Amanita Caps and Shamanism
Excerpted with permission from Mushrooms & Mankind by James
Arthur
A look into the world mythologies reveals numerous
claims of beings that have ascended beyond death into a spiritual
dimension. A spiritual realm which is attainable through a quest, or
search, for that illusive elixir of immortality. By virtue of this
being so cosmopolitan throughout ancient documents, there appears to
be a type of extreme importance to this life-quest. Also we must
assume a historical common source, which appears to be, the indigenous
natural practice of Shamanism. Certainly, before man could even write,
let alone establish any sort of organized religion, those primitive
humans fortunate enough to happen upon plants that expanded
consciousness, suddenly became aware of something beyond the normal
physical reality. This realization must have developed a new
contemplation of death, and a desire for the individual to achieve
immortality, and even to have a type of mythic hero's adventure along
the way. This ascension beyond death mythology is also constantly
found in the same context as plant entheogens, which produce the
"death experience" (the function of the elixir). This receiving of the
death experience, to conquer death spiritually, is the core study and
practically the definition of Shamanism. Especially when compared to
most spiritual traditions, which downplay, repress, or otherwise
completely obscure any and all references to the usage of entheogeinc
plants, within the doctrinal belief system they profess to practice.
This, in itself, is the core of the oppression of the natural
indigenous spirituality, as it is, in its full fruition. The
religious/societal oppression must be recognized as dogmatic, and
repressive in nature by exposing the suppression of diverse individual
human drives and fulfillment. Replacing natural human instincts to
[1)Expand consciousness. 2) Heighten awareness. 3) Experience plant
substances. 4) Freely enjoy sexuality. 5) Engage in rhythmic dance and
trance.] with a societal model of moral judgments towards the freedom
of these expressions, condemning them as a universal truth, and
usurping authority to relinquish them to the nature of soul condemning
sin is an absolute atrocity against mankind.
The nature of the hero's journey towards immortality also is
associated with the search for an ultimate truth , of which finding,
is a necessary step toward this goal of immortality. This also is a
step taken in Shamanism, which the plant entheogens are known to
teach, if one is able to understand. It is this teaching, which must
strip away that which is in conflict with the natural indigenous
makeup of the individuals seeker's belief system. Tuning the mind
towards the higher frequency vibrations, which must be attuned to, in
order to conquer death on a Spiritual (which is also physical) level.
When the physical body dies, the Spirit is thought to wake, if the
hero is able to make this happen. This is the practice of Shamanism,
the journey into the death experience, the deep psychological
introspection/judgment through plant induced states, in preparation
for the inevitability of the ultimate event, the crowning glory of
life itself, death. This is at the forefront of the Shamanic practice,
rather than a quest relegated to the deity one worships. It resides at
the core of individual experience.
One experiences heaven and hell, and all points in-between. The hell
being mostly experienced as one recognizes, and then rejects
(sometimes kicking and screaming) the deceptions accepted into one's
cosmological belief system. Especially where these beliefs are deeply
imbedded through years of societal conditioning, and are in direct
contradiction with that indigenous spiritual nature of man. They
become a second nature thought process, of which everything "one
believes" relies upon, as the self manifested, yet culturally
conditioned, as their foundation of existence. Much of the conflict
between culturally imbedded belief and the naturally experienced
indigenous nature of humanity revolves around sexuality. Freud was
adamant in his thesis, wherein society must suppress, repress and
fully renounce the instinctual drives in order for cultural
advancement (this is recognition of the motivation behind patriarchal
systems). According to Wilhelm Reich: "Freud's basic idea is that
cultural achievements result from sublimated sexual energy, indicating
that sexual suppression, or repression, is an indispensable factor in
establishing any culture. Now there is already historical proof that
this concept is erroneous, for there are highly cultured societies in
which sexual suppression is non-existent and whose members enjoy
completely free sexual lives. Thus is the nature of indigenous
societies. It was precisely my attempts at a sex-political criticism
of culture that gave weight to our very first differences of opinion."
(Italics mine) Wilhelm Reich was talking about this very oppression of
humanity's indigenous and natural spirituality, through an attack on
individual freedom at its root source, sexuality. Freud's concept is a
simple description of Patriarchal, sex-negative, entheogen denying,
religious systems. That philosophy which is carried forward, and
enforced by governmental regulation. A clear separation of church and
state certainly must excise any attempt toward governmental sexual
regulation, outside the scope of rape. And the same must not regulate
the ingestion of plant entheogens, which are spiritual in nature. It
is the very nature of the established religious/political bond which
perpetuates the sex-negative, consciousness repressive society. This
repression of mind and body, enforced by religious/governmental
genocide, of all who resist their attempts at conversion, is exactly
that life-force in human beings which is crying out from the past for
retribution and reestablishment as the true spiritual human nature
exiled. It is also always the quest of the hero to free friends,
family and the world from an oppressive damaging tyrant or government.
