So we not only didn't have the engineering know-how-- we used to think-- we didn't have even settled life to construct something like this. But I'm pressing you because that's my job. And I just happened to fall into that at the age of 14 thanks to the Jesuits, and just never left it behind. The Immortality Key: Book Overview (Brian Muraresku) Before the church banned their use, early Christians used - Substack But things that sound intensely powerful. And in his book [? Its proponents maintain that the affable, plump old fellow associated with Christmas derives from the character of Arctic medical practitioners. And I want to say that this question that we've been exploring the last half hour about what all this means for the present will be very much the topic of our next event on February 22, which is taking up the question of psychedelic chaplaincy. So imagine how many artifacts are just sitting in museums right now, waiting to be tested. And so with a revised ancient history, in place Brian tacks back to the title of our series, Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Now that doesn't mean, as Brian was saying, that then suggests that that's the norm Eucharist. So there's a house preserved outside of Pompeii, preserved, like so much else, under the ash of Mount Vesuvius's eruption in the year 79 of the Common Era. You can see that inscribed on a plaque in Saint Paul's monastery at Mount Athos in Greece. So there's a whole slew of sites I want to test there. Is there a smoking gun? In my previous posts on the continuity hypothesis . OK, Brian, I invite you to join us now. And as a lawyer, I know what is probative and what's circumstantial evidence, and I just-- I don't see it there. And I think that's an important distinction to make. What Brian labels the religion with no name. So I got a copy of it from the Library of Congress, started reading through, and there, in fact, I was reading about this incredible discovery from the '90s. And I think that we would behoove ourselves to incorporate, resuscitate, maybe, some of those techniques that seem to have been employed by the Greeks at Eleusis or by the Dionysians or some of these earliest Christians. There's a good number of questions that are very curious why you are insisting on remaining a psychedelic virgin. And so the big hunt for me was trying to find some of those psychedelic bits. The Tim Ferriss Show - Transcripts But I do want to push back a little bit on the elevation of this particular real estate in southern Italy. General Stanley McChrystal Mastering Risk: A User's Guide | Brought to you by Kettle & Fire high quality, tasty, and conveniently packaged bone broths; Eight Sleep. The pagan continuity hypothesis at the heart of this book made sense to me. He's the god of wine. Now is there any evidence for psychedelic use in ancient Egypt, and if not, do you have any theory as to why that's silent? These Native American church and the UDV, both some syncretic form of Christianity. In the same place in and around Pompeii, this is where Christianity is really finding its roots. I know that that's a loaded phrase. So when Hippolytus is calling out the Marcosians, and specifically women, consecrating this alternative Eucharist in their alternative proto-mass, he uses the Greek word-- and we've talked about this before-- but he uses the Greek word [SPEAKING GREEK] seven times in a row, by the way, without specifying which drugs he's referring to. CHARLES STANG: You know, Valentinus was almost elected bishop of Rome. Now, that date is obviously very suggestive because that's precisely the time the Christians were establishing a beachhead in Rome. Read more 37 people found this helpful Helpful Report abuse Tfsiebs So much research! I am so fortunate to have been selected to present my thesis, "Mythology and Psychedelics: Taking the Pagan Continuity Hypothesis a Step Further" at. Now, I've had experiences outside the Eucharist that resonate with me. I understand the appeal of that. Not because it's not there, because it hasn't been tested. Kanye West (Ye) storms off Timcast IRL show after Tim Pool pushes back There's John Marco Allegro claiming that there was no Jesus, and this was just one big amanita muscaria cult. And that's not how it works today, and I don't think that's how it works in antiquity. And I think sites like this have tended to be neglected in scholarship, or published in languages like Catalan, maybe Ukrainian, where it just doesn't filter through the academic community. Psychedelics Today: Mark Plotkin - Bio-Cultural Conservation of the Amazon. I expect we will find it. And the truth is that this is a project that goes well beyond ancient history, because Brian is convinced that what he has uncovered has profound implications for the future of religion, and specifically, the future of his own religion, Roman Catholicism. Something else I include at the end of my book is that I don't think that whatever this was, this big if about a