The Archaic Revival: Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the Rebirth of the Goddess, and the End of History

* Skip my review if you want something concise, brief and straight to the point.Synopsis: In McKenna's own words The Archaic Revival is "for those seeking evidence that all is not well with the sunny world of materialism and scientific rationalism (3). [It is] the process of reawakening awareness of traditional attitudes toward nature, including plants and our relationship to them. [It] spells the eventual breakup of the pattern of male dominance and hierarchy based on animal organization...[r]ather it will follow naturally upon the gradual recognition...[of] the Earth herself as the much ballyhooed Gaia (219). [It is] a sense of the unity and balance of nature and of our own human position within that dynamic and evolving balance. It is a plant-based view. This return to a perspective on self and ego that places them within the larger context of planetary life and evolution is the essence of the Archaic Revival (225)."The Objective:My main contention with this material is that McKenna undermines the omnipotent potential of the Mind-Brain paradigm, which lies dormant and will be harnessed and cultivated as we evolve, by presumptuously assuming that it cannot manifest these hallucinatory experiences. This is merely his interpretation, it is necessary for us to pursue all theories when we are attempting to create a Novel theory in uncharted territory of human study.On page 55 McKenna talks of getting hallucinogens reclassified as "spices," which is a somewhat comedic and overly trivialized adjective. I must first clarify that I emphatically advocate for all plants to be legal - it is inane to outlaw life - and drugs should be a personal choice, not the government's choice. Apparently, we learned nothing from Prohibition, people should intellectually revisit the true REASONS why marijuana, LSD, mushrooms, etc. have been outlawed. Also, delve into research of the era during Prohibition, we have the same side-effects today, especially the gangs and violence. Marijuana itself has a slightly more complex economic suppression, but overall, in summary, to the powers-that-be in the 1960s they could not figure out why blacks wanted rights, college students were openly protesting the war and burning their draft cards, and why women wanted to work and have rights, to them the scapegoat was "drugs." An inundation of media propaganda of lies and distortions was peddled and soon the public seen that these "drugs" were bad and that compliance was good. It is somewhat slightly reminiscent of Nazi psychological propaganda ploys. It was never due to the fact of the iniquitous conditions these actions were precipitated by. Anyway, as of late I have reconsidered my position, while I support our rights to have a choice as to what we consume, I do not know if I want any attention brought to them. As far as plant hallucinogens and psychedelics go, law enforcement is largely ignorant to these substances in their natural form, with the exception of mushrooms, but if you are home and keep a low key and your mouth shut you have the right to do what you desire as long as you are not infringing on another's right of peace, prosperity and security. So I think we need to learn from our mistake in the 1960s and allow the momentum for legalization to exude into being rather than become another torrent and inevitably become a scapegoat. Remember, the children of the flower children are coming, and their children, and their children; slowly we are seeping into prominent positions in society within three generations we will look back and deride at this period and these odious laws. This is a mission of stealth and furtive move, we will be victorious. Ralph Metzner understands the motion in which we should move because "the power holders in society do not want large numbers of people taking substances or plants that expand their consciousness. A few here or there do not bother them. But if it grows into large numbers that make a lot of noise, they don't want it" (56).McKenna says that these substances should be researched and given "not to groups of prisoners, not graduate students, but mature, intelligent people" (69). This statement is highly receptive to some ambiguity. Who are "intelligent people"? How do we quantify that? Standardized tests, IQ scores? Socrates would have failed our modern IQ and SAT, tests that we attribute such high repute to grade intelligence, but that does not reduce him to unintelligent. Unfortunately he cannot specify who the participants should be or what his definition of an intelligent person is.McKenna advocates measuring the psychedelic world, but to me I think we spoil the experience by trying to render it into materialistic terms, this is heresy to the Sacred Mystery. What goes on in that realm is substantially ineffable, to attempt to "map" it would reduce its intrigue. Once we exhaust the mystery out of something it gets tainted by rules, regulations and religious dogma, I would like to keep it a mystery. Without mystery man has no need for exploration and wonder, then everything gets stagnant, and fundamentalism rises to smite opposition.The chapter on the Voynich Manuscript is dry, soporific and completely irrelevant. I do get the whole metaphor and contradiction about a text that we, modern society, cannot translate, but otherwise it has no continuity with the rest of the book. I struggled to make it fit appropriately, but it is just out of place.His stoned-ape theory is enchanting and mesmerizing, and neurochemistry has an endogenous product that gives us a vector to this point, but we need more research and not just superficial acceptance or denial. This theory is a decent place to start as opposed to simply saying "we do not know and may not ever know." He even recognizes that "there are a number of problems with this theory" (153). The complexity of the depths and origins of consciousness is one of the greatest enigmas man will ever face.I dissent with idea that seeking somatic immortality or cryonic freezing "indicates a lack of balance or equilibrium" (249). Somatic immortality is man's Divine Destiny and moral duty to his progeny, cryonic freezing is one of the ways we may perpetuate samples of our DNA and our hard drive to transfer ourselves from one vessel to the next until we figure it out. It may sound like science fiction but it is an avenue we are pursuing vigorously and I support the movement. Somatic immortality is the only characteristic that divides man from the gods we have created. We are becoming our models.The Subjective:McKenna has been a mentor of mine, right under Timothy Leary, now for several years. This influence is not because of his usage of vocabulary outside of the scope of the laity or his eccentric tastes of thought, but his material, along with my other mentors, incites the highest level of inspiration for me and sparks my creativity (in my art and literature) and imagination. This is what one should receive from their mentors. From this book alone I have written thirty pages of notes, most of which will be integrated into a book I am currently working on. This book was a lot better than I had anticipated, even though he is one of my select mentors. I just get turned off when the word UFO pops up, it is not that I disbelieve in the possibility of extraterrestrials, I just do not care about them.The idea with entheogens is to approach its use "intelligent[ly] - not to try to reach the largest number of people, but to try to reach the most important and influential people: the poets, the architects, the politicians, the research scientists, and especially the psychotherapists" (9). The goal is to immerse ourselves in a pool of art, literature and novel ideas influenced by the entheogens for those who seek to draw from this source at their own volition and exclusive time frame. He discourages recreational and large group use, and is biased toward individual use. If you frequent McKenna's philosophy he often advises one to sit down, shut up and pay attention because "it is about the dialogue with the Logos and where it can lead you and what it can show you" (32).Guidelines for hallucinogen discrimination:1) Does it occur naturally in a plant or animal?2) Does it have a[n] [extensive] history pf human usage?3) [M]ost important, does it have some affinity to brain chemistry? (15-16)As a psychology and philosophy major I am inherently biased towards this arcane realm, anything that deals with the Mind-Brain paradigm I am enthralled by, which essentially is everything we KNOW. What is this experience, this hallucinogenic realm of psychedelic worlds? I think it is incumbent upon those eccentric personalities that are, or are in the process of becoming, scientists to create a new facet of science. This is a new frontier, often contentious, merely due to ignorance and cultural taboo, but it is something that is there nonetheless. We need rigorous scientific approach to these substances to identify the affect of these upon the human psyche and the correlation with longitudinal studies. Whether we have been utilizing these substances for spiritual adventure or these substances have catalyzed consciousness - which I have come to emphatically believe - is not the central focus. We have moved away from our organic approach into a synthesized era of drugs that deliver trillions of dollars all the while killing us and causing side effects that merit the prescription of more laboratory produced drugs. Anything organic and holistic that threatens this market must be kept under lock and key.This book alters the way one perceives alien worlds and their inhabitants. It demolishes the tangible concept of grey bug-eyed probing kidnappers from another galaxy to something more experiential, but yet just as inexplicable. What is "alien" anyway? Extraterrestrial means "something beyond earth," well this is definitely beyond earth. Is tangibility what equates to what is real, or is this a limited and primitive concept of "real"? Why can the mind not create these bizarre realms? One notion McKenna presents is that these worlds may be another dimension of alien nature; if this were so then this dynamic truly raises some very peculiar ontological flaws in relation to what we think we know.This book has intermittent biographical data that helps understand McKenna as a person better that can be received from his lectures.One thing novices of the hallucinogenic experience must understand is that this is not a junky high, this is profound. There is no one is society who is strung out on plant psychedelics or is addicted to them. The only problem society has to face from hallucinogens is that they invariably deconstruct cultural programming and force you to labor Novelty into being. Lots of times you do not want to go back for months, because mentally you are trying to reorient from the last experience by seeking the answer through art and literature, at least for me.His theory of the end of history can be easily misunderstood, which I did until I read this book, but essentially means that instead of history programming us we are going to program history. We have a much quicker return on programming now since the Internet has risen. Now the individual has the ability to sway the character of humanity in a much more expedited manner. What would have taken a generation to seep into culture has the potential, in terms of historical time, to spontaneously appear. This only sustains the Chaos, which is basically good.Who killed VR? There is a chapter that covers virtual reality and technology he was able to experiment with back in 1990. As far as our modern game systems have advanced why do we not have a virtual reality consumer product yet? As a techno baby born in the era of the Nintendo, where is the consumer's VR?!I could sit here and protract this review with caveats and admonishments that he renders about our culture and relationship to psychedelic substances, but in the end one has to make their own choice. Read the book and alter your perception of what IT is. Take it for what it is worth to you, because in the end that is all you can do with anything."The notion of illegal plants and animals is obnoxious and ridiculous" (218)- D.R.Thomas

