Drug-Based Religions Explored

TheJournalofDrugIssues,18(2),271-284,1988

DRUGBASEDRELIGIONSANDCONTEMPORARY

RU

TAKING

ThomasLyttle

Contemporarydrugtaking

nd

givingamongthegeneralpopulacearemulti-levelphenomenainvolvinghighlyvicariousorigins,needsand/orother

supporting

social,

psychologic l

or

spiritu l

functions.Withinthis,

a

specificsubgrouphasemergedpromoting

a

variety

of

(drug-based)religions,spiritualdoctrinesorethicalsystems.Dividingsuchdrug-basedorganizationsintotwocategories

of

moral/ethical

posture the

situational

nd

theiconicldeterministic-areview

of

eachcatechism,ethicalbase

nd

(whenapplicable)ritualpracticeisreviewed

nd

annotated.

Introduction

hisstudybeganasapsycho-social,ethical

and

literary

study

ofseveraldruginspiredreligious

groups most

notablyamongthesebeing

TheNativeAmericanChurch;TheTrueInnerLightTemple;ThePeyoteWayChurch;TheChurch

of

theTree

of

Life;TheNee-AmericanChurch;TheChurch

of

thePsychedelicMystic;TheNewAmericanChurch;

and

TheFane

of

thePsilocybinMushroom.

While

the

studyisstillthisprimarily,it

has

also,inevitably,becomeastudyof

human

behavioralextremism

and

insomecasesideological/ethicalreformresul

tant

from,orinconnectionto,specificdrugusages.Whilefocusingprimarilyoncontemporarymotifs,itisimportanttonoteat

the

offset

that

drug-inspiredreligiousworship

has

undoubtedlybeena

part

(albeitasometimeshiddenorsuppressed

part

of

human

spiritualexperienceforthousandsofyears.The2,000year-Old-Aztecsacredmushroomreferredtoas God sFlesh ;

the

Somaof

the

Hindu s;

the

Haoma(hemp)of

the

Zoroastrians;theBenzoinofSoutheastAsia;

the

Pituriof

the

AustralianAborigini;

the

EleusuanKykeon;Zen sfifthcupof

tea

whichpurifies,

and

whosesixth callsto

the

realmof

the

immortals ;allonlybeginalistofmorewell-knownsacramentalexamples.

ThomaaLyttle

isanauthorandpublisherinFortLauderdale.Florida.Heisthefounderandpublisherof

PsychedelicMonographs

nd

Essays,

across-disciplinejournalconcernedwithongoinghallucinogenicdrugresearch.Readerswishingfurtherinformationconcerning

PM E,

orotherresearchprojectsinvolvingthissubjectinparticular,shouldcontactMr.Lyttleat624Northeast12thAve.,FortLauderdale,FL33301.

JournalofDrugIssues,Inc.0022-04

26/881021271-284 1.00

7

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LYTTLE

McKennaandMcKenna

1975 ,

Silverman(1967)andothershaveelaboratedonsuchtentativestudieswith

the

suggestion

th t

whennotavailableexogenouslyforreligioususe(asin

the

SiberianChuckchee susesofthehallucinogenic

m nit

muscaria

mushroom,forinstance)such theme sacramentaldrugsmightsomehowbetemporarilycreatedwithin

the

bodyof

the

religiousaspirantitselfthroughsomeasyetunknownprocess.Modernpsychiatricandpharmaceuticalresearchintomanic-depressivepsychosisandschizophreniaalsopointtothebody sabilitytocreate,endogenously,realityalteringcompoundsorchemicals.Thisisnot,however,tosayorimply

th t

similarorevenidenticalchangesinperceptioncouldnotbeproducedorarrivedatwithoutsuchpathologicalorotheridiosyncraticformsofneurochemistry.According

social

nd

religiousscholars(Jung,1973;St.JohnoftheCross,1577;Tart,1969),

the

experience

itself

ofperceptualorself-imagedistortion,or madness, whetherpathologically,mysticallyorotherwisebased,canoftenlieasoneof

the

cruciblerootswhichactually

must

precede sp rt

ofa

process-

psychologicalintegration,spiritualillumination,grace,orredemptioninahostofself-actualizingconjugativeorotherreligioustraditions.Curiouslyenough,andperhapsmorerelevantlytothepointofthisinvestigation,atemporaryrangeofsimilar,parallelandevenidenticalstatesofalteredconsciousnesshavebeenknowntooccurunderspecialcircumstancesthroughtheingestionanduseofaspecialclassofdrugsorchemicalcompoundscalledcollectivelypsychedelics,psycholytics,orpsychotomimetics(Grof,1980;GrinspoonandBakalar,1979).SuchsubstancesincludeMescaline,LSD·25,

DMT,

Peyote,MDA,STP,andothers.Sofarascollectedscientificresearch,avarietyofontologicalparadigmshavebeenincorporatedovertheyearsinanattempttointelligentlymap,study,andcorrelate

the

diverseeffectsofthesecontroversialcompounds(Einstein,1980;Josephson

nd

Carroll,

1974 .

Aperhapsexemplarypieceinthis

re

wouldbe

Social

nd

ReligiousAttitudes bwardDrug InducedReligiousExperience

byJamesBakalar

1985 .

