Food of the gods : the search for the original tree of knowledge : a radical history of plants, drugs, and human evolution

A journey is some of the Earth's most endangered people in the remote Upper Amazon. . . . a look at the rituals of the Bwiti cults of Gabon and Zaire. . . . . a field watch on the easting habits of 'stoned' apes and chimpanzees - these adventures are all a part of ethnobotanis t Terence McKenna's extraordinary quest to discover the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He wonders why, as a species, we are so fascinated by altered states of consciousness. Can you reveal something about our origins as human beings and our place in nature? As an odyssey of mind, body and spirit, Food of the Gods is one of the most fascinating and suprising histories of consciousness ever written And as a daring work of scholarship and exploration, it offers an inspiring vision for individual fulfilment and a humane basis for our interaction which each other and with the natural world. 'Brilliant, provocative, opinionated, poetic and inspiring. . . . . Essenti al reading for anyone who ever wondered why... A journey to some of the Earth's most endangered people in the remote Upper Amazon ... a look at the rituals of the Bwiti cults of Gabon and Zaire ... a field watch on the eating habits of 'stoned' apes and chimpanzees - these adventures are all a part of ethnobotanist Terence McKenna's extraordinary quest to discover the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He wonders why, as a species, we are so fascinated by altered states of consciousness. Can they reveal something about our origins as human beings and our place in nature? As an odyssey of mind, body and spirit, Food of the Gods is one of the most fascinating and surprising histories of consciousness ever written. And as a daring work of scholarship and exploration, it offers an inspiring vision for individual fulfilment and a humane basis for our interaction which each other and with the natural world 'The single most influential spokesperson for organic psychedelics' The Independent What can altered states of consciousness reveal about our origins and our place in nature? In this landmark piece of psychedelic literature renowned ethnobotanist and psychonaut Terence McKenna explores our ancient relationship with organic psychedelics and opens a doorway to a higher state of being for us all. An odyssey of mind, body and spirit, Food of the Gods is one of the most fascinating and surprising histories of consciousness ever written. A daring work of scholarship and exploration, it offers an inspiring vision for individual fulfilment and a humane basis for our interaction with each other and the natural world. 'The modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens' The Washington Post Reissued because of the current interest in Ecstasy, this is McKenna's extraordinary quest to discover the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He wonders why we are so fascinated by altered states of consciousness, do they reveal something about our origins as human beings and our place in nature? Drawing on the experiences of shamanic culture drawn from living with various tribes, the author of this book provides a study of humanity's use of mind-altering drugs, arguing to counteract the use of these drugs humanity needs the religious use of organic psychoactive drugs.