The Psychedelic Gospels: The Forgotten Roots Of Christianity / Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown is the co-author of The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity. He and his wife and co-author Julie Brown began their journey into the psychedelic history of early Christianity after noticing telling depictions of psychedelic mushrooms on display in the frescoes and architecture of the many chapels and cathedrals that exist across Europe.
Jerry tells the story of how he and Julie first made this baffling discovery, and explains why it had not been documented and researched until very recently. We examine the possible role psychedelics would have played in the early centuries of Christianity, and more broadly, the origins of religion itself, and how our own personal experiences have opened our minds to this subject. What does it mean for there to be these depictions of psychedelic mushrooms in early Christian art? How does this subject and research fit into the broader "psychedelic renaissance"? Jerry and I discuss this and much more in this episode.
Bio:
Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., is an anthropologist, author, and activist. From 1972-2014, he served as Founding Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University in Miami, where he designed and taught a course on “Hallucinogens and Culture.” The course examines the use of psychoactive plants by tribal and classical cultures, including Ancient India and Greece, and by and discusses the discoveries of the modern mind-explorers, the “psychonauts” of the twentieth century.
Episode Notes:
Learn more about the Psychedelic Gospels at the website