Thisarticlecommentson

the

ambiguityofthepsychedelicexperienceandthepeculiaritiesofmodernsocialresponsetoit.TheauthordiscussesthreekindsofattitudestowardreligioustraditiondescribedbyPeterBerger.Theseare,roughly,materialistreductionism,defenseof

the

purityofanorthodoxfaith,andreligionaspersonalexperiencesgivenform

nd

meaningbytraditionalinterpretation.Theeffectsofpsychedelicdrugsareusedbysometodiscreditbothdrugs

nd

religion;byotherstodiscreditdrugswhilejustifyingacertaindefinitionofreligion;andbystillotherstoacceptdrugtakingasonemodeofreligiousexperiencebroadlyperceived.This

l st

attitude,accordingtothispiece,is

the

oneusually

t ken

bypsychedelicdrugusersthemselves.However,thisraises

the

difficultquestionofwhatisdefinablyreligiousaboutpersonalexperiencesbeforetheyaregivenformasdoctrine,ritual,andcommunity.Inthisconnection,Bakalardiscussesthecommonviewofpsychedelicdrugtakingasaforetasteorpreliminarytomoreseriousreligiousregimens.Notably,inourAmericanculture(andWesternsocietyingeneral)suchdrugbasedstudies seem

existinabi-ortri-polarwaysocially.Mostcommonly,psychedelicsareusedillegallyforrecreationbythecommonmaninusuallyuncontrolledways;

nd

peripherally,aslegallysanctionedsacramentsas

p rt

of

JOURN LOF RUGISSUES

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DRUGBASEDRELIGIONS

smallethnicreligionslike

the

AmericanIndian

Native merican hurch

Aberle,1966;Slotkin,1956).Admittedly,

thewritten

word perhaps

the

literalformin

general usually

seemstofallfar

short

indescribingany

true

positionofethics,

let

aloneanethical/moralsystembasedinspecificdrugexposure.Thepsychedelicexperience

has

beencommonlyknowntobeeclectic,gnostic,

trans

personalinparts,

and

oftenineffable.Whenknowninitsextremes,it

has

perhapsevenrepresentedauthenticmysticismorspiritualeffect.Concurrently,psychedelic

drug

takingorgiving,wheninrelationto

either

areligiousormedicalmileau,presentsuswitha

number

ofconsiderationswhich

must

stand

asquitedistinctfrom

the

mainstayofbothsubjects.Braden 1967),Gowen 1974)andZinberg 1984)havepointedout

that

suchobtusedrugexperiencescanintroduce

theuser

toformsofexistentialquestioningor

angst

followedbyconclusionsbasednotentirelyin

the

traditionallyaccepted

paradigms

ofWesternculture.Theexperienceofbelief,

after

psychedelicexposure,consistingofotherwiseoccultideas,suchasUFOcontact,languageorsymboliccommunicationwitharchetypes,sensoryperceptionof

quantum

physicseffects,synchronicity,animism,andspiritism

are

notuncommoninaccountsofsuchdrugusers.Insuchcases,in

and

by

their

verynature,suchexperiencesbegfordescriptors,qualifiers,modelsorparadigmsthroughwhich

theuser

might

try

tointegratehisexperiencesintomorecommonday-to-daylife.Whenconsistentexperiencesin

this

specific

area

are

recognizedoragreedupon oratleastbelievedin),theycanactwithinlimitstopositorbasebroaderparadigmswhichcanormayleadtoethicalprinciples

and

behaviors.Suchpsychedelicdrug

takers

seeking

truth

and

workablemeaningsinsuchareas,haveinsomecasesoptedtoexplorepeopleorgroupsalreadypracticingsimilarformulasoflivingwhichalsoincorporate

the

psychedelic-basedethicallifestyle.Contemporarily,asin

the

past,theseoftenexistinavarietyofsmalldrug-basedreligionsorcults.Sofarasthispaper

and

myresearchintothis

area

are

concerned,suchdrugbasedreligionscollectivelyfallintotwobroadphilosophical/ethicalcategories;thesebeing

the

deterministic/iconicand

the

situational.Thedeterministic/iconicofferssacramentorcommunion indrug-basedform)contingentuponacentraldeity

and

usuallywithsomecorrespondingliturgy

and

secularlizationsofarasinitiation,indoctrination,

and

otheractivities

are

concerned.Thesituationalstancealsoinvolvesanagreementsofaras

there

beingaconnectionbetweencertaindrugs

and

spirit.Conversely,however,

the

situationalexamplesoffersacramentalexposurewithoutconsistentcatechismortheisticgoalsbeyond

what

occursspontaneouslywithineach

drug

user sspirit.

eterministic Iconic

Oneof

the

mostinstructive

and

well-knownexamplesofasuccessfulpsychedelicdrug-basedreligionis

the

Native merican hurch

amongAmericanIndians.Informationabout

this

remarkablereligiousgroupcomestouschieflythrough

the

researchofanthropologists Aberle,1966;Castaneda,1968;LaBarre,1938;Slotkin,1956).Probablydescending,atleastingoodpart,fromAztecreligion,

the

hurch

synchronicallyblendshallucinogenicdrugingestion,Christianity

and

idiosyn-

Spring

988 73

or


LY ITLE

craticritualandfolklore.Takeninsufficientquantities,thePeyoteplantyieldsanhallucinogenicexperiencenotunlikeLSD.TheIndianseitherchewanappropriatequantityoftheplant buttons orbrewa

te

fromthem.Thisis

t ken

usuallyatanallnight,verydignifiedceremony,usuallywithinateepeewithapriestor roadchief inchargewhodirectstheceremony.Lessorfunctionariesassistbytendingthefireandsingingspecialhymns,aswellasplayingthedrum.Worshipersseevisionsandparticipateinexperienceswhichdrawalltogetherandfacilitateadherencetowardsthe

Church s

teaching.Thereligionhasbeengrowingforcenturiesandhasgainedafootholdamongnearlyall

the

American

nd

Canadiantribes,despitelegalharassmentfromIndianagentsandChristianmissionaries.In

the

nineteenthcentury,bandsofpeyote-istsgroupedinto

the

present

NativeAmericanChurch

forlegalandreligiousprotection.Atpresent,thechurchcomprisesnearlyallof

the

worshipersofIndianorigin.Itisaloosefederationestimatedtohaveupwardsof300,000membersworldwide.Whilewhiteshavebeenadmittedintothechurch,theyareusuallynotencouragedtoapply.Consequently,onlyahandfulofanthropologistsandafew

r re

guestshavebeenadmittedto

the

ceremonies.Membersof

TheNativeAmericanChurch

seethemselvesasbasicallypracticingaChristianethic

nd

lifestyle.Theyemphasizeidealsofbrotherlylove,self-reliance,

h rd

work,andavoidanceofalcohol.Peripherally,abranchof

the

NewYorkCitycharterofthe

NativeAmericanChurch

(circa1967)istheoffshoot

TempleoftheTrueInnerLight

whichwasfoundedin1980byAlanBirnbaum.QuotedinPeterStafford s

PsychedelicsEncyclopedia

(1982),

Birnbaumstates, DET(Di-EthylTryptamine)isthefirstpsychedelicwhichconvincedme

th t

thepsychedelicisapurelightbeingandprimeval

alsobeingGodtheCreator

Wesmokeditinalargehookahanditwassoclearandbright

itwasabeing. The

Temple

usesDPT(Di-PropylTryptamine)asitssacrament.DPTwasmadeillegalin1987.In

TheWondrousMushroom

byGordonWasson

(1980),

Mexican

sh m n

AurelioCarrerasreports

th t

themushroomishabla(themushroomistheword). Wassonadds

th t

thisisalso thewaywiththemushroom(inSiberia).

speaks,it

utters

theword. Commonly,however,Westerners experienceswiththemushroomcommonlyfocusandcontainmoreofthekaleidoscopicvisions,eideticimagery,andotherphenomenaoverthe word. Thetestimonyof

the

initiated

sh m n

onthissubjectisquiteclear;however,itis theword whichisthethingor

the

essence,or

the

goal.InGreek,thismightbesimilartotheideasof thelogos, andinSanskrit the

Vac.

Inwayssimilartothemushroomcultsmentionedabove.aswellasthe

NativeAmericanChurch TheTemple

theTrueInnerLight

relieson theword comingfrom

direct voc l

or

he rd communic tion

withspiritformsmanifestedfromDPTingestion.Fromsuchsourcescomesthe

Temples

basiccatechismandethicalstancewhichisavailableinprintedformas

TheTestimonytothePsychedelic

(Templeof

the

TrueInnerLight,

1981),

andinexperientialformastheDPTsacrament.One

must

take

the

true

HostinCommunion,and

then

itwillspeaktothemandguidethem.But,

the

peopledonotrecognizeit.Theymayingestthepsychedeliceveryday,

but

theydonotunderstandwhatitis,theydonotgive

7 JOURNALOFDRUGISSUES


DRUGBASEDRELIGIONS

respectduetoItssacredPresence;therefore,itiswrothwiththem.ICorinthians,ChapterII,Verse27:

anyonewhoeats

the

loafordrinks

the

cupof

the

Lordcarelessly,willhavetoanswerforasinagainst

the

body

and

bloodof

the

Lord. Letaperson

test

himself;

then

theycan

eat

from

the

loaf

and

drinkfrom

the

cup.Forwhoevereatsanddrinkswithoutapropersenseof

the

Body,eats

and

drinksto

their

owncondemnation.

That

iswhymanyofyouareill

and

infirm,

and

anumberevendead.Ifweonlyjudgedourownlivestruly,wewouldnotcomeunder

the

Lord sjudgement.Asitis,wearechastenedwhenwe

are

judgedbyit,so

that

wemaynotbecondemnedalongwith

therest

of

the

world.Thepsychedelic:LSD,Marijuana,DMT,Peyote,Psilocybin,DPTis

the

true

Host,andanyonewhoeatsthesesubstanceswithout

the

respectdueto

the

MostHigh

areeatingthem,as

Saint

Paulsays,to

their

owncondemnation.But,ifthey

eat

itwithrespectdueto

the

TrueCreator,TheMajestyofIsrael,TheKingof

Kings -

then,itwillguide

themand

teachthem

and

show

the

way,Itssacred

path

(TempleoftheTrue

Inner

Light,

1981

The

Temples

basiccatechismandethical/moralpostureisfirmlyrootedinaneclecticdrug-basedChristianrevisionism,

