Patrick Everitt | University of Amsterdam (original) (raw)
Papers by Patrick Everitt
![Research paper thumbnail of The Cactus and the Beast: Investigating the role of peyote (mescaline) in the Magick of Aleister Crowley [M.A. Thesis]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/46714157/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Master’s Thesis for the Western Esotericism programme at the University of Amsterdam which invest... more Master’s Thesis for the Western Esotericism programme at the University of Amsterdam which investigates the role of peyote in the Magick of Aleister Crowley and in the development of Thelema.
The content of this thesis supersedes the content of 'Aleister Crowley's magical use of Anhalonium Lewinii' a.k.a. 'The complexities of Aleister Crowley’s magical relationship with anhalonium lewinii'.
![Research paper thumbnail of Aleister Crowley's magical use of Anhalonium Lewinii (peyote/mescaline) [Preliminary Research for M.A. Thesis]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/37952763/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](NOTE: This paper was PRELIMINARY RESEARCH for my M.A. Thesis, 'The Cactus and the Beast', which i... more NOTE: This paper was PRELIMINARY RESEARCH for my M.A. Thesis, 'The Cactus and the Beast', which investigates the role of peyote in the life and work of Aleister Crowley.
As such, it contains a number of minor factual errors which have since been corrected in 'The Cactus and the Beast', which examines a much wider range of evidence and analyses Crowley's relationship with peyote in considerably more detail.
In particular, 'The Cactus and the Beast' contains an argument that peyote was a crucial contributing factor in the development of Thelema, which this shorter paper merely hints at but does not investigate deeply.
Therefore the content of this shorter and more limited paper should NOT be taken as definitive and should instead be seen as a (somewhat flawed) introduction to the topic.
ABSTRACT: A short paper outlining Aleister Crowley's use of the Parke-Davis extract of peyote for magical purposes from 1907 to 1918. Written for the 'Occult Trajectories' module of the Masters in Western Esotericism at the University of Amsterdam (2014-2015).
A short paper which examines the role and importance of the concept of 'religious experience' in ... more A short paper which examines the role and importance of the concept of 'religious experience' in the magical and philosophical system of Aleister Crowley. Written for the 'Religious Experience' module of the Research Masters in Religious Studies at the University of Amsterdam 2014-2015. [Note: requires further editing.]
B.A. Dissertation for Final Year Philosophy at Maynooth University, 2013. Supervisor: Dr. Amos E... more B.A. Dissertation for Final Year Philosophy at Maynooth University, 2013.
Supervisor: Dr. Amos Edelheit.
Analyses the important Renaissance text known as 'Oration on the Dignity of Man' by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463 – 1494) and outlines the key stages in the system of mystical attainment described, from Moral Philosophy, through Dialectic, to Natural Philosopy, through Natural Magic, to Kabbalah.
Conferences by Patrick Everitt
According to the American ethnobotanist and psychedelic raconteur Terence McKenna, the human mind... more According to the American ethnobotanist and psychedelic raconteur Terence McKenna, the human mind is "a co-creator in the process of reality through acts of language": "the real secret of magic is that the world is made of words [and] if you know the words that the world is made of you can make of it whatever you wish!"
McKenna claimed to attain this gnosis through years of smoking N,N-Dimethyltryptamine. For McKenna, his DMT pipe was the gateway to a realm of "hyperspatial entities", and the tryptamine psychedelics have the potential to bring humans into contact with the "Truly Other": an "alien voice", the "Logos", who wishes to catalyze our future evolution and communicate to mankind the "syntactical nature of reality". This category of DMT experience is radically beyond normal experience and expectation and, according to McKenna, indications of its existence are almost entirely absent from human culture, apart from slight traces in the most esoteric and shamanic of mankind's traditions.
This talk will analyze McKenna's philosophy of language, magic, and non-human intelligence as it relates to his DMT experiences, and his use of esoteric themes to convey their mystery. It will also compare McKenna's thought with that of Alan Watts and Aldous Huxley, two early commentators on psychedelic mysticism often referenced in the emerging scholarship on the philosophy of psychedelics, to consider the question of whether voices like McKenna's are likely to find serious engagement in academic philosophy, or if something fundamentally precludes McKenna's philosophical speculations from scholarly analysis.
* Delivered at the Interdisciplinary Conference for Psychedelic Research 2024
For nearly fifty years, Aleister Crowley wrote about religion, mysticism, and magic. His works di... more For nearly fifty years, Aleister Crowley wrote about religion, mysticism, and magic. His works discuss many typical ‘occult’ phenomena, including: summoning demons, invoking deities, exploring visionary realms, and communicating with intelligences possessing greater-than-human knowledge and power.
