Customer Reviews

Psychedelic Shamanism: The Cultivation, Preparation & Shamanic Use of Psychoactive Plants

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DeKorne's _Psychedelic Shamanism_ continues to be a Must Read for anyone who considers entheogens and psychedelics to be indispensable allies in their spiritual quest. I can, however, only give the book three stars at the present time. There are several reasons for this:

- His advice on extraction of DMT from familiar grasses is, he admits, flawed. Instead of extracting n,n-DMT, he extracted 5-meo-dmt. This is an enormously different psychoactive material with very different dosing guidelines and effects. Any search on the experience vault at erowid will demonstrate that 5-meo-dmt is a powerful and possibly dangerous (if dosed incorrectly) material and qualitatively vastly different from n,n-dmt. But the fact that he is extracting 5-meo-dmt instead of n,n-dmt is presented almost as a footnote. I really feel that whole chapter should be stricken.

- His remarks that Salvia Divinorum is a weak psychoactive omits all of Daniel Siebert's work on the subject. We now know that Salvia Divinorum is one of the most powerful and spiritually useful of the entheogenic allies. Any book on psychedelic shamanism that omits most of what we know about S.D. must at this time be considered quite dated.

The information in this book is so dated that about anything deKorne writes should be confirmed by Erowid and other sources first.

The lack of a detailed treatment of Set, Setting and Sitter is troubling in a book so many use as a working reference. Dosing guidelines are also not dealt with extensively. There is so much missing in this book.

Mr. deKorne's comments on entities and the imaginal realm are right on target. But observing that noetic space is populated, and that not all that we encounter is trustworthy, tells us very little about how to proceed in psychedelic space, and how to regard these entities and deal with these impressions. Psychonauts need better guidance at this point. Psychedelic Shamanism is a good, albeit dated, travelogue. That is a given. But we need much more than that at this point. We need methodology. We need true shamanic guidance.

A really great monograph on psychedelic methodology can be found on the Internet by searching on the phrase "Comments on the Psilocybin Mushroom." I can also recommend many of the books of Eckhart Tolle, Stanislav Grof, and the works of Ralph Metzner. Many of the ideas in Michael Harner's _Way of the Shaman_ can also be adapted to psychedelic work by the imaginative reader.

Unfortunately, there really is not any one good source of information on navigating the psychedelic realm. Start with deKorne, and use his bibliography to read the many other excellent books on the topic. Read everything you can at Erowid. At this point we all have to piece it together for ourselves. Trust nothing you read until you have confirmed it again, and again.

The ideas put forth in this work have the potential to revolutionize current thinking in psychology, psychiatry and religion, so be prepared to either have your mind blown and/or to suspect the author is a burnt out acid job. Personally I think DeKorne has gone through some serious mental and emotional trials and come out the other end amazingly lucid and wise. This book goes far to dispel some dangerous or romantic ideas going around about the ingestion of certain "hallucinogenic" plants, such as datura and morning glory seeds. DeKorne makes it clear that many of these plants are best avoided because all they have to offer is making the ingester deathly ill, and in some cases deathly dead. He gently steers the reader towards the more reliable substances, in particular psilocybin mushrooms. This is done by sharing a wealth of both personal and researched experience leading the reader to draw their own conclusions. For those adventurous enough to try the riskier entheogens, solid info on cultivation, processing and dosage is provided. Other than the psylocybin the DMT containing plants sound the most promising, though after reading this book (and experience with some of the other substances) I agree with the author that psilocybin mushrooms alone provide all the fuel anyone could ever need to launch into deep inner space, especially taken with an MAO inhibitor. This book further convinces me there is no need to mess with more dangerous substances since the dispersion of the tried, true and unarguably well disposed towards humanity magic mushrooms.

Even if you have no interest in ingesting the psychedelic substances described, this book is mind opening.

If you choose to take psychedelics, then the suggested dosages, tangible descriptions of the shamanic dimensions, color photos and drawings of the following plants will be very useful: Peyote, San Pedro, Salvia divinorum, DMT, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, Belladonna alkaloids and others.

Each one is explored in depth, by the author who has had personal experience in ingesting them. If psychedelic plants came as prescriptions with warning labels, they'd have this book attached to them.

DeKorne's book is a "must have" reference for anyonewho dabbles with plant extractions. His extraction techniques aremore like kitchen recipes than highfalutin, high tech organic chemistry procedures.

The book is subtitled "The Cultivation, Preparation and Shamanic Use of Psychotropic Plants" and includes the following chapters:

The Shamanic Hypothesis

Altered States

Shamanic Dimensions

The Experience of Many Worlds

Living in the One World

The Entities of the Imaginal Realm

Psychedelic Catalysts

The Belladonna Alkaloids

D-Lysergic Acid Amide: Morning Glory Seeds, Stipa Robusta

Mescaline: Peyote and San Pedro

Ayahuasca and Its Analogues: Harmine and DMT

Smokable DMT from Plants

Psilocybin: Magic Mushrooms

The Minor Psychedelics

Extraction Procedures

Some Thoughts about Technique

Here's a brief quote from the "Extraction Prodedures" chapter:

"In most aboriginal cultures, the extraction process for psychedelic plants is quite simple; as often as not, the shaman just boils down the raw materials in a pot and then drinks the concentrated brew. We come from a different tradition with different beliefs and expectations. For one thing, our 'civilized' tastes have been refined to the point where we have difficulty in ingesting anything we perceive as bitter or repulsive -- this, unfortunately, applies to most psychoactive botanicals. I know of no plant hallucinogen that actually tastes good, which I would want to eat even if it weren't a psychedelic. Westerners generally prefer pure compounds in the form of pills or capsules that can be easily swallowed, an efficiency which makes up in acceleration what it loses in verisimilitude.

"As much as I empathize with not wanting to ingest horrible tasting substances that make you feel sick, I have to endorse the more 'organic' position of shamanic alchemy. Much of the meaningful content of psychedelic shamanism comes from one's relationship with the substance before it is ingested; from planting the seed to experiencing the energy evoked by the plant involves a long series of profound and patient interactions. Such an intense rapport with a substance makes 'substance abuse' all but impossible.

"Nevertheless, the taste of some substances is so noxious that any extraction process than can mitigate the worst effects is certainly not an unreasonable transaction to make with the plant. The extraction procedure itself can be incorporated into the overall meditation. This is the rationale behind alchemy.

"There are many different drug recipes in print. Unfortunately, these are usually written by authors who make some unwarranted assumptions about their readership; not everyone interested in psychedelic extraction procedures is necessarily familiar with the language and principles of organic chemistry. In such cases, one is blindly following instruction that one does not fully understand. This is the antithesis of alchemy and an almost guaranteed way to make mistakes. Although complex laboratory procedures whould never by attempted by amateurs, there are many simple recipes that can be safely performed by any reasonably patient and intelligent person."

As you no doubt discern, DeKorne's book is more than a layman's instruction pamphlet. The man is a searcher and eloquent to boot. His attitude is sane and his temperment is that of a careful teacher.

Everyone who experiments with plants should have this book on their shelf ... It's perfect bound, but cheaply so, and falls apart with much use, but so what? The pages are numbered and so far I always get them back into the right order. :~)

I only heard of this book when it was referenced in Daniel Pinchbeck's superb and equally enjoyable "Breaking Open The Head." It clearly was a major inspiration for Pinchbeck's book, and the two make a great set for anyone seriously interested in Shamanism. It's true as noted in another review that some of the author's data is outdated and inaccurate. A revised edition is clearly in order, particularly regarding salvia divinorum, which is indeed one of the most potent entheogens thus discovered. "Sally" is a fickle sacrament, however, and DeKorne can be forgiven; he may have had a dud experience as many do. Despite the fact that there are several good web resources (and some great ones) with information regarding this subject, PSYCHEDELIC SHAMANISM is truly a classic in the genre, written from the standpoint of an intelligent and sophisticated "old head." It is entertaining and informative, offering insights and advice which shed important light on a multitude of shamanistic practices. DeKorne has a cool sense of humor and natural storytelling ability which make for great reading. I would put this book and Pinchbeck's at the TOP of any shamanic reading list and would read them both, starting with this one.

Probably the single most useful, informative book ever written on the subject of shamanism and the spiritual use of plants. Mr. DeKorne shares his own experiences and much helpful information, all of which is written in a straight forward, easily understood way. Anyone with an interest in healing the planet (as well as themselves) through a shamanistic approach should buy this book. It treats the subject with reverence, humility as well as honesty, with very little in the way of personal opinions of the author being presented as absolute facts. (Rare to find!) That I found this book at a time in my life where I needed guidance on this very subject is amazing. That it exists at all is somewhat of a miracle. Thank you Jim DeKorne. Your book is now part of my permanent spiritual library!

I have just finished reading Mr. DeKorne's book. I am floored, astounded, frightened, excited and hopeful after reading this book. It has opened my mind to many things. He treats the subject with the respect and intelligence it deserves. He has done an outstanding job explaining the shamanic use of psychotropic plants, how these plants can help us explore our own inner psyches, how they can expand our consciousness and prepare us for that inevitable venture, death. The potentials for exploring "hyperspace" are vast indeed. This book gives one a great intro to this area of interest. Although it is not a large work, it is solid and packed full of great insight and general information. I cannot say enough great things about this book. Thank you Mr. DeKorne!

I read this book and I have to say I liked it. It had interesting info about a variety of psychadelics, interesting info about more metiphysical aspect of tripping, and interesting info about extractions of legal psychadelics. This book also lead me to the plant Salvia Divinorum, which I have come to grow and love (hehe Get it..grow and love... err yeah nevermind)and for that feat alone I give this book 5 stars. Salvia is amazing and I am glad this book introduced me to it. I especially liked the section on the alternate dimensions and creatures that live in them.

I love this book! Finally someone who has a complete grasp on the subject and understands the imaginal realms as they might exist. It is obvious from the reading that Dekorne has done his homework and reveals to the readers the potentiality of specific psychedelics and what entity or belief system you may be subject to once you crossover into 'hyperspace'. As a mushroom user myself, I have definitely experienced 'voices' and other ancient mystified arenas that were very unknown to my space/mind reality, and so it was refreshing to read about other experiences that were to similar to my own.

Aside from the catalyst and dosage information, I absolutely loved Jim's stories at the beginning! They were funny and interesting to read, and revealed Dekorne as a very thoughtful
human being. It was nice to get such a great personality up front, and then enjoy the information thereafter. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in psychedelics!!! Dekorne will unravel some of the mystery of what you've been thinking about all along in your mind but never had a resource to really underline it for you.

This book is a bona fide classic of psychedelic literature. It separates its subject into two parts: The Shamanic Hypothesis, and Psychedelic Catalysts. The first part focuses on experience; the second on the plants, their psychedelic chemicals, and how to grow and ingest them. The writing is calm, clear and vivid; and the various warnings and advice given should be taken very seriously indeed. I recommend anyone interested in the subject of psychedelics to seek this book out and buy it.