.

Welcome to the forum coolguyalex.

The interests you speak of I believe are shared by quite a few of our members here, so I'm sure you will get some nice discussions going. I myself was looking into some similar things a while ago - asking myself if entheogens and the origins of different religions or at least early practice of different religions were directly linked to each other. According to the sources I've found... I still am undecided about it.

Of course in some cases like shamanism it's quite obvious that they were used, but in gnosticism? in christianity? budhism? most modern members of these faiths would vehemently negate this, I suspect. However, some of the symbolism used in these belief systems can sound compellingly like indications of entheogenic use or altered states, etc.

I think right here is where we have to stop a second and consider that altered states as well as mystical experiences can be brought upon very many things that are not psychedelics - such as trance (through dancing or drumming...), meditation, illness, NDE, dehydration, sleep deprivation, psychosis, spontaneous... etc.

So I remain undecided, while I do enjoy musing the topic. So let me know what you've come up with so far in your investigations

In any case this doesn't keep me from believing that now at this point in time entheogens have great potential for individuals to assist them in their pursuit of spirituality and growth, creativity, psychological integration and exploration etc. And this IMO can very successfully be combined with other spiritual practices.

take care and have fun exploring the nexus and your own mind

Hello coolguyalex,

Welcome to the Nexus. Thanks for taking the time to write out such a thorough introductory essay. I really enjoyed reading it.

I wonder if I might ask, given your focus of studies, what you make of things like the Kykeon Brew, the Mysteries of Eleusis, etc.? Things that are clearly visionary or entheogenic but have been lost from modern culture and knowledge . . . .

There is so much to see and learn here. As a new member you are restricted to posting in just a couple areas but once you log on you can see the entire forum contents. . Please be sure to check the invaluable links in the upper right hand corner of your forum pages too.

I understand that the entheogenic plant laws in Australia are particularly draconian. I cannot imagine living under such conditions. It's bad enough here in USA. . I applaud you for keeping the faith and pushing forward with research and education in such an environment and again warmly welcome you to the Nexus.

.