It is easy to forget the importance that psychedelic drugs have had on the human species.
     From Terence McKenna’s claim that the human mind was helped along with the use of magic mushrooms, to the ancient references to a drink named Soma in Indian religious texts, the last century has almost completely wiped the notion of respectful use of psychedelic drugs, shamanistic and psycho-nautical techniques from the collective consciousness of humanity.
     Under the umbrella of the ‘War on Drugs’, mind expanding substances such as DMT, psilocybin and LSD have been demonised as nothing more than distractions and a danger to the status quo.
     In this new book, four respected scholars lead us on a fascinating journey into the history, practices and continuation of the use of psychedelics and the teachings they bring.
     Broken down into twelve in-depth essays, the ideas of shamanism and mind expansion are explored. The religious and visionary use of Ayahuasca (yage) amongst indigenous South Americans, DMT, LSD and magic mushrooms have bright lights shone upon them, bringing them out of the darkness of the last 100 years of brutal prohibition in the West.
     Rick Strassman, M.D, sets the stage with an opening chapter about the controversy surrounding the use of psychedelics. He argues that the suppression of the substances may seem like a recent occurrence, but reminds us that it has been thousands of years in the making, and can be traced back to the switch from Matriarchal to Patriarchal society.
     Everything that came forth from Mother Earth was a gift for all living creatures. So it leads to reason that the ingestion of magic mushrooms, yage, and other natural psychedelics, and the interpretations of the visions that came, were gifts, signs, warnings and teachings of a unified system that incorporated all aspects of the physical world.
     Strassman also explores the use of DMT (dimethyltryptamine), a chemical that appears to be present in all things living on this planet. He uses case studies (no small feat, as the study of illegal drugs in the West is deemed illegal) to paint a vivid picture of the visions that DMT induces.
     A continuing theme among volunteers is the coming into contact with intelligences outside of their own sphere of consciousness. The connection between natural DMT releases within the human brain in highly stressful situations may also help explain UFO abduction and near-death experiences.
     Luis Eduardo Luna, M.D, takes the reader on a journey into his 35 years of experience with the sacred Ayahuasca vine, venerated and used by the native peoples of the Amazon for thousands of years.
     Luna recounts his first Ayahuasca experience in the Upper Amazon with the legendary Terence McKenna, who was exploring an area that eventually brought forth the book The Invisible Landscape.
     Luna’s essay takes us around the world as he follows his own path, studying the natives of the Amazon and the history of Ayahuasca use, a path that always leads back to the Amazon with more mystical trips on the sacred brew.
     Ede Frecska, another M.D, delivers the meatiest essay in the book, which focuses on the neuro-ontological aspects of shamanistic experiences.
     A mind-melting mix of science and mysticism, Frecska goes right to the root of human perception in relation to what lies within human consciousness. She argues that both scientific and mystical methods are two sides of the same coin.
     Western thinking has prided itself on a scientifically-based deconstruction of reality, ancient and Eastern mystical methodology has done the same, just literally from a different point of view and using different tools.
     She goes on to explore perennial philosophy, which has been taught throughout the ages of man, and still holds everlasting insights into life and nature, spans cultures and has been taught in one way or another by the great thinkers of all time.
     If the reader is a fan of the works of Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna and Robert Anton Wilson, they will very much appreciate Frecska’s contribution to this book.
     This book is an eye and mind opening exploration into a field that has been forced underground. The four writers give unique insights into the traditions of shamanism and psychedelic drug use.
     Taking a scholarly approach without being dry or in any way biased, Inner Paths to Outer Space succeeds on many levels. As a one-stop book about the history and effects of psychedelics, and as a rich stew of ideas about the facts and fallacies of an important but less-heralded part of our collective culture.