Ayahuasca: Human Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature [Paperback]

Ralph Metzner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 1999

Ever since the "consciousness revolution" in the 1960s, dedicated spiritual seekers and scientific researchers from all continents have explored the world of psychoactive and hallucinogenic plants. In Ayahuasca, objective scientific information and the narratives of ayahuasca users -- shamans and others -- are presented together. Readers will also learn the pharmacology of this Amazonian plant.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ayahuasca is a tea made from two plants found, until recently, only in the Amazon basin. Indigenous people of the region have used it for medicinal and shamanic purposes since time immemorial. In the last century, it has been ceremonially incorporated by polyglot Christian/goddess religions springing up in Brazil and by seekers on the margins of consciousness exploration. In this book, Metzner, a hallucinogenic and mystical experience researcher for over 35 years, has compiled essays and journal-type writings from a wide assortment of people who have experienced its divinity-evoking effects--28 scientists, psychologists, chemists, curious laypeople, and practitioners of these religions. While uneven in literary ability, each contributor provides an insightful peek behind the curtain of an experience that until now has been shrouded in tribal secrecy and cult ritual--truly an adventure into the Amazon of the mind. --Randall Cohan

About the Author

Ralph Metzner, Timothy Leary's colleague at Harvard and a pioneer in psychedelic research, lives in Sonoma, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (April 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560251603
• ISBN-13: 978-1560251606
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,254,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Medical Books > Pharmacology > Neuropsychopharmacology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, Thorough, professional, well-written!, July 16, 2001

By 

Robert Anderson (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ayahuasca: Human Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature (Paperback)

This book discusses Ayahuasca from a variety of perspectives: historical, religious, chemical, cultural, horticultural and experiencial. The way the book is structured it would be easy for a reader to skip over the topics that don't interest them. All of the information is presented in a thorough, well-written, and objective manner offering some conclusions while at the same time allowing the reader to form their own.

Most interesting were the 25 or so personal accounts, 3-4 pages each written by people who appeared to Americans/Westerners who took the drug for religious/spiritual purposes and in a religious/spiritual setting. It was clear, based on their mindset (objectives and beliefs) and the religious setting that Ayahuasca seems to somehow create a religious construct through which a person can work through personal issues or sort through personal beliefs. The experience seemed to have a profound affect on most of these people.

Overall, I got the impression that Ayahuasca was not connecting these individuals to something divine outside of themselves, but rather that it was freeing the brain up to explore the subconscious/ID in order to resolve problems or explore issues in the persons life.

Well worth reading if you're interested in this sort of thing.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metzner Rules, October 21, 2002

By 

Author Brian Wallace (Mind Transmission, Inc.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ayahuasca: Human Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature (Paperback)

It is rare for me to have such unbridled praise for any individual writer, but Metzner is quite simply a shining intellect - a hero among others.

Anything with the name Ralph Metzner even remotely attached to it is a safe buy. Metzner brings vitality and encyclopedic awareness to every project. An elder statesman responsible for such dramatic shifts in consciousness within this nation and throughout the world, buy his works and read them with pleasure.

What is striking about this work is the respect he brings to the subject and the well-constructed tapestry of thought contained within the pages.

Also, the design of this book is beautiful.

Solid content with the stamp of greatness. Palatable to the senses and nourishing to the neurons.

Cannot go wrong here!