Of course one must first recognize that the tyranny exists, and why.
This is the quest that must be carried on, and it should not be taken
lightly. It is not an easy task, ever. Yet it is the quest of every
human incarnated. The degree to which one accepts the task is
oftentimes determined by how much a person is aware of their
surroundings, the repressive nature of their environment, and whether
or not they possess, and are not afraid to express, a sincere desire
to do something about it. It is the very deep conditioning, and
abstract yet convincing supposed logic, that holds grip upon most of
the culturally initiated, in order to keep them in tow, as faithful
servants of that very nature which creates spiritual conflict, and
forces beings into reincarnation. Spiritual Death is that which
consumes those who are not in contact with indigenous spirituality
(which incorporates full individual freedom) but choose, consciously
or unconsciously, to be the repressed and the repressors. Wilhelm
Reich was imprisoned, died mysteriously thereafter, and his books
confiscated and burned in the incinerators in New York by the FDA, in
an attempt to stamp out once again the uprising of the indigenous
natural spirituality of humanity, as it tries to break free of the
corporate/religio-governmentally enforced repression.
Shamanism affords one the opportunity to experience these death and
rebirth experiences, as practice for conquering actual death, as well
as to receive the indigenous teaching that can be passed on to those
interested in doing the same. That this indigenous teaching recognizes
the repression of the human soul, on a global level, should not be
surprising. Each individual knows within themselves the natural path,
and is wounded spiritually through past life experiences of
repression. This is imbedded into the psyche, and manifests as a fear
of those authority figures pushing this repression, or a fear of
challenging them. It is amazing the resistance an individual can
muster to a reshaping of their belief system. Fiercely humans hold to
their beliefs, rejecting anything that challenges their paradigm. Even
to the point of becoming themselves the enforcers of their own
oppression. This is exactly that process which one goes through at
death. The inability to let go of repressive belief, is the conflict
which forces death and rebirth, holding one within the revolving door
of incarnation. Which the indigenous Shaman, writers of the Hindu
Vedas, call Samsara (the wheel of life).
So Shamanism does operate on an individual basis. The teachings are in
direct opposition to those societal, religious and political norms.
The industrial revolution, high technology, and the established
patriarchal systems of Society have consciously attempted to stamp out
the indigenous natural cultures of the planet, under the guise of
civilizing the savage man. I for one am not buying it. If there is to
be some type of rebirth of the planet, global enlightenment, an entry
into a golden age, it must be centered around the true nature of
mankind, and not a rehashing of the same old fake status-quo. There
will never be a global awakening which reveals everything religion has
taught us about sin, guilt and repression of natural desires was right
all along. The worse case scenario is this oppressive religio-governmental
society gains more and more control and ability to enforce their
beliefs on more individuals. A literal hell-on-earth is the end
result. This will continue this situation, where that true indigenous
spirituality cries from the deepest recesses of each of our souls, and
the over-soul of humanity itself, to be set free, and we owe it to
future generations not to let this happen to them.
The Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric) is the cornerstone of Shamanism, producing the
quintessential death and rebirth experience. Despite the fact that
Shamanism, by nature, rejects the yokes of patriarchal religion,
Shamanism is the cornerstone of all Religions. Yet religion, as we
have it today, by its very nature, has completely lost the natural
indigenous freedom it professes to impart, the Natural Indigenous
spiritual awakening for each individual by the plant of immortality,
the most ancient of all spiritual traditions. In fact the key to the
individual's quest for immortality. This event is also the awakening
of the Spiritual being, which, although professed by most religious
organizations, has an actuality that is seldom realized. Even
Shamanism, in its various forms, is certainly not without its
patriarchal sub-groups, and sex-negative branches, all things can be
polluted, and in this world it seems that anytime something good rises
to the surface, the desire of man to gain control and power winds up
ruining it. It is possible to cut through and discard these
corruptions, this is the way to get at the real nature of what
religion should be all about. There must be meat and matter discovered
somewhere in the historical roots of human consciousness which gave
birth to the common quest mythologies of the world. This puts forward
a good case for mankind’s indigenous, and most likely oldest form of
natural spirituality, Shamanism. Thanks to this
excerpt, written by James Arthur,
Author of "Mushrooms &
Mankind"
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