This is a very fascinating and readable book. McKenna attempts to conceptualize experiences that many have had (and many, many more have not). Having studied the scholarship of the New Age milieu (which McKenna himself denigrated), I find that many of his solutions come from a pretty limited and not at all revolutionary perspective. It all boils down to "scientific" (at any rate, never religious) explanations for what once would've been called supernatural or spiritual phenomena.But I have to give him credit for trying and it's easy to get swept up in his enthusiasm. Sometimes I find his tone arrogant and unappealingly bro-ish. Yet he had a certain right to be so, and I do respect him in his willingness to consider possibilities others would reject a priori, even if these alternative possibilities aren't quite as groundbreaking as we'd be lead to believe (counterculture and conspiracy stuff has become mainstream). Thank you.

_The Archaic Revival: Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the Rebirth of the Goddess, and the End of History_ by ethnobotanist Terrence McKenna is a rather interesting collection of essays and interviews revealing McKenna's often rambling thoughts on the various subjects mentioned in the title. McKenna's basic theme seems to be that the hallucinogenic plants have beneficial effects and can result in mind expansion which ultimately will aid society and bring about a utopia. Oddly however, the book rather hypocritically begins with a warning in which the publisher and author note the harmful effects of these substances and their illegality. Whatever one's personal beliefs are about the justice behind so-called drug laws, the fact remains that the hallucinogenic substances and plant products mentioned by McKenna in this book are illegal and possibly dangerous and that ingestion of these substances can result in possible difficulties with the law as well as potentially harmful side effects.These essays and interviews show McKenna at both his best and worst. On the one hand he argues for an "archaic revival" and a restoration of the principles of shamanism based on his inherent belief that the indigenous peoples of the earth have something to offer modern civilization. However, I disagree with him when he turns to feminist political correctness and rails against Western civilization and Christianity (monotheism). McKenna's central argument is that the hallucinogenic mushroom has co-evolved with man in a symbiotic relationship. Echoing the theories of maverick psychologist Julian Jaynes, McKenna argues that primitive man was not fully conscious (did not possess self-awareness) until he underwent an appropriate transformation. This transformation involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms. McKenna then goes off on a tangent in which he suggests the rather bizarre idea that the spores of these mushrooms are in fact interstellar travelers. Here, he mentions the pan-spermia theory of Cyril Ponnamperuma and Francis Crick (co-discoverer of DNA) that life originated in outer space and traveled to earth that way in the form of prebiotic molecules. In much the same way, McKenna suggests that the mushrooms constitute "intelligent organisms" and that they too are interstellar travelers. McKenna's theories developed over time as he traveled the world beginning with India (where he grew discontented over disagreements with the caste system) and eventually turning to the primitive shamanism (Bon-Po) of Tibet. McKenna eventually made his way to the Amazon where he experienced the use of hallucinogenic substances among the shamans there. Indeed, he discusses both the role of ayahuasca and the hallucinogenic psilocybe mushrooms. McKenna also has some rather strange theories on UFOs, regarding them as a sign of the coming world crisis. His theories on UFOs may owe a debt to the famous Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung whose depth psychology serves as the foundation for much of McKenna's theories and who observed the UFO phenomenon as a coming indication of changing world conditions. McKenna attempts to link the UFO and the extraterrestrial to the hallucinogenic mushrooms and hallucinogenic substances in general. He argues that after smoking DMT he experienced a unique phenomenon which he believed involved making contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence. Indeed, the phenomenon of alien abduction and ultimately the allegation of sexual encounters with aliens offers a unique embellishment of the UFO myth and a reverberation in the collective unconscious. McKenna also discusses what he believes constitutes the "end of history" in 2012, the ending date of the Mayan calendar. McKenna believes that with the help of the psychedelics the history of the planet will undergo drastic changes possibly allowing for an aversion of the coming ecological catastrophe. Other essays focus on the Voynich manuscript, perhaps composed by Elizabethan magus John Dee and its links to Rosicrucianism, virtual reality and the role of the virtual in the coming transformation of man's consciousness, and the history of the hallucinogenic mushroom in literature before R. Gordon Wasson discovered it, including references to the works of Lewis Caroll, H. G. Wells, and John Uri Lloyd (writer of the bizarre novel _Etidorhpa_, Aphrodite backwards). McKenna argues for a coming archaic revival brought about by renewed interests in the psychedelics which he believes will usher in a utopia.While McKenna's theories are certainly bizarre and interesting at the same time, they are also naïve in certain respects. For example, McKenna's ultimate faith in the transformative powers of the hallucinogenic plants must be questioned. Whether or not these substances provide access to altered mind states, I believe it is rather naïve to attribute to them the powers of a panacea which will eliminate all social ills. McKenna's theories on virtual reality are equally interesting given the promise of these new technologies; however, again I believe he is somewhat naïve in believing they will truly transform mankind. Nevertheless despite these criticisms, this book did provide much food for thought on the various topics mentioned in the title.

