Did Roman Emperors take LSD?
In this video, we explore the Eleusinian Mysteries, in which the greatest Greek philosophers and Roman emperors participated, and we discuss the use of psychedelics throughout history.
Jordan Peterson pre-orders: https://www.ateliermissor.com/product...
SOURCES AND DOCUMENTATION:
Books I mention:
The Road to Eleusis by Wasson, Hofmann, and Ruck: https://amzn.to/3kl8PDZ
The Immortality Key by Muraresku: https://amzn.to/2W93cAk
Here are some studies by Professor Roland Griffiths:
Effect of Psilocybin on Cancer Patients: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27909...
Note: The effects appear to be entirely mediated by the mystical experience, meaning that if psilocybin administration does not result in a mystical experience, the beneficial effects (reduction of Anxiety). The direct cause of the improvement in their condition is therefore more phenomenological than pharmacological.
Two-thirds of atheists no longer identify as atheists after a mystical experience: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31013...
Psilocybin as a treatment for smoking cessation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27441...
Psilocybin as a treatment for depression: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33146...
Correction: We know that initiates had to drink the kykeon, but the Hymn to Demeter only mentions its composition, not that they had to drink it.
As for cheese, it is not mentioned in the Hymn to Demeter but in another kykeon described in the Odyssey.
Contents:
00:00: The Eleusinian Mysteries
03:12: Wasson, Hofmann, and Ruck's Psychedelic Hypothesis
06:12: Muraresku's Quest
09:19: Shamanic Traditions and Recent Studies
12:30: Religions Between Sacred Order and Divine Chaos
Podcasts:
Muraresku and Ruck on Peterson's show: • The Immortality Key; Psychedelics and the ...
Muraresku on Lex Fridman's show: • Brian Muraresku: The Secret History of Psy...
Muraresku also appeared on Joe Rogan's show; it's available on Spotify.
A classic, Aldous Huxley's *The Doors of Perception*: https://amzn.to/3gfdEgS
For those with a more escapist bent, there's also The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross by John Marco Allegro: https://amzn.to/3j2IKKt
This book destroyed his career: in it, he argues that Christianity emerged from Semitic sects that practiced shamanic fertility cults.
It's philological, so not very accessible, especially since he tries to reconstruct words that have no known trace in languages like Assyrian or Aramaic.
The book is highly contested by specialists but offers some interesting insights.
For those interested in Jung, here is a letter he wrote about LSD and mescaline: https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.b...