Customer Reviews

Salvia Divinorum: Doorway to Thought-Free Awareness

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This book is a very fine addition to the literature on Salvia divinorum, of which, as far as I am aware, is devoid of books like this one. It is essentially a well written reflection upon, and report of, the author's experiences with Salvia divinorum; it is very similar to Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, and hence, if you enjoyed that book, you will probably enjoy this one as well.

This book is a reprint of Peopled Darkness: Perceptual transformation through Salvia divinorum.

One of the best books ever on the subject. The author is able to describe the indescribable and ineffable experience of the salvia divinorum dimension. Terence Mckenna came up with the imperative to develop 'hyperspatial maps', and this book is a perfect example. Over a number of journeys, the author is able to see and communicate patterns and similarities to help one navigate the perplexing and alien aspects of the 'salvia dimension'. However personal the journey may be, there is enough here to furnish an anchor for us out here in 'reader-land' !! As good as Castaneda in terms of shamanic exploration but without Castaneda's fictional aspects. Comparable to the late Dan Carpenter's excellent 'A Psychonaut's Guide to the Invisible Landscape'.

For those who have read erratic internet accounts of the effects of Salvia Divinorum, this book will come as welcome relief. J. D. Arthur is involved with this plant medicine for the long term, not just for the occasional high or wild ride. He explores not only the wide range of altered realities but also places focus on the existential implications of knowing that our "fixed" consensus consciousness is only a minimal version of what being "alive" is. He deals with the questions about the nature of the personal self vs. an unlimited reality that can arise once he has slipped out of life defined by the mind and senses. If you are using SD or thinking about trying it, reading this book will give you some perspective. His experience will not be yours, but his point of view is underwritten by the kind extensive experience most have not acquired. Whether you read this book or not, you should be asking yourself why you want to try SD. Don't accept stupid thoughts as reasons. Unexamined ideas can lead to bad decisions.

He begins by stating that the overriding reality of his experience is the presence of alien beings. He describes them as neither benign nor malign. They are what they are. They do things that at once seem both familiar and alien. Sometimes he is noticed by these beings; sometimes he is ignored; sometimes he is taken into a learning experience by one or more; sometimes he is frightened by loss of contact with his earth life. Of course, that situation brings up the question of who one is when one's mind disappears and one's senses can be altered into any kind of possibility, and when one starts learning a language that cannot be passed into the mind once the SD wears off. Although I cannot recommend anyone follow his path of copious journeys, some separated by very little time, it is clear to me that moving into these altered realities and integrating that experience into daily earth life is a lifetime commitment. There are questions, he discovered, working at the core of his existence that need expression. If he is committed to letting those questions work their way into his human existence, how deep into unlimited experiential possibilities must he travel in order to let them live here? Arthur is an adult making adult decisions about real things, not a rambler rustling up strange experiences.

Arthur rarely had a sitter. For that choice, I would have to say he is not a good role model. He recognizes the importance of a sitter even though he has traveled on the other side mostly by himself. At times beings on the other side refused to take him further without the assistance of a sitter to protect his body, and many beings he encountered, realizing he was not dead, wanted nothing to do with him. Gradually Arthur came to the conclusion that this kind of altered reality was over the line that separates human life and death. Whereas most human beings have very limited concepts of life after death, confined as they are by the mind's limited capabilities, Arthur's experiences suggest that the possibilities are infinite. That realization alone is frightening because the human mind is a very limited organ of perception and does not take too kindly to the apprehension of things infinite.

What I missed in this book is some sense of how using SD, especially to the degree he used it, affected his personal life. He makes reference to his wife. I wonder how he can take on alternative realities without compromising who she is existentially. By relying mostly on his memory and his journal entries for evaluating his experiences, he leaves open what it means to be human. Since having a human body is a foundation of his human life and a significant factor on the other side, knowing something about him besides his profession would be invaluable in that context.

I have had only one experience with SD. It was very mild in comparison to what is described in this book. During that half hour, I had a real sense of another presence, which was protecting me from a more penetrating experience. What I got out of it, however, was to ask myself what my intent was. Anyone who does this just for fun is still playing in the sandbox. This is serious business. SD needs to be honored. What is clear from this book is that this plant opens doors most people have no business entering.

It's hard to imagine a better examination of the effects of salvia divinorum than J.D. Arthur's highly readable account of his personal journeys into the mysteries of this shamanic plant. Arthur packs a lot of information into a rather slim book. Checking in at around 130 pages, though, the book is anything but slight. The content is challenging and important.

Highly recommended.

Though the authors experiences do not reflect my own in a visual sense - the inner dimensional complexities of his experience concept describes in great prose the overall perception I came away with after my first encounter with Salvia. Indeed I could not formulate the words into any rational understanding that could satisfy even myself, but James Arthur has observed closely and meticulously the paradoxical realm of other-reality that lies just beyond our cognitive vibrational periphery which Salvia dials in like high speed internet. Essential.

The author is correct in that there is little written on Salvia and with this caveat, it is probably one of the better on the subject per se.

The Good - The author approaches Salvia D. with the appropriate respect and caution that one of the most powerful halucinogens on the planet deserves. That the author does not explore this plant teacher recreationally is to be commended and the descriptions of the 'trips' and effects are quite well portrayed.

The Bad - Aside from the initial few chapters dealing directly with personal accounts, the text lacks direction and focus. There does not seem to ba a specific popint or direction to much of the book which makes the last 2/3's very hard going indeed.

This said, there are gems of insight scattered in the generally aimless discussions that mnake the book worth the low purchase price. I guess to sum it up, I am not disappointed with the book as it is so much as its failure to reach the potential of the author's obvious narrative skill and writing ability.

Last Word - If anyone is thinking of entering into Salvia D.'s world, or has a loved one who is, this book is well worth getting for the gems that are within, especially on the systematic and cautious approach demonstrated by the author.

I bought this book due to the lack of literature on Salvia Divinorum... The book is rather short, and pretty much a published journal of his experiences. It seems to lack any true direction besides an account of his inner journeys. For as short as it is, it could have even been shorter to achieve the same goal. Reiteration becomes more common than any true exploration of his experiences. Despite it being subjective conjecture, I would have liked to have seen J.D Arthur look into any personal meaning of the visions. Did they mirror anything happening in this life? Were they representative of any subconscious issues, like one's dreams? Were they akin to "The Otherness" McKenna spoke of? Or simply chemically induced mental tessellations with no real personification of self? The plant holds a lot of power behind its imagery and I hope to see more people take on the philosophical and psychological offerings it may possess.

He should be commended for his approach to the topic, and dedication to the experience. The plant is respected and the inward journeys well documented. It isn't just a recreational jaunt for him. He identifies the awkwardness one feels to try to find a language to convey what one experiences, sees, and feels under Salvia Divinorum... and he does his best. I felt however, compared to my own experiences as well as the plethora of (intelligent) trip reports available on the internet, there was a real zeal missing from his writings. Not that they were static or clinical, just not as poetic as the stunning inner realm could be.

I suggest this to be a good book for anyone that hopes to try Salvia responsibly. It offers some insight on one of the most powerful entheogens to gain interest in recent years. For the seasoned veteran of psychoactive experimentation, it might fall short of expectations. All in all, I am happy that someone has taken the time to devote themselves to the plant and convey his experiences. Hopefully more will follow suit and expand upon Salvia Divinorum's possible place in a modern-day psyche.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper insight into the ineffable and visceral experience achieved with Salvia. The sheer volume of work that has been carefully crafted into an easy to read succinct expression and experience of this Salvian state over a period of 5 years makes it the perfect introduction to anyone interested in this powerful entheogen. I like that the author does not pretend to hold any authority over the experiences or Salvia making this a book one of integrity, personal discovery and an important book to add to any library in the exploration of entheogens in our modern world.

This is a fairly thin book. It reads about a man experimenting with different versions/strengths of salvia, which he says that smoking is more potent then the tincture or chewing the leaves.

The molecules in the salvia plant connect to receptors in the brain and causes one to have vivid and intense visions and hallucinations.

The experiences he had with salvia are very similar to the ones we encounter in the dream state or which he calls, "the land of the dead" where supposedly the dead reside or the death realm. Maybe this is why some philosophers regard sleep as death's sister. The only difference from these visions and the dream state is that we are supposedly more conscious, similar to how you are now in reading this post, in the salviac state whereas in the dreamstate we are not as conscious of our surroundings or an altered state of consciousness.

He also recounts how he saw cartoonish like figures in his vision. It reminded me so much of the cartoonish types things I would see from time to time in my severely depressed states (when drifting off to sleep) when I was on/off anti-depressants w/out the help of salvia or LSD.

He speaks about certain beings and people he encounters in that other realms and how most appear content with their state of being but look upon him with caution as if he's not supposed to be there.

I think I was expecting a little more from this book, but it was a pretty interesting read.

This book will give you a good idea about this plant and it's effect on users. It's also very interesting reading. Easy to read.