Part 2 of Episode 150! Yay!! And now for something completely different. This episode is a bit of a departure from our regular show. We invite Alex Criddle and Cody Noconi, researchers into the psychedelic origins of Mormonism, to respond to the recent debate on the Mormon Book Reviews channel between ourselves and Mormon apologist, Brian Hales. Brian attempts to provide the apologetic response to the theory that Joseph Smith utilized psychedelics (entheogens) in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in order to facilitate visionary experiences for the early Saints. Disinformation requires much greater effort than simply stating information so we do our best to debunk his debunking (rebunk the theory?). This one is a long haul so we split it into 2 episodes to make it a little more digestible.
Show notes:
Video version: https://youtu.be/3l0L1EHtQOo
Support our research and outreach: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions
Original here: Psychedelics & Early Mormonism Theory Brian Hales Responds on Mormon Book Reviews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7J0y_cPpg
Further information:
“The Higher Powers of Man” - Frederick M. Smith was a prophet of the RLDS Mormons and paternal grandson of the founder Joseph Smith. In 1918 Frederick published this Ph.D. dissertation breaking down altered states of consciousness from an early psychologist’s perspective, specifically, religious states of ‘ecstacy’ as he called it. A lengthy chapter devoted to peyote is particularly worth reading.
“The Higher Powers: Fred M - Smith and the Peyote Ceremonies” - Shelby Barnes’ 1995 paper highlighting the curious psychedelic interests of Frederick M. Smith. While Barnes does not make any direct connections to Joseph Smith and psychedelics, Barnes does note that Frederick’s interests were an attempt to find the reliable keys to visionary revelation that his grandfather Joseph had demonstrated.
“Restoration and the Sacred Mushroom” - Dr. Robert Beckstead’s seminal research paper presented at the August 2007 Sunstone Symposium. Beckstead’s paper was the first to propose the possibility that Joseph Smith used psychedelics to facilitate visionary experiences.
“A 1920’s Harvard Psychedelic Circle with a Mormon Connection: Peyote Use amongst the Harvard Aesthetes” Alan Piper’s 2016 paper highlighting Frederick M. Smith’s interest in psychedelics, and how as a standing Mormon prophet Fred was funding a 1920s group of Harvard students with peyote.
“Revelation Through Hallucination: A discourse on the Joseph Smith-entheogen theory” - Bryce Blankenagel and Cody Noconi’s 2017 follow-up paper further explores the hypothesis originally put forward by Dr. Robert Beckstead a decade earlier.
“The Entheogenic Origins of Mormonism: A Working Hypothesis” - Dr. Robert Beckstead, Bryce Blankenagel, Cody Noconi, and Michael Winkelman’s paper published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies in June 2019. This was the first paper on the subject published in an academic journal.
“Visions, Mushrooms, Fungi, Cacti, and Toads: Joseph Smith’s Reported Use of Entheogens” Brian Hales’ 2020 response paper to the one published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies. As a believing Mormon engaged in academic apologetics, Hales details what he perceives to be holes in the proposed hypothesis.
“The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic, and Drugs” - Cody Noconi’s book published in 2021.
“Psychedelics as a Means of Revelation in Early and Contemporary Mormonism (Part 1)” Alex Criddle's 2023 paper that was originally presented at the Forms of Psychedelic Life conference at UC Berkeley (April 14-15, 2023).
“Psychedelics as a Means of Revelation in Early and Contemporary Mormonism (Part 2)” A continuation of Alex Criddle’s 2023 paper.
“A Real Spiritual High: In Defense of Psychedelic Mysticism” An enlightening philosophical essay from Alex Criddle.