that

is,

the

rootsof

the

Temples

particularcredoandmissioninvolvebothsacramentalDPTingestion

andthe

settingaright,

and

keepingaright,certain(accordingto

the

Temples

popularlymisunderstoodsectionsofboth

the

Old

and

NewTestamentduringgrouppsychedelicritual.Therefore

the

peoplecametoMoses

and

said,Wehavesinned,forwehavespokenagainst

the

Lord,

and

againstthee;prayunto

the

Lord

that

Ittakeaway

the

serpentsfromus.AndMosesprayedfor

the

people.And

the

LordsaiduntoMoses,Maketheeafieryserpent

andset

ituponapole:

and

itshallcometopass,

that

everyone

that

isbittenwhentheylookuponit,shalllive.AndMosesmadeaserpentofbrass,

and

put

ituponapole,anditcametopass,

that

ifaserpent

had

bittenanyone,whentheybeheld

the

serpentofbrass,theylived. Howcouldanyonelookinguponabrassserpentsavesomeone slife

?

Onlyif

the

deathwasanegodeath.Theserpentrepresents

the

beingwhooffered

the

fruitof

the

treeofknowledge,andwhogave

the

Word that

hisfruitis

the

Creator.ThusMoseswasshowing

the

people

that

the

serpent the

Manna the

Psychedelic-wasdoingas

the

Creatorhadintended,

and

that

allwholistenedtothismessage(i.e.,to

the

messageof

the

serpent)

hat

the Iree

of

KnowledgeistheFlesh

of

God.

The

erpent

is

the

TreeofLife(Templeof

the

True

Inner

Light,

1981

The

Temple

whichoperatesout

ofa

storefronton

the

Lower

East

SideofNewYorkCity,firstscreensallseriousapplicantsthroughpersonalinterviewbefore

any

sacramentsaredispensed.Ausualsession,whichlastsfromonetotwohours,isconductedin

the

Temple

semi-privately

and

involvesDPTingestionviaahookah

and

isfollowedbylisteningtoprerecordedaudiotapes

and

counseling.ThesetapesusuallyincludevocalreadingsofBiblicaltexts

and

tracts Jeremiah

Isaiah,

andparts

of

the

New

Testament and

moodmusicatintervals.Thegoalhereisaparticulargnosis

and

re-examinationofinspiredliteratureviaDPT.This

prin

988 75


LY ITLE

standsalong

the

linesofthereligiousritualspracticedbytheIndiansofthe

NativeAmericanChurch,

whoreportedlyhaveinsomecasesclaimedremissionofalcoholismandothersocialmaladiesthrough

their

owndrug-basedritual.Thedifferencebetween

TheTemple

o

the rueInner

ight

and

TheNativeAmericanChurch

is

that

the

latterseesitssacrament(Peyote)asa

means

orpathtoGod,whiletheformerseesitssacrament(DPT)asanactualmanifestationorphysicalformofGod.Anothercontemporarydrug-basedPeyotechurchis

ThePeyoteWayChurch

o

God

basedinKlondike,Arizona.FounderandCurator,Mr.Trujillo,isaidedbyMatthewKent,AnnieZapf,Emmanuel,andotherswithvaryingclericaldegrees.Membershere

run

intoseveralhundreds.Anadforthe

Church

run

inarecentissueof

ThePsychozoicPress

(1983)statesThePeyoteWayChurchofGodisseekingofficercandidatestoadministertheofficesofSecretaryandSecondCounselor.Applicantsshould:Showevidenceofreligiousinterestasdemonstratedbytravel,residence,study,orworkin

the

past

years.Notbeina

rush

to

start

somethingnew.Bewilling

to

take

the

timetoseeall

that

weofthePeyoteWayChurchofGodareuptoandhowyoucanbestserveGod swork.

To

explorea

vocation

asclergyofthePeyoteWayChurchofGod,youmay

start

bysendingusaletterandyourresume,referringtothespecificqualificationsstatedabove,andincludingaspirations,skills,strengths,weaknessesanddietarypractices.Graduatestudyormilitaryserviceisaplus.TheChurchwillrespondtoallwritteninquiries.Evenbyconservativereligiousstandards,the

PeyoteWayChurch

o

God

easilyestablishesitselfasanon-frivolous,very

hard

workingandunsensationalorganizationpracticing

what

theybelievetobeanauthentic,spirituallyrelevantpathtoboth

Jesus

ChristandGod.Also,likeperhapsmoreconventional(nondrug-based)churches,the

PeyoteWay

recognizesandfollows

the

Bible,theteachingof

Jesus

Christ,theChristianideaofbaptismandtheyconsiderMormonism sJosephSmithaprophet(inabsentia).In

the

revisedby-lawsofthe

PeyoteWayChurch

(annotation

sacramental

procedures)itstates, (wewant)tointroducecommunicantstothelightofChrist:toteach

an

awarenessandpresenceof

the

lightwithin (PeyoteWayChurch,

1980 .

