You have heard the quote, “Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Our guest today – Dr. J. Christian Greer – has made it his life’s work to ensure we understand the history of psychedelic culture and learn from it. In our interview, you can hear the passion Greer has for this branch of religious history. We discuss psychedelic-assisted churches, the Grateful Dead fandom, and the global history of psychedelic spirituality. Why is understanding history important to the average person getting involved in psychedelics today? Greer hopes that society can return to the knowledge that psychedelics have always been an integral part of human culture, both as a source of healing and religious exultation. As it pertains to the current psychedelic renaissance, in Greer’s words, “we don't learn anything. We just remember what's always been.”
“Let us focus on the sublime affection that love brings to us all.”
Dr. J. Christian Greer is a scholar of Religious Studies specializing in the global history of psychedelic spirituality. While a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Divinity School, he led a series of research seminars that culminated in the creation of the Harvard Psychedelic Walking Tour, a free audio guide detailing how the Harvard community has shaped the modern history of psychedelic culture. His latest book, Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage to Powerspots (OSGH Press), analyzes pilgrimage folklore that animates the rainforest landscapes of Japan's Kii peninsula, and his forthcoming book, Angelheaded Hipsters: Psychedelic Militancy in Nineteen Eighties North America (Oxford University Press), explores the expansion of psychedelic culture in the late Cold War era. He is currently a lecturer at Stanford University.
Show notes:
The history of psychedelic culture
“The Grateful Dead,” psychedelics, and spirituality
The importance of the past in psychedelic history
How psychedelics can help us heal our wounds
The origins of religion and psychedelics
Jesus was a mushroom? What does that mean?
Academic suicide– what happens when scholars speak up about psychedelics
Are we building towards a change in culture with the Psychedelic Renaissance?
Microdosing throughout history
The importance of inner research
The “stoned ape” theory
Real power is togetherness
Links and references:
The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross by John Allegro
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