psychedelic Eucharist, I don't think this was a majority of the paleo-Christians. But if the original Eucharist were psychedelic, or even if there were significant numbers of early Christians using psychedelics like sacrament, I would expect the representatives of orthodox, institutional Christianity to rail against it. And nor did we think that a sanctuary would be one of the first things that we construct. I know that's another loaded phrase. Theories of Origins about Witch Hunts - King's College The long and short of it is, in 1978 there was no hard scientific data to prove this one way or the other. So those are all possibly different questions to ask and answer. And what do you believe happens to you when you do that? And what it has to do with Eleusis or the Greek presence in general, I mean, again, just to say it briefly, is that this was a farmhouse of sorts that was inland, this sanctuary site. Others would argue that they are perfectly legal sacraments, at least in the Native American church with the use of peyote, or in the UDV or Santo Daime, I mean, ayahuasca does work in some syncretic Christian form, right? And even Burkert, I think, calls it the most famous of the mystery rituals. Now, I think you answered that last part. Revolutionary Left Radio: Early Christianity: Psychedelics, Ancient And I'm happy to see we have over 800 people present for this conversation. So the Eastern Aegean. Just from reading Dioscorides and reading all the different texts, the past 12 years have absolutely transformed the way I think about wine. But by and large, no, we don't really know. Certainly these early churchmen used whatever they could against the forms of Christian practice they disapproved of, especially those they categorized as Gnostic. And so even within the New Testament you see little hints and clues that there was no such thing as only ordinary table wine. And when Houston says something like that, it grabs the attention of a young undergrad a bit to your south in Providence, Rhode Island, who was digging into Latin and Greek and wondering what the heck this was all about. Ep #1 Show Notes | Brian Muraresku: Psychedelics, Civilization Was there any similarity from that potion to what was drunk at Eleusis? And that is that there was a pervasive religion, ancient religion, that involved psychedelic sacraments, and that that pervasive religious culture filtered into the Greek mysteries and eventually into early Christianity. Newsweek calls him 'the world's best human guinea pig,' and The New York Times calls him 'a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk.' In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc . So in the mountains and forests from Greece to Rome, including the Holy Land and Galilee. So this is interesting. And the big question is, what is this thing doing there in the middle of nowhere? BRIAN MURARESKU: I'm asked this question, I would say, in pretty much every interview I've done since late September. That's the big question. They're mixing potions. Now, the great scholar of Greek religion, Walter Burkert, you quote him as musing, once-- and I'm going to quote him-- he says, "it may rather be asked, even without the prospect of a certain answer, whether the basis of the mysteries, they were prehistoric drug rituals, some festival imp of immortality which, through the expansion of consciousness, seemed to guarantee some psychedelic beyond." Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and - TopPodcast So that's something else to look into. And Ruck, and you following Ruck, make much of this, suggesting maybe the Gnostics are pharmacologists of some kind. What's the wine? To become truly immortal, Campbell talks about entering into a sense of eternity, which is the infinite present here and now. And so in some of these psychedelic trials, under the right conditions, I do see genuine religious experiences. CHARLES STANG: Well, Mr, Muraresku, you are hedging your bets here in a way that you do not necessarily hedge your bets in the book. And this is what I present to the world. #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin The Eleusinian It seems to me, though, that the intensity and the potency of the psychedelic experience is of an order of magnitude different than what I may have experienced through the Eucharist. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of "tikkun olam"repairing and improving BRIAN MURARESKU: I would say I've definitely experienced the power of the Christ and the Holy Spirit. So again, that's February 22. So why do you think psychedelics are so significant that they might usher in a new Reformation? I'll invite him to think about the future of religion in light of all this. Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. And the quote you just read from Burkert, it's published by Harvard University Press in 1985 as Greek Religion. There have been breakthroughs, too, which no doubt kept Brian going despite some skepticism from the academy, to say the least. Now you're a good sport, Brian. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of "tikkun olam"repairing and . So don't feel like you have to go into great depth at this point. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Immortality Key: The Secret History But I think the broader question of what's the reception to this among explicitly religious folk and religious leaders? CHARLES STANG: Wonderful. Frankly, if you ask the world's leading archaeobotanists and archaeochemists, where's the spiked beer and where's the spiked wine, which I've been doing since about 2007, 2008, the resounding answer you'll get back from everybody is a resounding no. So to find dog sacrifice inside this Greek sanctuary alludes to this proto-witch, Hecate, the mother of Circe, who is mentioned in the same hymn to Demeter from the 8th, 7th century BC, as kind of the third of the goddesses to whom these mysteries were dedicated. And he was actually going out and testing some of these ancient chalices. And that's where oversight comes in handy. And so I can see psychedelics being some kind of extra sacramental ministry that potentially could ease people at the end of life. And they found this site, along with others around the Mediterranean. And so I don't think that psychedelics are coming to replace the Sunday Eucharist. I'm going to stop asking my questions, although I have a million more, as you well know, and instead try to ventriloquist the questions that are coming through at quite a clip through the Q&A. And I don't know what that looks like. For those who didn't have the time or the money or the temerity to travel all the way to Eleusis from Spain, here's your off-site campus, right? I see a huge need and a demand for young religious clergy to begin taking a look at this stuff. I also sense another narrative in your book, and one you've flagged for us, maybe about 10 minutes ago, when you said that the book is a proof of concept. #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much More Brought to you by GiveWell.org charity research and effective giving and 5-Bullet Friday, my very own email newsletter. This two-part discussion between Muraresku and Dr. Plotkin examines the role psychedelics have played in the development of Western civilization. So this is the tradition, I can say with a straight face, that saved my life. Klaus Schmidt, who was with the German Archaeological Institute, called this a sanctuary and called these T-shaped pillars representations of gods. So that's from Burkert, a very sober scholar and the dean of all scholarship on Greek religion. BRIAN MURARESKU: Right. And we had a great chat, a very spirited chat about the mysteries and the psychedelic hypothesis. I opened the speculation, Dr. Stang, that the Holy Grail itself could have been some kind of spiked concoction. Tim Ferriss Show #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin: The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Psychedelics, and More. Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and - Podchaser It was the Jesuits who taught me Latin and Greek. Before I set forth the outline of this thesis, three topics must be discussed in order to establish a basic understanding of the religious terminology, Constantine's reign, and the contemporary sources. I mean, lots of great questions worthy of further investigation. Including, all the way back to Gobekli Tepe, which is why I mentioned that when we first started chatting. And then that's the word that Euripides uses, by the way. BRIAN MURARESKU: Right. This time, tonight I'll say that it's just not my time yet. Oh, I hope I haven't offended you, Brian. Not just in Italy, but as kind of the headquarters for the Mediterranean. CHARLES STANG: Brian, I wonder if you could end by reflecting on the meaning of dying before you die. Books about pagan continuity hypothesis? OK, now, Brian, you've probably dealt with questions like this. "@BrianMuraresku with @DocMarkPlotkin The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much More" Please enjoy! I mean, in the absence of the actual data, that's my biggest question. Newsweek calls him "the world's best human guinea pig," and The New York Times calls him "a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk." In this show, he deconstructs world-class . CHARLES STANG: OK. And that's a question equally for ancient historians and for contemporary seekers and/or good Catholics. And if it's one thing Catholicism does very, very well, it's contemplative mysticism. And I write, at the very end of the book, I hope that they'd be proud of this investigation. That's our next event, and will be at least two more events to follow. There was an absence of continuity in the direction of the colony as Newport made his frequent voyages to and . You become one with Christ by drinking that. difficult to arrive at any conclusive hypothesis. I was not going to put a book out there that was sensationalist.