Got this book just in time & in perfect condition! The condition of this item has barely any wear & tear, super grateful to read this book. Thank you again!

"The Archaic Revival" is the quicksilver poet-philosopher Terence McKenna presenting his ideas for a range of different audiences. He's the clearest he's ever been, making the book ideal for newcomers. The well chosen essays, conversations and interviews (with both sceptics and admirers) brilliantly showcase him and his ideas. Some chapters are endlessly fascinating, and you'll want to read them again and again. Renowned for his ability to make complex ideas easier to understand, once again daunting subjects - such as "the biological evolution of consciousness" or "the primacy of human felt experience" become instead, with Terence, thrilling!You'll never know what's round the corner in this book. Take the "Critique" magazine interview for example. You'll love it when Terence hilariously spoofs interviewer Michael Toms after he hints at ridicule for Terence and questions his legitimacy!Terence was a cultural hero in the 80's and 90's, and a spokesman for the West Coast psychedelic community and a "clearing house" for it's ideas. The novelist Tom Robbins described him as "the most important, most entertaining, visionary scholar in America". Naturally sceptical, Terence was his own best critic. But whilst his occasional self ridicule is endearing and at times amusing, his ideas, which at first may have seemed ridiculous, are by the end of the book, coherent and revelatory. Follow Terence and his clarity of thought on the "The Golden Path" where he is able to conclude his own general theory of systems. You will find it disturbingly compelling...CONTENTSForeword (by Tom Robbins)AcknowledgementsIntroduction: The Archaic Revival (By Terence McKenna)1. In Praise Of Psychedelics . . . (Interview with Jay Levin for the L.A. Weekly)2. High Frontiers Interview . . . (With Will Noffke)3. Tryptamine Hallucinogens And Consciousness . . . (A talk at The Esalen Institute - on consciousness and quantum physics)4. Remarks To ARUPA, 1984 . . . (A talk at The Esalen Institute - for psychologists, chemists and therapists)5. A Conversation Over Saucers . . . (Will Noffke interview for an issue of "Revision")6. Alien Love . . . (A talk in Berkeley "Shared Visions")7. New Maps Of Hyperspace . . . (A talk at the Berkeley Institute for the Study Of Consciousness)8. Temporal Resonance . . . (Appeared in "Revision" vol.10)9. Among Ayahuasqueros . . . (A piece for "Gateway to Inner Space")10. Mushrooms And Evolution . . . (Appeared in "Revision" vol.10)11. "New Dimensions" Interview . . . (With Michael Toms)12. The Voynich Manuscript . . . (An article that appeared as a book review in "Gnosis" vol.7)13. Wasson's Literary Precursors . . . (Essay in "The Divine Mushroom Seeker" for Gordon Wasson)14. "Critique" Interview . . . (With David Jay Brown & Rebecca McClen, for "Critique" - now "Sacred Fire")15. Plan/Plant/Planet . . . (Essay for "Whole Earth Review")16. Virtual Reality and Electronic Highs . . . (Piece for "Magical Blend")17. Sacred Plants and Mystic Realities . . . (Interview with Nevill Drury, Australian "Nature And Health" magazine)

This man has lots of ideas, revealed largely during the course of several interviews. Entheogens have played a big part in the way T. McKenna sees the world and he believes they have a major part to play in the future of our species and the Universe.Whether enough people will take them and whether they will have the desired effect is open to speculation. But it's good to read another person's point of view on a topic that is never aired in the mainstream media.I remember thinking I had heard a flying saucer once but it turned out to be the clutch bearings on a passing car.

a fabulous book which discusses just about everything and anything in the universe! once you get used to McKenna's language, its such an enjoyable and at times a funny read! his knowledge of psilocybin is incredible,as his experience with DMT but his general musings on all matters are a delight to read.

Makes me want to eat lots of mushrooms, become a shaman, get abducted by aliens and move to Hawaii. A serious book.

very happy thank you