Bibliography and further reading:
The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James
The Higher Powers of Man, by Frederick M. Smith
The Magus, by Francis Barrett
A Key to Physic, and the Occult Sciences, by Ebenezer Sibly
Hearts Made Glad: The Charges of Intemperance Against Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, by Lamar Peterson
The Seven Sisters of Sleep, by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
The Encylopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications, by Christian Rátsch
Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers, by Richard Evans Shultes, Albert Hoffman, and Christian Rátsch
The Dictionary of Sacred and Magical Plants, by Christian Rátsch
Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants, by Claudia Muller-Ebeling, Christian Rátsch, and Wolf-Dieter Storl
Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible, by Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen
Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal Herbs and the Occult, by Chris Bennett
Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World, by Chris Bennett
Plants of the Devil, by Corinne Boyer
The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name, by Brian C. Muraresku
Veneficium: Magic Witchcraft, and the Poison Path, by Daniel A. Schulke
Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism, by Daniel A. Schulke
The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens, by Richard Evans Shultes and Albert Hoffman
Where the Gods Reign: Plants and Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, by Richard Evans Shultes
Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia, by Richard Evans Shultes and Robert F. Raffauf
Ethnobotany: Evolution of a Discipline, Richard Evans Shultes and Siri von Reis
Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion, by Jonathan Ott, R. Gordon Wasson, Stella Kramrisch, and Carl A. P. Ruck
Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History, by Jonathan Ott
Plant Intoxicants: a Classic Text on the Use of Mind-Altering Plants, by Ernst Bibra and Jonathan Ott
Age of Entheogens & the Angels' Dictionary, by Jonathan Ott
Drugs of the Dreaming: Oneirogens: Salvia Divinorum and Other Dream-Enhancing Plants, by Jonathan Ott, Gianluca Toro, and Benjamin Thomas
The Road to Eleusis, by R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Carl A. P. Ruck, Huston Smith
Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, by William A. Richards
Entheogens, Myth, and Human Consciousness, by Carl A.P. Ruck and Mark Alwin Hoffman
Mushrooms, Myth and Mithras: The Drug Cult that Civilized Europe, by Carl A.P. Ruck, Mark Alwin Hoffman and Jose Alfredo Gonzalez Celdran
Sacred Mushrooms of the Goddess: Secrets of Eleusis, by Carl A.P. Ruck
The Apples of Apollo: Pagan and Christian Mysteries of the Eucharist, by Carl A.P. Ruck, Clark Heinrich, and Blaise Daniel Staples
Psychedelic Mystery Traditions: Sacred Plants, Magical Practices, Ecstatic States, by Thomas Hatsis
The Witches’ Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic, by Thomas Hatsis
Alchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry, by PD Newman
Angels in Vermillion: The Philosophers’ Stone: From Dee to DMT, by PD Newman
Theurgy: Theory and Practice: The Mysteries of the Ascent to the Divine, by PD Newman
The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic, and Drugs, by Cody Noconi
Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy, by Clark Heinrich
Psychedelic Medicine, by Richard Miller
Mushroom Medicine: The Healing Power of Psilocybin & Sacred Entheogen History, by Brian Jackson
The Religious Experience: It’s Production and Interpretation., by Timothy Leary
Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals, by Huston Smith
The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, by James Fadiman
Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide, by Paul Stamets
Soma: divine mushroom of immortality, by Robert Gordon Wasson
The Philosophy of Natural Magic, by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Dwellers on the Threshold; Or Magic and Magicians, with Some Illustrations of Human Error and Imposture, by John Maxwell
The History of Magic, by Eliphas Levi
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, by Albert Mackey
The German Sectarians of Pennsylvania, by Julius F. Sachse
God on Psychedelics: Tripping Across the Rubble of Old-Time Religion, by Don Lattin
The Peyote Effect: From the Inquisition to the War on Drugs, byAlexander Dawson
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead, by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzne, and Richard Alpert
Entheogens and the Future of Religion, by Robert Forte
How To Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan
The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin
Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered, by James B. Bakalar and Lester Grinspoon
The Peyote Cult, by Weston LaBarre
DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences, by Rick Stassman
A Hallucinogenic Tea Laced With Controversy, by Marlene Dobkin de Rios and Roger Rumrrill
Occurrence and Use of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Containing Psilocybin Alkaloids, by Jakob Kristinsson and Jørn Gry
Psychedelics Encyclopedia, by Peter G Stafford
Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research Since the Decade of the Brain, by Nicolas Langlitz
Stairways To Heaven: Drugs In American Religious History, by Robert W. Fuller
Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic, by Mike Jay
DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible, by Rick Strassman
Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality and the Santo Daime Tradition, by G. William Barnar
Distilled Spirits: Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk, by Don Lattin
The Mystery of Manna: The Psychedelic Sacrament of the Bible, by Dan Merkur
Psychedelic Sacrament: Manna, Meditation and Mystical Experience, by Dan Merkur
LSD and the Divine Scientist: The Final Thoughts and Reflections of Albert Hofmann, by Albert Hoffman
The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley
Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, by Don Lattin
LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious, by Stanislav Grof
LSD and the Mind of the Universe by Christopher Bache
Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge by Jeremy Narby and Rafael Chanchari Pizuri
Visionary Vine: Psychedelic Healing in the Peruvian Amazon by Marlene Dobkin de Rios
The Antipodes of the Mind by Benny Shannon
Ancient Psychedelic Substances by Scott Fitzpatrick
Psychoactive Sacramentals: Essays on Entheogens and Religion by Stan Grof, Huston Smith, and Albert Hofmann
The Shaman and Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms by Don Jose Campos
The Religion of Ayahuasca: The Teachings of the Church of Santo Daime by Alex Polari de Alverga
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