets special attention in the essay on the viability of the drug culture as a new religious movement.I recommend reading this book after having read the classic The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley. This volume gives a much more mature perspective; since it is a retrospective decades after the fact.I highly recommend this book to several audiences. The first obvious audience is the would-be psychonaut. The book recounts the authors experiences with psychedelics. (The author prefers the term entheogens.) Students of religion would also benefit from this book. The author is a professor of religious studies; and several of the essays collected in this volume deal directly with the mystical experience brought on by the drugs.28 of 28 people found the following review helpful. A Fascinating BookBy Paul FucichI found this book to be very interesting. Most of the people that I have known who are part of the "drug culture" (and by drug culture I mean anyone who partakes of any drug on a regular basis) would have no idea of the value of the chemistry covered in this book. Why?; Because our culture primarily abuses drugs. Personally I have not yet met an individual who did not use chemistry in conjunction with their dysfunction. Unfortunately; this book will be appreciated mainly by the few folks who have no serious chemical addiction. I loved this book and found it fascinating.I was especially fascinated by the chapter on Stanislav Grof. I learned more about pure psychotherapy from this book than any book I have read on the subject.This book speaks about cultures within cultures such as The Native American Church. It illuminates the fact that there are societies who use natures chemistry to fight drug addiction. Near the end of the book you hear the testimonials from the patrons of the Native American Church; and it is most enlightening.This book is about religion; philosophy; psychology; the science of mind; and the study of reality--all in one short and sweet text. I found it very eye-opening and inspiring.