Crowley maintained that, under the right circumstances, magical phenomena can take place; however, according to him, they were not supernatural events. Crowley rejected the idea that magic miraculously disrupts the normal course of nature because conceiving of magic in this way places it beyond the purview of scientific inquiry. For Crowley, magic (or ‘Magick’) was itself a science, and magical phenomena are facts of nature. Therefore, they should be as empirically verifiable and as capable of demonstrative proof as any other natural phenomena. In the absence of satisfactory proof, Crowley argued that faith in their occurrence was ‘repugnant to common sense’, and inevitably led to charlatanism and spurious claims to authority.
To satisfy common sense, Crowley endeavoured to bring occult phenomena within the explanatory scope of the natural sciences and developed his own personal brand of experimental occultism: ‘Scientific Illuminism’. Its motto, ‘The Method of Science, the Aim of Religion’, succinctly encapsulates its principal objective of marrying scientific methodologies to religious and magical practices. This talk will outline Crowley’s naturalistic understanding of magical phenomena to show just how radically the man who proudly called himself the Great Beast 666 rejected ‘the humbug of the supernatural’.
* Delivered at the Occulture Conference 2023 in Berlin during the curated session on 'Thelema & the Magick of Aleister Crowley'
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead (1964) by Leary, Metzn... more The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead (1964) by Leary, Metzner, and Alpert, one of the earliest popular works of psychedelic literature, is a book intended not only to be read, but to be used. Borrowing the language of the Bardo Thodol, a Tibetan Buddhist text dating to at least the 14th century, the authors use the symbolism of the death-rebirth cycle as a metaphor, model, and map for navigating with intention through psychedelic realms of ecstatic consciousness.
The stated aim of the book is to prepare the reader ‘to move directly’ to states of ‘ecstasy and deep revelation’ and thereby attain ‘liberation’ during psychedelic sessions. It may therefore be described as a manual of entheogenic esotericism, defined by Hanegraaff as ‘the religious use of psychoactive substances as means of access to spiritual insights about the true nature of reality’.
This presentation will examine The Psychedelic Experience (1964) from three perspectives: historical, religious, and philosophical. It will describe its historical roots in an idea proposed by Aldous Huxley, the process of its writing at the birth of the 1960s counter-culture, and its impact on both psychedelic subculture and the lives of its authors. It will situate the text in the field of religious studies, specifically in the strand of twentieth-century western esotericism. It will finally explore the philosophical significance of the book as an early example of attempts to map the phenomena of psychedelic consciousness to the language of religion, science, and psychology simultaneously.
* Delivered at the Interdisciplinary Conference for Psychedelic Research 2022
Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna are three of the most influential figures... more Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna are three of the most influential figures of the late-twentieth century psychedelic counterculture. Their liberal use of terminology derived from magic, alchemy, occultism, and other esoteric traditions to describe the transcendence of psychedelic experiences situates them squarely in the category Hanegraaff has defined as "entheogenic esotericism".
A key influence on all three was the Irish writer James Joyce (1882 - 1941), widely regarded as one of the most important figures in twentieth century literature. Leary asserts in his autobiography Flashbacks, that it was "in part the long training with Joycean relativity that prepared me for the psychedelic experience".
Wilson wrote analyses of Finnegans Wake that employed the mystical terminology of Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Qabalah to illustrate Joyce's "relativistic" perspective. He considered the work, published in 1939, rich with examples of Jungian synchronicity, including apparently precognitive references to the psychedelic counterculture.
McKenna described the "unique feeling" of reading Finnegans Wake as "psychedelic" and "about as close to LSD on the page as you can get". He considered Joyce "one of the true pioneers in the mapping of hyperspace".
For all three, Joyce's prose contained an esoteric, apocalyptic, and prophetic dimension that foreshadowed the psychedelic states of consciousness they would spend decades of their lives exploring.
This presentation will examine the influence of Joyce on their thought, their work, and their psychedelic experiences.
* Presented at the 8th Biannual Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE)
In 1898, Aleister Crowley began searching for the ‘Elixir Vitæ of the physical Alchemists’, which... more In 1898, Aleister Crowley began searching for the ‘Elixir Vitæ of the physical Alchemists’, which transforms the base metal (i.e. ‘normal perception’ of life) to silver (i.e. ‘poetic conception’ of life). During a trip to Mexico in 1900, Crowley discovered peyote, the mescaline-containing psychedelic ‘divine cactus’. Like many of the classical psychedelics, peyote has been used for millennia as a psychoactive sacrament in native tribal ceremonies of healing and religious worship, and has also been traditionally used to attain visionary contact with guiding spirits.
Crowley, who once wrote that ‘ceremonial intoxication constitutes the supreme ritual of all religions’, went on to use peyote in several magical operations which he considered central to his occult career and developed a highly personalized entheogenic ritual practice combining traditional tribal, eastern meditative, and western hermetic techniques of arousing ecstasy.
