Customer Reviews

Flesh of the Gods: The Ritual Use of Hallucinogens

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Even though this volume is an expanded and edited version of a series of lectures in UCLA, first published in 1972, the material presented is surprisingly relevant today, as Dr. Furst points out in his Introduction to the 1990 edition. Not all of the chapters read like spoken word, however, so the reader must bring a keen interest to break through some dense language. Nevertheless, the description of ritual intoxication with all manner of drugs will open the eyes of the unenlightened in our culture who assign drug use to the derelict and immoral. From Tobacco and Cannabis to the more potent hallucinogens from the Iboga and Peyote plants, the authors of the various chapters display true expertise across fields ranging from botany to psychology. One thesis is even presented that the origins of religion were catalysed by different hallucinogenic mushrooms by global locality! Overall, though, the volume is helped a great deal by the historical context provided by Dr. Furst's introduction, and I really got a sense of how this area of study developed over time. For a student of human nature, this book grew on me until I didn't realize how much time was passing! You may find, as I did, that some of the ritual behavior (along with the bizarre) is less "savage" than the stereotype of indigenous peoples and more like social groups closer to home. The discussion ranges across wide enough areas of interest to find some spark for most readers.

"Flesh of the Gods" is, along with Harner's "Hallucinogens and Shamanism" (which came out the year after), one of the very best of the few anthology sources on this fascinating subject. Furst has a fine command of the themes and questions of interest on this topic, as reflected in his introduction, his piece on Huichol peyotism, and his selection of other pieces included. Some of the articles in here are theoretically profound, such as LaBarre's piece on the likely role of hallucinogenic plants in the cultural origins of religion. Others are tour de force studies of specific manifestations, like Douglas Sharon's work on traditional use of San Pedro cactus in the Andes, and Fernandez' report on iboga religion in Africa. The latter offers an ethnographic analogy for some of what we see in the New World (some forms of peyotism for example) that is startling when you consider how widely separated these culture areas are in their histories and origins. These, along with other offerings by some of the foremost authorities (R.G. Wasson, R.E. Schultes, etc.) help make this an invaluable source. Highly recommended for those in search of sound, educated perspective and authoritative understanding of a poorly understood (and often misrepresented) subject.

"Flesh of the Gods" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy