PREFACE TO THE 2000 EDITION

And the Beast said: By their pee shall ye judge them, and by thy pee shall ye be judged. And all will be divided by their pee. And in the snow shall their names be written. - The Book of rinomi!s"

This book dates from 1972-73, and the man who wrote it does not exist anymore. Even I, occ !yin" the same body that he did, hard#y remember him and $ ite often do not a"ree with his o!inions at a##, a##. I have therefore corrected and !dated his ideas in abo t a h ndred !#aces beca se, frank#y, he embarrasses me at times, es!ecia##y since we share the same name as we## as the same body. %ro nd the time he wrote this book, &obert %nton 'i#son, had !assed the a"e of (), #ost the ri"id ri"ht * wron" ideo#o"y he had !icked ! d rin" the anti-war and anti-se"re"ation movements of the 19+)s and tho "ht he had o t"rown the do"matic fo##ies of his yo th, achievin" a midd#e-a"ed and me##ow a"nosticism abo t everythin". Ten years #ater, as &ona#d &ea"an sat in the 'hite ,o se, 'i#son reached -) and, #ookin" back, fe#t astonished at how m ch fo##y had !ersisted even in his ()s. %s he a!!roached +) a few years a"o, he be"an to rea#i.e that he sti## had his share of h man idiocy even in his -)s. Today at ++/ 0be"innin" to mer"e with him now1, I can on#y wonder how m ch of the c rrent &obert %nton 'i#son #iterary o t! t of !a#aver wi## embarrass me when I reach 7--2)3 4onethe#ess, I don5t fee# !artic #ar#y dis"raced by another !rintin" of this book. 6ome of it sti## makes a #ot of sense tome, after corrections, and I see that in the semi-fictiona#i.ed 7case histories8 I have accidenta##y !rovided a sort of 7ideo"rammic8 history of the 19+)s 2 9 sti## the most controversia# decade of the cent ry, and we## worth #ookin" at a"ain, to #earn what we can from both its wisdom and its b# nders. The ma:or b# nder I ac$ ired from the 19+)s co nterc #t re was the notion that the Enemy 0with a ca!ita# E1, was i"norance and that this co #d be c red by ed cation. I now fee# more inc#ined to acce!t &. ; ckminster < ##er5s descri!tion of the fo r ma:or !rob#ems confrontin" the wor#d as 7i"norance, fear, "reed, and .onin" #aws.8 ;ein" nty!ica##y brave 0#ike most foo#s1, I a#ways nderestimated the ro#e of fear in h man affairs= havin" sim!#e desires, I nderestimated "reed= and not bein" an architect, I never "ras!ed the !erfidio s nat re of .onin" #aws. %bove a##, I fai#ed to rea#i.e the extent to which the syner"y of i"norance-fear-"reed-.onin" #aws in maintainin" the tyranny that < ##er ca##s >>%? 0>achiave##i, >afia, %toms and ?i#1 9 the banks, the mob, and the ener"y carte#s.13 >y c rrent thinkin" abo t >>%? derives from < ##er and, in re#ation to the to!ics of this book, even more from the 6 b-@eni s <o ndation of Aa##as, TB, which refers to >>%? as 7the Con.8 >any think the Con is : st a :oke or a !arody of other cons!iracy theories. To s ch do bters, the 6 b-@eni s <o ndation says that this is 7the Time of #ee8 9 the time foreto#d, when !eo!#e wo #d be : d"ed not by works, nor by fami#y, nor even by #ooks, b t by their rine. They listen to you through your telephone without its being off the hook, and re!ord you through satellites that !an peer down any street, anywhere$
1

D oted in &eve#ation B, trans#ated from the ori"ina# ton" es by the 6 b-@eni s <o ndation, 6imon and 6h ster, 4ew Eork, 199(. 2 7Ideo"rammic8 in this sense means sensory * fact a# as distinct from abstract * theoretica#. 3 < ##er5s ideas on these s b:ects can be st died in his %riti!al #ath, 6t. >artin5s Fress, 1921, and &run!h of &iants, 6t. >artin5s Fress, 1923.

They ki!k your door in any time they want to. All they have to yell is '( &)* and your spouse is in jail, your kids are farmed out to the state, your !ar and house are suddenly theirs$ +obody up there is a friend of yours, nobody up there wants you to have what you would !all freedom. The purpose of government is to produ!e !onsumers and workers who will keep the !ost of labor down, and the profits high for the owners$ -or this has be!ome so !rooked and perverse a nation that your pre!ious bodily fluids are no longer your own, and not even your bladder or bloodstream are private. There is no !#ace where they may not watch. The 1973 a thor of this book never co #d have ima"ined a 6tate so cra.i#y tota#itarian, or a !o! #ation so brainwashed into shee!-#ike s bmissiveness, that s ch abs rdities co #d occ r. ; t then, on#y Gafka and ?rwe## in their most eerie satires on b rea cracy-"one-bonkers co #d ima"ine an obscenity #ike o r Fiss Fo#ice. The 6tate in which we #ive can on#y acc rate#y be ca##ed Hrine 4ation. ,ow can this ha!!en in a once-free &e! b#ic where searches of the !erson are forbidden exce!t by co rt order after !robab#e ca se has been shownI Hrine 4ation, !osin" as the re!resentatives of yo and me, is en"a"ed in an a##e"ed 7'ar on Ar "s.8 That : stifies trashin" the Constit tion. 4ow this is, on the face of it, abs rd. 1. 'ars on dr "s or other insensib#e thin"s 0ob:ects, s bstances1 can on#y be carried on by # natics. The Con cannot be acc sed of insanityJ of i"norance, yes, and of fear, "reed and .onin" #aws, b t not of bein" batshit cra.y. They are not makin" war on chemica#s 9 or on the #aws of !hysics, or anythin" of that sort. They are makin" war on the %merican !eo!#e 9 on a## of s, a#tho "h on#y a few of s know that yet. <or instance, as yo may read in #issing Away the Ameri!an 'ream , on Kan ary 1929 the >innea!o#is !o#ice smashed down the door of the home of an e#der#y ;#ack co !#e, sin" 7f#ash ban"8 "renades which accidenta##y set the ho se on fire and ki##ed both o#d !eo!#e. The co!s were #ookin" for 7dr "s,8 b t never fo nd any. The chief of !o#ice : stified the m rders of two innocent citi.ens 0and the tota# vio#ation of the <o rth %mendment 0by sayin", 7This is war.81 The war is bein" wa"ed a"ainst !eo!#e, not chemica#s, and is !eo!#e who "et ki##ed. 2. Even within the off-ki#ter #o"ic of its own rhetoric, the 7'ar on Ar "s8 is nonsense. If yo "o o t yo r door and drive a few b#ocks, they say, yo wi## find at #east one store bo#d#y dec#arin" that they se## A&H@6, a#tho "h some say F,%&>%CE, which can on#y be deci!hered by those who know @reek roots= and in these stores, h ndreds of dr "s are avai#ab#e. 4earby is a s !ermarket where yo can b y ci"arettes, containin" nicotine, a dr " more addictive than heroin accordin" to former 6 r"eon @enera# Goo!. 4ext door is a ;%& where yo can b y do.ens of varieties of C2,3?,, a heavi#y addictive s bstance, statistica##y #inked to wife and chi#d batterin", divorce and vio#ent crime. Hrine 4ation, th s, is not makin" war on all dr "s, or dr "- sers, b t on#y on some. The "overnment asserts that the dr "s on their taboo #ist are the worst ones= ske!tics #ike me say they are mere#y the ones that are either 0a1 chea! and effective, #ike herba# medicines, and * or 0b1 not easy to mono!o#i.e, #ike mari: ana or 0c1 better than the hi"her !riced dr "s man fact red by the #ar"e !harmace tica# cor!orations that financia##y s !!ort both !o#itica# !arties. The on#y !eo!#e #itera##y 7at war8 with dr "s 9 all dr "s 9 are the Christian 6cientists. Ei"ht of them are c rrent#y a!!ea#in" their convictions for ref sin" to "ive their chi#dren the dr "s ordained from on hi"h by the Con * >>%?. %s Co nt ;ismarck once said, 7Laws are #ike sa sa"esJ yo have m ch more res!ect for them if yo haven5t act a##y seen how they5re made.8 >any of the chemica#s and herbs forbidden by the Con are not on#y harm#ess, b t are wide#y be#ieved to be beneficia#. The war a"ainst the sers of these s bstances is : st as vicio s as the wars a"ainst a## other s bstances on the taboo #ist. ?ver the !ast 1) years, the <ood and Ar " %dministration has en"a"ed in raids on a#ternative hea#th com!anies 9 com!anies o!eratin" o!en#y and, they tho "ht, #e"a##y 9 that more and more tend toward the vio#ence of AE% raids on s s!ected crack dea#ers. In every case, the

com!anies were se##in" vitamins and herbs that a "rowin" minority of the medica# !rofession a!!roves b t which >>%? and the <A% do not a!!rove. <or instance, in 199), the <A% raided the offices of Ar. Konathan 'ri"ht, a f ##y $ a#ified !hysician with an >.A. from the Hniversity of >ichi"an >edica# 6choo#, terrori.ed the staff with drawn " ns, and sei.ed a## the vitamins and herbs they co #d find. They never did fi#e crimina# char"ed a"ainst Ar. 'ri"ht for the heresy of "ivin" his !atients chea! medicines instead of ex!ensive ones, b t this raid was on#y one of h ndreds of simi#ar @esta!o-sty#e o!erations, creatin" what #ibertarians ca## 7a chi##in" effect8 on scientific freedom. %s the Life Extension <o ndation wroteJ $The -'A.s strong/arm ta!ti!s are used to intimidate and terrori0e Ameri!ans into toeing their poli!e state party line on health!are and medi!ine. The -'A.s purpose is not just to destroy the business and lives of their targets, but also to spread fear and terror throughout the land so that others who may be tempted to rebel against the agen!y will remain meek and submissive. In the 192)s, a < ndamenta#ist co !#e named &andy and Micki 'eaver f#ed to a mo ntain to! in Idaho, to "et as far as !ossib#e from the H.6. "overnment, which they considered a Nionist cons!iracy. ,owever "oofy that idea was, it was the on#y 7offense8 of which the 'eavers were " i#ty. They didn5t annoy their nei"hbors and they didn5t !#ot an ins rrection a"ainst the "overnmentJ they : st tried to avoid and evade it. This a#one was too m ch for the <eds. They sent in an informant to make friends with &andy and event a##y entra! him into se##in" a shot" n. 'ith that exc se, the <;I and %T< made war on the 'eaver fami#y, ki##in" Micki whi#e she stood ho#din" her baby in her arms, ki##in" her o#der son, and even ki##in" the fami#y do". The 'eavers s re had a #ot of n tty ideas= nobody b t another < ndamenta#ist wo #d deny that. ; t maybe their idea of the nat re of the c rrent H.6. "overnment, and its attit de toward its serfs and s b:ects, was a he## of a #ot more acc rate than the ideas yo read in #ibera# :o rna#s. (obert Anton 1ilson

PREFACE TO THE 1987 EDITION

This book was ori"ina##y written nder the tit#e )e2, 'rugs and the Occult in 1972. It was ! b#ished by F#ayboy Fress in 1973 nder the tit#e )e2 and 'rugs: A 3ourney Beyond 4imits . The chan"e was ordained by an editor who ex!#ained, 7,ef says on#y women and fa"s b y books on the occ #t.8 I have no idea whether ,ef act a##y ttered that Fa#eo#ithic sentiment or not. %fter five years workin" for #layboy ma"a.ine as %ssociate Editor 019++-19711 and havin" three books ! b#ished by F#ayboy Fress 01972-197(1, I have #earned that , "h ,efner is at #east as mythica# as the F#ayboy ; nny, the Easter ; nny or ,arvey the six-foot-ta## white rabbit in the famo s fi#m. ?n many occasions, editors have attrib ted to ,ef ideas and attit des which #ater t rned o t to be based entire#y on myth, r mor, de# sion and the madness of the midd#e-rank exec tives. I saw #layboy ma"a.ine take a marked t rn to the ri"ht, !o#itica##y, between ear#y 19++ and #ate 19+7 entire#y beca se ,ef said somethin" va" e#y favorab#e abo t %yn &and, which "ot exa""erated to the re!ort. 7,ef has become an ?b:ectivist,8 and then I saw it t rn marked#y #eftof-center a"ain beca se ,ef said, on another occasion, that he #iked &and5s ornery heroes b t was !ersona##y a 4ew Aea# #ibera# on socia# iss es. 4ervo s editors are a#ways tryin" to " ess the ! b#isher5s !re: dices from minima# c# es and they often " ess wron", which, of co rse, makes them more nervo s in the f t re. That5s !robab#y why @ene <ow#er ttered the immorta# a!horism, 7Every editor sho #d have a !im! as an o#der brother, so he5d have somebody to #ook ! to.8 The ;i" ; nny Em!ire has a#ways been a warren of extreme#y #a!ine editors. F#ayboy Fress seems not to have ! b#ished this book in the ordinary sense b t to have re#eased it on a need-to-know basis, or somethin" of that sort. There were marve#o s advance-of-

! b#ication b# rbs from heavywei"ht fi" res #ike %#an 'atts, 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs and Timothy Leary= there were enth siastic reviews in a do.en co nterc #t re news!a!ers and ma"a.ines= and then there was a stif#ed and !ro#on"ed si#ence, as if I had ki##ed a cat in the sacristy. Every !#ace I went to #ect re or "ive seminars, !eo!#e had heard of )e2 and 'rugs by word of mo th b t com!#ained that they were nab#e to find it in any bookstores. Mery $ ick#y, it went o t of !rint. I have never earned a !enny in roya#ties on it, which event I f ##y ex!ect to reverse from the <a#con Fress edition. O%nd which, indeed, has ha!!ened. Ed.P Even more c rio s#y, as years !assed and other books by me so#d we## and were re!rinted re" #ar#y, no ! b#isher was, for 13 years, wi##in" to re!rint )e2 and 'rugs. This has often ! ..#ed me. In retros!ect, I can5t he#! reca##in" that in the ear#y 197)s 9 when this book was first ! b#ished and immediate#y disa!!eared #ike a brick thrown in m d 9 many other weird thin"s were ha!!enin" to advocates of n!o! #ar ideas in %merica. Fa # Grassner5s (ealist 0the ma"a.ine that first ! b#ished me, in 19-91 was driven into bankr !tcy by what Fa # has a#ways c#aimed was an <;I cons!iracy. Ar. Leary, for !oor sa"e of the first amendment, was in so#itary confinement in the basement of <o#som Frison, in the ce## next to mass m rderer Char#ie >anson. Kohn Lennon was shot by another of the 7deran"ed #one assassins8 who were as common in %merica at that time as em!ty beer cans on a beach. 6to!-and-frisk #aws, c rfew #aws, no-knock #aws and other 6ovietic meas res were se#ective#y enforced on certain se"ments of the !o! #ation, at #east at first. 4ow it seems they can crash into anybody5s ho se and stea# the fami#y :ewe#s, if they c#aim they s s!ected dr "s were on the !remises. >ost 7 nder"ro nd8 news!a!ers and ma"a.ines fo##owed The (ealist into bankr !tcy in a !eriod of on#y a few months after the #ar"e record com!anies abr !t#y and very mysterio s#y sto!!ed advertisin" in the on#y ! b#ications read re" #ar#y by the yo n" !eo!#e who b y most records. Fsychiatrists and !sycho#o"ists who once to#d me they a"reed with Ar. Leary5s ideas became as !a#e and si#ent as moon#i"ht on a "ravestone. I draw no definite conc# sion from this. I mere#y re!ort the facts. The 197)s were a !eriod in %merican history when a !resident acc sed by Con"ressiona# investi"ators of more hi"h crimes and fe#onies than any five >afia @odfathers, was a##owed to resi"n and a!!oint a s ccessor who immediate#y "ranted him a f ## !ardon for a## crimes known or #ater to be discovered. The most im!ortant comment I wish to add to this new edition is that, since cocaine has become a "reat dea# more !o! #ar than it was when I wrote this book, I wish I had been even more nfavorab#e in my references to that nefario s com!o nd. ,avin" seen a #ot of coke-heads in recent years, I am convinced that yo can "et exact#y the same res #ts over a !eriod of a few months by re!eated#y shovin" ta#c m !owder ! yo r nose, r bbin" it in with sand!a!er and then b rnin" everythin" yo own in a backyard bonfire. ?r, as &ichard Fryor said, cocaine is : st nat re5s way of te##in" yo that yo have too m ch money. I a#so re"ard cocaine as !ernicio s beca se most of the !rofits from the coke ind stry "o to enrich the >afia, the Matican and the worst dictators in 6o th %merica. Eo can find the doc mentation to s !!ort this char"e in Aavid Ea##o!5s 5n &ods +ame, in Fenny Lerno x5s 5n Banks 1e Trust and in my own 6verything 5s nder %ontrol. % few additiona# comments mi"ht be he#!f # in c#arifyin" the thesis of this book, since many of the ideas herein are tota##y nfami#iar to most !eo!#e in the 'estern wor#d. This book was ori"ina##y ca##ed )e2, 'rugs and the Occult beca se it dea#s with the interface of those three intensities of ex!erience and not : st with two of them. It th s vio#ates a## the taboos of midd#e-c#ass, midd#e-brow readers. 6ex has many facets 9 bio#o"ica#, socio#o"ica#, esthetic, !sycho#o"ica#, com! #sive, ecstatic, tra"ic, !#ayf #, #ovin", !er!#exin" and 0I am to#d1, even on occasion borin" 9 b t in this text is considered chief#y in its 7transcendenta#8 as!ect. ;y this, I mean sim!#y that in or"asm everybody ex!eriences, to some de"ree, an ex!#osion * im!#osion of the norma# e"o and a me#tin", mer"in", 7oceanic8 sensation of at-one-ment. There are many ty!ed of dr "s in the wor#d 9 antibiotics= anesthetics= ana#"esics= narcotics= hy!notics= !sychede#ics= !!ers and downers= dreamers and screamers 9 b t here I am concerned with dr "s that act centra##y !on the hi"her nervo s system and a#ter e"o-definitions

and !erceived rea#ity-t nne#s. That is, dr "s that !rod ce 7transcendenta#8 or trans!ersona# states. It is obvio s that sex and dr "s to"ether can #ead to more extraordinary and !aranorma# trans-e"o ex!eriences than either sex or dr "s a#one. This is an ancient Tantric 7secret8 and the !resent book was, as far as I know, the first ever ! b#ished in %merica to disc ss it ex!#icit#y, witho t sin" a#chemica# or other codes to obsc re what was act a##y bein" said 0a techni$ e of dis" ise that had been sed by writers as diverse as Thomas Ma "hin, Tit s ; rkhardt, %rth r 'aite, %#eister Crow#ey and Israe# &e"ardie1. In retros!ect, I am not disa!!ointed or asto nded that the distrib tor of the ori"ina# edition a!!ears to have b ried the books in the ce##ar instead of !#acin" them in book stores. I think I am # cky not to have #anded in the ce## next to Ar. Leary and Char#ie >anson. ,.L. >encken once defined F ritanism as 7the ha ntin" fear that somebody, somewhere, mi"ht be havin" a "ood time.8 06ee the recent career of Genneth 6tarr.1 ?ne dee!#y entrenched ref#ex of 'estern c #t re is that !ost-! ritan han"over which Ar. 'i#he#m &eich ca##ed pleasure an2iety. This can be defined non-technica##y as the s s!icion that maybe the ! ritan "od exists after a## and, if we do mana"e to have a "ood time, he wi## rear ! and "ive s b#oody he## for it. The intensity of sex-!hobia and dr "-!hobia in a #ar"e and #o d !art of the H.6. !o! #ation was known to me when I wrote this book, b t I tho "ht it wo #d #ead to 7controversy8. I was too naQve to rea#i.e that by to chin" on both sex-and-dr " !hobias sim #taneo s#y I wo #d !rod ce, not controversy, b t re!ression and scotoma. The third theme of this work, 7occ #tism,8 has even more contradictory as!ects and conf#ictin" meanin"s than sex or dr "s. It inc# des s !erstitions, si##y !se do-sciences, a thoritarian c #ts as n tty as a kan"aroo in a >o.art $ artet, and, in some !#aces, a tr e science of !sycho-ne ro#o"y or rapid brain !hange as va#id as, and often more va#id than, most of what !asses for 7scientific !sycho#o"y8 these days. The #ast is best re!resented by Crow#eyan 7>a"ick,8 so I have sed that word in this new edition. I am interested on#y in the #atter kind of occ #tism, and even there I am #eery of the hi"h nonsense $ otient that infests most writin"s in this fie#d. >y aim has a#ways been to #earn what occ #t !ractices !rod ce concrete res #ts and to reform #ate what I have reamed from occ #tists into scientific and ex!erimenta# #an" a"e, as far as that is !ossib#e at this date. Time ma"a.ine, with their s a# dummheit, once did a cover story entit#ed, 7The ?cc #tJ % 6 bstit te <aith8. If this was a## that co #d be fo nd in occ #tism, I wo #d not to ch the s b:ect with the !roverbia# ten-foot !o#e. The wor#d a#ready has eno "h 7faith8 to " arantee that the Idiots are a#ways, as %mbrose ;ierce said, the #ar"est and most inf# entia# !o#itica# !arty in any society. ?cc #tism interests me, not as a s bstit te faith, b t as a substitute for faith. ?r"ani.ed re#i"ion, which is based on faith, has been, as >encken once wrote, the "reatest fomenter of hatred in the history of the wor#d. The on#y !o#itica# !arties to riva# re#i"ion as ca ses of h man s fferin" and horror are 4a.ism and Comm nism, which are a#so based on b#ind faith and ri"id do"matism. >y basic attit de has a#ways been that the "reatest dr " any chemist co #d !ossib#y invent wo #d be an anti-" ##ibi#ity !i##, to c re h manity of its addiction to faith and do"ma. The kind of occ #tism that interests me is based, not on faith, b t on the same ex!erimenta# method as the more ob:ective and #ess controversia# !hysica# sciences. This is the occ #tism that yo wi## find, for instance, in the a!!endices 0the !ractica# !art1 of %#eister Crow#ey5s 7agi! in Theory and #ra!ti!e. %s Crow#ey writesJ 5n this book it is spoken of the )ephiroth and the #ath, of spirits and !onjurations, of gods, spheres, planes and many other things whi!h may or may not e2ist. 5t is immaterial whether they e2ist or not. By doing !ertain things, !ertain results follow, students are most earnestly warned against attributing obje!tive reality or philosophi!al validity to any of them. In other words, traditiona# occ #tism has come down to s with the vocab #ary and meta!hors of !ast a"es attached. This vocab #ary and these meta!hors have !roven sef # for cent ries, and may sti## !rove sef # to those not entire#y a#ienated by their archaic f#avor, b t the essence of a !ractica# occ #t system has nothin" to do with vocab #ary or meta!hors. The essence is 7doin" certain thin"s8 as Crow#ey says. These thin"s one does, or operations, are sometimes ca##ed 7rit a#s8 and sometimes 7exercises,8 b t it is not at a## extrava"ant to ca## them 7ex!eriments8 or 7ex!#orations.8

The reason Crow#ey warns a"ainst attrib tin" 7ob:ective rea#ity8 to the operations 0rit a#s, exercises, ex!eriments, ex!#orations1 of !ractica# occ #tism is that these o!erations dea# on#y and a#ways with non-ob:ective rea#ities 0!# ra#1. % !o! #ar fa##acy ho#ds that there are no non-ob:ective rea#itiesJ that ob:ective rea#ity is the 7on#y8 rea#ity. The error of this view can c#ear#y be seen when one contem!#ates the ran"e of nonob:ective rea#ities enco ntered and end red by different !eo!#e on ordinary days, witho t any occ #t o!erations bein" !erformed at a##J >r. % has a headache and is irritab#e. >s. ; : st !assed her mathematics test and is ha!!y. >r. C is worried, irrationa##y, that the Comm nists are ! ttin" !oison in his food. >s. A is worried, rationa##y, that she can5t !ay the rent. >r. E is so invo#ved in a medica# research !ro:ect showin" "ood res #ts that he e#ated#y thinks a## disease is abo t to be abo#ished next T esday after # nch. >s. < is so de!ressed by a year of #osin" batt#es for the ri"hts of farm workers that she thinks the h man condition is ho!e#ess and the bad " ys a#ways win. %ny one-#eve# theory of ob:ective rea#ity that i"nores the se!arate rea#ity-t nne#s in which these !eo!#e are #ivin" existentia##y has no va#idity in !sycho#o"y, and, with a #itt#e ana#ysis, it is obvio s that no s ch one-#eve# theory has any "enera# va#idity in socio#o"y either. To nderstand human behavior, we have to nderstand human evaluations 0ne ro-#in" istic !ro"rams1 and modern socia# eva# ations 0interna# rea#ity-t nne#s1 de!end on both the externa# environment 0settin"1 and the interna# environment 0ne ro-#in" istic !ro"rams1. Eo can easi#y ki## yo rse#f with ne"ative mind-sets, by deve#o!in" #cers, heart !rob#ems, hi"h b#ood !ress re, etc., or by dr nken drivin", or sim!#y by "ettin" so de!ressed yo : m! in front of a train. Converse#y, yo can s rvive 7ob:ective rea#ities8 that wo #d menta##y or !hysica##y destroy others, if yo are maintainin" a !ositive mind-set. The o!erations and ex!eriments and trainin" exercises of !ractica# occ #tism are concerned with 7ca sin" chan"e in conscio sness by act of wi##8 as the !sychoana#yst Mio#et 'irth wrote nder the !en-name she sed on her occ #t books, Aion <ort ne. 6 ch ra!id brainchan"e is an art we## worth masterin" in a wor#d that is f ## of nasty shocks and disco ra"in" socia# !rob#ems. I have tried here to te## as m ch abo t this art as I can, in !#ain En"#ish, witho t hidin" anythin", and witho t sin" s !ernat ra# or mystic meta!hors for events that can be described more economica##y in the #an" a"es of ne ro#in" istics and ne rosomatic medicine. The ma:or #esson to be #earned from !ractica# occ #tism has a#ready been stated severa# times in this brief Freface and wi## be stated a"ain, in other meta!hors, thro "ho t this book. It needs to be stated in many ways, red ndant#y, beca se most !eo!#e cannot nderstand it witho t ex!erience of the o!erations, ex!eriments and exercises of ra!id brain chan"e. ,ere is one more attem!t to state it sim!#y and direct#yJ 4? 7EBTE&4%L8 6ITH%TI?4 >%GE6 % >E4T%L 6T%TE 7I4EMIT%;LE8 'hatever is "oin" on aro nd yo , yo r ex!erienced rea#ity-t nne# is sti## a syner"etic !rod ct of both interna# and externa# environments 0set and settin"1. Eo do not 7create yo r own rea#ity,8 as Fo! >ysticism says, b t yo create the #ar"er !art of it by how yo eva# ate, res!ond and "ive 7meanin"8 to what ha!!ens. Eo r freedom is m ch, m ch "reater than yo rea#i.e nti# yo start ex!erimentin" with a#ternative rea#ity-t nne#s and ra!id brain chan"e. This book, then, is basica##y an informa# history of how certain #on"-hidden !ractica# secrets of Tantric ; ddhism cre!t into the 'estern wor#d in the midd#e a"es, were cr shed and * or driven nder"ro nd by the ,o#y In$ isition, have "rad a##y been rediscovered since aro nd 19)), s dden#y emer"ed as a ma:or socia#-revo# tionary force in the 19+)s, and were once a"ain cr shed and driven nder"ro nd. <ifteen years after the first edition, I think I nderstand better why these secrets of mind!ro"rammin" have been so caref ##y hidden and why they are so ferocio s#y !ersec ted whenever they are #eaked to a #ar"e section of any !o! #ation. Tantra s rvived in the East !recise#y beca se it did hide its secrets and never attem!ted to become a revo# tionary force for socia# chan"e. Tantrists, #ike other ; ddhists, be#ieve that breakin" free of mechanica# conscio sness 9 #earnin" to chan"e conscio sness by acts of wi## 9 can on#y be accom!#ished by one !erson at a time, and that tryin" to #iberate the who#e wor#d is im!ossib#e and co nter!rod ctive. 7'hen eatin" an e#e!hant, take one bite at a time8 is their motto.

>y own !referred rea#ity-t nne# is !recise#y the reverse of this ; ddhist conservatism. Aes!ite the tone of fashionab#e cynicism in a few !a"es of this book 9 the one form of dis" ise I sed to "et the text !ast the ori"ina# editors5 !re: dices 9 I have been convinced for some time that the !resent wor#dwide techno#o"ica# society is m ch #ike a dissipative stru!ture in the mathematica# $ ant m chemistry of I##ya Fri"o"ine. 6 ch a com!#ex str ct re, once achieved, immediate#y becomes mathematica##y nstab#e and m st $ ick#y transform itse#f radica##y, either into a more chaotic state or into a more coherent state. If this mathematica# mode# rea##y fits o r !#anetary vi##a"e today 0and Ar. Fri"o"ine himse#f thinks it does1, then we are certain#y movin", very ra!id#y, either into chaos or into hi"her order. In h man terms, that means that either yo r favorite Aoomsday scenario is abo t to ha!!en or e#se some form of tota##y new wor#d society wi## emer"e from o r c rrent instabi#ity. The acce#erated chan"es we are ex!eriencin" are sym!toms either of radica# breakdown or of radica# breakthrough to a new #eve# of h man evo# tion. %s ; ckminster < ##er said re!eated#y in his #ast ten years, the on#y choices #eft for s are Hto!a or ?b#ivion. 6ince it is fashionab#e, !hi! and 7the in thin"8 to bet on ?b#ivion, I think it is worthwhi#e to consider the case for Hto!ia. The ar" ments for this nfashionab#e and n!o! #ar a#ternative are !resented in my #rometheus (ising 0<a#con Fress, 19231. ;rief#y, here, I wi## say on#yJ 011 nti# the f t re arrives, the o tcome is ncertain, so Aoomsday scenarios, however !o! #ar, are not definitive and for inte##ect a# honesty and c#arity, deserve to be critici.ed and cha##en"ed= 021 for the reasons sketched above, and deve#o!ed more f ##y in the text to fo##ow, I do not think !essimism is the only !ossib#e o t#ook on the niverse, b t mere#y the one that is c rrent#y bi$ ito s= 031 many socio#o"ica# behaviors are the res #t of se#f-f #fi##in" !ro!hecies, so it is worth the "amb#e of ex!erimenta##y breakin" the "ro ! hy!nosis of defeatism, and ex!erimenta##y testin" to see what the res #ts of more ho!ef # scenarios mi"ht be, and= 0(1 Fri"o"ine5s math indicates that the odds act a##y favor the o!timists, since dissi!ative str ct res are more #ike#y to evo#ve into more information-rich 0inte##i"entI1 forms than into more !rimitive or chaotic forms. In this context of ske!ticism toward the modern Ido# of Existentia# Aes!air, I think the !ro"rams of ra!id brain chan"e s ""ested in this book are worthy of ex!erimenta# testin" by anybody who isn5t yet ready for s icide. Ferha!s there are reso rces of co ra"e, creativity and hi"her inte##i"ence #atent in each of s. Ferha!s a socio#o"ica# chain reaction can sti## be set in action if eno "h !eo!#e #earn how to transcend fashionab#e se#f-!ity and make an effort to become ha!!ier and more efficient. Ferha!s we are not dead yet, b t on#y hy!noti.ed by morbid and morib nd !hi#oso!hies. Ferha!s the !owers of the h man brain have never f ##y been re#eased in the Fa#eo#ithic, 4eo#ithic, fe da#, ca!ita#ist or socia#ist "ames. Ferha!s the #imits that seem to restrict s are on#y bad habits and we can transcend a## of them. %nd 9 this is the ma:or theme of the !a"es to fo##ow 9 !erha!s the h man brain can be sed for f n and !rofit= !erha!s the brain is not desi"ned for fai# re, as c rrent inte##ect a# do"ma ho#ds, b t for 7tota# s ccess in Hniverse8 as ; cky < ##er c#aimed. Those who are wi##in" to consider these heretica# and b#as!hemo s notions mi"ht find !rofit in the !comin" cha!ters. ?ne fina# 1927 !ostscri!t to this 1972 book. 4o c re has been fo nd for %IA6 yet. <ar be it from me to critici.e anybody5s #ifesty#e, b t 9 if yo m st be !romisc o s, remember that in the a"e of %IA6 cas a# sex without a !ondom is #ike & ssian ro #ette.

INTRODUCTION
1e.re all Bo0os on this bus. The <iresi"n Theater

5n Berkeley, a young man is !hatting a 8indu mantra while e2uberantly balling a female member of his !ommune. 5n!ense is burning, there is a !halked pentagram on the floor around the bed, and they have been !opulating 9 unbelievably, without rea!hing orgasm 9 for nearly two hours, with o!!asional stops for additional sniffs of !o!aine. 5f you tell this fellow that all this magi! is uns!ientifi! and silly and that, with !ontinued use, the !oke will ruin his nasal septum, he will dismiss you as a hopeless s:uare. 8e has found the real meaning of religious e!stasy in the newly faddish works of magi!ian Aleister %rowley ;who died in obs!urity in "<=>?. This program of drugs plus artifi!ially prolonged Tantri! ;se2ual? yoga has raised him to a plane of beauty and joy where the warnings of the rationalist are meaningless. 7eanwhile, in %hi!ago, a hip young lawyer with a more hard/boiled attitude is smoking a joint of #anama (ed marijuana with his lady of the evening before they !limb into bed. 8e does not !onsider himself a magi!ian and he knows nothing about Tantri! yoga. But he, too, is part of the new !ult of drug/dren!hed se2ual mysti!ism, even if he says vibes without reali0ing that this is a shortening of astral vibrations. 8e is just looking for a bigger and better orgasm, and e2pe!ts weed to produ!e it. 5n 'arien, %onne!ti!ut, where the 7ad Avenue !rowd retreats at sunset to be!ome suburbanites, a high/s!hool student and his teeny/bopper sweetie pie are also !ombining drugs, se2 and a little mysti!ism. They are nude but not yet engaged in inter!ourse, he is reading the )e2 %hakra !hapter from Timothy 4eary.s Fsychede#ic Frayers aloud to her, while @AA mikes of windowpane a!id are !ir!ulating in their blood/streams. 4ie :uietly in the slippery union of male and female, he intones, and they move together toward a mounting posture, utterly free of the furtive guilts of their parents. They are :uite !onvin!ed that what is transpiring is more religiously meaningful than anything that ever happens in the lo!al !hur!h on )unday. The !recedin" !ara"ra!hs are not fiction= they are com!osites based on !eo!#e I have act a##y known. 'e are #ivin" in a time in which 9 to"ether with tho sands of other socia# chan"es 9 the Ar " &evo# tion has combined with the 6ex a# &evo# tion to brin" forth ama.in" !ro"eny. Chief#y, what has ha!!ened, and is contin in" to ha!!en as more and more converts c#imb on the eroto-!sychede#ic bandwa"on, can be described 9 !aradoxica##y 9 as an !s r"e of interest in the nonphysi!al side of sex. Even tho "h the conce!t so nds #ike an oxymoron at first, we a## know abo t the non!hysica# or meta!hysica# as!ects of o r own eroticism. It is the emotiona# 9 or ener"etic 9 force that "ives sex a f#avor or a co#or $ ite inde!endent of its !hysica# s!asm, a#beit ca!ab#e of enrichin" and even !ro#on"in" the !hysica# as!ect. %ccordin" to >asters and Kohnson, a woman can achieve a hi"her intensity of !hysica# !#eas re thro "h mast rbation than she can ever ex!erience in coit s with a man. This fact has been sei.ed !on as !roof that men are nnecessary to fema#e sex a# "ratification by a certain vehement frin"e of the <eminist movement. To nobody5s "reat s r!rise, however, most women contin e to !refer co! #ation to mast rbation. 6imi#ar#y, many !ro!a"andists for @ay Liberation insist that fe##atio "ives a man a more ex!#osive or"asm than coit s. %#tho "h they have no a thority e$ a# to >asters and Kohnson to s !!ort them in this c#aim, they may we## be ri"ht. ? r Fresident seems to a"ree with them= and K d"e > rta"h of 4ew Eork, in his book on !rostit tion ca##ed %ast the -irst )tone, !oints o t that a hi"h !ercenta"e of the men who "o to whores are married and are seekin" fe##atio, which either they are too timid to ask from their wives or their wives are too !r dish to !rovide. This wo #d seem to indicate that fe##atio, at #east occasiona##y, !rovides a certain somethin" extra 0as >ad %ven e wo #d say1 that !ene-va"e : st doesn5t have. 4everthe#ess, a"ain to nobody5s s r!rise, most men are $ ite devoted to the o#d 7missionary !osition8 most of the time. ?bvio s#y, there is more to sex than the twitchin" of a few m sc#es and the excretion of a few "#ands. Every ado#escent boy who has ever he#d a !in- ! in his #eft hand whi#e mast rbatin" knows this. Every woman who has ever been irresistib#y drawn to a man who #ooks #ike %donis b t acts #ike a son-of-a-bitch knows this. %nd so does every h sband or wife who has fantasi.ed a different !artner whi#e in the arms of his or her act a# s!o se. The mysterio s non!hysica# !art of sex a#ity is vario s#y known as 7mind,8 7s!irit,8 or 7emotion.8 6i"m nd <re d ca##ed it 7#ibido8 and then ca tio s#y backed away from definin" what he meant. 'i#he#m &eich, >.A., the enfant terrible of modern !sycho#o"y, ca##ed it 7or"one8 and insisted it was a rea# ener"y that !hysica# scientists hadn5t noticed beca se they had never

tho "ht to t rn their instr ments on men and women in a state of erotic !assion. & ssian scientists have been tryin" to meas re it #ate#y, and severa# have c#aimed s ccess= they cheerf ##y inform s that it extends severa# feet beyond the !hysica# body. 'hether &eich and the & ssians are ri"ht or not, there is a c#ear sensation, which most of s know very we##, that some sort of fie#d of emotiona# ener"y is aro sed by sex a# excitement. This s b:ective streamin" sensation "enera##y rises and fa##s in !ro!ortion to the more s!ecific bioe#ectric char"e in the !rimary and secondary sex a# or"ans= b t not a#ways. The difference between this !sycho-ener"etic 7thri##8 and the more #oca#i.ed "enita# sensation ex!#ains why a woman !refers a man to her own midd#e fin"er, even tho "h mast rbation can !rod ce more of the #oca#i.ed char"e and dischar"e= why an ado#escent en:oys mast rbatin" more when a !hoto is b i#din" ! a menta# char"e to aid and abet the !hysica# char"e !rod ced by his onanistic hand= why a man wi## want co! #ation on one occasion and fe##atio on another. The #oca# sensations are entire#y the !rod ct of the ce#ebrated 7techni$ e8 ta "ht in sex man a#s= the "enera# emotiona# fie#d effect is !art#y 0tho "h certain#y not tota##y1 inde!endent of this, and de!ends most#y on !sycho#o"ica# variab#es 9 the conscio s and nconscio s fee#in"s, needs, whims, fantasies and yens of the individ a#. Timothy Leary, Fh.A., the !ro!het and martyr of the dr " k #ch, #ikes to refer to Gonrad Lorent.5 etho#o"ica# research which is odd#y apropos here. Ar. Lorent. discovered that "eese 9 in order to be attracted sex a##y to other "eese 9 m st be immediate#y 7im!rinted8 after birth 0i.e., they m st ac$ ire the ima"e of a "oose as a so rce of emotiona# "ratification1. They ac$ ire this 7im!rintin"8, in the ordinary co rse of nat re, by nestin" with their mothers. A e to Ar. Lorent.5s caref # attention to his ex!erimenta# birds, a few of them were 7im!rinted8 with his ima"e as the !rotective, materna# ob:ect, and ! rs ed him sex a##y when they "rew to ad #thood. %nother "os#in", more strikin"#y, was accidenta##y 7im!rinted8 by a !in"-!on" ba##. Conse$ ent#y, he s!ent his ad #t #ife in fr stratin" attem!ts to make #ove to these !#astic s!heres. %s Ar. Leary says, this anecdote is both amusing and frightening. 5t reminds us that ea!h of us sees the world through per!eptual stru!tures ;bio!hemi!al/neurologi!al? whi!h were laid down a!!identally in our earliest moments. 5t raises the uneasy suspi!ion that$ we may be simply !hasing the parti!ular #ing/#ong balls whi!h, at those sensitive shutter moments, had been imprinted on our !orti!al film. >y own ex!erience i## strates this. >y wife has red hair. Lookin" back, it occ rs to me that I have been invo#ved sex a##y with more red-headed women than mere chance and accident can ex!#ain. 6eekin" some #i"ht on this, I asked my mother abo t the ear#y fema#e inf# ences on my infancy. 6he remembered that, at that time, I was es!ecia##y fond of one baby-sitter 9 a girl with red hair. It doesn5t take m ch ima"ination to ass me that, if the baby-sitter who was so kind to me had been ma#e, I mi"ht be homosex a# today= or that if she had been cr e#, I mi"ht be a masochist= and so on. This ana#ysis is not intended mere#y to tri""er the trite ref#ections abo t 7nothin" h man is a#ien to me8 or 7there, b t for the "race of @od, "o I.8 >ore si"nificant is the rea#i.ation that, however and whatever im!rinted s in yo th, we brin" this s bmer"ed history with s to each sex a# enco nter. It is one 9 on#y one o t of many 9 of the factors that determine whether o r emotiona# fie#d becomes hi"h#y char"ed when o r "enita#s are bein"s stim #ated mechanica##y. I sometimes think that the most !rofo nd #yric ever ttered by bard or !oet is the o#d &ocky >o ntain fo#k t neJ -rom here on up, the hills don.t get any higher, -rom here on up, the hills don.t get any higher, -rom here on up, the hills don.t get any higher, But the valleys get deeper and deeper. H#timate#y, what we find in any ex!erience, sex a# or otherwise, de!ends !on o r own emotiona# ener"y fie#d. 'e can see a sma## mo ntain above a dee! va##ey, or a sha##ow va##ey with a ta## mo ntain towerin" over it. 'ay back in the innocent !re-L6A days of the 19-)s, Car# &o"ers, a distin" ished !sycho#o"ist who invented what is ca##ed 7c#ient-centered thera!y8, wrote a !a!er on the chan"es in !erce!tion that occ r d rin" !sychothera!y. ,e !ointed o t that !atients enterin" treatment s a##y see rather s bd ed co#ors and hear a "reat dea# of chaotic noise in their environment=

moreover, they are a#so "enera##y s rro nded by ne"ative and n!#easant stim #i in s ch areas as odor and tem!erat re. ?n the other hand, !atients who have com!#eted a s ccessf # !sychothera!y tend to see bri"hter co#ors, hear more attractive and rhythmic so nds, and "enera##y !erceive a more !#easin" wor#d. It seems evident that the chan"es occ r in the !atients, and not in the environment. Even ear#ier, !oet Car# 6andb r" to#d a yarn abo t a farmer sittin" on a fence when a stran"er !assed on the road and asked him how fo#ks were ! in the town ahead. 7,ow were fo#ks where yo came fromI8 asked the farmer. 7They were a !retty mean, se#fish and nfriend#y #ot,8 the stran"er said bitter#y, 7and that5s why I #eft.8 The farmer shook his head sad#y. 7I5m afraid yo 5re in for a disa!!ointment. <o#ks in the next town are : st the same.8 % whi#e #ater, a second stran"er came a#on" the road and asked the same $ estion. 7,ow were the fo#ks where yo came fromI8 the farmer asked a"ain. 7They were "reat,8 this fe##ow re!#ied. 7% kinder, more he#!f # #ot of !eo!#e I never saw. I rea##y hated to #eave.8 7'e##,8 the farmer said, 7don5t be sad. Eo 5## find the same kind of fo#ks ! ahead.8 'e a## find it hard to be#ieve that rea#ity is as m ch o r own creation as Frofessor &o"ers5 research and !oet 6andb r"5s !arab#e s ""est. Conservatives, who !ride themse#ves on havin" a 7hard-nosed8 and 7rea#istic8 attit de to the 7br te facts8 of #ife, are s s!icio s of anythin" that introd ces the s b:ective e#ement or im!#ies that the 7br te facts8 may exist on#y in their own heads. Libera#s, do"matica##y committed to what they be#ieve is scientific ske!ticism 0most#y, in fact, !o! #ari.ations of obso#ete !re-Einstein !hysics1, are wary of any idea that seems to o!en a door to 7mysticism8 or 0@od forbid1 traditiona# otherwor#d#y re#i"ion. %nd radica#s, of co rse, react #ike a b ## toward a co#ored c#oth when confronted with notions that im!#y 0in 6hakes!eare5s words1 that 7nothin" is b t thinkin" makes it so,8 since that co #d easi#y #ead to te##in" the !oor that the !ro!er menta# attit de, and not more "overnment s!endin", is the c re for their miseries. In s!ite of a## these !owerf # !re: dices, most of s acknow#ed"e that other people are fair#y s b:ective in their !erce!tions and are fre$ ent#y inc#ined to what <re d ca##ed 7!ro:ection8 9 seein" what they ex!ect, or ho!e, or sometimes what they fear. Hnder !hi#oso!hica# crossexamination we wi## even admit that the same se#f-dece!tion occasiona##y does manifest itse#f in o r-se#ves 9 a#tho "h very se#dom, of co rse. % c #t ca##ed C6IC?F be#ieves this 7!ro:ection8 or 7se#f-dece!tion8 ha!!ens to everybody e#se exce!t themse#ves. The dr " revo# tion of the 199)s has bro "ht this iss e home to a## of s, where it had !revio s#y occ !ied a m rky area of !hi#oso!hy and occasiona##y intr ded on the technica# !roceedin"s of those !sycho#o"ists and ne ro#o"ists who were s!ecia#ists in !erce!tion theory. 6omewhere between 1) and 7) mi##ion %mericans have ex!erimented on themse#ves with mari: ana or other dr "s that are #oose#y c#assed as psy!hotomimeti!s, or hallu!inogens or psy!hedeli!s. The conf#ictin" names for these chemica#s indicate the disa"reement in the scientific comm nity abo t what act a##y ha!!ens when these dr "s enter the h man biocom! ter. #sy!homimeti! means that which imitates !sychosis, or ! ts s tem!orari#y in the wor#d of the insane= hallu!inogeni! im!#ies that which distorts or war!s o r !erce!tion= psy!hedeli! means mere#y that which a#ters or en#ar"es conscio sness. ?bvio s#y, the first two terms s ""est that the dr " voya"er is seein" nothin" b t i## sion or de# sion, whi#e the third #eaves o!en the !ossibi#ity that some of the new#y ac$ ired !erce!tions mi"ht be as acc rate as norma# awareness, or even more acc rate. The #atter, need#ess to say, is the c#aim of those who see the !sychede#ic movement as a !o#itica# or c #t ra# force= it is the do"ma of s ch new re#i"ions, based on these dr "s, as Ar. Leary5s Lea" e for 6!irit a# Aiscovery, the 4eo-%merican Ch rch, the Ch rch of the %wakenin", the Ch rch of Fsychede#ic Men s, and so on. To a #ar"e de"ree, socia# !o#icy toward this movement wi## de!end !on how o!en we can be on this iss e of the va#idity of the !erce!tions of others. Ao we think that the wor#d we !erceive is the rea# wor#d, as %yn &and 0for exam!#e1 insistsI ?r do we admit that everybody #ives in his own wor#d and that each !erson5s niverse is !art#y va#id and !art#y an artistic creationI I was an ear#y !artici!ant in the Ar " &evo# tion. I took !eyote, the sacred !sychede#ic cact s of the %merican Indians since abo t 1))) ;C, with a 6io x Indian friend in 19+1. I ex!erienced the ex!#osion 0or im!#osion1 of my !revio s niverse and the creation of a new niverse. I know what Ar. Leary and the other ideo#o" es of the 7new conscio sness8 are ta#kin" abo t. %t the same time, I have a wife and fo r chi#dren to s !!ort and a ;rook#yn boyhood5s

trainin" in the art of s rviva#, which means that I am a constit tiona# non-:oiner and non-cr sader. I have known the !sychede#ic activists and #iked many of them, b t my own tem!erament has a#ways been ske!tica#. I do not have the "#ands of a Tr e ;e#iever. >y friend, nove#ist 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, #iked to say that 7anythin" which can be accom!#ished by chemica# means can a#so be accom!#ished by non-chemica# means.8 I have !ersona##y fo nd this to be tr e. There is no area of new !erce!tion and ex!anded awareness discoverab#e thro "h !eyote 0or L6A or simi#ar dr "s1 that cannot a#so be reached by techni$ es we##-known to ?rienta# yo"is and 'estern occ #tists. The sensory withdrawa# techni$ es !ioneered by Ar. Li##y and the new biofeedback machines a#so d !#icate most of this ex!anded awareness. ?ther scientists are investi"atin" even easier techni$ es. %s this new know#ed"e becomes increasin"#y avai#ab#e to the #ayman, I am convinced that it wi## have the effect that the 'ashin"ton so#ons aim at but are unable to a!hieve through prohibitive laws J the dr " revo# tion wi## #ose its moment m and shrink a bit. 0I do bt that it wi## ever vanish tota##y. It has been aro nd, as we sha## see, since at #east 1-,))) ;C.1 >eanwhi#e, the chemica# revo# tion is doin" 7$ ite nice#y, thank yo .8 There were, for instance, !robab#y no more than a few h ndred tho sand !ot smokers in this co ntry when Con"ress o t#awed the weed in 1937= the fi" re now hovers aro nd -)-7) mi##ion 9 and the n mbers seems to be increasin". >any of them have "one thro "h !erce!tion chan"es simi#ar to those of Ar. &o"ers5 !atients and are #ivin" in a rea#ity nknown to, say, &everend ;i##y @raham or the chairman of the board of yo r #oca# bank. Those who take dr "s #a "h at different thin"s, #ove in a different fashion, "et an"ry for different reasons and "enera##y seem to many of their e#ders #ike invaders from another !#anet. The first 7dr " :oke8 that I ever heard, back in the mid-19-)s, seemed mysterio s to me in my yo th and innocence. It concerned two !ot-smokin" bo! m sicians who are wa#kin" on the street when a fire en"ine races by at f ## thrott#e. 7>an,8 one says to the other, 7I tho "ht they5d never #eave.8 Today, even the strai"htest citi.ens knows, at #east by hearsay, the !oint of that yarnJ mari: ana ex!ands time as if it were si##y ! tty. It a#so confronts s with Einstein5s !aradoxesJ Is my time rea# or is yo rs more rea#I Is o r train movin" or is it the train on the next trackI %re the hi##s "ettin" hi"her or the va##eys dee!erI <or the firs time in the history of the deve#o!ment of %n"#o-6axon #aw we are confronted with that most acc rsed of a## meta!hysica# $ estions 9 1hat is (ealityI 9 and o r to#erance, or into#erance, toward aro nd () !ercent of o r citi.ens de!ends on o r answer. Ferce!tion does not exist in a vac mJ what we see determines how we fee# and re#ate to the wor#d. ? r answer to 7'hat is &ea#ityI8 is never an abstract or academic matter, however abstr se the $ estion itse#f may seem. Those who share what anthro!o#o"ist Car#os Castaneda has ca##ed 7a se!arate rea#ity8 a#so deve#o! a se!arate #ifesty#e and ethos 9 which is wide#y ca##ed 7the co nterc #t re.8 %s &ichard &. Lin"eman writes in 'rugs from A to BJ As long as the mysti:ue surrounds the drug, the !urious will want to try it, and the adept will orient their lives around it. There will probably !ontinue to be agitation for the drug.s legali0ation by its advo!ates$ 'edi!ated 4)' users are !hara!teristi!ally, almost !ompulsively, proselyti0ers for the drug, but it remains to be seen whether their efforts will have any widespread effe!t in our so!iety, for the meditative, non-a""ressive, inward orientation of se#f associated with the dr " r ns co nter to the va# es of an extroverted, a""ressive, ac$ isitive society. This book can hard#y ho!e to reso#ve s ch com!#ex e!istemo#o"ica# and socio#o"ica# conf#icts, b t it is my ho!e that I wi## be ab#e, at #east, to c#arify some of the iss es somewhat. >y s b:ect is the effect of dr "s on sex a#ity, b t I cannot se!arate this from their effect on #ife and fee#in" "enera##y, and !on !hi#oso!hy, #aw and !o#itics. It is my ho!e that, at minim m, the ordinary reader wi## "ain some increased nderstandin" of the rea# conf#icts invo#ved in the s b:ect, as we## as in s ch dece!tive#y sim!#e words as 7rea#ity,8 7ha## cination,8 7conscio sness,8 7conscio sness-ex!ansion,8 and so on. It is not at a## tr e, for exam!#e, that the avera"e !ot smoker or acidhead has #ost the abi#ity to distin" ish an obvio s ha## cination from an inesca!ab#e rea#ity. ,owever, the #ine, for s ch enth siasts, has certain#y "rown more !rob#ematica# and ! ..#in" than it has for most !eo!#e= they are #ess do"matic in sayin" 7this is rea#8 or 7this is ha## cination.8 ; t !#ease not that 0a1 this

is a#so tr e for the "reatest minds in science, who reco"ni.e m ch more ambi" ity in this area than the man-in-the-street does, and 0b1 exce!t nder very rare circ mstances and for very brief moments 0i.e., nder a so#anaceae dr " or a very hi"h dose of L6A1, the avera"e dr " ser wi## have no more tro b#e than Kesse ,e#ms in distin" ishin" a rea# s!eedin" car from a vision of the one-eyed, one-horned, f#yin" ! r!#e !eo!#e-eater. This is worth em!hasi.in" beca se a !o! #ar mis nderstandin" has it that the 7dr " c #tists8 have #ost a## critica# : d"ment and be#ieve in a## sorts of i## sions and ha## cinations that they ex!erience on their weed or their acid. This is hard#y tr e of men as so!histicated as %#do s , x#ey, 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, %#an '. 'atts and many other distin" ished !ersons who have said that dr "s enab#ed them to know more of rea#ity, and it is not even tr e of the lumpen sers in o r co##e"es or hi!!ie "hettos. <or instance, nder a dr " #ike hashish, a man mi"ht, in a few ho rs, !ass thro "h a !ro"ram or a scenario in which 0a1 a## co#ors become bri"hter and #ove#ier, 0b1 he s dden#y discovers abnorma##y s cc #ent f#avor in a !rod ct #ike corn f#akes, 0c1 he sees a werewo#f in the window, 0d1 he s!ends a ha#f ho r in ho!e#ess "i""#es over a s b:ect that never does become c#ear, 0e1 he s dden#y rea#i.es that his #ast $ arre# with his "ir#friend was s!arked by nconscio s resentments a"ainst his mother #eft over from infancy, 0f1 he thinks he nderstand what ,ind s mean when they say that everythin" is @od, 0"1 #ookin" at himse#f in a mirror, he sees an o#d man 0or a cor!se1, 0h1 he sees somethin" in Man @o"h !aintin" that he never noticed before, and 0i1 he "oes to bed with his "ir# and has the best or"asm in months. %fterwards, m ##in" over this ex!erience, the voya"er wi## not ass me that 0c1 the werewo#f was rea##y at the window. ,e wi## a#so !robab#y decide that 0b1 the corn f#akes rea##y are a fair#y b#and food and that the hashish was : st !ro"rammin" him with memories of better food in the !ast. ,e mi"ht even be ske!tica# eno "h to wonder if his "reat <re dian insi"ht 0e1 into infanti#e tra mas was a rea# memory or : st a ref#ection of what he has heard or read of <re d5s works. ,e mi"ht, however, decide that co#ors 0a1 rea##y are bri"hter than he s a##y 7sees8 them as bein", and that his norma# !erce!tion of drab or d ## h es is, #ike that of Car# &o"ers5 !atients mentioned above, a res #t of his own !artia# cri!!#in" by o r re!ressive society= that "i""#in" 0d1 is !robab#y better for yo than worryin", whether or not yo nderstand the ca se of yo r #a "hter= that the o#d man or cor!se 0"1 in the mirror, a#tho "h ha## cinatory, is a s!irit a# rea#ity 9 one5s #timate fate 9 which sho #d be faced instead of bein" avoided as it s a##y is= that a## the !reocc !ation with @od 0f1 mi"ht be worth more tho "ht= and that the s !er-or"asm 0i1, however yo describe it, was certain#y worth ex!eriencin". Let s examine the matter of better or"asm in more detai#, since sex is the ma:or to!ic of this book. %sked what act a##y ha!!ened, o r hy!othetica# hashhead mi"ht say 9 we wi## see act a# $ otes to this effect #ater 9 that his conscio sness centered entire#y in his !enis= that he fe#t as if he were nothin" b t a !enis, and one of "i"antic dimensions. ,e mi"ht add that his "ir#friend seemed to be nothin" other than a "i"antic, very warm, de#i"htf ##y moist va"ina. %t the same time, the emotiona# fie#d mentioned ear#ier seemed to be !ec #iar#y a"#ow or i## minated. 0This sensation, odd#y or not so odd#y, has been re!orted a#so by a## the "reat mystics of East and 'est for at #east the #ast 2))) years. % synonym for 7i## mination8 a!!ears in a## the mystica# writin"s of every #an" a"e I have investi"ated.1 %t the moment of or"asm, ordinary conscio sness was tota##y s s!ended, at #east for a few seconds 9 $ ite in the manner described by A.,. Lawrence and Ernest ,emin"way 0and by Ar. 'i#he#m &eich1, even tho "h 7rea#istic8 sex man a#s te## !eo!#e not to ex!ect s ch an a!oca#y!tic cosmic storm at the sex a# c#imax. Aid somethin" ni$ e ha!!en !hysica##y, or was it 7on#y8 !sycho#o"ica#I %s #on" as the ex!erience was tr #y overwhe#min" for the !artici!ants, what ! r!ose can s ch a $ estion serveI 0%fter a##, ha!!iness, bravery, .est and a## the other desirab#e $ a#ities can a#so be ex!#ained away as 7on#y8 !sycho#o"ica#.1 ; t we "o too fast, !erha!s. The "enera# reader, and, even more, the ske!tica# !sychiatrist, wi## be $ ite convinced that the red ction of conscio sness down to the dimension of the !enis must have been a ha## cination, and this wi## taint the entire ex!erience. ,ere is where the "a! between 7strai"ht8 society and the dr " wor#d a!!ears ins rmo ntab#e. ? r hashish smoker, if he is an artic #ate ex!onent of the !sychede#ic !hi#oso!hy, wi## deny that his !erce!tion constit ted a ha## cination.

,e wi## !oint o t that o r notion that conscio sness is in the head has been created socia##y for s and is not at a## innate. The Chinese, for exam!#e, think of the conscio sness as bein" in the so#ar !#ex s= the ideo"ram that we trans#ate as 7mind8 act a##y shows the heart and kidneys. The ,ind yo"is be#ieve that conscio sness can be moved anywhere, and !erform dai#y exercises of movin" it aro nd from foot to ca#f to knee, ! and down the torso, into the head and o t a"ain, and so on. %nd he wi## add that any notion that these two vast nations, whose !o! #ations com!rise c#ose to a third of the h man race, are ha## cinatin" constant#y is rather !rovincia#. %nd he mi"ht even comment f rther that a## o r ske!ticism can be answered by a #itt#e firsthand ex!erience. ? r fear of s ch ex!erience, he wi## even s ""est, is a meas re of the #in"erin" inf# ence of F ritanism on s. 'estern society, at #east since 6t. Fa #, has tended to re"ard the sex act as more or #ess de!#orab#e, and it is this tradition that ca ses so many of s to re"ard ?rienta# #in"erin" on the detai#s as effete, frankness in erotic art as !orno"ra!hic, and dr "s that enhance sex as de"enerate 9 or ha## cinatory. This #ast is, after a##, a way of removin" a tem!tation 9 one sim!#y dec#are it to be nonexistent. The hash smoker has become more 7o!en,8 b t not necessari#y more " ##ib#e. Then a"ain, the most fr itf # dr " ex!eriences are !robab#y those that fit the c#assic !attern described in the Nen ; ddhist !roverb abo t the co rse of the mind d rin" yo"ic contem!#ationJ 7<irst the mo ntains are mo ntains and the va##eys are va##eys, then the mo ntains are no #on"er mo ntains and the va##eys are no #on"er va##eys, and at the end the mo ntains are mo ntains and the va##eys are va##eys a"ain.8 That is, the !rocess of breakin" down conventiona# !erce!tion is !rofo nd#y ed cationa# on one #eve#, even if the very same !erce!tions are restored at the end of the !rocess. In the co rse of takin" these !erce!tions a!art and ! ttin" them back to"ether, one wi## have #earned somethin" of "reat va# e abo t one5s own mind. Kohn Li##y, >.A., ca##s this 7meta!ro"rammin" the h man biocom! ter8 and !oints o t that it "ives one m ch "reater freedom in choosin" between #ater !ro"rams. The difference resemb#es that between a man who doesn5t know how to t rn the dia# on his te#evision set and m st #ook at the same channe# every ni"ht, and the man who is ab#e to t rn the dia# and try an a#ternative. It m st be added that some of the a#ternate !ro"rams are, as Ar. Li##y nice#y ! ts it, 7!otentia##y #etha#.8 It is this, of co rse, that #ies behind o r s a# commitment to conventiona# !ro"rams 9 ordinary !erce!tions, ordinary fee#in"s, ordinary #eve#s of awareness. Cn!e one steps outside those limits, whi!h have been sele!ted by both evolution and so!ial history as fairly safe, one is living dangerously. 6ome acidheads have ki##ed themse#ves rather than face new !ro"rams to which they have inadvertent#y 7t ned in8. Estab#ishment har!in" on that fact has not disco ra"ed the dr " revo# tion one whit, beca se the $ est for advent re and for risk is innate in o r s!ecies, es!ecia##y in the yo n". ;esides, a## dr " ex!erimenters know what the Estab#ishment never cares to admitJ many of the a#ternate !ro"rams are beni"n, thoro "h#y charmin", even "#orio s. This book cannot ho!e to end this !erennia# $ arre# between the conservative Estab#ishment and the advent ro s yo n". %## I reasonab#y can try to accom!#ish here, in treatin" most#y the sex a# as!ect of the dr " revo# tion, is to shed some #i"ht on these 7beni"n, thoro "h#y charmin", even "#orio s8 as!ects of the a#ternate !ro"rams and a#ternate !erce!tions that certain dr "s create. This sho #d at #east "ive the ordinary reader some insi"ht into the motives of those who s bscribe to the dr " revo# tion, which is hard#y the insane scramb#e for se#f-destr ction !ortrayed by its most hosti#e critics. %nd, to those readers who 9 after readin" this Introd ction 9 sti## fee# that they know exact#y the dimensions of a## ma#e mo ntains and fema#e va##eys and that no dr " can !ossib#y a#ter their sex a# sensations, I can on#y add, in 6hakes!eare5s wordsJ There are more things in heaven and earth, 8oratio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

PRELUDE Ice Maiden: The S !"# !$ %ane

To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof 5 shall tell my prophet and be drunk thereof. They shall not harm thee at all. The ;ook of the Law

7Aoes L6A c re fri"idityI8 Kane asked me. ,er $ estion was !osed after hearin" me de#iver a #ect re for the 4ew Eork 6ociety for @enera# 6emantics. >y to!ic had been 7The @ame of 6emantics and the @ame of Fsychede#ics,8 and I had ar" ed 0this was back in the o!timistic ear#y 19+)s1 that the !sychede#ic dr "s tended to confirm the non-%ristote#ian * non-E c#idean * non-4ewtonian !ict re of the niverse r"ed by Co nt %#fred Gor.ybski, the fo nder of @enera# 6emantics. That is, the wor#d of the L6A voya"er is !recise#y one in which o!!osin" ideas are tr e sim #taneo s#y 0non-%ristote#ian1, s!ace is "eodesic rather than #inear 0non-E c#idean1 and ca se and effect are nrea# 0non-4ewtonian1. Kane came ! to me afterward and asked her $ estion abo t fri"idity in a tense and serio s tone. I am no !sycho#o"ist, em!hatica##y not a !sychiatrist, and I was not abo t to commit myse#f on s ch a controversia# s b:ect. I to#d her that I had read a !a!er by an En"#ish !sychiatrist who was sin" L6A !# s &ita#in 0a stim #ant dr "1 in the treatment of fri"idity and had been obtainin" some remarkab#e c res. I added that 7remarkab#e c res8 are a#ways re!orted when a new thera!y is first tried, and that their n mbers a#ways fa## off somewhat, after a whi#e= they are !art#y a res #t of the ho!e and enth siasm of the ex!erimenter 0and, of co rse, of the !atients a#so1. 6he asked me if I knew where she co #d obtain some L6A. 4ow, as stated above, this was on#y the ear#y 19+)s and there were no anti-L6A #aws yet. 4everthe#ess, the controversy was a#ready ra"in", Leary and %#!ert had been asked to #eave ,arvard and never darken its door a"ain, and a few ma"a.ines had ! b#ished fri"htenin" and a!oca#y!tica# ex!oses of 7bad tri!s8 and s icides res #tin" from nwise and n" ided ex!erimentation. I knew abo t five "ood so rces for ! re 6ando. Labroatories acid, b t I was a#so wary. Kane seemed too des!erate, too fra"i#e. I "ave her the name of a !sychoana#yst who was ex!erimenta##y sin" L6A 0dis!ensin" it in !sycho#ytic doses(1 on some of his !atients. 'hatever ha!!ens, I tho "ht, wi## be on his !rofessiona# conscience, and not on my amate r sho #ders. % week or so #ater, my wife %r#en 0 not %r#ene1 and I enco ntered Kane on the street and discovered that we were nei"hbors. 'e invited her ! for cocktai#s one ni"ht soon thereafter, and as it ha!!ened she and my wife "ot into a dee! and !rivate conversation whi#e I was 0as s a#1 !#ayin" the foo# for the other " ests. I was "iven a !artia# re!ort on the conversation #ater. 7Foor Kane,8 %r#en said. 76he5s "ot an abso# te#y horrib#e !rob#em and after seven years in !sychoana#ysis it5s as bad as ever. <o r times a weekR %nd the shrink hasn5t he#!ed her yet. %fter seven yearsR8 7-our times a weekI8 I said. 7'hat the he## does she do for a #ivin"I Is she chairman of the board of some bankI8 %t that time, I had not met anybody whose economic #eve# made s ch fees
4

The distinction between psy!holyti! and psy!hedeli! doses of L6A is sed in many scientific ! b#ications b t seems to be i"nored by !o! #ari.ers who either !reach the 7L6A to!ia8 or warn of the 7dec#ine of the west.8 % psy!holyti! dose, "enera##y 7- or 1)) 9 or at most 2)) 9 micro"rams, ca ses a r sh of tho "hts, a #ot of free association, some vis a#i.ation 0ha## cination1 and abreaction 0memories so vivid that one seems to re#ive the ex!erience1. % psy!hedeli! dose, aro nd -)) micro"rams, !rod ces tota# b t tem!orary breakdown of s a# ways of !erceivin" se#f and wor#d and 0 s a##y1 some form of 7!eak ex!erience8 or mystic transcendence of e"o. 7;ad tri!s8 s a##y occ r on#y on !sychede#ic doses.

conceivab#e. The few !eo!#e I knew 7in ana#ysis8 were "oin" once a week and bitchin" abo t the S2- cost in those days. 76he5s somethin" very bi" at B,8 my wife said, namin" a !rominent ad a"ency on the %ven e of the >ad. I was im!ressed. % woman who had risen to a to! !osition in that "#adiatoria# arena m st have had the sweet # sts of a headh nter. 7%nd she5s fri"id,8 I said tho "htf ##y. 7,ow did you knowI8 %r#en asked. I re!eated my !revio s conversation with Kane. 7It doesn5t take 6her#ock ,o#mes to add that two and two to"ether,8 I conc# ded. The next time I saw Kane she a"ain asked how she mi"ht obtain L6A. I co ntered by askin" her if she had seen the doctor I had recommended. 6he re!#ied, with some bitterness, that the news!a!er scare stories had fri"htened him off and that he wasn5t sin" L6A thera!y anymore. 7,e "ave me the name of another shrink in Los %n"e#es,8 she said. 7; t I5m not "oin" to $ it my :ob and move o t there. There5s #ots of nder"ro nd acid aro nd 4ew Eork. I5## find some and do it ! in my own a!artment, witho t a thera!ist.8 Kane was a strikin" woman, b t very frai# 9 the first stron" " st of wind wo #d carry her away, yo mi"ht think. The tho "ht of her ex!erimentin" with L6A a## a#one bothered me. 7I know where yo can "et some hashish,8 I said, breakin" the 4ew Eork 6tate narcotics #aw, which at that time made it a crime not on#y to se## cannabis dr "s b t to cons!ire to he#! others se## them. I "ave her the name of a man in a ci"ar store on (2 nd 6treet. In the days to come I worried considerab#y abo t what I had done, beca se I had known !eo!#e to have the b# e terrors on hashish if the a!!roached it the wron" way. 4everthe#ess, it did seem wiser than #ettin" her ex!eriment with L6A witho t !rofessiona# " idance. >y worries were !remat re. The next time I saw Kane, she was more bitter and frantic than ever. %r#en and I "ot her s#i"ht#y dr nk, in fact, and enco ra"ed her to ta#k o t her des!eration. Kane, it a!!eared, had a new boyfriend, a !i#ot, who was the &omeo of her dreams and a## that :a... %#tho "h they had made #ove severa# times, he didn5t know yet that she was fri"id 9 which made me decide !rivate#y that &omeo was a #itt#e bit dense. To make matters worse, her shrink was ta#kin" more and more in terms of 7acce!tance8 and 7reconci#iation8 9 7the way they ta#k to fa""ots,8 she said bitter#y. 7Eo know 9 Tthe mat re acce!tance of thin"s as they are.5 %## it means is TI can5t chan"e yo , so yo had better : st "rin and bear it.5 That may be okay for fa""ots 9 they5ve "ot some kind of sex #ife, after a## 9 b t it5s not why I5ve been !ayin" the bastard S1+) a week for seven yearsR If he can5t he#! his !atients, he sho #d "ive back his #icense and take ! !# mbin".8 %nd so forth. I had heard the same "enera# ra! from !atients nder"oin" <re dian ana#ysis many times before. I s ""ested a behaviora# thera!ist. 7They concentrate : st on re#ievin" sym!toms,8 I !ointed o t, 7and what yo want is re#ief from one s!ecific sym!tom.8 Kane didn5t care for the a!!roach. 7It5s an offense a"ainst h man di"nity,8 she said, somewhat s# rrin" her words d e to the bo rbon we5d been feedin" her. 7They think we5re : st machines.8 7Aoes that matter, if they can he#!I8 I asked. It was no se. Kane re"arded ;.<. 6kinner as the reincarnation of the mad scientist Gar#off sed to !#ay in the 193)s and she wanted nothin" to do with 7conditionin" or brainwashin" or that kind of thin".8 6he wanted acid. %n actress she knew had boasted of bein" c red of fri"idity by one sin"#e acid tri!, and Kane was s re the same mirac#e wo #d ha!!en to her. 7Aid yo try the hashishI8 I asked. 6he had. 6he had contacted my friend at the ci"ar store and she had even "one to a 7head sho!8 0they were new and "#amoro s then1 to ! rchase a sma## meta##ic 7hash !i!e8. ;eca se she knew the dose I had recommended was minima# 0eno "h thin !owder to cover the nai# of the #itt#e fin"er1 she had de#iberate#y tri!#ed it before her #ast date with the !i#ot. %nd nothin" ha!!ened. %## thro "h dinner, she ke!t waitin" to 7t rn on8 and fee# those 7vibrations8 and see those co#ors, b t she fe#t the same as ever. 'hen they ret rned to her a!artment, before "oin" to bed she s rre!titio s#y smoked another, stron"er dose in the bathroom. 7I was determined I was "oin" to fee# something,8 she said f rio s#y. 4othin". It was the same as a## her other sex a# ex!eriences. % s#i"ht tension, a few twin"es of somethin" that mi"ht be very m ted !#eas re, and then a s dden n mbness when his

excitement esca#ated toward c#imax. 7%nd I did my s a# %cademy %ward !erformance, to kee! him from " essin",8 she added. The f#yin" %donis was a f#yin" fathead, I decided a"ain. % short whi#e #ater, Kane and the !i#ot broke !. I had never met him 9 which was stran"e, considerin" that I a#ready had an o!inion 0 nfavorab#e1 abo t his sex a# !rowess. Then, one day, I was invited to a !eyote !arty. It so nded interestin"J The !eyote was not to be eaten 0which a#ways ca ses vomitin" 9 an n!#easantness that the F#ains Indians c#aim is @od5s way of ens rin" that nobody b t the s!irit a##y !re!ared wi## enter the domain of this sacred ha## cino"en1, b t was to be si!!ed in a kind of tea. This was the !ractice of the Indians of 'isconsin, and was re! ted to !rovide a "ent#er, more "rad a# and tota##y non-na seo s tri!. ;est of a##, the host was an anthro!o#o"ist, which in my o!inion made him : st as $ a#ified 9 if not more so 9 than most of the shrinks or c#inica# !sycho#o"ists I knew. %n anthro!o#o"ist seemed the next best thin" to my 6io x Indian friend. I asked if my wife and I co #d brin" another co !#e, and we were to#d 7the more the merrier.8 'e invited Kane, and she acce!ted ea"er#y. ,er new boyfriend, it a!!eared, was abo t ten years yo n"er than she, a "rad ate st dent in !hysics at ;rook#yn Fo#ytechnic, very serio s, b t intri" ed by certain as!ects of the !sychede#ic revo# tion. 'hen I met him, before "oin" to the !eyote feast, I #earned that his interest derived from a re!ort he had read abo t another !hysicist who had said whi#e on L6A, 74ow I not on#y nderstand that matter is ener"y 9 I can feel itR8 I ex!#ained to Kane, !rivate#y, that on the basis of the nder"ro nd #ore I had ac$ ired, she sho #d not #ook for any sex a# effect from the !eyote d rin" the first fo r ho rs. 7'ait nti# yo 5re s re yo 5ve T!eaked5 9 yo 5## know what that means when yo "et there 9 and then take him home and try yo r sex a# ex!eriments.8 ? r host was very scientific, b t very "enia# and re#axed. ,e warned s that he was ta!in" the !roceedin"s, and wo #d #ater inc# de it in a book, b t ass red s that none of s wo #d be identified. ? r res!onses, witho t rit a# and tradition, wo #d be com!ared with those of Indians who a!!roached the sacred !#ant " ided by awe-ins!irin" rites and a"e-o#d #e"ends. Mery #i"ht and me#odio s c#assics were !#ayin" on the stereo 9 Miva#di, >o.art, nothin" heavy or 7re#i"io s8. I wondered abo t this, b t decided that o r host5s main ! r!ose, at the be"innin", was to create a sense of !arty and re#axation. The tea was !o red, and he added one minor to ch of ceremony, sayin" very sober#y, 7>ay we a## find what we are #ookin" for in this :o rney.8 %s was my !attern in those days, I very $ ick#y entered a La "hin" ; ddha state 0/12 on the @ rd:ieff sca#e of a#tered conscio sness1 and be"an !onderin" vario s Nen ridd#es and mathematica# theorems that were obsessin" me. %## of this #ed into hi#ario s reve#ations. Feo!#e soon be"an to i"nore me, beca se they co #dn5t make any sense o t of my few remarks 9 e."., 7,ey, do yo know whatI %## thin"s rea##y are the same si.eR8 0This odd tho "ht a#so a!!ears in the writin"s of the Taoist !hi#oso!her, Ch an" Cho , and in certain modern theories of the infinite derived from Cantor5s transfinite n mbers. Feyote-conscio sness brin"s me to !aradoxes b t not to abs rdities.1 The !hysicist was on an ener"y tri!, as he had ho!ed, and was discoverin" 7a ras8 aro nd thin"s. ,e wo #d have a #ot of thinkin" to do the next mornin", decidin" whether the a ras were somethin" rea# or a ha## cinatory vis a# ex!ression of somethin" that was there in #ess virt a# form or : st !#ain de# sion. % woman who had seemed rather distant and nervo s at first s!ent the next ho rs beamin" at everybody and re!eatin" 7my @od8 and 7yo 5re a## so bea tif #8 over and over. Kane #ooked increasin"#y nha!!y and ke!t sayin" 7I don5t fee# anythin" yet.8 %fter a few ho rs, %r#en and I had a yen to wa#k. 'e wanted aro nd a whi#e, di""in" the street #i"hts and the neon si"ns 0Edison5s "ifts to the !sychede#ic era1 and disc ssin" thin" that don5t be#on" in this cha!ter. 'hen we fo nd an a tomat we both had the same !rofo nd esthetic ex!erience contem!#atin" a bowl of !herry jello 9 which some readers wi## nderstand immediate#y and others wi## re"ard as an idiocy. 'hen we ret rned to the !arty, Kane and her !hysicist had #eft. ? r host was now !#ayin" ;eethoven5s +inth )ymphony and everybody had drifted o t of their chairs onto the f#oor, where they were #yin", with their eyes c#osed, fo##owin" L dwi" in his ! rs it of one of the "randest fantasies h manity has ever conceived. I c#ose my eyes, too, and fo##owed the m sic into a stran"e vision of ;eethoven himse#f t rnin" into what a!!eared to be a "i"antic female b ##. If that

so nds ridic #o s, find yo r own meta!hor for what the #ast movement of the +inth seems to invoke. The next day, a 6at rday, Kane came to o r a!artment a#most in tears. ,er hashish advent re had re!eated itse#f. 4othin" had ha!!ened. 4othin". I was faint#y incred #o s. I had read of some catatonic !atients who has been "iven L6A and hadn5t shown any reaction, b t I had never heard of s ch a thin" o tside the schi.o!hrenic wards. Feyote is a#most as stron" as acid, and everybody I had ever heard of had reacted in some way. Kane was vehement, however. 6he had seen no new co#ors, fe#t no new sensations, ex!erienced no new emotions. %bove a##, she had had no or"asm. 7It was terrib#e,8 she wai#ed. 7%nd the damned !eyote m st have made him extra sensitive, beca se he knew I was fakin". ,e fe#t very sorry for me, and went down on me and tried to s ck me off. ?h, @od, and I s a##y fee# somethin" with that, even if not a c#imax, b t this time I was so nervo s I didn5t fee# anythin". ,e was very !set and " i#ty and ke!t b#amin" himse#f. It was awful.8 'e ca#med and conso#ed her as m ch as we co #d. >eanwhi#e, I made a !rivate reso# tion to never a"ain he#! her toward !sychede#ic advent res. 6he was obvio s#y not the ty!e. The next few times we saw her, she was more interested in L6A than ever. It was $ ite c#ear in her mind that her fai# res with hashish and !eyote had been d e to the com!arative 7weakness8 0R1 of those dr "s and that she needed the 7mama of them a##, Ar. Leary5s !anacea,8 nothin" b t ! re 6ando. Laboratories #yser"ic acid diethy#amide 0which we ca## L6A beca se 6ando.5s name for it, in the ori"ina# @erman, was lyser" sa re diethy#amid1. It was e$ a##y c#ear, in my mind, that she wo #d have to obtain it witho t my he#!. The c#imax 9 in every sense of the word 9 came a few weeks #ater. I was at home one evenin", writin", and %r#en was at the second ty!ewriter doin" the same, when the !hone ran". %r#en answered. In a moment, she si"na#ed me to !ick ! the extension. Kane was ca##in" s, and she was in a state of ecstasy. 7It5s ha!!enin",8 she ke!t te##in" s. 7The co#ors, the m sic 9 everythin". I haven5t fe#t so at home in the wor#d since I was a #itt#e chi#d. It5s wonderf #, wonderf #.8 6he insisted that we come to her a!artment immediate#y and witness the mirac#e for o rse#ves. ,er excitement was so infectio s that, in s!ite of o r invo#vement in o r writin", we a##owed o rse#ves to be !ers aded. 'hat we saw when we "ot there was a si"ht to make Ar. Leary b rst with !ride. Kane, a#ways an attractive woman, was radiant#y bea tif #J every harsh and an"ry m sc#e in her face and body had re#axed. 6he was #a "hin" constant#y, wee!in" occasiona##y, and "enera##y o t of her head with sensations of !#eas re that she #itera##y had not ex!erienced since chi#dhood. ,er !hysicist friend was e$ a##y hi"h, if in a more s bd ed and intros!ective way, "roovin" on my own sort of mathematica# and str ct ra# mysticism abo t the sha!es and forces of thin"s. They had obtained some b#ack market acid from a @reenwich Mi##a"e !ainter. 7This is the way I was born,8 Kane said once, "i""#in". 7This is the way we were a## born, the way ! !!ies and kittens are born 9 abso# te#y at home in this wor#d and de#i"hted with it. I haven5t fe#t #ike this since I was abo t three years o#d. @od, how o r society destroys s38 There was more of that sort of ta#k, the s a# reaction to the first tri!, b t it was to chin" comin" from somebody who has been as miserab#e as Kane. I soon be"an to s s!ect somethin" that made me ncomfortab#e. Kane hadn5t ca##ed s mere#y to witness her new ac$ aintance with :oy= she and her !hysicist hadn5t made #ove yet and she was #ookin" for a distraction to avoid that very !ec #iar acid test. I needn5t have worried. %fter abo t an ho r of hi#ario s and incoherent conversation, Kane "ot her nerve back. 6he dro!!ed a few hints, and we took o r #eave. The next mornin" I was c rio s and nervo s. It had a## been so bea tif # to see the ni"ht before= I hated to think that the b bb#e mi"ht have "one smash as soon as they "ot to the bedroom. %"ain, I needn5t have worried. 6he ca##ed at aro nd ten and s!oke to %r#en, !rivate#y. I watched and saw wis!s of shared ha!!iness on my wife5s faceJ the news was "ood. 'hen she fina##y "ot off the !hone, she said, 7'hat do yo knowI % !erfect c re in one ni"ht. 6he says she reached c#imax ei"ht times, and she sti## so nds di..y.8 6he added, 7It5s nice to hear somebody so nd ha!!y in this city.8

I had been nafraid of the !sychede#ics before that ex!eriment, and inte##ect a##y intri" ed with the menta# tri!s they had set me on the few times I had ex!erimented with them. 4ow, I became more !ositive and I was inc#ined to :oin the ,o#y 'ar that was be"innin" to a!!ear in o r mass media, takin" the side of the , x#eys and Learys and other !ro!hets who saw a new !ath to sa#vation in these stran"e, n!redictab#e chemica#s. 'e moved to Chica"o short#y after that. The #ast time we saw Kane, she #ooked abo t ten years yo n"er. 6he didn5t have to te## s that her new or"asmic ca!acity was sti## with her. It was obvio s in her new radiance and s!ark#e. % few months !assed, and one day an o#d friend from 4ew Eork was in Chica"o and we had # nch to"ether. 'e be"an chattin" abo t !eo!#e we5d known and Kane5s name came !. 7Foor Kane,8 he said. 7Foor KaneI8 I exc#aimed. 7'hat ha!!enedI8 76he5s in a !rivate menta# hos!ita#. Committed herse#f. 6he was havin" de!ressive fits and made a few ha#f-hearted attem!ts at s icide.8 %s the 19+)s wore on, the nationa# mood shifted toward the Gafkaes$ eJ 6ome %mericans b rned their draft cards and others b rned the "hettos in which they #ived and some, in tota# re! diation, even b rned themse#ves in ! b#ic= and I was to become fami#iar with the !attern, which a#so a!!eared in enco nter and yo"a "ro !s 0where it was #ee ! b#ici.ed1 as we## as in the dr " k #chJ an !ti"ht !erson wo #d find #iberation, the ener"ies wo #d f#ow, the ne rotic armor wo #d fa## off, a new and naked so # wo #d be born 9 and then the o#d !atterns wo #d reassert themse#ves and the !erson wo #d sink into de!ression, if not !sychosis or s icide. The !attern became more than fami#iar, it even became common!#ace, as did the $ est for a dr " c re for sex a# !rob#ems. ,owever, it was a## new to me in the ear#y days. %s the res #ts of these ex!eriments be"an comin" in, I fe#t a wave of a#most s !ernat ra# dreadJ There, but for the gra!e of &od, go 5$ 7In a menta# hos!ita#I8 I re!eated st !id#y. It was a## so new, back then. Eears #ater, Ar. Kohn Li##y was to write of certain ty!es of transformations !rod ced by L6AJ -or a time, the self then feels free, !leaned out. The strength gained !an be immense, the energy freed is double$ Adult love and sharing !onsonant with aspirations and reality ;outside? gain strength$ 8umor appears in abundan!e, good humor$ Beauty is enhan!ed, the bodily appearan!e be!omes youthful$ These positive effe!ts !an last as long as two to four weeks before reassertion of the old program takes pla!e. This wo #d be a "ood !arab#e for an anti-dr " book 0from the H.6. @overnment Frintin" ?ffice1 if I were to sto! here. In rea#ity, however, there are no ends= thin"s f#ow on. I met Kane a"ain, abo t five years #ater. 6he was #ivin" on we#fare, bein" nab#e or nwi##in" to write advertisin" co!y any #on"er. ,er #over was a boy in his teens, who obvio s#y tho "ht of himse#f as a "eni s and str ck me as a foo#. 6he was !racticin" yo"a dai#y and #ooked yo n" and trim. %#tho "h she didn5t "ive me detai#s, it #ooked from the o tside as if her sex #ife was m ch more satisfactory than it had been before the L6A. 6he was writin" artic#es 0for no money1 that a!!eared in #itt#e ! b#ications of a new movement that ca##ed itse#f 'omen5s Liberation. I s !!ose most !eo!#e wo #d have a stron" o!inion abo t whether her new #ife is better or worse than her o#d #ife. I am not at a## s re. %## 5 do know is that, : st as yo read in the anti-dr " !ro!a"anda, she went from acid to a menta# hos!ita#= and, : st as yo read in !ro-dr " !ro!a"anda, she #timate#y a!!eared to have been reborn as a new !erson.

1 O&e"&ie': The ("e') !$ A*h"!di e

8earasay in parado2 lust. - Kames Koyce, -innegans 1ake

It is a !sychoana#ytica# tr ism that many !eo!#e t rn to the desensiti.in" dr "s, s ch as mor!hine or heroine, in order to f#ee from their sex a# !rob#ems, that is, to t rn themse#ves off erotica##y. This, yo mi"ht say, is the modern form of the re#i"ion of %ttis, whose devotees #itera##y castrated themse#ves. The dr "s that we wi## be most concerned with in this book are sensiti.ers rather than desensiti.ers, turn/ons rather than turn/offs. In a## !robabi#ity 9 we wi## see the evidence #ater 9 many who have t rned to those dr "s are a#so seekin" re#ief from sex a# !rob#ems, #ike Kane in o r Fre# de. It is not to be ass med, however, that they can be # m!ed to"ether with the first "ro !. They are not so m ch f#eein" from their sex a# !rob#ems as attem!tin" 9 ri"ht#y or wron"#y 9 to "ra!!#e with them. They are exercisin" what the heretic of modern !sychiatry, Thomas 6.as., >.A., ca##ed 7the ri"ht to !rescribe for yo rse#f.8 They think 0and may be ri"ht in thinkin"1 that their dr "s of choice 9 mari: ana, the !sychede#ics, cocaine, the am!hetamines 9 are act a##y sex a##y beneficia#. %nd some of them, I am s re, co #d not be considered sex a# cri!!#es by anybody5s standards. Their erotic #ife was $ ite satisfactory when they be"an ex!erimentin" with these charismatic chemica#s 9 they mere#y discovered that the good can be even better. The dr "-sex nder"ro nd had no definite time of birth. ?ne can ha.ard a " ess that it a## be"an when Leary said f#at#y in 19++ that L6A was 7the "reatest a!hrodisiac in the wor#d.8 ?r maybe it be"an in 19+2 when the ;eat#es !#aced sex-ma"ician %#eister Crow#ey on the cover of )gt. #epper amon" the 7!eo!#e we #ike.8 ; t it may be !ossib#e to date the new re#i"ion of ecstasy to an even ear#ier dateJ sex-and-cocaine scanda#s rocked ,o##ywood in the 192)s= :a.. was born o t of the mari: ana wreathed whoreho ses of 4ew ?r#eans in the 129)s. Ta## #ah ;ankhead once said that 7%mericans have a bad case of sex in the head, and that5s a he## of a !#ace to have it.8 %ct a##y, a## sex is in the head, a#ways 9 for, as modern scientists know, everythin" we see, hear, sme##, taste or fee# is inside o r brains. It fo##ows, then, that s!icin" ! the chemistry of the cortex and fronta# #obes wi## a#ter the entire nat re of h man ex!erience. ? r ancestors discovered this sa#ient fact severa# tho sand years a"o. Frimitive man, wherever anthro!o#o"ists find him, has a considerab#e #ore concernin" those #oca# weeds, fr its, berries or vines that are "ood to eat or smoke in order to !e! ! the brain and ex!erience a 7different8 rea#ity. 0In one sh t-away !#atea of Centra# %sia, accordin" to biochemist &obert Ae&o!!, Fh.A., ex!#orers fo nd that the #oca# "entry had devised a way of fermentin" horse mi#k and "ettin" hi"h from that.1 'hat is ni$ e abo t contem!orary %merica is not its ! tative 7dr " !rob#em8, b t the Estab#ishment attit de that this a"e-o#d and niversa# h man habit is crimina#, sinf # and a#to"ether re!rehensib#e. That :oy#ess '%6F !hi#oso!hy, a#as, not on#y ins!ires increasin"#y abs rd #e"is#ation b t distracts everybody5s attention from the $ estions that are rea##y worthy of investi"ation s ch asJ 'hich dr "s are most dan"ero sI 'hich are #east harmf #I ,ow can the risky ones be hand#ed with the #east !ossib#e dan"erI Hnder what circ mstances do the norma##y safe ones become nex!ected#y tro b#esomeI The Estab#ishment attit de is based on the se#f-: stifyin" ar" ment, 7Everythin" we5ve made i##e"a# in the !ast is terrib#y, terrib#y harmf #, and everythin" we5ve #eft #e"a# is !erfect#y safe.8 The nder"ro nd attit de tends to t rn this ar" ment on its head with the ass m!tion that on#y the i##e"a# dr "s are safe and that everythin" e#se, from as!irin to the meat at the s !ermarket, is, as '.C. <ie#ds sed to say 7fra "ht with !eri#.8 <indin" where the tr th #ies between these extremes is not easy. >eanwhi#e, we mi"ht a## remember the verdict of Co nt ;ismarckJ 7Laws are #ike sa sa"esJ yo res!ect them more if yo haven5t act a##y seen how they5re made.8 D"+,) in Pe")*ec i&e %#coho# is the most wide#y sed and ab sed dr " in %merica. Ar. Koe# <ort, director of the Center for 6!ecia# Frob#ems in 6an <rancisco, estimates that 1)) mi##ion %mericans drink boo.e occasiona##y, which means that abo t one o t of every two of s at #east si!s. ?ne o t of five of these, or 2) mi##ion %mericans, are c#assified as 7!rob#em drinkers8, and there are at #east six mi##ion hard-core a#coho#ics. 'itho t do bt, a "reat dea# of this com! #sive " ..#in" has a sex a# motivation. ;oo.e he#!s !eo!#e to re#ax, to shed their inhibitions, and to fee# ha!!y and se#f-confident. It is, in fact,

the c#assic 7make-o t8 dr ". 0In a Feter %rno cartoon, a man is sittin" next to an attractive "ir# at a bar and #eerin"#y te##s the bartender, 7<i## Ter !R8 ,is motivation is obvio s.1 %nd this is a tra"ic irony, beca se 6hakes!eare was ri"ht abo t a#coho# and sexJ boo.e a## too often 7increases the a!!etite b t diminishes the !erformance.8 >asters and Kohnson, in fact, consider boo.e one of the !rimary ca ses of 7secondary im!otence8 9 that is, sex a# dysf nction in men who are norma##y viri#e, as distin" ished from 7!rimary im!otence8 or #ife#on" inabi#ity to f nction. Ty!ica# of this !attern, a man drinks too m ch, attem!ts to make #ove, finds himse#f im!otent and be"ins worryin". The worry 0sometimes assisted by more a#coho#1 !rovokes f t re fai# res. In time the man comes to re"ard himse#f as im!otent and may stay that way, sometimes for severa# years, before he is ab#e to brin" himse#f to seek thera!y. ;etter know#ed"e of the dr " ca##ed a#coho# co #d !revent this !sycho-!hysica# torment. % #itt#e #i$ or is a fair#y "ood sex stim #ant 9 hence, the traditiona# s!#it of cham!a"ne on the first ni"ht of the honeymoon 9 b t a #ot is a different matter entire#y. In #ar"e $ antities, a#coho# is an ana!hrodisiac, an anti-a!hrodisiac. The &omans sed !#enty of it at their or"ies, and this has "iven it a sexy re! tation, b t the satires of K vena# and Fetroni s #eave no do bt that the &omans were a#so chronica##y aff#icted with im!otence, : st as heavy drinkers are today. <or the erotic dr " sers, then, the r #e on a#coho# sho #d beJ Hse on#y a #itt#e. ;rin" the "ra!es to yo r or"y, if yo want to be c#assica#, b t #eave the vats of wine in the ce##ar. The second most common dr " in %merica is tobacco, sed by 7- mi##ion 9 b t this is a#most ne tra# sex a##y, exce!t that it wi## event a##y !rod ce i##nesses that wi## !robab#y inc# de im!otence. 'e## be#ow boo.e ho nds and com! #sive smokers is the third #ar"est dr " c #t re aro ndJ the !i## !o!!ers. %bo t 3- mi##ion of s are swa##owin" sedatives, stim #ants or tran$ i#i.ers. 4one of these dr "s have any sex-enhancin" $ a#ities at a##, and some of them 9 s ch as Tofrani#, !rescribed by doctors more often than !sycho-!harmaco#o"ists think wise 9 act a##y !rod ce tem!orary im!otence in some cases. The next #ar"est "ro ! of dr " takers aro nd are the !otheads. 'hi#e it may not be tr e that every mari: ana ser is em!#oyin" this dr " as an a!hrodisiac 9 which was once char"ed by the archenemy of "rass, former 4arcotics Commissioner ,arry %ns#in"er 9 most sers are aware that the weed has charmin" and de#i"htf # effects on their bo doir ex!eriences. Frobab#y the ma:ority of re" #ar sers re"ard sex witho t "rass 0or "rass witho t sex1 as distinct#y inferior to sex with "rass. Then there are the acidheads which, for o r ! r!oses, means sers of any of the stron", L6A-ty!e !sychede#ics. % breakdown of s!ecific dr "s is im!ossib#e here, since most !eo!#e who #ike acid a#so #ike mesca#ine or A>T 0dimethy#tri!tamine1 and vi!e versa. ;esides, inde!endent st dies of b#ack market s !!#ies have been made by scientists who were ab#e to ! rchase vario s !i##s from these so rces, and s bse$ ent#y ana#y.ed them in a #aboratory. Each of these st dies has shown that a #ar"e !ortion of what is so#d is #abe#ed incorrect#y= m ch street acid is rea##y mesca#ine. 6ometimes the mesca#ine is rea##y acid, and a#most a## the T,C 0tetrahydrocannabino#, or 7synthetic8 !ot1 on the nder"ro nd circ it has act a##y t rned o t to be a do" tran$ i#i.er sed by veterinarians. %!!roximate#y one mi##ion %mericans have tried and L6A-ty!e dr ", and somethin" #ike 2)),))) take re" #ar tri!s. %#tho "h none of these dr "s are, contrary to Ar. Leary, rea# a!hrodisiacs, many sers find $ ite stim #atin" sex a# effects in them. ,eroin 9 the most sensationa#i.ed dr " 9 is a !rob#em on#y beca se it is i##e"a#. The dr "5s i##e"a#ity has driven the cost of a fix !ward from a few cents 0the free market !rice1 to S1))-S2)) a day or more 0b#ack market1, forcin" most sers into thievery or !rostit tion. The stereoty!e of the 7: nk-cra.y ra!ist8 is entire#y inacc rate= heroin is more of an a!hrodisiac than even a#coho# and barbit rates, and the first si"n of tr e addiction is !ermanent im!otence and a tota# #ack of interest in sex. <ina##y, we come to the cate"ory that ends every #ist 9 7misce##aneo s8. 4obody knows how many %mericans are sers of hashish, :imson weed 0a#so ca##ed 7moon f#owers81, mornin" "#ory seeds, air!#ane "# e, and other minority !references. 4o "enera#i.ations are safe here, since these dr "s are very different from one another. Kimson weed 0 datura no2ia1, #ike be##adonna, mandra"ora, and other members of the so#anaceae fami#y, is very dan"ero s and !otentia##y fata# if one takes an accidenta# overdose. 'hi#e erotic res!onses are occasiona##y re!orted

0sometimes borderin" on erotomania1, this is n!redictab#e and the tri! is a#ways de#irio s and basica##y schi.oid. >ornin" "#ory seeds !rod ce the same effects as L6A or mesca#ine, !# s na sea and vomitin" 0beca se they are coated with insecticide1. %ir!#ane "# e definite#y dama"es the #iver and !robab#y a#so dama"es the brain= the hi"h is brief and doesn5t re#ate to sex at a##. %nd then there5s han"in" yo r head over a t b f ## of ammonia 9 7the washwoman5s kick8 9 or n tme", or drinkin" wood a#coho#. These, a"ain, are #ast-ditch ex!edients and fre$ ent#y fata#. The rea# sex dr "s, then, are mari: ana, hashish, the !sychede#ics in sma## doses and cocaine. Ma"i-+ana . he M#) ic) Fot #ends itse#f to every form of sensory enrichment and has been associated with both sex and re#i"ion for a #on" time. In India, ,ind s of the 6hivite sect are often seen st mb#in" o t of their tem!#es, stoned into the midd#e of the next week, m tterin" the mari: ana mantra, Bom/ Bom/7ahadev, which trans#ates as 7;oomR ;oomR @reat ;i" @odR8 9 a sensation that even irre#i"io s !ot smokers wi## va" e#y reco"ni.e. There are a#so severa# re#i"ions based on the weed in ;ra.i# and the Caribbean area. In the >idd#e East, a stron"er co sin of mari: ana 0a#so derived from the Indian hem! !#ant and ca##ed hashish1 !#ayed a #eadin" ro#e in !erha!s the most remarkab#e eroto-re#i"io s movement in history, the Ishmae#ian sect of Is#am, a#so known as the %ssassins. This order was fo nded by one ,asan i 6abbah, circa 1)92, and wro "ht havoc with the orthodox >os#ems and the Christian cr saders for some cent ries thereafter. ,asan5s fo##owers were tter#y nafraid of death beca se they knew they were "oin" to !aradise, whereas most !eo!#e can on#y ho!e for !ostmortem "#orification= they knew, beca se they had a#ready been to !aradise once, thro "h the ma"ic of the nob#e Lord ,asan, and he had !romised to ret rn them there if they remained !erfect#y obedient to him thro "ho t their #ives. The secret of ,asan5s !ower 9 the tri! to !aradise "iven to a## his fo##owers 9 rested !on the !owerf # combination of hashish and some ta#ented yo n" #adies 9 as we sha## se in Cha!ter <o r. <i##ed with hashish-st ffed food, the candidate for initiation was shered into a certain @arden of Ae#i"hts in ,asan5s fortress tem!#e of %#amo t, hi"h in the mo ntains of %f"hanistan. There, the #adies, !retendin" to be the s !ernat ra# ho ris described by >ohammed in his vision of heaven, !erformed in s ch a manner that the men came o t of their hashish trance with very c#ear memories of 7divine8 sex a# ex!eriences and other nearth#y de#i"hts. 4one ever do bted that they had been in heaven. The #ast indicates stron"#y that ,asan was more than : st a "ood dr " dea#er= that he was, in fact, an ex!ert !ro"rammer of other !eo!#e5s tri!s #on" before Timothy Leary conceived of s ch an occ !ation. Hndo bted#y, the ex!#anations or exhortation "iven by ,asan before the candidate went on his astra# tri! to the @arden of Ae#i"hts, and the words and behavior of the ho ris therein, were a## we##-ca#c #ated to !rod ce what !sycho#o"ists ca## a 7!eak ex!erience8 9 an ecstasy far beyond that of the norma# sex a# s!asm of civi#i.ed man. % !ot-!# s-sex 7!eak ex!erience8J ?ne be"ins with $ ite ordinary sensations, b t as the sex a# activity contin es and the dr " takes "reater ho#d on yo , the sensations intensify. The !enis fee#s bi""er, stiffer, and stran"e#y 7r bbery8. 6ensations of !#eas re ex!and to more areas of the body than s a#. ?ne is 7f#oatin"8 or 7hi"h.8 If one is se#f-!ro"rammin" the tri!, via one of Ar. Leary5s man a#s or the rit a#s of some o#der occ #t tradition, the 7astra#8 or ha## cinatory sta"e soon be"insJ the #ady may "ive forth a divine eff #"ence, a #i"ht that seems cosmic and eterna# 9 this is the meanin" of %#eister Crow#ey5s mantra 7Every man and every woman is a star8 9 or, !erha!s, she may a!!ear covered with :ewe#s or f#owers. 'ith rea# # ck and some ski## at se#fhy!nosis 0or rea# ma"ica# abi#ity, as tr e be#ievers wo #d say1, a 7!eak ex!erience8 wi## occ r short#y before or"asm. This is the termino#o"y that Ar. %braham >as#ow ses and, #ike simi#ar terms from other so rces 0<re d5s 7oceanic ex!erience,8 the satori of Nen ; ddhism, the ,ind 76amadhi,8 @ rd:ieff5s 7wakin" !,8 etc.1, it is diffic #t to define. It is sim!#y the ex!erience of tota# ecstasy, s a##y invo#vin" a !aradoxica# sensation that the who#e niverse is act a##y yo r own body. This conce!t re!resents the "enera# idea= it is more common#y ex!erienced, !robab#y, as a kind of :a""ed !-and-down as concentration wobb#es.

%n im!ortant minority of so-ca##ed occ #tists, from ,asan i 6abbah on, has made an effort to devise 7rit a#s8 0which Leary and the moderns wo #d ca## 7!ro"rams81 to direct the tri! ever !ward and thereby avoid the 7wobb#in"8 sensation. %fter contact with the %ssassins, the Christian order known as the Gni"hts Tem!#ar deve#o!ed some very !ec #iar doctrines. In 13)7, the "rand master of that order and 122 members were b rned at the stake for heresy, b#as!hemy, sodomy and vario s other char"es that seem to have been tacked on : st to dis"race them tter#y. The Tem!#ars had been tryin" to introd ce sex into the Christian sacraments and ambi" o s references to a sacred !#ant or herb a!!ear in their s rvivin" man scri!ts. Late in the 19th Cent ry, the ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis a!!eared, c#aimin" direct descent from the Gni"hts Tem!#ar. They sed Tantric sex yo"a in association with the traditiona# astra# !ro:ection of the E ro!ean occ #t tradition and, when %#eister Crow#ey became their ? ter ,ead 9 what an a!!ro!riate nameR ? ter ,eadR 9 dr "s became a secret !art of their teachin"s, at #east in some of the hi"her "rades in certain of their #od"es. Crow#ey5s interest in dr "s centered on hashish, cocaine and !eyote. ,e sed the first two in con: nction with sex a# matters, both homosex a# and heterosex a#= !eyote he sed on#y for non-sex a# visions and trances. Fres mab#y, he was the first white man to f ##y a!!reciate the re#i"io s ses of the #atter dr ", which is the centra# 9 and #e"a# 9 sacrament of the 4ative %merican Ch rch, havin" 1-),))) %merican Indian members in the Hnited 6tates and Canada. Like boo.e, mari: ana can do b#e-cross yo = if yo overdose : st a #itt#e bit, yo mi"ht find yo rse#f im!otent. ,owever, many heads who have re!orted this ex!erience !oint o t that they had e:ac #ative im!otence, not erecti#e im!otence= that is, they didn5t #ose their erections, which were firmer and more #on"-#ived than s a#, b t they sim!#y co #d not reach or"asm. 6ome say that the non-or"asmic vibes were so "ood that they didn5t even re"ret the absence of a c#imax. Acid: In) an /en0 L6A, in contrast with mari: ana5s romantic history, be"an in the #aboratories and had on#y a shadowy existence in obsc re ex!erimenta# work nti# Ar. Timothy Leary discovered what was "oin" on, !# n"ed into the research with .est and $ ick#y informed the wor#d that @od was a#ive and we##= it has been im!ossib#e to se!arate L6A from mysticism ever since. Leary, moreover, was not : st rationa#i.in" his own #ikin" for this !artic #ar tri!. 4ove#ist %#do s , x#ey, theo#o"ian %#an 'atts, and n mero s others have re!orted that re#i"io s ex!eriences took !#ace whi#e they were nder the inf# ence of L6A. 'hether the "overnment #ikes to admit it or not, many white acidheads are : st as sincere#y !io s as the !eyote-eatin" Indians on the reservations, and are havin" !recise#y simi#ar astra# or ha## cinatory ex!eriences. 4obody connected L6A with sex, however, nti# Leary c#aimed it was an a!hrodisiac. &es!onsib#e voices immediate#y anno nced that this was fa#se. Irres!onsib#e and nder"ro nd voices : st as $ ick#y be"an c#aimin" the reverse. In fact, this $ estion seems to hin"e on the exact meanin" of the word 7a!hrodisiac8. If one means a dr " that wi## !reate se2ual desire in somebody one wishes to sedu!e , or that wi## !reate poten!y in the previously impotent 9 the two mirac#es s a##y attrib ted, inacc rate#y, to the s! rio s a!hrodisiacs of the !ast 9 then L6A is bo nd to disa!!oint. 4o known dr " can !erform those feats. ?n the other hand, many seasoned tri!!ers now a"ree that acid can enhance a sex a# ex!erience, : st as "rass or hashish can, if desire and !otency are a#ready !resent in both !artners. The ecstasy, when this is s ccessf #, is far more intense than it is with the hem! dr "s= b t sometimes this "oes awry, beca se too m ch is ha!!enin" at once for the mind to concentrate on sex exc# sive#y. The ex!erience can resemb#e tryin" to co! #ate whi#e a rock band is !#ayin" f ## b#ast, or whi#e a "ood movie a!!ears to be !#ayin" on the cei#in" and @od ,imse#f is tryin" to sho t somethin" im!ortant in yo r ear. 6ex-and-acid c #ts s!ran" ! in the ear#y 19+)s, and one of the first was the charmin" Gerista, fo nded by a former %ir <orce !i#ot named Kohn Fresmont after a 7voice8 s!oke to him 0whi#e he was readin" the Goran and smokin" hashish1 and to#d him to fo nd the wor#d5s next "reat re#i"ion. 7'hy meI8 asked Fresmont, awed. 7;eca se yo 5re so " ##ib#e,8 said the voice.

Fresmont fo##owed the ca##, and there were soon Gerista cha!ters in most ma:or cities. The teachin"s were s mmed ! by Fresmont 9 who chan"ed his name to K d the Fro!het 9 in a statement ca##ed The D< #ositions. Each 7!osition8 be"an with the word 7#e"a#i.e8 and the first ten wereJ 7Le"a#i.e !rostit tion. Le"a#i.e ad #tery. Le"a#i.e fornication. Le"a#i.e bi"amy. Le"a#i.e sodomy. Le"a#i.e c nni#in" s. Le"a#i.e "ro ! sex. Le"a#i.e !orno"ra!hy. Le"a#i.e homosex a#ity. Le"a#i.e #esbianism.8 %nd so on, for -9 additiona# 7!ositions.8 Gerista $ ick#y ac$ ired a re! tation for bein" a "ro ! sex c #t, which irked K d when I interviewed him for -a!t ma"a.ine in 19+(. 7'e don5t force any tri! on o r members,8 he said to me. 7If some of them want to be mono"amo s, that5s their own b siness. 'hy, we5ve even "ot one member who5s a virginR8 The Geristans a## took re#i"io s names, : st #ike Fo!e Kohn Fa # II or >ohammed %#i, exce!t that their names were !ec #iar to the Geristan !hi#oso!hy. I remember interviewin" a Tree, a Fied Fi!er, a Tao, and a >ordecai the <o #. There was a#so a yo n"ish "ir# of nknown name, who never said anythin" b t 7f ck8. Litera##y, it seemed to be the on#y word she co #d 9 or wo #d 9 s!eak. 6ome mi"ht have considered her menta##y nba#anced b t the Geristans re"arded her as !ossessed by a wise s!irit. K d c#aimed that he himse#f was in constant comm nication, in those days, with the "host of the #ate & ssian mystic, @.I. @ rd:ieff, via ? i:a board. 0?nce, he re!orted, he !icked ! Kohn <it."era#d Gennedy, or some #ow-!#ace s!irit who !retended to be Gennedy. The >essa"e, c rio s#y, wasJ 1e shall win 3a!kie is an ego bit!h -arewell.1 Aes!ite K d5s #ibera#ism abo t mono"amy and even vir"inity, most Geristans were heavi#y invo#ved in "ro ! sex. This !resented the s a# !rob#ems. ?ne week, the entire 4ew Eork comm ne "ot the c#a! within a few days. K d was es!ecia##y vexed beca se it was traced to a man who had !icked ! a non-Geristan "ir# in 'ashin"ton 6$ are. 7If I be#ieved in commandments,8 K d to#d me morose#y, 7I5d !ass an ordinance a"ainst ba##in" o tside chicks.8 ,e !aid for everybody5s medica# treatment o t of his "overnment !ension 9 which he received, m ch to his am sement, for bein" menta##y nba#anced. The !roof of his menta# instabi#ity was his com! #sion to form a new re#i"ion, and the !ension !aradoxica##y a##owed him to avoid workin" for a #ivin" and to devote his f ## time to that com! #sion. Ferha!s si"nificant#y, K d was the very first !erson I ever heard se the now !o! #ar word 7vibes,8 meanin" astra# vibrations. Event a##y, K d and his most #oya# disci!#es moved to Centra# %merica to "et away from dr " b sts and other hass#es that orthodox Hnited 6tates society was inf#ictin" on them. Litt#e has been heard of Gerista since then. In the absence of Gerista, more sinister a#ternatives a!!eared s ch as the >anson fami#y, in which each new fema#e member was initiated by an L6A tri! 0or any other dr ", inc# din" some weird ones, if acid wasn5t avai#ab#e1 d rin" which Char#ie c nni#in"ed her to or"asm severa# times. %fter that ex!erience, these "ir#s 9 #ike ,asan i 6abbah5s fo##owers before them 9 were ready to fo##ow any orders, inc# din" m rder. There are $ ite a few other sex-and-acid c #ts f#o rishin", b t I won5t mention their names as they wo #dn5t a!!reciate the ! b#icity. >ost derive either direct#y or indirect#y from the Crow#ey * ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis inf# ence and Fo! Nen and are inc#ined to $ otin" from &obert %. ,ein#ein5s sci-fi c#assic, )tranger in a )trange 4and, a "reat dea#. Their inf# ence has made ,ein#einese 9 s ch as 7dee! "rokkin",8 7share water with me,8 7may yo never thirst,8 and 7Tho art @od8 9 fami#iar :ar"on in every freaky or hi!!ie han"o t from coast to coast. >ost of them are harm#ess and : st as horrified by >anson5s b#ood#ettin" as yo or I. whenever one of these "ro !s is b sted for !ossession of a dr ", tho "h, the news!a!ers "enera##y head#ine the event, 7>anson-sty#e c #t raided,8 and ma and !a in the s b rbs shiver with ima"es of knives "#itterin" in their heads. Too o#d and too res!ectab#e to be considered sinister, Lo is T. C ##in" had headed a sexocc #t "ro ! ca##ed the @.;.@. 0@reat ;ody of @od1 since the 193)s. In A 7anual of )e2 7agi!, ! b#ished in 1971, C ##in" frank#y admits his debt to Crow#ey5s teachin"s. ?n#y in an a!!endix does he "rant that some find that this ma"ic works even better with mari: ana, and then he adds that the @.;.@. does not recommend this since it invo#ves breakin" the #aw. Contem!orary witches are ti"ht-#i!!ed abo t their historica# connection with stran"e brews. @era#d @ardner, the En"#ish eccentric #ar"e#y res!onsib#e for the contem!orary reviva# of

witchcraft, never mentioned sex or dr "s in his books, a#tho "h it is char"ed by <rancis Gin", the most sober and scho#ar#y historian of occ #tism, that a## @ardnerian rites end with the !riest and !riestess co! #atin", in traditiona# fashion ri"ht o t of the >idd#es %"es, before their con"re"ations. >any of the covens one finds in bi" cities these days be#ieve that the 'itches 6abaat was traditiona##y an or"y. They therefore !ractice it that way, with the he#! of !ot, acid or some other tri!!y and f#i!!y s bstances, sometimes inc# din" cocaine. C!caine: Hea&en . He11 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs has described this #ast s bstance, derived from coca #eaves, as 7the most exhi#aratin" dr " in the wor#d.8 The Fer vian Indians have sed it for cent ries to kee! ! ener"y on #on" tri!s across the mo ntains. They chew a few #eaves every time they "et exha sted, and are then ab#e to contin e. There is a brief hit, #ike a s n ex!#odin" inside, and then a #on" after"#ow of a few ho rs. Cocaine was fashionab#e with the het-set in the 197)s 0a fact which was a !ivot in 6asy (ider1, not on#y for its intrinsic !ro!erties b t beca se it was harder to obtain than !ot, more exotic, faint#y sinister beca se it #ooks #ike heroin and, above a##, ex!ensive. 6ex on cocaine is m ch #ike sex on hi"h-"rade !ot or hashish 9 very intensified, b t witho t the ha## cinatory m dd#e often characteristic of acid and the stron"er !sychede#ics. 'hat is es!ecia##y attractive to ex!erienced heads is that, with cocaine, yo have "reater contro# than is s a# 9 sniffin" a few "rains more when yo seem abo t to come down, waitin" a whi#e if yo think that yo are too hi"h. 'hat is not so attractive is the aftermath, es!ecia##y if se is chronic. Ae!ression is inevitab#e, it seems, and irritabi#ity s a##y fo##ows. If one contin es sniffin" coke, day after day 0and why notI 9 the ser ref#ects 9 it5s so mu!h fun1 the de!ressions and "ro chiness s bt#y esca#ate nti# yo have a f ##-b#own !aranoid condition, co!s hidin" nder the bed, yo r best friend !#annin" to !oison yo , the #and#ady doin" somethin" sinister with the d ster when yo !ass her on the stairs, !eo!#e sk #kin" abo t the streets in a most f rtive and cons!iratoria# manner. The o#d myth that cocaine is addictive for a## sers 0it isn5t1 seems to have been based on the fact that most cocaine sers who come to the attention of the a thorities are addicts 9 of somethin" e#se 9 6econa#, or Aemero# or heroin 9 s a##y a sedative dr " that ndoes the "a##o!in" anxiety that res #ts from too m ch cocaine stim #ation. %#eister Crow#ey made himse#f n!o! #ar in 192) by insistin" that this !attern of cocaine abuse is not ty!ica# of inte##i"ent cocaine se. The same iss e sti## ha nts s. The !rob#em of !ot, hashish and the !sychede#ics 9 a## of which are not !hysica##y addictin" 9 are constant#y bef dd#ed by the Estab#ishment5s ref sa# to reco"ni.e a difference between use and abuse. %ny ser, however moderate and harm#ess, is treated as a menace to society and himse#f= any me#odramatic story of horrib#e and reck#ess abuse is wide#y ! b#ished as an exam!#e of what these 7dan"ero s dr "s8 #ead to. Hsers "row more and more contem!t o s of acce!ted ! b#ic o!inion and the credibi#ity "a! widens and widens. (ad T"i*) The end res #t of this credibi#ity "a! was i## strated in a story from #layboy, ?ctober 1972J 'hen st dents at 6an >ateo ,i"h 6choo# in Ca#ifornia were asked what famo s !erson they wo #d tr st a narrator of an anti-L6A fi#m, they answered b# nt#y, 74obody.8 'hi#e on the staff of a #ar"e ma"a.ine a few years a"o, I wanted to !rint the fact that fo r "rams of niacinamide 0Mitamin ;-31 wi## abort most bad L6A tri!s. The editors re:ected this beca se 7it mi"ht enco ra"e kids to think they can take acid witho t risks.8 4ow, that ar" ment may be va#id, b t it reminds me of the o#d assertion that a tomobi#es sho #d not have safety be#ts beca se s ch !rotection wo #d : st enco ra"e drivers to be more care#ess. Feo!#e who are "oin" to be damn foo#s !robab#y can5t be sto!!ed no matter what restrictions are !#aced on them, b t those who want to minimi.e risks sho #d have safety information avai#ab#e to them. 6imi#ar#y, scare stories abo t bad mari: ana tri!s occasiona##y break into the !ress, and then "et re!eated end#ess#y in 7dr " ed cation8 materia# distrib ted by the "overnment or schoo#s. 0The c#assic, abo t an ado#escent who committed m rder with an ax whi#e on !ot,

act a##y ha!!ened in 1922 b t is sti## re!rinted as if it ha!!ened yesterday and is ty!ica# of !ot smokers. It isn5t.1 The im!ortant information is that these !anic reactions s a##y occ r to inex!erienced smokers, se#dom #ast more than a few min tes if treated sym!athetica##y and inte##i"ent#y by the novice5s friends, and a#ways come to an end within ho rs. This ha!!ens even witho t !ro!er s !!ortive treatment, if the victim doesn5t fa## into the hands of the a thorities 0who wi## treat him #ike a # natic and convince him that he has, indeed, #ost his mind.1 This fact has #on" been doc mented by Ar. %#fred Lindsmith of Indiana Hniversity, b t has yet to be inc# ded in most so-ca##ed ed cationa# !am!h#ets. 4ovices are #eft to think that if they ex!erience any fri"htf # or nex!ected sensation, they are "oin" to #and in 'ard Ei"ht and stay there for months and years. 6o, too, bad acid tri!s are ! b#ici.ed end#ess#y, a#tho "h a#most a## the evidence s ""ests that they are increasin"#y rare. @eor"e Feters, who fo nded 4at rism, Inc., to treat L6A !anics in the Chica"o area some years a"o, recent#y said to me that he se#dom sees a bad tri! these days and s!ends most of his time treatin" s!eed freaks 0!eo!#e str n" o t on too m ch metham!hetamine1. Ar. Aavid 6mith, on the ,ai"ht %shb ry C#inic, has a#so commented on the scarcity of acid !anics and is now "ivin" most of his attention to the heroin !rob#em. The dr " c #t re, as Ar. Lindsmith !redicted back in 19+7, has #earned how to treat its own acid terrors, : st as it ear#ier #earned how to treat adverse reactions to !ot. D iet, sym!athetic friends with conso#in" and reass rin" voices, aided !erha!s by a tran$ i#i.er or vitamin ;-3, wi## a#most a#ways abort s ch f#i!o ts. This bad tri!s, c rio s#y, may have had m ch to do with the creation of o r sex-and-dr "s or sex-dr "s-and-ma"ic movements. That is, $ ite aside from wanderin" missionaries who #earned somethin" from Gerista or ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis and went forth to teach others, many may have st mb#ed onto these !#easant #inka"es whi#e : st tryin" to co!e with a dr " !anic. It is common nder"ro nd #ore that re!eatin" a conso#in" mantra 0s ch as the famo s Cm 7unnee #udmeh 8om* or even a !rayer from one5s chi#dhood in 6 nday schoo#1 often $ iets s ch an anxiety attack. It is a#so known that ho#din", c dd#in" or !ettin" with a #oved !erson a#so has this sedative effect. >any tri!!ers, therefore, mi"ht have fo nd themse#ves !rayin" and ba##in", witho t any know#ed"e that this is an o#d tradition, b t : st to stave off !aranoid and fri"htf # fee#in"s. It is diffic #t to determine how many !eo!#e are combinin" sex and dr "s re" #ar#y. Trave#s and conversations aro nd the co ntry s ""est that more than ha#f the dr " sers in the nation think that a "ood hi"h is bein" wasted if it doesn5t c#imax in the bedroom. If we ass me that ha#f of the !eo!#e who have tried !ot smoke it re" #ar#y, and that ha#f of them are a#so !sychede#ic sers, this "ives s a!!roximate#y five mi##ion sex-dr " freaks. %s increasin" n mbers of them become invo#ved in the occ #t as!ect, d e to the !rose#yti.in" of the .ea#o s missionaries that seem to !ervade every freak nei"hborhood, Leary5s o#d ar" ment 9 that dr "s which are !art of re#i"io s ce#ebration are !rotected nder the <irst %mendment 9 may become the most bitter#y fo "ht civi# #iberties iss e of o r a"e,. The !resent 6 !reme Co rt attit de 9 which a##ows !eyote to Indians for their ceremonies, b t denies simi#ar dr "s to whites and b#acks of simi#ar sincerity 9 is trans!arent#y racist and discriminatory, b t that is no reason to ass me that it wi## chan"e in the near f t re. This batt#e has a#ready contin ed into the third mi##enni m, and may #in"er on forever. 7Tho sha#t not s ffer a witch to #ive,8 says the ;ib#e= and the witches 9 those who !refer their re#i"ion of ecstasy to the Christian re#i"ion of a sterity 9 are a#ways "oin" to have a ro "h time in ;ib#e-th m!in" nations. %fter a##, @enesis says that an an"e# was set at the front door of Eden to kee! s o t, and those who find chemica# "immick to sneak aro nd thro "h the back door are a#ways "oin" to seem heretica#. It is !robab#y worth examinin" this re#i"io s tradition in somewhat more detai#. %fter a##, in virt a##y every tribe there is some version of the @arden of Eden story. ? r ear#iest ancestors or o r first !arents, we are to#d, #ived in a virt a# !aradise. Frivate !ro!erty did not exist, and neither did envy, :ea#o sy, robbery, m rder, war or "overnment. 7It was the @o#den %"e,8 says Cervantes5 Aon D ixote, s mmin" ! what is common in the @reek, Kewish and Christian versions of the myth. 7In those days amoro s ideas fo nd sim!#e, nat ra# ex!ression in the very form and manner in which they were conceived. 4either fra d, nor deceit, nor ma#ice had yet interfered with tr th and !#ain dea#in".8 %nd then came the first sin, the first error, the first

trans"ression. 'e have been wanderin" in the wi#derness ever since and 0as said above1, an an"e# is stationed at the front "ate of Eden 7with f#amin" swords t rnin" in every direction,8 to make s re that we never a"ain find o r way back to that earth#y !aradise. Fsychiatrists and other socia# scientists have some interestin" theories abo t the ori"ins of this niversa# myth !attern. <re dians be#ieve that its basis is in o r memories of ear#y infancy, when we were "iven everythin" that we wanted 0as soon as we cried for it1 and no conf#ict had yet risen to fri"hten or fr strate s. ?tto &ank, another !sychoana#yst, s ""ested more ima"inative#y that Eden is o r distorted memory of the womb, and the 7fa## of >an8 is o r tra matic reca## of the shock of birth. 6ome >arxists and women5s #iberationists be#ieve that there was a @o#den %"e of brotherhood, sisterhood and socia#ism between the a"ric #t ra# revo# tion of 12,))) ;C and the rbani.ation of ())) ;C. 6ome etho#o"ists be#ieve that the myth is a memory of the h ntin" sta"e of m ch ear#ier !rehistory 0circa (,))),))) ;C to 1,))),))) ;C1, when we were #ivin" in accordance with o r 7instincts,8 and hadn5t become f ##y socia#i.ed and invented nnat ra# taboos to make o rse#ves miserab#e. There is even a charmin" theory, ! t forth by Theodore Lasar of 4ew Eork, that the a##e"ed @reat Comet of 2))) ;C, hy!othesi.ed by Ar. Imman e# Me#ikovsky, made mankind mad with fear, and that the "o#den a"e #e"end is o r insane reco##ection of the time when we were sane. ; t whatever the so rce of this wor#dwide #e"end, the !sycho#o"ica# fact to which it attests is obvio sJ !eo!#e can ima"ine an idea# condition of ha!!iness, b t are s a##y not ca!ab#e of ima"inin" that they, !ersona##y, are ab#e to achieve that idea#. There is everywhere a conscio sness of some "ate, or door, or barrier, between desire and rea#ity. >en and women everywhere tend to fee# !artia##y im!otent and inca!ab#e of achievin" what they want to achieve. This !sycho-s!irit a# barrier corres!onds fair#y we## to 6aint % " stine5s conce!t of 7ori"ina# sin,8 which 7c#o ds the inte##ect8 and "ives the so # 7a !ermanent inc#ination toward Evi#.8 It a#so corres!onds to <re d5s notion that everybody is ne rotic and 9 even more 9 to Ar. 'i#he#m &eich5s start#in" dia"nosis that h manity s ffers from 7!#eas re-anxiety,8 an interna# fear that ca ses s to re!ress o r 7!rimary drives8 and a#ways s bstit te 7secondary8 and 7s bstit te8 "oa#s, #ike the archer who dares not aim for the b ##5s-eye b t m st a#ways force himse#f to miss it by at #east a few mi##imeters, or more often by mi#es. There is a minority view!oint. It was stated e#o$ ent#y in a movie ca##ed They 7ight Be &iants, starrin" @eor"e C. 6cott, who !#ays a famo s #awyer who once dedicated himse#f to fi"htin" for the !oor and weak, b t has now become insane and be#ieves he is 6her#ock ,o#mes. %s his !sychoana#yst 0named Ar. 'atson, of co rse1 tai#s him aro nd 4ew Eork City, this "enia# maniac finds c# es everywhere, #eadin" him ever onward in his search for 7Frofessor >oriarty,8 the 6atan in his myth. 7Eo see,8 6cott ex!#ains to the a dience at the end, 7we were never ! t o t of the @arden of Eden. It5s sti## a## aro nd s. Eo on#y have to #earn to #ook38 %nd, as the thera!ist, now a ! !i# of the former !atient, #ooks into the distance, the screens t rns white and the movie ends. It was the @nostics, d rin" Christianity5s ear#y cent ries, who first !ro!osed that man co #d #ive in !aradise 7whi#e sti## in the f#esh.8 Condemned as a heresy in every ch rch co nci# from then nti# now, the @nostic view!oint has never $ ite died o t. Even Time ma"a.ine stated, a few years a"o, that it was the most im!ortant idea in the modern wor#d, nder#yin" s ch tendencies as socia#ism, comm nism, anarchism and even #ibera#ism. Even more, it !ermeates a## the to!ian heresies that have se!arated o t from orthodox modern !sychiatry 9 &eich and his ?r"one, ;rown and >arc se with their !ro!hecy of f t re societies that wi## exist witho t the re!ression of Eros, &.A. Lain"5s theory of a menta# state as far s !erior to norma#cy as norma#cy is to !aranoia, the :oyo s ho!es of the @esta#tists and sensitivity trainers, and the who#e , man Fotentia# >ovement. The acme, or seed center, of a## these messianic visions, in o r time, is the Fsychede#ic &evo# tion foisted !on s by those very na "hty and mischievo s shamans Timothy Leary, Aoctor of Fhi#oso!hy= %#an '. 'atts, Aoctor of Aivinity= and %#do s , x#ey, 6ecretary of 4at re. ?thers, of co rse, aided and abetted, in one way or another 9 !oet %##en @insber", nove#ist 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, Ar. Kohn Li##y, Ar. , m!hrey ?sm nd, Ar. ,o ston 6mith, nove#ist Gen Gesey 9 the #ist act a##y is end#ess. 'hoever deserves the #ion5s share of the credit 0or b#ame1,

the event is !on s. >i##ions of o r citi.ens, es!ecia##y amon" the yo n", are chemica# @nostics and are searchin" b si#y for a mo#ec #ar back door to the @arden of Eden. These 7"reen revo# tionaries8 do not be#ieve that we m st forever im!otent#y fa## short of the b ##5s-eye. They ref se to admit ori"ina# sin, or inborn ne roses, or even the theoso!hists5 7L rker at the Thresho#d8 0one who s !!osed#y eats the heads of those !eo!#e rash eno "h to invade the hi"her !#anes witho t an invitation1. They wi## not acce!t the !er!et a# barrier between desire and rea#ity #amented by T.6. E##iot in his !oem 7The ,o##ow >en.8 %ccordin" to E#iot5s $ ite orthodox Christian view, there is a 76hadow8 that a#ways fa##s between 7the idea and the rea#ity,8 7the desire and the s!asm,8 7the motion and the %ct.8 This 6hadow is, of co rse, ?ri"ina# 6in and by definition no man or woman can remove it. The Ar " &evo# tion says, #ike ; ddha, 7; t it5s only a )hadow 9 on#y an a!!earance, an i## sion.8 %t most, the ideo#o" es of this ca se wo #d "rant that 6hadow the stat s of an o#d ta!e !#ayin" in the menta# stereo, im!rinted with the socia# fears and !re: dices of o r !arents= and any !ro"ram of that sort can be erased and re!#aced by a better !ro"ram if one knows the !ro!er ne ro#o"ica# or yo"ic techni$ es. %nd, they wo #d add with a missionary "#eam in their eyes, these techni$ es are known by many, can be ta "ht to others, and are ex$ isite#y acce#erated by the se of the !ro!er chemica#s. Think of your desires and realities , the s#o"an of the <rench st dent revo# tion of 19+2, is the seed-mantra of the who#e do!e mysti$ e and even a!!ears, in different words, in so sober a scientific st dent of !sychede#ics as the "ifted !o#ymath Ar. Kohn C. Li##y, who says in a !assa"e worth $ otin" twiceJ 5n the provin!e of the mind, what is believed to be true is true or be!omes true, within limits to be found e2perientially and e2perimentally. These limits are further beliefs to be trans!ended. 5n the provin!e of the mind, there are no limits$ This is what scientists ca## a pragmati! statement. That is, it is not tr th as known to the theoretician or the ! re scientist in the ivory tower= it is a "enera#i.ation sef # to the tro b#eshooter dea#in" with act a# events in the #aboratory. 0In this case, of co rse, the #aboratory if the h man head.1 'hat Ar. Li##y is sayin" is that the distinction between desire and rea#ity can safe#y 0even !rofitab#y1 be i"nored by the !sychede#ic ex!erimenter. 'hatever yo tr #y be#ieve yo can do, yo act a##y can do. %ny #imits to this statement are themse#ves axioms of im!otence, to be transcended by re!ro"rammin" yo r be#ief system. 4ew #imits, discovered after this re!ro"rammin" has taken !#ace, are f rther errors to be removed by f rther re!ro"rammin". If this !rocess does not contin e to infinity, it contin es far #on"er than one is wi##in" to be#ieve before attem!tin" s ch mind ex!ansion. ; t that was heresy to the ch rch fathers, and it is sti## heresy. ? r society is firm#y committed to the do"mas that we are 7conceived in sin and born in corr !tion8, that 7there is no hea#th in s,8 and that this wor#d in necessari#y and forever 7a va#e of tears.8 These ex!ressions came from three of the best-known and most reiterated of a## Christian !rayers= they re!resent the essentia# !essimism that is the bedrock of Christian theo#o"y. ,e who denies this view is not Christian. This is the most marked diffic #ty in comm nication between a !sychede#ic shaman and a man who was ed cated as a Christian. %nthro!o#o"ist Car#os Castaneda states it very e#o$ ent#y in describin" 0in A )eparate (eality1 one of his !rob#ems with the Eac$ i Indian sorcerer don K anJ 1hat impressed me about don 3uan was that he did not make a point of being weak and helpless, and just being around him insured an unfavorable !omparison between his way of behaving and mine$ Eou.re plagued with problems, he said. 1hyF 5.m only a man, don 3uan, 5 said peevishly. 5 made the statement in the same vein my father used to make it. 1henever he said he was only a man he impli!itly meant he was weak and helpless and his statement, like mine, was filled with an ultimate sense of despair. 'on 3uan peered at me as he had done the first day we met. Eou think about yourself too mu!h, he said and smiled$ Therefore, all you have is problems. 5.m only a man too, but 5 don.t mean that the way you do$ 5.ve van:uished my

problems. Too bad my life is so short that 5 !an.t grab onto all things 5 would like to. But that.s not an issue, it.s only a pity. 5 liked the tone of his statement. There was no despair or self/pity in it. ; t don K an, whose se!arate rea#ity is created by the same ma"ic m shroom that ori"ina##y t rned on Ar. Timothy Leary, wo #d be !rono nced " i#ty of the 7sin of !ride8 by orthodox Christian theo#o"ians. %s Thomas 6.as., >.A., !oints o t in The 7yth of 7ental 5llness, many !eo!#e in o r society deve#o! ne rotic sym!toms or !sychosomatic i##nesses beca se the on#y way to become im!ortant in Christian c #t re is to be cons!ic o s#y more !itif # than others. ?f co rse, the Hnited 6tates was not ori"ina##y intended to be a Christian nation. Kefferson, 'ashin"ton, <rank#in and most of the fo ndin" fathers were ske!tics or Aeists= they s!ecifica##y intended a sec #ar "overnment with an 7 nbreachab#e wa##8 between ch rch and state= they even wrote into the treaty with the >os#em nation of Tri!o#i a c#ear statement that, n#ike E ro!ean co ntries, the 7Hnited 6tates is not, in any sense, a Christian nation.8 06o c#ear#y nderstood was the !rinci!#e of se!aration of ch rch and state in those days that this treaty !assed Con"ress witho t any debate on that c#a se, and Fresident Kohn %dams si"ned it at once, witho t any fear that it mi"ht :eo!ardi.e his !o#itica# f t re.1 ; t the sim!#e ideas of the men who wrote the Constit tion are no #on"er acce!tab#e in modern %merica, as everybody knows. ? r r #ers 9 and, !erha!s, a #ar"e n mber of o r fe##ow citi.ens 9 have decided that the o!en-ended "overnment of the fo nders is too radica#, and an officia# Christian code of mora#s and be#iefs has been written into o r stat te books. Eo cannot ho#d office in some states witho t be#ievin" in an anthro!omor!hic form of "od= yo cannot make #ove to yo r own wife, in many states, exce!t by methods fo nd acce!tab#e to tinhorn ;a!tist #e"is#ators. %nd, of co rse, yo cannot !ractice a !sychede#ic re#i"ion 9 or, at !resent, ! rs e !sychede#ic scientific research 9 in any state. 6o this is a book, not abo t ordinary crimina#s, b t abo t heretics. It is not abo t a 7conf#ict of "enerations8 as the !o! #ar oversim!#ification wo #d have it= it is abo t a re#i"io s civi# war 9 the worst that Christendom has ex!erienced since Frotestantism s!#it off from the Ch rch of &ome in the #ate >idd#e %"es. It is abo t two o!!osin" views of mankind and the odium theo#o"ic m that their conf#ict was "enerated. It is, in short, a !ostscri!t to %ndew Aickson 'hite5s famo s tho sand-!a"e tome, The 8istory of the 1arfare Between )!ien!e and Theology , exce!t that, in this case, orthodox science and orthodox theo#o"y are on the same side. These o#d enemies have nited a"ainst a handf # of radica#s who have infi#trated both cam!s. 4obody 9 not even 4ewt @in"rich 9 sho #d be so naQve as to be#ieve that this conf#ict wi## be sett#ed easi#y once a## the heretics are im!risoned and si#enced. ? r ancestors #earned 9 after they had toasted one mi##ion to nine mi##ion 7witches8 accordin" to vario s estimates, and !erha!s an e$ a# n mber of fe##ow Christians since the In$ isition was fo nded in the Ei"ht Cent ry 9 that ideas cannot be b rned at the stake. 4or can !risons be b i#t fast eno "h to ho#d a## those who, every day, become converted to the !sychede#ic faith in 7better #ivin" thro "h chemistry.8 This is es!ecia##y tr e beca se the rea# heart of the Ar " &evo# tion 9 hard#y ever mentioned in ! b#ic, b t neverthe#ess wide#y s s!ected 9 is, and a#ways has been, sex. The 2i ch H+n Me a*h!" The first overt admission of the centra# ro#e of sex in the Fsychede#ic &evo# tion a!!eared in the 6e!tember 19++ iss e of #layboy, in which Ar. Timothy Leary said b# nt#y in an interviewJ The se2ual impa!t is, of !ourse, the open but private se!ret about 4)', whi!h none of us has talked about in the last few years. 5t.s so!ially dangerous to say that 4)' helps you find divinity and helps dis!over yourself. Eou.re already in trouble when you say that. But then if you announ!e that the psy!hedeli! e2perien!e is basi!ally a se2ual e2perien!e, you.re asking to bring the whole middle/aged, middle/!lass monolith down on your head$ The se2ual e!stasy is the basi! reason for the !urrent 4)' boom. 1hen 'r. &oddard, the head of the -ood and 'rug Administration, announ!ed in a )enate hearing that ten per!ent of our !ollege students are taking 4)', did you ever wonder whyF )ure, they.re dis!overing &od and meaning, sure, they.re dis!overing themselves, but did you really

think that se2 wasn.t the fundamental reason for this surging youthful so!ial boomF Eou !an no more do resear!h on 4)' and leave out se2ual e!stasy that you !an do mi!ros!opi! resear!h on tissue and leave out !ells$ The 4)' session, you see, is an overwhelming awakening of e2perien!e, it releases potent, primal energies, and one of these is the se2ual impulse, whi!h is the strongest impulse at any level of organi! life. ?nce this is admitted, we have obvio s#y come f ## circ#e back to the days of the ,o#y In$ isition, for it is !recise#y this do b#e diabo#ism 9 dr "s !# s sex 9 which was the 7crime8 of the ma:ority of acc sed 7witches8 b rned at the stake by that a " st body. If one #ooks thro "h >ar"aret > rray5s The 1it!h/%ult in 1estern 6urope or @. &attray Tay#or5s )e2 in 8istory, one wi## find that the same "enera# char"es a!!eared a"ain and a"ain in the which tria#s. The same char"es, virt a##y witho t a shred of difference, occ r in contem!orary news!a!er stories, whenever a yo n"sters 7comm ne8 is raided by the !o#ice. ?ne can even ! t this into a tab#e, as fo##owsJ Ta31e 1 Typi!al 6uropean wit!h trial !ir!a "=<A The acc sed are arrested in a wood-#and meetin" !#ace The acc sed are said to worshi! a ,orned @od, !erha!s 6atan ,imse#f The acc sed are a##e"ed to have en"a"ed in 7obscene8 or 7bestia#8 or"ies The acc sed are said to seek re#i"io s visions with dr "s, most common#y be##adonna, thorn a!!#e or mandrake The acc sed s a##y come from either the #ower c#ass 0!easants, serfs1 or from the yo n" scho#ars The offense is a 7crime witho t victims8 or a crime by definition, not a rea# crime a"ainst !ersons or !ro!erty ; t society !aradoxica##y demands harsher !ena#ties than are "iven for crimes a"ainst !ersons or !ro!erty @enera# char"es of 6atanism, anarchism, b#ack ma"ic, m rder, etc., are often directed a"ainst the c#ass of offenders 0the 7witches81 Typi!al Ameri!an drug bust !ir!a "<<A The acc sed are arrested in a r ra# 7comm ne8 The acc sed are said to worshi! ,ind or %merican Indian or other non-Christian divinities The acc sed are a##e"ed to have en"a"ed in 7obscene8 or 7bestia#8 or"ies or, at #east, to be sex a##y cas a# The acc sed are said to seek re#i"io s visions with dr "s, most common#y L6A, hashish, !eyote or mari: ana The acc sed s a##y come from either the #ower c#ass 04e"roes, >exican-%mericans1 or from the yo n" inte##i"entsia 0st dents1 The offense is a 7crime witho t victims8 or a crime by definition, not a rea# crime a"ainst !ersons or !ro!erty ; t society !aradoxica##y demands harsher !ena#ties than are "iven for crimes a"ainst !ersons or !ro!erty @enera# char"es of treason, comm nism, b#ack ma"ic, 7 n-%mericanism,8 etc., are often #eve#ed a"ainst the c#ass of offenders 0the 7do!e friends81

%ccordin" to a !o! #ar schoo# of rationa#istic historians of the #ast cent ry, there never were any 7witches8 and the ,o#y In$ isition was : st an o tbreak of !aranoia amon" the ce#ibate !riests of &oman Catho#icism. %ccordin" to Ar. >ar"aret > rray5s revisionist theory, there were 7witches8 9 worshi!!ers of the !re-Christian horned "od of ferti#ity, best known as Fan or Aionys s 9 and the 7!aranoia8 of the com!e##ed consisted on#y of in"rained re#i"io s bi"otry that com!e##ed them to be#ieve that any !ro-sex a# re#i"ion m st be 6atanic in ins!iration. %ccordin" to &ev. >onta" e 6 mners and other !ro-Catho#ic revisers of Ar. > rray5s revisionism, the witches were so 6atanists after a## and de#i"hted in a## manner of m rder and atrocity. 'hatever

the tr th concernin" those tra"ic tria#s of ()) and -)) years a"o it is obvio s that the same !sycho#o"ica# !attern is at work in o r !sychede#ic str ""#e today. That !attern can be defined in a n mber of ways, b t most f ndamenta##y it is a conf#ict between those forces that <re d ca##ed the s !ere"o and the id. The s !ere"o 9 the se#f5s 7harsh master,8 <re d ca##ed it 9 is the an"e# " ardin" the door to Eden with a f#amin" sword= its archety!a# re#i"io s ex!ression is Christianity, that most socia# of a## re#i"ions, which asks each individ a# to consider a## others before himse#f. The id 9 the !rimordia# raw !ower of instinct itse#f 9 is the force that sends s aro nd to the back of Eden, #ookin" for another entrance= its archety!a# re#i"io s ex!ression is Aionysianism, the c #t of de#iriant dr "s that b rst into %thens from somewhere in the East d rin" @reece5s !rehistoric !eriod, a!!roximate#y between 1)))-9)) ;C. The @erman !hi#oso!her 4iet.sche said that history is comin", in o r time, to take the form of a fina# conf#ict between Christ and Aionys s, and that certain#y seems to be the case in %merica today. The &everend ;i##y @raham, the c#assic 7!a#e Christian,8 sits as an adviser to Fresidents, whi#e Ar. Timothy Leary, the Aionysian s!irit of do!e and ecstasy is sentenced to () years and f#ees into exi#e, on#y to be reca!t red. The distin" ished #iterary critic Les#ie <ied#er, was not exa""eratin" when he saidJ 5n fa!t, 5 would say this parti!ular generation gap might almost be !alled !hemi!al warfare 9 the pot/heads versus the boo0e/heads. A!tually, though, it would be more a!!urate to !all it religious warfare 9 but only the pot/heads reali0e that there is a religious issue at stake$ 'rugs have always been !onsidered either sa!red or diaboli!al. The ba!kground of drug use in history involves !harms, magi! potions, holy sa!raments and 'evil.s orgies. 5n more advan!ed so!ieties, the same !luster of ideas !arries over into our modern distin!tions between legal into2i!ants, whi!h are good, and illegal dope, whi!h is bad. But that is purely a matter of so!ial definition. In the #layboy #anel on dr "s d rin" which Frofessor <ied#er made these remarks, ;aba &am Aass 0former#y Ar. &ichard %#!ert1 commentedJ #re!isely. 6very religion is a way of arriving at a !ertain state of !ons!iousness and every so!iety is based on a parti!ular religion. +aturally, sin!e any state of !ons!iousness !an be a spe!ifi! drug or group of drugs, you are going to find ea!h so!iety a!!epting !ertain drugs and bitterly !ondemning others. In this ho#y war, I write as a war corres!ondent, awash in a de# "e of !ro!a"anda from both sides. I have tried to "ather the most acc rate information avai#ab#e on the act a# effects of vario s dr "s on sex a# drive and sex a# !erformance. 6ince we are concerned here with a theo#o"ica# and #e"a# conf#ict as we## as a scientific fie#d for investi"ation, there is #itt#e consens s. Tryin" to find o t what a dr " rea##y does to the h man mind and body, in %merica today, is #ike tryin" to find o t who shot first at 'aco or & by &id"e. 7?n#y @od knows for s re, and ,e isn5t te##in".8 %## that the ob:ective re!orter can do, then, is to !rint the c#aims of both sides and #et the reader decide for himse#f who can be tr sted. 'hat I have tried to show is that the c rrent 7!sychede#ic "enocide8 0as >ichae# %#drich, Fh.A., has ca##ed it1 is not ni$ e in history. 'e have been thro "h a## this many times in the !ast 0the witch h nts were on#y the #ast #ar"e-sca#e exam!#e1 and, with so m ch emotion invo#ved, the rea# facts 0even when they can be discovered1 wi## scarce#y chan"e anybody5s mind. Ao yo deny thatI K st ima"ine what wo #d ha!!en if L6A were !roven to be as dan"ero s as the a tomobi#e 9 i.e., if it ki##ed -),))) of s !er year. 'o #d acidheads then "ive ! this dr "I 4o more than drivers wi## "ive ! their cars des!ite the mathematica# risk= the acidheads wi## decide, : st #ike a tomobi#e drivers, that the statistica# risk is worth the rewards. 6imi#ar#y, if it were demonstrated that mari: ana c res cancer, wo #d 'ashin"ton #e"a#i.e itI If yo think the answer is 7yes,8 yo are wron". There is a#ready evidence 9 which we wi## $ ote #ater 9 that mari: ana is sef # in treatin" %IA6, cancer, headache, ne ra#"ia, me#ancho#y and de!ressive !sychosis, insomnia, #oss of a!!etite and that, moreover, it may be more effective
5

Ferha!s, in the year 2-92, some historians wi## c#aim that there never were 7hi!!ies,8 whi#e others wi## c#aim that hi!!ies existed b t didn5t act a##y smoke mari: ana, and a third "ro ! wi## insist that the hi!!ies, a#ways stoned o t of their sk ##s on be##adonna, ran thro "h the streets attackin" innocent bystanders.

than any tran$ i#i.er c rrent#y on the market. 4one of this has #essened the odium theologi!um a"ainst the weed in "overnmenta# circ#es. In 199+, for instance, the voters of Ca#ifornia a!!roved the #e"a#i.ation of mari: ana for some medica# ses 0%IA6 and cancer, chief#y1 if !rescribed by a $ a#ified !hysician. Fresident ;i## C#inton 9 whose midd#e name, ironica##y, is Kefferson 9 immediate#y !roc#aimed that the !eo!#e of Ca#ifornia had no ri"ht to medd#e in their own affairs. < rther r mb#es from 'ashin"ton, chief#y from the K stice Ae!artment, threatened doctors who wrote !rescri!tions for the taboo herb. Two years #ater, a few brave and h mane !hysicians contin e to !rescribe the 7devi# weed8 for !atients who seem to rea##y need it, b t the ma:ority of >.A.s are afraid to take the risk no matter how many !atients s ffer !ainf # deaths. It reminds one of ,.L. >encken5s verdict that cowardice is the stron"est force in h man behavior. Aoctors seem to have more of it than most !rofessions. 6oJ 'e have here a re#i"io s war= and theo#o"ica# bias, rather than scientific ob:ectivity, determines what most writers wi## say on the s b:ect. The writings themselves are all war propaganda. 4onethe#ess, an ob:ective investi"ator can ho!e to disentan"#e some of the tr th from the worst of the #ies, and that is attem!ted here. I wi## endeavor to state what each dr " disc ssed here wi## !robab#y do to yo r sex drive, and what side effects 0if any1 wi## !robab#y come in its wake. 'hat yo do with this information is yo r own b siness, and yo do it at yo r own risk. ?f co rse, the who#e re#i"io s dimension of this !rob#em is often denied these days. , ston 6mith, Fh.A., Frofessor of &e#i"ion at >assach setts Instit te of Techno#o"y, has his own brief way of answerin" those who insist that dr " ex!eriences and re#i"io s ex!eriences are tota##y different and nre#ated. ,e mere#y asks s ch ske!tics to read the fo##owin" two a tobio"ra!hica# !assa"es, and decide which is an acco nt of a 7transcendenta#8 ex!erience with dr "s and which is a 7transcendenta#8 ex!erience without dr "s. ;oth are entire#y ty!ica# of the 7mystic8 writin" of the !ast, and of c rrent !sychede#ic confessions. 'hich is whichI Passage A )uddenly 5 burst into a vast, new, indes!ribably wonderful universe. Although 5 am writing this over a year later, the thrill of the surprise and ama0ement, the awesomeness of the revelation, the engulfment in an overwhelming feeling/wave of gratitude and blessed wonderment, are as fresh, and the memory of the e2perien!e is as vivid, as if it had happened five minutes ago. And yet to !on!o!t anything by way of des!ription that would even hint at the magnitude, the sense of ultimate reality$ seems an impossible task. The knowledge whi!h has infused and affe!ted every aspe!t of my life !ame instantaneously and with su!h !omplete for!e of !ertainty that it was impossible, then or sin!e, to doubt its validity. Passage B All at on!e, without warning of any kind, 5 found myself wrapped in a flame/!olored !loud. -or an instant 5 thought of fire$ the ne2t, 5 knew that the fire was within myself. 'ire!tly afterward there !ame upon me a sense of e2ultation, of immense joyousness a!!ompanied or immediately followed by an intelle!tual illumination impossible to des!ribe. Among other things, 5 did not merely !ome to believe, but 5 saw that the universe is not !omposed of dead matter, but is, on the !ontrary, a living #resen!e, 5 be!ame !ons!ious in myself of eternal life$ 5 saw that all men are immortal, that the !osmi! order is su!h that without any peradventure all things work together for the good of ea!h and all, that the foundation prin!iple of the world$ is what we !all love, and that the happiness of ea!h and all is in the long run absolutely !ertain. Ar. 6mith !oints o t that when this !rob#em was first s bmitted to his st dents, twice as many " essed wron" as " essed ri"ht. To "ive the ske!tica# reader am!#e o!!ort nity to work on this fair#y witho t cheatin", I have b ried the answer in a #ater cha!ter. %nd for those who cannot see any #ink between sex and re#i"ion, I offer the words of 11 thCent ry <rench !oet, Fierre Mida#J 7I think I see @od when I #ook !on my #ady5s body n de.8 Mida#, accordin" to the bio"ra!hies I have seen, was not even on dr "s when he wrote that !io s sentiment.

INTERLUDE S1!+chin, T!'a"d (e h1ehe4: The S !"# !$ Le!na"d

7arijuana addi!ts are gregarious and prefer to smoke in the !ompany of others rather than alone$ There is a loss of time and depth per!eption$ There is a general loss of inhibitions and the user indulges in behavior he or she would not normally even !onsider $ %rimes of violen!e su!h as robbery, burglary, assault, rape, and homi!ide are !ommon to persons under the influen!e and it usually is in this !ondition that the user tries his first inje!tion of heroin$ - 'rug Abuse is an 6s!ape to +owhere @reen Co nty 6heriff5s Ae!artment 0?hio1 &evised 1972 edition 7'o #d yo mind if I :ack offI8 Leonard asked. ,is wife, in the chair next to him, smi#ed 9 she was acc stomed to his whimsica# ways. I was : st #earnin" Leonard5s habits, however. 7&i"ht there in my #ivin" roomI8 I asked st !id#y. 7'hy notI8 he asked s s!icio s#y. 7Ao yo sti## have some of those #in"erin" F ritan han" !sI8 I was st m!ed. The ordinary %merican wo #d te## Leonard he was a n t and throw him o t the front door, b t I have #on" been a s!okesman for an extreme ri"ht-win" #ibertarianism that !rides itse#f on bein" more radica# than #eft-win" anarchism. I wo #d not want it to be known that I had inf#icted any s b:ective !re: dices on somebody e#se5s sex a# freedom. 7'e##,8 I said "ro!in"#y, knowin" I had a reason b t not $ ite rememberin" it, 7my kids, yo know. They5re a## nder six, and they ta#k abo t everythin" they see. ;y the time they te## the nei"hborhood kids abo t yo beatin" yo r meat with the rest of s sittin" aro nd watchin", it5## be a !retty weird story. I don5t mind bein" chased o t of town for my own eccentricities, b t I don5t want to be in tro b#e for yo rs.8 It so nded weak to me, b t Leonard was an #tra-#ibertarian a#so. ,e nodded tho "htf ##y. 7Eeah,8 he said, 7I sho #dn5t make you !ay for my tri!.8 ,e "ot !. 7I5## be in the :ohn for a few min tes,8 he said. <or Leonard 9 as he was in those days 9 this was a fair#y ty!ica# ex!erience. Hn#ike Kane, whose story was to#d in the Fre# de, Leonard was not an ad #t with a f ##y-formed and fair#y we##set !ersona#ity str ct re when the Ar " &evo# tion of the 19+)s be"an. ,e was, in fact, 12 years o#d when Ar. Timothy Leary ate fo r ma"ic m shrooms in C ernavaca, >exico, in 19-9 and had an ex!erience in which 7the s!ace "ame came to an end, the time "ame came to an end, and the Timothy Leary "ame came to an end.8 Leonard was on#y 1+ when ,arvard asked Ar. Leary to "o e#sewhere in 19+3, and he was 12 when most of the anti-L6A #aws were !assed in 19+-, which was when I met him and his wife, a 22-year-o#d !sycho#o"y ma:or named 6andra. Leonard was a kid whose ado#escence was sha!ed and mo#ded, in n mero s ways, by the Ar " &evo# tion, by the 6ex &evo# tion, and by the Fo#itica# &evo# tion, a## of which were at their !eaks in those years. Leonard was an anarchist, a comm nist, a mystic, a bit of a fascist, a socia# creditite, a technocrat, a back-to-nat re a"rarian, and, above a##, a sex a# revo# tionary, a## more or #ess at the same time= or so it seemed since these enth siasm came and went so $ ick#y that they seemed to occ !y his !assions sim #taneo s#y. ,e c#aimed, a#so sim #taneo s#y, that everybody sho #d reside on farms and have a## their work done for them by machines, that we sho #d #ive in harmony with nat re and b i#d bi""er and better com! ters, and that the "overnment sho #d distrib te ! rchasin" !ower 0socia# credit1 to everybody, whether they were in need or not 0to dis!ourage them from nnecessary #abor1, and that there sho #d be no "overnment beca se the triba# form of society was most in kee!in" with o r !rimate bio#o"y. 4at ra##y, he had a very hi"h ID. Aimwits do not ac$ ire s ch remarkab#e notions. %bove a##, however, Leonard be#ieved that o r 7b ##shit society8 had a#ienated s from o r tr e drives. Hn#ike <re d, &eich, >arc se and others who have taken a simi#ar !osition, Leonard did not ass me that he knew what o r tr e drives are. D ite the contrary, he was do"matic in

o!!osin" a## do"matism abo t this de#icate iss e= he insisted that o r tr e drives had to be dis!overed. ,e was tryin" to discover these !rima# instincts by doin" everythin" forbidden by society= if he en:oyed an ex!eriment, then it was one of o r !rima# drives= if he didn5t en:oy it, then it was a !erversion. ,emin"way seems to have had the same em!irica# a!!roach when he wrote that 7the @ood8 is that which makes yo fee# "ood. Leonard #iked me beca se I was a#most as conf sed as he, havin" #eft a "ood :ob in the city to work at s#ave wa"es on a sma##-town news!a!er, : st to !rovide my chi#dren with a r ra# environment. I a#so be#ieved in technocracy whi#e I was f#eein" from it !ersona##y, and from my own ri"ht-win" !ers!ective, I be#ieved that many of his 7fantastic8 dict ms mi"ht be more !#a sib#e socia# !ro"rams than the !anaceas s a##y !rescribed by #ibera#s. 4everthe#ess, I did #ook with some ske!ticism on his chan"in" sex a# and do!e enth siasm. ?ne day he and his wife 6andra drove over from the co##e"e they were attendin" and he immediate#y to#d me his #atest discovery in the fie#d of !rima# instincts. ,e had tried on some of 6andra5s nderwear and #iked it. 7I5m wearin" her !anties and "ird#e ri"ht now,8 he said "#eef ##y. 4obody wo #d have " essed it. ?n the s rface, he a!!eared to be the very !ict re of a 19+- co##e"e st dent 9 that is, he #ooked #ike a very !oor cowboy. ,is ra""ed #evis and sweatshirt certain#y didn5t s ""est transvestism. 7,ow does it fee#I8 I asked in my best non-: d"menta# tone 9 the one I sed when interviewin" Kohn ;irchers for my news!a!er. 7It5s "roovy,8 he said. 7Every time I remember what I5m wearin", I start to "et a hard-on.8 This !hase #asted a few months. Every time I saw Leonard and 6andra, he had some new items of women5s nderwear to bra" abo t. ;y this time they had worked o t a ro tineJ they wo #d wa#k into the #adies5 wear store to"ether, the idea# yo n" marrieds 9 and nobody " essed that the fri##y si#ks that they bo "ht were act a##y for him. Then there was Leonard5s ana# !hase. Even before 7yra Bre!kenridge, he decided that there was a !rimordia# instinct which demanded that men be b ""ered by women. 0%re yo readin" this, %ndrea AworkinI1 7Er, how do yo mana"e thatI8 I asked when he bra""ed abo t this #atest discovery. 7'ith a Coca-Co#a bott#e,8 he said. 7?h,8 I said tho "htf ##y. 7I5m not s re, b t yo o "ht to #ook ! prolapsed anus in some medica# books. I think yo can t rn yo r assho#e inside o t and rea##y h rt yo rse#f with a bott#e that way. It creates a vac m, I think.8 7?hoR8 he cried. 7>aybe that5s why I was b#eedin" the #ast time we tried it.8 6andra was a#ways very $ iet and re!ressed, #ike most !sycho#o"y ma:ors. %side from he#!in" Leonard in his vario s sex a# manias, she didn5t seem to have any !ersona#ity traits to distin" ish her from a mi##ion other white, Frotestant, >idwestern "ir#s her a"e. >aybe that was why she he#!ed him. 7Eo were ri"ht abo t that !ro#a!sed an s,8 Leonard to#d me the next time I saw him. 7'e "ave ! that Coke bott#e and bo "ht one of those fancy vibrators. 'ow, man 9 wowR8 4at ra##y, Leonard and 6andra had to make the or"y scene event a##y. 7It was "roovy,8 he to#d me #ater. 7They had cocaine and I was sniffin" and comin", sniffin" and comin", a## ni"ht #on". ? t of f ckin" sightR8 ;efore the reader r shes o t to #ay in a year5s s !!#y of cocaine, #et me remind yo that Leonard was 12 at that time. >any yo n" ma#es aro nd that a"e are 0for a few years1 as m #tior"asmic as mat re fema#e may be witho t cocaine. Leonard5s do!e manias were as frank#y ex!erimenta# as his sex advent res. <or a whi#e, when I first met him, it was "rass. @rass was the mi##enni m. It not on#y ex!anded conscio sness, enriched sex and !roved the existence of @od, b t it abso# te#y t rned a## sers into !acifists. 7%## we "otta do is t rn everybody on and there5## be no f ckin" Third 'or#d 'ar,8 Leonard !roc#aimed on one occasion. 7The ,e##5s %n"e#s smoke a lot of "rass and they5re not exact#y !acifists,8 I !ointed o t, "ent#y. 7%nd then there was ,asan i 6abbah38

7'e##, there5s somethin" in that,8 Leonard admitted. 76ome !eo!#e need a he## of a #ot more "rass than others before it be"ins to #oosen them !. ;esides, the %n"e#s #o se it ! by mixin" it with boo.e and that5s a#ways a down tri!.8 That5s what I #iked abo t Leonard. ,e a#ways #istened to yo r ar" ments and even tho "ht abo t them, at #east brief#y. ,e was never rea##y insane. Later, of co rse, Leonard5s !anacea became L6A. 7I was f ckin" 6andra,8 he5d te## anybody who wo #d #isten, 7and the acid made a## my conscio sness "o into the very to! ei"hth inch of the head of my !enis. That5s a## I was 9 : st that fra"ment of f#esh entire#y s rro nded by c nt and ! #satin" with :oy. Then 9 boomR 9 I wasn5t even that. I was nowhere, and yet I was everywhere. 4ow, that5s exact#y what the ,ind s ca## 6amadhi 9 nion with the %##.8 It was, of co rse, his dream to ! t acid in the 'ashin"ton water s !!#y. 7Even L;K wi## fa## in #ove with the wor#d and sto! ki##in" !eo!#e,8 he wo #d enth se. Leonard s ffered a terrib#e de!ression when it was wide#y ! b#ished in the nder"ro nd !ress that L6A breaks down into inactive com!onents when !#aced in r nnin" water nder s n#i"ht and therefore wo #d be wasted if ! t in the water s !!#y. 7Christ,8 he said, 7thin"s are never as easy as they seem. 'e5## have to find another way to "et to L;K.8 The b#ood of the rebe#s r ns thin, as ;ernard 'o#fe once remarked= after a few years, sma##-town #ife !a##ed on me and I be"an h ntin" for a bi"-city :ob a"ain. I moved back to 4ew Eork and #ost to ch with Leonard and 6andra. 'e did met a"ain 9 East Mi##a"e in a coffeeho se. ,is then c rrent !assions were cocaine and homosex a#ity. 7I think the coke f cks ! yo r brain,8 he to#d me worried#y, 7b t I5## sto! before it does any serious harm. Eo 5d be s r!rised what it does for yo r or"asm, baby. ?h, Lord, LordR8 I asked if he was sti## married with 6andra. 7?h, yes, man, she5s sti## my mother an"e#,8 he said rha!sodica##y. 7'e5re ba##in" the same " y. %## three of s sniffin" and comin", sniffin" and comin", a## ni"ht #on".8 ?f s ch is the Gin"dom of ,eaven, I tho "ht whimsica##y. Eears !assed= I "ot o#der= it was 1972 and the o!timism of the 19+)s revo# tionaries was : st an ironic memory. ?ne day I was in a !ost office in Chica"o and a voice at my ri"ht sho #der said, 7;ob 'i#sonI8 I t rned and #ooked at a face I didn5t $ ite reco"ni.e. There was a new beard, conservative c#othin" and some of the veneer of ad #thood 9 b t one feat re remained. There was that nmistakab#e "#int in the eyes 9 the "#ow that revea#ed one who was sti## in hot ! rs it of 7tr th8 and had fina##y ca "ht 7it8 by 7its8 shirttai#s and was abo t to !ossess it who#e. 7LeonardI8 I asked. 7Ees,8 he said, 7and I5ve often worried abo t the bad inf# ence I m st have been on yo in the o#d days. The terrib#e thin"s I sed to do, and how hard I tried to "et others to do them, tooR8 0Hh-oh, I tho "ht.1 7; t I have fo nd !eace now, I have been reborn thro "h o r 6avior Kes s Christ, and I38 7It5s a#ways "ood to see an o#d friend,8 I said $ ick#y, 7b t I have to r sh to catch a train.8 I was a#ready in f#i"ht. 7'ait, wait,8 he said, 7take this !am!h#et38 I co #d sti## see his mo th movin" as I h rried o t the door.

2 H!"ned 5!d) . H!"n# P! i!n)

Cne must sell it to someone, the sa!red name of love$ all thinking all of it, the 5t with an it!h in it, the All very in!h of it, the pleasure ea!h will preen her for, the business ea!h was bred to breed by$ The law of the jungerl. - Kames Koyce, -innegans 1ake

The h man brain consists of abo t two and one-ha#f !o nds of an oatmea#-#ike "oo. 0The stiffer, starchy-#ookin" brains seen in #aboratories or movies are dead= the rest of the body #ooks e$ a##y !#astic after death.1 In this "oo 9 7this enchanted #oom,8 ne ro#o"ist 6ir Char#es 6herrin"ton ca##ed it= 7this hive of anarchy,8 nove#ist ;ernard 'o#fe said more !oetica##y 9 there are severa# bi##ion se!arate ce##s, each one of which mi"ht be in an e#ectric hook- ! with any one, any do.en or any tho sand of the others at one time. Each s ch circ it is a re"istration or res!onse to somethin" that has been im!in"in" on the nervo s system, either from dee! inside itse#f in m sc#es, "#ands or ce##s, or from as far o tside as the stars at ni"ht. %rchitect-!oet ; ckminster < ##er s ms it a## ! in one, fine, nfor"ettab#e !aradoxJ 76verything we see,8 he says, 7is inside our own heads.8 That is, we do not see with o r eyes, b t with o r brain-!# s-eyes workin" as a nit. Th s, if a !erson has been b#ind and has his si"ht restored by an o!eration, he wi## not see what we see. ,e wi## see a whir#in" chaos, and it wi## !robab#y fri"hten him= it is on#y "rad a##y, over a !eriod of months, that he wi## #earn, thro "h coachin" by his doctors and n rses, to see what we see. 'e wi## not re"a#e the reader with the ne ro#o"ica# theories that attem!t to ex!#ain why an L6A tri! sets the ex!erimenter into this same whir#in" chaos. 4eed#ess to say, we a#so hear with brain-!# s-ears, taste with brain-!# s-ton" e and, in "enera#, know everythin" on#y thro "h its re"istration inside o r hands on what 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs ca##s 7the soft machinery8 of o r brain tiss e. Th s, nder hy!nosis, a !erson who has been "iven sa#t and to#d that it is s "ar wi## taste it as sweet 9 thereby i## stratin" the brain-!# s-ton" e !henomenon. 6imi#ar#y, a hy!noti.ed s b:ect shown a "reen circ#e and to#d that it is red wi## see it as red. That is beca se we see with brain!# s-eye.+ 4ow, obvio s#y, anythin" that affects the brain wi## affect o r !erce!tions of the who#e niverse. <ronta#-#ove e!i#e!sy 9 a disease of the brain that has aff#icted s ch i## strio s !ersons as K #i s Caesar and the & ssian nove#ist <eodor Aostoevsky 9 i## strates this !rocess c#ear#y. In his attem!ts to describe this condition, Aostoevsky so nds exact#y #ike a modern acidhead, sayin" that, des!ite the !ain associated with the fit, 7I fee# entire#y in harmony with myse#f and the who#e wor#d3 for a few seconds of s ch b#iss one wo #d "#ad#y "ive ! ten years of one5s #ife, if not one5s who#e #ife.8 It is nonverba#, #ike acid and other tri!s we wi## be disc ssin", beca se o r #an" a"e was invented to describe other, more statistica##y norma# !erce!tions. Aostoevsky 0and other fronta#-#obe e!i#e!tics1 even describes a "reat 7white #i"ht8 that a#so has been seen by L6A tri!!ers and ?rienta# yo"is. 0% rock "ro ! ca##ed The C#ear Li"ht is evident#y named after this ex!erience, which !hi#oso!her %#an '. 'atts 9 who ex!erimented on himse#f with L6A whi#e it was sti## #e"a# 9 s ""ests mi"ht be the brain5s !erce!tion of itse#f when a## the e#ectrica# circ its are t rned on at once. >aybe.1 ; t 0and the reader m st know we have been #eadin" ! to this1, a more common way of transformin" the brain is via dr "s, which can be se#f-administered, n#ike e!i#e!sy, which has to be inherited. It is a#so tr e 0des!ite the hysteria in 'ashin"ton1 that $ ite a few dr "s are, if taken in sma## doses, considerab#y #ess n!#easant than e!i#e!sy. 0They are a#so #ess n!#easant than cancer. If s ch moderate statements so nd #ike !ro-dr " !ro!a"anda, I am tr #y sorry= as Ar. , m!hrey ?sm nd has said, it has been diffic #t, since abo t 19+-, to make any tr e statement abo t dr "s witho t so ndin" #ike a !art of the dreaded 7dr " c #t.81 The discovery of mind-ex!andin", mind-b#owin", mind-bendin" and mind-transcendin" !ro!erties of dr " seems to "o back to the 4eo#ithic 074ew 6tone81 %"e, if not ear#ier. ? r 4eo#ithic ancestors in the 4ear East b ried their dead facin" east 0s ""estin" some form of s n worshi!1 and !#aced mari: ana in the "rave 0s ""estin" some !sychede#ic or re#i"io s se of that !#ant.1 In >exico, stat es dated at 1))) ;C or ear#ier show the 7ma"ic m shroom8 psilo!ybae me2i!ana with "od-fi" res emer"in" from it, stron"#y s ""estin" that the re#i"io s se of this ha## cino"enic 0which was observed by the invadin" 6!aniards in the ear#y !art of the 1+ th Cent ry and sti## exists today1, dates back at #east that far. The first brewery was b i#t in E"y!t in the third mi##enni m ;C. It is not to be ass med that o r ancestors had any theoretica# scientific know#ed"e of how these brews and herbs were affectin" their brains. &ather, their know#ed"e m st have been
6

In other ex!eriments, the s b:ects have not seen the "reen circ#es as red b t as a co#or c#ose to red 0oran"e or ye##ow1. This is not nderstood, b t the reader can have some f n tryin" to dream ! his own ex!#anation.

cr de#y em!irica# 9 #ike that of %merican teena"ers todayJ 7,ey, man, : st chew this berry and see what ha!!ensR8 0Ees, there is a ha## cino"enic berry 9 the Fakistani 9 and it is known thro "ho t the >idd#e East, and, accordin" to 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, is $ ite #ike the 6o th %merican ha## cino"enic vine, yage.1 4eed#ess to say, if dr "s can chan"e the way in which the brain sees, hears, sme##s and assemb#es meanin"f # form o t of the chaos of sensation, they can a#so radica##y transform the nat re of sex a# fee#in". This ndo bted#y is the !oint at which o r ancestors 0who were : st as horny as we are1 became ac te#y interested in the s b:ect of dr "s. The search was soon on for !otions of %!hrodite 9 chemica#s with ni$ e#y sens o s kicks. %nd, since this was before the invention of Christianity, these erotic e charists were more often identified with re#i"ion than with sin. The S!1anaceae ;ack in co##e"e, most of s enco ntered Kohn Aonne5s !oem 76on"8 that be"insJ &o and !at!h a falling star, &et with !hild by mandrake root, Tell me where all past years are, Cr who !left the 'evil.s foot. 6ome readers may even remember the footnote to the second #ine, which ex!#ains that the E#i.abethans be#ieved a woman co #d become !re"nant via the mandra"ora or, as it was then ca##ed, mandrake. %ct a##y, that was one of the #ater s !erstitions to be connected with this !#ant. Ear#ier, it was be#ieved that the mandra"ora was a !owerf # a!hrodisiac, and this be#ief was !receded by the notion that the !#ant was connected with re#i"io s visions and the !ec #iar fren.ies of the death-and-res rrection c #ts that came into @reece from the 4ear East short#y before the time of F#ato 0<o rth Cent ry, ;C1. These c #ts, which are treated at #en"th in 6ir Kames <ra.er5s c#assic of anthro!o#o"y, The &olden Bough, worshi!!ed a series of "ods to have died and then risen. These inc# de Aionys s, %ttis and Tamm . from the East, and ?siris from E"y!t. Like Christianity, which a!!eared severa# cent ries #ater, these c #ts he#d o t the !romise that every worshi!!er co #d re!eat the "ods5 mirac #o s feat. Hn#ike Christianity, however, they offered a kind of 7!roof8 of this assertion 9 that is, an ex!erience that a!!arent#y convinced the worshi!!er that he had been dead and ret rned to #ife, or had been to a !#ace where #ife and death were not o!!osites b t !arts of the same contin m. This ex!erience invo#ved the se of mandra"ora and, a#so, on occasion, henbane and thorn a!!#e. These three dr "s have two thin"s in commonJ They are a## of the so#anaceae fami#y, and they are a## re! ted a!hrodisiacs. 6o#anaceae dr "s, #ike !sychede#ics b t n#ike tr e narcotics, !rod ce ha## cinations which, for a time, com!#ete#y overwhe#m rea#ity 9 which is often rumored to ha!!en, b t virt a##y never does ha!!en with a tr e !sychede#ic. <or exam!#e, on L6A, conf sin" mis!erce!tions shift ra!id#y and, therefore, are never taken serio s#y. The sit ation rather resemb#es Lewis Carro##5s !oemJ 8e thought he saw a banker.s !lerk des!ending from a bus 8e looked again and saw it was a hippopotamus. 'ith mandrake, what is seen tends to remain constant and to be be#ieved, even if it is somethin" as im!#a sib#e as a !o#ar bear in a b#ack t rt#eneck sweater #o n"in" in the corner of the room. 0This was act a##y seen by &ona#d 'eston, an advertisin" exec tive who ex!erimented with be##adonna, another dr " in this fami#y, and wrote abo t his ex!erience for -a!t ma"a.ine, Mo#. I, 4o. I, 19+3.1 These dr "s, n#ike !sychede#ics, are a#so $ ite toxic and it is easy to overdose and ki## yo rse#f. ,ence, o r information abo t them is #ess co!io s than abo t !sychede#ics= there have been fewer ex!erimenters, or, at #east, fewer who #ived to te## the ta#e. This ex!#ains o r ca tio s remark that s ch dr "s are 7re! ted a!hrodisiacs.8 &es!onsib#e medica# o!inion now ho#ds that there are no tr e a!hrodisiacs. 06orry abo t that.1 These chemica#s do a!!ear, however, to f nction part of the time as if their !ro!erties were very m ch #ike those of a tr e a!hrodisiac. 2i che) . O",ie)

The Aionysian reve#s in @reece at which these de#iriants were sed had a very ri!e and riba#d re! tation. %t the witches5 6abbaths of the >idd#e %"es, where a simi#ar ,orned @od was worshi!!ed and the same dr "s 0!# s be##adonna1 were co!io s#y imbibed, an or"y s a##y occ rred 9 at #east, accordin" to the confessions that the in$ isitors obtained nder tort re. &.E.L. >asters, in 6ros and 6vil, te##s of a @oettin"en !rofessor who ex!erimenta##y tried one of these witches5 brews from a form #a fo nd in a medieva# man scri!t, and ex!erienced ha## cinations of f#yin" to a witches5 or"y. >asters a#so te##s of a woman who sed these dr "s for asthma re#ief. A e to an accidenta# overdose, she made #esbian advances to her #and#ady and tried to sed ce a ma#e visitor as we##. The conventiona# ex!#anation of s ch seemin"#y a!hrodisiac effects is a tos ""estion. That is, the !eo!#e in $ estion knew what the dr "s were s !!osed to do to them and, therefore, nconscio s#y !ro"rammed themse#ves for s ch effects. Hnfort nate#y for this theory, &.E.L. >asters c#aims that the woman in the second anecdote did not know the re! tation of the dr "s in $ estion. 6ke!tica# !sycho-!harmaco#o"ists wo #d not acce!t s ch an anecdota# 7testimony8 and wo #d demand a statistica# s rvey of severa# s b:ects nder contro##ed #aboratory conditions. In s ch an ex!eriment, one wo #d be ab#e to test the distinct !ossibi#ity that the woman, as is often the case, knew more than the doctor rea#i.ed. Like !sychede#ics, these dr "s seem to #end themse#ves exce!tiona##y we## to o ter- or a to-s ""estion. <or instance, %kron Aara #, in his 8istory of )e!ret )o!ieties, te##s of an interview with a Tibetan #ama who virt a##y !ro:ected Aara #5s 7so #8 o t of his body. Aara #, who had ke!t a s!ecimen of the dinner served to him before this interview, #ater had it ana#y.ed at a chemica# #aboratory and fo nd e#ements of mandrake*mandra"ora as we## as sco!o#amine, a derivative of henbane, which is often referred to as 7tr th ser m.8 0%ct a##y, what the s b:ect 7revea#s8 is not the !recise tr th, b t what the $ estioner seems to want to hear. 6co!o#amine was sed ori"ina##y by some !o#ice de!artments in E ro!e to obtain confessions from s s!ected crimina#s. If the s s!ect were act a##y " i#ty, the confession wo #d be detai#ed and acc rate. If he were innocent, the confession wo #d be e$ a##y detai#ed, b t inacc rate.1 Hnder "ood conditions, then, a s b:ect who believes that s ch dr "s wi## !rod ce a wi#d sex a# ex!erience is $ ite #ike#y to have a wi#d sex a# ex!erience. In 'rugs and the 7ind, &obert Ae&o!!, >.A. "ives a c#assic exam!#e from the o#d witchcraft daysJ 5n this parti!ular trial the pro!eedings were made all the more pi:uant by the fa!t that 4ise, from whose !onfessions the trial resulted, was the si2teen/year/old daughter of the lo!al pastor. This 4ise was de!oyed into evil ways by her lover, who persuaded her to take part in the se!ret !eremonies to be held at midnight in the depths of the 8ar0 7ountains. The parti!ipants, having assembled in their se!ret meeting pla!e, prepared with suitable in!antations a drink of whi!h all partook freely. 0Ar. Ae&o!! conc# des from other detai#s that the drink and the sa#ve mentioned #ater !robab#y consisted of madrake, henbane and * or be##adonna.1 )oon after partaking of the drink, a fren0y sei0ed them all, in!luding young 4ise, who, abandoning all restraints of feminine modesty, stripped herself naked, as did the others present, and was anointed with the wit!hes. salve. +e2t she engaged in a fren0ied se2ual orgy a!!ompanied by the most vivid hallu!inations, in the !ourse of whi!h she be!ame !onvin!ed that every devil in hell had enjoyed her body, that she had mounted a broomsti!k and soared over the mountains, that she had seen the ovens of hell and even smelled the aroma of roasting sinners. )o vivid were these hallu!inations that she firmly believed them to be real and, in a subse:uent fit of remorse, related them to her father. That worthy pillar of the !hur!h had no hesitation in handing over his daughter to the authorities, who forthwith instituted a hunt for the other members of the midnight party and, in an orgy of torture, wrung from all of them !onfessions of their misdeeds. Thereupon the entire group was !eremoniously burned alive in the publi! s:uare, the whole town turning out to wat!h the event. Evident#y, if Lise has ex!ected to meet Kes s and his 12 a!ost#es and co! #ate with a## of them in t rn, that is what she wo #d have remembered afterward. The in$ isitors 9 aided, it m st never be for"otten, by instr ments of !ers asion that mi"ht have t rned Car# 6a"an into a s!irit a#ist 9 obtained many confessions of or"ies that wo #d make Lise5s ex!erience seem #ike a "ir# sco t hike by com!arison. >any a##e"ed 7witches8 confessed

that incest was common at these ce#ebrations, not on#y between brother and sister or father and da "hter b t between son and mother as we##. 0Ginsey fo nd that the first two mentioned varieties of incest are more common than is "enera##y be#ieved, b t that the #ast 9 des!ite its !o! #arity as a theme in fo#k#ore, @reek tra"edy and !sychoana#ysis 9 is as rare as the abhorrence for it wo #d #ead one to ex!ect. ,e never fo nd a sin"#e rea# case, a#tho "h he investi"ated the matter for severa# years.1 ?thers confessed to varieties of sex m rder 0ki##in" the !erson one was co! #atin" with1 or necro!hi#ia, and to vario s kinds of sadism and masochism. Canniba#ism was a#so !rominent in these confessions. >ost of this testimony can be ex!#ained as the res #t of the th mbscrews and other devices sed in interro"ation. ?thers, very #ike#y, are rea# memories of ha## cinations ex!erienced nder the inf# ence of mandrake, be##adonna or thorn a!!#e. %nd, of co rse 9 witness the >anson <ami#y 9 a few are !robab#y "en ine. The inside view of the se of sex a#ity in witchcraft is "iven in The Book of )hadows, which, it is c#aimed, is a man scri!t !assed on for severa# cent ries thro "h vario s covens of the ;ritish Is#es. ,ere, for instance, is the 6econd Ae"ree &ite, which invo#ves a "ood dea# of kissin", some ora#ism, and mi#d sadomasochism b t is not $ ite so frantic as Lise5s confession. 8igh #riestess: 8ear ye, Ee 7ighty Cnes. ;5nitiate.s wit!h name?, a duly !onse!rated #riestess G #riest and 1it!h is now properly prepared to be elevated to the )e!ond 'egree. To attain this degree it is ne!essary to be purified. Art thou willing to suffer to learnF 5nitiate: 5 am 8igh #riestess G 8igh #riest says: 5 purify thee to take this oath rightly 8igh #riestess strikes three on the bell. )!ourge, H, >, <, I" > then says: (epeat after me. 5 ;initiate.s wit!h name?, swear on my 7other.s womb, and by my honor amongst men, and by my Brothers and )isters of the Art, that 5 will never reveal any se!rets of the Art, e2!ept it be to a worthy person properly prepared in the !enter of a 7agi! %ir!le, su!h as 5 am now in. This 5 swear by my past lives and by my hopes of future ones to !ome and 5 devote myself to utter destru!tion if 5 break this my solemn oath$ 8igh #riestess G 8igh #riest makes the #entagram on the genitals, right foot, left knee, left foot, genitals and says: 5 !onse!rate Thee with Cil. JkissK 5 !onse!rate Thee with 1ine. JkissK 5 !onse!rate Thee with 1ater. JkissK 5 !onse!rate Thee with -ire. JkissK 5 !onse!rate Thee with my lips. JkissK 8igh #riestess: )eventh, the %ords 9 bind the 8igh #riestess G 8igh #riest. 5nitiate does this and 8igh #riestess G 8igh #riest gives a kiss. 8igh #riestess says: 4earn that in 1it!h!raft thou must ever return triple. As 5 s!ourge thee, thou must s!ourge me, but triple. 1here 5 gave thee three strokes, return nine, seven strokes, return twenty/one, nine strokes, return twenty/seven, twenty/one strokes, return si2ty/ three. That is "IA strokes in all. Take up the )!ourge.
7

That is, the # cky candidate is whi!!ed three times, then seven times, then nine times and, for a "rand c#imax, 21 times. @reat f n, if yo ha!!en to be a masochist.

5nitiate does so and purifies the 8igh #riestess with "IA strokes, then unbinds 8igh #riestess G 8igh #riest who gives a kiss. 8igh #riestess G 8igh #riest then says: Thou hast obeyed the 4aw but mark well, when thou re!eiveth good, so e:ually art thou bound to return good threefold. The act a# se of coit s in witchcraft, accordin" to The Book of )hadows, is decided#y decoro sJ 5n an!ient times the &reat (ite was pra!ti!ed but 5 do not know of any 1it!hes in Ameri!a or 6ngland who still pra!ti!e the &reat (ite. Eou may reje!t it, or if you feel !loser to the &ods by returning as mu!h as possible to the worship of the An!ients, then by all means do it. T86 &(6AT (5T6 9 at the end of ea!h )abbat (ite, the an!ient ones had to 6arth the power that had been raised within the %ir!le so that the power raised would not remain in the atmosphere afterwards. They earthed the power by !ommitting the )e2 A!t, whi!h brought them down from the mysti!al to the material level. 6a!h )abbat (ite ended with this a!t and it was !alled The &reat (ite. The &reat (ite is performed as an a!t of worship to the &od and &oddess. Cbviously, if everybody indulged in love/making at the end of the rite, within the 7agi! %ir!le, it would look as if an orgy were taking pla!e. 7ostly the !oveners did this in private after leaving the 7agi! %ir!le. )e2 7agi! is one of the most powerful of all a!ts of 7agi! and not to be taken lightly and !ertainly 5 believe should be performed in private before the &ods. It is on#y fair to add, #est the reader acce!t this too easi#y, that no co!y of The Book of )hadows has been !rod ced that is more than a few decades o#d. @era#d @ardner 0the En"#ish b rea crat who after his retirement from ! b#ic service became the chief s!okesman for modern witchcraft1 seems to have !rod ced the first known co!y of this text, and the very scr ! #o s occ #t historian <rancis Gin" says b# nt#y in his (ites of 7odern C!!ult 7agi! that @ardner 7either for"ed, or !roc red to be for"ed, the so-ca##ed Book of )hadows.8 4everthe#ess, modern witches acce!t this book as a thentic, and its rites are, therefore, !racticed wide#y today, and somethin" very #ike them is, indeed, char"ed in the historica# records of witch tria#s of the !ast. If a## this so nds rather !erverse, the reader sho #d remember that the whi!!in" is a#so !racticed by many Christians even today 0s ch as the penitentes of >exico1 and has #on" been a tradition of the Kes its. The sex rite 0and the so#anaceae dr "s associated with it1 is a !art of a far o#der tradition. Hie"!,"a4#6 !" Se7 Ma,ic ;ehind this who#e mysti$ e is 7sym!athetic ma"ic,8 the !rimitive notion that imitatin" a desired res #t wi## ca se it to ha!!en. Th s, to make rain, triba# shamans in many !arts of the wor#d wi## !o r water thro "h a vesse# that has ho#es in the bottom. ?r, to ki## an enemy, a wi.ard wi## make a do## in his ima"e and stick !ins in it. That which is most desired by the tribe, of co rse, is ferti#ity in the broadest sense of that word 9 more food, more cro!s, more anima#s and more chi#dren so the tribe wi## be stron" in fi"htin" men if they are attacked. To obtain ferti#ity by sym!athetic ma"ic, the act of "eneration m st be imitated. ,ence, as <ra.er demonstrates at exha stin" #en"th in The &olden Bough, some form of sex a# ma"ic or hiero"amy a!!ears in a#most every c #t re. In certain c #t res it takes the form of the or"y, in which every man and woman co! #ates in the fie#ds on ni"hts that are astro#o"ica##y im!ortant 9 >ay Eve, >ids mmer Aay, ,a##oween, and so on= in others, it becomes the ! re hiero"amy in which the rit a# co! #ation of exa#ted fi" res, the kin" and his sister s a##y, is ass med to serve this f nction of kee!in" nat re "reen and ab ndant. Thomas 'ri"ht, in his famo s 8istory of the 1orship of the &enerative Crgans , act a##y tried to !rove that s ch sex worshi! was the ori"in from which a## #ater re#i"io s ideas deve#o!ed. %nthro!o#o"ist %sh#ey >onta" e, a s!okesman for the more conservative and ca tio s a!!roach, indicates that, in his o!inion, 'ri"ht5s theory may not be far from the tr th. ,e writesJ J1rightK is not :uite so sound when he goes on to say that su!h beliefs and pra!ti!es prevailed universally. The fa!t is that su!h pra!ti!es and beliefs were very s!ar!e among the Ameri!an 5ndians$ But 1right was near enough to the truth, su!h pra!ti!es and the

se2ual symbolism asso!iated with them, if not universal, were in one form or another well

nigh to being so. In other words, if yo #eave o t the %merican Indians, 'ri"ht was ri"ht. I insert here a few of 'ri"ht5s famo s i## strations. F#ease bear in mind, whi#e #ookin" at them, that these are religious emb#ems 9 a conce!t that mi"ht be diffic #t for Christians and Kews to nderstand. %nd note that these ido#s do not come from India, #ike the erotic sc #!t res of the famo s Tantric tem!#es. These are E ro!ean, and they indicate the a##iance 0or identity1 of sex a#ity and re#i"ion in ancient times. %ccordin" to !hi#o#o"ist Kohn %##e"ro in his s!ec #ative The )a!red 7ushroom and the %ross, these #inks between eros and re#i"ion a#so #ink back to mind dr "s 9 s!ecifica##y, to the !ha##ic-#ookin" amanita mus!aria m shroom, whose effects are simi#ar to be##adonna5s, and which is sti## sed for ma"ic ! r!oses by 6iberian shamans. >oreover, accordin" to %##e"ro5s hy!othesis, it was worshi!!ed as a "od thro "ho t E ro!e and %sia in the #ate 6tone %"e. The 2)th Cent ry has added #itt#e to the tradition. Char#ie >anson, ca##ed the 7L6A madman8 by the !ress, was ab#e to convert his fo##owers to be#ieve that he was both Kes s and 6atan only after he had supplemented that a!id diet with heavy doses of these deliriant drugs , es!ecia##y be##adonna and :imson weed 0the %merican botanica# co sin of mandrake.1 %ccordin" to Ed 6anders5 acco nt of the >anson c #t, The -amily, one of the disci!#es s ffered a ()-!oint ID dro! after a few be##adonna tri!s with Char#ie, and is now in a Ca#ifornia menta# hos!ita#. Kimson weed owes its name to the ori"ina# Kamestown Co#ony in Mir"inia, of which 7:imson8 is a corr !tion. % "ro ! of so#diers stationed there fo nd it by accident, with ty!ica##y nsett#in" res #ts. %ccordin" to &obert ;ever#ey5s 8istory and #resent )tate of Lirginia 017)-1J $the effe!t$ was a very pleasant %omedy, for they turned natural -ools upon it for several 'ays. Cne would blow a -eather in the Air, another would start dart straws at it with mu!h -ury, and another, stark naked was sitting up in a %orner, like a 7onkey grinning and making 7ews at them, a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his %ompanions, and sneer in their -a!es, with a %ountenan!e more anti! than any in a 'ut!h 'roll. 5n this franti! %ondition they were !onfined, lest they in their -olly should destroy themselves, though it was observed that all their A!tions were full of 5nno!ense and &ood +ature. 5ndeed, they were not very !leanly, for they would have wallow.d in their own 62!rements, if they had not been prevented. A Thousand su!h simple Tri!ks they play.d and after 6leven 'ays, return.d themselves again, not remembering anything that had pass.d. The n dity, combined with the kissin" and !awin", a"ain s ""ests that this fami#y of dr "s does seem to have a sex a##y ninhibitin" effect, some of the time, on some of its sers. 0The most recent re!ort of :imson weed that I have seen, however, s ""ests that it is distinct#y nonsex a#. The re!ort was a news!a!er story abo t some kids in Ca#ifornia who "ot ho#d of some

and tried it for kicks. They were a!!rehended by the !o#ice whi#e r nnin" down the street screamin" that red, white and b# e a##i"ators were ! rs in" them.1 6ome of the re!orts on these dr "s from ancient @reece are even more hair-raisin" than the medieva# acco nts of "ir#s f#yin" over mo ntains on broomsticks. The @reek ba!!hantes, or worshi!!ers of Aionys s, were not on#y re! ted to en"a"e in fren.ied and s!asmodic sex a# or"ies b t a#so, accordin" to sober contem!orary a thors, often ran amok and tore ! shee! and other sma## mamma#s 9 sometimes certain a thorities say, even h man chi#dren. In E ri!edes5 tra"edy, The Ba!!hae, Gin" Fenthe s attem!ts to stam! o t these rites, b t Aionys s # res Fenthe s5 mother %"ave into the c #t and, stoned o t of her "ro nd on these !otent !otions, she dismembers Fenthe s witho t knowin" what she is doin". That, every reader m st admit, is considerab#y worse than anythin" c#aimed a"ainst c rrent#y !o! #ar dr "s. The a!hrodisiac re! tation of the mandrake, incidenta##y, is broad#y hinted at in one of the more conf sin" of the ta#es in the ?#d Testament, which reads as fo##owsJ And (euben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother 4eah. Then (a!hel said to 4eah, &ive me, 5 pray thee of thy son.s mandrakes. And she said unto her, 5s it a small matter that thous hast taken my husbandF And wouldest thou take away my son.s mandrakes alsoF And (a!hel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son.s mandrakes. If the #an" a"e of Gin" Kames5 trans#ators is a bit obsc re here, what is bein" to#d is that &ache# is a##owin" Kacob to ret rn to sex a# re#ations with Leah for one ni"ht in exchan"e for the wonderf # mandrakes. The story conc# desJ And 3a!ob !ame out of the field in the evening and 4eah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must !ome in unto me, for surely 5 have hired thee with my son.s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And &od hearkened unto 4eah, and she !on!eived and bore 3a!ob the fifth son. %nyone with a know#ed"e of sex a# ma"ic wi## reco"ni.e that the mandrakes 0which, !hysica##y, ha!!en to #ook #ike erect !enises1 are bein" sed as sym!athetic ma"ic to ca se !re"nancy in this yarn. ?n the other hand, it is a#so a bawdy ta#e in the c#assic tradition of sex h mor, and yo co #d rete## it today 0with one yo n" chick stea#in" another5s o#d man and then #endin" him back for a ni"ht in exchan"e for the c rrent#y fashionab#e mari: ana1 and sti## "et some #a "hs. Exce!t from ;ib#e readers, who wo #dn5t reco"ni.e the so rce, and wo #d be shocked at yo r #evity and disres!ect for marria"e. @erard, in his 8erbal, reco nts many #e"ends abo t the mandrake. ?ne is of s!ecia# noteJ 7They added f rther that it is never3 to be fo nd "rowin" nat ra##y b t nder a "a##owse, where the matter that hath fa##en from the dead body hath "iven it the sha!e of a man.8 That is, accordin" to an o#d s !erstition, every han"ed man has an e:ac #ation as he dies, and it is from this seed, o r ancestors be#ieved, that the !ha##ic mandrake "rew. >oses >aimonides, most #earned of the medieva# Kewish theo#o"ians, re"arded the mandrake as sef # in virt a##y a## forms of sorcery= and, as #ate as the 12 th Cent ry, it sti## had a re! tation as an a!hrodisiac, and was mentioned by de 6ade. Its #atest a!!earance in #iterat re 9 a #ast, dyin" whim!er !erha!s 9 is in Terry 6o thern5s screen!#ay of 'r. )trangelove, where one of the characters is sim!#y named Ca!tain >andrake. 0?thers in the cast had s ch simi#ar#y coded names as Fresident >erkin > ff#ey, @enera# ; ck T r"idson, Ar. 6tran"e#ove himse#f, ;at @ ano, @enera# Kack A. &i!!er and Ca!tain 7Gin"8 Gon".1 Ni,h )hade In !resent-day %merica the easiest of these so#anaceae dr "s to obtain is be##adonna, a#so ca##ed 7dead#y ni"htshade.8 0In 4ew Eork City, this became so !o! #ar in the 19+)s that asthma s fferers can no #on"er b t the !o! #ar remedy asthmador witho t a !rescri!tion. It contains be##adonna, and the dr "-k #ch kids were havin" some wi#d tri!s on it for a whi#e.1 % co##e"e st dent I know to#d me of tryin" be##adonna in a frat ho se in ;oston. ,e immediate#y went into a coma and woke ! in the hos!ita# to which his friends had r shed him, and where his stomach had been ! m!ed. ;e##adonna, however, #eaves the be##y and enters the b#oodstream fair#y $ ick#y, and he was sti## tri!!in", a#tho "h not aware of the fact. %s he

watched, !art#y embarrassed and !art#y entranced, a n rse took off her niform, stri!!ed with b m!s and "rinds o t of her nderwear, and c#imbed into the next bed, where she made #o d, !assionate and !ro#on"ed #ove to the de#i"hted !atient there. It was not nti# the next day that my friend rea#i.ed that this who#e >itche## ;rothers se$ ence had been a ha## cination. %nd that is a## he remembers of his be##adonna tri!. Frobab#y, he had many other interestin" ha## cinations, b t it is characteristic of so#anaceae dr "s to create micro-amnesia, which seems to remove a## memories for from one to severa# ho rs. It is a#so interestin", considerin" the erotic re! tation of this dr ", that my friend5s one retained ha## cination was of a voye ristic nat re. Fres mab#y, with a different set of mind he mi"ht have ima"ined 9 see the advent res of Lise a few !a"es back 9 that the n rse, or a do.en other n rses, had ba##ed him in his de#iri m. I have interviewed two other !eo!#e who went into coma after tryin" be##adonna. They remember nothin", not even the stomach ! m!. 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, a thor of +aked 4un!h, to#d me that in his days as a heroin addict he once inadvertent#y bo "ht some a##e"ed mor!hine that was act a##y severe#y c t with be##adonna. % short whi#e after takin" his fix, he noticed that he was o t of ci"arettes and went to the window, stickin" one #e" o t before a visitin" friend asked him what the he## he was doin". 7@oin" down for ci"arettes,8 was the re!#y 9 and the friend "rabbed him before he com!#eted the tri! o t the window, which was on the third f#oor. The next day, ty!ica# of be##adonna, ; rro "hs did not remember this ex!erience and had to be to#d abo t it. %nother friend, who a#so tried be##adonna whi#e at co##e"e 9 these stories say somethin" abo t the kind of dr " ed cation avai#ab#e in %merica, don5t theyI 9 had a more co#orf # ex!erience. % friend came into his room after he had swa##owed a c ! of be##adonna tea, and they had a #on" ta#k. Then the friend came into the room a"ain, and o r tri!!er rea#i.ed that he had ha## cinated the who#e first visit and its associated conversation. %s soon as he be"an to wonder whether this second visit was yet another ha## cination, the visitor vanished. ? r hero then went o tside, "ot into his car and took a #on" drive. 0,e didn5t own a car at the time.1 The next mornin", he woke ! in a ditch severa# mi#es from the co##e"e. ,is ri"ht shoe and ri"ht sock were missin", b t the rest of his c#othin" was intact. ,e never fo nd his motorcyc#e 9 a!!arent#y that was what he was ridin" whi#e he tho "ht he was drivin" a car. I once asked Ar. Timothy Leary if he had ever met anyone who had had a good be##adonna tri!. ,e re!#ied f#at#y, 74o, never.8 A Se*a"a e Rea1i # Kimson weed, the on#y other so#anaceae dr " easi#y avai#ab#e in %merica, has been mentioned !revio s#y in connection with the Kamestown freako t and the kids chased by red, white and b# e a##i"ators. < rther information abo t it can be fo nd in The Tea!hings of 'on 3uan and its se$ e#s, by anthro!o#o"ist Car#os Castaneda. Aon K an >ate s, a Eac$ i Indian, trained Castaneda in the traditiona# techni$ e for becomin" an Indian brujo 0sorcerer1, and Castaneda may we## be the first white man in history to have obtained this trainin". The chief teachin" devices were !eyote, or lophophora williamsii, a !sychede#ic cact s disc ssed e#sewhere in this book= an nidentified 7ma"ic m shroom8 0!robab#y psilo!ybae 7e2i!ana1= and, of co rse, :imson weed 0datura no2ia, to be technica#1. In the co rse of the trainin", Castaneda was t rned into a crow, f#ew thro "h the air, and saw co#ors as 0accordin" to don K an1 crows act a##y do see them. ?r, at #east, that5s what seemed to have ha!!ened. 'hen Castaneda insisted that it had on#y seemed so, don K an was am sed and indi"nant and tho "ht it $ ite ty!ica# of a white man to be#ieve ideas from scientific !hi#oso!hy rather than tr st his own ex!erience. Castaneda fina##y broke off the trainin" beca se he was be"innin" to be#ieve don K an5s version of what was ha!!enin" instead of the officia##y materia#istic version of traditiona# 'estern science. ,e #ater ret rned, however, and nderwent f rther trainin" with don K an, to#d in the first se$ e#, A )eparate (eality. % note on the wordin" of this tit#e is $ ite charmin"J 5 have used the word reality be!ause it was a major premise in don 3uan.s system of beliefs that the states of !ons!iousness produ!ed by the ingestion of any of those three plants were not hallu!inations, but !on!rete, although unordinary, aspe!ts of the reality

of everyday life. 'on 3uan behaved toward these states of nonordinary reality not as if they were real but as real. ?ne detects some conf#ict between Castaneda5s scientific restraint and the intensity of his ex!eriences of that 7se!arate rea#ity8 9 his own backdoor to Eden, as it were. The same conf#ict, ma"nified, was evident in Ar. Timothy Leary who once reso#ved it by frank#y : nkin" science and settin" ! sho! as a hi"h !riest of a new ch rch, then decided re#i"ion was a#ways b nk and ret rned to science. Traces of this, as we wi## see, a!!ear in anyone who has had a stron" dose of a mind-ex!andin" chemica#. A Se*a"a e (ea+ # The same iss e a!!eared as ear#y as the <o rth Cent ry ;C in E ri!ides5 Ba!!hae, mentioned ear#ier. %s a rationa#ist, E ri!ides seems to sym!athi.e with Gin" Fenthe s as that traffic hero deno nced the s !erstition and " ##ibi#ity of those who think they see the "od Aionys s after drinkin" these chemica#s. %s a !oet, however, E ri!ides "ives a## the best and most #yrica# #ines to the chor s of bacchantes who sin" the !raises of that "od, whose 7#ove#iness sha## be #oved forever.8 %nd it is #ove#iness 9 at #east in the ma:ority of tri!s 9 that breaks down the #ine between 7rea#ity8 and 7ha## cination.8 Char#es Aarwin said, $ ite correct#y, that the sense of bea ty is a deve#o!ment of the sex drive 9 that is, it is a f nction deve#o!ed as !art of matin" rit a#s. Certain#y, we wo #d not be aware of bea ty at a## if we were sex#ess creat res. 04ote how the ear#y Christian ascetics, who became as sex#ess as it is !ossib#e for bein"s of mamma#ian nat re to make themse#ves, #ost a## sense of nat ra# bea ty and ra"ed a"ainst the earth as 7dark,8 7diabo#ica#,8 7fo #,8 and 7! trid.81 >ere#y to see Aionys s 9 or >esca#ito, the "od of don K an 9 or any divinity 9 wo #d mean nothin" to any !erson of norma# ske!ticism or scientific trainin". ?ne knows that one is ha## cinatin", and that5s a## there is to the matter. ; t to see Aionys s "#orified 9 to see a bea ty that transcends anythin" one had ever ima"ined !ossib#e before 9 is not so easi#y dismissed. 'here did this wonderf # ex!erience 9 this back door to Eden, this 7#ove#iness that sha## be #oved forever8 9 come fromI 4ot from one5s conscio s mind, which has never conceived s ch wonders. 0It is !recise#y their shockin" sense of bein" a#ien that "ives them their conviction.1 <rom the nconscio s thenI 4ot from <re d5s nconscio s, certain#y= these heaven#y creat res do not inhabit that he##ho#e. 'here thenI Ferha!s from K n"5s con:ect red 7co##ective nconscio s,8 that seedbed of time#ess wisdom and art= or, as Ar. Leary s ""ests, from the A4% mo#ec #e that is coded in o r "enes a#on" with the chemica# tri""ers that make s white or b#ack, ta## or short, ma#e or fema#e, and so on. ; t, even if this ex!#anation be "ranted, the wonder and the bea ty of some of these ima"es contin e to ha nt the dr " ex!erimenter. %s K n" himse#f has said, 7It is !oint#ess to deny the "ods, when confronted with forces that act : st as the "ods are s !!osed to act.8 To say that these bein"s are not "ods b t time#ess "enetic archety!es is mere#y to : ""#e with semantics, to re!#ace one #ar"e mo thf # with another. H#timate#y, what they 7are8 is #ess strikin" than the !ower they !ossess. %nd, if they are bea tif #, we have Aarwin5s a thority to be#ieve that they are connected somehow with o r sex a# drives.2

INTERLUDE Di&!"ce P)#chede1ic S #1e: The S !"# !$ T!4 . %e""i

5t is a lie, this folly against self$ Thou hast no right but to do thy will$
8

;efore dro!!in" witchcraft and the so#anaceae dr "s, it is worth mentionin" that Kohn Aickson Carr has written a detective thri##er, ca##ed The %rooked 8inge, revo#vin" aro nd a reviva# of witchcraft in which the members drink be##adonna and ima"ine they are f#yin" aro nd on broomsticks or co! #atin" with demons. Carr cooked this !#ot ! before the c rrent occ #t reviva# 9 his book was ! b#ished in 1937R It5s sti## re!rinted fre$ ent#y in !a!erback and is worth yo r time. The s r!rise endin" is a # # .

/ The Book of 4aw

Tom and Kerri were the on#y midd#e-c#ass sharecro!!ers I ever met. Tom had a Fh.A. in aerona tica# en"ineerin" and a "ood career at one of o r bi""est defense ind stries when he "ot hit by >arxism and re#i"ion in 19-9. ,e ca "ht them both at the same time and they made a stran"e b#end. ,e act a##y $ it his :ob, took his wife, Kerri, and their two chi#dren, and became a sharecro!!er in %#abama. It was some sort of !enance for havin" s!ent severa# years desi"nin" intercontinenta# ba##istic missi#es for the ca!ita#ists. C rio s#y, it was Aorothy Aay, 7the "rand o#d #ady of the !eace movement8 as Ed 6anders sardonica##y ca##s her 0she5s the co-fo nder of the Catho#ic 'orker >ovement and the most !ti"ht ! ritan in #eft-win" !o#itics1, who ins!ired Tom5s r !t re from strai"ht society. I say this is c rio s, beca se Tom5s break was to esca#ate steadi#y thro "ho t the 19+)s and to take him m ch f rther from the means and norms of %merican society than Aorothy Aay has ever been. Kerri went thro "h the same conversion !rocess, a#tho "h havin" had a #ibera# arts ed cation she was a#ready m ch c#oser to the norm than any Fh.A. in science co #d ever be. Tom, yo m st a#ways remember, started his rebe##ion from a framework in which the fo##owin" theories are he#dJ The #en"th of an ob:ect is not in the ob:ect b t in its re#ationshi! to the observer 0Einstein1= #i"ht is basica##y waves b t is a#so basica##y !artic#es 0;ohr1= the shortest distance between two !oints is not a strai"ht #ine 0< ##er1= and some !artic#es "et from one !#ace to another !#ace witho t !assin" thro "h the !#aces in between 0F#anck1. It is not hard for a modern !hysicist or mathematician to be#ieve in the L6A wor#d. ; t L6A comes #ater in this story= in 19-9, Tom and Kerri had : st fo nd socia#ist Christianity and were determined to act o t Aebs5 famo s dec#aration, 7%s #on" as there is a #ower c#ass, I am !art of it8 by becomin" sharecro!!ers. It is easy to overestimate the 7sim!#icity8 of s ch !ersons. %nyone seein" Tom and Kerri in the ear#y 19+)s, toi#in" at the menia# tasks of 6o thern sharecro!!ers, !athetica##y tryin" to distrib te radica# news!a!ers to their hosti#e or indifferent nei"hbors, b#and#y a#oof from the !ossib#e economic advanta"es of their co##e"e ed cations, wo #d have re"arded them as ho!e#ess innocents in this wo#fish wor#d. It is we## to remember that Leo To#stoy, who, for a time, #ived as a serf, was not so naQve and chi#dish as 7to "h-minded rea#ists8 #ike to think= his 1ar and #ea!e is one of the most !robin" !sycho#o"ica# examinations of h man motivation ever attem!ted. Those were the years of the <reedom &iders, b t they were a#so the years of infat ation with <ide#ismo amon" radica# yo th. 6omehow, by s#ow sta"es, Tom and Kerri moved away from the Christian socia#ism of Aorothy Aay and embraced the revo# tionary socia#ism of Castro and the charismatic Che @ evara. Their 7martyrdom8 as vo# ntary sharecro!!ers now seemed as romantic and !oint#ess to them as it !robab#y does to the avera"e strai"ht %merican, a#tho "h for different reasons. They ret rned to the bi" city to work with other -idelistos and create a revo# tion in %merica. I had met them whi#e I was writin" a !iece on the reviva# of the G G# x G#an, and now I he#!ed them find a !ad in the kind of nei"hborhood where they wo #d have fe##ow-radica#s as nei"hbors. In the mid-19+)s, that meant a nei"hborhood where they wo #d a#so have hi!!ies as nei"hbors. ?f co rse, this was initia##y an irritation to them. Eo r -idelisto of that era re"arded the do!e c #t with no more affection than did K. Ed"ar ,oover, and for the same reasonJ it was a distraction from the rea# !rob#ems of the wor#d, a## of which concern the ac$ isition and retention of !ower. Tom wo #d #ect re his nei"hbors on the s b:ect. 7Eo kids are rea##y !#ayin" 'a## 6treet5s "ame,8 he wo #d say with the shrewd ex!ression and soft draw# he had ac$ ired or affected since his sharecro!!er days. 7They want yo to stay hi"h a## the time. The #ast thin" they want is for yo to sober ! and start doin" the rea# hard work of makin" a revo# tion.8 7&evo# tion s cks,8 one of them wo #d re!#y, and the others wo #d break into he#!#ess "i""#es.

Tom wo #d shake his head in "rief at the infanti#ism of these kids who were, on the who#e, $ ite bri"ht and co #d have been hard-workin" activists of socia#ism if the damned do!e hadn5t r ined them. ?f co rse 9 as I sometimes !ointed o t to him 9 they mi"ht a#so have been 'a## 6treet #awyers, 7if the damned do!e hadn5t r ined them.8 ; t Eippie was a#ready a "#eam in %bbie ,offman5s eye= some hard 6A6 theoreticians were a#ready smokin" a :oint now and then with the do!ers, ho!in" to become c#oser to them and "rad a##y #ead them into the correct >arxist !aths= and the !otheads who were b sted and s!ent some time in :ai# tended to come o t with more wi##in"ness to #isten to radica# a"it!ro!, es!ecia##y if it had a stron" anti-co! bias to it. The ;#ack Fanther Farty5s !o#emica# !anchreston, 7!i"8, was even be"innin" to a!!ear in some white vocab #aries. %nd then, E#drid"e C#eaver, who was a "od in those days, anno nced that a#tho "h heroin was re:ected by the Fanthers, they had no ob:ection to mari: ana. The do!ers and the !o#iticos be"an their honeymoon, which wasn5t to end nti# C#eaver !#aced Ar. Leary nder 7revo# tionary arrest8 in %#"iers in 197). %nd in the #ate 19+)s, as the do!ers became radica#i.ed, many of the >arxists be"an sam!#in" vario s dr "s. >y friends Tom and Kerri, former#y Christian radica#s and now dia#ectica# materia#ists, were !art of this weird cha!ter in the history of %merican socia#ism. Thin"s had certain#y chan"ed since the days when Kohn <. Gennedy was Fresident. In those romantic Came#ot years, radica# st dents tho "ht that a few more demonstrations wo #d force the "overnment to reform and abandon its evi# ways, and my friend Kane was s!endin" weeks tryin" to find L6A in >anhattan. 4ow Lyndon Kohnson "#owered above s #ike some >o#och, radica#s ta#ked constant#y of 7takin" ! the " n,8 and acid was no harder to "et than a hairc t and far more common in yo th-k #ch or red-rad circ#es. Tom5s first acid tri! was a fi..#e. ,e took on#y a !sycho#ytic dose 01)) micro"rams 9 7mikes,8 everybody was sayin" by then1 and, when he to#d me of his ex!erience, it was obvio s that his mind had been ex!anded no f rther than if he had smoked a :oint of mari: ana. This no #on"er s r!rised me. I had seen other s ch cases since Kane had toi#ed her way !ward thro "h hashish and !eyote in des!erate search of feelings. I even had a r #e-of-th mb abo t itJ <ri"id women and >arxist men were the ones who re$ ired the heaviest doses to t rn on. I ass med that this had some connection with the chronic m sc #ar tensions ho#din" back emotions that the &eichian and @esta#t !sycho#o"ists disc ss. 7%cid is bad for some !eo!#e,8 I warned him. 7Es!ecia##y for !eo!#e with a #ot of mora#ity, #ike yo . ; t,8 I added, wonderin" why I enco ra"ed him, 7if yo rea##y want to have the e2perien!e, take a stiffer dose.8 0The ad:ectives 7!sychede#ic8 or 7!eak8 had disa!!eared by then and !eo!#e were mere#y sayin" 7the ex!erience.81 The tho "ht of a !sychede#i.ed Tom !robab#y intri" ed me. I had been with him once when he had tried to take Kerri and their five-year-o#d son into a movie theater that on#y admitted chi#dren over six. Koey co #d easi#y have !assed for seven or o#der, b t when the ticket-se##er asked the boy5s a"e, Tom said 7five.8 Koey cried a## the way home= he had wanted to see the movie. 7'e revo# tionaries m st have the hi"hest ethic in the wor#d if we5re "oin" to ins!ire the masses,8 Tom had ex!#ained to me in thoro "h#y h mor#ess fashion. 7There can be no exce!tions.8 Fity, for even his own son co #d not interfere with s ch rectit de. I wo #d hate to have him as an enemy. Tom5s second tri! was a s ccess. I wa#ked in whi#e it was in !ro"ress and, as is a#ways the case with a "ood acid scene, I fo nd that the tri!!ers seemed m ch more bea tif # than abs rd. Tom, Kerri, a yo n" revo# tionary named 6imon who was tem!orari#y crashin" in their !ad, and a "ir# from across the ha## were a## #a "hin", cryin" and #a "hin" a"ain every five min tes. Tom b#ew my mind, and !erha!s his own, by sho tin" s dden#y, 7Eo know, &ockefe##er can kee! a## the f ckin" oil and money. This makes even >arxism seem trivia# to me.8 ,e #ooked " i#ty immediate#y afterward, and then #a "hed a"ain. I have never for"otten that moment. Tom had reverted to >arxism and revo# tion by the next mornin" 0a#tho "h that moment of heresy was a harbin"er of thin"s to come, as we sha## see1, b t the ex!erience was a shockin" exam!#e of the !ower of L6A to a#ter conscio sness. I have seen two s ccessf # 7midd#e %mericans8 anno nce, whi#e on acid, that money isn5t so im!ortant after a##, b t this was the on#y time I ever heard a >arxist make that statement.

The next occasion on which I met Tom 0at an a tomat1, he was f ## of enth siasm, new ideas, wi#d !#ans and "enera# e !horia. ,e and Kerri were tri!!in" fair#y re" #ar#y and smokin" a #ot of "rass as we##. 7I sed to be so mental,8 he said, ta!!in" his forehead disa!!rovin"#y. 74ow I5m be"innin" to live.8 I had heard that from other acidheads. I !ointed o t that %merican Indians and others who re" #ar#y em!#oy !sychede#ic in re#i"io s rites tend to restrict s ch inner s!ace voya"es to fo r times a year 0the so#stices and e$ inoxes1 or, at most 13 times 0the f ## moons1. There5s !robab#y more than astro#o"y behind that,8 I said. 7Feo!#e who do acid every week tend to "et a bit weird. It sho #dn5t be overdone.8 7; ##shit,8 Tom said cheerf ##y. 7Leary does acid every weekend and he5s in fine sha!e.8 9 I had heard that before, too. 6ome of the !eo!#e I had heard it from were no #on"er in fine sha!e, a#tho "h, to te## the tr th, I had yet to see anybody tter#y destroyed by L6A in the manner !ict red in "overnment !ro!a"anda. 4everthe#ess, some of them did become !ec #iar after severa# months on the tri!-a-week !#an. ?ne advertisin" co!ywriter had confided to me, after six months of re#ent#ess tri!!in", that he was now in dai#y comm nication with the f#yin" sa cer !eo!#e from o ter s!ace. Then he added ca tio s#y, 7; t don5t te## that to anyone e#se. They mi"ht think I5m cra.y.8 0Is that a !sychotic de# sionI 'hen I asked him how s re he was that his messa"es were comin" from o ter s!ace and not inner s!ace, he answered, 7>an, I5m not s re of anythin" anymoreR8 'as that ex!ression of niversa# a"nosticism a !roof that he had retained some ske!ticism and therefore sanityI ?r does it : st show that he had a 7defended !sychosis8 as some !sychiatrists wo #d sayI To me, s ch $ estions are #ess interestin" than the act a# effects of s ch menta# !rocesses. ,e, #ike most acidheads, event a##y abandoned his career= and, #ike many of them, he is now s ccessf # in a new career. ,e5s directin" movies.1 The !shot of Tom and Kerri5s acid voya"in" was not #on" in arrivin". Ty!ica# of acidheads and of the "enera# 7 !front8 ethos of the co nterc #t re in those years, they were ta#kin" abo t it frank#y to a## their friends. 7'e never did di" each other sex a##y,8 Tom mi"ht say. 7It was a## an inte##ect a# re#ationshi!, beca se we had the same ideas, di"I The same ideasR Christ, what a #o sy way of re#atin"R8 7I was a vir"in when we "ot married,8 Kerri wo #d add, with a trace of an"er. 7@odR ,ow baro$ eR8 7; t now we know who we are,8 Tom wo #d break in, 7and we know what we want. %nd we5re way o tside a## that personal property horseshit. 6he doesn5t own me, and I don5t own her.8 %narchist books had be" n !o!!in" ! on their she#ves between the >arxist c#assics= anarchist !hrases be"an to a!!ear in their conversation, sandwiched between sam!#es of >arxist :ar"on. 7The im!ortant thin",8 Kerri wo #d c#arify f rther, 7is that you !an.t do good unless you feel good.8 76ta#in f cked ! socia#ism in & ssia beca se he didn5t nderstand that,8 Tom mi"ht add at this !oint. 7%nd a## the o#d #efties with ti"ht assho#es are f ckin" ! the movement in this co ntry for the same reason. There can be no !o#itica# revo# tion witho t a sex a# revo# tion.8 ?bvio s#y, they5d been crackin" the works of &eich and %bbie ,offman as we## as those of the anarchists. %cid had an odd way 0it sometimes seems1 of directin" !eo!#e toward those ideo#o"ies com!atib#e with the acid ex!erience itse#f. 'hat it a## came down to, min s rhetoric, was that their !ommitment to ea!h other, and their chi#dren, was kee!in" them to"ether. 6ex a##y they were #ivin" #ike two bache#ors 0or a bache#or and a bache#orette1. It seemed to me that they were doin", as a married co !#e in their ear#y thirties, what #ess dedicated !eo!#e do as swin"in" sin"#es in their ear#y twenties. In short, what the a#tr istic ethics of Christianity and socia#ism had ke!t them from en:oyin" in yo th, they were now reca!t rin" des!erate#y.
9

4obody can take an acid tri! more than abo t once a week, whatever yo may have read in the tab#oids. This is beca se L6A has an n s a# 7to#erance8 effect, which comes on $ ick#y and "oes away : st as $ ick#y. In "enera#, anyone who takes a dose of acid within three or fo r days after his #ast tri! wi## "et no effect at a##. % waitin" !eriod is, therefore, b i#t into the dr ".

>y "ood friend Koe# <ort, >.A., a rare bird who is both a !sychiatrist and a socio#o"ist, re!eated#y te##s me, when I reco nt s ch ta#es to him, that there is no scientific !roof of ca seand-effect L6A inf# ence in these transformations. 7There is no !roof,8 he re!eats, 7that a dr " a#one ca ses s ch chan"es. %## the evidence s ""ests, rather, that the ideas that are fashionab#e in the dr "- sin" wor#d are the ca sative factor in s ch conversions.8 I am inc#ined to a"ree. % different view, however, is ! t forth by Ar. %ndrew I. >a#co#m, a Canadian !sychiatrist who c#aims that L6A is an a"ent that s!ecifica##y inc#ines !eo!#e toward 7a#ienation.8 %ccordin" to Ar. >a#co#m, if yo "ive eno "h acid to anybody, he wi## tend to enter 7an a#tered state of conscio sness8 and wi## find the co nterc #t re more attractive than the ma:ority c #t re. Timothy Leary, Fh.A., as is we##-known, a"rees with Ar. >a#co#m, exce!t that he em!hatica##y thinks this chan"e is for the better, and Ar. >a#co#m inc#ines to think it is for the worse. 0,e ca##s L6A 7i## siono"enic,8 a!!arent#y thinkin" that 7ha## cino"enic8 is not !e:orative eno "h.1 The workin" hy!othesis of C.echos#ovakian !sychiatrists who have been sin" L6A in thera!y for severa# years is that this chemica# 0at #east tem!orari#y1, destroys conditioned ref#exes. That is, if yo have been conditioned 0trained1 to hate >exicans, or to re!ress yo r sex a# drives, or to fee# inferior to any ma#e ta##er than yo rse#f, these ref#exes wi##, at #east tem!orari#y, vanish d rin" a session with a heavy dose of L6A. Th s, if yo want to chan"e one of these ref#exes, the chemica# wi## 9 accordin" to this theory 9 at #east "ive yo a head start in that direction. The reader can decide for himse#f which, if any, of these fo r theories best acco nts for the s bse$ ent, !ost-acid career of Tom and Kerri. ?nce havin" embarked on the 6ex a# &evo# tion, these serio s-minded sens a#ists !roceeded with the re#ent#ess dedication of de 6ade himse#f, a#tho "h witho t his !erversity. ?ne day, abo t a year after a## this be"an Tom was te##in" me how m ch his #ife had im!roved since he had discovered acid and free #ove. 7,ow many women have yo ba##ed in the #ast yearI8 I asked c rio s#y. 76eventy-three,8 he said !rom!t#y. It didn5t s r!rise me that he had the exact n mber in the forefront of his conscio sness. I fe#t s re that he wo #d ho#d a s!ecia# ce#ebration when the n mber reached 1)). 7%nd how many were there in yo r #ife before acidI8 7Two,8 he said, a bit embarrassed. 7Kerri and one other before her.8 7'e##,8 I said tho "htf ##y, 7there5s no do bt that in yo r case L6A was an a!hrodisiac, of sorts.8 7It was for my sister, too,8 he said. 76he was a vir"in when I ba##ed her. Twenty-fo r and sti## a vir"inR 6he mi"ht have ended ! fri"id if it weren5t for L6A.8 7?h, yo ba##ed yo r sisterI8 7Ees,8 he said !ro d#y, 7and she was the best #ay I5ve ever had.8 ,e stared strai"ht into my eyes, darin" me to revea# midd#e-c#ass han" !s by #ookin" shocked. 7It did her a wor#d of "ood,8 he added. 76he mi"ht have ended ! a &e! b#ican, #ike the rest of my fami#y.8 I wasn5t at a## s re that L6A and incest wo #d a#ways !revent !eo!#e from becomin" &e! b#icans, b t I didn5t ex!ress my ske!ticism. Like most 19+)s radica#s, Tom was firm#y committed to the do"ma that everybody in the Estab#ishment or strai"ht c #t re, from K. Ed"ar ,oover down to each and every !erson who dared to #ive in a s b rb, was ho!e#ess#y s nk in Mictorian taboos. ,e never wo #d be#ieve that many of them ta#ked that way on#y in ! b#ic, b t behaved m ch the same as he did in !rivate, with a few minor chan"es, s ch as re!#acin" L6A with bo rbon. It was after abo t two years of this !ro"ram 0with Kerri !artici!atin" as ea"er#y as he1, that Tom to#d me, ref#ective#y, that sex a# freedom had rea##y he#!ed his marria"e. 7'e5re c#oser than ever,8 he said f#at#y. I had heard that before 9 and s a##y, in my observations, the marria"e broke ! com!#ete#y short#y thereafter. 7C#oser in what senseI8 I asked. 7?h, yo 5re "oin" to ! t me in one of yo r books,8 he said in his sharecro!!er5s twan". 'riters5 friends are a#ways s s!ectin" that 9 and they5re s a##y ri"ht. 7>aybe,8 I said. 7; t I am c rio s. ,ow do yo fee# that yo and Kerri are c#oserI8

7'e don5t $ arre# at a## anymore,8 he said !ro d#y. 74ever. 'e have a com!#ete nderstandin" of each other5s needs, and there5s nothin" to $ arre# abo t.8 7%re yo sex a##y more com!atib#eI8 I !rom!ted. 7'e##, not exact#y. <act is, I haven5t been in the same bed with her for five or six months now. ; t,8 he em!hasi.ed, 7we #ike each other, we don5t fi"ht, and the kids are havin" a fine home #ife.8 'ivor!e psy!hedeli! style, I tho "ht. ; t it seemed to be satisfactory to them, so how was I to : d"e it from o tsideI It was none of my b siness, rea##y. Frobab#y it was better than the norma# divorce with its associated ra"es, hosti#ities and #in"erin" "r d"es. The years !assed, I took my fami#y to >exico for a whi#e, and then one day I was in the editoria# of office of a !rominent ma"a.ine for men and on the desk of a friend who worked there I saw an o t#ine of a !ro!osed artic#e 9 by Tom of a## !eo!#e. ,e was the #ast man on earth I wo #d have ex!ected to b#ossom forth as an a thor. I asked if I co #d #ook at it, and the editor ! shed it over to me. The artic#e was a !#ea for 6ex a# &evo# tion, b t with a difference. Tom5s o#d scientific trainin", so #on" re!ressed by !o#itics, had come back in a c rio s form, and he demonstrated that with norma# sex a# f nctionin" over a #ifetime every man co #d be #inked with 0I think1 -))) women and every woman with -),))) men and the 7amative ties8 between any two !eo!#e in o r three-and-a-ha#f bi##ion wor#d !o! #ation wo #d, by 2))) %A, be red ced to abo t fo r. That is, very concrete#y, if everybody fo##owed the !ro"ram, in the year 2))) any man and woman in, say, Feoria, I##inois, wo #d be !art of a fo r-!erson chain of sex that sho #d inc# de somebody, in, say, Canton, China, or Faris, <rance. The 7extended fami#y8 fo nd in some comm nes today wo #d then be virt a##y !#anet-wide. There were demo"ra!hic and sexo#o"ica# tab#es to !rove the mathematica# so ndness of this, b t behind it was the h "e n!roven ass m!tion that !eo!#e who had ba##ed with somebody who had ba##ed with somebody who had ba##ed with somebody that they had ba##ed. This remarkab#e !iece of re#i"io-statistica# sexo#o"y was detai#ed from 7The Ch rch of ?ne <#esh,8 whose address was "iven as the boardwa#k in Coney Is#and. ?bvio s#y, the ch rch was a reconverted "rocery store or hardware sho!. I wondered how many fo##owers the &everend Tom had and how #on" it wo #d be before the co!s started harassin" him. There was not a word in the who#e artic#e abo t ca!ita#ism or socia#ism or anarchism or even Ei!!ieism. &ood se2 and plenty of it will solve all humanity.s problems 9 that ass m!tion, which is ha#f-stated and ha#f-be#ieved in a "ood share of recent radica# socio#o"y 9 was here taken with a mathematician5s #itera#ness and carried o t to its #o"ica# conc# sion. %## other !anaceas or reforms were st dio s#y i"nored. This was the 6ex a# &evo# tion at its a!otheosis. L6A, was, I think, an inte##ect a# a!hrodisiac in this case. 1)

8 The S4!9e !$ he A))a))in)

8igh Thats 8ight herb/green$ - Kames Koyce, -innegans 1ake 'hen >arco Fo#o ret rned to E ro!e after his e!ic :o rney across %sia to China, he bro "ht with him the three !rod cts that seem to define the modern wor#dJ " n!owder, !a!er and s!a"hetti. ,e a#so bro "ht many co#orf # yarns, and one of the most bi.arre of a## concerned ,asan i 6abbah, the fo nder of the ?rder of %ssassins 0in %rabic, the word means 7 nder the
10

berking 4eary his fiery grass/belonghead all show !olour of sorelwood

I #ater enco ntered Kerri a"ain= she was #ivin" in a r ra# comm ne in 4ew Kersey. 6he to#d me she and Tom were sti## friend#y and that he visited her and the chi#dren fre$ ent#y. %s for his re#i"ion, she was to#erant b t seemed more interested in traditiona# hatha-yo"a for herse#f.

inf# ence of hashish81 which he r #ed from his mysterio s fortress, %#am t, hi"h in the !eaks of %f"hanistan. ;y a## acco nts, ,asan, born in the midd#e of the 11 th Cent ry, was a remarkab#e man even in his yo th. %t co##e"e, he had im!ressed a## with his inte##i"ence, and, whi#e sti## a st dent, he str ck ! a friendshi! with ?mar Ghayyam, who was #ater to become an astronomer and !oet of "reat fame. ,asan went into the "overnment and rose to an im!ortant !osition 9 b t was then dis"raced and forced to f#ee, evident#y beca se of stron" evidence that he had been embe..#in" f nds. 0?ne acco nt 9 not sym!athetic to ,asan 9 states f#at#y that this was a frame- ! by other "overnment officia#s, :ea#o s of ,asan5s ra!id advancement.1 %fter this, he embarked on a series of :o rneys that were to #ead him a## over the >idd#e East. ,e event a##y sai#ed from Fa#estine to E"y!t, arrivin" in Cairo in 1)72. There he enro##ed in one of Is#am5s most famo s co##e"es. It was a schoo# of menta#-s!irit a# trainin" r n by the Ismai#ian sect, who were "enera##y re"arded as heretica# and were often !ersec ted by more orthodox >os#ems. The know#ed"e that ,asan i 6abbah "ained there !robab#y !#ayed a #ar"e ro#e in his s bse$ ent bi.arre career, for it seems that he became 9 9)) years before Ar. Timothy Leary 9 a skillful programmer of other people.s drug trips, espe!ially eroti! trips. The Ismai#ian sect, at that time, had nine de"rees thro "h which the candidate for wisdom had to !ass. Aetai#s on a## of them are not avai#ab#e, b t those facts that we do know indicate that at one sta"e the candidate was ind ced to "rove# in tter " ##ibi#ity, be#ievin" everythin" his imam 0teacher1 to#d him, whi#e at a #ater sta"e he was #ed to s s!ect that everythin" the imam said was a f#at #ie. There was a#so a sta"e at which the Goran was ex!#ained as an a##e"ory and %##ah ,imse#f, 6 !reme @od of %##, was described as a mere symbo# of the awakened or i## minated h man mind at its !eak of deve#o!ment. This method of trainin". In which the st dent is forced into abso# te s b: "ation and infanti#e de!endence on the teacher at vario s interva#s, b t is fina##y cata! #ted into tota# se#frea#i.ation and inde!endence, is not n#ike that often sed in yo"a, in Nen ; ddhism, and even by %merican Indian brujos #ike don K an >ate s, mentioned ear#ier. ;ehind it is a notion that 0as E.ra Fo nd once said1 7a s#ave is a man waitin" for somebody e#se to free him.8 The s b:ect m st event a##y iss e his own 7dec#aration of inde!endence8= nti# he does, the teacher makes his s#avery as miserab#e as !ossib#e, so as to enco ra"e that act of creative rebe##ion. ,asan i 6abbah : nked this entire system when he became imam of the Ismai#ian movement. In its !#ace he ! t 9 b t #et >arco Fo#o te## the ta#eJ 5n the !entre of the territory of the Assassins there are deli!ious walled gardens in whi!h one !an find everything that !an satisfy the needs of the body and the !apri!es of the most e2a!ting se2uality. &reat banks of gorgeous flowers and bushes !overed with fruit stand amongst !rystal rivers of living water. About them lie verdant fields and from the shaded turf burst bubbling springs. Trellises of roses and fragrant vines !over with their foliage pavilions of jade or por!elain furnished with #ersian !arpets or &re!ian embroideries. 'eli!ious drinks in vessels of gold or !rystal are served by young boys or girls, whose dark unfathomable eyes !ause them to resemble the 8ouris, divinities of that #aradise whi!h the #rophet promised to believers. The sound of harps mingles with the !ooing of doves, the murmur of soft voi!es blends with the sighing of the reeds. All is joy, pleasure, voluptuousness and en!hantment. The &rand 7aster of the Assassins, whenever he dis!overs a young man resolute enough to belong to his murderous legions, invites the youth to his table and into2i!ates him with the plant hashish. 8aving been se!retly transported to the pleasure gardens, the young man imagines that he had entered the #aradise of 7ahomet. The girls, lovely as 8ouris, !ontribute to this illusion. After he has enjoyed to satiety all the joys promised by the #rophet to his ele!t, he falls again into a lethargy and is transported ba!k to the presen!e of the &rand 7aster. 8ere he is informed that he !an enjoy perpetually the delights he has just tasted if he will take part in the war of the 5nfidel as !ommanded by the prophet. The Pea9 E7*e"ience

Considerin" that hashish does not "enera##y work in the fashion s ""ested here 9 in which s#ee! or nconscio sness evident#y s !ervenes between the administration and the trans!ortation to the Eden-#ike "arden, the ty!ica# hashish hi"h occ rs then, and s#ee! s !ervenes once a"ain before the yo th is ret rned to the imam 9 one m st ass me that >arco Fo#o knew on#y !art of ,asan5s secret. %s Ar. >ichae# %#drich has written, the Ismai#ian co##e"e in Cairo was known to ! rs e the most advanced a#chemica# st dies of the time, and there is "ood reason to s s!ect that ,asan had #earned there how to combine hashish with other chemica#s to !rod ce this ni$ e se$ ence. 6!ecifica##y, Ar. %#drich s ""ests that the candidates were "iven a time/release !apsule that first re#eased so!orifics or narcotics, !rod cin" the ori"ina# !eriod of s#ee!= the hashish fo##owed #ater, and, m ch #ater, another so!orific !rod ced the second s#ee!in" !eriod. It is a#so #ike#y that ,asan had ca#c #ated the who#e !ro"ram, inc# din" his exhortations to the candidate, and !robab#y every word and action of the #ove#y ho ris in the "arden, to #ea! ! to a 7!eak ex!erience,8 as s ""ested in Cha!ter ?ne. >any writers have i"nored these !oints and have treated the who#e story as an exam!#e of the " ##ibi#ity of the %rabs of that time. This is hard#y historica#= the >os#ems, who were far ahead of the 'est in science and !hi#oso!hy then, had known abo t hashish for cent ries before ,asan 0!erha!s since the 6tone %"e1 and were not to be taken in by any conf sion between a mere administration of that dr " and a "en ine#y transcendenta# ex!erience. ,asan, we m st ass me, antici!ated modern !sycho-!harmaco#o"y in rea#i.in" that contro# of set and setting 9 i.e., environment and the menta# attit de of the s b:ect 9 was necessary to !rovoke a tr e 7!eak8 or 7!sychede#ic8 ex!erience. This kind of know#ed"e has traditiona##y been !ossessed by vario s E ro!ean occ #t "ro !s, as we sha## see, and has been traced by them back to the Gni"hts Tem!#ar, the order that the Catho#ic Ch rch attem!ted to destroy for heresy in 13)7. 0The Cr saders had come into contact with a 6yrian branch of the %ssassins as ear#y as the 12 th Cent ry.1 6ince contem!orary so rces acc se the Tem!#ars of bein" secret a##ies of the %ssassins 9 it was this r mor that #ed to the investi"ation that disc#osed the Tem!#ars5 stran"e forms of sex a# worshi! and !a"an do"ma 9 I s ""est that it is more !#a sib#e to consider the !rimary so rce to be ,asan i 6abbah, who had a c#ear #ink with hashish and a#chemy before the Tem!#ars a!!eared on the scene. It is worth mentionin" in this connection that m ch of the a#chemica# #iterat re of E ro!e now a!!ears to be a coded tradition of dr "-and-sex !ro"rammin". It was <re d5s o#d riva#, Car# @ stav K n", who first s ""ested that the a#chemica# texts, nonsensica# in terms of modern chemistry, make sense as !sycho#o"ica# man a#s written in a s!ecia# symbo#ism= b t K n" never !enetrated to the roots of that symbo#ic #an" a"e. This code is es!ecia##y notab#e in The %hemi!al 7arriage of %hristian (osy!ross 01+1-1, which forms the visib#e #ink between traditiona# a#chemy and modern &osicr cianism. The mystica# rose and cross from which the &osicr cians take their name are, in fact, no more or #ess than the va"ina and the !enis, res!ective#y 9 as ,enry >i##er m st have s s!ected when he entit#ed his sex a# a tobio"ra!hy The (osy %ru!ifi2ion. Aark sayin"s #ike, 7It is on#y on the Cross that the &ose can b#oom8 are nderstood when this code is nderstood. 0<or the c rio s, here is the rest of the traditiona# symbo#ism, as "iven by Lo is T. C ##in" in his 7anual of )e2 7agi!J !u!urbit 9 the va"ina= retort 9 the same, d rin" co! #ation= eagle 9 the va"ina, or the fema#e mo th, de!endin" on the context= lion 9 the !enis= transmutation 9 the sex a# 7!eak ex!erience8= eli2ir of life 9 the semen= :uintessen!e 9 the semen as transm ted by rit a# and ecstasy.1 'ith this code, most traditiona# a#chemica# works immediate#y make sense. ,ere, for instance, is a !assa"e from Ma#entine5s 1+(2 %hariot of Antimony, on how to accom!#ish the 7@reat 'ork8J 4et the 4ion and the 6agle duly prepare themselves as #rin!e and #rin!ess of Al!hemy / as they may be inspired. 4et the union of the (ed 4ion and the 1hite 6agle be neither in !old nor in heat$ +ow then !omes the time that the eli2ir is pla!ed in the alembi! retort to be subje!ted to the gentle warmth$ 5f the &reat 1ork be transubstantiation, then the (ed 4ion may feed upon the flesh and blood of the &od, and also let the (ed 4ion duly feed the 1hite 6agle 9 yea, may the 7other 6agle give sustainment and guard the inner life.

If the #ast !art of this !assa"e sti## seems obsc re, it means that the man sho #d obtain some of his own semen by !erformin" c nni#in" s after coit s has been com!#eted. 6ome of this he himse#f swa##ows and some he transmits to the #ady, who swa##ows it via a kiss. This c rio s rite, which "oes back to the @nostics c. 3)) %A, has a#ways been hi"h#y re"arded by E ro!ean occ #tists. >odern !sycho#o"y mi"ht s ""est that it is a !artic #ar#y vivid way of comm nicatin" a #ove that forcib#y transcends the sex dis" st and #oathin" of the orthodox Christian. ?cc #tists insist that there is nothin" 7symbo#ic8 abo t this semen eatin", however. They c#aim that the e#ixir, as they sti## ca## it, contains a rea# s!irit a# s bstance that is beneficia# when cons med. %#eister Crow#ey even ar" ed by ana#o"y with another c stom that wi## dist rb some readersJ the E!ic rean habit of eatin" #ive oysters. %nyone who has tried this, Crow#ey insists, wi## a"ree that one fee#s a sense of ener"y and !ower that is never ex!erienced when eatin" cooked meat. This is beca se the 7#ife force8 is sti## in the oysters he c#aims. 6imi#ar#y, the semen contains the 7#ife force8 and "ives one the extra ener"y needed to reach I## mination. 'hether this is tr e or fa#se, the s!ermo!ha"ia 0as we mi"ht ca## it1 is a booster of the basic effect, which de!ends rea##y on !ro#on"in" the sex a# act and concentratin" the attention more tota##y !on it than we s a##y do. %s wi## be seen #ater, the cannabis dr "s are es!ecia##y #ike#y to ca se this kind of concentration 9 in which one may even become tota##y identified with the sex or"ans and #ose a## other awareness entire#y. %nd even that wi## not inevitab#y tri""er a 7!eak ex!erience8 n#ess it is accom!anied by rit a#, se#f-hy!nosis, a tos ""estion or some combination of the three. The A))a))in E hic ,asan i 6abbath was an ori"ina# thinker in more ways than one. <or instance, he evident#y a#so invented the 7s#ee!er a"ent8 so im!ortant in modern es!iona"e. This is a !erson who enters a "iven "overnment, works di#i"ent#y and avoids a## connection with the forei"n !ower that he is rea##y servin". %fter 1) or even 2) years of s ch exem!#ary cond ct, in which he is s#ow#y !romoted and tr sted more and more by his nomina# s !eriors, this a"ent is 7activated8 by a messa"e from home, and "oes to work for his tr e boss. The si"na# sed to 7activate8 one of ,asan5s a"ents, incidenta##y, was a !archment bearin" the symbo#J

?n receivin" this, the a"ent wo #d immediate#y ki## the man who had been his tar"et thro "ho t those years 9 the !artic #ar shah, !rince or "enera# whose !ersona# staff he had been assi"ned to infi#trate. The wea!on was a#ways the same 9 the ce#ebrated f#ame da""er that identified the ki##in" as an Ismai#ian :ob 0which, in c rrent >afia #an" a"e, is known as 7#ettin" the other " ys know where it came from81. It was !#aced !recise#y in the throat, whi#e the reci!ient was as#ee!. Hs a##y, the a"ent disa!!eared #ike smoke before the body was fo nd. 6 ch behavior may seem nethica# by o r standards, b t it seemed even worse by the standards of ,asan5s own time. In those days, both orthodox Christians and orthodox >os#ems be#ieved that the most n!ardonab#e of a## sins was to deny yo r re#i"ion verba##y= it was for this reason that, even nder tort re, they wo #d not convert to another faith. Th s, the m rders committed by ,asan5s a"ents were #ess shockin" than was their habit of !assin" themse#ves off as be#ievers in the faith of whatever co rt they had been sent to infi#trate. 6ince >achiave##i, we have a## #earned to #ive with s ch d !#icity 9 es!ecia##y on the !art of "overnments and their a"ents 9 b t it definite#y seemed beyond the !a#e to the men of the #ate >idd#e %"es. It meant that yo #itera##y co #dn5t tr st anyone and that any !assin" !aranoia that f#itted thro "h yo r head mi"ht we## have a basis in fact. ,asan made modernists and even !ost-modernists o t of his contem!oraries, and they didn5t #ike it at a##.

C rio s#y, there are even some traces of "a##antry, or at #east restraint, in certain #e"ends of ,asan. ?ne "enera#, for instance, on bein" ordered to march into %f"hanistan and ca!t re ,asan in his mo ntain stron"ho#d, %#am t, immediate#y s rro nded himse#f with sex men who had earned his tota# faith thro "h years of service and ref sed to have anyone b t them s#ee! in his tent. The first mornin", he awoke with two f#ame da""ers in his !i##ow, one on each side of his throat. ,e wise#y resi"ned his commission and ref sed to march into %f#"hanistan. 4ove#ist 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, an nabashed admirer of tricky 6abbah, insists that ,asan was strict#y a co nter! ncher, who on#y attacked those who were !re!ared to invade his own territory 9 chief#y the orthodox >os#ems, who co #dn5t abide Ismai#ian theo#o"y, and the cr sadin" Christians, who co #dn5t abide any non-Christian theo#o"y. < rthermore, ; rro "hs says, the assassinations, whi#e nnervin" and destr ctive to socia# confidence, !ossessed a kind of mora#ity of their own. They saved ,asan from ever sendin" an army into the fie#d, and th s fo##owed the in: nction often ! t forth by !acifists, that the #e"itimate tar"et in war is the enemy leaders, and not an entire !eo!#e. In any event, ,asan5s methods worked. The Ismai#ian sect sti## exists 9 sti## sma## b t now nonvio#ent 9 within the comm nity of >os#em sects. Its c rrent #eader is the %"a Ghan, who is the (7th direct descendant of ,asan i 6abbah himse#f. ,asan died in 112( at a ri!e o#d a"e. The on#y !erson in the room was his favorite disci!#e, ; . r" Hmid, and, accordin" to the contem!orary >os#em historian, K vaini, it was to him that 6abbah s!oke his #ast wordsJ 74othin" is tr e. %## is !ermitted.8 Immediate#y thereafter, says the shocked K vaini, 7,asan5s so # !# n"ed strai"ht to ,e##.8 The D"+,6 Ha)hi)h ,ashish is, of co rse, the resin of the Indian hem! !#ant, technica##y ca##ed !annabis sativa. The f#owerin" ti!s of the same !#ant, when dried and smoked, are known in o r !art of the wor#d as mari: ana or !ot 0from Fort " ese potiguaya, intoxicated, via the ear#ier name of the !#ant, which was potiguaya bush1. ,ash is not the same as !ot, however 9 no more than vodka is the same as beer or a b#ow on the head from a rock is the e$ iva#ent of one from a feather. There are differences of de"ree, and hash is to ordinary weed as three do b#e martinis are to one sma## "#ass of ma#t #i$ or. ,ashish is s a##y smoked b t sometimes 0as was evident#y the case with ,asan i 6abbah1 eaten in food. >ari: ana is a#so s a##y smoked and #ess often eaten 0it tastes es!ecia##y "ood in brownies or f d"e, in c rried dishes, or in s!a"hetti sa ce1. % third way of takin" cannabis is !o! #ar in India and is ca##ed bhang. This is a kin" of mi#kshake 0made of b ffa#o mi#k and ice cream1 into which a s!oonf # of the #oca# "rass is mixed. In a## of these cases, the cannabis !rod ct m st be cooked before it is eaten or dr nk= if it is not cooked first, it wi## have no effect. It is traditiona#, in a## books on cannabis, to be"in by sayin" that this dr " was first described in a medica# work written by the Chinese Em!eror 6hen 4en" in 2737 ;C. In it, he recommended the dr " for "o t, consti!ation, and absentmindedness. 6ome s!ecia#ists in Chinese history be#ieved, for a #on" time, that 6hen 4en" was one of the mythica# or nonhistorica# em!erors. 4everthe#ess, the on#y book on dr "s that I cons #ted in researchin" this tome that did not invoke the 7ima"inary8 6hen 4en" was The #ursuit of 5nto2i!ation, by Ar. %ndrew I. >a#co#m. %s we mentioned ear#ier, know#ed"e of cannabis "oes back to at #east the 4ew 6tone %"e, when o r ancestors in the 4ear East b ried their dead with s!ecimens of mari: ana 9 !erha!s to kee! them ha!!y on the voya"e to the 7other side8, or !erha!s to bar"ain with the deni.ens !on their arriva#. This shows the same re#i"io s awe for this !#ant that, accordin" to H.6. "overnment officia#s, was on#y invented in the 19+)s as an exc se to smoke it. The Ledas, the most ancient ,ind writin"s, are f ## of !raise for a !#ant or dr " ca##ed soma, which was said to c re a variety of diseases and to enab#e the !racticed yo"i to see @od face-to-face. Ar. >ichae# %#drich, the most er dite of a## historians of cannabis, be#ieves that soma was some form of cannabis dr ". It is on#y fair to add that Kohn %##e"ro, En"#ish !hi#o#o"ist, is e$ a##y convinced that soma was act a##y the ha## cino"enic m shroom amanita mus!aria or 7<#y a"aric8, and &. @ordon 'asson, the Chairman of the ;oard of the >or"an @ aranty Tr st Co. of 4ew Eork, who a#so ha!!ens to be one of the wor#d5s #eadin" a thori.es on myco#o"y 0the st dy of m shrooms1, a"rees with %##e"ro.

; t whether or not soma was cannabis, it is !robab#e that many other mythica# dr "s were. %#eister Crow#ey, the !oet-mystic-ma"ician-mo ntain c#imber-ex!#orer-hoaxer-bi" "ame h nterhomosex a#-heterosex a# eccentric whom we have severa# times $ oted a#ready, !robab#y knew as m ch abo t dr "s and mysticism as any man of o r cent ry, and the ca se of his interest, as to#d in his essay 7The Fsycho#o"y of ,ashish,8 is worth reco ntin" here. 5n "M<M/"M<< 5 had just left %ambridge and was living in rooms in %han!ery 4ane, honoured by the presen!e of Allan Bennett ;now Bikkhu Ananda 7eteyya? as my guest. Together for many months, we studied and pra!ti!ed %eremonial 7agi!, and ransa!ked the an!ient books and 7)) of the reputed sages for a key to the great mysteries of life and death. +ot even fi!tion was negle!ted, and it was from fi!tion that we gathered one tiny seed/fa!t, whi!h ;in all these years? has germinated to the present essay. Through the ages we found this one !onstant story. )tripped of its lo!al and !hronologi!al a!!idents, it usually !ame to this 9 the writer would tell of a young man, a seeker after the 8idden 1isdom, who, in one !ir!umstan!e or another, meets an adept, who, after sundry ordeals, obtains from the said adept, for good or ill, a !ertain mysterious drug or potion, with the result ;at least? of opening the gate of the Ctherworld. This potion was identified with the 6li2ir Litae of the physi!al Al!hemists, or one of their Tin!tures, most likely the 1hite Tin!ture whi!h transforms the base metal ;normal per!eption of life? to silver ;poeti! !on!eption?, and we sought it by fruitless attempts to poison ourselves with every drug in ;and out of? the #harma!opoeia. 4ike 8u!kleberry -inn.s prayer, nuffin. !ome of it. Event a##y, however, Crow#ey "ot to the 4ear East, discovered hashish, and 7somethin" came of it.8 ,e became convinced that hash was the roya# road to these ex!anded menta# states that a## mystics seek 0and, as we sha## see #ater, he fo nd it es!ecia##y sef # for sex a# yo"a1. ,is ar" ment a"ainst the scientific ske!tic, a#tho "h written in 19)7, so nds exact#y #ike the debate that is sti## "oin" on todayJ 7y dear #rofessor, how !an you e2pe!t me to believe this nonsense about ba!teriaF %ome, saith he, to the mi!ros!ope, and behold them* 5 don.t see anything. 3ust shift the fine adjustment 9 that s!rew there 9 to and fro very slowly* 5 !an.t see 9 Neep the left eye open, you.ll see better* Ah* 9 But how do 5 knowF... Ch, there are a thousand :uestions to ask* 5t is fair observation to use lenses, whi!h admittedly refra!t light and distort visionF 8ow do 5 know those spe!ks are not dustF %ouldn.t those things be in the airF And so on. Then #rofessor !an !onvin!e me, of !ourse, and the more skepti!al 5 am the more thoroughly 5 shall be !onvin!ed in the end, but not until 5 have learned to use a mi!ros!ope. And when 5 have learned 9 a matter of some months, maybe years 9 how !an 5 !onvin!e the ne2t skepti!F Cnly in the same way, by tea!hing him to use the instrument. And suppose he retorts, Eou have deliberately trained yourself to hallu!ination* 1hat answer have 5F +one that 5 know of. )ave that mi!ros!opy has revolutioni0ed surgery, O!., just as mysti!ism has revolutioni0ed, again and again, the philosophies of mankind. The analogy is a perfe!t one. By meditation we obtain the vision of a new world, even as the world of mi!ro/organisms was unsuspe!ted for !enturies of thinking 9 thinking without method 9 bri!ks without straw* 3ust so, also, the masters of meditation have erred. They have attained the 7ysti! Lision, written long books about it, assumed that the !on!lusions drawn from their vision were true on other planes 9 as if a mi!ros!opist were to stand for #arliament on the platform

Lotes -or 7i!robes 9 never noted possible sour!es of error, fallen foul of sense and s!ien!e, dropped into oblivion and deserved !ontempt. 5 want to !ombine the methods, to !he!k the old empiri!al mysti!ism by the pre!ision of modern s!ien!e. 8ashish at least gives proof of a new order of !ons!iousness, and ;it seems to me? it is this prima fa!ie !ase that mysti!s have always needed to make out, and never have made out. But to/day 5 !laim the hashish/phenomena as mental phenomena of the first importan!e, and 5 demand investigation. 5 assert 9 more or less e2 !athedra 9 that meditation will revolutioni0e our !on!eption of the universe, just as the mi!ros!ope has done. Then my friend the physiologist remarks: But if you disturb the observing fa!ulty with drugs and a spe!ial mental training, your results will be invalid. And 5 reply: But if you disturb the observing fa!ulty with lenses and a spe!ial mental training, your results will be invalid. And he smiles gently: #atient e2periment will prove to you that the mi!ros!ope is reliable. And 5 smile gently: #atient e2periment will prove to you that meditation is reliable. )o there we are. %#do s , x#ey, Ar. Timothy Leary, Ar. Kohn Li##y, !hi#oso!her %#an 'atts and severa# other recent theorists have sed this meta!hor and this ar" ment, s a##y witho t knowin" that they were echoin" %#eister Crow#ey. :a"ie ie) !$ Ha)hi)h E7*e"ience %n ear#y 19th-Cent ry En"#ishman, whose advent res are reco nted in Aavid Evin5s The 'rug 62perien!e, overdosed himse#f on hash and $ ick#y deve#o!ed the i## sion that he was a #ocomotive. Ch ""in" aro nd the room and ! m!in" his arms #ike !istons, he made his friends nervo s and they asked if he mi"ht not #ike a drink of water. 7@od, no,8 he cried, 7it mi"ht b#ow my boi#erR8 >ore ty!ica# was the ex!erience described by <rench !oet Char#es ;a de#aire, a member of the famo s ,aschischin C# b that met in the ,ote# Fimodan in Faris in the 12-)s to sam!#e the %rabian dr " and com!ared their ex!eriences. 'ritin" in the third !erson, in an essay tit#ed 7The %rtificia# Faradise8 0o r back door to Eden, a"ainR1, ;a de#aire saysJ +one now should be astonished by the final, the supreme thought born in the dreamer.s mind 9 5 have be!ome &od* That ardent, savage !ry bursts from his lips with so intense an energy, with so tremendous a power of proje!tion, that, if the will and belief of an into2i!ated man had effe!tive virtue, the !ry would topple the very angels s!attered about along the roads to heaven: 5 am a god* But soon this hurri!ane of arrogan!e be!omes transformed. A mood of !alm, muted and tran:uil, takes its pla!e, the universality of man is announ!ed !olorfully, and lighted as it were by a sulfurous dawn. 5f per!han!e a vague memory rea!hes the soul of this poor happy man that possibly there is another &od, be !ertain that he will rise up and :uestion ,is !ommands and that he will fa!e him without terror. 1ho is the -ren!h philosopher who said, with the intention of mo!king modern &erman do!trines, I am a "od who has dines !oor#y F This irony would not tou!h a man into2i!ated by hashish. 8e would reply: Ferha!s I did dine !oor#y, yet I am a "od. % friend of mine once described a very simi#ar fee#in" abo t food, a#tho "h it didn5t $ ite "ive him the sense of becomin" @od. 'hi#e nder the inf# ence of hashish, he s dden#y "ot the 7m nchies8 we##-known to a## cannabis sers and remembered that there were some de#icio s don ts in the !antry. %#as, when he went to #ook for them, the don ts were a## "one, havin" been eaten by his ho se " ests ear#ier in the day. ,e there !on sat down and be"an chewin" on f#at, ordinary white bread 9 the d ##est food in the wor#d 9 and, since the mi#k has a#so been sed !, he drank water with it. 6 dden#y he rea#i.ed that he was en:oyin" this re!ast immense#y,

incredib#y, ecstatica##y 9 more than he had ever en:oyed any food in his #ife. 7<or the first time,8 he to#d me, 7I nderstood the saints who said that they wo #d #ive on bread and water and be ha!!ier than the mi##ionaire dinin" on caviar, fava beans and co"nac.8 0% contem!orary theory, deve#o!ed by Ar. &obert Ae&o!!, Ar. , m!hrey ?sm nd, Ar. %braham ,offer and others, ho#ds that the "reat mystics 9 and some varieties of !sychotics, or !ersons dia"nosed as !sychotic 9 are man fact rin" the e$ iva#ent of a !sychede#ic dr " in their own "#ands. It is s s!ected that 7!ink adrena#ine8 9 a m tation of ordinary adrena#ine, which is !rod ced nder !ro#on"ed stress 9 may be the a"ent invo#ved, a#tho "h a f rther m tation after 7!ink adrena#ine8 is ass med by other investi"ators. This s bstance, a#so ca##ed adrenochrome, bears a distinct chemica# resemb#ance to L6A and, even more, to mesca#ine, the active dr " in the !eyote cact s. The nat ra# conse$ ence, which is the !ossibi#ity of becomin" hi"h on the !#asma of schi.o!hrenics, is ima"inative#y and bi.arre#y ex!#ored in Terry 6o thern5s short story, 7The ;#ood of a 'i",8 in which the hero tries this nove# form of vam!irism, t rns on with b#ood si!honed o t of a !atient in ;e##ev e ,os!ita#5s schi.o ward 9 one 7Chin Lee,8 former#y a famo s 7symbo#ist !oet8 9 and has a vision of Lyndon ;aines Kohnson !erformin" necro!hi#ia on the neck wo nd of the cor!se of Kohn <. Gennedy. %ccordin" to stand- ! comic and editor Fa # Grassner, this story was s ""ested by the ex!erience of a +ewsweek re!orter, who act a##y did have that "r esome vision whi#e tri!!in" on L6A.1 &et rnin" to hashish, another member of the Farisian ,aschischin C# b was the !oet Teo!hi#e @a tier. ,ere5s a sam!#e from his acco nt of a memorab#e tri!J A !ertain numbness over!ame me. 7y body seemed to dissolve and 5 be!ame transparent. 1ithin my breast 5 per!eived the hashish 5 had eaten in the form of an emerald s!intillating with a million points of fire. 7y eyelashes elongated indefinitely, unrolling themselves like threads of gold on ivory spindles whi!h spun of their own a!!ord with da00ling rapidity. Around me poured streams of gems of every !olor, in ever !hanging patterns like the play within a kaleidos!ope. 7y !omrades appeared to me transfigured, part men, part plants, wearing the pensive air of 5bises. )o strange did they seem that 5 writhed with laughter in my !orner, and over!ome by the absurdity of the spe!ta!le, flung my !ushions in the air, making them turn and twist with the rapidity of an 5ndian juggler. The first atta!k passed and 5 found myself again in my normal state without any of the unpleasant symptoms that follow into2i!ation with wine. 8alf an hour later 5 felt on!e again under the domination of hashish. This time my visions were more !omple2 and more e2traordinary. 5n the diffusely luminous air, perpetually swarming, myriad butterflies rustled their wings like fans. &iganti! flowers with !aly2es of !rystal, enormous hollyho!ks, lilies of gold or silver rose before my eyes and spread themselves about me, with a sound resembling that of a fireworks display. 7y hearing be!ame prodigiously a!ute. 5 a!tually listened to the sound of the !olors. -rom their blues, greens and yellows there rea!hed me sound waves of perfe!t distin!tness. A glass inverted, the !reak of an arm!hair, a word pronoun!ed in a deep voi!e vibrated and rumbled about me like the reverberations of thunder. 7y own voi!e seemed so loud that 5 dared not speak for fear of shattering the walls with its bomblike e2plosion. 7ore than five hundred !lo!ks seem to announ!e the hour in voi!es silvery, brassy or flutelike. 6a!h obje!t tou!hed gave off a note like that of a harmoni!a or an aeolian harp. -loating in a sonorous o!ean like luminous islands, were motifs from L cio and the ;arber of 6evi##e. +ever has greater beauty immersed me in its flood. 5 was so lost in its waves, so separated from myself, so disembarrassed of my ego, that odious appendage that a!!ompanies us everywhere, that for the first time 5 understood the nature of e2isten!e of elementals of angels and spirits separated from the body. 5 hung like a sponge in the midst of a warm sea, at ea!h moment waves of happiness traversed me, entering and emerging by my pores. Be!ause 5 had be!ome permeable my whole being be!ame tinged by the !olor of the fantasti! medium in whi!h 5 was plunged. )ounds, lights, perfumes rea!hed me through tendrils fine as hairs in whi!h 5 heard magneti! !urrents vibrating. By my !al!ulation, the state

tasted about three hundred years for the sensations whi!h followed one another were so numerous and pressing that any real appre!iation was impossible. The rapture passed$ 5 saw that it had passed just a :uarter of an hour. A third rapture, the last and most bi0arre, terminated my Criental soiree. 5n this one my vision doubled itself. Two images of every obje!t were refle!ted on my retina in perfe!t sympathy. )oon the magi! ferment began on!e again to a!t with power on my mind. -or a full hour 5 be!ame !ompletely insane. 5n #antagruelian dreams 5 saw passing by me !reatures of fantasy, owls, sea storks, satyrs, uni!orns, griffins, vultures, a whole menagerie of monsters trotting, gliding, vaulting, yelping about the room$ The visions be!ame so baro:ue that a desire of draw them took hold of me. 5n less than five minutes 5 made a sket!h of 'r. P$ who appeared to me seated at the piano, dressed as a Turk with a sunflower on the ba!k of his waist!oat. 7y drawing represented him emerging from the keyboard in the form of a !orks!rew of !apri!ious spirals. Another sket!h bore the legend an animal of the future, and represented a living lo!omotive with the ne!k of a swan terminated by the jaws of a serpent from whi!h emerged billows of smoke and monstrous paws !omposed of wheels and pulleys. 6a!h pair of paws was a!!ompanied by a pair of wings and above the tail of the animal hovered the anti:ue god 7er!ury, who advan!ed upon it vi!toriously in spite of its talons. By the gra!e of hashish 5 had been able to draw a farfardet from nature. There was a hashish c# b in 4ew Eork City at the same time 9 a #itt#e-known fact recent#y nearthed by the !rodi"io s researcher of dr " history, Ar. >ichae# %#drich 9 b t none of the members #eft behind any #iterary acco nts of their advent res. %## one can say with certainty, since the members #ived in the Hnited 6tates when cannabis dr "s were known on#y to a sma## !ercenta"e of the !o! #ations, is that they wo #d be $ ite astonished to see that, a h ndred years #ater, their diversion had become a federa# crime. Ha)hi)h . Se7 It stands to reason that a dr " that wi## ma"nify sensation and externa#i.e one5s fantasies, as we have seen hashish do, wi## be a most !owerf # enhancer of the sex act if the ex!erimenter5s mind is o!en to its !ossibi#ities in advance. 6 ch is indeed the case. 6ome writers try to deny this, evident#y fearf # that any admission of the 7a!hrodisiac8 !ro!erties of hash wi## enco ra"e f rther sa"e of an i##e"a# chemica#. The best that s ch !eo!#e can do to reb t the obvio s facts is to make a hi"h#y artificia# distinction between ex!erience and im!ression. If the hashish ser says that he saw bri"hter co#ors, they correct this to 7he ima"ined bri"hter co#ors8= sho #d he say that his sense of to ch was more ac te, they wi## write that 7he ima"ined his sense of to ch was more ac te8= if he ex!eriences a cosmic vision, they become es!ecia##y arch and te## s 7he ima"ined he was havin" a## sorts of mystica# insi"hts.8 This sort of ske!ticism c ts a hair so fine that it makes Einstein #ook ba#d. In ordinary #an" a"e and by ordinary !hi#oso!hy there is no s ch distinction between one5s ex!erience and one5s im!ression of that ex!erience. Certain#y, I may ima"ine that I have a mi##ion do##ars when I do not 9 and that is certain#y an i## sion, and a dan"ero s one if I start writin" checks whi#e sti## in its "ri!. ; t is there any sense in sayin" that if red #ooks bri"hter to me, then I am on#y ima"inin" that it #ooks bri"hter to meI ?r that if my or"asm seems more intense to me, then I am on#y ima"inin" that it is more intenseI ?r that I have a de# sion that I5m ha!!y, or am ha## cinatin" that I fee# "reatI 6omethin" is wron" when #an" a"e is stretched to s ch a breakin" !oint. If a man be#ieves that he is ha!!y and hi#ario s and "roovin" on everythin" aro nd him, the on#y sane descri!tion of his state is to say he5s e !horic, not to say that he ima"ines he is e !horic. 'hat the ske!tic rea##y seems to be c#aimin" is that he knows what the s b:ect fee#s better than the s b:ects knows 9 i.e., that the s b:ect doesn5t fee# what he fee#s b t fee#s somethin" e#se. This is the kind of verba# meta!hysics that made the medieva# theo#o"ians become the #a "hin"-stocks of Mo#taire and other rationa#ist critics. If a man says his or"asm is better, he may be #yin", of co rse, b t if he is not #yin", than there is no f rther dissent that can be offered a"ainst his dec#aration. ,e m st be !res med to be the best observer of his own s b:ectivity.

I have s!oken to sers of cannabis dr "s in virt a##y every state of the nion, in >exico and in Canada. I have yet to find one ser who wo #d definite#y contradict 4orman >ai#er5s famo s assertion that 7sex witho t !ot is never $ ite as "ood as sex with !ot.8 In 19+2, the Ameri!an 3ournal of #sy!hiatry ! b#ished 7The >ari: ana Frob#emJ %n ?verview,8 by Ar. 'i##iam ,. >c@#oth#in and Ar. Lo is Lo#yon 'est. 'hen a st dy "ro ! of sers was asked why they contin ed to smoke the weed, 73 !ercent of them said to 7increase sex a# satisfaction.8 ;arbara Lewis, an %ssociated Fress re!orter, interviewed 2)2 middle/!lass adult sers for her book The )e2ual #ower of 7arijuana, em!hasi.in" !rofessiona# and s ccessf # !erson who were not !art of the be#ief system and fads of the yo th c #t re. Aes!ite a## the ta#k abo t seein" bri"hter co#ors and hearin" m sic better, these !eo!#e em!hasi.ed a"ain and a"ain that !ot was va# ab#e to them beca se it enhanced their sex #ives. ,ere5s the verdict of a 33-year-o#d woman who works as a #aboratory technicianJ &rass helps you get into se2 9 you are totally uninhibited$ Eou do things that otherwise you might feel very uptight about. you !an make love for an ho r and a ha#f before a!tually s!rewing and 5 don.t think you.d do that straight. % 31-year-o#d ma#e research scientist saidJ 1ith pot, se2ual inter!ourse be!omes more pleasurable, more rela2ed. 5t makes you a better lover. Eou feel !loser to your partner than you would otherwise. 5 !an feel myself a!tually fusing with the other person 9 it is diffi!ult to know even anatomi!ally what part of myself is me and what part is the woman. % 37-year-o#d 4ew Kersey com! ter !ro"rammer "ave simi#ar testimonyJ 1ith pot, you !an feel things you never felt before, like a girl.s orgasm. Eou !an feel her vagina spasming. (ight from the beginning there.s a good awareness of how far along toward orgasm the other person is, so you !an get to the same point, go at the same speed. And feeling her orgasm is sensational. 5t makes you understand what it.s like to be a woman 9 you !an empathi0e, rather than fantasi0e. %## of this, of co rse, is a#so tr e of the far more !otent form of cannabis known as hashish. E ssef e# >asry says em!athica##y in his The )e2ual Tragedy of the Arab 1oman that 7the !rinci!a# reason8 for the !o! #arity of hashish in the >idd#e East is its 7a!hrodisiac8 !ro!erties 9 a#tho "h a more com!#ex !hrase s ch as 7sex-enhancin"8 wo #d ndo bted#y be more acc rate than 7a!hrodisiac.8 %s we have s ""ested ear#ier, this is !art of the key to the end rin" !o! #arity of nder"ro nd 7occ #t8 movements s ch as hoods of the &osy Cross, and so on, which have a!!eared, disa!!eared and rea!!eared thro "ho t E ro!ean history. The more recent mystic societies 0since the mid-19th Cent ry1 s ch as the ?rder of Fa#adins, and ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis 0which " ided 'a"ner in the writin" of #arsifal1 and the s !er-mysterio s %...%. ..11 are es!ecia##y apropos here. 'hat is ca##ed 7rit a#,8 7invocation,8 7evocation,8 etc., and !resented with "reat mystic m mbo-: mbo and mystery, consists #ar"e#y of what Ar. Kohn Li##y and Ar. Timothy Leary ca## 7!ro"rammin"8 and 7meta!ro"rammin"8 9 that is, directin" a conscio sness-ex!ansion ex!erience to "o in a !artic #ar desired direction. It is feedin" into the 2 1*2 !o nds of "oo that we ca## the brain 0and which modern !sycho#o"ists, to show how !-to-date they are, !refer to ca## the bio!omputer1 !recise#y those chains of words and ima"es that wi## tri""er the a!!ro!riate res!onse. I am not assertin" that there is nothin" in the occ #t tradition other than dr "s= on the contrary, there are many techni$ es of ind cin" the conscio sness ex!ansion tri!. %mon" them are fastin", iso#ation, sensory withdrawa#, sensory over-stim #ation, and pranayama 0s#owed breathin", as ta "ht in hatha-yo"a1. %## these methods are !art of occ #t history 9 the modern sensory withdrawa# tank as sed by Ar. Kohn Li##y and other recent researchers, for instance, im!roves #itt#e on the 7witch5s crad#e8 of medieva# days, which a#so b#ots o t most of the sensory in! t and #eaves the mind confrontin" nothin" b t itse#f. In a## these methods, however, rit a# and invocation do he#! to !ro"ram the tri!= and in some of these schoo#s 9 fo##owin" ,asan i 6abbah thro "h vario s nder"ro nd traditions 9 this rit a# is s !erim!osed !on a hashish fo ndation.
11

?n#y members are a##owed to know what those mysterio s initia#s mean. The three dots si"nify direct descent from E"y!tian ma"ic of the dynastic !eriod, and are !art of the I## minati eye-in-the-trian"#e symbo#ism 0see the back of a H.6. one do##ar bi##1. %s !art of the same tradition, >asons sa# te each other with 7"reetin"s on a## !oints of the trian"#e.8

<or instance, consider the fo##owin" definition, written in the 19 th Cent ry by Genneth &.,. >acken.ie, a #eadin" En"#ish freemason who did m ch to #ead London freemasonry into occ #t ex!#orationsJ 7agi! is not a ne!romanteia 9 a raising of dead material substan!es endowed with an imagined life 9 but a psy!hologi!al bran!h of s!ien!e, dealing with the sympatheti! effe!ts of stones, drugs, herbs, and living substan!es upon the imaginative and refle!tive fa!ulties 9 and leading to ever new glimpses of the world of wonders around us, ranking it in due order of phenomena, and illustrating the benefi!en!e of The &reat Ar!hite!t of the niverse. Considerin" that Mictorian En"#and had the same !re: dice a"ainst dr "s as 4ixonian %merica, b t was #ess !aranoid abo t every reference thereto, one can on#y admire the care#ess tone with which >acken.ie dro!s 7dr "s, herbs8 into the midd#e of the sentence. It mi"ht be worthwhi#e to $ ote, a#so, a few words from Ar. >ichae# ;rodie-Innes, who, a#on" with >acken.ie, he#!ed or"ani.e the ,ermetic ?rder of the @o#den Aawn amon" hi"hrankin" freemasons in En"#and. 0Thro "h 'i##iam ; t#er Eeats and his circ#e, the @o#den Aawn was to inf# ence the ima"ery of modern !oetry and #iterat re more than any other sin"#e so rce of ideo#o"y.1 6ays Ar. ;rodie-InnesJ 1hether the &ods, the Qlipothi! for!es or even the )e!ret %hiefs really e2ist is !omparatively unimportant, the point is that the universe behaves as though they do. 5n a sense the whole philosophy of the pra!ti!e of 7agi! is identi!al with the #ragmati!ist position of #ier!e the Ameri!an philosopher. I take it that this sho #d !ers ade the tho "htf # reader that at #east some of the occ #tists of the !ast were conscio s that the rites worked on the mind as !ro"rams and that to se these rit a#s did not at a## re$ ire one to be#ieve that s ch bein"s as the ,o#y @ ardian %n"e# or the vario s "ods had any ob:ective existence. The >acken.ie * ;rodie-Innes !osition, in fact, des!ite its occ #t termino#o"y, is virt a##y identica# with that !resented, in hy!er-modern cybernetic termino#o"y, in Ar. Kohn Li##y5s man a# for L6A-tri!!in", #rogramming and 7etaprogramming in the 8uman Bio!omputerJ $if one plugs the proper beliefs into the metaprogrammati! levels of the !omputer$ the !omputer will then !onstru!t ;from the myriads of elements in memory? those possible ex!eriences that fit this parti!ular set of rules. Those programs will be run off and those displays made whi!h are appropriate to the basi! assumptions and their stored programming. In other words, for those who took mind dr "s in ancient %thens, with rit a#s to invoke Aionys s, the ex!erience wo #d have been Aionysian and inc# ded a 7dis!#ay8 0vision1 of a horned or b ##-#ike @od. If yo took it in a 19+)s comm ne of nat re mystics and eco#o"y freaks, yo wo #d have ex!erienced the harmony and bea ty of nat re as deity. %nd, if yo took the same dr " in a 199)s research #ab, with a warnin" that it !rod ces a !sychotic reaction, yo wo #d have the ex!erience of "oin" mad for a few ho rs. The R!)e . The C"!)) <rom somewhere in the dim !ast, via certain a#chemists and I## minati, the tradition has come down that the best sa"e for hashish is to invoke a "oddess, and that this works es!ecia##y we## if one co! #ates with a woman one act a##y #oves whi#e !erformin" the rit a# menta##y. The woman is then trans bstantiated into the "oddess. This is the secret teachin" of severa# occ #t schoo#s, and it a!!ears that the vio#ent death meted o t to s !!osed witches d rin" the ,o#y In$ isition is the chief reason that the secret has been so c#ose#y " arded for so many cent ries. <or exam!#e, %#eister Crow#ey writes rather cry!tica##y in his %onfessionsJ +ow the JCrdo Templi CrientisK is in possession of one supreme se!ret. The whole of its system at the time when 5 be!ame an initiate of the )an!tuary of the &nosis ;5PR? was dire!ted toward !ommuni!ating to its members, by progressively plain hints, this all/ important instru!tion. 5 personally believe that if this se!ret, whi!h is a s!ientifi! se!ret, were perfe!tly understood, as it is not even by me after more than twelve years. almost !onstant study and e2periment, there would be nothing whi!h the human imagination !an !on!eive that !ould not be reali0ed in pra!ti!e$

5t is interesting to re!all how it Jthe se!retK !ame into my possession. 5t had o!!urred to me to write a book, The ;ook of Lies, whi!h is also falsely !alled ;reaks, the wanderings of falsifi!ations of the one thought$ whi!h is itself untrue$ Cne of the !hapters bothered me. 5 !ould not write it$ 5n the midst of my disgust, the spirit !ame upon me and 5 s!ribbled the !hapter down$ 1hen 5 read it over, 5 was as dis!ontented as before, but 5 stu!k it into the book in a sort of anger against myself as a deliberate a!t of spite toward my readers. )hortly after publi!ation Jthe Cuter 8ead of the Crdo Templi CrientisK !ame to me. ;At that time 5 did not reali0e that there was anything in the C.T.C. beyond a !onvenient !ompendium of the more important truths of freemasonry.? 8e said that sin!e 5 was a!:uainted with the supreme se!ret of the Crder, 5 must be allowed the 5PR and obligated in regard to it. 5 protested that 5 knew no su!h se!ret. 8e said, SBut you have printed it in the plainest 4anguage.. 5 said that 5 !ould not have done so be!ause 5 did not know it. 8e went to the bookshelves and, taking out a !opy of The ;ook of Lies, pointed to a passage in the despised !hapter. 5t instantly flashed upon me. The entire symbolism, not only of freemasonry but of many other traditions, bla0ed upon my spiritual vision. -rom that moment the C.T.C. assumed its proper importan!e in my mind. 5 understood that 5 held in my hands the key to the future progress of humanity$ As soon as 5 was assured by e2perien!e that the new for!e was in fa!t !apable of a!!omplishing the theoreti!ally predi!table results, 5 devoted pra!ti!ally the whole of my spare time to a !ourse of e2periments. The secret is hinted at constant#y in Crow#ey5s 7occ #t8 man a#s. <or instance, in 7agi! in Theory and #ra!ti!e 0which can best be considered a man a# for !ro"rammin" dr " tri!s1, we find the traditiona# rosicr cian ri"maro#eJ The %up is said to be full of the Blood of the )aints, that is, every saint or magi!ian must give the last drop of his life.s blood to that !up in the true Bridal of the (osy %ross$ It5s a woman whose C ! m st be fi##ed$ The %ross is both 'eath and &eneration, and it is on the %ross that the (ose blooms$ Ar. Israe# &e"ardie, writin" on beha#f of a branch of the ,ermetic ?rder of the @o#den Aawn, ses a more traditiona# a#chemica# symbo#ism to hide the same secretJ Through the stimulus of warmth and spiritual fire to the Athanor there should be a transfer, an as!ent of the )erpent from that instrument into the %u!urbite, used as a retort. The al!hemi!al marriage or the mingling of the two streams of for!e in the retort !auses at on!e the !hemi!al !orruption of the )erpent in the menstruum of the &luten, this being the 6o#ve part of the general al!hemi!al formula of 6o#ve et coa" #a. 8ard upon the !orruption of the )erpent and his death arises the resplendent #hoeni2 whi!h, as a talisman, should be !harged by a !ontinuous invo!ation of the spiritual prin!ipal !onforming to the work in hand. The !on!lusion of the 7ass !onsists in either the !onsumption of the transubstantiated elements, whi!h is the Amarita, or the anointing and !onse!ration of a spe!ial talisman. By some authorities it is roughly estimated that from the preliminary invo!ation, with the binding of the for!es in the elements, to the a!t of taking the %ommunion itself from the !onse!rated %hali!e, the operation should not take less than an hour. )ometimes, indeed, a mu!h longer period is re:uired, espe!ially if it is re:uired that the !harging of the talisman be !omplete and thorough. Ar. &e"ardie adds the he#!f # comment that the !roced re is 7no harder than ridin" a bicyc#e.8 Thanks a #ot, doc. 'hether or not one drinks the e#ixir from the 7consecrated Cha#ice,8 this basic conce!t is a#ways the same as the &oman Catho#ic >ass, exce!t that one is seekin" comm nion with a "oddess, not a "od, and the !hysica# body of the be#oved fema#e !artner forms the 7ma"ica# #ink8 thro "h which the divine !resence be"ins to manifest itse#f. The #timate is not mere#y comm nion with the divinity, b t act a# union, and 0no matter how ske!tica# one may be in advance, or think that one is1 this ha!!ens fair#y easi#y with the ri"ht !ro"rammin" 0rit a#1 and es!ecia##y with a "ood "rade of hashish.

0Incidenta##y, if the reader is wonderin" what cha!ter in The Book of 4ies contains the !assa"e that ca "ht the attention of the ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis and #ed them to invite Crow#ey to :oin, I wo #d s ""est that it is !robab#y the mysterio s, and a!!ro!riate#y named, Cha!ter +9. ;ehind the re#i"io s symbo#ism of the Fentecosta# mirac#e 9 The @ift of Ton" es, ;ib#e commentators ca## it 9 Crow#ey seems to me to be describin" a rea# incident in which he had a re#i"io s vision whi#e en"a"ed in m t a# ora# "enita#ism with his mistress, Lei#a 'adde#, the vio#inist. Evident#y this was when he first rea#i.ed that his re#i"io s and sex a# interests co #d be combined and need not be se!arated. The cha!ter n mber is a ty!ica##y Crow#eyan c# e to this secret. %nother is the cha!ter tit#e, which is a "or"eo s ! nJ 7,ow to 6 cceed 9 %nd ,ow to 6 ck E""s.81 I refer the cynica# reader back to the 31-year-o#d scientist $ oted ear#ier who said 7I can fee# myse#f act a##y f sin" with the other !erson 9 it is diffic #t to know even anatomica##y what !art of myse#f is me and what !art is the woman.8 ,e was not even sin" rit a# !ro"rammin" to "et that res #t= the dr " a#one #ed him there, and it was on#y com!arative#y weak mari: ana, not the stron"er hashish. F!"e"+nne") !$ Ma) e");%!hn)!n This 7sex a# ma"ic8 derives from the 6 fis, accordin" to Lo is T. C ##in", who as a member of the @reat ;ody of @od and the ?rder of Fa#adins and a former member of the ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis !robab#y knows as m ch of the inner tradition as anyone #ivin". 0The 6 fis, #ike the @nostics, had an ascetic win" and a sex-yo"a win".1 &e#i"io s historians a#ternative#y attrib te it to the 6 fis or the %ssassins, and $ arre# over the $ estion of whether it came into E ro!e via the Gni"hts Tem!#ar or via the %#bi"enses, the heretica# movement whose destr ction in the 12 th Cent ry is "enera##y considered the most b#oody e!isode in the >idd#e %"es. 0Genneth &exroth ironica##y ca##ed it 7the worst atrocity in history, before the invention of Fro"ress.81 In either case, the ori"ina# orthodox Christian reaction was one of s ch m rdero s hosti#ity that the sex c #t had "ood reasons to "o nder"ro nd and stay there for severa# cent ries. ;ehind the %rab inf# ence, it is now a"reed by historians of mysticism, was an Indian tradition known as Tantra 9 the yo"a of to ch, which inc# des the yo"a of sex and ins!ired the famo s erotic tem!#es that every %merican to rist !hoto"ra!hs to astonish his friends. It is within Tantrism that we m st seek the transformation by which this sex a# mysticism evo#ved from naQve ferti#ity ma"ic 0a rite to make the cro!s "row1 and became a form of conscio sness ex!ansion. The Tantrists, evident#y dissatisfied with the asceticism of orthodox hatha-yo"a, and !erha!s a#so seekin" a $ icker !ath to conscio sness e#evation, discovered that stran"e menta# res #ts occ r when the sex act is de#iberate#y s#owed down. They "rew so entranced with this !rocess 9 which does, indeed, #ead to !eak ex!eriences m ch more $ ick#y than the other yo"as 9 that they made it centra# to their c #t, and a#so inc# ded a r #e a"ainst or"asm that has baff#ed and bothered most commentators. The 6 fis and the E ro!ean occ #tists re#axed this r #e, a#tho "h sti## !ost!onin" or"asm as far as !ossib#e, and thro "h this #atter deve#o!ment we can see what the Tantrists were aimin" at. >asters and Kohnson, as is we##-known, a#so se a 7no or"asm8 r #e in their thera!e tic work, which is intended for co !#es in which one or both !arties s ffers from 7sex a# dysf nction8 9 that is, conditions !o! #ar#y ca##ed im!otence, fri"idity or !remat re e:ac #ation. 0These #atter terms are a## fri"htenin" and de"radin" to !atients, >asters and Kohnson have fo nd, so they !refer not to se them.1 The essence of their techni$ e, as em!#oyed at the &e!rod ctive ;io#o"y &esearch <o ndation in 6t. Lo is, is virt a##y c#assic Tantrism. That is, the co !#e is instr cted to "o to bed, attem!t to en:oy each other, b t strict#y avoid any effort toward or"asm or any !osition that mi"ht #ead to or"asm. The res #ts are astonishin". ?ver 7) !ercent of a## dysf nctionin" co !#es 9 where one or both have not had an or"asm in yeas 9 often achieve c#imax within two weeks after startin" this Tantric !ro"ram. The ex!#anation, accordin" to Ar. >asters, is that anxiety abo t or"asm is the !rinci!a# ca se of fai# re, and once the anxiety is removed, the nat ra# ha!!ens by itse#f, s!ontaneo s#y 9 tsu/jan, 7of its own nat re,8 as a Taoist wo #d say. This simi#arity of the >asters-Kohnson thera!y to Tantrism is !erha!s not so s r!risin", if we acce!t the radica# notion of the strict <re dians and the disci!#es of 'i#he#m &eich that most !eo!#e in !atriarcha# civi#i.ations are somewhat dysf nctiona# sex a##y. That is, norma# or"asm 9

A.,. Lawrence5s 7snee.e in the #oins8 or the 7momentary trick8 as it was mo rnf ##y ca##ed by none other than 'i##iam 6hakes!eare 9 may, in itse#f, be a sex a# dysf nction. This, at any rate, was the o!inion of the arch-heretic of modern !sycho#o"y, 'i#he#m &eich, who insisted that the "enera# !sychosomatic disease of civi#i.ed h manity was 7or"astic im!otence,8 the inabi#ity to achieve tota# or"asm, ca sed by the anxieties im!#icit in o r anti-sex a# re#i"ions and !atriarcha# instit tions. 6 ""estive#y, Ar. &eich5s descri!tion of the nat ra# or"asm !#aces "reat em!hasis on certain 7! #sations8 of 7or"one ener"y,8 which so nds very m ch #ike the 7astra# vibrations8 described by the occ #tists. 'e have heard a "reat dea# abo t 7the vibes8 ever since !sychede#ic dr "s and the 6ex a# &evo# tion swe!t thro "h the yo th of the 19+)s. >asters of Tantric yo"a are said to be ab#e to contin e the act of #ove for seven or ei"ht ho rs or #on"er. This has nothin" at a## to do with s !!osed 7secrets of m sc#e contro#8 a##e"ed#y known on#y to the master yo"is, or simi#ar r mors and myths that are ! b#ished in occ #t ma"a.ines. It is : st a menta# set, based on the 7no or"asm8 r #e and the attit de ta "ht by >asters and Kohnson to their thera!e tic s b:ects. %ccordin" to Lo is C ##in", !ractitioners of traditiona# sex rit a#s of E ro!ean occ #tism easi#y #earn to !ro#on" the act to two or three ho rs before a##owin" the or"asm to take !#ace. 0C ##in" admits that a #itt#e cannabis he#!s in ac$ irin" the !ro!er meditative or trance-#ike attit de.1 %#eister Crow#ey, who mastered most of the other techni$ es of 'estern occ #tism and Eastern yo"a in his yo th, became convinced, after he discovered this sex a# yo"a in 19)+, that it was the $ ickest and easiest way to conscio sness ex!ansion for the avera"e !erson 0who, after a##, is not #ike#y to $ it his :ob and enter a monastery for severa# years whi#e hatha-yo"a s#ow#y does its work.1 It is, therefore, a!!ro!riate to terminate this section with some $ otations from his Book of the 4aw. The "oddess, 4 it, s!eaks in this !assa"e and what she says is !robab#y the best 7invocation8 or 7!ro"ram8 anyone co #d need for embarkin" on sex a# ex!erimentation with hashishJ 6very man and every woman is a star$ %ome forth, o !hildren, under the stars O take your fill of love* 5 am above you and in you. 7y e!stasy is in yours. 7y joy is to see your joy$ And the sign shall be my e!stasy, the !ons!iousness of the !ontinuity of e2isten!e, the omnipresen!e of my body$ Be not animal, refine thy raptures. 5f thou drink, drink by the eight and ninety rules of art, if thou love, e2!eed by deli!a!y, and if thou do aught joyous, let there be subtlety therein. But ever unto me 9 unto me$ -or 5 am divided for love.s sake, for the !han!e of union. This is the !reation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing and the joy of dissolution all$ 'o what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. The word of )in is (estri!tion. C man* refuse not thy wife if she will* C lover, if thou wilt, depart* There is no bond that !an unite the divided but love: all else is a !urse$ 5nvoke me under my stars* 4ove is the law, love under will$ 5 give unimaginable joys on earth, !ertainty not faith while in life, upon death, pea!e unutterable, rest, e!stasy, nor do 5 demand aught in sa!rifi!e$ But to love me is better than all things, if under the night/stars in the desert thou presently burn in!ense before me, invoking me with a pure heart, and the )erpent flame therein, thou shalt !ome a little to lie in my bosom. #ale or purple, veiled or voluptuous, 5 who am all pleasure and purple and drunkenness of the innermost sense, desire you. #ut on the wings, and arouse the !oiled splendor within you: !ome unto me$ )ing the rapturous love songs unto me* Burn to me perfumes* 1ear to me jewels* 'rink to me, for 5 love you* 5 love you* 5 am the blue/lidded daughter of )unset, 5 am the naked brillian!e of the voluptuous night/sky. To me* To me* F"!4 India6 'i h L!&e Crow#ey a#ways c#aimed that he did not com!ose these !assa"es as he com!osed his other books 9 that they were #itera##y dictated to him by the "oddess, 4 it. ;e that as it may, he was certain#y on s!eakin" terms with her, and the ancient E"y!tian conce!t of this divinity is a

c#ear-c t exam!#e of how ancient the nion of sex and re#i"ion act a##y is. 4 it is !ict red, in many s rvivin" frescoes, as the "oddess of the sky 0hence the starry ima"ery Crow#ey associates with her1= and she is frank#y shown in the ora#-"enita# 0+91 embrace with the "od of earth. This is hard#y an oddity in E"y!tian re#i"ion. %tem, the "od who created the niverse, is !ict red by them !erformin" that notab#e feat in a manner we !r dish moderns mi"ht find s r!risin". To be frank abo t it, he is mast rbatin", and his semen, as it s! rts forth, is crysta##i.in" into the niverse we know. Isis, the "oddess who is invariab#y com!ared to the Mir"in >ary by st dents of com!arative re#i"ion, is best known for the 7ma"ic rite8 by which she bro "ht her h sband 0and brother1 ?siris back to #ife after 6et had fo ##y m rdered him. This rite, as shown in vario s frescoes, was $ ite in the @nostic, a#chemica# and Crow#eyan mode. 6he is fe##atin" him 9 : st as if he were Fresident and she an intern. In this context, I can5t resist $ otin" 6ir Kames <ra.er5s nice wordin" of the rites associated with the year#y ce#ebration of ?siris5 res rrection 0which became the Christian Easter1. ?siris5 stat e was carried thro "h the streets and it showed, says Ar. <ra.er, 7in the c#earest manner ima"inab#e8 that 7the "enerative !ower of the "od8 was sti## in "ood workin" order. 4one of this tradition has been #ost com!#ete#y= thro "h the >anicheans, @nostics, %#bi"enses, Gni"hts Tem!#ar and vario s others, it has a#ways coexisted with Christianity in an nder"ro nd fashion. The rea# forer nners of >asters and Kohnson, however, were, as we have indicated, the ,ind s, es!ecia##y those of the Tantric and 6hivite sects. The famo s erotic carvin"s in certain ,ind tem!#es are acts of worshi!. The ! r!ose of the who#e "am t of !ositions is the same as in 'estern occ #tism 9 nion with the "oddess, ca##ed )hakti rather than +uit by the ,ind s b t sti## the same archety!a# fi" re. It is hard to resist the conc# sion, considerin" the !ara##e#s we have a#ready noted between Tantrism and the recent st dies of >asters and Kohnson, that a "reat dea# of this variety 9 the co nt#ess !ositions, far more than the #e"endary +9 of E ro!ean reckonin" 9 is in service to the Tantric 7no-or"asm8 r #e. %s with >asters and Kohnson, this r #e may have been intended, ori"ina##y, to be tem!orary, nti# the !ro!er contro# co #d be achieved. In any case, the same variety 0which <re d once h mor#ess#y ca##ed 7!o#ymor!ho s !erversity,8 @od save the markR1 a#most invariab#y a!!ears in ?ccidenta# sex ma"ic and in those who ex!eriment with sex and hashish. It mi"ht as we## be stated frank#y that this variety is the #ar"est !art of the art of !ro#on"in" sex, for most !ractitioners. The Tantrists a#so se the tricky 7do b#e #ot s8 and the woman s !erior !osition 9 the man f#at on his back, the woman mo nted !on his !ri"ht !enis 9 and both !arties then remain tota##y nmovin", a## sensation de!endin" on her abi#ity to di#ate and contract the va"ina# barre# rhythmica##y. 0This art, c rio s#y, is known as 7the C#eo!atra8 amon" 4ew Eork !rostit tes.1 ; t for those who have not mastered this Tantric "immick, variety is the act a# road to the hi"her ecstasies. This is where the !ec #iar !ro!erties of hashish seem 9 accordin" to sers 9 es!ecia##y noteworthy. All sex a# da##iance is enhanced 0when the dr ", the set and the settin" are a## workin" to"ether !ro!er#y.1 %cts that are s a##y considered 7fore!#ay8 or 7variations8 are no #on"er !erformed on#y 7for the woman8 or on#y 7for the man.8 They become de#i"hts to both, and a## desire to r sh on to coit s a!!ears $ ite abs rd. 4ot on#y are ora#-"enita# acts more en:oyab#e for both the ora# and the "enita# !artner, b t any ora# act is transformed into new dimensions of ra!t re. This is tr e not on#y of ordinary kissin" 07<or one kiss then, tho wi#t "#ad#y "ive a##,8 4 it says in The Book of the 4aw1 b t of s ch Ka!anese s!orts as toe nibb#in" or even fin"er s ckin". In a word, a## bodi#y contact then becomes sex a# 9 : st as it is in the visions of ,ieronymo s ;osch and Kacob ;ohme. ?ne is #itera##y #ivin" in the time#ess ecstasy s ""ested by those famo s ,ind stat es. The !ower of this kind of se#f-!ro"rammin" is indicated by a story abo t 6inan, the third s ccessor to ,asan i 6abbah as r #er of the ?rder of %ssassins. % visitin" ambassador said that his kin" ins!ired fervent #oya#ty in his citi.ens. 7Eo s!eak of fervorI8 said 6inan. 7'atch thisR8 %nd he s!oke to the nearest " ard on the wa## of the fortress where this conversation was occ rrin". 'itho t a word of !rotest, or a moment of hesitation, the " ard threw himse#f from the wa##, over the c#iff, into the abyss be#ow. 7This is fervor,8 said 6inan ca#m#y. %nd that was the res #t of the backdoor to Eden that ,asan i 6abbah o!ened with the keys of sex and hashish.

INTERLUDE D"+, !$ Ch!ice: The S !"# !$ (i11

5 would be far happier if my own teenage !hildren would, witho t breakin" the #aw, smoke marijuana when they wished, rather than start on the road of so many of their elders to ni!otine and ethyl al!ohol addition. - %n En"#ish Aoctor, $ oted in 'rugs: 7edi!al, #sy!hologi!al and )o!ial -a!ts, by Feter La rie ;i## sed the word 7!i"8 re" #ar#y, b t he wasn5t a radica#. 4or did he mean 7!o#iceman8 when he said it. 7Fi"8 was his charmin" way of referrin" to women. I met ;i## d rin" one of the #ow !oints of my #ife, when I was toi#in" on >ad %ven e and a!!#yin" my ta#ents to what I ca##ed 7!o! !oetry8 9 which is a e !hemism for advertisin" co!y. ;i## had been writin" that stran"e variety of !rose for some years and was a master of its !ec #iar !re#iterate rhythms. 07This is the new ;o#t.. It5s different. %nd better. Eo need a new ;o#t.. Eo need it todayR81 7There5s nothin" to it,8 he to#d me, 7it5s : st @ertr de 6tein witho t the wit.8 ;i## was a reformed idea#ist, accordin" to his own descri!tion of himse#f. %nd, of co rse, : st as the reformed a#coho#ic can never resist heck#in" the man who sti## drinks, ;i## was a constant critic of any manifestation of a#tr ism or h manism that came before his attention. 7% "ood deed never "oes n! nished,8 he wo #d warn. 7Feo!#e stink. They rea##y do, baby. 6tick yo r neck o t for nobody. Take care of 4 mber ?ne.8 Like most !eo!#e with that cast of mind, ;i## drank. 6ince he was a 4ew Eorker and an inte##ect a# of sorts, this was rit a#i.edJ ,e drank on#y martinis, made exact#y to his own s!ecifications, and he en:oyed nothin" so m ch as na""in" the bartenders who s#i!!ed and offered him what he wo #d indi"nant#y ca## 7an effeminate martini.8 ,e wo #d ask sad#y if he #ooked #ike a #itt#e o#d #ady from 4ew &oche##e, or if the bartender had an interest in the vermo th com!any, or, more me#odramatica##y, if he had st mb#ed into the ho se of the ;or"ias. 6ometimes he wo #d even c# tch his throat and !retend a toxic reaction. %## this was carried o t in a very f nny imitation of the "reat '.C. <ie#ds, b t ;i## was serio s abo t it. If the martinis did not im!rove, he wo #d take his b siness to another bar. ,e was a bache#or and detested nothin" so m ch as the 'omen5s Liberation movement. 7The f ck-heads,8 he e#e"ant#y ca##ed them. 7'hen a woman ! ts a #ock on her ! ssy,8 he wo #d ex!#ain, 7a## the re!ressed sex "oes ! into her head and f cks ! her brain. It5s #ike havin" come in the crani m. Im!ossib#e to think strai"ht nti# some of it "ets drained off in or"asms. That5s what5s wron" with these !i"s.8 To hear him ex!o nd on this s b:ect yo wo #d ima"ine that he had been divorced seven times and was !ayin" the heaviest a#imony in #e"a# history. ?ther women, who were not members of 'omen5s Lib, were not s!ared ;i##5s venom, either. They were sti## !i"s. 7% woman,8 he wo #d ex!#ain at the s#i"htest !rovocation, 7is constit tiona##y a !arasite. It5s been bred into them. They have this #itt#e radar that sme##s money and marria"e #icenses, and that5s a## they ever want from yo . Can5t b#ame them,8 he wo #d add !hi#oso!hica##y, 7they5re too d mb and too #a.y to s !!ort themse#ves.8 ,is "reatest !ride was that none of them had "otten a marria"e #icense, or m ch money, o t of him. 7I know how to hand#e the !i"s,8 he wo #d say. ;i##5s techni$ e of hand#in" the !i"s, I soon discovered, was sim!#icity itse#f. ,is sex r"e bothered him once a week, no more, and he wo #d then shift his !ost-five o5c#ock drinkin" to a 7sin"#e5s bar,8 where he co #d easi#y !ick ! a yo n"ish woman who was a#so cr isin" for com!anionshi!. ,e never saw any of them a second time. 'hether he ins #ted them ro nd#y before #eavin" at the end of the ni"ht, or whether he sim!#y "ave them a fa#se name and !hone n mber, I don5t know. 'hatever his method, they remained one-ni"ht stands. I wo #d hear abo t it at a coffee break. 7Ficked ! a #ove#y #itt#e !i" #ast ni"ht,8 he5d say. 7Love#y, #ove#y. @reat in the hay. ?f co rse,8 he wo #d add, 7her conversation was st !id, #ike a## women.8

% !ar#or !sychoana#yst addin" to"ether ;i##5s drinkin", his bache#orhood and his miso"yny wo #d form a theory abo t #atent homosex a#ity. ;i## was no foo# and he ndo bted#y had some awareness that this s rmise fo##owed him aro nd #ike tracks behind a m ddy whee#. ,e was 0 the best defense is offense1 the harshest critic of !sychoana#ysis I have ever met. If he ha!!ened to meet a !rofessiona# ana#yst, his conversation wo #d t rn !artic #ar#y inte##ect a# and rbane b t wo #d revo#ve monotono s#y aro nd variations of 7Aoctor, hea# thyse#f.8 'ith !eo!#e who $ oted ana#ytica# theories in his !resence, he was merci#ess. 7I5d find it easier to be#ieve in the tooth fairy,8 he5d "row# in his best '.C. <ie#ds sty#e= or, 7The !sychoana#ysts in E ro!e are a## starvin". ?n#y %mericans are d mb eno "h to be#ieve that >other @oose theory of motivation.8 The bon mot I most treas re wasJ 7<re d was the 4iet.sche of the n rsery.8 ;i##5s favorite victims were !eo!#e who were themse#ves in !sychoana#ysis. ,e had no mercy. 7Try a chiro!ractor,8 he5d s ""est. 7They5re chea!er, and every now and then they he#! a !atient.8 ?rJ 7,ow m ch are yo !ayin" that bandit to rob yo I Twenty do##ars a sessionR %nd yo 5ve been at it for fo r yearsR ,ey, fe##ow, I5ve "ot a nice brid"e I5d #ike to se## 9 it r ns from >anhattan over to ;rook#yn38 ?ccasiona##y, in s!ite of timidity, one of these !o r so #s wo #d be "oaded into re!#yin" that ;i## mi"ht !rofit from some form of !sychothera!y himse#f. 7That5s a hot one,8 ;i## wo #d come back, 7fo r years at two sessions a weak and yo 5re sti## too screwed ! to "et a#on" witho t a shrink, and yo have the arro"ance to think somebody else is cra.yR8 They wo #d retreat into their timid she##s 9 and, !robab#y, another six years of ana#ysis. I don5t s !!ose I5ve made ;i## seem #ike an attractive !erson. %ct a##y, his wit was $ ite am sin" 0when yo weren5t the !artic #ar tar"et of it1 and I s !!ose he considered himse#f to be one of those #ovab#e dr nks yo sed to see so often in the movies. ,e !#ayed that !art, within the #imits of his own notion of #ovabi#ity, and I act a##y en:oyed his com!anionshi! most of the time. ,e was $ ite wi##in" to be he#!f # when I was #earnin" how to write >ad %ven e En"#ish. 07K st !retend yo 5re writin" for yo r fo r-year-o#d son,8 he to#d me the first day= and that5s as "ood a " ide to ad !rose as I5ve ever heard.1 %nd nobody was !artic #ar#y #ikab#e as the 19+)s "ro nd toward their miserab#e end. The f#ower chi#dren had "rown thorns= the 'eathermen contin"ent of the o#d 6A6 was !#antin" bombs hither and yon= movies #ike 3oe or 6asy (ider seemed to nderscore the mood of "enocide or civi# war that was in the air : st as the :oyo s and hi#ario s )kidoo and 5 4ove Eou, Ali!e B. Toklas had echoed the o!en-ended o!timism of the ear#y 19+)s. <reaks I had known who had been on acid once and had been $ ite charmin" in a fey sort of way, were now often eno "h on s!eed 0metham!hetamine1 and not at a## charmin" any more= heroin was a!!earin" in hi"h schoo#s, o tside the "hettos 9 in white hi"h schoo#s, di", a fact that rea##y shook the Estab#ishment. 'e were a##, I s !!ose, ha#f conscio s#y waitin" for Gent 6tate to mark a !eriod at the end of that e!och and move s on into the stran"e si#ence and "raveyard $ iet de of the 4ixon era. %s I said, 3oe and 6asy (ider had a#ready warned s that >idd#e %merica was armed and dan"ero s. In that context, ;i##5s miso"yny and misanthro!y hard#y seemed extreme or ne rotic. %fter a##, the radica#s who had s n" Ay#anes$ e hymns to #ove at the be"innin" of the decade were now defendin" not on#y vio#ence b t, in the wake of <anon5s st dies of the !sycho#o"y of the re!ressed, were s!eakin" of the socia##y va# ab#e f nctions of hatred, ra"e and f ry. ,ad anybody $ oted the f#owery s#o"ans of the Gennedy years at this !oint, he wo #d have seemed as $ aint as an a#chemist wa#kin" into the chemistry #abs at A !ont seekin" a :ob. 7Feo!#e stink,8, ;i## wo #d say em!hatica##y, whenever !o#itics was disc ssed in his !resence, and it was hard to be entire#y s re that he was tter#y wron". >y stay on the %ven e of the >ad wasn5t #on" 9 !erha!s I am not rea##y c t o t to write for fo r-years-o#d 9 and I have on#y one story to te## abo t ;i## and the Ar " &evo# tion. It occ rred : st a few weeks before I $ it the :ob and embarked on my #atest attem!t to s rvive as a free#ance writer. The cata#yst was a yo n" Ivy Lea" e co!ywriter whom I sha## ca## Aanny. Aanny was some stran"e s rvivor, or #ate b#ossom, of the Gennedy wor#d= he even #ooked a #itt#e bit #ike Kohn or ;obby. ,e was #ibera# thro "h and thro "h, which meant, amon" other thin"s, that he smoked !ot witho t scornin" a#coho#, worked on the %ven e of the >ad witho t " i#t 0and was am sed by the radica#s who considered him a !rostit te1, and sti## be#ieved that %merica co #d be a "reat co ntry, if on#y the Aemocrats wo #d nominate the ri"ht candidate

a"ain. &evo# tion and reaction he des!ised, b t he never rea##y be#ieved that either extreme had m ch of a chance in %merica and, hence, he was not afraid of them. ,is was the #ast inno!ent so # I knew d rin" this !aranoid and b ##yin" e!och. If he never act a##y said it, I ke!t ima"inin" that he was ready, at any moment, to dec#areJ 7If &ooseve#t were sti## a#ive38 'hen Aanny came to work at ;ee#.eb b, ;e#ia#, Aevi# and ?"re 0as I sha## ca## o r a"ency1, ;i## immediate#y e#ected him as chief tar"et for his b#asts of cynica# wit. There was somethin" abo t Aanny5s innocent, o!timistic face that !rovoked !eo!#e to say shockin" thin"s to him 9 b t he was, behind that b#and exterior, as shock!roof as a 6wiss watch. It seemed im!ossib#e to an"er or de!ress him= he wo #d a#ways nderstand, and 0worst of a##1, he wo #d for"ive, with a wry smi#e, remindin" me of Fat ?5;rien !#ayin" a !riest. It was eno "h to brin" o t the #atent cynicism in anybody #ess innocent than Aanny himse#f, and it bro "ht o t the Ia"o and C#a""ert in ;i##. If Aanny mentioned an a nt who owned ho ses in ;oston, ;i## wo #d ask, 76# m !ro!ertiesI8 9 and then h rried#y add, 7If yo don5t know, don5t try to find o t. ;etter yo sho #dn5t face it.8 If Aanny had somethin" com!#imentary to say abo t the Gennedys, ;i## wo #d reca## havin" heard of Koe Gennedy5s 0rea# or a##e"ed1 #inks with the >afia and r m-r nnin" d rin" !rohibition= if Aanny !raised <A&, ;i## remembered what he had heard abo t <A&5s "randfather5s interest in the o!i m trade= if he dared to say that 7b#acks, after a##, are : st #ike s,8 ;i## wo #d inform him that 7nobody who5s been shit on for three h ndred years is : st #ike yo = don5t kid yo rse#f. They want to c t yo r ba##s off and feed them to their do"s. Look at the >a >a = #ook at any co#onia# !risin". That5s what o r b#ack revo# tion is "oin" to be when it comes.8 It was #ike &o ssea ar" in" with de 6ade 9 the eterna# #ibera# vers s the eterna# misanthro!e. Aanny never #ost his contro#, in any of this. ?nce, tho "h, he came c#ose. 7If I be#ieved what yo do,8 he said, 7I5d have a drinkin" !rob#em, too.8 7%t #east I5m not a do!e fiend,8 ;i## retorted. I tho "ht Aanny wo #d re!#y that a#coho# is #isted nder 7dr "s8 in any !harmace tica# text, b t he didn5t answer at a##. ,e was "a.in" into the distance tho "htf ##y. I didn5t rea#i.e it then b t a so# tion to the !rob#em of ;i##5s nihi#ism had occ rred to him. It was a so# tion o t of the ear#y 19+)s b t Aanny sti## be#ieved in it. ,e was "oin" to t rn ;i## on. 6ome whi#e back a fema#e co!ywriter had come to the office one day after a ni"ht-#on" acid tri!, thinkin" she was back to !#anetside rea#ity. 6he wasn5t, and she be"an to freak o t. Aanny was afraid that she wo #d either do a 6teve ;rodie o t the window or at #east make her state s fficient#y cons!ic o s to the hierarchy to "et herse#f fired, b t I had taken her into my office, sent my secretary to the dr "store for niacinamide 0Mitamin ;-31 and ta#ked to her for two ho rs. The niacin 0see Cha!ter ?ne1 and my "ift of "rab fina##y $ ieted her. 6he ke!t her sanity and her :ob. Aanny was im!ressed, a#tho "h he needn5t have been. Lon" a"o I had financed my co##e"e t ition by workin" ni"hts as an amb #ance attendant, and I saw a "ood share of !sychos on that :ob, nder ti"ht sit ations. 4o "overnment !ro!a"anda has ever been ab#e to convince me that acidheads are as far o t as !sycho !atients or that they can5t be dea#t with. Aanny5s inter!retation of that incident was that I had to be some kind of ex!ert in treatin" bad tri!s= and, of co rse, everybody knows that a bad acid tri! is m ch, m ch worse than a bad !ot tri! 0it isn5t, necessari#y= it de!ends on the !ersons invo#ved1. 6o, when he fina##y !ers aded ;i## to try a :oint of mari: ana and the sit ation immediate#y became s!ooky, he ca##ed me at my a!artment. 7Ar. 'i#son,8 he said cry!tica##y 0des!ite his innocence, he had the standard 4ew Eork ass m!tion that a## !hones are ta!!ed1, 7we have an emer"ency case here. K st #ike >iss B,8 he added, namin" the #ady with the acid :im:ams at the office. 7Can yo come ri"ht awayRI8 7?h, shit,8 I said ine#e"ant#y. 7I5## be ri"ht there.8 7'hat is itI8 %r#en asked. 7I5m now a !sychiatrist for a## the n ts on >adison %ven e,8 I said morose#y. I have never hated o r dr " #aws more than I did at that instant. I knew that I co #d hand#e the !rob#em, whatever it was, b t I #oathed the res!onsibi#ity, and I #on"ed to #ive in a free co ntry where Aanny co #d have s mmoned !rofessiona# he#! witho t riskin" !rison.

'hen I arrived at Aanny5s, I fo nd five very s bd ed and worried-#ookin" !otheads 9 and ;i##, sittin" a!art from the others and "#owerin". 7'hy5d they ca## yo I8 ;i## asked immediate#y. 7To dis!ose of my bodyI8 There was no :oc #ar '.C. <ie#ds in his de#ivery now. This was &od 6tei"er !#ayin" a cornered 4a.i 9 tra!!ed by his enemies, b t sti## nasty and dan"ero s. I "ave him a cheery #a "h and !retended to take the hosti#ity for h mor= in his case, the two were a#ways c#ose anyway. I !assed on to the kitchen, as if ;i## were not a ma:or item of interest at the moment. That was ste! one= everybody, I was s re, had been treatin" his sym!toms as a "rave !rob#em, and I wanted to "ive him back his sense of !ers!ective. There were near#y three bi##ion !eo!#e on earth who didn5t know and didn5t care abo t his menta# states and I was standin" in for a## of them. 'hen Aanny fo##owed me to the kitchen, I asked if he had niacinamide in the ho se. 4at ra##y, he didn5t. !eo!#e who take dr "s are fre$ ent#y a#most as i"norant as the #e"is#ators who !ass #aws a"ainst them. I asked if he had Thora.ine, Libri m or any other tran$ i#i.er. ,e had nothin" of that sort. 7?kay,8 I said, 7we5## bai# o t witho t a !arach te this time. ,ow #on" has this been "oin" onI8 7%bo t three-$ arters of an ho r.8 7,ow m ch did he smokeI8 7'e on#y !assed aro nd two :oints when he started "ettin" scared.8 7?kay. Take me to my !atient.8 I was rememberin" one !sycho case, back in my amb #ance ridin" days, who had anno nced, ha#fway down a f#i"ht of stairs, that he didn5t want to come to the hos!ita#. ,e was over six feet ta##, had sho #ders #ike the Farthenon, and I was two ste!s be#ow him. ;i## was not "oin" to be as diffic #t. I dra""ed a chair behind me in the #ivin" room and sat facin" ;i##, o r faces on#y abo t a foot a!art. 7@ot the fearI8 I asked cordia##y. 7Aon5t !#ay "ames with me,8 he said ti"ht#y. 7They "ave me some bad st ff : st to see this ha!!en, and yo know it.8 7In a !i"5s ass,8 I said. 7They were smokin" the same :oints as yo . That5s !art of the co rtesy in the !ot wor#d, : st to !revent cra.y ideas #ike that. Think abo t it 9 didn5t the :oints "o from mo th to mo thI8 I didn5t wait for his answer. 7'hat yo 5ve "ot,8 I said, 7is the one-ho r wi##ies. It fre$ ent#y ha!!ens to novices the first time they smoke weed, and it5s ca##ed the oneho r wi##ies beca se it a#ways ends in an ho r. ,ow #on" has it been "oin" onI8 7Christ,8 he said in a dry, cracked voice, 7it seems #ike days.8 7,ow #on" has it beenI8 I asked Aanny a"ain. 7Three-$ arter of an ho r,8 he re!eated. 7'e##,8 I said bri"ht#y to ;i##, 7it5s a#most over. The worst of it is, anyway. @ive me yo r hand.8 I took it before he co #d "et the fa" terrors and he#d it firm#y for a min te. 7K st as I tho "ht,8 I said. 7Eo 5re not even shakin". The worst is over.8 %## of this was sheer fiction. The !ot horrors, when they come, can #ast fo r ho rs, ei"ht ho rs or #on"er 9 far #on"er than the dr " itse#f. 'hen the s a# armors a"ainst anxiety co##a!se, the acc m #ated re!ressed terrors of decades can come o t, and #on" after the dr " has #eft the b#oodstream the moment m can contin e to b i#d. ,owever, it is fair#y easy to short-circ it the !rocess 0whi!h usually happens only to novi!es and is probably a result of autosuggestion produ!ed by anti/pot propaganda !ombined with ignoran!e 1 by te##in" the smoker a convincin" yarn 9 as I had done. @overnment !ro!a"anda and ;i##5s i"norance had !rod ced this bad tri!, and I was "oin" to se my !ro!a"anda and his i"norance to convert it into a "ood tri!. 7?ne nice thin" abo t the one-ho r wi##ies,8 I went on b#ithe#y, 7is that the second ho r is a#ways "reat. ,onest to @od. 6omehow, "ettin" a## this o t at the be"innin" is #ike a ! r"e, and in the second ho r yo 5re ab#e to rea##y swin".8 I went on with the yarn, brin"in" in the s a# "ood effects of !ot 9 the co#ors, the r shes of ener"y, the hi#arity 9 and tryin" to 7s ""est8 him into !ickin" ! some of them. 7That isn5t a#ways tr e,8 he interr !ted. 7I5ve read of cases where !eo!#e f#i!!ed o t and s!ent months in a n tho se.8

7They a#so can5t ta#k,8 I said. 7They5re too scared and conf sed to ta#k. 4ow, yo 5re not in that state, yo 5re "ettin" better min te by min te 9 I can see the co#or comin" back to yo r face 9 and yo 5re not tremb#in" 9 and you.re arguing with me , as s a#. 4ah, yo 5re not conf sed and !anicky at a## anymore. Eo 5re : st s #ky and hosti#e. %nd that5s endin", too,8 I r shed on. 7I can te## by the co#or of yo r skin. Eo 5re rea##y startin" to t rn on now38 ,a#f an ho r #ater I was sti## ta#kin" to him, te##in" him that the one-ho r wi##ies were abo t to end. ,e was sti## "#owerin", not $ ite in a !anic any more b t very far from bein" t rned on or even comfortab#e. The one si"n that he was on weed and not in the midd#e of an an"ry dr nk was that fact that he hadn5t taken a swin" at me yet. 7I need a drink,8 he said s dden#y. I co #d have kicked myse#f. I sho #d have had Aanny mix him a martini ri"ht away, as soon as I "ot there. It was obvio s#y the ri"ht thera!y in this case. Aanny $ ick#y mixed ! a martini in the kitchen and bro "ht it to ;i##. 7K st the way yo #ike it,8 he said. ;i## took a si! and made a face. 7;rook#yn,8 he said with distaste. 7This is the way they mix them in ;rook#yn.8 7ThereR8 I sho ted, 7Eo 5re back to norma#R8 Everybody #a "hed, inc# din" ;i##. 'hen everybody e#se sto!!ed, he contin ed to #a "h. ?n and on. %nd on. 7There, that5s the second-ho r #a "h,8 I said. 7Eo 5re fina##y t rnin" on.8 ,e took another $ ick " #! of his drink. 7I s re am,8 he said, sti## b t with a to ch of nervo sness cree!in" back. %n ho r #ater, however, he was thoro "h#y re#axed and havin" a fine time. % third :oint was act a##y circ #atin" in the room, which he si!!ed very caref ##y, not inha#in" m ch 9 and he was a#so on his third martini. ,e was re"a#in" the assemb#y with one of his diatribes a"ainst sentimenta#ity b t with more h mor and #ess hosti#ity than s a#. I #eft, fee#in" satisfied. >onths #ater, after I had de!arted from >ad %ve for "ood, I met Aanny in a bar and had a chat abo t o#d times. 7;i## sti## comes to my !ot !arties,8 he said with a dry smi#e. 7&ea##yI8 7Eeah 9 and he brin"s his own bott#e now.8 %t my in$ irin" "a.e, he went onJ 7,e smokes a #itt#e of the "rass, not m ch, and then when he starts "ettin" t rned on, he drinks a #ot to brin" himse#f down a"ain. Then he smokes a #itt#e bit more, and drinks a #ot more.8 7Eo mean he5s : st smokin" to be one of the crowdI8 7That5s abo t it. ;oo.e is sti## his rea# dr " of choice.8 I shook my head in ama.ement. 7'hat a stran"e " y.8 7?h, that5s the #east of it. I " ess the !ot has had some effect on him, even mixed with boo.e.8 7'hat do yo meanI8 7These days,8 Aanny said, drainin" his "#ass and smi#in" a Leary smi#e, 7;i## is as "ay as a tree f ## of !arrots.8

< The Me7ican 2eed

%rime thrives in many pla!es, and has in!reased by leaps and bounds through the past years, mu!h of it, and the majority of it, !aused by the drug user, addi!ted by his own volition$ )u!h dereli!tion and destru!tive use of nar!oti!s !an only lead to the tragedy of death$ Cur youth, by nature, are !urious, unafraid to e2periment$ They think too mu!h about themselves 9 subje!tively 9 instead of about doing for others 9 obje!tively. 1hen they are under the influen!e of drugs, they find themselves either atop the pinna!le of

e2hilaration, unafraid, and ready to go beyond the limits of law and de!en!y 9 or 9 they find themselves at the bottom of the pit of depression, and ready to take their own lives. 5n between lies, sedu!tion, pregnan!y, assault, theft and even murder$ Li!e is everywhere. - 'rug Abuse 5s an 6s!ape to +owhere @reene Co nty 6heriff5s Ae!artment 0?hio1, &evised 1972 edition Mice, indeed, is everywhere. 6eventy years a"o the >exican #aborers in Texas and Lo isiana be"an introd cin" the weed from their own co ntry, and now it has s!read #ike a !#a" e, and the "reat re! b#ic of o r fo ndin" fathers is bein" ndermined by sex and sin. That is the way co!s and c#er"ymen "enera##y #ook at it. The tr th is somewhat more com!#icated. Mice has a#ways been aro nd, in heavy doses= it is mankind5s most fervent interest, and differentiates s shar!#y from o r c#osest re#atives in the a!e fami#y, none of whom are in heat a## year #on" as we are. Indeed, if man were not the most re#ent#ess#y sex-oriented anima# a#ive, there wo #d not be so many of s on this sma## !#anet. 4or has mari: ana been introd ced from >exico to corr !t the hi"h idea#s of o r fo ndin" fathers. &ather, this !#ant, which is of E rasian ori"in, was first im!orted to this continent by o r fo ndin" fathers 0es!ecia##y @eor"e 'ashin"ton1 and then, #ater, taken ! by the >exicans. If there was any sed ction across the &io @rande, the first fami#ies of Mir"inia were the sed cers, and the innocent >exicans were the sed ced. There seems to have been no marijuana on this !ontinent before the "Mth %entury, and the !hief !ause of its wide dissemination was the enthusiasm of &eorge 1ashington. This c rio s fact, which was ca##ed to my attention by Ar. >ichae# %#drich, is we##doc mented in the 1ritings of 1ashington, H.6. @overnment Frintin" ?ffice, 1931. ,ere are some of the citationsJ Mo# me 31, !a"e, 329, ?ctober 1791, #etter from >o nt Mernon to %#exander ,ami#ton, 6ecretary of Treas ryJ 7,ow far3 wo #d there be !ro!riety, do yo conceive, in s ""estin" the !o#icy of enco ra"in" the "rowth of cotton and hem! in s ch !arts of the Hnited 6tates as are ada!ted to the c #t re of these artic#esI8 In the next three years, 'ashin"ton evident#y sett#ed the matter in his own mind, and we don5t know what ,ami#ton tho "ht of the 7!ro!rieties.8 Mo# me 33, !a"e 279, finds him writin" from Fhi#ade#!hia to his "ardener at >o nt Mernon to 7make the most yo can of the India ,em! seed8 and 7!#ant it everywhere,8 an in: nction that co #d a#most be constr cted to s ""est that he was abandonin" a## his other cro!s. 'axin" even more enth siastic on !a"e 32(, he writes to an nidentified 7my dear Aoctor,8 te##in" him, 7I thank yo as we## for the seeds as for the Fam!h#ets which yo had the "oodness to send me. The artificia# !re!aration of the ,em! from 6i#esia is rea##y a c riosity38 %nd on !a"e (+9, he a"ain obsessive#y reminds the "ardener abo t the seed of the India ,em!J 7I desire that the seed may be saved in d e season and with as #itt#e #oss !ossib#e.8 The next year the "enera# was even more !reocc !ied that the seeds be saved and the cro! re!#enished= Mo# me 3(, !a"e 1(+, finds him writin" 0>arch 1-, 179-1 to the "ardener a"ainJ 7Fres min" yo saved a## the seed yo co #d from the India ,em!, #et it be caref ##y sown a"ain, for the ! r!ose of "ettin" into a f ## stock of the seed.8 Mo# me 3-, !a"e 72, an ndated #etter of the s!rin" of 179+ shows that the years did not diminish this stran"e !assion= he a"ain writes to the "ardenerJ 7'hat was done with the seed saved from the India ,em! #ast s mmerI It o "ht, a## of it, to have been sown a"ain= that not on#y a stock of seed s fficient for my own ! r!oses mi"ht have been raised, b t to have disseminated the seed to others, as it is more valuable than the ordinary 8emp .8 ?n !a"e 2+-, he is sti## na""in" that !oor "ardener abo t the seed 0what the "ardener tho "ht of a## this is not recorded1 and on !a"e 323, he writes to 6ir Kohn 6inc#air !roc#aimin" that his ex!eriments have definite#y !roven that 7the Indian ,em! is for a## ! r!oses s !erior to the 4ew Nea#and variety.8 It has been !ro!osed by some conservative admirers of the "enera# that he was interested on#y in the se of hem! for rope 0it was sed in han"men5s nooses1. This, of co rse, is considered m ch more admirab#e than any interest in the !#ant for its recreationa# ! r!oses, b t the ro!e theory sim!#y doesn5t ho#d water. %s ear#y as % " st 7, 17+-, 'ashin"ton wrote in his

diary 0The 'iaries of &eorge 1ashington , ,o "hton >iff#in Co., 192-1J 7;e"an to se!arate the >a#e from the <ema#e hem! at Ao 9 rather too #ate.8 The se!aration of hem! by sex is not re$ ired and never !racticed when ro!e man fact re is intended, b t it is essentia# if one wants to se the nferti#i.ed f#owerin" ti!s of the fema#e !#ant for mari: ana. 6ome writers who have acce!ted this inevitab#e conc# sion from the evidence sti## try to ar" e that @eor"e 'ashin"ton co #d not !ossib#y have smoked weed for recreation. &ather, they s ""est, he was !robab#y sin" the mari: ana for its ana#"esic !ro!erties, to ki## the !ain of his fre$ ent toothaches. 0Considerin" the !assion shown in these records, the toothaches m st have been very fre$ ent.1 Even if this was so, he was sti## stoned fair#y often, no matter what his !rinci!a# intent. %nd his obsession for 7disseminatin" the seed to others8 !art#y acco nts for the fact that, nknown on his continent at the time of his birth, it co #d be fo nd thro "ho t the states and in >exico a cent ry #ater. P! : F"!4 P"ehi) !"# ! he P"e)en The !#ant, of co rse, had a #on" history before that, some of which we have to ched on a#ready in Cha!ter Three on hashish. %annabis sativa seems to have ori"inated in %sia, !erha!s aro nd the Cas!ian 6ea, and its c #tivation be"an d rin" what mi"ht be ca##ed the <irst Ar " &evo# tion, that is, at #east as ear#y as 1-,))) ;C. ? r ancestors in E rasia at that time were most#y h nters, and their re#i"ion was shamanism, which is based not on do"mas or teachin"s b t on act a# visions or 7s!irit ex!eriences.8 The $ est for s ch ex!erience 0the backdoor to Eden1 had a#ways been !art of shamanism, and had a#ways been so "ht by vario s methods, !robab#y inc# din" a variety of dr "s, b t most#y se#f-hy!nosis, iso#ation, sadomasochism 0h man sacrifice, se#f-tort re1, me#ohy!nosis 0trance ind ced by sin"in" rhythmica##y1, etc. 6ome times before 1-,))) ;C the first Ar " &evo# tion be"an when it was discovered that dr "s were the roya# road to these a#tered states. This information seems to have :o rneyed west and so th to E ro!e and %frica very $ ick#y, and ! across 6iberia and down thro "h 4orth and 6o th %merica a#most as ra!id#y. %ccordin" to Feter < rst, Frofessor of %nthro!o#o"y at the 6tate Hniversity of 4ew Eork, it is now fair#y certain that shamanistic se of some dr "s "oes back to at #east 1-,))) ;C in !arts of %sia= the f#y a"aric m shroom 0the soma of the ,ind s, accordin" to recent theories1 was discovered aro nd -))) ;C, the ma"ic m shrooms of >exico by at #east 2))) ;C and !eyote !robab#y aro nd 1))) ;C. 0Fsychede#ic m shrooms seem to have been centra# to this ear#y Ar " &evo# tion, and, accordin" to Kohn %##e"ro in The )a!red 7ushroom and the %ross , it is this which ex!#ains the sex rites that were cons!ic o s in re#i"ion at that time, since the m shrooms #ooks #ike a !enis and s ""ests sex a# symbo#ism to its worshi!!ers. %##e"ro a#so be#ieves that many "ods, inc# din" Aionys s, ?siris and Kes s, are based on the m shroom. ,e attrib tes the vir"in birth of these "ods to the fact that the "eneration of m shrooms has traditiona##y been a mystery that evaded nderstandin", no sex a# !attern co #d be fo nd by either !rimitive c #t res, c#assica# civi#i.ations or 'estern science itse#f nti# the mid/"<th %entury. Hnti# that time, the ma"ic m shroom rea##y did seem to be vir"in born and mirac #o s 9 es!ecia##y when one 7ate its f#ash8 or 7drank its b#ood8 via the fermented : ices that cata! #ted one direct#y into the divine or time#ess rea#m.1 %s !art of this !rocess, which may have been the most im!ortant sin"#e ste! in the evo# tion of re#i"ions, the cannabis !#ant was carried across E ro!e and %sia and down into %frica. The Chinese, as mentioned !revio s#y, were fami#iar with cannabis in their very ear#iest !eriods. They sed a staff carved of its stem to c re vario s i##nesses. This staff was in the sha!e of a ser!ent coi#in" aro nd a rod 9 very simi#ar to the sti##-existin" symbo# of the !hysician, or the cad ce s of >erc ry 9 and c#ear#y indicates a ma"ica# and re#i"io s attit de. ;y ear#y ,an times 02)) %A1 the famo s !hysician , a-T5o was sin" cannabis resins and wine to anestheti.e !atients for s r"ery. ,a#fway aro nd the wor#d, Aemocrit s 0(+)-3+) ;C1 described the visionary states 0and 7immoderate #a "hter81 that fo##owed the rit a# se of this !#ant, which was evident#y b rned with myrrh and frankincense over a bra.ier and inha#ed by worshi!!ers sittin" in a circ#e, in severa# of the ancient civi#i.ations aro nd the >editerranean. It has been s ""ested that Aemocrit s himse#f was a devotee of this c stom, and this mi"ht ex!#ain his re! tation as 7the #a "hin" !hi#oso!her.8

0&. @ordon 'asson, incidenta##y, has s ""ested that F#ato a#on" with many of his fe##ow @reeks was initiated in the E#e sinian mysteries, or some simi#ar rite that invo#ved the se of a 7ma"ic m shroom.8 'asson ar" es that the m shroom ex!erience ins!ired F#ato5s ideas that there is a time#ess wor#d above or a#on"side o r ordinary niverse.1 Cannabis was we##-known to the %rabs by the time the ta#es of the Thousand and Cne +ights 01)th Cent ry1 were com!i#ed. ?ne of these yarns concerns a s #tan who 0whi#e min"#in" with his !eo!#e in dis" ise to #earn what they are thinkin" 9 a traditiona# theme1 fa##s as#ee! on a f#oor and is rinated !on by a fisherman who is stoned on hashish. In the mornin", the fisherman is ca##ed to the !a#ace, where the s #tan revea#s himse#f as the !erson he had !issed !on. 7'hat of itI8 says the fisherman bo#d#y. 7Eo are in yo r !a#ace this mornin", I was in my !a#ace #ast ni"ht.8 The s #tan was a !hi#oso!her to whom 7tr th was the sweetest noise in his kin"dom8 and he immediate#y for"ave the fisherman, sayin", 7'e are both s #tansR8 %nother %rabian yarn concerns three men who arrive at a city after dark when the "ate is c#osed. The first, an a#coho#ic, takes an a""ressive stand at once and sho ts, 7Let5s batter the damned "ate downR8 The second, an o!i m addict, is ty!ica##y !assive in accordance with the dr " of his choice. 7Let5s s#ee! on the "ro nd nti# mornin",8 he says. The third is a cannabis smoker, and he takes a characteristica##y cannabis view of the matter. 7Let5s sneak in thro "h the keyho#e,8 he s ""ests tho "htf ##y. In India, recreationa# se of cannabis seems to "o back to aro nd -)) ;C and one myth c#aims it was "iven to mankind by 6hiva, "od of sex, intoxication and mysticism= in other versions of this #e"end, 6hiva is act a##y incarnate in the Indian hem! !#ant. <rom abo t that time to the !resent, Indian doctors have !rescribed cannabis extract for dysentery, s nstroke, indi"estion, #ack of a!!etite and other conditions. 6hivites se it in their re#i"io s worshi!, and other sects be#ieve it is sef # as s!irit a# !re!aration for readin" ho#y writin"s or enterin" sacred !#aces. The cannabis dr "s !enetrated many !arts of %frica in !rehistoric times, b t had their "reatest !o! #arity in more recent days, d e to the con$ eror Ga#amba >o ken"e, who defeated most of the tribes of the Con"o in 1222 and tried to nite them into a nation. ;orrowin" an idea from ear#ier con$ erors, >o ken"e decided that the #oca# triba# "ods sho #d be s bordinated to 7one @od8 who wo #d ho#d a## of them to"ether. <or this 7one @od8 s itab#e to a##, he chose the cannabis !#ant. In those #ands of 4orth %frica that have been civi#i.ed since ancient times, cannabis has a#ways !#ayed a #ar"e ro#e. Fa # ;ow#es, com!oser and writer, has !ointed o t that the hem! dr " has inf# enced 7m sic, #iterat re and even certain as!ects of architect re8 in that area. The hem! !#ant entered >exico, as we have seen, after 'ashin"ton and other Mir"inia !#anters enth siastica##y s!read it aro nd the so thern Hnited 6tates. %s ear#y as 19)2, anthro!o#o"ist Car# L mho#t. observed that some of the Indians in north-western >exico were sin" its #eaves in re#i"io s rites whenever the !eyote cact s was navai#ab#e. They ca##ed it rosa maria 0&osemary1 b t whether they anthro!omor!hi.ed it and considered it a "oddess 0#ike Feyote 'oman1 is not c#ear. In the Te!eh a re"ion, rosa maria became santa rosa 06aint &ose1, b t e#sewhere it became maria juana 0>ary Kane1 9 and, hence o r modern name, mari: ana. Hnder the #atter tit#e it was ce#ebrated in the famo s marchin" son" of Fancho Mi##a5s rebe#s d rin" the >exican &evo# tion of 191)-192)J 4a !u!ara!ha, la !u!ara!ha, Eo no puede !aminar, #or:ue no tiene, por:ue no tiene, 7arijuana :ue fumar. 07The cockroach, the cockroach, he cannot wa#k abo t, beca se he doesn5t have, beca se he doesn5t have, mari: ana to smoke.8 This mi"ht be the ori"in of the c rrent s#an" se of roa!h to mean the end of a mari: ana ci"arette.1 %n interestin" >exican rit a# invo#vin" mari: ana is described in Feter < rst5s -lesh of the &ods, concernin" the Te!eh a Indians. They re"ard the !#ant as !otentia##y dan"ero s 0: st #ike o r so#ons in 'ashin"ton1 b t contro# it by rit a# rather than by #aw, dedicatin" it to the worshi! of the three most !owerf # #oca# "ods, Kes s, the Mir"in >ary, and the s n. Frayin", sometimes #a "hin", they "et hi"h amid son", s!eeches, rin"in" of be##s, dancin", chantin" and whist#in". The ceremony not on#y a##ows each worshi!!er to confront his "od direct#y, b t is be#ieved to c re any i##nesses the chi#dren of the vi##a"e mi"ht have.

Comedian <#i! 'i#son, on a #ate-ni"ht te#evision ta#k show disc ssin" mari: ana, described a simi#ar#y syncretic re#i"ion 0invo#vin" !ot, Christianity and %frican fo#k re#i"ion, this time1 which he had observed on one of the Caribbean is#ands. %n e#der#y :a.. m sician once to#d me abo t a c #t, nknown to anthro!o#o"ists, which f#o rished in Chica"o in the 193)s. The sin"#e time that he was a##owed to attend one of their ceremonies, there where six worshi!!ers !resent, a## of them m sicians, some white and some b#ack. Each mari: ana ci"arette was #it by the !riest or shaman and then !assed aro nd in the circ#e, in the manner sti## traditiona# amon" !otheads. There was no ceremony, : st meditation and occasiona# 7testimony8 in the manner of the 6ociety of <riends 0D akers1. Each member had a ho#y name, and when testimony was s!arse, the !riest wo #d occasiona##y ask for some. 7,ow does it "o with the Lord GrishnaI8 he mi"ht en$ ire. 7The Lord Grishna is at !eace on the second #eve#,8 mi"ht be the re!#y. 7,ow does it "o with the Lord 6hivaI8 the !riest mi"ht ask next. 7The Lord 6hiva is in b#iss on the fifth #eve#,8 wo #d come the re!#y. >y friend has no information abo t the ori"ins of this c #t, how it hit !on ,ind names, the mysterio s 0caba#isticI1 #an" a"e of 0astra#I1 #eve#s, and so on. I inc# de this here not on#y for its intrinsic interest b t in ho!es that some know#ed"eab#e anthro!o#o"ist or :a.. historian mi"ht be ab#e to shed f rther #i"ht. %n even more modern mari: ana c #t, on traditiona# shamanistic #ines, was shown on 7C;6 4ews8 in 197), feat rin" some %merican @.I.s in Mietnam. The so#diers sed a shot" n 9 re"arded re#i"io s#y and named 7&a#!h8 9 to inha#e #ar"e $ antities of the weed and become thoro "h#y stoned. The s$ ad #eader, actin" #ike a 6tone %"e shaman, e:ected the she##s from the shot" n, inserted the "rass into the breach and then b#ew the smoke into the mo th of each of the men in t rn. Frofessor Feter < rst, an anthro!o#o"ist, has commented that s ch 7s!ontaneo s rit a#i.ation8 a#most seems to innate in the se of !sychede#ic dr "s 0cf., the story immediate#y above, and the tradition of !assin" the :oint in a ma"ic circ#e amon" even the most cas a# smokers1 and that the se of a wea!on of death is stran"e#y simi#ar to the way in which some 6o th %merican Indians se t bes simi#ar to dead#y b#ow" ns in !sychede#ic re#i"io s rites. P! . Se7 >ari: ana had #on" had a re! tation as 7the most !owerf # a!hrodisiac in the wor#d,8 to $ ote Kohn Aickson Carr5s detective nove#, Below )uspi!ion. >odern a thorities dis! te this and c#aim that neither !ot nor any other dr " is a tr e a!hrodisiac. That is, neither !ot nor any other dr " wi## !rovoke !assion in an otherwise ne tra# sit ation. There can be #itt#e do bt, however, that mari: ana definite#y tends to enhance sex, for many sers, when the sit ation is !ro!itio s. Hnder hashish we have a#ready $ oted a few ty!ica# re!orts by sers interviewed by ;arbara Lewis in her book The )e2ual #ower of 7arijuana . ,ere is f rther testimony from the same so rceJ % 32-year-o#d radio anno ncerJ A woman.s body be!omes a !afeteria. Eou want to eat every part of it. +o part of it is sa!red, yet everything is sa!red. % 31-year-o#d ho sewifeJ 5t lasted forever. 6verything, the foreplay, the a!tual a!t, the orgasm. 5.m sure that marijuana prolongs se2 beyond the ordinary span. 5t gives you more enduran!e. % 22-year-o#s coed at the Hniversity of 4ew >exicoJ 5 know that marijuana really isn.t an aphrodisia!. But for me it is. Be!ause when 5 smoke with my boyfriend, the sensations go right to my genitals. 8e !an be in another room, and 5 will feel it in the vagina. 5t.s almost an independent thing. % 2+-year-o#d ho sewife to#d of tryin" mari: ana a#one in the afternoonJ 5 be!ame so horny that 5 !alled my husband at the offi!e and insisted he !ome home immediately. 1hen he !ouldn.t oblige$ the feeling was so intense that 5 a!tually went in to the bedroom and masturbated. <ormer H.6. Commissioner of 4arcotics ,arry K. %ns#in"erJ

5n the earliest stages of into2i!ation, the will power is destroyed$ moral barri!ades are broken down, and often debau!hery and se2uality result. Ar. Kames <adiman, !sycho#o"istJ 7arijuana helps you listen to your senses. Anything that makes you more aware makes se2 better. The s a# references by enth siasts are to increased sensitivity, more em!athy, and so forth. ;y contrast, the ! b#isher of a medica# :o rna# to#d ;arbara Lewis that mari: ana had im!roved his sex #ife by makin" him more br ta#J 1hy am 5 a better loverF Be!ause 5 find myself fu!king a hell of a lot harder than it would have o!!urred to me before. 5.m able to a!!ept the fa!t that some women like to be fu!ked violently. Echoin" o r remarks concernin" the feats of sex a# yo"a, a ;erke#ey coed saidJ Eou a!tually make love for an hour, an hour and a half. 1ithout marijuana you.d get into the a!tual fu!king part mu!h faster and then it would be over faster. % 22-year-o#d coed from Lon" Is#and had an ex!erience that devotees of sex a# yo"a wi## a#so reco"ni.eJ After smoking there are times when 5 literally feel as if 5.m a huge !unt. And that he.s a large penis. 5n your mind.s eye, this is how you see yourself. % 32-year-o#d Ca#ifornia !harmacist re!orted the same traditiona##y occ #t ex!erienceJ 5 sometimes feel like a huge se2ual organ, like 5.m dupli!ating the thrust of the penis. And that the woman.s body has the proportions of one large vaginal tra!t. 5t.s an e2!iting sensation, it has an intrinsi! rhythm, movement and musi! of its own. Ar. Lo is Ko#yon 'est, !sychiatristJ 5t.s been published repeatedly that marijuana is not an aphrodisia!. But 5 think it.s a fair generali0ation to say that marijuana stimulates the appetite, a## the appetites, in!luding the se2ual appetite, and that it takes less psy!hoso!ial stimulation to get a person in the mood if he.s had marijuana than if he.s !old sober. ?f co rse, there are some !ersons who re!ort no sex a# effects at a## from mari: ana. This sho #d not s r!rise s. There is no rea# a!hrodisiac, as we have noted severa# times 9 none, at #east, in the traditiona# mythica# sense of a dr " that has the same sex a##y !rovocative effect on a## sers. The first #aw of !sycho!harmaco#o"y is that the action of any dr " de!ends !art#y on the dr " itse#f and !art#y on the set and setting 9 the menta# attit de of the ser and the forces at work in his immediate environment. 'ith these ca tions caref ##y in mind, it is !robab#y safe to say that the evidence to date indicates fair#y conc# sive#y that, for an overwhe#min" ma:ority of sers, mari: ana is a decided#y safe and !#easant enhancer of sex a# ex!erience. Pe"i1) !$ he 2eed ?f co rse, there are many who sti## !roc#aim that the weed is terrib#y dan"ero s. Their ar" ments are becomin" increasin"#y nconvincin". 6cientific data that wi## s !!ort them are hard to find and there is a#most an embarrassment of riches avai#ab#e when one #ooks for scientific evidence !rovin" that !ot is no more threatenin" to civi#i.ation than b bb#e " m. In 1292, the En"#ish "overnment a!!ointed a ,em! Ar " Commission to investi"ate the cannabis habit in India, where it is "enera##y cons med in the mi#k drink bhang or smoked in the form of !haras, s a##y considered stron"er than mari: ana. 06ome estimates say that !haras is even stron"er than hashish.1 %fter interviewin" tho sands of doctors and sers a## over India and checkin" o t every story of 7addiction8 or of 7!sychoses8 res #tin" from ab se, in an investi"ation that re$ ired two years, the commission conc# ded that cannabis was not addictin", that 7moderate se8 is the r #e, that overab se or ab se is rare, that the stories of 7!sychoses8 were nfo nded and that the dr " re!resented no menace= they recommended that no #aw be !assed a"ainst it, and no #aw was ever !assed, nti# India ratified the Hnited 4ations ,em! Ar " %ct over -) years #ater 9 which they did, accordin" to Ar. Koe# <ort, who was dr " cons #tant to the 'or#d ,ea#th ?r"ani.ation at the time, on#y beca se they were b ##ied into doin" so by the %merican de#e"ation. Even then, India did not ban the f#owerin" ti!s of the hem! !#ant from which mari: ana is made.

In 1923, the H.6. %rmy, not a notab#y #ibera# or"ani.ation, a#so investi"ated the se of mari: ana amon" %merican so#diers in the Fanama Cana# None. %"ain, the re!ort conc# ded that the habit was harm#ess and did not need to be !rohibited= it !ointed o t that a#coho# created more !rob#ems for the so#diers who sed it. In 19(2, the La@ ardia Commission investi"ated the mari: ana habit in 4ew Eork, and a#so conc# ded that the weed is not addictive and does not !rod ce any c#ear-c t bad effects even in sers who have had the habit for a matter of decades. 0It is often said, by conservatives, that the %merican >edica# %ssociation re:ected the La@ ardia &e!ort. This is not strict#y tr e. Cne writer for the A.7.A. 3ournal re:ected the re!ort.1 In 19+2, Ars. Ninber" and 'ei#, in ;oston, com!#eted the most intensive scientific investi"ation of mari: ana made to date. They, too, fo nd no c#ear-c t harmf # effects. I s bse$ ent#y interviewed Ar. Ninber" and he mentioned that he has seen tem!orary !sychosis#ike conditions in some sers, a#tho "h not in the contro# "ro ! sed in the st dy. ,e em!hasi.ed that these conditions were a#ways tem!orary and on#y a!!eared in !ersons who had no !revio s ex!erience with the dr " 9 s a##y, he said, in !arents who had been t rned on by their own chi#dren. Tran$ i#i.ers ca#med them down $ ick#y, in a matter of ho rs, he added. The Fresidentia# Commission on >ari: ana 0>arch 22, 19721, as is we##-known, came to the same basic conc# sions, and recommended that :ai# sentences for se of the weed be discontin ed. Fresident 4ixon, however, disa"reed with the commission, sayin", in effect, that their evidence did not s !!ort the conc# sions he had formed before their evidence was co##ected. %s was the case in his re:ection of the !revio s Forno"ra!hy Commission, the Fresident seemed to think that scientific evidence sho #d " ide #e"is#ators on#y when it s !!orted his own int itive : d"ments= many other !eo!#e seem to have that attit de toward science b t few are so refreshin"#y frank in statin" it as >r. 4ixon was. +on/7edi!al se of 'rugs, the Interim &e!ort of the Canadian @overnment Commission of In$ iry, comes to the same "enera# conc# sions, and recommends the abo#ition of crimina# !ena#ties for b#owin" the weed. To be#ieve that !ot is rea##y harmf #, at this !oint, one m st !osit an 2)-year-o#d cons!iracy of >.A.s, chemists, !sycho#o"ists, !sychiatrists, "overnment officia#s and mi#itary officers, in severa# nations on fo r continents, de#iberate#y distortin" their evidence to hide a## a##e"ed bad effects. >embers of the Kohn ;irch 6ociety may be#ieve in s ch cons!iracies, b t for a## others it wo #d seem that, at a minim m, the verdict on mari: ana5s harmf #ness m st beJ not !roven. In addition, there is considerab#e evidence that mari: ana may be beneficia#. Ar. Ted >i: riya, a 6an <rancisco !sychiatrist, has co##ected #itera##y h ndreds of citations from 19 thCent ry %merican medica# :o rna#s in which cannabis !re!arations were recommended for the treatment of toothache and other !ain, for me#ancho#y and de!ressive states, and even for antibiotic ! r!oses, inc# din" the a##e"ed c re of "onorrhea. 6ome of these c#aims were !robab#y tr e, Ar. >ik riya ar" es, since they were, after a##, written by res!onsib#e medica# men, and they are worth f rther investi"ation. %fter a##, he adds, Ar. >orton discovered ether for anesthesia after observin" medica# st dents at ,arvard bombed o t of their minds in an ether froli! 9 the 19thCent ry e$ iva#ent of a !ot !arty= we sho #d not #et recreationa# se of a dr " b#ind s to its other !ossib#e ses. Ar. 6o#omon ,. 6nyder has fo##owed ! on Ar. >ik riya5s #ead and, in his ses of 7arijuana, has doc mented wides!read se of cannabis !re!arations in 19 th-Cent ry medicine, which was abandoned on#y beca se the cr de chemistry of the time made standard doses of this vo#ati#e dr " diffic #t to !re!are. Ar. 6nyder !oints o t that this is no #on"er tr e since T,C, the active !rinci!#e, has been iso#ated, and he a#so ca##s for f rther research, es!ecia##y on the weed5s ana#"esic action a"ainst s ch !ainf # conditions as mi"raine headache and menstr a# cram!s. 06ome of his citations, invo#vin" the se of cannabis in treatin" o!i m withdrawa#, s ""est that it mi"ht a#so be worthwhi#e to try spe!ial cannabis !re!arations in heroin withdrawa#, even tho "h addicts a## insists that ordinary street mari: ana does not he#! with these sym!toms. Ar. L#oyd K. Thom!son, an En"#ish !sychiatrist who, in the 19()s, worked with !arahexine, a hi"h-!otency cannabis derivative, fo nd that it he#!ed "reat#y with vario s de!ressive !sychoses that did not res!ond to ordinary tran$ i#i.ers.1 12
12

6ee Aavid 6o#omon5s The 7arijuana #apers for simi#ar citations of mari: ana derivatives as thera!y in menta# i##nesses.

Aoctors in India, as we mentioned ear#ier, have #on" be#ieved that cannabis is sef # in treatin" a wide variety of diseases. Ar. Koe# <ort, who has made first-hand observations in India and other !arts of the ?rient where this medica# sa"e is common, conc# des that the weed 7may be he#!f # in treatin" de!ression, stim #atin" a!!etite 13, a##eviatin" headaches, #owerin" hi"h b#ood !ress re and !rod cin" sedation or re#axation.8 ,e adds that 7mari: ana may be better for some menta# !atients than any tran$ i#i.er c rrent#y in se.8 0;arbara Lewis, in the )e2ual #ower of 7arijuana, c#aims that 7a s r!risin" n mber of mari: ana sers3 to#d me that their thera!ists act a##y enco ra"ed and ex!#ored their mari: ana ex!erience.8 ?ne woman to#d >s. Lewis that when she asked her !sychiatrist for tran$ i#i.ers, he to#d her that, in his o!inion, mari: ana is safer.1 Even the H.6. %rmy, it t rns o t, has fo nd c rative !ro!erties in the 7vi#e hem!.8 In this case, however, the scientific evidence was de#iberate#y concea#ed for more than ten years 9 evident#y for fear of embarrassin" other "overnment a"encies that were !roc#aimin" that !ot had no medica# ses and was tota##y destr ctive. The data was "athered in 19---19-9, and on#y re#eased in 1971, after one of the scientists on the !ro:ect virt a##y forced its dec#assification. This re!ort indicated so many !ossib#e ses of cannabis derivatives that one commentator s ""ested that "rass may re!#ace !enici##in as the most sef # a##-aro nd 7wonder dr "8 of o r a"e. Its achievements inc# de the fo##owin"J T,C 0tetrahydrocannabino#1 has ! t do"s into 7hibernation8 or dee! s#ee! for ei"ht days, after which they were awakened and showed no i## effects. If this co #d be a!!#ied to h mans, for exam!#e, !eo!#e who have been in: red and are nab#e to obtain extensive treatment 0e."., in an air raid, on a batt#efie#d, in : n"#es, on mo ntains, etc.1, mi"ht be !#aced in states of s s!ended animation whi#e bein" moved to treatment centers. 6ince mari: ana sa"e has reached at #east -),))),))) in the Hnited 6tates, accordin" to Frofessor 'i##iam >c@#oth#in and other a thorities 9 Ar. >ichae# %#drich, admitted#y a !ro-!ot cr sader, sets the fi" re at 7),))),))) 9 the !resent #aws m st, event a##y, be doomed. There is no way to enforce a #aw when that many citi.ens o!!ose it, as we sho #d have #earned d rin" a#coho# !rohibition 0192)-19331. The on#y remainin" $ estion, then, isJ ,ow #on" wi## the "overnment resist the inevitab#e, throw harm#ess citi.ens into :ai#, and ho#d back the research that mi"ht confirm the many !ossib#e and !robab#e benefits of this herbI Considerin" the "overnment5s record, the on#y answer to that $ estion m st beJ #on"er, far #on"er, than any rationa# !erson wo #d ex!ect. %s of 1992, the !rinci!#e conditions that seem to benefit most from mari: ana are cancer and %IA6. This has become so wide#y known that the voters of two states 0Ca#ifornia and %ri.ona1 have voted to #e"a#i.e medica# se of the Aevi# 'eed for those diseases= b t, as noted ear#ier, the <edera# "overnment has threatened any doctors who dare to !rescribe mari: ana or its derivatives for these or other conditions. >ost doctors seem terrified, b t a few are brave eno "h and h mane eno "h to write !rescri!tions for those whose ac te !ain obvio s#y decreases or vanishes with cannabis. Fresident C#inton and his K stice Ae!artment sti## make threatenin" noises, b t it is estimated that in 6an <rancisco a#one over 3))) %IA6 and cancer !atients are receivin" the dr " $ asi-#e"a##y thro "h the Cannabis ,ea#in" C# b. ,ow the <eds ever ac$ ired the !ower to decide how m ch !ain a sick !erson m st s ffer before dyin" remains #e"a##y obsc re. The Constit tion certain#y never "ranted s ch sadistic !ower to any !art of the "overnment. Ma"i-+ana . F"i,idi # %mon" the benefits of mari: ana hard#y ever disc ssed in medica# and !sychiatric #iterat re, b t wide#y c#aimed in the dr " c #t re, is its a##e"ed c rative effect in some cases of fri"idity. It is very hard to eva# ate this !ro!er#y. Kane, whose story was to#d in the Fre# de, had a !rob#em so severe that dr "s as stron" as hashish and !eyote co #d not o!en her ! and on#y L6A fina##y he#!ed her 0at the cost, seemin"#y, of sendin" her to a menta# hos!ita# for a few
13

This is mentioned so often in mari: ana #iterat re that some readers in the Hnited 6tates, where overeatin" is endemic, may wonder why it is im!ortant. ,ere5s whyJ >any !re-!sychotic and !sychotics act a##y do themse#ves considerab#e harm by com!#icatin" their menta# !rob#ems with cases of ma#n trition, d e to a distaste for food. @ettin" them to eat a"ain is often an im!ortant !art of their thera!y. 0It is even be#ieved by some advocates of the n tritiona# theory of !sychosis that the #oss of a!!etite is the modus operandi by which a dist rbed !erson "rad ates to !sychosis= the ma#n trition may start the chemica# !rocesses that #ead to !aranoia or ha## cination.1 ?thers who need to have a!!etite stim #ated inc# de heroin addicts and 7s!eed freaks8 0ab sers of the am!hetamine dr "s1.

months1. %nother woman I know, admits to bein" fri"id and has been smokin" the weed for 12 years now. 06he has a#so tried L6A and mesca#ine, witho t any effect on her sex a# !rob#em.1 I have, however, heard co nt#ess stories of young women who had s ffered fri"idity !rob#ems for on#y a few years and who were he#!ed to or"asm by mari: ana 0or by the hope and faith that mari: ana wo #d he#! them, as ske!tics wo #d say1. Ar. Lo is Ko#yon 'est to#d ;arbara Lewis, 7I have ta#ked with yo n" "ir#s who have had some sex a# ex!erience, as we## as with o#der women who have been havin" interco rse for some time. %## were ca!ab#e of sex a# !#eas re and aro sa#, b t had never had or"asm. Hnder mari: ana, they did.8 Ar. 'est adds that he favors the ex!#anation that this effect is !sycho#o"ica# rather than medica#. %#most certain#y, he is ri"ht. 4ear#y a## fri"idity is !sycho#o"ica#, and therefore a## c res for it 0which wi## vary from woman to woman1 m st, necessari#y, be !sycho#o"ica#, inc# din" those that invo#ve !hysica# retrainin" a la >asters and Kohnson. >s. Lewis5s book, )e2ual #ower of 7arijuana, contains three case histories of women who were c red, seemin"#y, of fri"idity whi#e on mari: ana. 6 bse$ ent#y, a## of them were ab#e to achieve or"asm even witho t the weed. ,ere is one of >s. Lewis5 case histories, as to#d by a woman identified as 7,eather,8 who had been fri"id for 12 years and then be"an ex!erimentin" with mari: ana and other aidsJ 1e used a vibrator at first to help me rea!h orgasm, !litoral orgasm, and this was a tremendous step for me. At twenty/si2, 5 had never e2perien!ed one* But it wasn.t :uite as big a moment as three weeks ago when 5 had my first vaginal orgasm. 'espite the frankness with whi!h 8eather talked about herself, she found it embarrassing to des!ribe how it happened. 7y mind says 5 should be able to talk about it, but emotionally it.s diffi!ult she admitted. But it is !hara!teristi! of these new marijuana people, 5 found, to seek to be as open as possible. 8onesty was a :uality they strove for, and 8eather was no e2!eption. 1ell 9 #ete and 5 talked about everything. 1e had no se!rets from ea!h other. 5 had told him about one of my fantasies 9 about being tied down while fu!king. 5 wanted to a!t it out. 5 thought both of us might learn something from e2ploring this so/!alled Sperversion.. 1e turned on, and 5 !an tell you, 5.ve never been so turned on in my life. 5 was rea##y turned on. 5 was spread/eagled on the bed, lying on my ba!k, my arms and legs tied to the four posters. 5t was a very slow thing at first. 1e spent two hours at love play, the most intense love play, just letting it happen. Then, for a while, #ete lay down beside me, not doing anything, just talking to me, reminding me he was doing what he wanted to, that there wasn.t anything to worry about. Be!ause one of the things that always brought me down was worrying about stupid things, like whether or not 5 was responding the right way, worrying about how well 5 was making love. -inally, 5 went out of !ontrol 9 my fa!ial mus!les were twit!hing. 7y arms began to tingle, and 5 !ouldn.t move my hands 9 they felt as if they were paraly0ed. 5 remember feeling like it was just too mu!h, as if 5 would e2plode. 5 just !ouldn.t stand it. 5 started to !ry somewhere along the line, but #ete be!ame very frightened, so 5 brought it under some !ontrol. Then, when he got on top of me and we started fu!king, 5 knew it was going to happen and that nothing !ould stop it. 5t sounds silly, but 5 felt out in the universe 9 there.s this spiritual thing that happens on grass 9 and 5 saw myself out there surrounded by stars. Then 5 be!ame more aware of what my body was going 9 it began to !onvulse, up and down, in waves. 5 was half/!rying and half/!hoking. -inally 5 had this in!redible orgasm. 7y whole body was involved. 1hen 5 S!ame to. 5 assured #ete that 5 was okay, and then he did his own thing. This is definite#y an area deservin" more investi"ation, since, accordin" to Ginsey5s fi" res, two o t of five %merican women have diffic #ty reachin" or"asm d rin" the first two years after commencin" sex a# interco rse. But, perhaps, this resear!h has already been done, and favorable results have been found. That is, s!ien!e may not know about it be!ause the resear!hers have no degrees after their names and are all, by a!t of %ongress, !riminals . This hy!othesis, which is not intended as a :oke, wo #d ex!#ain how mari: ana "rew from a habit of a

few h ndred tho sand b#acks and >exican-%mericans in the 193)s to a !assion shared by somewhere between 3) and 7) mi##ion %mericans today. Hndo bted#y, there are many other factors to ex!#ain the astonishin" "rowth of the mari: ana habit. It has #on" been associated with :a.. and rock m sicians, and everybody has a tendency to imitate his artistic heroes= it !rod ces many am sin" and interestin" !erce!tions of a non-sex a# nat re= it is 0 s a##y1 chea!er than an a#coho# hi"h. 0This #ast ndo bted#y has a #ot to do with the weed5s !o! #arity in the "hettos.1 4everthe#ess, the "rowth trend is one of the most astonishin" s ccess stories of o r time, which any b sinessman wo #d be de#i"hted to c#aim for his !rod ct 9 it amo nts to aro nd +))) !ercent over a +)-year !eriod 9 and on#y some very dramatic and stron" a!!ea# can acco nt for that. 6eventy-three !ercent of the !ot sers in the >c@#othin-'est s rvey mentioned ear#ier stated that the chief reason they smoked the weed was to 7increase sex a# satisfaction8 and I am inc#ined to be#ieve them. >ore than !sychoana#ysis or >asters and Kohnson, mari: ana has shown mi##ions of %mericans that the sex act need not be the 7momentary trick8 scorned by 6hakes!eare, b t can become an event of cosmic "rande r.

INTERLUDE (ehind S+3+"3an D!!"): The S !"# !$ 5e!",e . Ma" ha

But to others, every say, STis foolish to talk of 1it!hes flying through the air. To do so they must be light as thistledown. And men say that 1it!hes all be so bleared/eyed, old !rones, so what pleasure !an there be at a 1it!h meeting su!h as folks talk onF And say, 7any wise men now say there be no su!h !reatures. 6ver make it a jest and in some future time, perhaps, the perse!ution may die and we may worship our &ods in safety again. - The Book of )hadows @eor"e is an en"ineer with one of the #ar"est cons #tin" en"ineerin" firms in the Hnited 6tates. ,e is ba#din", fiftyish and a conservative dresser. ,e and his wife, >artha, #ive in a s b rb of Fhi#ade#!hia, so conservative in its re! tation that radica#s sometimes se its name as a :okin" synonym for everythin" stod"y, timid, borin" and re!ressive. @eor"e arises every mornin", br shes his teeth, shaves caref ##y 9 a#tho "h bears worn on men his a"e and of !ort#y b i#d are becomin" $ asi-res!ectab#e a"ain, he does not care to "ive even the a!!earance of moderate individ a#ism 9 and drives to Fhi#ade#!hia. %## day he toi#s at the technica# detai#s invo#ved in !rod cin" new war toys for the Fenta"on to terrori.e its com!etitors and m rder its enemies. %t home, >artha does the ho sework, !erha!s "oes o t to a brid"e "ame with the other #adies of the nei"hborhood or writes occasiona# nat re !oetry that is ! b#ished often in the nice !re-%osmo sort of women5s ma"a.ines. They seem #ike the idea# 7midd#e %mericans,8 and they are acce!ted as s ch by a## their nei"hbors. 4at ra##y, there is more to @eor"e and >artha than a!!ears on the s rface 0or they wo #dn5t be in this book1. They have been smokin" !ot #on"er than anybody I know. >artha was t rned on by a former bea , and she t rned @eor"e on short#y after they were married. 7,e was a :a.. m sician,8 >artha said, when te##in" me of that a#most antedi# vian initiation. 7I was very artsy in those days. It was so #on" a"o we didn5t even have the word Tbeat "eneration.5 'e : st ca##ed o rse#ves bohemians.8 'hatever fears @eor"e may have had abo t the weed initia##y, he has been converted thoro "h#y over the years.

@enera##y, @eor"e and >artha smoke a#one, in their own bedroom, #ate at ni"ht. 7%nd I s!ray with three different air-fresheners afterwards,8 >artha adds with a smi#e. ;efore the 19+)s, @eor"e and >artha never worried m ch abo t bein" ca "ht. 4obody ! in that s b rban nest of &e! b#icans and sinners wo #d ever have s s!ected that s ch an exotic, non-Ca casian vice was bein" !racticed in their midst 9 not in the a"e of Tr man and Eisenhower. 7Those were the "ood o#d days,8 >artha says. 7It was o r #itt#e secret, and as #on" as the windows were ti"ht#y c#osed we never worried abo t a thin".8 'ith the advent of the 19+)s, thin"s chan"ed. 7Gids were "ettin" b sted on a## sides of s,8 @eor"e says. 7The co!s even bo "ht a !ot-sniffin" do". They5d wa#k aro nd the streets at ni"ht, and he5d bark when he sme##ed the f mes. Then they5d crash in. It was nconstit tiona#, of co rse, b t ! here anybody who mentions the Constit tion is re"arded as a Comm nist. 1( 'e ke!t o r mo ths sh t, and I bo "ht a## sorts of tricky #ocks and desi"ned some c te "immicks of my own.8 @eor"e may be, for a## I know, the inventor of the se#f-destr ct stash box= at #east he desi"ned one mode#. 4obody who breaks down their doors 9 knock or 7no-knock8 9 wi## ever find tan"ib#e evidence. 6ome carefree !otheads I know wo #d re"ard @eor"e as !aranoid 9 b t they don5t have :obs #ike his to !rotect. <or instance, @eor"e and >artha a#ways o!en a bott#e of whisky and take one sma## si! before t rnin" on. 6ho #d the co!s crash in some ni"ht, any arrest wi## hin"e on how 7hi"h8 @eor"e and >artha a!!ear to be since there wi## be no !hysica# evidence of mari: ana5s !resence. They, therefore, !#an to s!i## the whisky on the f#oor and act dr nk to mask the rea# ca se of their "#ow. @eor"e a#so made a s bstantia# contrib tion when the #oca# !o#ice force so#icited citi.ens to !ay the !rinter5s bi## on an antidr " !am!h#et to be distrib ted in the town hi"h schoo#. 7I fe#t kinda shitty abo t that,8 he admits. 7The !am!h#et was f ## of the most idiotic o#d 193)s mytho#o"y 9 the kids were bo nd to #a "h at it 9 b t at #east it "ave me an aven e to meet the #oca# narcotics officers and im!ress myse#f on them as a rea# strai"ht citi.en.8 @eor"e knows the va# e of ima"e, and ex!ects that the im!ression he #aid on them at that time wi## s#ow them down as m ch as his tricky #ocks 9 if they ever do decide on a b st. In one min te and forty seconds 9 he te##s me, havin" timed it 9 he can b rn a## the "rass in his se#f-destr ct box, and >artha can have s!rayed Fine, Trade 'inds and Lyso# a## over the room. The bedroom has its own s!ecia# bo#t #ock to s#ow the co!s down after they "et thro "h the front doors. It #ooks coo#. Eet, @eor"e is not satisfied. % methodica# man, he #ikes to a!!roach every cha##en"e in a scientific way. ,e ex!erimented for a whi#e with cookin" the weed ! in f d"es or brownies 9 7no f mes, no te##ta#e odors for that damn do" of theirs8 9 b t the se#f-destr ct box, which reaches 1)))U<. in 3) seconds, sti## #eaves traces behind when confections #ike f d"e or brownies are rammed into it. %nd he has ! rchased 7" aranteed dr "-free rine8 from a !#ace in ;o #der, and #earned eno "h sta"e ma"ic to esca!e the Fiss Fo#ice. @eor"e, c rio s#y, does not be#ieve mari: ana sho #d be #e"a#i.ed. <or that matter, he doesn5t be#ieve a#coho# !rohibition sho #d have been abandoned entire#y. 7The best system for all dr "s,8 he says, 7is the way the Canadians hand#e boo.e. It kee!s ab sers from becomin" a menace to the rest of s, and it a##ows mat re, res!onsib#e !eo!#e to make their own decisions witho t the state !#ayin" Aaddy-know-best with them.8 Hnder the Canadian system, a#coho# is on#y avai#ab#e in state stores, and yo need a #icense to b y it. If yo are arrested for bein" dr nk and disorder#y on the street, or if yo have an a to accident whi#e inebriated, the #icense is s s!ended for a time. 'ith re!eated infractions, the #icense may be taken away !ermanent#y. 7That5s the sane way to hand#e a## dr "s,8 @eor"e says. 7If !eo!#e want to "et stoned in their own homes, that5s their b siness and society has no #e"itimate concern in that matter. If they come o t on the streets and make themse#ves obnoxio s or ca se accidents, then society sho #d stif#e them. That5s a sim!#e, !ractica#, inte##i"ent distinction that even a five-year-o#d can nderstand. Frivate, non-invasive behavior is nobody5s b siness. Invasive or disr !tive behavior is everybody5s b siness. 'hat co #d be more c#earI8
14

;y the 199)s, of co rse, the H.6. "overnment no #on"er considered !eo!#e who showed res!ect for the Constit tion to be s s!ected %ommunists. Instead, s ch !eo!#e were considered s s!ected Terrorists.

? r society c rrent#y c#assifies an intoxicated individ a# as crimina# or non-crimina# entire#y on the basis of which dr " he sed to "et hi"h, irres!ective of whether he5s done any harm. @eor"e has to #ive nder the !resent #aws, and he is takin" "ood care not to be ca "ht in their web. 74o wonder so many kids are a#ienated and an"ry,8 >artha says. 7It5s #ike #ivin" in an occ !ied co ntry. I honest#y don5t fee# that anybody in !ower 9 the co!s, or the Con"ress or whoever 9 is my re!resentative. 6ometimes I fee# #ike I5m #ivin" in one of those o#d movies abo t ?cc !ied E ro!e from the 19()s.8 That is !recise#y how the ma:ority of !ot smokers fee#. If there are act a##y +),))),))) of them, as some estimates s ""est, they are the #ar"est minority "ro ! in the co ntry 0there are on#y 2),))),))) b#ack %mericans, by com!arison1 and, yet, they are #ivin" in a weird scenario strai"ht o t of the <rench Hnder"ro nd. 0Their !hone conversations can be hi#ario sJ 7Hh, 6amI This is ;i##.8 7?h, hi, ;i##. 'hat5s ha!!enin"I8 7Hh, Char#ie : st "ot back from h Texas and he5s brin"in" over some interestin" >exican !ooking ustensils.8 7Cookin" stensi#sI... Ch* 5 see. Ees, I5d be interested in "ettin" some for my pottery co##ection.8 7Eo "ot the messa"e, baby.8 7I5## be ri"ht over.81 >artha and @eor"e have so#ved the s !!#y !rob#em in a manner ty!ica# of their ca tio s a!!roach to #awbreakin". Their c rrent dea#er is a niversity st dent whose co##e"e is in a town severa# mi#es from their own s b rb. Th s, amon" the myriad !ot-smokin" yo n" !eo!#e in their own town, there is not one who has ever so#d to them, or has any other way of knowin" that they b#ow the weed. 4o matter how many b sts take !#ace on b#ocks north, east, so th or west of them, their name wi## never a!!ear in anybody5s confession. @eor"e was both !ro d and shy when he ran down this #ist of !reca tions for me. ,e was !ro d of the metic #o s care of detai# that he and >artha exhibited, b t he was shy for fear that I mi"ht have re"arded him as !aranoid. I didn5t. It is my fee#in" that the federa# "overnment has "rown to s ch #eviathan !ro!ortions since <A& that anybody who isn5t !aranoid m st be on heavy tran$ i#i.ers. @eor"e and >artha have never tried L6A or any of the !sychede#ics. 7I don5t care m ch abo t @od and that mystic st ff,8 @eor"e says b# nt#y when asked abo t this. 7I "et far eno "h o t of "rass,8 >artha adds 9 and $ otes one of her nat re !oems to !rove it. @eor"e has other reasons. 7% : nkie,8 @eor"e says, 7has no choice. ,e5s hooked. ; t somebody who isn5t an addict, somebody who has the freedom say Tyes5 or Tno,5 has to be cra.y to take a !i## or !owder admitted#y man fact red i##e"a##y and ! t it in his mo th. There is : st no way of knowin" what yo 5re "ettin".8 In short, @eor"e and >artha are the idea#, we##-ad: sted co !#e of fo#k#ore 9 exce!t for their mari: ana. %nd one other secret. It took me a whi#e to discover this 9 : st as, ear#ier, it had taken a year of friendshi! before the !rivate !ot habit was revea#ed. 0To this day, I am convinced that they to#d me abo t that beca se they had ho!es that I, a writer with a beard, mi"ht a#so be dea#in" on the side.1 ?ne bri"ht, fine 6at rday in %!ri#, abo t the midd#e of the second year of o r friendshi!, I ha!!ened to dro! by their ho se and sat and had a few beers with @eor"e. %fter a whi#e, the beer havin" nder"one its s a# chemica# transformation in !assin" thro "h the 'i#son "ot, I exc sed myse#f and went !stairs to the bathroom. ?n my way back, I "ot t rned aro nd and started in the wron" direction. I fo nd myse#f in @eor"e and >artha5s bedroom. There, on the wa##, twice as bi" as #ife and !ainted in the most "arish co#ors ima"inab#e, the co ntenance of the c rrent !o!e "#ared down at me. ,e a#so #ooked down, I noticed, direct#y !on the bed. ,e had a testy, disa!!rovin" ex!ression 9 s ch as if often fo nd in Catho#ic !aintin"s of saints 9 as if he were abo t to ex!#ain for the tho sandth time that, no, yo can5t se contrace!tives even tho "h yo a#ready have 12 kids, >rs. > r!hy. %nd 9 I noted for the second time 9 he seemed to be starin" strai"ht at the bed.

7%re yo a Catho#icI8 I asked @eor"e #ater that day. 7Ex-Catho#ic,8 he said. 7Lery ex. I don5t "ive a damn for a## that misty-mystic b#ah-b#ah. I "o to the E!isco!a# ch rch here occasiona##y, b t : st for a!!earances. The atomic theory ex!#ains a## the !hi#oso!hica# $ estions 5 ever wanted to ask.8 'e##, there yo have his word for it. If I had !ressed him abo t the !ict re of the !o!e, he !robab#y wo #d have said he bo "ht it at an a ction or a r mma"e sa#e or somethin" #ike that, : st beca se it seemed h moro s or cam!y in its horrib#e co#ors and sanctimonio s ex!ression. ?h, yes, I5m s re that5s the ex!#anation 9 at #east the conscio s one. ; t the !o!e stares down at the bed, and his !io s face witnesses whatever varieties of !ot-ins!ired, acrobatic sex @eor"e and >artha may en:oy. I tho "ht of the theme of the !arents witnessin" and a!!rovin" sex a# interco rse 9 a theme very common in !orno"ra!hy and ris$ V :okes. 07'hat yo and >arie doin" in the #ivin" room, ;enitoI8 7'e5re f ckin5, >aR8 7That5s-a nice, don5t fi"ht.81 <re dians te## s that this theme is so !o! #ar beca se the desire to !erform sex a##y in front of the a thorities fi" res is act a##y $ ite wides!read, b t on a s bconscio s #eve#. %nd there are those char"es, mentioned a"ain and a"ain in the witch tria#s of medieva# E ro!e 0and in , ysman5s nove# of 19-th Cent ry diabo#ism, 4a/Bas1, that the witches wo #d se Christian ima"es in their rites and em!#oy them as sex a# rece!tac#es in their or"ies. 6ome of these confessions were extracted by tort re, b t some of them m st have been "en ine. The witches a#so sed dr "s 0the henbane and be##adonna mentioned ear#ier1 that brin" b ried s bconscio s materia# ! into the conscio s mind. Every sma## boy who has written 7f ck yo 8 on a fence was actin" on the same im! #se, to force the a thorities to confront that which they c#aim to hate, that which 0we a## secret#y be#ieve1 they # st after : st as hot#y as the rest of s. %nd so, o t there behind s b rban doors, @eor"e and >artha r n thro "h the "am t of Gama 6 tra !ositions 0or so I ima"ine it, in my own ndo bted#y #ewd mind1 and the smoke of 6hiva fi##s the air, and the !o!e #ooks down on a## of it, b t cannot s!eak or ob:ect in any way. %nd, then, his rebe##ion acted o t and cathartica##y dischar"ed for a few days or a week, @eor"e rises in the mornin", dresses in his midd#e-c#ass niform, and :oins the terra!in m #tit de of other cars drivin" toward the city and the dai#y tasks of conformity and res!onsibi#ity. Take away the !ot and the !ict re of the !o!e and who knows what other form of rebe##ion 0!o#itica#I c #t ra#I !sychoticI1 @eor"e and >artha mi"ht attem!t next, to !rove to themse#ves that they are individ a#s with free wi##s and not : st actors in a bo r"eois scri!t a thored by Ar. La ra 6ch#essin"er.

= P!'de") 2hi e . Dead1#

/ )o this was the dope that woolied the !ad that kinked the ru!k that noised the rape that tried the sap that hugged the mortF / That legged in the hoa2 that joke bilked. - Kames Koyce, -innegans 1ake Cocaine has the most #icentio s re! tation of any chemica#, and !robab#y deserves it. Hsers ta#ks more of a 7f#ash8 than a 7hi"h8 and a## attem!ts to describe the 7f#ash8 so nd very m ch #ike a descri!tion of or"asm. In fact, cocaine has been sed as an enhancer or booster of sex since at #east the 129)s. %#eister Crow#ey wrote of it, with se#f-mockin" ra!t reJ )tab your demonia! smile to my brain )oak me in !ogna!, !unt and !o!aine. 8eart of my heart, !ome out of the rain 4et.s have another go of !o!aine Always go on till you have to stop 4et.s have another sniffF Cver the top*

The effects are a#most invariab#y described in or"asmic #an" a"e by sers, and it is tem!tin" to be#ieve that cocaine is, in some way, a stim #ator of the same centers that res!ond to sex a# char"e and dischar"e. <or instance, the b#ack a thor who writes nder the name 7Iceber" 6#im8 described his first in:ection of coke as fo##ows, in his book #imp: The )tory of 7y 4ifeJ 5 shivered when it daggered in$ 5t was like a ton of nitro e2ploded inside me. 7y ti!ker went berserk. 5 !ould feel it !lawing up my throat. 5t was like 5 had a million swipes in every pore from head to toe. 5t was like they were all !o!!in" off together in a nerve/ shredding c#imax$ 5t was like 5 had been blown apart and all that was left were my eyes. Then tiny !rick#y feet of ecstasy started dan!ing through me$ 5 felt a superman.s surge of power. The same or"asm-#ike sensations, and the same sense of s !erh man !ower, are re!orted, a#most monotono s#y, in cocaine #iterat re the wor#d ro nd. The Fer vian Indians say of erthro2ylon !o!a, the b sh from which this !otent !otion is derived, 7@od is a s bstanceR8 The >exican dea#er in the fi#m, 6asy (ider, when he se##s the white !owder to Feter <onda, says !ro d#yJ 6sta es la Lida* 0It is the LifeR1 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, the !oet of !sycho-!harmaco#o"y, says with sim!#e awe, 7It is the most exhi#aratin" of a## dr "s.8 In essence, the cocaine ser fee#s, after the or"asm-#ike f#ash, a #on" after"#ow 0sometimes three ho rs #on"1 d rin" which it seems a#most im!ossib#e to be fri"htened, de!ressed or in any way defeated. 6ome cokeheads hit a"ain in a ha#f ho r, or even sooner, to ma"nify this after"#ow. 'hatever ha!!ens, the ser is, at this sta"e, master of the sit ation. ,ence, in ancient Fer , the coca #eaf was the symbo# of the roya# fami#y, the Incas, and myth c#aimed that chi#dren of the s n had "iven this !#ant to h manity 7to ca se the nha!!y to for"et their misery.8 'ith chronic se, as we sha## see, the effects are not $ ite so #ove#y. It is worth mentionin", however, that cocaine can be an extreme#y dan"ero s dr " even witho t over se or habit ation. Lar"e doses may have a direct, toxic action on the heart m sc#e and res #t in immediate death from cardiac fai# re. &emember that 0write this 1))) times before yo start ex!erimentin"1 death in su!h !ases !omes too rapidly to permit any effe!tive !ounter/therapy to be administered. 0If yo must try this kick, memori.e a tab#e of wei"hts and meas res and #earn how to se them. Eo r #ife may de!end on it.1 The effects of cocaine ab se have a#ready been described, brief#y, in Cha!ter ?ne, and wi## now be disc ssed f rther. ?ne of its most characteristic side effects, c rio s#y, is the we##-known 7coke b "s8 renowned in nder"ro nd #ore for at #east 9) years. These are tiny s!ots in the vis a# fie#d, movin" in a !ec #iar#y 7swarmin"8 fashion, and re"arded as insects by most !eo!#e s fferin" their !resence. In ac te cases, the 7b "s8 are not on#y seen b t fe#t, and seem to be under the skin of the victim. C rio s#y, heavy se of ;en.edrine or other am!hetamine com!o nds sometimes !rod ces the same vision. Tr ck drivers, who often hit the ;en.edrine trai# very hard on #on" tri!s, know that it is time to sto! by the side of the road and rec !erate when the 7s!iders8 s dden#y a!!ear on the windshie#d. It is !ossib#e that these s!ecks are inside the eye and s a##y i"nored 0one can see them in a c#ear sky witho t any dr " if one re#axes the body and #ooks !ward #on" eno "h1= these stim #ant dr "s seem to brin" the s!ecs into shar!er foc s. Even more c rio s#y, !atients who have com!#eted !ro#on"ed &eichian !sychothera!y often see them witho t dr "s, and they a!!ear b# e in this context b t move in the same 7swarmin"8 !attern= in this case, they are identified with the 7or"one8 ener"y !ost #ated by Ar. &eich. <ina##y, st dents of yo"a often see them whi#e doin" pranayama, the heavy breathin" sed in hatha 9 and ra:a-yo"a. 'hy they a!!ear as beni"n whor#s of ener"y in the &eichian or yo"ic context, and as maddenin"#y irritatin" insects in the context of cocaine or am!hetamine, is sti## a mystery. 115

These 7b "s8 or 7or"ones8 seem to be re#atives of the "eometric #i"ht dis!#ays witnessed by !eo!#e on !eyote or its derivative, mesca#ine. They a#so a!!ear in sensory withdrawa# ex!eriments, in which the s b:ect is s bmer"ed in a tank of water and iso#ated from a## o tside stim #i= indeed, on sta"e of sensory withdrawa#= is ca##ed 7mesca#ine8 by the researchers beca se of its simi#arity. %#an '. 'atts has s ""ested that what is ha!!enin" in these cases is that the e#ectrica# !atterns in the brain itse#f are bein" !ro:ected o tward. Ferha!s= b t see, a#so, the #ady in the #ast cha!ter, who fo nd herse#f amid 7the stars8 whi#e havin" an or"asm nder the inf# ence of mari: ana. The vision of 4 it, the E"y!tian "oddess of the ni"ht sky and the stars, is the "oa# of %#eister Crow#ey5s sex ma"ic, and he recorded in his most emotiona##y satisfyin" vision that the niverse was 74othin", with twink#es 9 b t what twink#esR8 Thro "h s ch odd re!orts we mi"ht event a##y trace an nderstandin" of how bioe#ectricity converts into tho "ht and mind.

There are worse effects than 7coke b "s8 for the cocaine ab ser. 6ym!toms very simi#ar to those of !aranoid schi.o!hrenia 9 a#most identica# with them, in fact 9 often a!!ear. 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, for exam!#e, te##s of a friend who "ot the co!!er horrors 0visions of !o#icemen1 whi#e sniffin" too m ch coke. K st #ike a madman in a :oke, this fe##ow ran into the a##ey and hid his head in a "arba"e can, evident#y convinced that this made him tota##y invisib#e. 0%"ain, the #o"ic of am!hetamine is simi#ar. Ae&o!!, in 'rugs and the 7ind, te##s of a tr ck driver who took so m ch ;en.edrine that he became convinced 7;enny8 was drivin" the tr ck and therefore craw#ed into the back to have a na!. 7;enny8 drove him into a ditch, b t he s rvived to te## the ta#e.1 The E*ic !$ C!caine The most memorab#e acco nt of cocaine as both a !rovoker of ecstasy and a stim #ator of madness is ndo bted#y %#eister Crow#ey5s The 'iary of a 'rug -iend, which was the s b:ect of a cam!ai"n of incredib#e vi#ification in the En"#ish !ress when it was ! b#ished in 192). 3ohn Bull and simi#ar ri"ht-win" mora#istic tab#oids deno nced Crow#ey in terms that have c# n" to his re! tation !ermanent#y= some of their charmin" head#ines were 7% Canniba# at Lar"e,8 7% >an 'e5d Like to ,an",8 7The 'ickedest >an in the 'or#d,8 and 0in somethin" of an anti-c#imax1 7% Fro-@erman and a &evo# tionary.8 The nove#, in today5s context, hard#y seems to deserve s ch a shar! res!onse, a#tho "h it is sti## somewhat controversia#. %s an nder"ro nd favorite since it was written, it has !#ayed a decided ro#e in deve#o!in" the !hi#oso!hy or mysti$ e of the Ar " &evo# tion. Crow#ey5s !rota"onist is named 6ir Feter Fendra"on, a name which im!#ies that he is descended from the ori"ina# roya# fami#y of Gin" %rth r of the &o nd Tab#e. % yo n" man who once wanted to be an en"ineer, 6ir Feter received his kni"hthood and a sma## fort ne when his nc#e died. The money t rned him into an em!ty-headed wastre#. In the first cha!ter, 6ir Feter dro!s in on a London ni"htc# b, meets a midd#e-a"ed :et-setter who offers him some cocaine, and decides to sam!#e the dr ". K st as the f#ash hits him, a bea tif # yo n" woman named Lo enters and chants a @nostic hymn ty!ica# of Crow#ey5s odd re#i"iosityJ C Thou red !obra of desire, that art unhooded by the hands of girls* 5 adore Thee, 6voe* 5 adore Thee, 5AC* C Thou burning sword of passion, that art torn on the anvil of flesh* 5 adore Thee, 6voe* 5 adore Thee, 5AC* C Thou snow/white !hali!e of 4ove, that art filled up with the red lusts of man* 5 adore Thee, 6voe* 5 adore Thee, 5AC* C Thou naked virgin of love, that art !aught in a net of roses* 5 adore Thee, 6voe* 5 adore Thee, 5AC* C Thou sparkling wine/!up of light, whose foaming is the heart.s blood of the stars* 5 adore Thee, 6voe* 5 adore Thee, 5AC*"D 6ir Feter, fortified by a few more sniffs of cocaine, dances with the bea tif # Lo as she sin"s severa# more chor ses of this hi"h#y erotic and hi"h#y mystica# chant. %s they whir# across the f#oor in a dance of co rtshi! 0they haven5t s!oken to each other yet= she is sti## sin"in" the @nostic hymn1, the cocaine hits a"ain and a"ain. 7I had ex!#oded,8 6ir Feter writesJ 5 was the slayer and the slain*... 1e were the only two people in the niverse 9 she and 5. The only for!e that e2isted in the niverse was the attra!tion between us$ 1e went up and down the floor of the !lub, but, of !ourse, it wasn.t the floor of the !lub, there wasn.t the !lub$ Cne was the niverse, eternally whirling. There was no possibility of fatigue$ 'ithin a few ho rs, !ickin" ! some more cocaine on the way, 6ir Feter and Lo are off on a tri! to <rance in his !rivate air!#ane. ,e has no idea whether he can f#y whi#e nder the inf# ence of the dr ", b t he sees no reason not to tryJ -or the first time in my life 5 was being absolutely myself, freed from all inhibitions of body, intelle!t and training$ 5 seem to remember asking myself if 5 was insane and
16

The name 6voe is a#so sed for the horned "od 0FanI1 in the contem!orary witch c #t, b t this is beca se Crow#ey wrote their rit a#s for them 0and was handsome#y !aid for it, by @era#d @ardner1. 5AC is the @nostic name for the s !reme divinity, who created Kehovah and a## the other "ods in the archety!a# wor#d, who there !on created the materia# wor#d.

answering, Cf !ourse 5 am 9 sanity is a !ompromise. )anity is the thing that keeps one ba!k. ,is mystica# identification with Lo s!reads to inc# de the air!#ane and the skyJ 7I co #d hear the beat of my heart. It was one with the beat of the en"ine3 I co #d not bear the wei"ht of the air. Let s soar hi"her, ever hi"her. I increased the s!eed38 6ir Feter soon discovers that, in his cocaine enth siasm, he had for"otten to check the f e#. Even when the en"ine sta##s, however, his on#y tho "ht is that he can hand#e the sit ation 9 s !erman that he is 9 if on#y he takes another snort of cocaine firstJ As we swooped down toward the sea in huge wide spirals, 5 managed to e2tra!t my bottle. Cf !ourse, 5 reali0ed instantly the impossibility of taking it by the nose in su!h a wind. 5 pulled out the !ork, and thrust my tongue into the ne!k of the bottle. 1e were still three thousand feet or more above the sea. 5 had plenty of time, infinite time, 5 thought, as the drug took hold, to make my de!ision. 5 a!ted with superb aplomb$ ,e mana"ed a $ ite creditab#e #andin" at sea, sti## hi"h and e !horic. They are then !icked ! by a <rench fishin" boat and r sh on to Faris, where they are married and embark on a honeymoon, after obtainin" some more cocaine, of co rse. %fter severa# weeks of ecstatic sex and cocaine 0treated in e !hemism= Crow#ey was writin" for ;ritish ! b#ications in 192)1, the coke brin"down be"ins to hit. %t this !oint, a kind#y friend introd ces them to heroin 9 : st the !erfect sedative for cocaine nerves. ;esides, 6ir Feter and Lo are $ ite convinced by now that a## the warnin"s abo t cocaine bein" addictive are : st nonsense, so why sho #d they be#ieve the same f ddy-f ddy medica# a thorities when they say that heroin is addictiveI The first !art of the book is #abe#ed 7Faradise8= we now enter ;ook Two, which is ca##ed 7Inferno.8 6ir Feter rea#i.es one day that they have sed ! his year5s ann ity on his fort ne= he had to face the h mi#iation of borrowin" ahead on it from the #awyer who mana"es the estate. ,e a#so rea#i.es, short#y, that he and Lo are $ ite definite#y addicted to heroin, : st as the f ddyd ddy doctors had warned. The dec#ine thereafter is di..i#y swift. In a few cha!ters, Feter and Lo arrive at a kin" of mo#e-#ike existence on his co ntry estate, stretchin" o t his money to !ay for ecstatic cocaine trances to cheer them !0and stave off the "rowin" horror of their sit ation1, to"ether with a steady diet of heroin 0to ca#m them down and ho#d back the a"onies of withdrawa# that they have a#ready ex!erienced a few times1. There is #itt#e additiona# cash for food or simi#ar distractions. Lo is soon !rostit tin" herse#f, and 6ir Feter, nder the inf# ence of the cocaine, has become convinced that @erman a"ents are sk #kin" abo t the h "e ho se !#ottin" a"ainst them. ;oth are very c#ose to the c#inica# stat s of ! re !aranoid schi.o!hrenia. Event a##y, in a moment of terrib#e c#arity, they rea#i.e exact#y where they are at. They attem!t s icide 9 ns ccessf ##y. In the third, and most controversia# !art of the book, 7F "atorio,8 Feter and Lo attem!t a c re nder the a s!ices of a mysterio s ma"ician named Gin" Lam s 9 a thin#y dis" ised !ortrait of Crow#ey himse#f. %t the %bbey of The#ema 0based on an act a# re#i"io s retreat once r n by Crow#ey in 6ici#y1, Feter and Lo are ! t in a sit ation where a## the cocaine and heroin they can !ossib#y want is immediate#y and easi#y avai#ab#e on them. Gin" Lam s te##s them, sin" Crow#ey5s favorite s#o"an, 7Ao what tho wi#t sha## be the who#e of the #aw.8 There is a "immick, of co rse. In fact, there are severa# "immicks. The abbey, a#tho "h hard#y as a stere as a Christian monastery, is $ ite iso#ated from civi#i.ation= Feter and Lo are soon confronted with the most nderrated b t !owerf # force in the wor#d 9 boredom. There are no movies, no ni"htc# bs or other distractions. 'hen they com!#ain, Gin" Lam s te##s them a"ain, 7Ao what tho wi#t sha## be the who#e of the #aw.8 They soon discover that, in s!ite of their hedonistic existence, they have never act a##y done their 7wi##8 in a !rofo nd sense, b t have on#y fo##owed momentary whims. Iso#ated at the abbey, they are forced to ask themse#ves, a"ain and a"ain, what they tr #y do 7wi##8 for their s bse$ ent #ives. >eanwhi#e, a#tho "h Lam s ref ses to ever s!eak a word a"ainst cocaine or heroin, and ses a variety of dr "s himse#f at vario s times, Feter and Lo are re$ ired, as a condition of membershi! in the abbey, to kee! caref # records of their !sycho#o"ica# and s!irit a# !ro"ress. 6!ecifica##y, they can se as m ch do!e as they want, b t on each occasion they m st write in their record book why they sed the dr " on this !artic #ar occasion. % "en ine and $ ite rationa#

distaste for dr " excess ex!erience this as a mora# $ i#t, and end#ess#y re!eats his s#o"an abo t 7Ao what tho wi#t,8 sometimes varied to 7<ind yo r Tr e 'i## and fo##ow it.8 Crow#ey !rovides, accidenta##y, a bitter#y bri##iant insi"ht into the mind of the addict in the #ist of reasons for contin in" to take heroin. %mon" them areJ 1. >y co "h is very bad this mornin"3 3. I can5t s#ee! witho t it. (. I can5t kee! awake witho t it. -. I m st be at my very best to do what I have to do. If I can brin" that off, I need never take it a"ain. +. I m st show I am master of it 9 free to say either 7yes8 or 7no.8 %nd I m st be !erfect#y s re by sayin" 7yes8 at this moment. >y ref sa# to take it at the moment shows weakness3 2. It is dan"ero s to sto! too s dden#y3 1). It is very bad for the mind to be constant#y !reocc !ied with the $ estion of the dr ". It is better to take a sma## dose and rid myse#f of the obsession. 19. >ost of s di" o r "raves with o t teeth. ,eroin had destroyed my a!!etite, therefore it is "ood for me. 2). I have "otten into a## sorts of messes with women in the !ast. ,eroin has destroyed my interest in them. 2-. I am fee#in" very, very rotten and a very, very #itt#e wo #d make me fee# so very, very "ood3 2+. 'e can5t sto! whi#e we have it 9 the tem!tation is too stron". The best way is to finish it. 'e !robab#y won5t be ab#e to "et any more, so we take it in order to sto! takin" it. 27. 36 !!ose I take a## this !ain to sto! dr "s and then "et cancer or somethin" ri"ht away, what a foo# I sha## fee#R The on#y dr " I have ever been addicted to was nicotine, which I have $ it five times in the #ast 2) years. 6!eakin" from ex!erience, I m st say that Crow#ey has "reat nderstandin" of the addict menta#ity and the way the bio#o"ica# need for the dr " can "enerate 7reasons8 that a#most seem rationa# at the time. 'ritin" down the reasons for takin" another ci"arette, Crow#ey fashion, I have fo nd is a rea# he#! in reco"ni.in" their se#f-deceivin" $ a#ity and rea##y $ ittin". The c#imax comes when 6ir Feter, driven into extreme stress by boredom in nre#ieved doses, and findin" himse#f #ess and #ess en:oyin" his dr "s as the ho##owness of the above reasons becomes c#earer and c#earer, wakes ! one afternoon to rea#i.e he has been desi"nin" a new air!#ane en"ine a## day. Lam s then te##s him that he didn5t s!eak to anybody d rin" # nch and that he was a#most in the same sort of trance as any 7ho#y man8 in the ?rient. %ccordin" to Lam s 0and Crow#ey1, this is the meanin" of 7doin" one5s wi##,8 and it is not a#ways a re#i"io s ex!erience as we are s a##y to#d. 4ot on#y a scientist, b t a b sinessman or virt a##y anyone who is tr #y 7entranced8 by a !ro:ect achieves some variety of the same menta# connection and transcendence of the s a# e"o han"- !s. 6ir Feter, in short, had the 7tr e wi##8 of an en"ineer, b t the inheritance that made him rich "ave him ne"ative, !!er-c#ass attit des toward #earnin" a !rofession. Er"o, iso#ated from his own wi##, he drifted from one !oint#ess !#eas re to another, nti# heroin "ot its hooks into him and then he drifted toward se#f-destr ction. 0The same, Crow#ey wo #d !robab#y insist, acco nts for !eo!#e who are born with the tr e wi## of an en"ineer b t are too !oor to afford en"ineerin" schoo#= they, too, can become addicts easi#y.1 ,avin" fo nd his tr e wi##, 6ir Feter does not need heroin. Lo , women5s #iberationists wi## be enra"ed to hear, a#so finds her tr e wi##, b t it consists of bein" a "ood wife to her !revio s#y sim!#e-minded h sband in his new " ise as scientific "eni s. Gin" Lam s draws the mora# of the story, $ otin" from Crow#ey5s own Book of the 4aw, in which the "oddess 4 it says, 7To worshi! me take wine and stran"e dr "s whereof I wi## te## my !ro!het and be dr nk thereof. They sha## not harm thee at a##.8 %fter admittin" that this mi"ht 7tem!t !eo!#e to be foo#hardy,8 Lam s saysJ $if you read it !arelessly and a!t on it rashly, with the blind faith of a fanati!, it might very well lead to trouble. But nature is full of devi!es for eliminating anything that !annot master its environment$ The only e2!use for using a drug of any sort, whether it.s :uinine or 6psom/salt, is to assist nature to over!ome some obsta!le to her proper

fun!tions. The danger of the so/!alled habit/forming drugs is that they fool you into trying to dodge the toil essential to spiritual and intelle!tual development. But they are not simply man/traps. There is nothing in nature whi!h !annot be used for our benefit, and it is up to us to use it wisely$ And every man and every woman is a star. The taking of a drug should be !arefully thought/out and purposeful religious a!t. 62perien!e alone !an tea!h you the right !onditions in whi!h the a!t is legitimate, that is, when it will assist you to do your will. This is, of co rse, the a!!roach taken in those societies that have so "ht to contro# dr "s by makin" them sacred and ! ttin" them in a re#i"io s context, as distin" ished from those c #t res that seek to contro# them by !assin" #aws a"ainst them. Faradoxica# as Crow#ey5s reasonin" may so nd to most of s, many anthro!o#o"ists have a"reed that dr "s are act a##y #ess of a socia# !rob#em in the former context than in the #atter. %t the end of the book, 6ir Feter and Lo ret rn to En"#and where he !#ans to b i#d a #aboratory and contin e his research and ex!eriments on air!#ane motors. They have no more desire for heroin, b t, ty!ica# of Crow#ey5s attit des, they contin e to se cocaine occasiona##y in a re#i"io s-erotic context. 3ohn Bull and other tab#oids deno nced this nove# as an attem!t to sed ce En"#and into irres!onsib#e dr " ab se, and im!#ied that Crow#ey was !aid for this dirty work by the @erman ,i"h Command. 0%ct a##y, the first oath re$ ired for candidates for the ?rdo Tem!#i ?rientis, Crow#ey5s 7ma"ic8 freemasonic society, was 7I wi## never a##ow myse#f to be mastered by any force or any !erson,8 and it was ex!#icit#y stated to the novice that this oath inc# ded drink and dr "s.1 Crow#ey5s idea, however, #ives on. &es!onsib#e se of dr "s in a re#i"io s settin", as an a#ternative to !rohibitive #aws that are vio#ated wide#y, is sti## r"ed by !ersons as diverse as !oet &obert @raves, !hi#oso!her %#an 'atts, Ar. Kohn Li##y, Ar. , m!hrey ?sm nd, Ar. , ston 6mith, nove#ist Gen Gesey, and many others= and the conservatives sti## re!#y that to ado!t s ch a !o#icy wi## #ead to reck#ess ab se and chaos. They seem not to have observed that the !rohibitive #aws they s !!ort have a#ready !rod ced !recise#y those res #ts a#on" with more crime, more vio#ence, and more !o#ice corr !tion. He"!in: T"eache"!+) An id! e ,eroin ins!ires more s !erstitio s terror than any other dr ", and 9 a#tho "h there are "ood reasons for stayin" far, far away from it 9 we m st admit that m ch of the terror is based on mytho#o"y. <or one thin", there are very few heroin addicts aro nd, and, bein" afraid of them is, #itera##y, bein" afraid of a "ro ! that we o tn mber by odds of ()) to 1. To ! t it mi#d#y, that is not very brave of s. It is es!ecia##y o#d-maidish since, of a## dr "s sers, heroin : nkies tend to be the most !assive, #ethar"ic and non-a""ressive. They are, in a word, m ch more afraid of s than we are of them. The re#ations between the : nkie and the strai"ht citi.en are, in fact, rather #ike the o#d comedy ro tine in which two fri"htened individ a#s kee! tryin" to terrori.e each other whi#e act a##y backin" away from a fi"ht. 'eird mytho#o"y abo t heroin addicts is be#ieved wide#y, and !art of it 0as Ar. &obert Ae&o!! has !ointed o t1 is based on conf sion between heroin and cocaine. ;oth are white !owders= both are sometimes ca##ed 7snow8, both can be sniffed or in:ected with a need#e= both !rovide a $ ick hit fo##owed by a s#ow after"#ow. ?n this basis, a #e"endary com!osite 7do!e fiend8 has been created to ha nt the ni"htmares of the strai"ht citi.enry. The on#y rea# #ink is that cocaine is, sometimes, a kind of 7s#ee!in" stone8 to heroin, for reasons disc ssed ear#ier. 0In act a# fact, however, heroin seems more c#ose#y a##ied to a#coho#, in that heavy boo.e drinkers, accordin" to a Hniversity of Ca#ifornia st dy, are more #ike#y to become heroin addicts than are heavy ab sers of cocaine, mari: ana or any other dr "= and recent 4ew Eork st dies have shown that a si"nificant minority of heroin addicts, after a methadone withdrawa# !ro"ram, become a#coho#ics. %#coho# and heroin are turn/off dr "s, tendin" to move the ser toward tor!or or ob#ivion, whereas cocaine, !ot, the am!hetamines, and even the L6A-ty!e !sychede#ics, whatever their other $ a#ities, a## tend to be turn/ons, movin" the ser toward excitation or even hy!er-excitation.1 The cocaine ser is often sex a##y stim #ated= the heroin ser never is. The cocaine ser a#most a#ways sniffs, a#tho "h he can in:ect= the heroin ser a#most a#ways in:ects, a#tho "h he

can sniff. The cocaine ab ser, as his habit becomes chronic, t rns $ asi-!aranoid and hosti#e= the heroin ab ser, as his habit becomes an addiction, t rns increasin"#y !assive, tor!id, withdrawn or 7on the nod,8 in addicts5 :ar"on. %bove a##, the cocaine ser, however heavy his habit, s ffers not tr e !hysio#o"ica# withdrawa# if he discontin es the dr " 9 a#tho "h he is often de!ressed and, sometimes, ha## cinatory= the heroin addict s ffers s ch a hideo s withdrawa# syndrome 9 inc# din" m sc #ar conv #sions, vomitin" and diarrhea 9 that to ca se a man to become addicted and then c t off his s !!#y is the cr e#est tort re ima"inab#e. Even here, however, the e#ement of mytho#o"y tin"es o r !ict re of the : nkie. ,eroin withdrawa# is, indeed, terrib#e, b t it is not necessari#y the worst form of dr " withdrawa#. 6ome a thorities s s!ect that withdrawa# from barbit rate addiction is even more stressf #, and this is indicated by the fact that there are hard#y any records of heroin : nkies act a##y dyin" of withdrawa# syndrome 0a#tho "h they often wish for death1. ;arbit rate addicts, however, often die in the same circ mstances, n#ess they receive caref # medica# attention. 0'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs has noted that his one barbit rate withdrawa# was more a"oni.in" than his 11 heroin withdrawa#s.1 6ome #ower-#eve# crimina#s have been known to sniff cocaine before "oin" o t on a ho#d!, to boost their nerve= in !o! #ar #ore this has been transferred, very inacc rate#y, to the heroin addict. In fact, a shot of heroin wo #d !robab#y ind ce the mood to #ie aro nd in his !ad and !ost!one the robbery indefinite#y 0or nti# he needs money for another fix1. 6imi#ar#y, cocaine ab sers are often irrationa##y vio#ent and attack their friends, or tota# stran"ers, witho t a!!arent motive. 0This is beca se they know that the victim has act a##y been !#ottin" a"ainst them.1 ,eroin addicts are abo t the most nonvio#ent citi.ens aro nd o tside of the D akers. As the heroin hit home, a bolt of energy shot through him. All fear was gone, he was a &od, and nothing !ould stand in his way. A!ross the street, a young girl walked toward the park. 4ur!hing to his feet, he headed for the door, unable and unwilling to !ontrol the lust that had surged through him at the sight of her$ That kind of c#ichV, which sed to be endemic in tr e-detective ma"a.ines and tab#oids, is tter r bbish. 8eroin addi!ts are always impotent= or, if there are any exce!tions to this r #e, they are few and far between. They never become 7hi"h8 in the sense that !ot smokers, s!eed freaks, cokeheads or even boo.eho nds become 7hi"h.8 ;asica##y, they behave #ike nobody so m ch as yo r % nt >ati#da since the doctor ! t her on heavy tran$ i#i.ers. ,eroin is, indeed, a heavy tran$ i#i.er itse#f. He"!in . Se7 %s Ar. ,offman notes in his %omprehensive #sy!hologyJ Cver and over again one hears addi!ts des!ribe the effe!ts of their inje!tion in se2ual terms. Cne addi!t said that after a fi2 he felt as if he were !oming from every pore. Another said that he used to inje!t the solution in a rhythmi! fashion until it was all used up, and said this was akin to masturbation albeit mu!h better. In fact, the rhythmic manner of in:ection is act a##y ca##ed jerking off in %merican addict circ#es, accordin" to &abbi Kose!h &osenb#oom, writin" in The (eporter in 19-9. I once knew a yo n" woman from 6an <rancisco who, in describin" to me how two ma#e addicts she knew sed to in:ect each other, said, 7The way they !#ayed with the need#es and c# cked and f ssed, it was : st #ike a sex a# act. %s if they were a !air of fa"s.8 The <re dians, of co rse, ass me that some variety of sex a# misery is what ca ses addiction in the first !#ace. Like most <re dians theories, this is ndo bted#y oversim!#ified, since it i"nores the fact that, e!idemio#o"ica##y, addiction is a disease of ex!os re, : st #ike ma#aria 0that is, if yo are born in ,ar#em, yo wi## more #ike#y become a : nkie than somebody born on Fark %ven e1. 4everthe#ess, sex and : nk have some symbiotic re#ationshi!, if on#y beca se : nk destroys !hysica# sex and #eaves the addicts with no eroticism exce!t in their fantasy. This !robab#y ex!#ains their sex a# "ames with their need#es. It is not that addicts aren5t !eo!#e with histories of sex !rob#ems= rather, they are !eo!#e with so many !rob#ems that sex is hard#y cons!ic o s amon" their han"- !s. <or instance, there is some ex!erimenta# evidence that the pleasure of heroin, which varies wide#y amon" different s b:ects, is a#most nonexistent for the !erson who isn5t abnorma##y tro b#ed. ?!iates are 7not inherent#y attractive,8 as the Chien st dy in En"#and conc# ded= even ear#ier, in 192-, Go#b had

! b#ished a st dy showin" that 7the intensity of !#eas re !rod ced by o!iates is in direct !ro!ortion to the de"ree of !sycho!athy of the !erson who becomes an addict.8 In other words, heroin seems to affect the more norma# individ a#s in the same way that a tran$ i#i.er does 9 the effect is hard#y !erce!tib#e to conscio sness 9 b t !rod ces a definite 7hit8 and after"#ow for the serio s#y dist rbed. The on#y theory that can acco nt for these facts is that 0a1 heroin innate#y !rod ces no !#eas re, 0b1 the !#eas re ex!erienced by the menta##y dist rbed ser is e$ iva#ent to that fe#t by norma# !eo!#e, most of the time and 0c1 it a!!ears as a bo#t of :oy to the ser beca se his ordinary state is one of ac te misery. >ore sim!#y, heroin, which was invented as a !ain ki##er ori"ina##y, acts as a !sycho#o"ica# !ain ki##er to those who are !otentia# addicts. It makes #ife bearab#e, which is a## they ask. There is even evidence, s mmari.ed in Feter La rie5s book 'rugs, that heroin addicts are !eo!#e who were, before addiction, we## on the way to becomin" schi.o!hrenic. The addiction has, in some chemica# fashion not $ ite c#ear, staved off the schi.o!hrenia. 7It is even !ossib#e,8 as La rie comments ironica##y, 7that the inci!ient !sychotic who chooses dr "s is in a better !osition than one who tries to co!e a#one.8 >any doctors today are ! ttin" schi.o!hrenics on heavy tran$ i#i.ers which have the same sedative action as heroin, with the overt intent of #essenin" a nervo s or menta# breakdown. The addict is, if this theory is tr e, one who has e#ected this !reventive thera!y a"ainst insanity as a kind of !rescri!tion for himse#f. ,e #oses his sex a#ity= he #oses that mysterio s fac #ty ca##ed freedom, for he is henceforth ens#aved to the dr "= he becomes a sca!e"oat and a victim of society5s most irrationa# sadisms 0at #east in %merica1= b t he has esca!ed from terrors that were s#ow#y esca#atin" and nderminin" his very identity. ?n#y those who have !assed thro "h that ni"htmare of eterna# 17 d ration ca##ed a 7!sychotic e!isode8 can em!athi.e f ##y with this decision. The cost of contin in" to treat these born #osers as crimina#s is abso# te#y sta""erin". There are, a!!roximate#y, 1,+)),))) addicts in the H.6., and the avera"e habit costs S1-) !er day. The addicts, therefore, need 27.+ billion do##ars !er years to !ay for their do!e. % few of them are doctors, and can stea# o!iate dr "s to kee! themse#ves "oin"= a n mber are attractive yo n" women and have the d bio s !rivi#e"e of !rostit tin" themse#ves= b t the rest m st stea#. 6ince it "enera##y takes abo t S3)) worth of merchandise to !ry S1-) #oose from an nderwor#d fence, the addicts who are stea#in" are not stea#in" W1-) a day b t S3)) a day 9 from a## the rest of s. That5s where yo r te#evision went when yo r a!artment was robbed. That5s where yo r car went when it was heisted. That5s where most sto#en !ro!erty "oes nowadays. If even ha#f of the addicts 0a conservative estimate1 are stea#in" to s !!ort their habit, it5s sti## costin" s aro nd a tri##ion do##ars !er year to maintain these #aws. If the addicts were "iven a dai#y s !!#y of : nk free it wo #d cost, by com!arison, on#y 292 million do##ars !er year for the who#e co ntry, beca se, witho t the b#ack market, heroin can be man fact red at a cost 9 !er addict !er day 9 of a!!roximate#y -) cents 9 one three hundredth of the street !rice. 0To satisfy the !ossib#e com!#aint that "ivin" the addicts free : nk wo #d corr !t their mora#s, the addicts co #d be re$ ired to work a few ho rs a month to cover the S1- cost for that month5s s !!#y.1 'o #d addiction s!read f rther nder s ch a systemI The answer seems to beJ not m ch. %s we have a#ready seen, most norma# !eo!#e "et no kick at a## from heroin. %ny heroin that "ot into "enera# circ #ation wo #d sti## be com!etin" with dr "s of #ess fri"htenin" re! tationJ a#coho#, barbit rates and tran$ i#i.ers. Frobab#y, most addict !ersona#ities 9 those who are not of #ow ed cationa# #eve# and not nder es!ecia##y ac te stress 9 wo #d contin e to choose these 7more acce!tab#e8 de!ressants. %nd, of co rse, any decrimina#i.ation of addiction co #d sti## retain the #aws a"ainst sa#e, to disco ra"e any addict from se##in" !art of his day5s ration to a c rio s nonaddict. ?ne additiona# fact abo t heroin has been observed by the very distin" ished Ar. Koe# <ort and is worth $ otin" here. It sho #d "ive s a bit more !ers!ective on this m ch-sensationa#i.ed !rob#em. 6ays Ar. <ortJ 8eroin is a hard drug only in the sense that the addi!tion is very strong: it.s mu!h softer than many other drugs in the dimension of a!tual physi!al harm to the body. %hroni! e2!essive use of heroin produ!es no permanent damage at all e2!ept for the addi!tion
17

There is no time in the !sychotic5s wor#d. Three months of schi.o!hrenia is #on"er than the avera"e reader5s #ife.

itself 9 whi!h is, of !ourse, a form of slavery. %hroni! e2!essive use of al!ohol, by !omparison, would inevitably !reate irreversible and often fatal destru!tion of the liver and brain. Chronic excessive se of am!hetamines a#so !rod ces a sit ation, in a matter of months, m ch worse than that of any heroin addict 9 exce!t, of co rse, for those : nkies who have been thro "h 7co#d t rkey8 withdrawa# in a city :ai# and never $ ite recovered from it. Eo are wise if yo fear heroin 9 it is a bad tri! in the #on" r n. ; t fearin" the heroin addi!t is one of the most abs rd !re: dices of o r time. Even nder o r !resent #aws, which makes it necessary for most of them to stea# to "et their : nk, few are armed robbers= tr e to their !assive and defeatist !ersona#ity ty!e, they "enera##y become sneak thieves strikin" on#y when a ho se is em!ty, evident#y fee#in" that even with a " n they co #dn5t terrori.e anybody into s rrenderin" !ro!erty to them knowin"#y. 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs has commented that, in his years as a : nkie, he hard#y reca##s an addict who committed a crime of vio#ence. ; rro "hs, one ex-addict who doesn5t make his #ivin" by #ect rin" for the !o#ice, adds !ointed#yJ They tend to be sneak thieves, shoplifters and lush rollers. 5f they !ould obtain the drug legally, their !rimes would vanish. As an o!!asional !iti0en of +ew Eork, 5 !onsider the burglaries !ommitted by desperate addi!ts to be immoral and a goddamned nuisan!e. 5 say give them some legal junk before they steal my typewriter. The P!**# I )e1$ The ori"in of heroin 9 and of mor!hine= and #a dan m, Ed"ar %##an Foe5s habit= and !anto!on, the dr " !o! #ar in addict society back in the 192)s= and Aemero#, ,ermann @oerin"5s ha!!iness !i##s= and !are"oric= and the codeine that 6her#ock ,o#mes sed to coo# down his cocaine habit 9 is the o!i m !o!!y. This is !robab#y the most acc rsed and hated !#ant in the wor#d, and has been creatin" addicts in both the East and the 'est since the dawn of civi#i.ation. >ost of the o!i m !o!!ies in the wor#d today 0aside from a sma## ferti#e area in T rkey1 "row in the 7o!i m trian"#e8 as Inter!o# ca##s itJ a section of Laos, Thai#and and Mietnam most#y nder the contro# of the >eos tribesmen. %ccordin" to the investi"ations of Ar. Koe# <ort and inde!endent re!orters for The +ew Eork Times and the %hristian )!ien!e 7onitor, the >eos farmers se## this cro! to hi"h officia#s in the Thai, Laotian and 0then1 6o th Mietnamese "overnments, amon" whom the fami#y of @enera# Gy was once $ ite !rominent. <rom there it is !assed on thro "h the 7Corsican >afia8 to the so th of <rance and then !#aced on the internationa# market. 4obody seems to know why the H.6. "overnment, a##e"ed#y cond ctin" a 7war8 a"ainst heroin, sti## contin es to "ive economic and mi#itary aid to the Thai, Laotian and Mietnamese "overnments, thereby a##owin" them to contin e this trade. Ar. >ichae# %#drich and !oet %##en @insber", who have researched this s b:ect extensive#y and wi## #ect re or write on it at any invitation, even be#ieve that there is s fficient evidence to !rove that the CI% active#y he#!s in the trans!ort of the raw o!i m at times. 12 'hether that is tr e or not, the Hnited 6tates has become invo#ved in the heroin b siness that it is, at the same time, 7fi"htin"8 e#sewhere. This is a very mysterio s !art of contem!orary history and may not be c#arified f ##y in o r #ifetime. 0>eanwhi#e, the c rio s reader may cons #t the 4ovember, 1972 iss e of 8arper.s, in which the CI% denies its invo#vement in the heroin trade and 8arper.s editors "ive their reasons for do btin" this denia#. % recent book The #oliti!s of 8eroin in )outheast Asia doc ments 8arper.s char"es with "reater detai#.1 Char"es and denia#s notwithstandin", there can be #itt#e do bt that if the bombs dro!!ed on the Indochinese !eo!#e since 4ixon became Fresident 9 more than fo r times the tota# tonna"e dro!!ed on E ro!e and 4orth %frica d rin" 'or#d 'ar II 9 had been dro!!ed, instead, on these !o!!y fie#ds, there wo #d be very #itt#e heroin in the wor#d today. It does ca se one to wonder, es!ecia##y when a %hristian )!ien!e 7onitor re!orter states that the CI% hand#ed so m ch of the cro! at one time that their !#anes became known in the area as 7%ir ?!i m.8 The !rimary derivative of the !o!!y, o!i m itse#f, is often tho "ht to be more stim #atin", more !#eas rab#e, and even more !sychede#ic than its refined and s!ecia#i.ed narcotic chi#drenJ mor!hine, heroin, and so on. This notion is based on the writin"s of severa# very "ifted o!i m
18

;y the 199)s, few !eo!#e do bted the overwhe#min" evidence that the CI% had done exact#y that.

addicts 9 es!ecia##y Thomas AeD incey, a thor of the c#assic %onfessions of an 6nglish Cpium/ 6ater, 6am e# Tay#or Co#erid"e 07&ime of the %ncient >ariner81, and <rench !#aywri"ht Kean Coctea . %t times, these writers even "ive the im!ression that o!i m is an a!hrodisiac. It is necessary to em!hasi.e that AeD incey, Co#erid"e and Coctea were exce!tiona##y ta#ented 0and exce!tiona##y dist rbed1 individ a#s. In AeD incey5s case, f rthermore, the extrava"ant and "#orio s visions he describes were a## ex!erienced, as Ar. &obert Ae&o!! notes, 7between s#ee!in" and wakin",8 when a## ta#ented !eo!#e, even witho t o!i m, can !ro:ect their ima"inations most vivid#y. 0This is technica##y known as hy!na"o"ic ha## cination, needs no dr "s and is !racticed as a method of mind ex!ansion by some occ #t schoo#s, s ch as Lo is C ##in"5s 7@reat ;ody of @od.81 <or the ma:ority of o!i m addicts whose medica# records exist, no s ch !sychede#ic effects are recorded, and most of them have the same de!ressed or so!orific ex!eriences as mor!hine or heroin addicts. In short, if yo are #ookin" for !sychede#ic effects, se the rea# !sychede#ics= n#ess yo 5re an artist of AeD incey5s or Co#erid"e5s stat re, yo are very n#ike#y to find them on o!i m. It needs to be stated a"ain and a"ain that all opiates without e2!eption are f ndamenta##y de!ressants, so that the norma# !attern, as dosa"e is increased, is from tor!or to s#ee! to coma 0endin" in death, if there is an overdose1. I am reminded here of a nat ra#-food cr sader I once knew. This fe##ow re"arded most food fanatics as ho!e#ess#y corr !t com!romisers who ate a#most as many bad thin"s as yo or I eat= on#y he had the correct 7nat ra#8 diet, which consisted entire#y of n ts and un!ooked ve"etab#es. I asked him once what was the "reatest sin"#e benefit he "ot o t of that re"ime. 7It so#ved a## my sex !rob#ems,8 he said at once. 7&ea##yI8 I asked, intri" ed. 7,ow did it do thatI8 7I hard#y ever have any sex drive anymore,8 he said, nabashed, even a bit !ro d. 7I don5t need women the way I sed to. I5m free. 4o !rob#ems in that area at all.8 % heroin 0or o!iate1 diet seems to 7so#ve8 sex !rob#ems in the same way this meat#ess diet doesJ by removin" sex entire#y. This is ana#o"o s to Konathan 6wift5s famo s so# tion to the barefooted conditioned of the !oor in Ire#and 0c ttin" off their feet1. It wi## recommend itse#f on#y to those who have #ost a## faith and ho!e that a rea# so# tion is !ossib#e. It is !ossib#e that some !eo!#e have been so ma #ed by #ife in this society that s ch a semis icide is the best a#ternative to real s icide for them. C rio s#y, a he## of a #ot of >.A.s are sin" the same #o"ic in re#ent#ess#y over-!rescribin" tran$ i#i.ers, many of which are $ ite habit formin" 0e."., Libri m1 and some of which 0e.". Tofrani#1, are definite#y #inked with im!otence accordin" to !sycho-!harmaco#o"ists. %s Ar. Lawrence Go#b to#d a Con"ressiona# committee way back in 192-, 7There is3 a certain ty!e of shrinkin" ne rotic individ a# who can5t meet the demands of #ife, is afraid to meet !eo!#e, has anxieties and fears, who if they took sma## amo nts of narcotics 9 and I have examined $ ite a few of them 9 wo #d be better and more efficient !eo!#e than they wo #d be witho t it.8 Ar. Go#b a#so described two !hysicians who were o!iate addicts and !racticed s ccessf ##y nti# they mana"ed to 7kick the habit,8 after which they became ho!e#ess !rob#ems to themse#ves and their fami#ies. 7These two !hysicians that I am ta#kin" abo t didn5t "et !ured,8 Ar. Go#b said scornf ##y, 7they sho #d have had it 0the dr "1 forever, beca se it 0the c re1 wo #d not mean anythin" b t an insane asy# m for them, and they were doin" a !retty "ood :ob of work as !hysicians when they were on the dr " and re" #ar#y takin" it.8 %merican society has i"nored Ar. Go#b5s !ra"matic a!!roach for decades and has str ""#ed heroica##y to "et a## these #ost so #s off their de!ressant dr "s. ?r has itI The 7war a"ainst heroin8 contin es= b t in 4ew Eork, the state has abandoned the ho!e of rea# 7c re8 and is satisfied : st to "et the : nkies off an addictin" dr " it has made i##e"a# 9 heroin 9 and onto an e$ a##y addictin" dr " it has made #e"a# 9 methadone= and in the nation at #ar"e, !rescri!tions for centra# nervo s system de!ressants are said to r n into the tens of mi##ions every year. The officia# attit de, by defa #t, now a!!ears to be, 7If yo can5t bear o r society witho t bein" ha#fas#ee!, #et s at #east contro# which dr " yo choose to be ha#f-as#ee! on.8 This is not a form #a for a non-addicted nation. It is a face-savin" "ame to a##ow those b rea crats whom 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs ca##s 7contro# addicts8 to contin e to be#ieve that they are, by @od, contro##in" everybody they want to contro#.

INTERLUDE Re-ec : The S !"# !$ H!1# O+

Cnly the pri!k of a needle %harged from a wi0ard well* 5s that suffi!ient to wheedle A soul from heaven to hellF 1as man.s spirit weaned -rom fear of ghosts and gods To fawn at the feet of a fiendF 5s it su!h terrible odds 9 The heir of ages of wonder, The !rown of earth for an hour, The master of tide and thunder Against the jui!e of a flowerF Ay* in the roar and the rattle Cf all the armies of sin, This is the only battle 8e never was known to win. - %#eister Crow#ey, 7;a##ad of ,eroinX 7I never rob stran"ers,8 ,o#y ? t said. 7It5s too risky. If they come home s dden#y and catch me, they5re #ike#y to ca## the co!s.8 ,e was the " est on a radio !ro"ram I was moderatin" 9 one of those years when I had "iven ! writin" entire#y and was tryin" to earn a #ivin" in some more !#a sib#e way 9 and he had warned me in advance that he wo #d take a shot of , before comin" to the st dio. ,e had obvio s#y done so, and he was !erfect#y re#axed as he !assed that remark. % midd#e-a"ed white man with an ed cated vocab #ary, he was not the avera"e 4ew Eork : nkie, exce!t for his s#ee!y eyes. 'hen he #ooked dee! into those !oo#s of tor!or, yo had no do bt that he was ridin" the "reat white horse into : nkie dream #and. ,e seemed ha#f as#ee! as he ta#ked abo t who he !referred to rob. 7?h,8 I said, very conscio s of the micro!hone on the tab#e. 7Eo seem to be im!#yin" that yo rob from yo r friends.8 76 re,8 he said. 7% #ot of : nkies do. Eo see, a stran"er wi## t rn yo in to the co!s, b t a friend wi## have more sym!athy. ,e5## say, T'e##, I know yo 5re a : nkie, and it5s not yo r fa #t.5 ?f co rse, they kinda coo# off on yo after that. Eo have to kee! makin" new friends.8 I tho "ht of how cordia# he had been since I first contracted him abo t doin" this interview. I a#so tho "ht of my ty!ewriter, ta!e recorder and hi-fi set. 7If any of yo r friends were robbed recent#y and didn5t s s!ect yo ,8 I commented, 7they5re !robab#y "ettin" that idea abo t now.8 ,o#y ? t tho "ht abo t this so #on" that I became conscio s of the dead air "oin" o t to o r #isteners. 'hen I was abo t to : m! into the vac m, he fina##y s!oke 9 with that : nkie !#acidity that is so ; ddha-#ike. 7I don5t ex!ect !eo!#e to #ike me for #on",8 he said. There yo have it. That, in essence, is the : nkie !hi#oso!hy. 6o re#ent#ess#y socia# an anima# is mankind that most of s wo #d rather have cancer than admit that !eo!#e don5t #ike s= b t to a man on heroin any tr th can be faced witho t an emotiona# res!onse. ,o#y ? t co #d have anno nced : st as !eacef ##y that he had : st #earned he had #e!rosy. To a : nkie, 7fact is fact8 and emotion is somethin" other !eo!#e !ossess and "et a"itated over. ,ere5s food. ,ere5s shit. ,ere5s a bea tif # yo n" woman, stark naked. ,ere5s a starvin" chi#d. Eo wi## react different#y to each of those si"hts, b t a : nkie wi## res!ond in exact#y the same way to a## of them, which is to say that he won5t res!ond at a##. I once went to the f nera# of a friend5s father. The friend, whom I5## ca## Tony, was smi#in" in a bem sed, dreamy sort of way a## thro "h the ceremony. 6ome of the mo rners m st have

tho "ht he had a kin"-si.e ?edi! s com!#ex to be en:oyin" his father5s f nera# so thoro "h#y. Latter, Tony mentioned to me that he had taken a heavy dose of tran$ i#i.ers to "et himse#f thro "h the rit a# 9 it was one of those "hast#y, o#d-fashioned affairs with an o!en coffin and hysterica# fema#e re#atives. % : nkie wo #d have sat thro "h it a## with the same somno#ent smi#e. ,is "reatest moment of emotiona# res!onse 9 an arid sort 9 wo #d occ r if he were to wonder how m ch he mi"ht "et from a fence were he to di" ! the coffin and stea# the cor!se5s :ewe#ry. The difference between : nkies and trankheads is, to some extent, a c#ass difference. >ost trankheads are midd#e c#ass and '%6F= most : nkies are #ower c#ass and b#ack or Latin. The : nkies are the !eo!#e who were too i"norant, or too shy of doctors, to have so "ht a #e"a# !rescri!tion for tran$ i#i.ers when the stress became too "reat for them. Instead, they went aro nd the corner and bo "ht a stron"er de!ressant from the friend#y nei"hborhood ! sher. ,o#y ? t a#so to#d me, on that radio interview, abo t a co#d t rkey withdrawa# he had been thro "h in a city :ai#. ?ne !artic #ar#y sadistic " ard #iked to come aro nd, whi#e ,o#y ? t was havin" conv #sions, and wave a :ar of white !owder, which he c#aimed was heroin. 7Ao yo rea##y want itI &ea##y, rea##y want itI %sk me rea# nice, now38 4at ra##y, when ,o#y ? t fina##y abandoned his ske!ticism and be""ed for the st ff 0whatever it was1, he didn5t "et it. ,e "ot a horse #a "h instead. ,o#y ? t reco nted this in the same tho "htf #, #eve# tone in which he had commented that he didn5t ex!ect !eo!#e to #ike him. It was a fact, b t it didn5t mean anythin". 7I hated his " ts,8 he commented !#acid#y, : st as yo or I mi"ht sayJ 7I !aid a $ arter for a candy bar.8 The !ast tense is entire#y !ast in the : nk wor#d. The " ard5s sadism was : st a fact= any acts of kindness he remembered were a#so : st facts. To be an"ry abo t one or "ratef # for the others wo #d be entire#y beyond his emotiona# and ener"etic reso rces. There was no emotiona# bein", 7,o#y ? t,8 to react to ex!erience= there was on#y an observer, 7,o#y ? t,8 who recorded what ha!!ened. 'hen I asked him how he had ac$ ired that nickname, which was fair#y we##-known in some !arts of town, he to#d me that a !oet had !inned it on him. 7I didn5t nderstand it at first,8 he added, 7b t everybody was re!eatin" it and I fina##y "ot sed to it. 4ow I #ike it. ? t is where I am and where I want to stay. ,o#y, who##y o t.8 ?ne of my favorite moments came when I asked him abo t narcotics officers. 7They5re cra.ier than most co!s,8 he said witho t any inf#ection. 7There5s one " y I know who never sto!s smi#in". 4o matter what ha!!ens. Like he5s "ot his own ! sher inside him. %nd there5s another who never c#oses his mo th. It5s a#ways han"in" o!en, #ike he5s a#ways s r!rised. Eeah,8 he added ref#ective#y, 7they5re a !retty weird b nch.8 I had ex!ected a diatribe abo t cr e#ty, in: stice, frame- !s 9 the ty!ica# reaction of !otheads who have been in :ai#. This was a different s#ant. 7%re yo serio s#y te##in" o r #isteners,8 I asked, 7that everybody on the narcotics s$ ad is !sychoticI8 7'e##,8 he said, 7they5re not #ike other co!s. They seem to #ive in a #itt#e wor#d a## their own. %nd I5## te## yo one more thin"J they hate to be transferred to another de!artment. They5## fi"ht #ike he## to stay in narco. Eo know whyI They #ove the ndercover work. ;ein" a fake : nkie is : st as habit formin" as bein" a rea# : nkie.8 'hen I tried to "et a coherent acco nt of how ,o#y ? t had become a : nkie, I ran into a stone wa##. ?n this one $ estion menta# !rocesses s dden#y become simi#ar to those of inte##i"ent schi.o!hrenics, and there seemed no way to brin" him down from the abstract to the concrete. 7I s !!ose yo mi"ht say I was ma#ad: sted,8 was his first a!!roximation. 'hen I tried to .ero in for extensiona# data, he went even hi"her ! on the abstraction #adder and be"an ta#kin" abo t 7socio#o"ica# and !sycho#o"ica# tensions.8 7Let me ! t it this way,8 I said. 7,ow did yo "et the heroin yo sed in yo r very first shotI8 7'e##,8 he said, 7yo have to nderstand the back"ro nd.8 ,e ta#ked for five min tes abo t socio#o"ica# !rob#ems and behavior !atterns and !sycho#o"ica# variab#es. 7That5s very interestin",8 I said, 7b t did somebody offer it to yo , or did yo ask for itI8 7Eo don5t have to ask,8 he said 9 and that #ed to more meta!hysics abo t h man re#ations bein" more nonverba# than we "enera##y rea#i.e. 76o yo wanted it, and somebody "ave it to yo ,8 I said. 7?kay. 'hy did yo want itI8

This #ed to severa# additiona# min tes of F#atonic dia#ectics. I had observed this in some menta# !atients, back in my amb #ance-drivin" days, and it a!!ears a#so 9 very a""ravatin"#y 9 in many !o#iticians. Frofessor 'ende## Kohnson, the semanticist, ca##s it 7dead-#eve# abstractin",8 the art of comin" to rest on a #eve# of disco rse that never connects with anythin" concrete. Feo!#e who do this se#dom show the anxiety that a!!ears in the #ess ski##ed evaders who chan"e the s b:ect when the to!ic is too sensitive. These abstraction weavers are not chan"in" the s b:ect= they are #ookin" strai"ht at it 9 b t thro "h a very f ..y #ens. %sk them abo t a !artic #ar a!!#e and they wi## te## yo abo t the "ross nationa# !rod ct= ask abo t this !hair right here and they5## "o on at #en"th abo t the evo# tion of f rnit re. They are not avoidin" the s b:ect= they are #ookin" at it !hi#oso!hica##y, in the ro nd, as it were. The s!ecific information yo are seekin" never comes thro "h. 7'hen yo took that shot,8 I !ersisted, 7did yo think yo wo #d take a second, and a third and "o on #ike that nti# yo "ot addictedI8 7Everybody knows that addiction is a !ossibi#ity,8 he re!#ied in that dreamy : nkie monotone. 7It was a#so !ossib#e that I mi"ht "et hit by a tr ck on my way home. It5s !ossib#e that a meteor wi## come h rt#in" in from o ter s!ace and wi!e o t this who#e city.8 %nd so on. The ne tra# and ob:ective view that covered any other ex!erience in ,o#y ? t5s #ife : st co #dn5t reach the area of the first shot= that was !ermanent#y b ried nder everythin" he had ever read abo t the ca ses of deviant behavior. If yo hy!noti.ed somebody and to#d him not to se the word 7nose,8 and then asked him to ex!#ain the sense of sme##, yo wo #d "et the same kind of driftin" #in" istic snow banks in his answers. Inte##ect a#s, who have more abstractions stored in their biocom! ters, are more ski##ed at this than most, b t a## can do it to some extent. ,o#y ? t was a master of the techni$ e. The #on"est !art of the show concerned how he had become an addict ori"ina##y, and at the end of a## his !a#aver neither I nor the #isteners had #earned anythin" abo t that, a#tho "h we had heard a "reat dea# abo t !sycho-socia# stresses in vario s strata of rban ca!ita#ist society and existentia# !rob#ems in ret rned veterans. ; t that ,o#y ? t was a veteran, evident#y of 'or#d 'ar II 0: d"in" by his a"e1, had become c#ear. 'hether his fami#y was rich, !oor or midd#e c#ass, whether he "rew ! in a bi" city or a sma## town, whether he had been to co##e"e or ac$ ired his !sycho-socio#o"ica# :ar"on on his own, a## these were sti## nknown. ; t he had been in a war. %nybody who wanted to attrib te his addiction to the aftereffects of the ;att#e of the ; #"e 0or Forkcho! ,i##, if he was yo n"er than he #ooked1 was free to do so. %t the end of the show, I took a chanceJ 76 !!ose we have a #istener o t there who5s thinkin" of tryin" a shot of heroin ri"ht now,8 I said. 7'hat wo #d yo te## himI8 The moment the words #eft my #i!s, I went co#d. ,o#y ? t was so bombed o t on 7@od5s own medicine8 that he was not abo t to see any !rob#ems anywhere. ,e mi"ht not "ive the anti: nk ra! that I was ho!in" for. ; t I needn5t have worried. ,o#y ? t was not rea##y who##y o t. 7,e sho #d "o to En"#and,8 he said matter-of-fact#y. 7%ddicts "et #ess hass#e there.8 7Then,8 I said, scorin" brownie !oints with the <CC, 7yo think anybody who tries a shot of heroin wi## !robab#y become an addictI8 7'e##,8 he answered, 7becomin" an addict is in the back of anybody5s mind when he tried : nk. 6ome don5t rea##y have the ca## and $ it after a few shots.8 6o I #earned one more thin" abo t ,o#y ? t. ,e was an ex-Catho#ic. 4obody e#se wo #d se that meta!hor in : st that way. 6omewhere, #on" a"o, somebody had tried to convince him he had the ca## for the !riesthood. ,e mi"ht even have been in a seminary. %nd that ended the broadcast. The next time I saw him was #ess than a week #ater and he obvio s#y hadn5t had his shot for the day. ,e came over to me in a coffee sho! and the transformation was shockin". The ; ddha-#ike eyes were frantic, the voice had a whine, and 7facts8 now had a very emotiona# meanin" for him. ,e said that the broadcast had been very s ccessf # 9 7Everybody5s ta#kin" abo t it8 9 which was a "ross exa""eration. The !itch was that his a!!earance had cata! #ted my show into some kind of overni"ht s ccess and that therefore I owed him a "reat dea#. ItemJ If I were to fa## for that a!!roach : st once, he wo #d be back. %"ain and a"ain.

ItemJ if I didn5t fa## for it at #east once, I5d fee# #ike a hee#. %#so, somebody5s a!artment wo #d be c#eaned o t 9 !erha!s my own, since he knew my address and !robab#y fi" red I was simpati!o eno "h not to "ive his name to the f ... ItemJ I was f# sh that week. I "ave him S2) and #aid my own #ine on him, a## abo t my fo r kids and the ha.ards of free#ance writin" and the ti"htwads at the radio station. The S2) "ot a## his attention= the rest of my ra! didn5t re"ister. ,e #eft with !rof se thanks, and I knew that he wo #d be back. ; t I was wron". 6hort#y thereafter ,o#y ? t was b sted a"ain and became on of the !ioneers in the >ethadone >aintenance Fro"ram. ?ver a year was to !ass before I saw him a"ain. I had come back to 4ew Eork on a brief visit and was browsin" in the incredib#e Feace Eye ;ook 6tore on %ven e %, where the nbe#ievab#e Ed 6anders, rock sin"er-!oet-! b#isher-Nen madman, se##s books with tit#es #ike -u!k &od p The Ass and obje!ts d.art s ch as the Mase#ine sed by %##en @insber" whi#e b ""erin" Feter ?r#ovsky, or ! bic hairs from famo s #ady !oets. Ed a#so has one "reat dream of his #ife, an e!ic Cinerama movie to star everybody in the co nterc #t re from rock sin"ers to heavy !o#iticos in a two-ho r or"y to be ca##ed 7ongolian %luster -u!k. Ed was not there 0he was off on a concert to r with his rock "ro !, the < "s, named in honor of 4orman >ai#er1, b t to my s r!rise ,o#y ? t wa#ked in and de!osited a !i#e of ma"a.ines at the co nter. ,e was workin" for a distrib tor, had his own car, was makin" de#iveries a## over the so thern ha#f of >anhattan, and seemed to be thrivin" on the methadone diet the "overnor of 4ew Eork had ordained for him. %## this I "athered over # nch at >c6or#ey5s, where I invited him o t of c riosity as we## as for auld lang syne. ,e was the first methadone s b:ect I had met in the f#esh, and I wanted at #east an ho r to !ick ! whatever I co #d. ,o#y ? t now had a first name and a #ast name : st #ike any other res!ectab#e citi.en 9 #et5s ca## him Koe 6mith= the rea# name was no more memorab#e. ; t it was the ta" he had been born with 0he to#d me1 and he hadn5t sed it 9 or seen it, exce!t on !o#ice records 9 for over two decades. %cce!tin" it a"ain was acce!tin" himse#f a"ain, in a new way. ,e said that he had abso# te#y no desire for heroin anymore. I be#ieved him. %nother exaddict had to#d me once that the ha!!iest two years of his #ife had been s!ent in <rance in the 19-)s b yin" methadone at a dr "store, shooin" it ! as soon as he "ot home, and never worryin" abo t co!s. ; t then the <rench "overnment made methadone i##e"a#, and he was back where he started. 'hi#e that ha!!y inter# de had #asted, however, he had been as sober and res!ectab#e citi.en as he was now. Le"a# : nk does not create the same !rob#ems as i##e"a# : nk. ,o#y ? t 9 or Koe 6mith 9 to#d me that he enjoyed workin" for a #ivin". 7It "ives yo r days a !attern,8 he said, 7and witho t !attern, #ife is a bore.8 I tho "ht this was an interestin" antithesis to the notion he#d by many acidheads that in the !erfect society of the f t re, a## work wo #d be done by machines and !eo!#e wo #d be free to devote themse#ves to #ove, head "ames and art. %ddicts, and even ex-addicts, tend to re"ard #ife as a !rob#em either to be evaded 0by down dr "s1 or so#ved by effort of wi##= b t !sychede#ic !eo!#e see it as a s!ort to be enhanced 0by ! dr "s1 or observed in meditative tran$ i#ity. The next time I saw Koe 6mith, there was even #ess of ,o#y ? t sti## #in"erin" in him. It was severa# months #ater and he was in a bar, with a !retty "ir# who co #dn5t have been m ch o#der than 1+. ,e saw me when I came in with my wife, and ca##ed s over to his tab#e. 'e sat down and had a few drinks. It was soon obvio s that Koe 6mith was a "a##ant, a devi# with the #adies 0or at #east with 1+-years-o#ds1, a so!histicated man of the wor#d, and wo #d never have been seen in the com!any of s ch a shabby character as the disma# ,o#y ? t. It was a#so obvio s that he was a dr nk, the !#easant kind of dr nk that everybody #ikes, the kind that ;in" Crosby sometimes !#ays, b t definite#y 9 however yo s#ice it 9 ind bitab#y a dr nk. The ; ddhistic : nkie had vanished and a #ovab#e o#d rake had re!#aced him. ,e was a#so in an intros!ective mood and, after a few more drinks, he s dden#y be"an to 7#et it a## han" o t.8 'e had been disc ssin" 'omen5s Liberation and that somehow #ed to the ever-maddenin" !rob#ems of sex a# re:ection 9 how do yo say 7no8 to somebody witho t h rtin" his fee#in"sI %nd how do yo acce!t a 7no8 witho t a##owin" yo r own fee#in"s to be h rtI

7Ao yo remember the first time yo were t rned down sex a##yI8 Koe 6mith asked. 7I5## bet yo don5t. I5## bet whatever yo remember is a "host, a shadow, of the rea# ex!erience. <re d was off by ten years in his ideas. ? r ne roses aren5t ca sed by chi#dhood tra mas 9 b t we for"et them, too. ;eca se they5re too !ainf #. The first time yo want a woman, rea##y want her 9 : st her, nobody e#se 9 and she re:ects yo , it5s #ike bein" kicked in the ba##s. Eo think of s icide ri"ht away 9 beca se it seems that the !ain wi## never "o away. Can5t yo remember itI Aidn5t it ha!!en : st #ike that with yo onceI Aidn5t yo think of takin" Aaddy5s h ntin" " n o t of the "ara"e and b#owin" yo r head offI8 74o,8 I said. 7I tho "ht of : m!in" off the ;rook#yn ;rid"e.8 7Eo o "ht to write a book,8 my wife to#d him. 7% new a!!roach to !sychoana#ysis. The Frima# &e:ection to re!#ace the Frima# 6cream. ; t don5t ! t it in strict#y ma#e terms. It5s even harder on yo n" "ir#s. %fter a##, a "ir# who "ets ! the nerve to make a !ass at a boy, in o r society, is "oin" to fee# #ike an abso# te whore if he re:ects her.8 7?kay,8 he said. 7I5## "rant that. It fits in exact#y with what I5m sayin". The who#e war between the sexes starts o t with s ch incidents. 'e "o thro "h #ife ! nishin" o r #ater #overs for that ear#y ado#escent a"ony. Every " y who5s a bastard to women had that kind of ex!erience. Every woman who5s a ba## breaker had that kind of ex!erience. 'itho t exce!tion. That5s the way it a#ways starts.8 7'hat5s the so# tionI8 I asked. 7Com! #sory free #ove for ado#escentsI8 74o,8 he said. 7Eo co #d never enforce that. There is no so# tion.8 7That5s !retty !essimistic,8 I ob:ected. 7I was a : nkie for twenty-three years,8 he said. 7>arcie knows that,8 he added, with a "#ance at his "ir#. 7I have no secrets from her. I was a : nkie for most of my ad #t #ife. Ao yo ex!ect me to be#ieve there are ha!!y endin"s in this wor#dI8 Those eyes, which had been so b#and in his : nkie days, were f ## of o!en horror for a second. Then he ! ##ed himse#f to"ether, smi#ed cynica##y, and added, 7I have a :ob I #ike and a woman who #oves me, b t I sti## don5t know what the he## I5m here for or what it a## means or why #ife is so horrib#e for a#most everybody.8 7That5s what makes yo nha!!y,8 >arcie said. 7Eo ask too many $ estions.8 That5s abo t a## I ever #earned abo t ,o#y ? t and*or Koe 6mith. 6ometimes I ima"ine that ado#escent ex!erience of his, and I think it invo#ved a "ir# >arcie5s a"e. I ima"ine he stayed on : nk for 23 years to kee! himse#f sex a##y n mb, to !revent himse#f from #ookin" for other "ir#s that a"e. ?r, at other times, I !#ot it different#y and see an o#der woman 0an a ntI a nei"hborI1, and ima"ine that he was avoidin" her ima"e !ermanent#y. Even after "ettin" off : nk he co #dn5t brin" himse#f to enter the sex a# arena with an ad #t fema#e. I don5t know= I5## never know. % few months after this meetin", >arcie evident#y #eft him for a yo n"er man 9 or so the r mor went, when I heard it. The #rimal (eje!tion. Eou should write a book about it. ,e didn5t write the book. ,e ! t it a## into what the news!a!ers ca##ed 7the most bi.arre s icide note 4ew Eork !o#ice have ever seen.8 ,is #and#ady fo nd it, when she fo nd him, dead in bed, overdosed on barbit rates. ?n the wa##, with day-"#o !aints that the acidheads and kids #ike so m ch, he had !ainted a "i"antic, "rotes$ e#y chi#dish Ma#entine heart in !ink. Inside it, with a variety of co#ors, he had !rinted caref ##yJ 7A(E 7CT86( C- %8(5)T 8AL6 76(%E C+ 76

> Ti3e an S*ace;Ti4e;2a"* S a";N!&a T"i*)

5n the analysis of the effe!ts of 4)'/I@ on the human mind, a reasonable hypothesis states that the effe!t of these substan!es on the human !omputer is to introdu!e white noise ;in the sense of randomly varying energy !ontaining no signals of itself? in spe!ifi! systems of the !omputer$ This noisy com!onent added to the s a# si"na#s in the circ its adds eno "h ncertainty to the meanin"s to make new inter!retations more !robab#e. - Kohn C. Li##y, >.A., #rogramming and 7etaprogramming in the 8uman Bio!omputer 'hen the three Fh.A.s, Timothy Leary, &ichard %#!ert and &a#!h >et.ner, be"an ex!erimentin" on themse#ves with L6A-2- at ,arvard in 19+), they were res!ectab#e and thoro "h#y academic !sycho#o"ists. Later, Ar. Leary became a f "itive and an enth siastic ex!onent of %#eister Crow#ey5s sex ma"ic, after havin" !assed thro "h sta"es of tryin" to be an ?rienta# " r in hi! c#othin" and a vio#ent revo# tionary in >arxist drab. Ar. %#!ert has become 7;aba &am Aass,8 an orthodox ,ind ex!onent of hatha-yo"a. Ar. >et.ner is devotin" himse#f to teachin" non-dr " methods of conscio sness-ex!ansion, inc# din" yo"a, Tarot cards, sex ma"ic, the 5 %hing and a#chemy. %#most certain#y, the ideas that these men have enco ntered in the !ast years have !#ayed the ma:or ro#e in sha!in" their ideas. ; t it is a#most e$ a##y certain that 9 as they be#ieve themse#ves, and as their admirers and critics a#so tend to be#ieve 9 L6A was a cata#ytic a"ent in !ro!e##in" them o t of the "roves of academe into the wi#d b# e yonder of northodoxy. Ar. Koe# <ort constant#y reminds s that it is nscientific and s !erstitio s to attrib te s ch character deve#o!ment entirely to a dr ". 7>ari: ana,8 he once to#d me, 7does not "row hair.8 Tr e. %nd L6A does not a tomatica##y t rn one5s m sica# interests from ;eethoven to heavy rock. This is ndeniab#e. If the ;eat#es had a!!eared when they did, b t had s!orted crew c ts and !#ayed coo# :a.., a## the dr "-k #ch crowd wo #d have been into short hair and :a.. then, most #ike#y. 6 ch charismatic heroes !#ay a #ar"er ro#e in creatin" fads than any dr " ever can. 4onethe#ess, there is some sort of #ink between the evo# tion of Ars. Leary, %#!ert and >et.ner and s ch simi#ar stories as the fo##owin"J - Ar. Kohn C. Li##y, after ex!erimentin" with L6A, abandoned the do#!hin research that had made him wor#d-famo s and set a## the do#!hins free. - %#do s , x#ey, after ex!erimentin" with mesca#ine and L6A, chan"ed his #iterary a!!roach shar!#y, abandonin" the tra"ic and somewhat ! ritanica# bias that had dominated his work since the ear#y 193)s, and be"an writin" o!timistic books. ,e a#so be"an to treat sex as a creative and :oyo s force and not as a destr ctive and dan"ero s one. - Gen Gesey, after ex!erimentin" with L6A, sto!!ed writin" nove#s and devoted himse#f to !ractica# :okes, 7ha!!enin"s,8 rock concerts and other $ asi-s!irit a# art forms. 6imi#ar stories co #d be re#ated end#ess#y. I have known at #east a few h ndred acidheads over the #ast decade, and a## of them, witho t exce!tion, have nder"one simi#ar#y dramatic chan"es, not a#ways who#esome in my estimation. It is not that acid inc#ines one toward !artic #ar ideas 0nonvio#ence, ?rienta# mysticism, and so forth1. These notions : st ha!!ened to be in the air in the 19+)s. The act a# effect has fre$ ent#y been the o!!osite 0e."., Leary5s tem!orary conversion to the shoot-co!s-and-bomb-b i#din"s !hi#oso!hy of the 'eathermen nder"ro nd1. 'hat L6A and mesca#ine and simi#ar !sychede#ics tend to do, es!ecia##y after severa# tri!s, is to o!en the !erson to what Ar. Li##y ca##s 7noise.8 This is a technica# cybernetic conce!t that denotes environmenta# si"na#s that do not a!!ear to be information. 0Genneth 6tarr is a !rominent m5hashka shibron fran.e# ob frimmt.1 The !arenthetica# ex!ression be"ins with five co nters that do consist of 7information8 and then !roceeds with five co nters that are mere 7noise.8 %s Ar. Li##y notesJ The major operative prin!iple seems to be that the h man com! ter o!erated in s ch a was as to make si"na#s o t of noise and thus to create information o t of random

ener"ies where there was no si"na#3 The information !reated from the noise !an be shown by !areful analysis to have been in the storage system of the !omputer$ The reader, if he is a norma# biocom! ter, did not acce!t 7m5hashka shibron fran.e# ob frimmt8 as ! re noise. Instead, he tended to find some sort of "host or shadow of meanin" in it 9 at the very #east, he took 7ob8 as a co"nate of 7of8 and ass med that the first three words were an ad:ectiva# !hrase and 7frimmt8 the no n formin" the ob:ect of the sentence. 6ome readers !robab#y !ro:ected a "reat dea# more from the stora"e tanks of their own com! ters and saw the noise as a distortion of some f#atterin" or ins #tin" !hrase that they, !ersona##y, wo #d a!!#y to >r. 6tarr. This is !recise#y the sort of thin" that occ rs on an L6A tri!. The difference is that the noise and new#y created information is comin" in at the tri!!er, not : st thro "h words on a !a"e, b t thro "h each of the senses, inc# din" the 17 senses that modern science has discovered in addition to the traditiona# si"ht, so nd, to ch, sme## and taste. 'hat occ rs is a ni$ e #earnin" ex!erience, to ! t it mi#d#y. In traditiona# 'estern ed cation, we #earn on#y via o r eyes, ears and a sma## !ortion of o r fronta# #obes, whi#e confined to a yo"ic-#ike !osition behind a desk. In actin" or dancin" schoo#, or in !ractice for s!orts #ike baseba## or footba##, we #earn with m sc#es and nerves and "#ands and vario s interna# senses. ?n a tri! with an L6A-ty!e !sychede#ic dr ", we are #earnin" on every channe# in o r biocom! ter= we are #earnin", in fact, so m ch and so fast that we hard#y know what we are #earnin". It often takes months to fi" re o t what, !recise#y, was "oin" on d rin" a tri!. 'e have a#ready mentioned the debate as to whether the !rocess of "eneratin" s ch new 7information8 sho #d be ca##ed psy!hedeli! 0conscio sness ex!andin"1 or hallu!inogeni! 0de# sory1. It wo #d seem to de!end on whether or not the s b:ect has eno "h ske!ticism d rin" and after the event. <or instance, in his The %enter of the %y!lone, Ar. Li##y te##s of new information that seemed to come into his mind from bein"s in another "a#axy. 4ow, this is not at a## ncommon on acid voya"es, and I have known more than one !erson who has shared this ex!erience. Ar. Li##y takes a scientific a!!roach, and #ists aro nd do.en theories abo t where s ch information act a##y came from= he inc# des, for instance, the e$ a##y wi#d hy!othesis that it came from te#e!athic senders on earth in the f t re. ,e is nab#e to decide which theory is correct, b t !refers the s a# scientific standard of : d"ment, which is to choose the 7most economica#8 theory 9 that is, the theory that introd ces a minim m of new entities. ,e !refers, that is, to ass me that these im!ressions came from a !art of his own com! ter which is norma##y invisib#e to conscio sness. 4o ske!tic can $ arre# with this. 'hat, however, are we to say of those who acce!t the ori"ina# im!ression and be#ieve that they are, indeed, in contact with extraterrestria# inte##i"encesI Fsychiatrists wo #d tend to re"ard them as havin" entered a ha## cinatory and de# sory state. 6cience-fiction fans, however, wo #d say, at most, that they are too " ##ib#e or too $ ick to : m! to conc# sions= the !ossibi#ity that they are ri"ht wo #d remain o!en. %nd & ssian !ara!sycho#o"ists, who be#ieve they have a#ready demonstrated the rea#ity of te#e!athic comm nication across tho sands of mi#es on earth, wo #d certain#y not r #e o t the !ossibi#ity of s ch comm nication takin" !#ace across "a#axies or even between "a#axies. Even 4%6% has considered s ch a !ossibi#ity rea# eno "h to set ! a test in which an astrona t on the moon attem!ted to send menta# messa"es to fo r sensitives on the earth. 'hat, then, of the !ersons 0they are #e"ion1 who have discovered 7@od8 on an acid tri!I ?bvio s#y, if we are atheists 0as most scientists are, even tho "h they try to avoid sayin" so o!en#y, o tside the Comm nist nations1, we wi## ass me that the !erson who makes this c#aim was ha## cinatin". ; t s !!ose we be#ieve in @odI 'hat thenI The answer seems to de!end on o r notion of @od 9 on whether or not we are o!en to the idea that @od mi"ht be easier to find with L6A in the body than with white bread or bo rbon or #iverw rst in the body. ,ind s, and those Christian mystics who be#ieve that @od is everywhere b t is invisib#e to s d e to o r e"ocentered nat re, wi## find it easy to be#ieve that a dr " that occasiona##y ob#iterates the e"o can a#so make @od more visib#e. %nd then, how abo t c#aims #ike this one, by ;aba &am Aass, former#y Ar. &ichard %#!ertI Tim J4earyK is absolutely right about 4)' enhan!ing se2. Before taking 4)', 5 never stayed in a state of se2ual e!stasy for hours on end, but 5 have done this under 4)'. 5t

heightens all of your senses and it means that you.re living the se2ual e2perien!e totally. 6a!h !aress or kiss is timeless. 'hen &am Aass made this remark, in a #layboy !ane# on the Ar " &evo# tion, Kohn <in#ator of the ; rea of 4arcotics and Aan"ero s Ar "s asked mockin"#y, 7%t yo r a"e, &am Aass, co #d it be that yo 5re boastin" a #itt#eI8 % hi"h !ercenta"e of !sycho#o"ists and !sychiatrists are e$ a##y ske!tica# abo t the more extrava"ant erotic c#aims of L6A enth siasts. 4everthe#ess, the !art that is hardest for the ordinary !erson to acce!t 9 7sex a# ecstasy for ho rs to end8 9 is not an im!ossibi#ity. In the ?rient, masters of Tantric yo"a accom!#ish this witho t dr "sJ the 6 fis have #on" been ade!t at it with some : dicio s combination of hashish and yo"ic techni$ e= and 0as we have seen in !revio s cha!ters1 E ro!e a#so has a #on" 7occ #t8 tradition of sex a# ma"ic, with and witho t dr "s, which a#so !ro#on"s the sex a# act for !eriods of ho rs. I am !ersona##y convinced, on the basis of interviews and !ersona# ex!erience, that s ch feats are not extraordinari#y diffic #t, and that a variety of dr "s, inc# din" L6A and hashish, make them m ch easier, once one ac$ ires the knack. 4everthe#ess, many ske!tics wi## contin e to char"e that those who make this c#aim have ex!erienced on#y the we##-known s b:ective 7stretchin" of time.8 If the ex!erimenter re!#ies that he checked with a c#ock, s ch ske!tics wi## say that he was ha## cinatin" and red the c#ock wron". Hnti# some research is done nder #aboratory conditions, this debate wi## remain nreso#ved. ; t the <eds are sti## determined to !revent s ch research. If eternity is !ossib#e, they don5t want scientists to investi"ate it. E e"ni # N!' The !oet, 'i##iam ;#ake, who was not an acidhead, #on" a"o ex!ressed time-ex!ansion in his Auguries of 5nno!en!eJ 8old 5nfinity in the palm of your hand, And 6ternity in an hour. This is the rea# essence of the sex-L6A ex!erience, $ ite irres!ective of any act a# !ro#on"ation of the act into ho rs of c#ock time. ?n the other hand, some act a# !ro#on"ation is abso# te#y necessary if this effect is to be achieved. 'hat a!!ears to be invo#ved is a reci!roca# !rocess, in which the !ro#on"ation of subje!tive time 0by the dr "5s action and*or yo"ic meditative techni$ es1 creates a re#axation witho t #oss of sex a# char"e, which a##ows for an incrementa# !ro#on"ation of !lo!k time= this, in t rn, a##ows a dee!er re#axation 9 one is f ## of a sense of :oyo s we##-bein" and the fears that, at times, interfere with the act are banished 9 and that sends one dee!er and dee!er into the !ro#on"ation of subje!tive time. The cyc#e is then se#f-!er!et atin", since the !rocess a##ows for sti## f rther !ro#on"ation of !lo!k time. The reason that this seems incredib#e to many is that 9 in s!ite of the #o d !ro!a"anda in A.,. Lawrence, 'i#he#m &eich and a few other noisy sex a# revo# tionaries 9 the tender as!ect of sex is sti##, in Christian and !ost-Christian society, very atro!hied. % man who mi"ht we## have a "o rmet5s attit de toward food and has #earned 7the ei"ht and ninety r #es of art8 connected with dinin" wi## sti##, a## too often, a!!roach sex in the mood of a starved "# tton, gobbling an or"asm as if afraid that witho t s ch nervo s haste the o#d s ##en @od of the F ritans mi"ht notice that he is doin" somethin" nc#ean. Hnder the ma"nification of L6A, this kind of ne rotic racin"-the-c#ock becomes im!ossib#e= since every moment is eternity, there is no !ossibi#ity of r shin" anythin". The same ma"nification effect !robab#y ex!#ains why some sers have fo nd that, for them, L6A is a sex a# t rn-off, an ana!hrodisiac. Hnder this #ens, s ch !ersons confront their own ne"ative attit des toward sex in ex!anded and en#ar"ed form, and with no !ossibi#ity of h rryin" !ast them at a b#ind "a##o!. If s ch remnants of ! ritanism are stron" eno "h, sex a# interest is $ ite overwhe#med by them. This may even be the be"innin" of a memorab#e bad tri!. ; t acid is a re#ent#ess !ower. It is m ch more common, accordin" to !eo!#e who have disc ssed this de#icate s b:ect with me, for s ch a b#ocka"e at one #eve# to be disso#ved 7as if by ma"ic8 on a different ne ro#o"ica# #ane on#y a few moments #ater. ?ne is s dden#y #a "hin" and can hard#y remember where or what the b#ocka"e was. This is what ha!!ened to Kane, whose story was to#d in o r Fre# de= and simi#ar dramatic instances of c red fri"idity have been recorded by severa# !sychiatrists sin" L6A thera!y when it was sti## #e"a#, before the 4ew In$ isition 06ee T.>. Lin" and K. ; ckman, 4ysergi! A!id ;4)'? and (italin in the Treatment of +euroses .1 In

s ch cases, it seems as if the 7noise8 or 7new information8 9 the bombardment of the senses by nfami#iar si"na#s 9 had rea##y ta "ht the body somethin", on a !re-verba# #eve#= somethin" which !ers aded it that o#d fears and tensions were no #on"er necessary. In the cha!ter on mari: ana, I have a#ready s ""ested that word-of-mo th advertisin" abo t s ch sex a# effects has !#ayed a #ar"e ro#e in the weed5s skyrocketin" !o! #arity over the !ast decades, #on" before orthodox scientists were darin" to s ""est that this crimina#i.ed herb was indeed of sex a# and "enera# !sycho#o"ica# benefit to many of its sers. I am a#so inc#ined to s s!ect that simi#ar word-of-mo th advertisin" has !#ayed a #ar"e ro#e in kee!in" the L6A snowba## movin", in spite of horror stories about sui!ide and insanity raining upon us from the highest and most authoritative sour!es. %s !sycho#o"ist 'i##iam >c@#oth#in has sardonica##y noted, the 7ex!erts8 are forbidden to do research in this area, whi#e those who have done the research are crimina#s and, hence, re"arded as ntr stworthy 9 yet they must know things that the e2perts do not, since they have had the ex!erience. 0Frofessor >c@#oth#in, incidenta##y, has a#so !erformed an interestin" st dy on fears abo t the dan"ers of L6A. ,e fo nd that in the #earned !rofessions 9 the on#y s b:ects in this s rvey 9 s ch fears were s#i"htest amon" those who had act a##y done research with L6A when it was #e"a#. Fsycho#o"ists and !sychiatrists with s ch ex!erience, whi#e not as o!timistic as the ex berant Ar. Leary, were sti## m ch #ess worried abo t 7the L6A menace8 than !sycho#o"ists and !sychiatrists who had never done s ch research. >edica# doctors, incidenta##y, were more a#armed than either the !sycho#o"ists or the !sychiatrists. Fres mab#y, those #ackin" a## scientific trainin" 9 i.e., o r !o#iticians 9 are the most terrified of a##.1 Se7 . Uni$ica i!n I have "iven considerab#e tho "ht to the !rob#em of com!arin" sex on L6A with sex on !ot or hashish= sex on stim #ant dr "s, s ch as cocaine, am!hetamines or amy# nitrite, and ordinary sex. 4o sim!#e form #ation wi## cover the s bt#eties. The best I can do is offer the reader Tab#e 2, be#ow. Even this is, need#ess to say, an oversim!#ification. 6ome !eo!#e evident#y ex!erience L6A-sty#e sex witho t any dr "s at a## 0see 4ady %hatterley.s 4over or -or 1hom the Bell Tolls1= others have ordinary-ty!e sex even when on L6A= some wi## have a## the desiderata #isted nder 7cannabis8 whi#e on cannabis, b t others wi## have on#y one or two of these ex!eriences= and so forth. >ost im!ortant of a##, it sho #d be em!hasi.ed that the usual pattern when one first attempts se2 with 4)' and psy!hedeli!s, or even with heavy doses of !annabis drugs, is some form or other of se2ual dysfun!tion 07im!otence8 or 7fri"idity81. ?ne is bein" in ndated by an ocean of new information 0the nervo s system is 7noisy,8 in Ar. Li##y5s termino#o"y1 and one has to learn to navi"ate. 6 ch #earnin" is the ! r!ose of works #ike Ar. Leary5s #sy!hedeli! #rayers from the TAC T6 %85+& and Ar. Li##y5s #rogramming and 7etaprogramming in the 8uman Bio!omputer. 0>any he#!f # !ro"rams, ca##ed 7rit a#s,8 can a#so be fo nd in the ma"ic man a#s of %#eister Crow#ey, Lo is T. C ##in", Israe# &e"ardie, and the medieva# a#chemists.1 Ta31e 2 Crdinary se2 Hs a##y briefJ 1 Y min tes 0Ginsey5s avera"eR1 to Y ho r Ex!eriences as brief Centered in "enita#s )e2 with )timulant 'rugs Hs a##y briefJ 1 Y min tes to Y ho r Ex!erienced as #on"er than c#ock time Centered in "enita#s )e2 with %annabis 'rugs Lon"erJ (- min tes to 2 ho rs Ex!erienced as #on"er than c#ock time >ovin" toward decentra#i.ed a##-overat-once sensations ?r"asm ex!erienced as tota# ecstasy, sometimes with momentary #oss of )e2 with 4)' or Cther #sy!hedeli!s > ch #on"erJ 2 to 3 ho rs Ex!erienced as #on"er than c#ock time %##-over-at-once 0<re d5s 7!o#ymor!ho s !erverse81 ?r"asm as oceanic non-e"o ex!erience

?r"asm may be disa!!ointin" 07the snee.e in the #oins,8 7the momentary trick,8

?r"asm ex!erienced as tota# ecstasy

etc.1 If or"asm is missin", immediate sense of fr stration Hs a##y some de#iberate fantasy >ay be !erformed with some hosti#ity

If or"asm is missin", immediate sense of fr stration not inevitab#e 6ome s!ontaneo s ha## cinations >ay be !erformed with some hosti#ity

e"o 6ex witho t or"asm sometimes !erfect#y satisfactory &ea#ity*ha## cinations not c#ear#y se!arate In case of any hosti#ity, act becomes impossible

6ex witho t or"asm sometimes !erfect#y satisfactory &ea#ity*ha## cinations not c#ear#y se!arate In case of any hosti#ity, act becomes impossible

Ar. Leary5s #sy!hedeli! #rayers, for instance, can either be rea# #o d 9 : st #ike a traditiona# ma"ic rit a# a la Crow#ey and the ear#ier sorcerers 9 or recorded on ta!e before the !sychede#ic session and !#ayed back d rin" the tri! itse#f. It be"ins with six 7!rayers for !re!aration,8 which can be re"arded as a to-s ""estions a"ainst the anxieties that tri""er bad tri!s, fo##owed by seven 7homa"es to the atom,8 which attem!t to move conscio sness from the s a# ob:ective #eve# to the !rocess or ener"y #eve# fo nd by modern mathematica# !hysics. 0?ne tends to enter this ener"y wor#d on !sychede#ic dr "s even witho t s ch !ro"rammin" 9 cf., the ex!erience of Kane5s !hysicist friend in the Fre# de. The ! r!ose of this homa"e is to center the mind there and !revent it from wanderin" or wobb#in".1 The next section, 7,oma"e to A4%,8 moves the mind into the s!ecifica##y bio#o"ica# ener"y fie#d, which 9 as we !ointed o t in the Introd ction 9 seems to be where the 7!sycho#o"ica#8 side of sex is ex!erienced anyway. <or instance, the e#eventh homa"e in this section reads as fo##owsJ Lalley of life &ate of the )oft 7ystery Beginnings in the lowest pla!e &ate of the )oft 7ystery &ate of the 'ark 1oman &ate of the )oft 7ystery )eed of all living &ate of the )oft 7ystery %onstantly enduring &ate of the )oft 7ystery se her gently and 1ithout the tou!h of pain Comin" o t of a ta!e recorder and reachin" the ears of a man and woman who are tri!!in" to"ether, the effect is $ ite hy!notic 9 so m ch so that the do b#e meanin" is $ ite distinct and one c#ear#y fo##ows two meta!hors at once, reco"ni.in" the 7@ate of the 6oft >ystery8 as sim #taneo s#y the s!ira# of the A4% mo#ec #e and the s!ira# barre# of the va"ina. The next section of the 7!ro"ram8 is an 7,oma"e to the Externa# 6ense ?r"ans8 in five !arts, devoted to eyes, ears, fin"ers, nose and ton" e, res!ective#y. That is, one de#iberate#y t nes in, in turn, to each of the five traditiona# senses, th s "ivin" some order to the otherwise tota##y chaotic f#ood of new information f#owin" in. In the fifth section, we move thro "h the chakras sed in ,ind yo"a and Chinese ac ! nct re. 0These have never been fo nd by 'estern medicine, and %#eister Crow#ey is one modern mystic who frank#y re"ards them as ima"inary. 4onethe#ess, the feats of certain yo"is is makin" !revio s#y invo# ntary nervo s and "#and #ar f nctions behave as if they had been wi##ed by the brain, which has been doc mented by vario s 'estern investi"ators, and the e$ a# s ccess of ac ! nct re, both indicate that these 7ima"inary8 centers !ossess some kind of rea#ity. & ssian !ara!sycho#o"ists now c#aim to have !roof that they do exist after a##.1 The sex chakra !ro"ram directs the tri!!ers to 7f#oat thro "h the niverse of yo r body8 visitin" each of the other chakras a second time, and then, to 7#ie $ iet#y * en" #fed * in the s#i!!ery nion * of ma#e and fema#e.8 The em!hasis I6 on 7#ie $ iet#y8 9 which sho #d be done for at #east severa# min tes 9 beca se the end !rod ct of a## this !ro"rammin" : st does not a!!ear witho t this inter# de of penetration without movement.

'hen the desired res #t does occ r, it more than : stifies a## this !re#iminary !ro"rammin". Those who have been there wi## know what I mean= others are we#come to cheerf ##y en:oy their ske!ticism. ,ind s refer to this as 7wakenin" the 6er!ent8 or, #ess !oetica##y, ta!!in" the G nda#ini ener"y, which is tho "ht to be the stron"est !ower in the niverse, even more incredib#e in its effects than atomic ener"y itse#f. The ancient >exicans, those enth siastic ex!erimenters with !sychede#ic m shrooms, referred to their ca!ita# Teotih acan, in the midd#e of m shroom-"rowin" co ntry, as 7the !#ace where men became @ods8 and 7the !#ace where the 6er!ent #earned to f#y.8 0D et.a#coat#, the "od who a##e"ed#y ta "ht this art to men, is !ict red as a ser!ent with win"s.1 ?cc #tists often re"ard @enesis as a coded !ro"ram of sex yo"a= and Caba#ists, who be#ieve that words havin" the same n merica# va# e in ,ebrew refer to the same !ower, have #on" !roc#aimed that the ser!ent in @enesis, and the >essiah in the !ro!hets Keremiah and E.ekie#, are the same bein" since both have the same n mber, 3-2. >ore !rosaica##y 9 and for"ettin" a## abo t that a##e"ed ser!ent and that hy!othetica# G nda#ini ener"y 9 it a!!ears !ossib#e to describe the !rocesses in s ch ex!eriences in modern scientific termino#o"y. ?ne of the best a!!roaches can be seen in !sycho#o"ist Aavid Co#e @ordon5s ne"#ected #itt#e master!iece on the s b:ect of mast rbation, )elf/4ove. It is Frofessor @ordon5s thesis that 7 nification8 ex!eriences a!!ear on a variety of #eve#s and are m ch more misce##aneo s than has been rea#i.ed hitherto. In fact, he insists that many ex!eriences re"arded as coarse or #ow are !recise#y simi#ar, ne ro#o"ica##y, to the cosmic trances of ; ddha, Kes s, ;#ake or 'hitman. <ootba##, @ordon c#aims, has re!#aces baseba## as o r favorite nationa# s!ort !recise#y beca se it !rovides more of these 7 nification8 ex!eriences for both !#ayers and s!ectators. % nification ex!erience, in essence, is sim!#y a moment of re#ease fo##owin" a !eriod of b i#t- ! tension= in this s!asm, the ener"y f#ow is so stron" that one cannot 7remember8 the s a# distinction between se#f and environment. ?ne sim!#y is. It doesn5t even matter whether the ex!erience is conventiona##y !#easant or not 9 which ex!#ains why we #ook forward to 6at rday5s footba## "ame even tho "h it is as #ike#y to be 7 n!#easant8 0o r team #oses1 as it is to be 7!#easant8 0o r team wins1. The !oint is not the destination, so to s!eak, b t the tri! itse#f 9 the moments of re#ease after tension, s ch as a s dden forward !ass. 'e are so excited, so nified, as the !i"skin f#ies thro "h the air, that it hard#y matters to o r "#ands whether it is o r team or the other team that is scorin"= we fee# the same 7hi"h8 or 7f#ash8 0as do!e sers wo #d ca## it1. Frofessor @ordon $ otes the famo s remark of 4ick the @reek that, next to "amb#in" and winnin", he most en:oyed "amb#in" and #osin". 0This a#so ex!#ains o r mysterio s de#i"ht in horror movies or even tra"ic drama. The f#ash of nification is the same, whatever stim #i tri""er it.1 %s Frofessor @ordon mentions, this a#so acco nts for the !reference for st d !oker over draw !oker amon" rea##y dedicated card !#ayers. There is on#y one !eak ex!erience in a hand of draw !oker 9 that is, when the cards are fina##y t rned over 9 b t there are five !eak ex!eriences in five-card st d and seven in seven-card st d. These 7#itt#e satoris819 as they are ca##ed by %#an '. 'atts, an nconventiona# re#i"io s !hi#oso!her who has a#so noted their im!ortance in h man #ife, can "row into what we mi"ht name 7midd#e satoris8 when even more of the tota# !erson is invo#ved, with "reater tension over a #on"er !eriod and, corres!ondin"#y, "reater re#ease at the c#imax. This, then, brin"s s to the famo s 7!eak ex!eriences8 that are re"arded as so im!ortant in the !sycho#o"y of Ar. >as#ow and the @esta#tistsJ transcendent moments of romantic or !arenta# #ove, scientific or artistic breakthro "hs, the ecstasies of mo ntain c#imbers, and so on. %nd, when the di#ation of e"o becomes tota#, we have 7tr e satori,8 the cosmic conscio sness st died by the Canadian !sychiatrist &.>. ; cke, who had two ni$ e advanta"es for an investi"ator in this areaJ he had ex!erienced it himse#f, and he co #d observe it c#ose#y in his friend, 'a#t 'hitman. It may seem odd that the s!asmodic s r"e of a crowd at a footba## "ame as a !#ayer crosses the "oa# #ine can have the same str ct re, in miniat re, as Ar. ; cke5s famo s ex!erience in which 9 witho t any dr "s or exercises of vehement !rayer, yo"a or other se#f19

)atori is the Ka!anese word, sed in Nen ; ddhism, for the hi"hest ty!e of nification ex!erience. It is known as )amadhi 0 nion with @od1 in ,ind ism. %ccordin" to Ar. Kohn Li##y5s hy!othesis, it is ex!ansion of e"o-awareness into those areas of the biocom! ter that are s a##y nconscio s or stored with re:ected information. Christian theo#o"ians ca## it nion with the 7tota##y other.8

conditionin" techni$ es 9 he fo nd himse#f, $ ite nex!ected#y, one afternoon 7wra!!ed in a f#ame-co#ored c#o d8 and then rea#i.ed that 7the fire was within myse#f.8 0G nda#iniI1 %s he wrote #ater, the fire cons med his norma# mind tter#y, and he 7did not mere#y come to be#ieve, b t I saw that the niverse is not com!osed of dead matter b t is, on the contrary, a #ivin" !resence= I became conscio s in myse#f of eterna# #ife.8 0This is the non-dr " !sychede#ic ex!erience $ oted at the end of Cha!ter ?ne.1 'hat is ha!!enin" in a## these cases, we re!eat, is sim!#y 7 nification ex!eriences8 on vario s #eve#s of ever-hi"her nification. ?r, more sim!#y, the habit of thinkin" of 7myse#f8 and 7my ex!erience8 as se!arate is tem!orari#y for"otten in the r sh of Ar. Li##y5s noise 0i.e., raw 7information8 or ! re ener"y1. ; t this habit of dichotomi.in" my sensations from me is so in"rained that we cannot nderstand any of this n#ess we have had a ma:or !eak of nification #ike that ex!erienced by Ar. ; cke 9 or e#se de#iberate#y ac$ ire the habit of notin" caref ##y, after each sma## nification ex!erience, pre!isely what we were a!tually doing and feeling d rin" the moment of s!asm when vo# ntary and invo# ntary became one. %s Frofessor @ordon !oints o t, the fact that we a## need and constant#y #on" for s ch nification !eaks ex!#ains a "reat dea# of what is otherwise tota##y inex!#icab#e behaviorJ A thief !onstantly risks disgra!e and imprisonment, but the peak e2perien!e he rea!hes is of su!h intensity that he be!omes a re!idivist. #eople are always ama0ed at how mu!h work, thought and ingenuity go into !ertain !rimes, the fruits of whi!h !ould have been predi!ted, in advan!e, to be meager at best. The !rime is !ommitted not for the fruits or spoils, but for the unifi!ation whi!h the !riminal e2perien!es when !ommitting the !rime as he is totally involved, totally !on!entrated and one with himself. Kean @enet, the <rench b r"#ar t rned a thor, is one of the few !rofessiona# crimina#s to have ana#y.ed himse#f c#ose#y eno "h to confirm @ordon5s thesis. In Cur 4ady of the -lowers, @enet makes ab ndant#y c#ear that the moment of breaking into a sho! is the rea# motive of his b r"#aries and that the money ac$ ired was on#y a rationa#i.ation. 6imi#ar#y, nove#ist @ y Endore has s ""ested that, if there were no !rofession of sta"e ma"ician, ,arry ,o dini !robab#y wo #d have become a crimina# in order to "et himse#f #ocked ! and ex!erience his !eak nifications whi#e breakin" o t of the restraints. Frofessor @ordon a#so !oints o t that the sex a# or scato#o"ica# side effects in many crimes are !art of nificationJ 7any !riminals$ urinate, defe!ate, masturbate or have an orgasm at the s!ene of the !rime after its !ommission. )ometimes the eva!uation is unpremeditated, involuntary and spontaneous and a result of the overall rela2ation of physi!al as well as mental tension, and other times it is deliberate or me!hani!ally and voluntarily indu!ed, but, nevertheless, is a result of the same great tension for whi!h relief is sought. @ordon conc# des that modern 7rehabi#itation8 is as se#ess as traditiona# 7! nishment8 in c rin" crimina# tendencies, and that the best a!!roach is to teach crimina#s other ways of seekin" nification. ,e a#so notes the re#evance of this to o r own to!ic, sex and dr "sJ The users of methedrine, or speed, have reported unrivaled orgasmi! e2perien!es / whi!h is why, even though users are aware of its destru!tive :ualities, they take it again and again. Every sex act is a nification ex!erience 9 which !robab#y acco nts for the fact that @ordon deve#o!ed this theory from a contem!#ation of that sim!#est 0and in o r society, most des!ised1 of a## sex acts, mast rbation. 6ex with dr "s #ike am!hetamine and cocaine moves the nification to a hi"her, more inc# sive #eve#. 6ex with cannabis moves it hi"her sti##, and sex with !sychede#ics brin"s one to the areas hitherto ex!#ored on#y by the "reat mystics #ike Christ, ; ddha and 'a#t 'hitman. This is the chief reason for the s!read of the dr " c #t re and the ex!#anation of why, contradictin" the warnin"s of reactionaries, the sex a# t rn-offs #ike heroin and mor!hine have not increased "ainin" new converts everywhere. P)#chede1ic) in he S!cia1 C!n e7 It is no accident, then, that this !s r"e of interest in t rn-on dr "s occ rred in the same decade that saw the res r"ence of the so-ca##ed 7third force8 in !sycho#o"y and wides!read interest in "ro ! dynamics, "ro ! thera!y, sensitivity-trainin". Esa#en, @esta#tism, and a## the

other attem!ts to !rovoke dee! nification ex!eriences witho t dr "s, inc# din" the im!ortation of s ch Eastern arts as hatha- and ra:ah-yo"a. <or the "overnment to consider the Ar " &evo# tion a!art from this socia# context, and attem!t to c re its excesses by ! nishin" each ser ca "ht 0whether or not his or her !attern is act a##y excessive and dan"ero s to se#f or others1, does not seem very inte##i"ent. %fter a##, there is sti## on#y one !o#iceman to every ()) citi.ens in this nation= there are, statistica##y, a!!roximate#y 12) sers of i##e"a# dr "s in that ()) 0and aro nd 3+) sers of #e"a# dr "s1= enforcement is mathematica##y im!ossib#e. Exce!t for addicts of heroin, or ab sers of am!hetamines and cocaine, or the very rare acidhead who freaks o t, most of these !eo!#e 9 the overwhe#min" ma:ority 9 wi## never attract the attention of the !o#ice at a##. 0Ar. 6tan#ey Eo##es, whi#e an officia# of the "overnment5s own ; rea of 4arcotics and Aan"ero s Ar "s, admitted that the odds against any "iven !ot smoker even bein" arrested were severa# tho sand to one.1 Therefore, rea# enforcement of these #aws wi## re$ ire s to o!t for a tr e tota#itarian state. ;efore the conf#ict between dr " k #ch and 'ashin"ton esca#ates f rther, we sho #d ask o rse#ves if a !o#ice state is what we rea##y want. The @ermans once acce!ted a !o#ice state to !rotect themse#ves from an a##e"ed NionistComm nist-Ca!ita#ist !#ot= Ita#y fo##owed a sawd st Caesar who to#d them that 7the state is the march of @od thro "h the wor#d8= & ssia a##owed the Centra# Committee, and then 6ta#in a#one, to s r! a## !ower, in ho!es of bein" saved from ca!ita#ist and Trotskyite !#otters. The res #ts in a## these cases sho #d be considered caref ##y by those wi##in" to ma"nify o r a#ready b#oated s !erstate in 'ashin"ton sti## f rther. Even now, o r existin" anti-dr " #aws are bein" sed, increasin"#y, as a sta#kin"-horse to harass !o#itica# dissenters. %s 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs has !ointed o tJ 'rug !ontrol is a thin prete2t, and getting thinner, to in!rease poli!e powers and to brand dissent as !riminal. The pretense of looking for nar!oti!s gives the authorities the right to sear!h any person or premises at any time, and the poli!e are !ontinually lobbying for more anti/nar!oti!s laws and stiffer penalties$ The standard pra!ti!es of for!ing young people to be!ome informants under the threat of prison if they don.t !ooperate, or of under!over agents en!ouraging nar!oti!s violations in order to run up a s!ore of arrests, pose a threat to !ommon de!en!y and an Ameri!an way of life in whi!h one !ould reasonably take pride. To which ;aba &am Aass addsJ 5 also think su!h pra!ti!es are ill/advised be!ause they just in!rease the paranoia of human beings toward one another. The la!k of respe!t for the priva!y and dignity of the individual in this so!iety is a sign of the si!kness of the times. Ar. Koe# <ort a#so remarks, in this connectionJ 5n some ways, we are really moving !loser to the Crwellian world of "<M=, and the ta!ti!s of the drug poli!e are indistinguishable from those of the %ommunists and other totalitarians... +ow there is a move to abolish the need for a sear!h warrant before the drug poli!e break into a house. The end in no way justifies the means. I can on#y re!eat that we sho #d a## think #on" and hard abo t the recent history of @ermany, Ita#y and & ssia, and decide how m ch of that way of #ife we rea##y want, before we enco ra"e o r #e"is#ators to esca#ate the 7war a"ainst dr "s8 any f rther. % dentist in ;erke#ey was a#most shot, #ast years, when the #oca# !o#ice broke into his ho se witho t warnin" and witho t identifyin" niforms= it #ater t rned o t they had the wron" address and that the s s!ected !othead was in the ho se next door. The sad conse$ ence of fascism is that it never sto!s with the a##e"ed enemy b t mows down everybody in its !ath. LSD . H!4!)e7+a1i # 'hi#e he was sti## Ar. &ichard %#!ert, ;aba &am Aass !erformed an interestin" ex!eriment invo#vin" L6A and homosex a#ity. The s b:ect was a yo n" man who had had a few heterosex a# ex!eriences in ado#escence b t had been entire#y homosex a# since then. 8e was strongly motivated to !hange his se2ual orientation 0an im!ortant !oint, beca se every kind of thera!y works best with !eo!#e who are stron"#y motivated1. Ar. %#!ert5s ex!eriment thera!y combined L6A tri!!in" with the techni$ es devised by the behaviorist, Ar. 'o#!e. The 'o#!e method 9 7!ro"ressive desensiti.ation8 9 takes the s b:ect

ste! by ste!, c#oser and c#oser, to some act that has a#ways terrified him. %t each ste!, yo"a-#ike tactics are sed to re#ax him and ca#m him down= he rests a whi#e in this re#axation, and then moves to the next 7threatenin"8 ste!, where he is a"ain re#axed. This was ori"ina##y deve#o!ed, ex!erimenta##y, sin" s b:ects with a stron" fear of snakes, and, within a few weeks, Ar. 'o#!e had them a## hand#in" #ive snakes witho t so m ch as a sh dder. It has since been a!!#ied to a wide variety of other !hobias, from fear of e#evators and s bways to st dents5 terrors before examinations2), s a##y with $ ite "ood res #ts. Ar. %#!ert5s method invo#ved on#y three thera!y sessions 9 which sho #d be com!ared with the s a# <re dian thera!y that can invo#ve three sessions !er week for seven years, or #on"er. In the first session, he and the s b:ect mere#y ta#ked abo t the !rob#em, a"reed on what they wo #d try, and disc ssed the "oa#s. In the second session, the !atient-s b:ect was "iven a !sycho#ytic dose 01)) mikes1 and, d rin" the tri!s, !resented with vario s increasin"#y erotic and ex!#icit heterosex a##y stim #atin" !hoto"ra!hs 0!in- ! art1. ,e !racticed en:oyin" them and res!ondin" as a heterosex a# ma#e wo #d, by mast rbatin". 'henever anxiety a!!eared, Ar. %#!ert wo #d re#ax him by the 'o#!e methods. In the third session, the s b:ect took a stron"er dose of L6A 0-)) mikes1, and an ob#i"in" yo n" #ady 9 a friend of his 9 was on hand. ,e !racticed ho#din" her hand, h ""in" her, kissin", and so on. 'hen anxiety a!!eared, %#!ert a"ain re#axed him. %fter a few ho rs, %#!ert went to another room and the s b:ect and the 7s rro"ate wife8 0to se >asters and Kohnson termino#o"y for this f nctionary1 had sex a# interco rse. This was the s b:ect5s first s ccessf # heterosex a# interco rse in over a decade. % fo##ow- ! st dy cond cted six months #ater fo nd the s b:ect entire#y ad: sted to heterosex a#ity and en:oyin" it as m ch as he had ho!ed. In the first few months, he had visited "ay bars once or twice, !icked ! a yo n" man and had homosex a# ex!eriences, b t this behavior did not !ersist, and was discontin ed witho t re"ret. This is an astonishin" ex!eriment, however m ch it may ca se @ay Liberationists to "rit their teeth and m tter abo t 7brainwashin".8 0The s b:ect wanted this treatment, !#ease remember.1 ?ne s ch s ccess, of co rse, does not : stify any !remat re dec#aration that L6A wi## chan"e any homosex a# who wants to be chan"ed 0a#tho "h the enth siastic Ar. Leary once broad#y hinted that that was indeed the case.1 The fact that the treatment worked so ra!id#y, in on#y three sessions, however, definite#y indicates that f rther research wo #d be a!!ro!riate. Hnfort nate#y, it is im!ossib#e to do L6A research #e"a##y in the Hnited 6tates. The #aws intended to sto! b#ack market acid 7ex!eriments8 by #aymen have not sto!!ed s ch f n and "ames, of co rse, any more than the 12 th %mendment sto!!ed a#coho#ism, b t these #aws have not been tota##y ineffective. They have s cceeded in s s!endin" #e"itimate scientific work in the area, a sort of c#assic case of throwin" o t the baby and kee!in" the bath water. I have heard of severa# n! b#ished cases simi#ar to this one, and so has Ar. Leary 0which !art#y : stifies, or ex!#ains, his !remat re statements abo t 7c rin"8 a## homosex a#s who want to be 7c red81. 'hat needs to be em!hasi.ed, however, is that there are a#so cases, in nder"ro nd r mor, of !ersons who, after a few L6A tri!s, moved from strict heterosex a#ity to homosex a#ity or bisex a#ity. Hnti# this who#e area is better nderstood, it is decided#y !remat re to enco ra"e !eo!#e to think that L6A is the c re for %merica5s sa""in" heterosex a#ity $ otient.

INTERLUDE U* A,ain) he 2a11: The S !"# !$ T#"!ne

20

In !assin", Ar. Leary once remarked that !eo!#e who be#ieve that L6A sho #d be i##e"a# beca se some sers have committed s icide, maybe beca se of it, sho #d a"itate even more heated#y for the abo#ition of examinations. 6tatistics show that the #ink between fina# exams and s icide is tr e beyond any !eradvent re of do bt. 6very year the co##e"e s icide rate rises at exam time.

There !an of !ourse be no doubt that any sort of addi!tion, whether to opiates, barbiturates, or al!ohol, is always an evil and always involves slavery. )o!iety, however, when it shoulders responsibility for preventing su!h abuse, treads on very slippery ground. The real situation tends to be!ome !louded by mis!on!eptions, and legislation is often ena!ted whi!h tends to aggravate the very evils it was intended to prevent. - &obert Ae&o!!, >.A., 'rugs and the 7ind Tyrone Kohnson had a nickname. ,is friends ca##ed him 7Fer!et a# ,ard-?n Kohnson.8 This was beca se his attit de toward the fema#e of the s!ecies was what yo mi"ht ca## enth siastic 9 n#ess yo were a member of 'omen5s Lib, in which case yo mi"ht ca## it ex!#oitive. Eo mi"ht, if yo rea##y were into 'omen5s Lib, ca## it even worse than that, as one "ir# of his own a"e 0aro nd 171 did on a memorab#e ni"ht in the s!rin" of 197). 6he "ot a s!ray can from a friend in the 'eathermen nder"ro nd and wrote a## over the side of the a!artment ho se where he #ived in #etters abo t a foot hi"hJ TE&?4E I6 % >%LE C,%HMI4I6T FI@. Tyrone didn5t mind that at a##. In fact, he considered it a bit of sef # ! b#icity. 7'hen one chick ca##s yo a ma#e cha vinist !i",8 he ex!#ained ha!!i#y to his friends, 7a #ot of other chicks s dden#y "et a fresh interest in yo .8 Tyrone, at the ri!e o#d a"e of 17, came into my #ife as a s itor for one of my da "hters 9 a sit ation that didn5t #ast #on". 6he decided he was 7an assho#e, rea##y8 and dro!!ed him. ,e contin ed to come aro nd, however, and it deve#o!ed that I had become some sort of father s bstit te to him, chief#y beca se, n#ike everybody e#se he knew, I never to#d him he was cra.y. ;esides, I was a#ways wi##in" to read his incoherent science-fiction stories and make constr ctive criticism. >y most fre$ ent criticism was that he o "ht to #earn to s!e##. 7,e##,8 he5d say, 7that5s what they5ve "ot !roofreaders for.8 I tried to ex!#ain to him that editors who fo nd seven s!e##in" errors in the first two sentences often didn5t read any f rther. 7That5s their han"- !,8 he said, and then !rod ced his tr m!J 7>ark Twain co #dn5t s!e## either.8 Tyrone5s stories made ! in ima"ination for what they #acked in s!e##in", "rammar and other s rface detai#s. ?ne of them concerned an etho#o"ist who became Fresident, and, instead of startin" a new war, : st arran"ed for te#evision to show movies of the #ast war on the news 9 which satisfied everybody, exce!t certain soreheads who were a#ways b#owin" ! te#evision stations as a !rotest. %nother I remember invo#ved a !#a" e that on#y attacked !eo!#e who sed nderarm deodorants= most %mericans, it t rned o t, contin ed to se the " ck beca se they wo #d rather die than offend. ,e was an ordinary-#ookin" teena"e boy 0for 197)1, which is to say that his hair h n" down in rin"#ets #ike the "ir# in the o#d son", and 0behind enormo s "#asses1 his eyes were !ainf ##y sincere and constant#y ! ..#ed. I think he was tryin" to fi" re o t 9 #ike many kids that a"e 9 why the wor#d was nothin" #ike what his "rammar-schoo# and hi"h-schoo# teachers had ta "ht him to ex!ect 9 which is a matter that has ! ..#ed many of s o#der fo#ks as we##. 'hen Tyrone fo nd o t that I wasn5t ho!e#ess#y strai"ht, he be"an te##in" me abo t his dr " ex!eriences. Like many other over#y bri"ht and ma#ad: sted boys at the end of the bi.arre 19+)s, he had started on !ot before he was o t of "rammar schoo# and !roceeded to his first acid tri! at 1(. %fter bein" ex!e##ed from three hi"h schoo#s in a row, his father threw him o t of the ho se. 'hen I met him he was #ivin" in a comm ne with other deviants. ?ne evenin", when he dro!!ed by to ra! with me, his conversation was n s a##y ra!id, s#i"ht#y incoherent and seemin"#y interminab#e. 7'hat kind of s!eed are yo onI8 I fina##y asked him. 7K st !i##s,8 he said innocent#y. 7I wo #dn5t inje!t anythin". I5ve seen what ha!!ens to the need#e freaks.8 I tried to ex!#ain to him that if yo take enough !i##s yo event a##y arrive at a state not too dissimi#ar to that of the need#e freaks. ,e wo #dn5t b y that. 7% #ot of strai"hts 9 even o t-and-o t jo!ks, for Christ5s sake 9 take !!ers to cram for exams,8 he said. 7It doesn5t h rt them.8

The next time I saw him, he was even more frantic and b rstin" with abso# te#y incoherent reve#ations. This variety of 7s!eakin" with ton" es8 is definite#y characteristic to s!eeders. 4o matter how wi#d an acid tri! may be, it is at #east !ossib#e to "ras! the s b:ect that the tri!!er is tryin" to describeJ 7That chair there 9 oh, man 9 that chair 9 &od, that chair.8 %t #east yo know it5s abo t a chair. Eo a#so know that the acid tri!!er is as aware as yo are that he hasn5t been ab#e to find the words to te## yo abo t the chair. 6!eed freaks, on the other hand, seem to think that they are comm nicatin", b t the #istener is not even s re whether the s b:ect is a chair or the moons of >ars. The s!eeder is abnorma##y a"itated and e#ated abo t something= that5s a## yo can "ather for s re, a#tho "h his rate of word !rod ction, com!ared to that of an acid tri!!er, is abo t 1))) to a ha#f do.en. I became concerned, and "ave Tyrone my standard anti-s!eed ra!. ,e had a new answer 9 one that I fo nd a bit of a st m!er. 7>an,8 he said, 7in : st seven months, I5m "oin" to be ei"hteen, and then Hnc#e 6am "ets my ass. 'hy sho #d I #et those motherf ckers in 'ashin"ton ki## meI If I ki## myse#f first, at #east I5ve beaten them to the ! nch and I5ve made my own destiny, #ike the existentia#ists say.8 ?ther observations had convinced me, #on" before, that s!eed freaks rea##y do have se#fdestr ctive r"es, b t I had ass med that this was a#ways nconscio s. Tyrone5s frankness abo t the s icida# as!ect of am!hetamine ab se was nex!ected. 7Eo know a mi##ion ways to "et o t of the draft,8 I vent red. 7Eo don5t have to "o to 4am.8 7'hat difference does it makeI8 ,e #a nched into some a#armin" statistics abo t air and water !o## tion, somebody5s mathematica# estimate of the !robabi#ity of accidents in n c#ear research and vario s other fri"htenin" as!ects of modern techno#o"y. ,e "rew more incoherent and be"an ramb#in" into science-fiction themes and o#d vam!ire #e"ends. It was hard to fo##ow, and even harder to interr !t. 7Like my mother,8 he wo #d say, 7or, no, take my a nt ;ess. % sin"#e bomb of the ty!e sed in the #ast 4ew >exico b#ast 9 b t, what the he##, yo don5t know my mother. Take the atomic !#ant !state and the radioactive waste it !o rs into the water. I had a teacher in third "rade 9 b t, to "et back to my mother and the >artians 9 no, yo see, that teacher was a ty!ica# exam!#e. Aid yo read The 4ord of the (ings, yetI8 %nd so on. ;ehind "#itterin" #enses his eyes "o""#ed with intensity as he tried to ex!#ain why, on ba#ance, he #oved death more than #ife. I "ot feisty, broke into the conversation with a verba# crowbar, and #a nched into an oration on why o!tin" o t of #ife before the a"e of 2) was a rash decision. ,e sed a verba# hatchet and c t his way back in a"ain. 74o, man, no 9 no, no, noR It isn5t tr e at a##. These two chicks both c#aim I5m the one who made them !re"nant and they want me to !ay for both abortions, and my third "rade teacher that I was tryin" to te## yo abo t if yo 5d on#y sto! interr !tin" 9 she was : st #ike the s!ider in 4ord of the (ings, did I ex!#ain thatI ?r did yo see The 5n!redible )hrinking 7an where he "ets to be abo t a $ arter-inch hi"h and is attacked by a b#ack widow s!iderI Eo "ot yo r kids in the free schoo#, what the he## do yo know abo t the maniacs in the ! b#ic schoo#sI 'e had this "an" back at Kackson ,i"h 9 we ca##ed them the Crew C t C#an 9 di", #ike the G G# x G#an 9 and they5re sti## #ookin" for me, if I ever show my ass aro nd that nei"hborhood a"ain,8 etc., etc. I didn5t see Tyrone for severa# months after that. Evident#y he remembered my hosti#ity to s!eed and took it as hosti#ity to himse#f. 'hen he did come aro nd a"ain, he had "rad ated. ,e was a f ##-f#ed"ed, tota##y committed, one-h ndred-!ercent, ! re s!eed freak now 9 rin"s nder the eyes, thirty !o nds #i"hter than !revio s#y, tremb#in" hands, tota# entro!y when he ta#ked, and !a#e as the Lone &an"er5s horse. ,e was #eavin" for Ca#ifornia in a tr ck with a b nch of other freaks in the mornin". ,e wanted to thank me for a## my enco ra"ement of his writin" and to say "oodbye to my da "hter 9 b t he very $ ick#y "ot off onto a ra! abo t some !#ot by the 'eathermen nder"ro nd and the 'omen5s Libbers. It a!!eared that they had :oined forces to ! nish him for bein" 7an ex!#oiter of women8 and they !#anned to castrate him if he co #d be ca "ht. ,ence, the hegira to Ca#ifornia. I didn5t be#ieve any of that, b t it was evident that he did. %t one !oint, he !rod ced a wicked-#ookin", switch-b#ade knife from his !ocket. 7Frotection,8 he said si"nificant#y.

7Look,8 I said, 7if yo sto! sin" s!eed a## the time, yo 5## be better ab#e to defend yo rse#f when Tthey5 come for yo . ;ernadine Aohrn co #d take yo a## by herse#f in the sha!e yo 5re in now.8 ,e started to answer that, b t di"ressed into two abortions that somebody from the #oca# 'omen5s Lib wanted him to !ay for. 7I never sed ced anybody,8 he !rotested vehement#y. 7 They sed ced me. K st #ike 9 did yo see that movie with Cary @rant and the #eo!ardsI 'hy, if I didn5t have this knife 9 : st #ast ni"ht, for instance, a b nch of s were ta#kin" abo t Gennedy assassinations and I remembered that 6irhan 6irhan was a &osicr cian. Ao yo know what that meansI8 ; t then he !a sed and b#inked at me s s!icio s#y. 7C ttin" a man5s ba##s of is a serio s thin",8 he "r mb#ed. 7It5s mob r #e, that5s what it is. C t my ba##s off first and then "ive me a tria# #ater. These >arxists are a## the same, none of s ever sho #d have "otten mixed ! with them. Take 6ta#in. Aid I ever show yo that story of mine abo t the boy with three ba##s in a socia#ist societyI ,e has to s bmit to an o!eration, takin" one off, so other men won5t fee# inferior. Ai"I If I co #d find a chick I tr sted, I5d take her to #ive in a cave, and in a tho sand years o r descendants co #d come o t and check if the wor#d had "otten any better or was sti## cra.y. ; t yo know what5s rea##y wron" with 'omen5s LibI Too many ex-n ns in it, that5s what. It5s rea##y an nder"ro nd branch of the Catho#ic Ch rch. 6ta#in was ed cated as a Catho#ic and don5t yo ever for"et it. K. Ed"ar ,oover is !robab#y a secret Catho#ic, too. I think somebody5s been o!enin" my mai# #ate#y.8 ,e stood !, as if to #eave 9 b t that means nothin" with s!eeders. <or (- additiona# min tes he ramb#ed on abo t the Catho#ics and the &osicr cians and how %#eister Crow#ey5s a"ents had "otten his eye-in-!yramid desi"n ! t on the %merican do##ar bi## and the rea# inside scoo! on why Ma#erie 6o#anis of 6CH> 0the 6ociety for C ttin" H! >en1 had shot %ndy 'arho# 9 it was a## !art of a #esbian !#ot masterminded by n ns 9 and how the Tambo rine >an in Ay#an5s son" was rea##y 6!iro %"new who is a#so the beast with the n mber +++ in 6t. Kohn5s &eve#ations and, by @od, he was "oin" to disa!!ear entire#y before 7they8 "ot his ba##s. I was re#ieved when he fina##y #eft. I had started to wonder when he wo #d decide 5 was a secret &osicr cian and !art of the wor#dwide cons!iracy a"ainst his testes. % few months #ater, I received a #etter from him, f ## of his characteristic s!e##in" error and dark warnin"s abo t >ort 6ah# bein" a CI% a"ent in char"e of conf sin" a## the other Gennedy assassination b ffs to kee! them from findin" o t the rea# tr th. The "ood news was that, m ch to his s r!rise, he had beaten the draft on a !sycho ra!. % #ot of the #etter seemed more rationa# than the 6ah# cons!iracy bit, and I wondered if his re#ief abo t not havin" to "o to 4am had eased some of his interna# t rmoi#. 'hen the H.6. %rmy decides that yo 5re too cra.y to na!a#m women and chi#dren in an efficient manner, yo m st "o thro "h some variety of rebirth ex!erience or se#f-confrontation. Two years !assed before I enco ntered Tyrone a"ain. ,e ca##ed my name from across a street in >exico City, and I didn5t reco"ni.e him at first. ,e had his hair at on#y medi m-#en"th now 9 #ike a hi! te#evision newscaster 9 and a!!eared fair#y conservative in dress, exce!t for a cowboy hat that was not eccentric for >exico. 7TyroneR8 I said. 7'hat the he## are yo doin" in >exicoI8 7'ritin" a dictionary. ,ow are thin"s "oin"I8 I was si.in" him !, of co rse, and to my re#ief he a!!eared tan, !# m! and not a"itated or e#ated beyond the norm. ,e hadn5t been sin" metham!hetamines #ate#y. 'e went to a bar. 0Gids his a"e can drink in >exico 9 one reason they find it ironic, when they cross the &io @rande a"ain, to be to#d that now they5re back in the 7#and of the free.81 7,ow did yo "et off s!eedI8 I asked when we had finished with the id#e chatter. 7That was a heavy scene,8 he said. 7I was ye##in" at a traffic co!, in a street in 6an <ran, and I co #dn5t remember how I "ot there or what I was ye##in" at him for. There5s #ike a co !#e of months com!#ete#y "one, vanished. ,e took me in for disorder#y cond ct or some cra! #ike that. >y father, of a## thin"s, !aid for a #awyer and "ot me o t and !aid my fare home and a## that :a... 'e had a bi" reconci#iation and everythin". ; t I had a#ready decided, the first day in :ai#, that I5d had it with s!eed. 4ever a"ain. I haven5t to ched a need#e in ten months.8 ,e shook his head. 7I was !ractica##y a ske#eton, for Christ5s sake. I #ooked at my arms and I co #dn5t be#ieve it. I ke!t thinkin", TIs this meI5 %nd it was rea##y scary, not bein" ab#e to remember where I had been or what I had done.8

6!eed doesn5t s a##y !#ay that kind of trick with the memory= he had !robab#y been sam!#in" other characteristic Ca#ifornia !otions, inc# din" be##adonna. 06ee Cha!ter Two.1 %fter three or fo r be##adonna tri!s, memory tends to resemb#e a deck of cards that has been sh ff#ed severa# times and then had a few discards made= yo reca## 'ednesday as ha!!enin" before >onday, don5t remember T esday at a##, and think yo s!ent 6 nday amon" b ..in" and whist#in" thin"s in the rea#m of th d. 76o, what5s the new #ife scri!tI8 I asked. 7Ka.. " itar. &ock has "otten a## s#o!!y and "ooey #ate#y. I5m "oin" to sin"#e-handed ram :a.. " itar down their throats and make them #ike it.8 Tyrone : st mi"ht do that. ,e5s at another m sic schoo# now, in 4ew Eork, and writin" sma## !ieces named after science-fiction nove#s 9 The )tars 4ike 'ust= The &reen 8ills of 6arth= )ands of 7ars. This 7#ast-min te re!rieve8 doesn5t s r!rise me m ch= it5s very ty!ica# of the s!eed syndrome. %s ;aba &am Aass said in a #layboy #anelJ The whole speed s!ene is pretty sad. )ome go through a period where they get stu!k in the same fantasies over and over again. The trip !an take several years, but there are a lot of people who have been through it and finally !ome out the other side. 5t doesn.t seem to have the lifelong addi!tive properties of heroin. In estimatin" the dama"e that these am!hetamine dr "s do, another comment by &am Aass is worth !onderin" a#soJ 7any of our &overnment offi!ials drop amphetamine pep pills at a fantasti! rate, espe!ially those who have to jet around the world for !onferen!es every week. They think they.re using it only to keep alert, but many of them really have the habit. The Ameri!an people should seriously !onsider the e2tent to whi!h out entire international poli!y is shaped by people who are !hroni! users of a drug known to produ!e paranoia and irrational hostility. There mi"ht be somethin" in what the man says, even if he is a ,ind mystic. ,e was once Ar. &ichard %#!ert, c#inica# !sycho#o"ist, after a## 9 and some of 'ashin"ton5s ex!#anations of the war in Mietnam and more recent wars have so nded, at #east to me, s s!icio s#y #ike Tyrone5s notions concernin" the wor#dwide !#ot a"ainst his ba##s.

7 2000: An Inne" S*ace Od#))e#

T8AT 185%8 5) A44C16', 6P5)T). 5+ A44C15+& +C 4575T), T86(6 A(6 +C 4575T)$ T8AT 185%8 5) A44C16', 6P5)T). T8AT 185%8 6P5)T) 5) A44C16'. TC A44C1 +C 4575T), T86(6 A(6 +C 4575T). +C 4575T) A44C16', +C 4575T) 6P5)T$ 5+ T86 #(CL5+%6 C- T86 75+' T86(6 A(6 +C 4575T). 5+ T86 #(CL5+%6 C- T86 75+', 18AT 5) B6456L6' TC B6 T( 6 5) T( 6 C( B6%C76) T( 6. T86(6 A(6 +C 4575T). - % hy!no-ta!e sed by Ar. Kohn Li##y to !re!are ex!erimenta# s b:ects to transcend their !revio s !ossibi#ities, as $ oted in his The %enter of the %y!lone

Kane, in o r Fre# de, had heard exa""erated re!orts of the s ccesses achieved by the En"#ish !sychiatrists Lin" and ; ckman in c rin" fri"idity with L6A. It seems that, in her case, what was be#ieved to be tr e came tr e. This 7Christian 6cience8 as!ect of se#f-!ro"rammin" with L6A is often re!orted in nder"ro nd #ore and need not over#y ama.e s. %fter a##, Kane was born, #ike a## fema#es, with a ca!acity for or"asm, and the b#ocks a"ainst it, whatever m sc#es

may have been invo#ved, resided !rimari#y in her mind. 'hen L6A tem!orari#y broke down the historica##y "iven str ct re of her mind, her faith was that the 7mirac#e8 of or"asm wo #d be inc# ded when the mind came back to"ether a"ain. ,er faith obvio s#y made this !ossib#e. In the first cha!ter, we considered the re#i"io s as!ects of the Ar " &evo# tion, and in the fo rth cha!ter we saw that an ear#ier Ar " &evo# tion 0circa 1-,))) ;C1 #aid the visionary "ro ndwork within a shamanistic context for the #ater re#i"io s history of o r s!ecies. It seems evident that, as 'eston La;arre, Fh.A., ar" es in his mon menta# st dy The &host 'an!e: Crigins of (eligion, the re#i"io s ideas common to @reeks, Kews, ,ind s, &omans, and Christians 0amon" others1 wo #d not be $ ite what they are witho t the inf# ence of severa# tho sand years of dr " tri!!in" by o r 6tone %"e ancestors, in which they discovered the interna# wor#d of !sychic !rocesses that they c#assified in s ch cate"ories as s !ernat ra# ener"ies 0mana, !rana, G nda#ini, wakan, etc.1, and as s !ernat ra# !#aces 0heaven, he##, etc.1, and as s !ernat ra# bein"s 0the father-"od, mother-"oddess, etc.1. It remains to be ex!#ained why the modern dr " tri!!ers often find themse#ves confrontin" the same archety!a# interna# !owers, !#aces and bein"s. %s Ar. La;arre a#so !oints o t, there are chronic and seemin"#y inesca!ab#e reviva#s of this 7vision $ est8 whenever society nder"oes !ro#on"ed stress in ways that the !ultural traditions !annot e2plain. ?rdinary stress wi## not tri""er this res!onse= Ar. La;arre chronic#es ca#amities that "ive birth to no re#i"io s !heava#. ; t when the a"ony is s ch that it conf#icts with c #t ra# be#iefs concernin" those events that the "ods sho #d not and co #d not a##ow, bewi#derment sets in. >any are driven to the vision $ est, to direct ex!erience of the 7s !ernat ra#8 or !sychic wor#d, as they attem!t to find o t what the "ods rea##y want and why !revio s reve#ations cannot acco nt for c rrent s fferin"s. This ha!!ened to the F#ain Indians in the #ate 19 th Cent ry when constant betraya#s by the white man, constant defeats by the white cava#ry, the vanishin" of the b ffa#o herds, and the !resence of Christian missionaries be#itt#in" their ancient re#i"ion combined to destroy their faith in everythin" that had once "iven #ife meanin" and !romise. 4ot nex!ected#y, the vision $ est a!!eared in do.ens of forms amon" them, most notab#y in the famo s "host dance 0which !romised that if a## tribes nited to !erform this rite, the b ffa#o wo #d rea!!ear and the hated whites wo #d "o back to E ro!e1 and in the c #t of the !sychede#ic cact s 9 !eyote 9 which became the 4ative %merican Ch rch. Entire#y simi#ar re#i"io s !heava#s occ rs in a## con$ ered !eo!#e. Two we##-known exam!#es are the Car"o c #ts in the 6o th Facific 9 which worshi! air!#anes 9 and the Kohnson C #t in the same area 9 which invo#ved the be#ief, by tho sands of natives, that Lyndon ;aines Kohnson, whom they had seen in the newsree#s, was the !romised >essiah. >ore bi.arre is a sect mentioned by Ar. La;arre, which worshi!!ed a !hoto"ra!h of Gin" @eor"e M of En"#and, which their !ro!het 0who had once attended Christian missionary c#asses, b t evident#y hadn5t #istened too c#ose#y1 to#d them was 7Kehovah, son of Kes s.8 Christian c #t re a!!eared after severa# cent ries of s ch socia# chaos and re#i"io s !heava#, be"innin" when the Aionysian and simi#ar c #ts in @reece bro "ht amanita mus!aria m shrooms and so#anaceae dr "s to %thens, and introd ced to @reece the myths of the mother "oddess, her dyin"-and-res rrected divine son, and the dr " ex!erience in which the c #t member nderwent 7death8 and 7rebirth8 and #earned that he, too, was a @od and wo #d never tr #y die. Kohn %##e"ro, the En"#ish !hi#o#o"ist, attem!t to show, in his The )a!red 7ushroom and the %ross, that the simi#arity of these c #ts to Christianity is more than a shared herita"e of re#i"io s symbo#s 0mother and son1 or of ideas 0res rrection1 b t was act a##y chemica#. The ear#y Christians, he c#aims, a#so sed the ha## cino"enic m shroom. 'hether or not this is tr e, Christianity is certain#y a c #t of the crisis-oriented variety we have been disc ssin", and one of the most bi.arre of them. %n %merican Indian messiah, mentioned by La;arre, to#d his fo##owers to destroy a## #ivestock and b rn their !ro!erty= many Christian saints "ave the same odd advice, and Christ himse#f r"ed takin" no tho "ht of the morrow. ?ne Fo#ynesian messiah to#d his fo##owers that the "ods were an"ry beca se they had sex in the dark, and that the time of tro b#es wo #d end if they wo #d have sex in the daytime instead= Christ and his fo##ower Fa # had even more !ec #iar sex a# ideas and many of their fo##owers "ave ! sex entire#y. 0In this they were !robab#y inf# enced by the ear#ier c #ts of %ttis, whose !riests castrated themse#ves and wore women5s c#othin". To this day, Catho#ic !riests

!sycho#o"ica##y castrate themse#ves by vowin" !er!et a# ce#ibacy and, in some co ntries, wear femini.ed "owns.1 %fter their vision $ ests have been s ccessf #, most messiahs come back and anno nce that !art of the o#d triba# tradition was tr e and sho #d be maintained in s!ite of the contem!t of the con$ erors. 0This is es!ecia##y notab#e in %merican Indian crisis c #ts, which a#ways stress certain archaic va# es, es!ecia##y eco#o"ica# ones.1 6o, too, Christ tried to !reserve m ch of the Kewish tradition that was cr mb#in" in his time nder the yoke of the &oman con$ est. ; t the messiah is a#ways res!ondin", conscio s#y or nconscio s#y, to some form of ca#amity, and he ar" es that if the o#d tradition had been entire#y va#id, the "ods wo #d not have sent s ch s fferin"s= therefore, every messiah offers new reve#ations and abro"ates !art of the o#d #aw. Christ did this and so has every Indian, %frican, Fo#ynesian or >icronesian messiah that Ar. La;arre st died. The 4ative %merican Ch rch, for instance, to"ether with its Indian e#ements 0Feyote 'oman herse#f, &oad Chief, the medicine b nd#es1 introd ced the Ten Commandments from the ?#d Testament and Kes s Christ as a "od e$ a##y stron" as Feyote 'oman. It seems !#a sib#e that the new Ar " &evo# tion of o r time is !art of this a"e-o#d re#i"io s !attern. ; t there are two im!ortant differences. The first and most im!ortant concerns the stran"e sex a# context !rovided by Christian society that wi## be disc ssed be#ow. The second is that we are #ivin" in an a"e of science. >any of the most ex!erienced tri!!ers and vision $ esters were men of science who be"an with a thoro "h#y scientific and ske!tica# orientation. 'hen they saw "ods and heavens and ex!erienced 7occ #t8 ener"ies, they did not take these dramatic events at face va# e. They so "ht a scientific ex!#anation. Th s, Ar. Leary ta#ked ori"ina##y of sets, settin"s, "ames, ro#e !#ayin"= Ar. ?sm nd, of K n"5s co##ective nconscio s and its archety!es= Ar. Li##y, of !ro"rammin" the h man biocom! ter with new information= others of the <re dian id and the ret rn of the re!ressed. This scientific ske!ticism did not #ast #on" when the dr "s moved o t of the #aboratories into the streets. 0Even in the #abs, some researchers co #d be ca "ht barefaced#y sin" the no n 7@od8 or at #east the ad:ective 7divine,8 a#tho "h they wo #d s a##y !rotect themse#ves from !rofessiona# ridic #e by !#acin" them in d bio s $ otation marks, as I have : st done. Leary, ty!ica##y, was the first to take off the $ otes and set ! sho! frank#y as a new messiah.1 In the streets, there were no s ch hesitations. The avera"e acidhead, and $ ite a few !ot smokers, were not shy at a## abo t te##in" yo that they had fo nd 7some kind of tr th8 in a## that re#i"ion st ff. Even so, the fai# re of the o#d tradition and the ty!ica# crisis c #t !attern was visib#eJ <ew acce!ted traditiona# Christianity. %#most a## added new e#ements 9 at first, from ; ddhism, ,ind ism, Taoism and the ?rient in "enera#. Later, e#ements were taken from the 'estern occ #t tradition and Crow#ey5s sex a# ma"ic. 0In some circ#es, this sex-occ #t as!ect of the new Ar " &evo# tion a!!eared as ear#y as 19+2.1 %s we saw in Cha!ter ?ne, this trend was fated inevitab#y to conf#ict with the va# es of o r sti## #ar"e#y Christian c #t re. Too m ch in the new dr " mysti$ e was #ike the o#d so#anaceae c #ts of @reece and &ome that the fathers of Christianity had hated bitter#y= as we saw in Cha!ter Two, m ch of dr " k #ch even re!eated, and sometimes revived, !arts of the so#anaceae c #t which the ch rch had condemned as witchcraft and !ersec ted with fanatic cr e#ty for ei"ht #on" cent ries. It is not s r!risin" that some who had "one far down this 7forbidden8 !ath, #ike Leonard in the first Inter# de, event a##y became fri"htened and retreated into the most !i"-headed variety of Christian f ndamenta#ism. Eo wi## find a #ot of Leonards in the 7Kes s <reak8 cadres. There is somethin" !rofo nd#y fri"htenin" to the orthodoxies of hi"her civi#i.ation abo t the shamanistica##y ori"inated vision $ est with dr "s. The shaman ass mes, and even transmits, certain va# es that are triba# and eco#o"ica#, and are tin"ed, a#most inevitab#y, with anarchy. 0,asan i 6abbah5s 7%## is !ermitted,8 Crow#ey5s notorio s 7Ao what tho wi## sha## be the who#e of the #aw,8 %bbie ,offman5s 7Eo can5t do "ood n#ess yo fee# "ood,8 etc.1. The tribe is decentra#i.ed and radica##y individ a#istic 0cf., the Cherokee Indian maxim, 74o man sho #d be com!e##ed to do that which "oes a"ainst his heart81. Civi#i.ation is centra#i.ed and, even in a##e"ed democracies, radica##y a thoritarian. It ass mes that every man, every day, sho #d do that which "oes a"ainst his heart, for the benefit of the harmony of the who#e. In civi#i.ed re#i"ions, a conf sed man "oes to a !riest for re#i"io s advice= what he "ets, a#ways, is a messa"e te##in" him, one way or another, to conform, to sacrifice his own #on"in"s, to be 7mat re,8 to ad: st. In the tribe, a conf sed man "oes a#one to the woods and s ffers 7sensory

de!rivation8 to ind ce a !eak ex!erience, or : st takes a dr ", and has his own enco nter with the "ods, who often te## him the triba# ways have to be chan"ed. 4oJ we cannot to#erate that. The individ a#ist shaman or vision-$ ester has no !#ace in a civi#i.ed state or a civi#i.ed ch rch. The Catho#ic Ch rch, shrewder than most, hand#es this !otentia# tro b#emaker by " idin" him to a monastery where his weird notions wi## not infect the rest of the faithf #. The state has its own monasteries, ca##ed :ai#s, and that is where the messiah s a##y #ands, if he isn5t ki##ed o tri"ht. Ar. La;arre5s book is f ## of cases of messiahs who were :ai#ed by the state even tho "h they sed no dr "s and their doctrines, on the s rface, !osed no direct threat. It : st won5t do to have new reve#ations !settin" the e$ i#ibri m. <or instance, some Fo#ynesians be"an to be#ieve that they wo #dn5t have to work if the became more #ike En"#ishmen 0who, in their ex!erience, never worked1. Lo"ica##y, then, they ac$ ired some chairs and he#d afternoon teas. 'hen the En"#ish #earned abo t this c #t, they s !!ressed it. 6imi#ar#y, the %merican Indian @host Aance !osed no direct ins rrectionary threat, b t when the whites #earned of it, they destroyed it in a fashion so b#oody that even today the name of 'o nded Gnee, where the #ast massacre occ rred, is sti## the most bitter !hrase in the Indian vocab #ary. Se7 . Sin If the Ar " &evo# tion has one strike a"ainst it in its im!#icit, and then ex!#icit, triba# nat re in the hi"h#y civi#i.ed and centra#i.ed %merican state, it has a second strike a"ainst it in that there seems to be no !#a sib#e way of reconci#in" it with Christianity. Even if >artin L ther can be considered, in a sense, a triba# shaman, recreatin" the tradition in modified form thro "h a vehement !ersona# vision $ est 0Frofessor La;arre considers him as s ch1, Christianity and even Frotestant Christianity has remained, wi##y-ni##y, the most a thoritarian and bi"oted of a## wor#d re#i"ions. ,e who attem!ts to $ estion or modify any of its do"mas $ ick#y "ets into very hot water in any Christian co ntry. There has been one 7reve#ation,8 and it is eno "h. ,e who has new ideas is !robab#y ins!ired by the Aevi#, or has been o t in the woods takin" stran"e dr "s with the witch women. If s ch a heretic admits that he has, indeed, been takin" stran"e dr "s, the Christian res!onse is even more vehement, $ ick and hosti#e. %nd, of co rse, if his teachin" invo#ves sex a# #iberty at a##, the historica# !attern is reactivated at once, and a new witch h nt is s re to fo##ow. This is a !ec #iar#y Christian reaction. The ,ind s, the >os#ems, the ; ddhists, the Taoists, a## the ma:or re#i"ions, have had their sex a# mystics and have honored them. Every ,ind knows that the Tantrists achieve their mystica# visions thro "h sex a# interco rse with a be#oved !artner= the ; ddhists, >os#ems and Taoists a## have simi#ar sects. The ancient E"y!tians, @reeks and &omans had hi"h#y deve#o!ed c #ts of hiero"amyJ rit a#i.ed sex ma"ic. Christianity is a#one in thinkin" that sex is entire#y the Aevi#5s b siness and an offense to @od. This is a stran"e doctrine, and a#most im!#ies that @od and the Aevi# m st have co##aborated on the creation of h manity, @od workin" above the be##y b tton and the Aevi# be#ow. The conse$ ences of the doctrine are even more bi.arre than the be#ief itse#f. If a man writes a !oem to his be#oved in a Christian nation, and is too frank abo t ex!ressin" that #ove, he is in dan"er of bein" ca##ed 7obscene8= thro "ho t most of Christian history, he co #d be :ai#ed, tort red or even ki##ed. %s 'i##iam ;#ake wrote in horrorJ %hildren of the future age (eading this indignant page Nnow that in a former time 4ove, sweet love, was !alled a !rime ?ne h ndred and fifty years #ater, in the democratic, a##e"ed#y sec #ar, Hnited 6tates of %merica, 6tan#ey G brick5s movie A %lo!kwork Crange has its B-ratin" 0ad #ts on#y1 removed after 3) seconds of n dity are c t o t. %## the br ta#ities remain in "ory detai#. ,atin", kickin", stabbin", and a## manner of sadism are a##owed in movies for Christian a diences= only love is vile. It can hard#y be a coincidence that s ch a nation has the odd distinction of bein" the on#y co ntry to have dro!!ed atomic bombs on civi#ian !o! #ations, twice, and has s r!assed a## others in the se of na!a#m, which reaches 1))) centi"rade on contact with h man skin. Cnly love is vile. %nythin" e#se can be : stified by findin" a ! r!ose 0: stice, nationa# honor, the "reater "ood of the "reater n mber1, since, evident#y, #ike the >arxists, we now be#ieve that 7the end

: stifies the means.8 ; t sex, whatever its ! r!ose, even if sed in a re#i"io s visionary $ est, can never be : stified. Cnly love is vile 9 on#y #ove is too 7obscene8 to be treated as an art by !eo!#e who have t rned even. 6crabb#e and crossword ! ..#es, not to mention skiin" or s rfin", into arts so com!#ex as to border on re#i"io s rites. ?n#y sex remains so dark a matter as to be r shed and f mb#ed 0Ginsey discovered, a "eneration a"o, that the avera"e %merican ma#e reaches or"asm one and one-ha#f min tes after intromission into the va"ina1 and s a##y !erformed in a dark room, so that it can be finished f rtive#y before the sex-hatin" Christian @od has time to notice what5s "oin" on. In s ch a context, !sychede#ic dr "s that s#ow and ma"nify the sex act are not "oin" to be "reeted with the fervor that %rabs have #on" had for their be#oved hashish. ,ard#y. The reaction is direct#y o!!osite= the sers are thrown in :ai# on the thin !retext that they !ose some meta!hysica# threat to the comm nity, or that they mi"ht become so char"ed ! some ni"ht that they wi## char"e o t of the bo doirs and commit ra!e on a mass sca#e. It doesn5t matter that s ch crimes by sers of these dr "s are virt a##y im!ossib#e to doc ment from !o#ice records. 0'hen cases are a##e"ed, as Ar. <ort shows in his book, The #leasure )eekers, it a#most a#ways t rns o t that the !er!etrators were o t on these dr "s b t, rather, on am!hetamines.1 ?f co rse, the Christian sex a# # nacy is not ni$ e. %## crisis c #ts, witho t exce!tion, contain bi.arre e#ements, the ref#ection of the time of stress and ca#amity in which they were born. Consider the 6o th Facific imitation En"#ish tea ceremony mentioned ear#ier or the !rayer whee#s of the Tibetans, or the snake-hand#in" c #ts in the %merican 6o th= man is a stran"e anima# when he seeks to attract the attention of his "ods, and has tried every eccentricity 0exce!t, !ossib#y, !rayin" in !i"-Latin whi#e standin" on his head1 to convince them that his !#i"ht is terrib#e and merits their r"ent attention. The ear#y Christian denia# of sex a# needs was : st s ch a heroic attem!t to find a "immick that wo #d bem se or bamboo.#e the deity, and its c#osest !ara##e#, !robab#y, is the F#ains Indian habit of c ttin" off a fin"er when a be#oved !erson dies. Litt#e chi#dren do e$ a##y !ec #iar thin"s to attract their ear#y father5s attention for a whi#e. The Hea" !$ he Ma e" ; t #et s, as the Chinese say, draw o r chairs c#oser to the fire and examine what we5ve been ta#kin" abo t. >an needs dreams, as recent s#ee! research has we##-doc mented. If yo wake !eo!#e ! each time they start to dream 0which is revea#ed by their ra!id eye movements, which has #ed scientists to s!eak of &E> s#ee!, meanin" s#ee! with ra!id eye movements and dream1, they wi##, within a few ni"hts, become ne rotic, irritab#e and s#i"ht#y !aranoid. 4o re! tab#e researcher has contin ed this ex!eriment for more than a few ni"hts, beca se the evidence indicated rea# risk that the s b:ects mi"ht act a##y "o tota##y mad. It doesn5t matter how m ch s#ee! they have had= if they aren5t ab#e to dream, the same ne rotic and near-!sychotic behavior wi## a!!ear. ;y the same token, it is reasonab#e to s ""est that !erha!s !eo!#e rea##y do need re#i"io s ex!eriences, whatever s ch ex!eriences consist of. It is we##-estab#ished, in La;arre5s &host 'an!e, that a #ar"e n mber of !eo!#e think they need s ch ex!erience, and active#y seek after it, whenever society faces a crisis that it cannot rationa##y nderstand. %n earth$ ake a#one wi## not necessari#y tri""er s ch a res!onse, beca se an earth$ ake can be ex!#ained, more or #ess, within some traditiona# framework of ideas. ; t when the "ods are mocked by missionaries of fa#se and forei"n "ods, and take no reven"e= when the sacred taboos are vio#ated on a## sides, and the "ods sti## do not res!ond= when mi#itary defeats and other disasters occ r in this !er!#exin" context= when a man5s chi#dren are so#d into s#avery or his wife forcib#y enwhored by the con$ erors 9 then, some extraordinary ex!#anation is needed, and it is at this !oint in time that the vision $ est be"ins. 'e have a#ready mentioned the s a# res #ts of s ch $ ests, whether ind ced by dr "s or by fastin", by sensory de!rivation or by se#f-tort re, by yo"a or by rit a# dancin". % marve#o s ener"y is ta!!ed 9 the mana of the Fo#ynesians, wakan of the F#ains Indians, G nda#ini of the ,ind s 0>esmer5s 7anima# ma"netism8I &eich5s 7or"one8I1. The triba# s!irits a!!ear 9 sometimes the <ather @od, sometimes the >other @oddess. %nd, in the ma:ority of cases, the s b:ect nder"oes a stran"e ex!erience of death*rebirth in which he discovers that he is not on#y himse#f b t a#so @od 0or, in the ,ind -; ddhist tradition, that he is the who#e niverse1. <ina##y, and most distressin"#y, some verba# form #as are comm nicated to him, and he brin"s these back 9 to start

a new c #t, to become enshrined as do"ma, to b#ind and cri!!#e the minds of "enerations to come. <ort nate#y, this #ast and most ne"ative res #t is cons!ic o s#y missin" in a few re#i"ions, s ch as Nen ; ddhism= and many of the heretics within o r re#i"ions, s ch as the 6 fis within the >os#em tradition, the Caba#ists within the Kewish tradition and fi" res #ike ;oehme and ;#ake in the Christian wor#d, a#so #ack this characteristic. 6 ch men, mercif ##y, did not estab#ish new do"mas and even active#y enco ra"ed others to seek their own visions and find their own tr ths. 'hat is "oin" on in s ch hi"h#y n s a# 7 nification ex!eriences8I Is it a## a menta# s!asm, a kind of tem!orary # nacyI This is a tem!tin" answer, and it is what most !eo!#e ass me abo t all messiahs e2!ept the one that they themselves worship . It is hard#y the who#e answer, however. %s &.>. ; cke doc ments in his %osmi! %ons!iousness, many of the visionaries were not insane= some even mana"ed to #ook at the ex!erience with scientific ske!ticism, whi#e admittin" that it had a#tered and en#ar"ed their conscio sness. 0Cons!ic o s modern exam!#es of a rationa#istic attit de !reserved even after s ch a mystic ex!erience are ; cke himse#f and Ar. Kohn Li##y.1 The ex!#anation 9 or an ex!#anation 9 !robab#y #ies in cybernetics. 4ife is one, but !ons!iousness is divided . That is, a## of o r nconscio s bodi#y f nctions, s ch as breathin", di"estion, the beatin" of o r hearts, the biochemistry of o r metabo#ism, and so on, are !art of a seam#ess web that does, indeed, inc# de the who#e niverse. >ore #oca##y, we are ce##s in an ex!#osion of !roto!#asm on this !#anet that be"an 3 bi##ion years a"o. 0This is the key to Ar. Leary5s cry!tic e!i"ram, 7Eo body is 3 bi##ion years o#d.81 The 7body of ; ddha,8 as ; ddhists ca## it, is, at any moment, in cybernetic contact with each of its !arts. This does not invo#ve anythin" s!ooky or meta!hysica#= what I have in mind can be i## strated by the ex!erience of Ar. &oss %shby, who tried to b i#d an ana#o" com! ter that wo #d be a mode# of a "enera#i.ed anima# or"anism. Ar. %shby fo nd that s ch a machine co #d no more be desi"ned than one co #d divide by .ero in mathematics. It cannot be desi"ned beca se the feedba!ks, the information f#ow channe#s, are not a## inside the anima#= many are in 7the environment.8 Ar. %shby ended by desi"nin" his 7homeostat,8 wide#y sed in bio#o"y and cybernetics c#asses. This is not a mode# of an anima#= it is a mode# of an-anima#-in-an-environment. It seems that there is no nit 9 anima# 9 which can be scientifica##y sed to acco nt for the facts known to modern cyberneticists. The on#y nit that can be sed is anima#-in-environment. 0This is entire#y !ara##e# to Einstein5s discovery that there is no 7time8 or 7s!ace8 that a !hysicist can meas re, b t on#y a 7s!ace-time event8 which is the nit in modern !hysics.1 'hat I am s ""estin" is that the mystics "ot there before Ar. %shby, that the 7 nification8 with @od or the niverse mentioned in a## re#i"io s #iterat re and in re!orts of acid tri!!ers and some !ot or hashish smokers, is !recise#y the shift of attention from the conscio s e"o to the !revio s#y nconscio s or"anism-environment feedback network. Aoes this seem an extrava"ant tho "htI %## mystics have ta#ked abo t the 7 nrea#ity8 of the e"o= are they not tryin" to say exact#y what Ar. %shby has saidI >any s!eak a#so, for that matter, of the nrea#ity of s!ace and time, and Einstein was modest eno "h to acknow#ed"e that they seemed to be ta#kin" abo t the same facts he had noted mathematica##y. Eou are part of something larger than yourself, something whi!h spa!e and time do not restri!t is what every mystic, in essence, tries to te## s, and this is : st what Ar. %shby5s homeostat i## strates. 'hy sho #d this discovery be made by men nder stressI The answer is obvio s. 4ife is one, but !ons!iousness is divided. It is the stress of the divided conscio sness that every visionary is seekin" to hea#= what bothers him is not an individ a# earth$ ake or !#a" e b t a fai# re of traditiona# ideas, he#d by his conscio s mind, to acco nt for his tra"ic ex!eriences and observations. If the answer existed within the conscio s e"o, the $ est wo #d never have be" n. The answer is fo nd in those areas that were !revio s#y unconscio s, those areas where the body #inks and :oins other bodies and the tota# ener"y contin m of #ife and eco#o"y. In this connection, the sin" #ar dr " ex!erience of the & ssian mystic ? s!ensky is interestin". %ware that 'i##iam Kames and others who had ex!#ored the mystic trance thro "h nitro s oxide co #d not find words for their tri! when they "ot backs, ? s!ensky ke!t a !enci# and !ad with him as he sniffed the "as. In ecstasy, as he whir#ed thro "h the cosmos of his inner s!ace, he scribb#ed des!erate#y on the !a!er, tryin" to tie down what he was #earnin". 'hen he came back to norma#, the !a!er said, 7Think in other cate"ories.8 The ex!erience of beyond e"o was sti## ns!eakab#e, b t he at #east had the key to why it is ns!eakab#e. ? r s a# cate"ories

of tho "ht 9 animal se!arate from environment, spa!e se!arate from time, etc. 9 kee! s from bein" ab#e to ta#k abo t the nification ex!erience in which a## are 7one.8 This is not a reification of the 7one8= I do not dare assert that the 7one8 is act a##y conscio s mind in the same way that each of s is a conscio s mind. It is fo nd thro "h the nconscio s, and nconscio s it !robab#y is in essence. I can nderstand why many, bow#ed over by this ex!erience, ca## it 7@od,8 b t I sti## fee# that a## ideas of @od are on#y symbo#s of the ex!erience itse#f. Certain#y, this is tr e in the more anthro!omor!hic and #ess transcendenta# visions, when a very man-#ike "od or woman-#ike "oddess a!!ears. 6ince the crisis in Christian c #t re is main#y sex a#, we sho #d not be s r!rised that sex a# e#ements are very !rominent in the nconscio s channe#s o!ened by the Ar " &evo# tion. These channe#s are a traditiona# !art of re#i"ion o tside Christianity, anyway= b t inside Christianity they were inevitab#e fiss res, fated to er !t whatever the taboos of e"o and s !ere"o became s fficient#y weakened to a##ow nconscio s materia# to f#ow into conscio sness. The La) S "a' 4one of these !aradoxes and !er!#exities are "oin" to "o away. The Ar " &evo# tion is sti## esca#atin" and acce#eratin"= the f t re wi## be m ch wi#der and hairier than the immediate !ast. In the Evans-G#ine antho#o"y of scientific !a!ers, #sy!hotropi! 'rugs in the Eear IAAA, 4athan 6. G#ine, >.A., !ro!oses that within 3) years we wi## a#most certain#y have dr "s that wi##J 1. Fro#on" chi#dhood and shorten ado#escence. 2. &ed ce the need of s#ee!. 3. Frovide safe, short-actin" intoxicants. (. &e" #ate sex a# res!onses. -. Contro# a""ression. +. >ediate n trition, metabo#ism and !hysica# "rowth. 7. Increase or decrease a#ertness or re#axation. 2. Fro#on" or shorten memory. 9. Ind ce or !revent #earnin". 1). Frod ce or discontin e transference 0the !atient5s emotiona# invo#vement with the thera!ist in !sychiatry1. 11. Frovoke or re#ieve " i#t. 12. <oster or terminate motherin" behavior. 13. 6horten or extend ex!erienced time. 1(. Create conditions nove#ty or fami#iarity. 1-. Aee!en o r awareness of bea ty and o r sense of awe. 4one of these !redictions are irres!onsib#e moonshine. Today5s researchers have s fficient know#ed"e abo t the !hysio#o"y of each of these res!onses to nderstand what sort of chemica# chan"es in the brain wi## ca se these chan"es in behavior. 6ome res!onses 9 for instance, fear and or"asm 9 have a#ready been created in anima#s by e#ectrica# stim #ation of the brain. In the same book, 'ayne ?. Evans indicates that real a!hrodisiacs wi## !robab#y be !ossib#e to enhance a sex a# ex!erience, b t to !rovoke one 0as many a#ready c#aim is sometimes done by cannabis or L6A1. It a!!eared in 1992 and was ca##ed Mia"ra. ,ow wi## these dr "s be hand#ed when they a!!earI &ecent history "ives s #itt#e ca se to ho!e that o r society wi## treat them rationa##y. The sex dr "s, a#most certain#y, wi## be dec#ared i##e"a# after a few years of research 0#ike L6A1 and rea!!ear immediate#y in di# ted and nsafe form on the b#ack market. I cannot conceive of a time within 3) years when %mericans wi## be a##owed to b y sex a##y stim #atin" dr "s #e"a##y, which means that I can on#y conceive of them a!!earin" in the nder"ro nd, with every ser wonderin" if he or she is "ettin" the !rod ct advertised or : st the re:ects from some entre!rene r5s batht b mesca#ine disti##ery. There !robab#y wi## be some memorab#y bad tri!s in those years. %nd what of the dr "s that 7foster or terminate motherin" behavior8I 'e can ima"ine how the &everend Kerry <a#we## wo #d #ike to see them sed, and the far different ways that the &adica# <eminist movement wo #d !refer to se them= can we ima"ine a reasonab#e com!romise that wo #d reconci#e this conf#ictI ?r do we have to admit that one dr " 0fosterin" materna# im! #ses1 wo #d be #e"a# and the other, a"ain, wo #d be on the b#ack market, #ike the abortifacient of yoreI

The dr "s that !rovoke " i#t 9 wi## the !o#ice in some co ntries s#i! them to s s!ects, as they have a#ready done with sco!o#amineI If, !erchance, s ch dr "s t rn o t to be, #ike L6A, taste#ess, co#or#ess and odor#ess, wi## any s s!ect in c stody ever dare to eat a mea#I 0This is not science fiction= these are very rea# !ossibi#ities.1 %nd what "overnment office do we tr st eno "h to "ive so#e c stody of dr "s that contro# a""ression, decrease a#ertness, !revent #earnin" or !ro#on" chi#dhoodI Ar. Timothy Leary made the second most im!ortant scientific-!o#itica# decision of o r cent ry 0the first was Einstein5s decision to he#! the Hnited 6tates ac$ ire an atomic bomb1. 'hether Leary5s decision was ri"ht or wron" 0it can be debated as end#ess#y as Einstein5s1, it has marked#y chan"ed the emotiona# and inte##ect a# c#imate of o r time. ,e decided that L6A was too im!ortant to be mono!o#i.ed by any "overnment, or any scientific committee, or any other e#ite= that it sho #d be avai#ab#e to a##. Ten years #ater, we a## know the risks invo#ved in that #ibertarian choice 0and Leary a#so ndo bted#y knows the !ersona# risk to himse#f better than he did when he started1. 'ith some of the desiderata of a showman, and some of a shaman, with "reat "ood h mor and occasiona# f#ares of "randiosity, Leary set o t to " arantee that, whatever action the "overnment took, a b#ack market wo #d be created where acid wo #d be avai#ab#e to a##. 0The same nderwor#d or nder"ro nd networks #ater he#!ed him "et o t of the co ntry when he broke :ai#.1 It is do btf # that Leary wi## be the on#y scientist to make s ch a decision and take the conse$ ences. ,is famo s Two Commandments a!!#y to virt a##y a## the new dr "s we are disc ssin"J 1. Tho sha#t not force thy nei"hbor to a#ter his conscio sness. 2. Tho sha#t not !revent thy nei"hbor from a#terin" his conscio sness. The "overnment, which vio#ates the second of these commandments every day, is now be"innin" to vio#ate the first, forcin" st dents in some "rammar schoo#s to take &ita#in, an am!hetamine-#ike dr " that $ iets nr #y chi#dren b t may have side effects not yet known. It is #ike#y, "iven the "enera# characters of "overnments, that simi#ar vio#ations wi## m #ti!#y beyond a## o r " esses when b rea crats discover that they have s ch de#i"htf # new toys as dr "s that wi## red ce who#e !o! #ations to !er!et a# chi#dhood, decrease their a""ressive rebe##io sness, st nt their a#ertness and "enera##y t rn them into the drones described by %#do s , x#ey in his Brave +ew 1orld. The heretic of the 21st Cent ry mi"ht be, not a man who takes a dr " the "overnment forbids, b t a man who ref ses a dr " the "overnment commands.

RIS? 5LOSSAR@ An A1*ha3e iAed Re$e"ence6 2i h 5+ide1ine) . 2a"nin,)

This #exicon doest not attem!t to be com!#ete. It is !ossib#e to write a who#e book-#en"th dictionary of the dr " c #t re 0as &ichard &. Lin"erman has done in his 'rugs -rom A to B1 b t that is not o t ambition. This "#ossary mere#y attem!ts to !rovide a #istin" of the scientific and !o! #ar names of the dr "s a reader mi"ht be offered by swin"in" friends, and to describe the risk invo#ved in tryin" them. A%5' Lyser"ic acid diethy#amide-2-, or 4)'. The most !otent !sychede#ic dr " synthesi.ed to this date. 6ee 4)'. A'A7 6ee 77'A. A#C7C(#85+6 % dr " !rod ced by boi#in" mor!hine in a so# tion of hydroch#oric acid. %bso# te#y non-addictin" and a#so strict#y non-!#eas rab#e, a!omor!hine has been fo nd sef # in treatin" heroin addiction and a#coho#ism. The !ioneer of a!omor!hine research, Ar. Kohn Earb ry Aent, and nove#ist 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs, who was c red of heroin addiction by Ar. Aent5s a!omor!hine withdrawa# !ro"ram after 11 !revio s attem!ts at heroin withdrawa# had fai#ed, both be#ieve that a!omor!hine is a better, safer and #ess habit-formin" dr " for a## anxiety states than

any tran$ i#i.er now on the market. It is, however, re"arded as an ex!erimenta# dr " and is i##e"a# in the Hnited 6tates. ,eroin addicts 0or a#coho#ics1 who want to try the a!omor!hine treatment wi## have to "o to En"#and. A7A+5TA 7 )%A(5A The 7f#y a"aric8 m shroom. This is toxic in #ar"e doses and is sed to ki## f#ies, b t in sma##er doses it !rod ces de#iriant effects simi#ar to be##adonna and the so#anaceae dr "s with some admixt re of !sychede#ic ex!eriences a la L6A or !eyote. It is sti## sed in re#i"io s rites by 6iberian shamans, and, accordin" to a "rowin" body of evidence 0co##ected by Kohn %##e"ro, &. @ordon 'asson, &obert @raves and others1, may have been the rea#ity behind severa# of the #e"endary dr "s of ear#y E ro!ean and %sian mytho#o"y 9 and the soma of the ,ind scri!t res, the dr " of the Aionysian festiva# in @reece, and so on. 6ho #d this theory !rove to be correct, we wi## be ab#e to conc# de that this mushroom played a larger role in religious history than any other single fa!tor . The best s mmary of the evidence to date is %##e"ro5s The )a!red 7ushroom and the %ross. The toxic dose seems to vary considerab#y from !erson to !erson and th s sho #d be considered a dan"ero s dr ". 06ee Cha!ter Two.1 A7#86TA75+6) % fami#y of stim #ant dr "s often co##ective#y ca##ed 7s!eed8 or 7 !!ers8. They !rod ce exhi#aration that often makes sex more en:oyab#e. The dextroam!hetamines, once often !rescribed by doctors for !eo!#e on diets and sed by tr ck drivers on #on" tri!s or by st dents crammin" for exams, are the #east harmf #= b t with !hroni! abuse even these can !rod ce anxio s or !aranoid states. 6a#ts of racemic am!hetamines are somewhat stron"er and more dan"ero s. The metham!hetamines, which, #ike heroin, are in:ected with need#es, are the most exhi#aratin" and !rod ce the shar!est sex a# effects, b t are the most dan"ero s of a## am!hetamines. The s#o"an 76!eed Gi##s,8 was ori"ina##y aimed at metham!hetamine ab se, and the meth-head or s!eed freak is s a##y a distra "ht, emaciated and !otentia##y dan"ero s individ a#, hi"h#y s s!icio s and easy to an"er. Extreme ca tion sho #d be observed in a## se of any am!hetamine dr "s. A7E4 +5T(5T6 % dr " that re#axes the invo# ntary m sc#es of the body and dramatica##y #owers the b#ood !ress re. The effect is a $ ick 7f#ash8 that many re"ard as hi"h#y stim #atin" and others have described as simi#ar to bein" in a fa##in" e#evator. Aevotees #ike to sniff amy# nitrite 7!o!!ers8 : st before the moment of or"asm 9 a $ ick and easy so# tion for those who chronica##y find their sex a# c#imax nsatisfactory. 6ome evidence indicates that habit a# se is #ike#y to !rovoke heart attacks, or worse. 06ee Cha!ter <ive.1 This !astime can be dan"ero s. A7ETA4 G A7CBA(B5TA4 G A7ETA4 )C'5 7 Ar "s in the barbit rate fami#y, ca##ed 7downers8 in the dr " c #t re. These are essentia##y sedative dr "s as o!!osed to stim #ants 9 hence the termino#o"y of 7 !!ers8 for am!hetamines and 7downers8 for these, sometimes varied to 7forwards,8 for the am!hetamines, and 7backwards,8 for the barbit rates. ?ver-!rescri!tion of these dr "s by !hysicians "ivin" them to !atients with insomnia !rob#ems has been one of the chief ca ses of the s!read of barbit rate addiction. The second ca se has been nwise ex!erimentation by ado#escents. 'henever tem!ted to se a barbit rate dr " for any reason, think three times and remember that many !sycho-!harmaco#o"ists re"ard this addiction as even harder to c re and more !ainf # d rin" withdrawa# than the more ! b#ici.ed heroin addiction. A)T87A'C( % !o! #ar asthma remedy containin" be##adonna and datura stramonium 0:imson weed1 that can be sed for a ha## cinatory hi"h, by takin" more than the medica# dose. If tem!ted to ex!eriment, rememberJ 0a1 the toxic dose varies from individ a# to individ a#J what was safe for yo r friend mi"ht ki## yo = 0b1 if yo "o into a coma, yo wi## have to have yo r stomach ! m!ed at a hos!ita# and the !o#ice wi## take a "reat interest in the matter= 0c1 "ood tri!s are extreme#y rare with this dr "= Ar. Leary has said he never heard of a "ood be##adonna tri!. 06ee Cha!ter Two.1 AT(C#5+6 %nother name for be##adonnaJ see A)T8A7A'C(. AEA8 A)%C % Fer vian ha## cinatory dr ", a#so known as yage or yaje, de!endin" on the Fer vian dia#ect. Hsed for divinatory ! r!oses by the Indians= some !sychic researchers be#ieve that it !rod ces E6F effects= some biochemists ca## it te#e!athine. 6ome of it is now a!!earin" occasiona##y on the b#ack market and sho #d be re"arded with a certain wariness. 4ove#ist 'i##iam 6. ; rro "hs re!orts that this dr " a##owed him to see the a ras or 7!sionic8 0ener"y1 fie#ds aro nd !eo!#e and ob:ects, b t a#so !rod ced ac te vomitin" and a mon menta# han"over the next day. Foet %##en @insber" was thrown by it and had a !anic that #asted for more than a week. The yo n" Indian shamans s!end severa# years in trainin" with o#der shamans in order to #earn, via s#ow#y increasin" doses, how to se this dr " witho t !rod cin" bad effects 0when they

accom!#ish this, they are said to !ossess a hi"h #eve# of c#airvoyance1= n#ess yo have that m ch time to ! t into it, and a "ood teacher from Fer , it wo #d be wise to avoid this nti# more is known. BA%N1A(') Hs a##y a barbit rate dr "= sometimes sed a#so for a tran$ i#i.er. The name comes from the tradition of sin" these sedatives to s#ow one down when one has become too frantic on doses of 7forwards8 0am!hetamines1 or cocaine. BA+A+A) The 7e#ectric banana8 or 7me##ow ye##ow8 fad of the #ate 19+)s, in which some !eo!#e c#aimed to "et hi"h by smokin" banana skins, is now "enera##y re"arded as a hoax 9 an attem!t to make anti-dr " #aws esca#ate into tota# insanity by forcin" the "overnment to ban bananas. %ct a##y, some !sycho-!harmaco#o"ists think the hoax may have had a basis in rea#ity, since banana skins contain serotonin, a dr " which is simi#ar in str ct re to the !sychede#ics and mi"ht m tate whi#e bein" b rned. If so, this effect is n!redictab#e and may de!end on other factors 0e."., the ri!eness of the banana, or the tem!erat re at b rnin", etc.1 since the ma:ority who tried this ex!eriment re!orted no res #t at a##. BA(B5T (AT6) 6edative dr "s derived from barbit ric acid. There are abo t -) commercia# brands on the market in the Hnited 6tates today, a## of them !otentia##y addictin". 6ee o r warnin" nder A7ETA4. B644A'C++A 6ee o r warnin" nder A)T87A'C(. 06ee Cha!ter Two.1 B6+B6'(5+6 The best known of the dextroam!hetamines, wide#y sed for dietin" since it de!resses the a!!etite. It is sometimes fo nd to be sex a##y stim #atin", and is certain#y the safest of the am!hetamine dr "s, b t remember that a## am!hetamines, if sed in chronic hi"h doses, tend to !rod ce anxiety and !aranoid states. B8A+& The most !o! #ar form of cannabis in India, made by cr shin" the mari: ana #eaves into a fine !owder, brewin" and mixin" with !e!!er and mi#k. 6ometimes ice cream is added. 6ince cannabis dr "s taken ora##y seem to enhance the sense of taste even more than cannabis dr "s when smoked, this s a##y !rod ces the we##-known 7mari: ana m nchies8 and t rns any mea# into a ban$ et or even an o tbreak of "# ttony. It is s a##y served at weddin" ban$ ets in India and is said to !rod ce "reater convivia#ity than any a#coho#ic bevera"e. The sex a# effects are simi#ar to any other form of cannabis= that is, in the ri"ht set and settin", decided#y "ood. B -CT6+5+6 % dr " fo nd in the e!idermis of toads 0hence the 7skin of toad8 in many traditiona# witch brews1. The effects are marked#y simi#ar to those of the dan"ero s amanita mus!aria m shroom and in some research te#e!athy has been a##e"ed. 6ince b fotenine is simi#ar chemica##y to the serotonin fo nd in the h man brain, some researchers ho!e to find in b fotenine ex!eriments c# es to the biochemica# chan"es that occ r nat ra##y d rin" menta# i##ness and in the ex!anded conscio sness of mystics. B T5)C4 )C'5 7 % barbit rate dr "= !otentia##y addictive. 6ee warnin" nder A7ETA4. B TTC+ The active !art of the !eyote cact s= see #6ECT6. %A++AB5) )AT5LA The Indian hem! !#ant, ori"in of mari: ana and hashish. 06ee Cha!ter <o r.1 %A(BC+ T6(TA%84C(5'6 % !o! #ar c#eanin" f# id. 6evera# scientific re!orts have indicated that brief b t intense 7!sychede#ic8 visions are sometimes tri""ered by inha#ation of this chemica#, b t a kind of de#iri m is more common. It is very dan"ero s and re!eated ex!eriments #ead to definite and serio s dama"e to the #iver, kidney, heart and 0!ossib#y1 to the brain or centra# nervo s system. There are no sex a# effects mentioned in any so rce I have cons #ted. %AT+5# The minty herb, nepeta !ataria, #on" known for its a!hrodisiac and intoxicatin" effects on cats. Catni! is sometimes so#d to the nwary or ninitiated nder the !retense that it is mari: ana, and some nder"ro nd voices have anno nced recent#y that h mans rea##y can "et : st as hi"h as fe#ines on it. 4othin" is scientifica##y known abo t its side effects or safe dosa"e #eve#s, so ex!erimenters sho #d !roceed with some ca tion. %8A(A) ,ind name for their hashish-#ike resino s dr " obtained from the cannabis !#ant. %s it is s a##y even stron"er than hashish, sers sho #d smoke very sma## $ antities each time taken 0three or fo r ba##s of resin, each abo t the si.e of a !inhead1. &ememberJ this is not mari: ana, b t a m ch more !owerf # dr " whose effects can be as !otent as those of 4)'. %C%A5+6 %n a#ka#oid derived from the coca b sh, erythro2ylon !o!a, with one of the stron"est and sexiest 7hits8 of any dr " known. &emember that the doest m st be sma## 0even 1-2 "rains can be fata# for some1 and that habit ation !rod ces ac te nervo s and !anic conditions that, with chronic ab se, esca#ates toward !aranoia, or worse. 06ee Cha!ter <ive.1

%(A%N The most hi"h#y char"ed form of cocaine, obtained by heatin" and crysta##i.in" the cocaine !owder. This !rod ces a## the bad side-effects of coke itse#f 9 irritabi#ity, hosti#ity, !aranoia, etc. 9 on#y m ch faster. Ar. Feter A esber" of HC-;erke#ey a#so thinks it is a !redis!osin" factor in makin" a !erson v #nerab#e to %IA6. 6tay far away from it. 'A&&A The 6o th %frican form of mari: ana. F#antation em!#oyers "ive it to workers to stim #ate their !rod ctivity. 'AT (A )T(A7C+5 7 or 'AT (A +CP5A The :imson weed. Erotic effects are sometimes re!orted, b t the "enera# !attern amon" sers of this dr " is a !ro#on"ed de#iri m, fre$ ent#y of ni"htmarish character. The toxic dose varies, so 9 a"ain 9 be very wary. 06ee Cha!ter Two.1 '676(C4 % synthetic o!iate sed as a !ain ki##er. 6ex a# effects are ni# or ne"ative, and with chronic ab se im!otence is s a#. %n addictive dr ". '6PA7E4 % combination of am!hetamine 0 !!ers1 and barbit rate 0downers1, recommended by the man fact rer for treatin" mi#d de!ressions or in dietin". 6ex a##y ne tra#, n#ike its nder"ro nd co sin known as )#66'BA44, which obtains a stron"er syner"etic !!er*downer effect by combin" heroin and cocaine. '6P6'(5+6 % fair#y stron" am!hetamine dr " so#d as an a!!etite de!ressant or mood e#evator. Aoctors do not consider it !artic #ar#y dan"ero s, b t some researchers think that de!endence can deve#o! $ ite easi#y= if yo r !hysician !rescribes it, be very caref # not to exceed his recommended dosa"e. '7T Aimethy#tri!tamine, a synthetic !sychede#ic with severa# ni$ e !ro!erties. Hn#ike L6A, !eyote and most other !sychede#ics, A>T is smoked rather than in"ested ora##y, and the tri! is s a##y short 0abo t one-ha#f ho r, as contrasted to six to ei"ht ho rs for L6A and 12 ho rs or #on"er for !eyote1. ;eca se of its short d ration of action, A>T is often ca##ed 7the b sinessman5s # ncheon.8 Like L6A, A>T can tri""er a !sychosis-#ike !anic in those not !re!ared to ex!erience tota# transformation of their idea of 7rea#ity.8 'eak mari: ana is sometimes boosted by soakin" it in A>T, and this is considered a "reat sex dr " by those !re!ared to hand#e a ma:or tri!. 'C1+6() @enera##y, the barbit rates dr "s= sometimes a!!#ied a#so to tran$ i#i.ers or a#coho#. 6Q A+54 % !o! #ar tran$ i#i.er, fre$ ent#y !rescribed by >.A.5s 6ome dan"er of habit ation and !sycho#o"ica# de!endence is considered to be !ossib#e, and re!orts indicate that !atients who fa## into this !attern wi## s ffer a ma:or ret rn of their !revio s sym!toms, b t in more sever form, if the dr " is s dden#y discontin ed. 6ex a# effects ni# to ne"ative. 6P#4C(6(). %4 B 6#an" for a "ro ! who meet once a month or at re" #ar interva#s to take 4)' to"ether and comm nicate their ex!eriences. The effect is rather #ike a D aker meetin" with everybody tri!!in". -4E A&A(5% 6ee A7A+5TA 7 )%A(5A. -4E5+& )A %6() % commercia# brand of mornin" "#ory seeds that contain iso#yser"ic acid and traces of L6A. 6imi#ar mornin" "#ory seeds are sed by Indian ma"icians in >exico when the sacred m shroom, psilo!ybae 7e2i!ana, is navai#ab#e= the tri!, which #asts from fo r to ei"ht ho rs, is $ ite as !owerf # as an L6A session. 'arnin"J these seeds are coated with an insecticide and a#most a#ways brin" on vomitin". C m #ative effects of the insect s!ray with re!eated voya"es are nknown, b t a#most certain#y detrimenta# to hea#th. -(5)%C )#66'BA44 % mixt re of cocaine, heroin and L6A. % #imit#ess variety of harmf # effects can res #t from chronic ab se. -( 5T %C%NTA54 % very dan"ero s !astime, invented by ado#escents havin" more co ra"e than brains. % #ar"e bow# is !#aced on a tab#e and everybody throws in a few !i##s. They are stirred !, and then everybody reaches in a"ain and takes o t a few !i##s, which are then cons med at once. 6ince #itera##y anythin" mi"ht be in the bow# 9 barbit rates, am!hetamines, co#d !i##s, antihistamines, Aemero#, L6A, !i##s for menstr a# cram! 9 nobody knows what kind of hi"h 0#ow1 he is "oin" to "et. This a!!ears to be a "ood way to "et yo r stomached ! m!ed and attract the attention of the !o#ice. &A &6 6o thern s#an" for mari: ana. &4 6 >ode# air!#ane "# e, containin" to# o#, which is sniffed in a !a!er ba". The effect, at first, is #ike barbit rates or a#coho# with e !horia, e#evated s!irits and some drowsiness= do b#e vision, ha## cinations and rin"in" in the ears sometimes fo##ow, witho t f rther sniffin"= in abo t a ha#f ho r, the sniffer sinks into s#ee! or 7nods o t8 into a ha#f-s#ee!, which can #ast from one to severa# ho rs. Aefinite#y not a sex dr "= there is a#so evidence of #iver and brain dama"e.

8A)85)8 The resin of the !annabis sativa !#ant, s a##y abo t 1) or 2) times stron"er than an e$ iva#ent amo nt of mari: ana. Everythin" obtainab#e with mari: ana, and $ ite a bit of what ha!!ens on L6A, is $ ick to arrive with hashish, and ex!erimenters sho #d !roceed with ca tion, rememberin" that smokin" hashish in the same dosa"e as mari: ana is #ike !o rin" vodka into a beer "#ass and drinkin" it as fast as one wo #d drink beer. In "enera#, caref # hashish sers on#y smoke five to ten sma## ba##s, each the si.e of a !inhead, at any one time. Fanics simi#ar to bad acid tri!s can occ r if one smokes too m ch too fast= for treatment in s ch a case, see +5A%5+. 06ee Cha!ter Three.1 8A1A55A+ BABE 1CC' (C)6 % !#ant 0argyria nervosa1 that !rod ces seeds containin" #yser"ic acid amides. It is a##e"ed that this tri!, which #asts from three to fo r ho rs, is n s a##y tran$ i# and #acks the nervo s !s and downs of L6A itse#f, b t the seeds are insecticide coated and the same warnin"s "iven for -4E5+& )A %6( a!!#y here. 86AL6+4E B4 6) 6eeds of heaven#y b# e mornin" "#ory !#ants. The tri! is the same as with -4E5+& )A %6( seeds 9 and so are the risks, es!ecia##y with re!eated se. 86(C5+ ?nce to ted by the medica# !rofession as a c re for mor!hine addiction 01292-191)1, heroin was discovered to be the most addictive of a## o!iate dr "s. The ser is a mi#d, heavi#y tran$ i#i.ed ne rotic, and a#coho#ics and over- sers of tran$ i#i.ers are simi#ar !ersona#ity ty!es= there is some evidence that heroin has no kick for those whose !ersona#ity ty!es differ. Hnti# the "overnment a##ows heroin addicts to have access to the dr ", this habit wi## contin e to be abo t the worst #ife scri!t that yo co #d !ossib#y choose. %t !resent, meetin" the b#ack market !rices for heroin t rns most ma#e addicts into thieves and most fema#e addicts into !rostit tes. 06ee Cha!ter <ive.1 5+'5A+ 867# The !annabis sativa !#ant, so rce of mari: ana and hashish. 3A%N)C+ 544 )5C+ #6##6( % who#e "reen !e!!er that has been a##owed to t rn s#i"ht#y rotten. If two ho#es are made at o!!osite ends, and a #it kin"-si.e ci"arette 0of ordinary tobacco1 is inserted in one, and the smoker inha#es thro "h the other, ha## cinations simi#ar to those of L6A are said to res #t. Like the famo s e#ectric banana cra.e, it is nknown whether this effect is d e to a to-s ""estion or if the !e!!er skin act a##y contains a chemica# that modifies the tobacco smoke. 3 +N ,eroin= the term is a#so sed to denote mor!hine or other o!i m-based dr "s that, #ike heroin, are a#so hi"h#y addictin". NALANALA % mi#d#y intoxicatin" bevera"e made from the roots of a Fo#ynesian !e!!er !#ant, piper methysti!um. C rio s#y, most reference books c#assify this as a narcotic, b t it does not a!!ear to be addictive and sers re!ort res #ts that vary from resemb#in" a#coho# to resemb#in" mari: ana. The "enera# effect is a "ent#e re#axation, combined with some e !horia and occasiona# 7!sychede#ic8 !erce!tions in the es!ecia##y sensitive. N5- or N56- % s!ecia# b#end of 4orth %frican mari: ana be#ieved to !ossess es!ecia##y beni"n !ro!erties= the %rabic name kif means 7tran$ i#ity8 or 7!eace.8 %ccordin" to a >oroccan !roverb, 7% ! ff of kif in the mornin" makes a man as stron" as a tho sand came#s in the co rtyard.8 N5)) B5& Hnder"ro nd s#an", on the East Coast, for L6A. The name is derived from the #etters on the te#e!hone dia#J in the ear#y 19+)s, if yo dia#ed GI66 ;I@ in the ;oston-Cambrid"e area, yo wo #d reach the Internationa# <ederation for Interna# <reedom 0I<I<1 which was, $ ite #e"a##y at that time, #ookin" for vo# nteers to !artici!ate in L6A research. 4A'E )+C1 Cocaine= b t )+C1 a#one sometimes refers to heroin. 4A 'A+ 7 The first medicina# derivative of o!i m, form #ated by the ma"ician and a#chemist, Farace#s s, in the first !art of the 1+th Cent ry. It was sed wide#y as an ana#"esic nti# recent times, and its famo s addicts inc# ded 6am e# Co#erid"e, Ed"ar %##an Foe, %#"ernon 6winb rne, E#i.abeth ;arrett ;rownin", Aante @abrie# &ossetti, 6enator Kohn &ando#!h of &oanoke, Mir"inia, and ,orace Aay. 0A rin" the ear#y !art of this cent ry, "in-and-#a dan m was a favorite drink with the fast-#ivin" set.1 ,eavy sa"e !rod ce not on#y addiction, b t a#so in some cases ha## cinations that are, in many re!orted cases, definite#y sinister. 06ee Cha!ter <ive.1 4A &85+& &A) 6ee +5T(C ) CP5'6. 46A#6() %m!hetamines. 45B(5 7 ?ne of the most wide#y !rescribed tran$ i#i.ers= many doctors consider it the safest and most effective treatment for a wide variety of ne rotic and nervo s ai#ments. 6ome researchers, on the other hand, be#ieve it tens to become habit formin" and !rod ces dan"ero s side effects=

withdrawa# sym!toms re!orted by some heavy sers inc# de de!ression, a"itation, a""ravation of !revio s !sychosomatic !rob#ems, and sometimes conv #sions. Aeath by res!iratory de!ression has been re!orted when sers nwise#y have mixed Libri m with a#coho# or barbit rates. 45&8T )T -- >ari: ana or hashish, as distin" ished from 7heavy st ff,8 which "enera##y means heroin, mor!hine and other o!i m-based dr "s. 4)' Ferha!s the most controversia# of a## dr "s. >any sers have achieved, or be#ieve they have achieved, "en ine se#f-transcendence with L6A and em!hasi.e its 7mystic8 !ro!erties and the scattered research that tends to indicate that it mi"ht be sef # in treatin" a variety of ne rotic ai#ments, s ch as a#coho#ism. ?!!onents re!eat the case histories of ac te anxiety, !anic, s icide or menta# hos!ita#i.ation that have occ rred, s!oradica##y, amon" acid freaks. In act a# fact, it a!!ears that s ch bad tri!s have become #ess common in the dr " c #t re as !eo!#e have #earned how to treat a !anic reaction= b t they do sti## ha!!en on occasion and nobody sho #d try this tri! if he fears that this can ha!!en to him, be!ause su!h fears tend to be self/fulfilling prophe!ies. Fracticed devotees of L6A often a"ree with Ar. Leary that it is the most !owerf # sex dr " of a##, b t novices can se#dom achieve any sex a# res #ts= their nervo s system is too over#oaded too a##ow concentration on sex. #sy!holyti! doses 0aro nd 1)) micro"rams1 are rather #ike hashish or a #ar"e $ antity of mari: ana, and it is with this #imited dosa"e that the novice can seek sex a# enhancement. #sy!hedeli! doses 0aro nd -)) micro"rams1 !rod ce ei"ht ho rs of random ecstasy 9 or of terror 9 and it is on#y with !ractice that one can obtain any contro# at that #eve#. 06ee Cha!ter 6ix.1 4 75+A4 ?ne of the stron"est of the barbit rate dr "s, sed main#y in the treatment of e!i#e!sy and de#iri m tremens. <or "enera# warnin"s abo t barbit rates, see A7ETA4. 7A&5% 7 )8(CC7) 6ee A7A+5TA 7 )%A(5A and #)54C%EBA6 76P5%A+A. 7A3CC+ % 4orth %frican de#icacy, made of 8A)85)8, or some other cannabis dr ", and honey, fr its, n ts and s!ices. These candies are eaten traditiona##y at ban$ ets in the 4ear East and stim #ate a!!etite, conversation and convivia#ity. Considered one of the best aven es to cannabis-enriched sex a# ex!erience. 7A(53 A+A The most !o! #ar cannabis dr " in the Hnited 6tates. 06ee Cha!ter <o r.1 7A(E A++ G 7A(E 3A+6 G 7A(E 1A(+6( 6#an" names for mari: ana, now near#y obso#ete. 7644C1 E644C1 6ee BA+A+A. 76#(CBA7AT6 ?nce the most wide#y !rescribed tran$ i#i.er in the Hnited 6tates so#d nder the trade name 754TC1+. Hsed in the treatment of anxiety states or m sc #ar tremors. ,abit ation may occ r and withdrawa# can be !ainf #. >ay be dan"ero s if mixed with a#coho#. 76)%A45+6 The !sychoactive !rinci!#e in the #6ECT6 cact s. The advanta"e of mesca#ine is that it is free of the other chemica#s in the cact s, which a#most a#ways !rovoke na sea and vomitin" at the be"innin" of a #6ECT6 session. The disadvanta"e of mesca#ine is that, #ike L6A nowadays, whatever is obtainab#e today may contain im! rities or have been man fact red im!ro!er#y= this risk is not minor, and rea# "arba"e has been fo nd on occasion by !sycho!harmaco#o"ists who bo "ht street dr "s and ana#y.ed them. <or f rther information, see #6ECT6. 76T8A'C+6 % synthetic o!iate ana#"esic, : st as addictin" as heroine. In 4ew Eork and a few other !#aces, heroin addicts are bein" 7c red8 by addictin" them to this narcotic, which has been made #e"a# for them 0a#tho "h not for others1. The same res #t co #d be obtained by makin" heroin #e"a# for the addicts b t not for others= the a thorities have re:ected this so# tion, a!!arent#y beca se it wo #d be 7soft8 on crimina#s. The methadone treatment #eaves the state with the di"nity of te##in" the addict which addictin" dr " he may se. There is abso# te#y no !#eas re in methadone for anyone who is not a#ready an o!iate addict, and it creates im!otence with chronic se. 76T8A7#86TA75+6 6ee A7#86TA75+6. 76T86'(5+6 % brand name 0; rro "hs 'e#come Co.1 for 76T8A7#86TA75+6. 75N6 The s a# nit of meas rement for L6A= from mi!rogram, one mi##ionth of a "ram. 754TC1+ 6ee 76#(CBA7AT6. 77'A 3-methoxy#-(,--methy#enedioxyam!hetamine, a stron" am!hetamine dr ", recent#y synthesi.ed, which is said to !rovoke !sychede#ic-#ike ha## cinations and intense body !#eas re. 6ome !sychiatrists have fo nd it very sef # in thera!y, b t the "overnment has made it i##e"a#. This is ca##ed 7%dam8 or 7BTC8 on the b#ack market.

7C(#85+6 %n o!i m ana#"esic sed as a !ain ki##er in medicine, invented in 12)-, and ori"ina##y intended to c re o!i m addiction. >or!hine was once the !rinci!a# dr " of addiction in the Hnited 6tates, b t nowadays addict !ersona#ity ty!es tend to drift to barbit rates or heroin, and i##e"a# 0non-medica#1 mor!hine is "enera##y sed on#y by heroin addicts when they can5t obtain their dr " of choice. 7 )%A(5+6 The active !rinci!#e in the A7A+5TA 7 )%A(5A m shroom= a dead#y !oison, exce!t in very sma## doses. 6ee A7A+5TA 7 )%A(5A. +A54 #C45)8 (67CL6( This !rod ces de#iri m and * or ha## cinations and is resorted to by the i"norant or des!erate. The effects are as bad as those !rod ces by &4 6 or %A(BC+ T6T(A%84C(5'6. +67B TA4 % barbit rate dr ", intended as a treatment for insomnia or certain nervo s conditions. Hsed as an intoxicant, these !i##s are ca##ed yellow ja!ks, yellow ja!kets or yellow submarines= the hi"h is #ike a !ro#on"ed dr nk and !robab#y as #ike#y to !rovoke tem!orary im!otence as a#coho# is. Lery addi!ting= see warnin" nder A7ETA4. +5A%5+ 4icotinic acid, or Mitamin ;-3. This is the best sin"#e treatment for bad tri!s of any sort, and has even !roved sef # in treatin" some varieties of schi.o!hrenia. <o r "rams are needed to $ iet a dr " !anic, b t one sho #d try to ta#k ca#m#y to the s fferer whi#e waitin" 1- to (min tes for the niacin to take effect. 6ee a#so T8C(AB5+6, b t rememberJ 4iacin, n#ike Thora.ine, is avai#ab#e witho t a !rescri!tion. +5%N64 BA& <ive do##ars5 worth of mari: ana, an amo nt that varies accordin" to #oca#e and the rectit de of the dea#er= in the "ood o#d days it wo #d fi## a whisky shot "#ass. +5T(C ) CP5'6 The 7#a "hin" "as8 sed by some dentists. 'i##iam Kames and others have described !rofo nd !sychede#ic insi"hts and re#i"io s visions obtained with this chemica#, b t since nitro s oxide re$ ires a tank to carry it aro nd, it has not become wide#y avai#ab#e on the b#ack market. Inte##i"ent se is !robab#y harm#ess, b t there are dan"ers for those not !racticed in administerin" "as= anoxia can res #t from too m ch, too fast, and death is then #ike#y n#ess $ ick medica# treatment is at hand. In other words, don5t try this n#ess the friend offerin" it is a dentist or another ty!e of technician who knows how to hand#e it. + T76& This common ho seho#d s!ice is considerab#y stron"er than mari: ana and a dose of ten "rams can !rod ce 4)'-#ike states. %#as, na sea and vomitin" are fre$ ent side effects, as is ra!id heartbeat. 04o heart fai# res are re!orted, b t many have ex!erienced ac te !anic, thinkin" they were havin" a heart attack.1 C#5 7 The ex date of the seeds of the !o!!y !#ant, papaver somniferum, and the so rce of s ch hi"h#y addictive !ain ki##ers as mor!hine, heroin, Aemero#, !anto!on, and so on. ?!i m itse#f, on initia# tria#, is "enera##y considered one of the most ecstatic and #ove#y of a## dr " ex!eriences= n#ike its derivatives, o!i m does not seem to be #imited in its a!!ea# to hy!er-tense ty!es who are a#ready addiction-!rone. ?n the contrary, everybody seems to #ike it, and therein #ies its !eri#. %ddiction can be estab#ished within a few weeks of steady se and thereafter one remains addicted for #ife, barrin" a mirac#e. The sex a# effects are ni# or ne"ative, exce!t when mixed with hashish, a 4ear Eastern c stom which is said, by its devotees, to !rod ce the "reatest sex dr " kicks in the wor#d= b t this, too, is : st as addictin" as strai"ht o!i m, and im!otence fo##ows $ ick#y. 06ee Cha!ter <ive.1 CE)T6() % fo#k-a!hrodisiac of #on" historica# re! tation and sti## devo t#y be#ieved in by many. All other things being e:ual 0i.e., in absence of severe ne rotic im!otence1, eatin" oysters re" #ar#y wi##, in fact, tend to maintain a man at his hi"hest !ossib#e #eve# of !otency 9 b t this is not beca se the oysters contain any s!ecia# !ro!erties. It is tr e of any hi"h !rotein diet, and yo wi## "et the same res #ts with the 7wei"ht watcher5s s!ecia#8 0steak and cotta"e cheese1 offered at most resta rants. The re! tation of the oyster is !robab#y d e to sym!athetic ma"icJ they #ook 0and even taste1 #ike the fema#e "enita#s. #A+A7A (6' % variety of mari: ana "rown in the Cana# None and be#ieved to be of es!ecia##y hi"h !otency. #A+TC#C+ % derivative of o!i m sed for ana#"esia in medicine and sometimes ! rchased by heroin addicts when no heroin is avai#ab#e. 4o kicks for the non-addict and a sex a# de!ressant, #ike a## o!iates. #A(6&C(5% Tinct re of o!i m in combination with cam!hor= sed in medicine and fre$ ent#y resorted to by heroin addicts when heroin is navai#ab#e. 4o sex a# benefits.

#6# #544) %m!hetamines. #6ECT6 % sma## cact s, lophophora williamsii, re"arded as divine by >exican Indians since abo t 1))) ;C and ado!ted by %merican Indians toward the end of the 19 th Cent ry. The active !rinci!#e is 76)%A45+6 and the "enera# effect is very simi#ar to 4)' 0exce!t that !eyote tends to !rod ce even more bri##iant co#or dis!#ays and is more often associated with !ersona#i.ed or anthro!omor!hic re#i"io s visions, whereas acid-ind ced re#i"io s trances are s a##y more im!ersona# and cosmic1. The 4ative %merican Ch rch, with 1-),))) members in the Hnited 6tates and Canada, is a combination of Christian and Indian re#i"io s traditions, worshi!!in" Kes s Christ and Feyote 'oman and em!#oyin" !eyote in its rites. Feyote is not recommended as a sex enhancer beca se it s a##y !rod ces na sea in its initia# sta"es 9 a#tho "h this is #ess tr e of the !eyote tea brewed thro "h the cacti in a !ot of water. >any ex!erienced !sychede#ic ex!#orers !refer !eyote to any other dr " beca se it is or"anic and does not contain the im! rities often fo nd in street acid or street mesca#ine. 06ee 76)%A45+6.1 A e to a 6 !reme Co rt decision based on the re#i"io s freedom c#a se of the <irst %mendment, !eyote is #e"a# for Indians, b t in most states it is sti## i##e"a# for others. #86+CBA(B5TA4 % barbit rate dr "= for "enera# warnin" abo t barbit rates, see A7ETA4. #5+N) 6ee )6%C+A4. #5#TA'6+5A % sn ff sed by 6o th %merican Indians d rin" re#i"io s or"ies or before "oin" into batt#e. The active in"redient is b fotonin. 'hatever sex-enhancin" !ro!erties recommend it for or"iastic se, it is very dan"ero s and seems to act m ch #ike the mandrake, in that de#iri m is more common than any !ositive sex en:oyment. It is not recommended by any nder"ro nd so rces. #C##6() %my# nitrite via#s= see A7E4 +5T(5T6. #)54C%EBA6 76P5%A+A The ma"ic m shroom of >exico, considered sacred for aro nd 3))) years. This is the f n" s that t rned on Timothy Leary ori"ina##y and the >exicans say that it brin"s the ser face-to-face with @od. It is sometimes on the b#ack market here, a#tho "h the m shrooms are hard to !reserve, and one is more #ike#y to be offered #)54C%EB5+, the active !rinci!#e, in !i## form. >any aficionados swear that 7nobody has a bad tri! on the m shroom8 b t that isn5t $ ite tr e 9 a few b mmers have been re!orted. Frobab#y, the difference between the m shroom and L6A is entire#y s b:ective, since !si#ocybae has a #on" re#i"io s tradition and L6A has been sensationa#i.ed into a monster horror show= s ch c #t ra# notions are es!ecia##y inf# entia# when a novice is takin" his first tri!. %ny sex a# ex!erimentation sho #d be !ost!oned nti# the sixth ho r, after the more dramatic visions have !assed. %t that !oint erotic enhancement can be $ ite "ood. # (#46 86A(T) L mina# tab#ets= see 4 75+A4. #A(A86PE4 % synthetic dr " simi#ar to T8%, the active !rinci!#e in mari: ana and other cannabis dr "s. Farahexy# has been sed s ccessf ##y by En"#ish !sychiatrists in treatin" de!ression, and may become a favorite recreationa# dr " with those who dis#ike smokin" mari: ana b t en:oy the hi"h. 6o far, a#as, a## the 7!arahexy#8 on the %merican b#ack market, #ike the a##e"ed 7T,C,8 has t rned o t to be somethin" e#se, s a##y a do" tran$ i#i.er. (A 1C4-5A )6(#6+T5+A % sma## shr b, native to India, that @handi chewed and r"ed on his fo##owers= its active !rinci!#e has been synthesi.ed and is now on the market as a tran$ i#i.er in the Hnited 6tates, nder the trade name (6)6(#5+6. (6)6(#5+6 6ee (A 1C4-5A )6(#6+T5+A. (85+C%6(C) 8C(+ % fo#k-a!hrodisiac of no rea# va# e. The idea that this s bstance wi## im!rove !otency is known scientifica##y to be fa#se and seems to be based on sym!athetic ma"ic, the horn ha!!enin" to #ook #ike an erect !enis. (CA%8 The end of a mari: ana ci"arette. )7A%N G )876%N 6#an" terms for heroin. )%C#C4A75+6 The so-ca##ed 7tr th ser m8 derived from the henbane !#ant. It has a #on" history in connection with witchcraft 0see Cha!ter ?ne1 and some modern hi!!ies, aware that sco!o#amine is an in"redient in s ch non-!rescri!tion sedatives as 6ominex, 6#ee!-E.e and Com!o. have tried takin" #ar"e doses of them to "et hi"h. The res #ts occasiona##y inc# de ha## cinations and*or e !horia, b t nconscio sness a#ways fo##ows ra!id#y. % s fficient#y hi"h dose 0over 1)) "rams1 of ! re sco!o#amine wi## ca se death. )6%C+A4 % commercia# barbit rate= see A7ETA4 for warnin"s.

)C75+6P 6ee )%C#C4A75+6. )#66'BA44 % mixt re of heroin and cocaine 0or, sometimes, heroin and am!hetamines1. Hsers c#aim s!ectac #ar sex a# effects, b t these m st wear off with re!eated se as the heroin com!onent !rod ces its inevitab#e by-!rod ct of im!otence= and then addiction s !ervenes. )T6A7BCAT % favorite way of smokin" mari: ana amon" aficionados. The cardboard ro## is removed from a toi#et-!a!er ho#der, one end is sea#ed ! by a !iece of !a!er he#d with 6cotch ta!e, the mari: ana ci"arette is st ck into a ho#e near the sea#ed end and the smoker inha#es thro "h the o!!osite, o!en end. This !rod ces a $ icker and stron"er hi"h than the same "rass wo #d if smoked the ordinary way, and it combines the best of both mari: ana and yo"a-sty#e pranayama 0dee! breathin", or hy!er-venti#ation1. )T# (-methy#-2,--dimethoxy#-a-methy#!henethy#amine, a synthetic dr " combinin" many of the !ro!erties of both 76)%A45+6 and A7#86TA75+6. It was ori"ina##y introd ced to the b#ack market amid m ch fanfare and #e"endry. It was said to have been invented by ,e##5s %n"e#s 0which it wasn5t1 and to !rod ce 7 serenity, tran$ i#ity, peace8 0which it didn5t1. It is a !rod ct of Aow Chemica#s, those wonderf # fo#ks who bro "ht s na!a#m, and it is considered, niversa##y, a b mmer. Litt#e of it is for sa#e these days. T6C+A%T4 The sacred m shroom of >exico, so-ca##ed by those who have cracked an anthro!o#o"y book and #earned that this was the ori"ina# %.tec name and means 7@od5s f#esh.8 6ee #)54C%EBA6. T8% Tetrahydrocannabino#, the active !rinci!#e in mari: ana and other cannabis dr "s. Mery #itt#e rea# T,C has ever been avai#ab#e on the b#ack market= most of what is so#d nder its name is s a##y a different com!o nd. T8C(AB5+6 % ma:or tran$ i#i.er and the best treatment for a bad 4)' tri!. Hse 2- mi##i"rams. %vai#ab#e on !rescri!tion on#y. 0<or other bad-tri! treatments, see +5A%5+.1 LA45 7 % mi#d tran$ i#i.er with no !artic #ar sex a# or other kicks in it. PT% % ! n on 7ecstasy8= #ike %A%>, a code name for >>A%. 6ee 77'A. EA&6 6ee AEA8 A)%C. E644C1 3A%N G E644C1 ) B7A(5+6) 4emb ta# ca!s #es. 6ee +67B TA4.