The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesUnlock the secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries: A deep exploration of secret rites, psychedelic sacraments, and spiritual revelations that captivated ancient Greek society for nearly two millennia. Uncover the evocative history of The Road to Eleusis. Once held in hushed whispers, the Eleusinian Mysteries were a series of secret rituals and initiations in honor of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone. They stood as an enigmatic cornerstone of ancient Greek spirituality, capturing imaginations and fevered intrigue for close to two millennia. But beneath the veils of tradition and ceremony lay a potent secret. First unveiled in this book's controversial 1978 release, a groundbreaking trio—a mycologist, chemist, and historian—proposed a radical theory: the sacred potion imbibed during these clandestine rites was infused with a potent, psychoactive entheogen. This was not just a challenge to conventional interpretations: it was a revolutionary reframe of the role that naturally occurring psychedelic drugs have played in spiritual rituals and rites since time immemorial. The Road to Eleusis goes beyond dissecting ancient rites: it charts how the authors reshaped our modern understanding of entheogens' role in spiritual ceremony, revealing facets of the Mysteries previously thought lost to history. The authors share intriguing new insights on experiential religious practices, perspectives on the healing potential of psychedelics, and how—and why—the secrets of the Mysteries were deliberately concealed. The book's revelations reach beyond the scholarly into legal, social, and spiritual realms—all while recasting everything we thought we knew about the rites and rituals of Hellenic cults and expanding our understanding of foundational tenets of Western philosophical and spiritual thought. This 30th-anniversary edition brings with it an enlightening preface by religious luminary Huston Smith and a renewed exploration of the chemical findings by Peter Webster. It powerfully argues for a reimagining of Western religious history and the transformative magic of entheogens. |
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The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries R. Gordon Wasson,Albert Hofmann,Carl A. P. Ruck No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
abduction Agrai aira Albert Hofmann alcohol alkaloids ancient Greek Aristophanes Athenaeus Athenian barley blechon Brimo called ceremony child chthonic Claviceps purpurea daughter Demeter Demeter's Dionysian Dionysus divine drinking drug drunk earth ecstatic Eleusinian Mysteries Eleusis entheogens ergine ergonovine ergopeptine ergot ergotamine Euripides experience flowers gathering goddess gods grain Greece Hades hallucinogenic harvest Hecate Heracles herbal herbalist herbs hiera hierophant Hist Homeric hymn hunting Hymn to Demeter Iakchos immortals inebriation initiation hall kernos kykeon Lesser Mystery Lolium madness maenads maiden Metaneira Mexico mortal mother Museum mykes Mylonas myth nature night nurse Nysa ololiuhqui Orphic paspali Pausanias Persephone Persephone's plant Ploutos Plutus potion psychedelic psychoactive psychotropic Rarian plain realm religion rites ritual Road to Eleusis role Ruck sacred marriage sacred mushrooms sanctuary scholia to Aristophanes Sclerotium of Claviceps secret shamans Sophocles symbolic telesterion traditions Triptolemus vases vision Wasson wild wine women word Zeus