Sofarasthe

Church s

actualpeyotesacramentalpractices,I llquotebrieflyfromanaccountpublishedin

ThePsychozoicPress

1983 :

TheorthodoxRitualfortheuseofpeyotecentersaroundaprivate,three-day spiritwalk intoaremote

area

ofChurchland,wherethepeyote

must

beeateninitsnaturalform,or

drank

as

tea

withplainwater.Theideaistominimizeexternalstimuli,andtoallow

the

spirituallyclarifyingeffectofthepsychedelicsacramenttocomethroughtotheindividualuncontami

nated another

goodreasonforthepreliminaryfast.ThesacramentiscarefullyandsparinglydispensedbytheCounselor,andrecordsarescrupulouslykept.In

the

interestofpromotingmorality,industriousness,

7 JOURNALOFDRUGISSUES


DRUGBASEDRELIGIONS

charity,andself-respectamongitsmembers,

the

Churchhassomerigorousby-laws.Their160acresinsoutheastArizonaisloved

and

wellcaredforbyresidentmemberswhosupport

the

Churchbydonations,

andthe

saleofpotteryatnearbytowns.Workdays

are

12to14hoursforresidentmembers;visitorsarenotexpectedtocarryashareof

the

workload,

but

areexpectedtocomplywith

the

by-laws

and

conductthemselvesina

manner

befitting

the

integrityof

the

Church.Visitorsarewelcome,

but

atwo-dayfastisrequiredbeforepartakingof

the

HolySacrament.And,

the

Churchdoesnottolerateunrestrictedindulgenceinpsychedelics,nor

are

visitorsallowedtotake

the

sacramentoff

the

Churchland.Theusesofpeyote

are

limitedto

the

spirit

walk and

then

onlywith

the

blessingsof

the

Churchleaders.Like

the

DPT·based

Church

the IrueInnerLight

the

PeyoteWayChurch

God

alsohasitsoriginalrootsin

the

older,peyote-based

NativeAmericanChurch.

FounderTrujillobrokewith

theparent

organizationduetovariancesinritual

and

amongotherthings,

the

racialrestrictionspracticedby

the

NativeAmerican

group,whichonlyallowsIndiansascongregation.Thephilosophiesof

the

psychedelicdrug-based

NewAmericanChurch

seemevenfartherin

extreme even

within

the

alreadyradicalposturesofmostdrugbasedchurchesthemselves.

NAC

founderJoel

artlett

ofAlbany,

NY

presentsanalmostmilitant,oratleastactivist,stanceconcerning

Church

rituals,ethics

and

ideal Bartlett,1987):Marijuanaforall

occasions first

levelLSDformembersformal non-ritual)organization.Atthis,secondlevelmemberscandesign

the

programsfor

the

first.Thisisaprivilegeddistinction.At

the

firstlevel,publicservicesresemblepartieswithTVviewing

and

parlorgames.The

structure

isacasualsocialgatheringPartyaccordingtoyourstyle.Drugs

are

optional,

but

herbissuggestedtoremedysynchronicityblocks.At

the

secondlevel,

the

membersgettofindout

the

contentsof

the

subliminalprograms

and

alsotodesignmaterialforthemselves.Thisis

the

enlightened church.Thosepeoplewhounderstand

and

trust

oneanother

and

understandwhatwe

are

doing.SPIRITUALVALUESLSDis

the

test

byfire/renewal.LSDis

the

true

Christ.LSDis

the

neurohumourofangels,

and

itsuseworkswondersbypsychoactivityfieldresonance.Cocaine/cracklink possession? userswithdemons.Drugshaveassociated fields /spirits.Somegood,somebad.Those

the

Churchrestrictsitselftoareherb,trip,

and

on

the

FourthofJuly,alcoholorPCP.DRUG

L WS

Thelaws

are

wrong

and

inviolationof

the

freedomofreligionguaranteedin

the

BillofRights

inalienablerights.Also,sincedrugshaveassociatedfields/spirits

the

statehasunconstitutionallyestablishedareligionbylicensingpsychiatrists.

DNAbiotechwillmakedruglawsentirelyunenforceable.

Druglaws

prin

988

77


LY ITLE

establishadangerousprecedent

that

willallowtheStatetoregulatelifespanrestrictingaccesstolifeextendingdrugs.SShastokeepcostdownbylettingyoudieyoung.Violationofinalienablerights, Life,liberty,andthepursuitofhappiness. Thedrugs

that

willbeneededin

the

eventofWWIIIorterroristattack

must

bedistributedwidelypriorto

the

event.Legalizationalonewillsufficetocreateanamplesupplyofopiates,atropineandvariousquasi-psychedelic,anti-radiationdrugs.

isunmercifulnottoplanfor

that

contingency.Growyourownherb,mushrooms.Synthesizeyourownacidinordertokeepbloodoffofit.However,thisisimpracticalformanypeople,andtheyneednotfeelguilty.Forevenlegalcoffee,cocoa,sugar,bananashavethebloodofslavesandpeasantsonthem.TheN.AC.assumes

that

certaindrugscan,ifusedproperly,opentheusertonon-temporal,dream-likerealities.N.AC.ritualshavebeenformulatedtofunctioninoreffectsuchplacesfromapositionofcauseandeffect.CHURCHRITUALRESEARCHMagickopento

the

public.Theideaistoinvitepeopletobesubliminalpsychicresonators.Simplywatchthetube-partyentertainmentwithaparlortrickadded.Whiletheywatch,imagesareflashedonthescreenorwall/audiosubliminalsloganeeringinthebackground.TheN.AC.proposestopraywithoutelicitingcounter-prayer.Forexample,aninstitutionmightbetargetedbymanipulating

their

totem-iconsandimpressing/linkinganalteredthoughtinthemindsofourparticipants.Ifasufficientnumberofpeoplehaveafrequent,fleetingassociativethoughtduetoourprogramming,mightitnotaffect

ala

lOOth

monkey)peopletowhom

that

fleetingthoughtiscentralto

their

being?ThoBizarre?I

think

not.SYNCHRONICITYFORDIVINATION

T.V.

