The Psychedelic Gospels

What a gentle, careful, scholarly, personal, and all together splendid book! This is not only a provocative and solidly researched book but is an engaging adventure story, a personal story as well as an important contribution to our understanding of the interweaving of psychedelic use and the history of Christianity. * James Fadiman, Ph.D, author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide * A fascinating piece of scholarly work that opens new possibilities of understanding human consciousness. * David Crosby, singer-songwriter * The authors make obvious and pleasant the idea that there was a high degree of psychedelic use in the early Christian church, far from the exoteric component, something mysterious kept for the initiated few, which might arouse some anger at the system that kept it from their beloved faithful. * Carlos Adrian Hernandez Tavares, coauthor of Mitologia Personal * Impeccably researched and lavishly illustrated, The Psychedelic Gospels reads like a page-turning mystery thriller. An interdisciplinary treasure chest overflowing with rare information, unique insights, and some truly extraordinary head-slapping 'aha' moments. The authors present a compelling case for the influence of entheogens among early Christians. * David Jay Brown, author of Dreaming Wide Awake and The New Science of Psychedelics * Part travelogue, part anthropological meditation, and part groundbreaking study showing the use of sacred mushrooms in Christian iconography, The Psychedelic Gospels gives readers one of the most unusual books they will ever encounter. Jerry and Julie Brown present a lively account of a psychedelic theory of religion and tell us why it's been suppressed for so many years. * Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books & Books * This book expertly navigates through the iconography of mushroom symbolism throughout the ages. One clear message comes through: mushrooms have played a central role in the evolution of human consciousness and, indeed, religion. Thought provoking and well articulated, the authors present a solid case for their thesis. This is an important book to contemplate. * Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World * We live at a time when confused and undisciplined thinking clashes with narrow-minded bigotry. Thus, it is more important than ever to keep an open mind-open to new ideas, open also to rigorous scholarship. Too often, wishful thinking has misled well-intentioned academics, and the media are notorious for sensationalism. I, therefore, applaud the authors for proposing the establishment of an interdisciplinary committee to evaluate the discoveries they present and the conjectures they make in The Psychedelic Gospels. * Brother David Steindl-Rast, Order of Saint Benedict * Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms. Once you start looking you see them everywhere. Keep your mind open. Wider! * Ben Sessa, MBBS (MD), MRCPsych, psychiatrist and psychedelic researcher * The Psychedelic Gospels is heretical, revolutionary, and outrageous. It claims that there is a direct relationship between the founding and development of Western religions and psychoactive substances and that this is a continuation of an amalgamation of many mind-altering practices and fertility cults found in the Middle East. The scholarship behind these provocative perspectives is impressive, and the hidden subtexts of Christian art are compelling. * Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Saybrook University * . . . possibly uncovers one of the most secret, historical findings of our times--the influence of psychedelics as an integral part of the early Christian experience. . . . bold, courageous, and insightful. A must read! * Gerald Jampolsky, M.D., and Diane Cirincione-Jampolsky, Ph.D., coauthors of A Mini Course for Life * I found this book to be a compelling, entertaining account of one couple's quest for the hallucinogenic Holy Grail--a mind-altering travelogue across continents and conspiracy theories. It's The Da Vinci Code meets The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. * Don Lattin, bestselling author of The Harvard Psychedelic Club * A great read I recommend to anyone interested in the spiritual aspects of the psychedelic experience. * Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies *