Green Promise by Nemo Boko
The
Pharmacopoeia Maleficorum:
Drugs & Magick
by Hades
“I hate to recommend drugs,
violence or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for
me.”
- Hunter S. Thompson
Okay, kids… a few moments
of straight talk about entheogens! Speaking entirely hypothetically but
perhaps quite realistically now... we can’t deny that the modern
occult revival arrived gland-in-hand with the psychedelic revolution,
which made the musical and political and psychological culture of the
late 20th century into whatever the hell it was. As Owsley Stanley once
said, "Chemistry is applied theology.” A popular 1960s slogan was
"Reality is just a crutch for people who
can't handle drugs."
The powers-that-be have
always declared most mind-altering substances illegal, and since our
governments constantly lie to us, this clearly must mean that they are
probably very good things indeed. Their influence on all of human
history is undeniable, and the range of available possibilities
remarkable. Intoxication is a frequent metaphor for ecstasy in many
spiritual traditions. Consider Sufi or Skaldic poetry, recall the
brews, potions and flying ointments that led to the frenzies of the
Witches’ Sabbat, and the newly-made vintage of the wine in the
Dionysian Bacchanal; the peyote of the Native American vision quest and
the amanita mushrooms of the Siberian shaman; the lost sacred
substances of initiation into the Eleusinian mysteries and the fabled
Indic soma. I have no idea where toad-licking fits in. Chaos magick
rather coyly refers to all of this fun as "chemognosis". Modern science
is producing new brain drugs every day, and we might consider that many
traditional substances were pretty toxic and often had gawd-awful side
effects, from stuff like datura or jimson weed (the Manson Family was
into this!), and in parts of Africa the use of ‘ordeal poisons’. My,
don't those sound appetizing!
In magical terms I might seek to classify the possibilities by the
traditional four elements. On first view we might loosely classify
alcohol and all other liquids under the sphere of Water; smokables such
as marijuana, hashish and opium under Air; depressants would be Earth
and stimulants Fire; and the psychedelics are clearly Spirit. A little
bit can go a long way, and the importance of concentration and control
in many rituals could imply that it might be a bad idea to attempt some
of the more complicated practices while totally blitzed. Alternatively,
long centuries of tantrik tradition suggest that many rites are best
performed while happily whacked out of your skull. The decision must
then be based on exigent circumstances and the current beliefs of all
the individuals involved, and on the wisdom of Timothy Leary, who
always emphasized two vital aspects for any such experiment: set and
setting. Be in the right state and in the right time and place. The
mind-set previously programmed by the participants affects every aspect
of subsequent experience, and the setting or location and conditions
under which it takes place are vital to an effective and meaningful
outcome. It may also be prudent to have at least one sober person to
guard the circle and deal with any emergencies.
I
find that modern science conveniently accepts a fourfold division as
well, and the common classifications of intoxicants are inebriants,
hallucinogens, hypnotics, and stimulants. So:
Inebriants: this covers many unpleasant chemicals such as chloroform,
benzene, ether and other inadvisable solvents; but the best known and
most widely distributed is alcohol in all its countless varieties, and
the act of drinking must clearly relate to Water. The process of making
various forms of alcohol or 'spirits' is among the oldest types of
alchemy, and ale, mead, wine, and the harder stuff have been used in a
wide range of religio-magical contexts worldwide, while the brewing of
beer may well predate the baking of bread. Many ancient peoples also
mingled a wide variety of other unusual substances in their drinks of
choice; in Greece the fabled psychedelics of the Eleusinian Mysteries
were mixed in the wine, and the Vikings spiced up their ales with all
kinds of wild things (henbane and hemlock and hemp, mandrake and
mushrooms, belladonna and opium poppies). In Old Norse myth the richly
fermented honey-mead is the sacred drink of Odin, the very wellspring
of poetic inspiration and source of all sorcerous effectiveness; a
frequently used rune-magical word is ALU, meaning both ‘Ale’ and
‘magical power’. Even the simple act of Sharing Water (or whatever) is
a primal affirmation of the friendship, blood brotherhood, and vital
hospitality that is a key to the social matrix of most human cultures
worldwide. According to the Roman historian Tacitus the Germanic tribes
would debate all of their most important decisions twice: once roaring
drunk, then again cold sober and hung over the following morning. This
clearly proves that so-called barbarians are not necessarily stupid.
Wine has a most ancient history as the sacramental liquid, and the
rites of the Greek Dionysos and Roman Bacchus long predate any
Christian usage as the holy Eucharist in the rites of communion.
One of the odder magico-theological debates I have had over the years
was whether or not mixed drinks were okay as a sacrament: martinis on
the altar, their ice cubes gently clinking? Perhaps just for diabolical
or qlipothic rituals? For a while we tried to figure out which species
of booze could be attributed to the various Tunnels of Set… alcohol has
a well-known tendency to clear away inhibitions; moderate intake can
stimulate pleasure, excess can easily become toxic. Always designate a
sober charioteer before the orgies begin. To quote Dean Martin, “If you
can
lie on the floor without holding on, you're not drunk.”
Hallucinogens: includes all the varieties of hemp or cannabis, and also
such well-known mushrooms as the amanita muscaria or fly agaric beloved
of shamans and the wondrous psilocybe; also peyote and San Pedro
cactus, mescaline,
harmaline, LSD and other synthetics, toxic belladonna and henbane, and
certain exotic South American vines like ayahuasca. Because their
effect is largely in
the mental sphere I will attribute the smokable cannabis derivatives
such as hashish and marijuana mostly to Air and the others to Spirit.
From hemp we receive the bhang beloved of tantrik sadhus or the reefer
of the beatniks, the hashish of the Assassins or the ganja of the
Rastafarians. This is among the most ancient and harmless of human
intoxicants, and may be the most useful and manageable adjunct to
arcane practices. Long long ago in a galaxy far far away I participated
in the founding of a new cult of the green goddess Euphoria, Leafy Lady
of the High, twin sister of Eris. Her worship gives blessings good for
ten thousand lifetimes, minimum. There is also a Taoist cannabis
goddess named Ma Ku, ‘Lady Hemp’. We might note that magicians Pascal
Beverly Randolph and Aleister Crowley were both very enthusiastic
devotees of the "Grass of the Arabs" as well. Cannabis can indeed give
wings to the imagination, as long as one can maintain enough focus to
be useful; it is probably the least toxic and most salutary of any of
any these varied possibilities, and perfectly suited to represent Air
as the breath of life. Lord Shiva is also noteworthy as its patron, and
Hindu sadhus or holy men float on a cloud of heavenly hemp. Crowley in 777 remarks that cannabis
will "produce in one mood voluptuous visions which pertain to Venus,
and in another confer the power of self-analysis, which is Mercurial."
Remember clapping your hands to the childhood rhyme “Patty-cake,
Patty-cake, Baker’s Man”?
"Cakes of light, cakes of
light, IO PAN!
Make me a Beast as Great as
you can!
Roll it,
and smoke it,
and mark it V.V.V.V.V.
then Cross the Abyss,
solar-phallically!"
I also
note that nitrous oxide, a.k.a. laughing gas, is a remarkable tool for
tracing thoughts to their source, and a real blast for charging sigils.
William James, the noted author of the classic The Varieties of Religious
Experience, was said to have used this in his investigation of
his own mind.
In the next step up we must reserve a special place in our black hearts
for the psychedelics, from magic mushrooms to the latest synthetics, in
the opening of the doors of perception. Entheogens can indeed be
doorways to divinity, true forms of Transcendental Medication.
The origins of shamanism and human culture may lie in psychedelic
experiences, and some suggest that prehistoric cave art began with
people tracing the images and patterns of their visions onto the walls.
Castaneda's early work with peyote and mescaline, Leary's popular
experiments with LSD and McKenna's with other possibilities, have
produced unique and unexpected happenings, and the ripples of culture
shock continue to spread outwards. Those freely-growing and very pretty
little psilocybin mushrooms became the vehicle of the 80s and 90s, a
healthy organic vegetarian alternative in an era when it seems that
corporate culture has largely co-opted the impetus of the
mind-expanding
revolution into yet another form of life-style product.
As one example of this, the merely recreational use of Ecstasy in
the rave subculture often seems designed to reduce a remarkable
substance with genuine therapeutic potential into just another
distraction to keep the empty-headed masses occupied. In early LSD
experiments (before it was banned), good results were obtained in the
treatment of alcoholism and also reduced recidivism in prison trials.
In a free democracy, of course, everyone is entitled to my opinion: I
do not believe that science should be held hostage to politics. However
(and this is important) is very wise to recall that the quality and
purity of most street drugs is extremely unreliable and potentially
toxic.
The fifth element of
Spirit is also what you yourself bring to the experience of these
entheogenic equations. As Robert Hunter said, "Once in a while you get
shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
Hypnotics cause states of calm, stupor or slumber; examples are kava,
mandrake, opium and its bastard child heroin, and all such narcotics
and tranquilizers. I ascribe them to Earth, and while they clearly may
have some benefits in healing I remain rather dubious about their
magical uses, although I am sure that we have all heard romantic tales
of the daemon sultan opium...
Stimulants include cocaine and amphetamines; qat, pituri, and betel;
and such socially acceptable toxic substances as tobacco, coffee, tea,
cocoa, coca, and cola. As sources of energy I connect them to Fire, and
some may have their moments, yet they do have a rather checkered
history. Cocaine is not called the 'devil's dandruff' without reason,
and to have known junkies is all too seldom to respect them. Crowley
was one of the earliest researchers to scientifically document the
effects of many of these substances, and one often wonders where his
career might have led him without perpetual alternation of cocaine and
heroin whenever he felt that one or the other was becoming an
addiction. It should be noted that for much of his life they were still
legal, and his use was originally medically prescribed for asthma and
other conditions. At the time this was more or less socially acceptable
and quite widespread, and much less was known about their perils; in
fact, they were all perfectly legal when he started, and Freud himself
was also a major cokehead. Now it has become much more apparent that
for every odd literary icon like the Great Beast or William S.
Burroughs, there are far too many sordid overdoses in lavatories. Where
are Elvis and Lenny Bruce when we really need them? Oh well, if you
don't have a good vice it's hard to get a grip on your self.
Some personality types appear far more subject than others to such loss
of control. Metabolism and genetics are very different for every
individual, and quite frankly I have come to suspect that the more
synthetic such a chemical substance is, the further it overflows into
the realm of the qlipoth. Methamphetamines are a good example: from
their birth in the laboratories of Nazi scientists striving to keep the
Luftwaffe flying to their current distribution by violent motorcycle
gangs, they remain rather unsavory. The same can be said for most of
the legal pharmaceutical pill-heads, and prescription-drug abuse is a
huge phenomenon in America (with some of its highest rates in Mormon
Utah, strangely enough!) and around the world. To quote The Who:
"Uppers and Downers - either way blood flows!" To quote Frank Zappa:
“Speed will turn you into your parents.” Reading over this, I do seem
to note some occasional and quite unfortunate incidents of my
ill-informed opinions appearing to become mere heavy-handed moralism.
However, whenever I look at the huge overuse of Ritalin in American
schools I know perfectly well that Johnny is not hyperactive, just
bored, and he gets more than enough chemicals in his system from a diet
of junk food. Since the advent of Viagra, there has been a virtual
epidemic of STDs in old-age retirement homes. We expect results and we
get consequences. Addiction is not True Will, but not all use is abuse…
Once again, Crowley was a pioneer in both experimenting with and
documenting of the drug experience, writing a number of articles in the
Equinox and the novel Diary of a Drug Fiend.
Published extracts of his magical diaries clearly show his struggles
with his habits (see The
Fountain of Hyacinth), although it really must be remembered
that in his era these substances were freely available in pharmacies,
and that half the population of America was hooked on patent medicines
made up largely of alcohol and laudanum. It has also recently been
suggested that some of his work in espionage during the World Wars (for
both British and American intelligence services) may have involved his
expertise in unusual drugs, as a forerunner of the CIA’s LSD and
MK-ULTRA experiments. Many of his devotees see Crowley as an excuse for
rampant overindulgence, but one should really never take anyone else's
excuse for such things, or forget that a great deal of his usage grew
out of chronic and painful health conditions. Perhaps this is the
reason Crowley has such a scowl on his face as he gazes out from the
back row of the cover picture on the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band album (appropriately, between a sadhu and Mae West). At any
rate, freedom
of personal choice seems to be the only possible Thelemic attitude
here, and the Book of the Law
has some fairly suggestive lines on the subject:
“I am the Snake that giveth
Knowledge & Delight and bright glory, and stir the hearts of men
with drunkenness. To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I
will tell my prophet, & be drunk thereof! They shall not harm ye at
all.” (AL, II, 22)
In his Djeridensis Comment he has
this to say: “Aiwass now flings his third great challenge at the world.
He denies flatly the truth of all the teachings of the past. He tells
us that to worship Hadit, that is, to cause him to stir, we should make
ourselves drunk by the use of wine and certain strange drugs. So much
is common knowledge. But he adds the startling statement: “They shall
not harm ye at all.” One can but gasp; to argue in support of his
statement would be beyond the power of any man. The proof must be with
time. Lest there be folly, let me say that this passage does not
license reckless debauch. The use of drink and drugs is to be strictly
an act of Magick.”
Both western and eastern forms of alchemy were as much concerned with
the spiritual and intellectual transformation of the alchemist as with
any merely external chemical or metallurgical processes. Obligatory
notes of relative caution, however, are usually customary. According to
Doonesbury "There is no room in the drug culture for amateurs”, and
Pete Caroll says "Never put anything in your mouth that you can't
spell." Then again, many folks in both the British and American
mainstreams of occultism still seem very nervous about the question of
drugs; some valid legal concerns or a lingering respectability,
perhaps. Too many very bad experiences with people who can’t handle
them, more likely. However, if the essence of magick lies in
deliberately willed changes of consciousness, it seems folly to ignore
tools kindly designed by Mother Nature for precisely that purpose. As I
said, it
has often been suggested that shamans on shrooms are the origin of
magick, religion, science and all of human culture.
Our many
control-obsessed politicians have seized upon their utterly
indefensible and notoriously unsuccessful "war on some drugs" as a
convenient excuse to gut the Constitution, and succeeded only in
massively enriching organized crime, corrupting law enforcement,
imprisoning large and quite harmless segments of the population, and
utterly betraying the public's trust. We won’t even mention the wildly
racist aspects of their very selective enforcement. "In order to
preserve liberty it became necessary to destroy it." Apparently
Prohibition worked so well in the 1930s that it seemed like a good idea
to try it again, but somehow back then we had enough brains left to
actually repeal Prohibition. Strangely enough, the most truly lethal
drugs are those that are still legal: alcohol and tobacco kill off
significantly large chunks of the population every year with impunity
while marijuana harms no one. This is precisely the kind of casual
hypocrisy that gives people enormous contempt for their
“representatives”. A recent study of the much-touted D.A.R.E. program
of anti-drug education in the schools has discovered that it actually
makes children more likely to experiment with drugs, not less. Children
usually know when they are being lied to. In the same way,
abstinence-only sex education has not only been proven to result in a
higher rate of teen pregnancy and STDs than a more rational variety,
but also to be less effective than no classes at all: it is literally
worse than nothing! Apparently you may lose the people’s trust and
respect when you constantly deceive them. Sooner or later we will have
to face the simple fact that the War on Drugs has been a monumental
failure, wasting billions of dollars only to destroy people’s lives
(does that sound like any other current wars?). Other countries have
already arrived at the simple and blindingly obvious conclusion that
substance abuse responds to treatment and not punishment. As William S.
Burroughs said, “Drug control is a thin pretext, and getting thinner,
to increase police powers and to brand dissent as criminal.”
The establishment anti-drug message so dutifully echoed by many craft
covens and magickal orders seems mainly to imply a desire for simple
anonymity and immunity from the attentions of local authorities and
torch-bearing mobs of villagers, and a fear of radical extremes that
ill-serves the cosmic quest for the Holy Grail. Face facts: most
teenagers in the last few decades have at least occasionally "inhaled",
and a lot of occultists started out as goddam hippies. Let he who has
never been stoned cast the first sin. Like fire, such intoxicants may
be good servants and very bad masters. It was Benjamin Franklin who
said that "The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor
will he ever receive either." He is also reputed to have said, “Beer is
proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” The man partied with
the Hellfire Club…
Some moralizing Theosophists like to insist that drug-induced states
are not ‘legitimate’ mystical experiences, but scientific studies have
shown that they often appear to be identical, and once you have been to
a place once it is much easier to find your way back. These varied
substances are powerful triggers, and reprogramming the brain for
ecstasy or enlightenment certainly seems to serve a higher purpose.
Yogis of many schools have employed such methods without any
hesitation. In the long run, it hardly seems to matter if the doors to
enlightenment are opened by mushrooms or by hyperventilation. To quote
Dupont: “Better living through chemistry!” Remember, without chemicals,
nothing would exist! And as the prophet William Blake said, "The road
of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."
A Bibliography on Altered States
Allegro, John
M. Lost Gods; The Sacred Mushroom and the
Cross
Andrews, George
Drugs & Magic
Bennett, C. & Osburn,
L. & Osburn, J. Green Gold the Tree of Life
DeKorne,
James Psychedelic Shamanism
Devereux, Paul
The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia
Harner, Michael
Hallucinogens & Shamanism
Heinrich, Clark
Strange Fruit: Alchemy & Religion: the Hidden Truth
Leary, Timothy
complete works
Lilly, John C.
Programming & Metaprogramming the Human Biocomputer;
Center of the Cyclone; The Dyadic Cyclone; The Deep Self; Simulations of God
McKenna,
Terrence The Archaic Revival; Food of the Gods; True Hallucinations; Invisible Landscape
Pendell, Dale
Pharmako/poeia; Pharmako/gnosis;
Pharmako/dynamis
Rudgley,
Richard Essential Substances
Schultes, R.E. &
Hofmann, A. Plants of the Gods
Stafford, Peter
Psychedelics Encyclopedia
Vayne, Julian Pharmakon: Drugs & the Imagination
Weil, G./Metzner,
R./Leary,
T. The Psychedelic Reader
Wilson, Peter
Lamborn Ploughing the Clouds
Zaehner, R.C.
Zen, Drugs & Mysticism
* * *
(Official Disclaimer: the editors of Silver Star have presented this
article only for historical value and educational opinion, and very
officially do not encourage or sanction any acts illegal, immoral or fattening.)