isalsoimportanthere.ThemethodisstraightfromtheNee-AmericanBooHooBible.Altarofsilentt.v. sondifferentstations

randomreadingsfrompsyphynovels

perhapstossingintheI-Ching.Perhapsbothprogramsmightbecombined.Synchronicity/researchmainfeature/synchronicityreading?Entertainingandnovel(Bartlett,

1987 .

Situational

Oneofthemosteclecticofall

the

psychedelicdrug-basedchurchesis

TheNeo

AmericanChurch

whichwasfoundedin

the

middle-1960sbypsychologistandauthorAurtherKleps

1971 .

Inandoutofdormancyinthepastyears,the

Church

atitspeakclaimedamembershipofover10,000.Thesemembers,eitherthroughdirectcontact,ormorecommonly,throughmail-inmembership,support(atleastbyinference)the

Church s

useofbothlegalandillegalpsychedelicdrugsforreligious

use-usually

however,inuncontrolledandunsupervisedsettings.Whattomakeof

the

basicideasof

the

hurch its

actualreligiouspracticesandbeyondthisitsethical

stance-is

another

matter

altogether.Atfirstglance,AurtherKlepsandthe

Neo-AmericanChurch

appeartobeandacteitherasacomplicatedput-onorsomesortofgroupreligioussatireblendingauthenticreligiouspracticeswithmockpsychedelia.Or,perhaps,itisanobscure

but

veryrealnee-theologywhichusesformsofsatireandsharphumortochallengeinitiates,

test

theirmettle,andsoforth.Inpractice,suchthingsmightparalleltheworkofErasmus(1469?-1536)informandgoal,makingthestudentjump

past

theappearanceorsurfaceofthingsbeforeanyideasofworthareoffered.Onestricttenet,however,istheinstruction

to

memberstoingestanyand

8

JOURNALOFDRUGISSUES


DRUGBASEDRELIGIONS

allpsychedelic

drugs whether

legalor

illegal at

will.

unsigned

and

undatedcircularfrom

the

Church

states

TheNeo-AmericanChurch

is

the

firstchurchon

the

worldscenetoespouseadoctrineofpure

SolipsisticNihilism

and

toadvocate

the

ingestionofpsychedelicDRUGStoproduceHALLUCINATIONS

and

IDEASOFREFERENCEtoconvincepeople

that

they

are

livinginaDREAMWORLDof

their

making.Wedeny

the

EXTERNALITYOFRELATIONS

and

gosofarastospeakof

the

dreadedVOIDas

the

ultimateconcept

rather

than

the

well-knownfavoriteofparanoiacs

the

worldover,

the

so-called SELF. Wearesimilarto

YOG R

Buddhistsduring

the

week,andto

M DRY- M K

Buddhistwhenstoned,whichisusuallyfrommidnightFridaytomidnightSunday.Thespiritualaffairsof

the

Church

are

in

the

handsofTHECHIEFBOOHOO,

but

localcongregations

are

autonomous,make

their

ownrules,

and

holdtitleto

their

ownproperty,so

the

RIGHTTOUSETHENAMEis

the

onlypowerheldby

the

headof

the

Church.

Connected,

but

perhapsamoresoberoffshootof

TheNee-American.Church

wouldbeJack

and

MaryJoCall s

ChurchoftheSunshine.

Althoughnodirectreferencesisacknowledgedby

the

Church

apopularformofillicitLSDin

the

late1960swascolloquiallybranded SunshineAcid. Thecreedofthe

ChurchofSunshine

taken

from

their

periodicaland

apparent

catechism

The L Train

(1980-81)statesThe

Nee-AmericanChurch

isarivalpsychedelicreligiousorganizationofwhichIwasamemberforsixyears.Whatfollowsaremyreasonsforquitting.1)Churchgovernmentis

an

absolutemonarchy.TheChiefBoo

oo is

MajestyArt

Kleps once

said, Iam

the

Neo-AmericanChurch

andImakenobonesaboutit. Thenwhyshouldanyoneelsewanttobeamember

?

