01753nam a2200205Ia 450000500170000000800410001708200180005810000190007624500860009526000450018130000130022652010680023965000270130765000130133465000190134770000190136694200080138599900170139395201370141020260929095329.0251219s9999||||xx |||||||||||||| ||und||  223a419.2 FUR  aFurst, Peter T 0aFlesh of the Gods b: the ritual use of halluchinogensc/ Edited by Peter T Furst  aLondonb : George Allen and Unwinc,1972  axv,304p.  aFor centuries, hallucinogens have been of great significance in the ideology and religious practices of primitive societies. In fact, the use of psychotropic plants to achieve states of religious ecstasy goes back almost to the beginning of human culture. Furthermore, the content of the psychedelic experience in the West today has been found to be similar to that of the religious pilgrimages of Oriental and aboriginal New World groups. But one fundamental difference overshadows all In the traditional cultures described in this collection of ten essays, the hallucinogenic "trip" is a means to an end--a quest for confirmation of traditional values, for unity with the tribal ancestors. In contemporary Western society, by contrast, it tends to be an end in itself and a rejection of the society's values--perhaps, it has been suggested, because Western drug-users tend to be a-cultural. Clearly, we have much to learn from an objective study of societies with long histories of sanctioned, and controlled, drug use to achieve recognized cultural objectives.  aAnthropology  History   aReligion  a Spirituality   aPeter T. Furst  cRBK  c66790d66790  00102ddc4071aSNULbSNULd2025-12-19l0o419.2 FURpG6939r2025-12-19 15:58:42w2025-12-19yRBKzProf. Romila Thapar's Collection