Another interesting book,if you're into this sort of thing: a memoir by Dennis McKenna about the exploits of he and big brother, Terrence ("The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss"). Both of these guys are (were for Terrence: d) at age 51 of a brain tumor) psychedelic explorers, Terrence the kind of hippie I idealized in my youth. Both would try just about any mind-drug there was - and do it again and again, following it to its depths. There's a lot to say about these type of guys (besides 'stupid') , and I know of what I speak, having inhabited that world myself, but never with that sort of courage. To take mushrooms, for instance, day after day for months in the Columbian jungle - the strangeness would seem unbearable.
Yet they did it all and came back from it all with interesting ideas; but not all were exceptional ideas. What Dennis said about traditional religion was to be expected, but still so shallow when I read the words. Raised a Catholic, he ended his personal history with it by saying, "I hope it rots in its own hypocrisy and decay" or something similar. Yes, to be expected, and yet ....he wrote several pages on the deep meaning of Christ, and got much of that right, as far as I could see, but to him, ALL organized religions were only tools of the power structure to control the people. In my youth, I agreed with this; now I see this as especially shallow and callow. Religions have been used to control the masses, no question about it, particularly the Catholic Church in the Euro tradition, but that is not only NOT was what it was intended to do, but simply not the only thing that it ever did. In Europe after pagan Rome, the Church was unusually beneficent - rulers actually had a mission, often not followed, to enlighten the peasants into Christian ways - and practices. And in pure practice, Christianity fought tooth and nail with power. It periodically fell from this height, often with a huge crash, but everyone knew what its mission should be, and sometimes was and is.
To put this in plain perspective, Dennis claimed that psychedelics were banned by Christian society to control the means to the sacred - in other words, to remain an unchallenged monopoly for spiritual - and temporal - power. Yet Aztec society was awash in sacred mushrooms, and had one of the most brutal political and spiritual monopolies in history. The stories of mass human sacrifice were true. Yes, the use of the mushrooms were reserved for the priesthood, but this did not make the priesthood - the very people who tore out the beating hearts of the human sacrifices - any more benevolent or loving. And, of course the regular people - particularly on the periphery - did use them, and other mind expanding drugs. Yet we would be hard pressed to find benevolence anywhere in the southern half of Mexico before the conquest. After wasn't much better, but it was better. Dennis should recall this.
And now the Catholic church no longer has official power - along with many other traditional religions. I can't see how it isn't obvious to everyone that such religions benefit more than harm. Dennis didn't like the sex issues with the church, from its notions of sin to its molesters, and much of this is true. But is society at large happier now that the average person does not feel guilt for sex? Are we better off in general without the moral guidance of a traditional religion? Moreover, is a wide open individualistic view of psychedelic weirdness really more worthy than the shared insights of the holiest of men and women throughout history? His view is shared by drug rebels throughout the world, not as an insight but as a social truth. But since it is real truth that they are after, shouldn't they put don't the rebel armor now and then so that they might find it? FK
Yet they did it all and came back from it all with interesting ideas; but not all were exceptional ideas. What Dennis said about traditional religion was to be expected, but still so shallow when I read the words. Raised a Catholic, he ended his personal history with it by saying, "I hope it rots in its own hypocrisy and decay" or something similar. Yes, to be expected, and yet ....he wrote several pages on the deep meaning of Christ, and got much of that right, as far as I could see, but to him, ALL organized religions were only tools of the power structure to control the people. In my youth, I agreed with this; now I see this as especially shallow and callow. Religions have been used to control the masses, no question about it, particularly the Catholic Church in the Euro tradition, but that is not only NOT was what it was intended to do, but simply not the only thing that it ever did. In Europe after pagan Rome, the Church was unusually beneficent - rulers actually had a mission, often not followed, to enlighten the peasants into Christian ways - and practices. And in pure practice, Christianity fought tooth and nail with power. It periodically fell from this height, often with a huge crash, but everyone knew what its mission should be, and sometimes was and is.
To put this in plain perspective, Dennis claimed that psychedelics were banned by Christian society to control the means to the sacred - in other words, to remain an unchallenged monopoly for spiritual - and temporal - power. Yet Aztec society was awash in sacred mushrooms, and had one of the most brutal political and spiritual monopolies in history. The stories of mass human sacrifice were true. Yes, the use of the mushrooms were reserved for the priesthood, but this did not make the priesthood - the very people who tore out the beating hearts of the human sacrifices - any more benevolent or loving. And, of course the regular people - particularly on the periphery - did use them, and other mind expanding drugs. Yet we would be hard pressed to find benevolence anywhere in the southern half of Mexico before the conquest. After wasn't much better, but it was better. Dennis should recall this.
And now the Catholic church no longer has official power - along with many other traditional religions. I can't see how it isn't obvious to everyone that such religions benefit more than harm. Dennis didn't like the sex issues with the church, from its notions of sin to its molesters, and much of this is true. But is society at large happier now that the average person does not feel guilt for sex? Are we better off in general without the moral guidance of a traditional religion? Moreover, is a wide open individualistic view of psychedelic weirdness really more worthy than the shared insights of the holiest of men and women throughout history? His view is shared by drug rebels throughout the world, not as an insight but as a social truth. But since it is real truth that they are after, shouldn't they put don't the rebel armor now and then so that they might find it? FK
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