•Dogmaspreadstoallaspectsoflife.In

the

end,thereisa partyline aboutpracticallyeverything.•Themonarchisisolatedandprotectedbyhiscourtiersandisoftenlesswell-informed

than

hisfollowers.•Monarchyisaninherentlyunfreesystem.2)Klepscallshisdoctrinesolipsisticnihilism. Lifeisadream,

and

itismydream saysKleps

mydreamoryourdream

but

not

our

dream. Iagree

that

lifeisadream.Thereisnoway

that

Icanknow

that

lifeis

not

adream.Thereisnoway

that

Icanknow

that

Iam

not

dreamingrightnow

thoughI

think

that

I mawake.I

part

companywithKleps

Essentially,tobringthingstoapointofwhy

and

wherefore

TheCreedoftheChurch

theSunshine

(Call

and

Call,1980-81)isbasicallyasfollows:•Thepsychedelicsubstances,suchasLSD,mescaline,psilocybin,andmarijuanaareinstrumentsofsalvation,bothin

the

senseofliberationfromignoranceorillusion

andthe

senseofdeliverancefromdangerordifficulty.

prin

9

9


LY ITLE

•Thesupremeauthorityof

this

churchisnot

any

personorgroupofpersonsorwritings,

butthe

logicalanalysisofexperience.Likeits

parent

organization

The

Nee-American

Church,TheChurch

of

the

Sunshine

holds,at

least

inideal,toanethical/philosophicalpositioncalled solipsisticnihilism. Suchaphilosophy,at

least

by

standard

definitions,positsalllife

and

experienceasa

dream

andthus

mercuriallyillusionary.Hallucination

and

psychedelic

drugtaking

isone

way according

to

the

hurch to

pierce

the

veilwhichhides

this

realizationfrom

the

commonman. My

dream

isto

create with

your

help a

religionparadisical

and

deeply

human

as

the

musicofMozart,

states

foundersCall(1980-81).Whilenoteworthyingoal,

any

ethicalorreligioussystemfoundedinnihilismisbydefinitionmeaningless.

Solipsism which

adds

that

allrealityis

self created further

complicatesthings,especiallyinlightof

the

SecondBasicThnet

of

the

Church s

creedwhichisrootedinlogicalanalysis.Theemphasisonlogic

and

meaningiscurious,tosay

the

least,seenfrom

the

lightofanihilistic(ormeaningless)standpoint.

If

we

are

setand

doplaysome

part

inameaninglessdream,why

try

todo

anything

with

intent

let

alone

set

abouttoformcomplicated

things

likechurches?Whydoweneedachurch,

after

all?Whenitcomestobelievingcorrectly,

the

moral

support

ofotherswhobelievelikeyouismorelikelytobeahindrance

than

ahelp,becauseifyou

are

wrong,

their

support

willmakeit

harder

foryoutosee

that

you rewrong,

and

ifyou

happen

toberight,

there

isagoodchance

that

oneormoreofyoudoesn tactually

understand

whyyou

are

right,

but

isonlyagreeinginordertoconform.Insuchacase,

the

moral

support

is

again

ahindrancetoacorrect

understanding

sinceitonlypostpones

the

daywhen

the

issueis

truly

faced,

and

then

the

pretenseofabeliefis

utterly

valueless.Pleasenotice

that

I mnotsaying

that

allmoralsupportis

worthless but

onlymoral

support

of

belief right

orwrong.Since

this

isprecisely

what

achurchisforitfollows

that

churches,in

their

essentialfunction,

are

somethingpeople

are

better

offwithout(Call

and

Call,1980-81).Unlike

perhaps

moremoderatepsychedelicdrug-basedchurcheswhich

try

toactwithin

the

law,

TheChurch

of

the

Sunshine

(like

the

Nee-AmericanChurch

off

and

onadvocatesusingillegaldrugsaccordingtopersonalreligiousinspiration,personalethics,orothersituationalconcerns.Ritual,if

anycan

truly

befoundwithin

this

Church,

centersaroundreading,writing,para-logicalideasand,ofcourse,

the

useofhallucinogenicsubstances.

TheChurch

of

the J}ee

of

Life

wasfoundedin

the

Summer

of1972in

San

Francisco.Themainobjectof

this

psychedelicdrug-using(anddispensing)churchistopreserve

thenatural

choice

andright

of

its

memberstoingest

certain

synthetic

andnatural

substancesfor

sacramental

usage.Thischurchismainlyacorrespondence/mail-ordertypeofoperation

andhas

beeninbusinessforover

ten

years.Awidevarietyofmildtoextremelypowerfullegalsubstances

are

offeredforsaletomembersby

the

Church,

including5-MEO-DMT,YohimbeHydrochloride,

8

JOURNALOFDRUGISSUES


DRUGBASEDRELIGIONS

EphedrineSulfate,PhenylpropanolamineHydrochloride,CocaTea,WildTobacco,

and

PapaverSomniferumseeds opiumpoppy .The

Church

anditschemicalsupplier/advisor

InnerCenter

publish,irregularly,abrochureandguidetoavailablesacramentscalled

InnerHerald.

Forexample, Churchof

the

TreeofLife,1987 :

SuggestionsfortheSacramentalUse

5 Methoxy n n Dimethyltryptamine

Onesmallpinchinaone-tokepipeis

the

correctamountforsacramental

use this

is

3 5

mg.ofactivesubstance.Thepassagewayof

the

pipe

must

beclear

and

unobstructed.

isbesttouseabrassscreenso

that

the

pipedoesnotbecomecloggedwithflakeduringinhalation.Useapipe

that

youdonotintendtouse

later

forsmokingothermaterials.Thissubstancewillleaveastrongindole

taste

in

the

pipe

that

isnotconduciveto

the

enjoymentofcertainothersmokeables.Also,enoughresiduecanbuildupinapipetocauseapsychotropiceffectunintentionallywhenothermaterialsareused.Thepinchofsacramentshouldbesmokedinonecompleteinhalation

and

heldin

the

lungsforatleast30seconds.Besuretoget

the

flameintoallcornersof

the

pipebowl

and

continuetoapply

the

flameforafewsecondsafter

the

materialappearstobeconsumedtoash.Thisprevents

the

activevaporsin

the

pipestemfromcondensingon

the

inside.Becauseof

the

sudden

and

overwhelmingnatureofthissacrament,oneshouldbeseatedorrecliningatthetimeofinhalation.I

and

mostotherChurchmembersenjoyemployingthissacramentonoccasion,

but

notfrequently.