This presentation will examine the mystical practices Crowley combined with peyote to produce the alterations of consciousness he felt gave access to a secret source of energy responsible for creative genius, with particular emphasis upon the visionary experiences recorded in The Vision and the Voice, and the magical operations known as the Abuldiz Working and the Amalantrah Working. It will explore his personal ceremonial blending of tradition and innovation, and compare the reports of his experiences with classical phenomenological accounts of psychedelic experiences and the recent findings of scientific studies into the effects of psychedelic substances.
* Presented at the 7th Biannual Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE)
Among the key challenges facing contemporary psychedelic activists, researchers, and practitioner... more Among the key challenges facing contemporary psychedelic activists, researchers, and practitioners are: (i) developing techniques of coherently describing psychedelic states of consciousness, (ii) safely inducing psychedelic states of consciousness that produce beneficial transformations, and (iii) demonstrating to the surrounding culture the value of psychedelics, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and the entheogenic use of psychedelics. This presentation will examine these challenges in terms of linguistic philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of science. It will explore topics including terminology, ritual, drug policy, pseudo-science, and superstition.
Mystics, magicians, and shamans around the globe have been exploring chemically altered states fo... more Mystics, magicians, and shamans around the globe have been exploring chemically altered states for millennia and meticulously mapping the normally invisible landscapes of psychedelic consciousness. This presentation will examine some of the key maps, models, and metaphors that many contemporary psychonauts use to navigate and manipulate non-ordinary states of consciousness, including the I Ching, Tarot, alchemy, and ceremonial magick. It will discuss the central functions of these models of psychedelic experiences, namely: establishing ‘set & setting’, facilitating harm reduction, managing crises, and assisting post-experience integration. It will draw upon ideas from the works of several key authors in the field of both psychedelics and esotericism including: Aleister Crowley, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna.
Patrick Everitt withdrew from participation before his scheduled presentation at the Internationa... more Patrick Everitt withdrew from participation before his scheduled presentation at the International Transpersonal Conference 2017 citing professional concerns about the scientific standard of the conference and ethical concerns about the courses, workshops, and 'techniques' that were heavily marketed throughout the conference.
In 1900, the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) became one of the first no... more In 1900, the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) became one of the first non-natives to experience the psychedelic effects of peyote, the ‘Divine Cactus’ of Mexico. For almost twenty years, Crowley privately experimented with peyote in his magical ceremonies and introduced the mescaline-containing cactus to many of the students who joined his secret society. During his life, Crowley developed an intricate system of experimental occultism called Magick. At the centre of Crowley’s system of Magick is a broad curriculum of philosophical texts and physiological practices intended to aid the spiritual evolution of the individual. Two primary goals of Crowley’s Magick are the production of beneficial transformations of consciousness and the attainment of conscious communication with beyond-human intelligences. This presentation will outline Aleister Crowley’s system of Magick and illustrate the central role that peyote played in its development.
DELIVERED AT: The Irish Network for Esotericism and Paganism Launch Workshop 2017, Department of... more DELIVERED AT:
The Irish Network for Esotericism and Paganism Launch Workshop 2017, Department of Study of Religions, University College Cork.
ABSTRACT:
There are a number of fascinating parallels between the American entheogenic esotericists Robert Anton Wilson (1932 – 2007) and Terence McKenna (1946 – 2000). They both spoke openly about their use of entheogens and their occult and esoteric interests. They both advocated an approach to entheogenic practice that was simultaneously scientific and spiritual. Further, both men independently claimed that in the early 1970s their psychedelic use led to an experience akin to contact with a non-human, higher form of intelligence. Also, both men were of Irish descent and both had a lifelong fascination with Ireland. This presentation will outline the lives and works of Robert Anton Wilson and Terence McKenna, illustrate the striking parallels between them, and explore the important influence Ireland played in their thought.
DELIVERED AT: The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research 2016 (www.icpr2016.nl), t... more DELIVERED AT:
The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research 2016 (www.icpr2016.nl), the third international scientific conference on research into psychedelics organised by the OPEN Foundation (http://www.stichtingopen.nl/en/).
ABSTRACT:
Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) is one of the most colourful characters in the history of modern religion. Once an initiate of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he was also one of the first Westerners to study and practice Eastern yoga. Crowley advocated a scientific investigation into the processes that occasion mystical experiences, including meditation, ritual, sexual activity, and psychoactive drugs, which earned him a sinister reputation as a ‘black magician’. One of the drugs Crowley experimented with was peyote, the mescaline-containing ‘divine cactus’ of Mexico, at a time when almost nothing was understood about peyote’s dramatic effects. This presentation will outline the details of Crowley’s relationship with peyote, illustrate the important role peyote played in his own life and work, and highlight his place in the history of psychedelic research and psychedelic religion in the twentieth century.