leavessuchapleasantafter-effect

that

Iamhappytoexperience

that

state

ratherthan

repeat

the

sacramentalritualagainimmediately.ManypeoplewithwhomIhavesharedthissacrament,however,wantedtodoitagain

immediately sometimes

severaltimesinarow.Afterafewrepeats,however,theyenjoyeditless,

had

lesspleasantafterstates,

and

founditincreasinglydifficulttoobtainafullinitialeffectwithoutincreasing

the

dosage.LikeLSD,psilocybinandmescaline alsoitsanalogues ,itcausedtemporarytoleranceandisalsocross-tolerantwiththesesubstances.

It

usuallytakes

3

daysfor

the

bodytoregainitsabilitytorespondtoanyofthesesubstances.Ifindthissubstancemostpleasingwhen

taken

earlyin

the

dayonanempty butnotstarving stomach.Donotbein

any

kindofpainordiscomfortwhenusingthissacrament.

It

cangreatlyexaggeratethese.Evenanordinary

sunburn

canfeellikefieryclaws.Donotdrinkanyalcoholpriortouse.Evenacanofbeerorsmallglassofwine

taken

within

an

hourbeforecancausenausea.Donotuse

this

sacramentwithin12hoursofhavingusedDexedrine,anyamphetamine,ephedrine,norpseudoephedrine,Khat,yohimbe,corynanthine,phenylpropanolamine,dietpills,Substitoot,Ultra-Caine,orsimilarproducts.Donotuseifyou

are

currentlytaking

O

inhibitors.Thereisnoproblem,however,ifyouareusingGH-3,GH-3000orsimilarprocaine-basedproducts;althoughprocaineis

an

MAOinhibitor,

its

actionismild

and

quicklyreversible.

If

the

abovewarningsregarding

drug

combinations

are

notheeded,

sudden

blood

pressure

changesmayresultinquivering,

and

chestpain,

and

ifthishappens,

the

prin

988 8


YTT

patient

should

remain

calm,warm,

and

ascomfortableaspossible

until

symptomshavesubsided.Vigorousspinalmassagehelpstolessenchillfeelings.The

Fane

thePsilocybinMushroom

wasformedasaloosely

knit

organizationaround1973.

ts

basicconcernis

the

dispensingofreligiousinformationbasedon

the

useofPsilocybinlPsilocin,

andthe

plants

whichproducethem.Inherentlyactivist,itremainsinvolvedin

pursuing

legalreformwhichwoulddecriminalize

the

Church s

prime

sacrament the

Psilocybe

mushroom for

specificreligioususe.Briefly,someof

the

Church s

lawswhichwere

set

forthduringlegalincorporationinclude Faneof

the

PsilocybinMushroom,1978-81):

•

promote

the

generalwelfare,bothsocial

and

religious,of

the

community.

•

encourageenlightenment,whichis

the

realization

that

lifeisadream,

and

that

the

externalityofrelationsanillusion.Simply,everythingisnotreal.Aswith

the

earlierdescribed

Church

theSunshine

acuriousifnotenigmaticcontrastexistsbalancingasubstance/purpose

set

within

the

physicalday-to-dayworld

against

beliefswhichdestroy

any

meaning.The

Church s

basicideas

and

catechism

are

put

forthbywayofpersonalvisitsto

the

Church,

and

by

Sporatic

and

SporePrint

the

twopublications

sent

tomembers.

onclusion

Sofarascontemporary

drug

takingand

drug

givingwithin

our

culture,

the

contentsof

this

articleraisea

number

ofquestions

with

stronglegal,ethical,physical,

and

perhaps

spiritualsignificances.Whilegeneral

agreement

existssofaras

the

existenceofdrug-basedchurches,specificinformation,at

least

in

our

culture,

remains

scanty

and

speculativeduetosocialtaboo.Incontrast,however,

and

for

the

investigator,researchintosuchdrug-basedgroupsoffersauniquechanceto

further

exploreinitial

drugand

socialstudieslegally

banned

by

our

governmentseveralyearsago.Zinberg 1984)concludes

that f

the

psychedelicpopulationcontinuestogrow,itislikely

that

recreationalusewillincrease,

and

aswithmarijuana,becomelessritualisticthoughnotlesscontrolled.If,asmuchof

this

article sresearchconcludes,suchgroups

choose

toobscureorhidefrominvestigators,

then

Zinberg sassumption

must

beconsideredinlightofinsufficientdata.Inclosing,descriptionsorideasdrawnfrom

the

people

and

groupswithin

thisstudy

represent

a

partial

comment

taken

froma

larger

bodyofdata.Manyideas,people,orgroupswereomitteddue

either

to

their

ownchoiceortosaveredundance

farassimilaritiesinvariousideasor

ritual

practices.

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or


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nRUG

ISSU S

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