DELIVERED AT: Western Esotericism and Its Scholars Research Seminar, History of Hermetic Philoso... more DELIVERED AT:
Western Esotericism and Its Scholars Research Seminar, History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents Department, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27th January 2015.
DELIVERED AT: Graduate Student Conference, Institute of Philosophy (HIW), KU Leuven, Belgium, 28t... more DELIVERED AT:
Graduate Student Conference, Institute of Philosophy (HIW), KU Leuven, Belgium, 28th March 2014
Talks by Patrick Everitt
Mystics, magicians, and shamans have explored chemically altered states for millennia, and many h... more Mystics, magicians, and shamans have explored chemically altered states for millennia, and many have created useful maps of the normally invisible landscapes of psychedelic consciousness. This talk will explore how psychonauts can navigate and manipulate altered states of consciousness using esoteric symbol systems, such as Tarot, I Ching, alchemy, and ceremonial magick.
The Psychedelic Society of Ireland excitedly invites you to Psychedelic Seminars with David Luke ... more The Psychedelic Society of Ireland excitedly invites you to Psychedelic Seminars with David Luke and Patrick Everitt in The Teachers Club, August 10th.
Join David and Patrick for a weird and wonderful discussion on psychedelic topics ranging from influences in Celtic mythology, parapsychology, esotericism, ecopsychology and the exceptional human experience.
More simply put... Weird people in weird places taking weird substances, doing weird things and, importantly, having weird experiences!
Tickets available at eventbrite.ie - Doors 6.30pm
David Luke completed his PhD on the psychology of luck in 2007, and is now Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich, London, where he teaches an undergraduate course on the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience, and is also guest lecturer on the MSc in Transpersonal Psychology and Consciousness Studies at the University of Northampton. He was President of the Parapsychological Association and as a researcher he has a special interest in transpersonal experiences, anomalous phenomena and altered states of consciousness, having published almost 100 academic papers in this area. David is also director of the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness salon at the Institute of Ecotechnics, London, and is a cofounder and director of Breaking Convention: Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness. He has studied techniques of consciousness alteration from South America to India, from the perspective of scientists, shamans and Shivaites, but increasingly has more questions than answers. His new book 'Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience' is available on Amazon now.
Patrick Everitt is an independent researcher of psychedelics, esotericism, and philosophy. He has bachelor degrees in software engineering and philosophy, and master’s degrees in computer security and western esotericism. Currently his main research interests are the entheogenic use of psychedelics by western magicians, and the phenomenon of contact with non-human intelligences mediated by ritualistic psychedelic use. His master’s thesis investigated the use of peyote by the occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947). It illustrated peyote’s important role in the development of Crowley’s system of Magick, and highlighted Crowley’s important role in the development of the modern psychedelic movement. He has presented on his research at a number of conferences including the OPEN Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Conference for Psychedelics Research, the Irish Network for the Study of Esotericism and Paganism, and Breaking Convention
Master’s Thesis for the Western Esotericism programme at the University of Amsterdam which invest... more Master’s Thesis for the Western Esotericism programme at the University of Amsterdam which investigates the role of peyote in the Magick of Aleister Crowley and in the development of Thelema.
The content of this thesis supersedes the content of 'Aleister Crowley's magical use of Anhalonium Lewinii' a.k.a. 'The complexities of Aleister Crowley’s magical relationship with anhalonium lewinii'.
NOTE: This paper was PRELIMINARY RESEARCH for my M.A. Thesis, 'The Cactus and the Beast', which i... more NOTE: This paper was PRELIMINARY RESEARCH for my M.A. Thesis, 'The Cactus and the Beast', which investigates the role of peyote in the life and work of Aleister Crowley.
As such, it contains a number of minor factual errors which have since been corrected in 'The Cactus and the Beast', which examines a much wider range of evidence and analyses Crowley's relationship with peyote in considerably more detail.
In particular, 'The Cactus and the Beast' contains an argument that peyote was a crucial contributing factor in the development of Thelema, which this shorter paper merely hints at but does not investigate deeply.
Therefore the content of this shorter and more limited paper should NOT be taken as definitive and should instead be seen as a (somewhat flawed) introduction to the topic.
ABSTRACT: A short paper outlining Aleister Crowley's use of the Parke-Davis extract of peyote for magical purposes from 1907 to 1918. Written for the 'Occult Trajectories' module of the Masters in Western Esotericism at the University of Amsterdam (2014-2015).
A short paper which examines the role and importance of the concept of 'religious experience' in ... more A short paper which examines the role and importance of the concept of 'religious experience' in the magical and philosophical system of Aleister Crowley. Written for the 'Religious Experience' module of the Research Masters in Religious Studies at the University of Amsterdam 2014-2015. [Note: requires further editing.]
B.A. Dissertation for Final Year Philosophy at Maynooth University, 2013. Supervisor: Dr. Amos E... more B.A. Dissertation for Final Year Philosophy at Maynooth University, 2013.
Supervisor: Dr. Amos Edelheit.
Analyses the important Renaissance text known as 'Oration on the Dignity of Man' by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463 – 1494) and outlines the key stages in the system of mystical attainment described, from Moral Philosophy, through Dialectic, to Natural Philosopy, through Natural Magic, to Kabbalah.
According to the American ethnobotanist and psychedelic raconteur Terence McKenna, the human mind... more According to the American ethnobotanist and psychedelic raconteur Terence McKenna, the human mind is "a co-creator in the process of reality through acts of language": "the real secret of magic is that the world is made of words [and] if you know the words that the world is made of you can make of it whatever you wish!"
McKenna claimed to attain this gnosis through years of smoking N,N-Dimethyltryptamine. For McKenna, his DMT pipe was the gateway to a realm of "hyperspatial entities", and the tryptamine psychedelics have the potential to bring humans into contact with the "Truly Other": an "alien voice", the "Logos", who wishes to catalyze our future evolution and communicate to mankind the "syntactical nature of reality". This category of DMT experience is radically beyond normal experience and expectation and, according to McKenna, indications of its existence are almost entirely absent from human culture, apart from slight traces in the most esoteric and shamanic of mankind's traditions.
This talk will analyze McKenna's philosophy of language, magic, and non-human intelligence as it relates to his DMT experiences, and his use of esoteric themes to convey their mystery. It will also compare McKenna's thought with that of Alan Watts and Aldous Huxley, two early commentators on psychedelic mysticism often referenced in the emerging scholarship on the philosophy of psychedelics, to consider the question of whether voices like McKenna's are likely to find serious engagement in academic philosophy, or if something fundamentally precludes McKenna's philosophical speculations from scholarly analysis.
* Delivered at the Interdisciplinary Conference for Psychedelic Research 2024
For nearly fifty years, Aleister Crowley wrote about religion, mysticism, and magic. His works di... more For nearly fifty years, Aleister Crowley wrote about religion, mysticism, and magic. His works discuss many typical ‘occult’ phenomena, including: summoning demons, invoking deities, exploring visionary realms, and communicating with intelligences possessing greater-than-human knowledge and power.
Crowley maintained that, under the right circumstances, magical phenomena can take place; however, according to him, they were not supernatural events. Crowley rejected the idea that magic miraculously disrupts the normal course of nature because conceiving of magic in this way places it beyond the purview of scientific inquiry. For Crowley, magic (or ‘Magick’) was itself a science, and magical phenomena are facts of nature. Therefore, they should be as empirically verifiable and as capable of demonstrative proof as any other natural phenomena. In the absence of satisfactory proof, Crowley argued that faith in their occurrence was ‘repugnant to common sense’, and inevitably led to charlatanism and spurious claims to authority.
To satisfy common sense, Crowley endeavoured to bring occult phenomena within the explanatory scope of the natural sciences and developed his own personal brand of experimental occultism: ‘Scientific Illuminism’. Its motto, ‘The Method of Science, the Aim of Religion’, succinctly encapsulates its principal objective of marrying scientific methodologies to religious and magical practices. This talk will outline Crowley’s naturalistic understanding of magical phenomena to show just how radically the man who proudly called himself the Great Beast 666 rejected ‘the humbug of the supernatural’.
* Delivered at the Occulture Conference 2023 in Berlin during the curated session on 'Thelema & the Magick of Aleister Crowley'
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead (1964) by Leary, Metzn... more The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead (1964) by Leary, Metzner, and Alpert, one of the earliest popular works of psychedelic literature, is a book intended not only to be read, but to be used. Borrowing the language of the Bardo Thodol, a Tibetan Buddhist text dating to at least the 14th century, the authors use the symbolism of the death-rebirth cycle as a metaphor, model, and map for navigating with intention through psychedelic realms of ecstatic consciousness.
The stated aim of the book is to prepare the reader ‘to move directly’ to states of ‘ecstasy and deep revelation’ and thereby attain ‘liberation’ during psychedelic sessions. It may therefore be described as a manual of entheogenic esotericism, defined by Hanegraaff as ‘the religious use of psychoactive substances as means of access to spiritual insights about the true nature of reality’.
This presentation will examine The Psychedelic Experience (1964) from three perspectives: historical, religious, and philosophical. It will describe its historical roots in an idea proposed by Aldous Huxley, the process of its writing at the birth of the 1960s counter-culture, and its impact on both psychedelic subculture and the lives of its authors. It will situate the text in the field of religious studies, specifically in the strand of twentieth-century western esotericism. It will finally explore the philosophical significance of the book as an early example of attempts to map the phenomena of psychedelic consciousness to the language of religion, science, and psychology simultaneously.
* Delivered at the Interdisciplinary Conference for Psychedelic Research 2022
Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna are three of the most influential figures... more Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna are three of the most influential figures of the late-twentieth century psychedelic counterculture. Their liberal use of terminology derived from magic, alchemy, occultism, and other esoteric traditions to describe the transcendence of psychedelic experiences situates them squarely in the category Hanegraaff has defined as "entheogenic esotericism".
A key influence on all three was the Irish writer James Joyce (1882 - 1941), widely regarded as one of the most important figures in twentieth century literature. Leary asserts in his autobiography Flashbacks, that it was "in part the long training with Joycean relativity that prepared me for the psychedelic experience".
Wilson wrote analyses of Finnegans Wake that employed the mystical terminology of Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Qabalah to illustrate Joyce's "relativistic" perspective. He considered the work, published in 1939, rich with examples of Jungian synchronicity, including apparently precognitive references to the psychedelic counterculture.
McKenna described the "unique feeling" of reading Finnegans Wake as "psychedelic" and "about as close to LSD on the page as you can get". He considered Joyce "one of the true pioneers in the mapping of hyperspace".
For all three, Joyce's prose contained an esoteric, apocalyptic, and prophetic dimension that foreshadowed the psychedelic states of consciousness they would spend decades of their lives exploring.
This presentation will examine the influence of Joyce on their thought, their work, and their psychedelic experiences.
* Presented at the 8th Biannual Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE)
In 1898, Aleister Crowley began searching for the ‘Elixir Vitæ of the physical Alchemists’, which... more In 1898, Aleister Crowley began searching for the ‘Elixir Vitæ of the physical Alchemists’, which transforms the base metal (i.e. ‘normal perception’ of life) to silver (i.e. ‘poetic conception’ of life). During a trip to Mexico in 1900, Crowley discovered peyote, the mescaline-containing psychedelic ‘divine cactus’. Like many of the classical psychedelics, peyote has been used for millennia as a psychoactive sacrament in native tribal ceremonies of healing and religious worship, and has also been traditionally used to attain visionary contact with guiding spirits.
Crowley, who once wrote that ‘ceremonial intoxication constitutes the supreme ritual of all religions’, went on to use peyote in several magical operations which he considered central to his occult career and developed a highly personalized entheogenic ritual practice combining traditional tribal, eastern meditative, and western hermetic techniques of arousing ecstasy.
This presentation will examine the mystical practices Crowley combined with peyote to produce the alterations of consciousness he felt gave access to a secret source of energy responsible for creative genius, with particular emphasis upon the visionary experiences recorded in The Vision and the Voice, and the magical operations known as the Abuldiz Working and the Amalantrah Working. It will explore his personal ceremonial blending of tradition and innovation, and compare the reports of his experiences with classical phenomenological accounts of psychedelic experiences and the recent findings of scientific studies into the effects of psychedelic substances.
* Presented at the 7th Biannual Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE)
Among the key challenges facing contemporary psychedelic activists, researchers, and practitioner... more Among the key challenges facing contemporary psychedelic activists, researchers, and practitioners are: (i) developing techniques of coherently describing psychedelic states of consciousness, (ii) safely inducing psychedelic states of consciousness that produce beneficial transformations, and (iii) demonstrating to the surrounding culture the value of psychedelics, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and the entheogenic use of psychedelics. This presentation will examine these challenges in terms of linguistic philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of science. It will explore topics including terminology, ritual, drug policy, pseudo-science, and superstition.
Mystics, magicians, and shamans around the globe have been exploring chemically altered states fo... more Mystics, magicians, and shamans around the globe have been exploring chemically altered states for millennia and meticulously mapping the normally invisible landscapes of psychedelic consciousness. This presentation will examine some of the key maps, models, and metaphors that many contemporary psychonauts use to navigate and manipulate non-ordinary states of consciousness, including the I Ching, Tarot, alchemy, and ceremonial magick. It will discuss the central functions of these models of psychedelic experiences, namely: establishing ‘set & setting’, facilitating harm reduction, managing crises, and assisting post-experience integration. It will draw upon ideas from the works of several key authors in the field of both psychedelics and esotericism including: Aleister Crowley, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna.
Patrick Everitt withdrew from participation before his scheduled presentation at the Internationa... more Patrick Everitt withdrew from participation before his scheduled presentation at the International Transpersonal Conference 2017 citing professional concerns about the scientific standard of the conference and ethical concerns about the courses, workshops, and 'techniques' that were heavily marketed throughout the conference.
In 1900, the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) became one of the first no... more In 1900, the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) became one of the first non-natives to experience the psychedelic effects of peyote, the ‘Divine Cactus’ of Mexico. For almost twenty years, Crowley privately experimented with peyote in his magical ceremonies and introduced the mescaline-containing cactus to many of the students who joined his secret society. During his life, Crowley developed an intricate system of experimental occultism called Magick. At the centre of Crowley’s system of Magick is a broad curriculum of philosophical texts and physiological practices intended to aid the spiritual evolution of the individual. Two primary goals of Crowley’s Magick are the production of beneficial transformations of consciousness and the attainment of conscious communication with beyond-human intelligences. This presentation will outline Aleister Crowley’s system of Magick and illustrate the central role that peyote played in its development.
DELIVERED AT: The Irish Network for Esotericism and Paganism Launch Workshop 2017, Department of... more DELIVERED AT:
The Irish Network for Esotericism and Paganism Launch Workshop 2017, Department of Study of Religions, University College Cork.
ABSTRACT:
There are a number of fascinating parallels between the American entheogenic esotericists Robert Anton Wilson (1932 – 2007) and Terence McKenna (1946 – 2000). They both spoke openly about their use of entheogens and their occult and esoteric interests. They both advocated an approach to entheogenic practice that was simultaneously scientific and spiritual. Further, both men independently claimed that in the early 1970s their psychedelic use led to an experience akin to contact with a non-human, higher form of intelligence. Also, both men were of Irish descent and both had a lifelong fascination with Ireland. This presentation will outline the lives and works of Robert Anton Wilson and Terence McKenna, illustrate the striking parallels between them, and explore the important influence Ireland played in their thought.
DELIVERED AT: The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research 2016 (www.icpr2016.nl), t... more DELIVERED AT:
The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research 2016 (www.icpr2016.nl), the third international scientific conference on research into psychedelics organised by the OPEN Foundation (http://www.stichtingopen.nl/en/).
ABSTRACT:
Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) is one of the most colourful characters in the history of modern religion. Once an initiate of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he was also one of the first Westerners to study and practice Eastern yoga. Crowley advocated a scientific investigation into the processes that occasion mystical experiences, including meditation, ritual, sexual activity, and psychoactive drugs, which earned him a sinister reputation as a ‘black magician’. One of the drugs Crowley experimented with was peyote, the mescaline-containing ‘divine cactus’ of Mexico, at a time when almost nothing was understood about peyote’s dramatic effects. This presentation will outline the details of Crowley’s relationship with peyote, illustrate the important role peyote played in his own life and work, and highlight his place in the history of psychedelic research and psychedelic religion in the twentieth century.
DELIVERED AT: Western Esotericism and Its Scholars Research Seminar, History of Hermetic Philoso... more DELIVERED AT:
Western Esotericism and Its Scholars Research Seminar, History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents Department, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27th January 2015.
DELIVERED AT: Graduate Student Conference, Institute of Philosophy (HIW), KU Leuven, Belgium, 28t... more DELIVERED AT:
Graduate Student Conference, Institute of Philosophy (HIW), KU Leuven, Belgium, 28th March 2014
Mystics, magicians, and shamans have explored chemically altered states for millennia, and many h... more Mystics, magicians, and shamans have explored chemically altered states for millennia, and many have created useful maps of the normally invisible landscapes of psychedelic consciousness. This talk will explore how psychonauts can navigate and manipulate altered states of consciousness using esoteric symbol systems, such as Tarot, I Ching, alchemy, and ceremonial magick.
The Psychedelic Society of Ireland excitedly invites you to Psychedelic Seminars with David Luke ... more The Psychedelic Society of Ireland excitedly invites you to Psychedelic Seminars with David Luke and Patrick Everitt in The Teachers Club, August 10th.
Join David and Patrick for a weird and wonderful discussion on psychedelic topics ranging from influences in Celtic mythology, parapsychology, esotericism, ecopsychology and the exceptional human experience.
More simply put... Weird people in weird places taking weird substances, doing weird things and, importantly, having weird experiences!
Tickets available at eventbrite.ie - Doors 6.30pm
David Luke completed his PhD on the psychology of luck in 2007, and is now Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich, London, where he teaches an undergraduate course on the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience, and is also guest lecturer on the MSc in Transpersonal Psychology and Consciousness Studies at the University of Northampton. He was President of the Parapsychological Association and as a researcher he has a special interest in transpersonal experiences, anomalous phenomena and altered states of consciousness, having published almost 100 academic papers in this area. David is also director of the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness salon at the Institute of Ecotechnics, London, and is a cofounder and director of Breaking Convention: Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness. He has studied techniques of consciousness alteration from South America to India, from the perspective of scientists, shamans and Shivaites, but increasingly has more questions than answers. His new book 'Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience' is available on Amazon now.
Patrick Everitt is an independent researcher of psychedelics, esotericism, and philosophy. He has bachelor degrees in software engineering and philosophy, and master’s degrees in computer security and western esotericism. Currently his main research interests are the entheogenic use of psychedelics by western magicians, and the phenomenon of contact with non-human intelligences mediated by ritualistic psychedelic use. His master’s thesis investigated the use of peyote by the occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947). It illustrated peyote’s important role in the development of Crowley’s system of Magick, and highlighted Crowley’s important role in the development of the modern psychedelic movement. He has presented on his research at a number of conferences including the OPEN Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Conference for Psychedelics Research, the Irish Network for the Study of Esotericism and Paganism, and Breaking Convention
The English poet Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) is easily the most colourful and controversial my... more The English poet Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) is easily the most colourful and controversial mystic of the twentieth century. He was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a famous Victorian secret society that taught its members techniques of ritual magic. He traveled to Asia to learn yoga and became one of the first people to teach and promote the practice of yoga in Europe. He set up his own secret society to teach his own brand of experimental occultism, which he called 'Magick', combining the scientific method with religious practices. He founded a new religious movement, known as 'Thelema', and preached a new religious law for the dawning New Age: the Law of 'Do what thou wilt'. He was deeply interested in the biological basis of religious experiences and advocated a scientific investigation into the processes that produce mystical experiences. His own experiments producing alterations of consciousness through combinations of meditation, ritual, sex, and drugs earned him a sinister reputation as a ‘black magician’, which still persists to this day. He was also one of the first non-natives to experiment with peyote, the mescaline-containing ‘Divine Cactus’ of Mexico. Between 1900 and 1918, when very little was understood about the astonishing effects of mescaline, and when almost nobody was using psychedelics outside of native tribal settings, Crowley was developing his own private entheogenic practice with peyote and creating his own personal psychedelic spirituality. He used peyote in his magical ceremonies to produce ecstatic states of consciousness and to attain visionary contact with the spiritual guardians that assisted his spiritual evolution. This lecture will outline Crowley's life and work, describe his discovery and use of peyote, highlight his influence on modern psychedelia and alternative spirituality, and illustrate why his work is more important today than ever before.
CLICK TO WATCH - Mystics, magicians, and shamans around the globe have been exploring chemically ... more CLICK TO WATCH - Mystics, magicians, and shamans around the globe have been exploring chemically altered states for millennia and meticulously mapping the normally invisible landscapes of psychedelic consciousness. This presentation will examine some of the key maps, models, and metaphors that many contemporary psychonauts use to navigate and manipulate non-ordinary states of consciousness, including the I Ching, Tarot, alchemy, and ceremonial magick. It will discuss the central functions of these models of psychedelic experiences, namely: establishing ‘set & setting’, facilitating harm reduction, managing crises, and assisting post-experience integration. It will draw upon ideas from the works of several key authors in the field of both psychedelics and esotericism including: Aleister Crowley, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, Robert Anton Wilson, and Terence McKenna.
CLICK TO WATCH: In 1900, the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) became one... more CLICK TO WATCH: In 1900, the English poet and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) became one of the first non-natives to experience the psychedelic effects of peyote, the ‘Divine Cactus’ of Mexico. For almost twenty years, Crowley privately experimented with peyote in his magical ceremonies and introduced the mescaline-containing cactus to many of the students who joined his secret society. During his life, Crowley developed an intricate system of experimental occultism called Magick. At the centre of Crowley’s system of Magick is a broad curriculum of philosophical texts and physiological practices intended to aid the spiritual evolution of the individual. Two primary goals of Crowley’s Magick are the production of beneficial transformations of consciousness and the attainment of conscious communication with beyond-human intelligences. This presentation will outline Aleister Crowley’s system of Magick and illustrate the central role that peyote played in its development.
CLICK TO WATCH: Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) is one of the most colourful characters in the his... more CLICK TO WATCH: Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) is one of the most colourful characters in the history of modern religion. Once an initiate of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he was also one of the first Westerners to study and practice Eastern yoga. Crowley advocated a scientific investigation into the processes that occasion mystical experiences, including meditation, ritual, sexual activity, and psychoactive drugs, which earned him a sinister reputation as a ‘black magician’. One of the drugs Crowley experimented with was peyote, the mescaline-containing ‘divine cactus’ of Mexico, at a time when almost nothing was understood about peyote’s dramatic effects. This presentation will outline the details of Crowley’s relationship with peyote, illustrate the important role peyote played in his own life and work, and highlight his place in the history of psychedelic research and psychedelic religion in the twentieth century. DELIVERED AT: The Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelics Research 2016 (www.icpr2016.nl), the third international scientific conference on research into psychedelics organised by the OPEN Foundation (http://www.stichtingopen.nl/en/).
Patrick Everitt, a researcher of Western Esotericism and psychedelics, discusses psychedelic rese... more Patrick Everitt, a researcher of Western Esotericism and psychedelics, discusses psychedelic research, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and the Magick and peyote use of Aleister Crowley.
Interviewers: Joshua Bloom and Jackcharles Allocca
Recorded in Prague during the International Transpersonal Conference 2017.