The first practical guide to the transformative uses of salvia • Explains how salvia connects you with your higher purpose and aids you in envisioning your unique path in life • Describes appropriate methods of use, a shamanic diet to increase effectiveness, and the meaning of the symbols experienced during salvia’s ecstatic embrace • Explores recent clinical research into salvia’s long-term positive psychological effects and its potential as a treatment for Alzheimer’s, depression, and addiction Salvia divinorum has been used since ancient times by the Mazatec shamans of Mexico for divination, vision quests, and healing. Known by many names--nearly all associated with the Virgin Mary, who has come to symbolize the spirit of salvia--this plant ally is now regarded as the most powerful natural hallucinogen. Providing the first practical guide to the shamanic, spiritual, and therapeutic uses of salvia, Ross Heaven shares his in-depth quest to connect with the spirit of this plant teacher. He explores recent clinical research into its many long-term psychological effects, such as increased insight and self-confidence, improved mood and concentration, and feelings of calmness and connection with nature, as well as salvia’s potential for combating diseases like Alzheimer’s, depression, and even cocaine addiction. Reviewing the traditional Mazatec ceremonies surrounding salvia’s harvest and use, Heaven describes appropriate methods of consumption, typical dosages, and the shamanic diet he used to increase salvia’s effectiveness. Examining firsthand accounts of salvia journeys from around the world, he decodes the meaning of the symbolic images experienced during salvia’s ecstatic embrace and details the interplay between salvia and the lucid dreaming state. Comparing salvia to ayahuasca and the San Pedro cactus, Heaven explains that salvia’s greatest strength as a shamanic plant ally lies in its ability to connect you with your higher purpose and aid you in envisioning your unique path in life.

One man’s personal journey through the unparalleled trance states of salvia • Originally published as Peopled Darkness • Contains real-life descriptions of salvia-induced visionary experiences • Offers guidance for the responsible use of this psychoactive plant • Explores the shamanic awareness associated with salvia Salvia divinorum, which recently entered the visionary pharmacopoeia of the modern world, has been used for centuries in the shamanic practices of the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico, for healing and divination. A member of the Mint family, Salvia divinorum--“diviner’s sage”--offers a new doorway to the visionary pursuit of higher spiritual and meditative states. With repeated sessions using salvia over the course of several years, J. D. Arthur began returning each time to the same inner landscape where he found himself entering a unique state of thought-free, or “thoughtless,” awareness. There he accessed a mode of “dream language” that communicated an exquisite constellation of detailed meanings swiftly and flawlessly. His repeated immersion in these states of trance, as well as his analysis of their approach and withdrawal, led to a profound reassessment of the nature of normal perception and a reevaluation of what we refer to as the real world. With true-life descriptions of salvia-induced visionary states, this book offers a detailed experiential analysis for those interested in exploring salvia in their quest for higher knowledge.

The Shamanic Plant Medicine series acts as an introduction to specific teacher plants used by shamans in a variety of cultures to facilitate spirit communion, healing, divination and personal discovery, and which are increasingly known, used and respected in Western society by modern shamans as a means of connecting to spirit. Salvia is the shamanic plant of Mexico. It is known particularly for its divinatory powers but it also has the ability to heal and, more extraordinarily, in modern usage it provides access to inter-dimensional travel and the ability to move through time. The shamanic applications of Salvia are currently little known outside of Mexico but, along with Ketamine and Ecstasy, it has become one of the most popular ‘drugs’ on the planet among teenagers who have little or no understanding of how to use its powers in a positive and effective way or the potential dangers of using it recreationally. This book therefore serves as a much-needed introduction to this powerful plant.

The first comprehensive guide to oneirogens--naturally occurring substances that induce and enhance dreaming • Includes extensive monographs on dream-enhancing substances derived from plant, animal, and human sources • Presents the results of scientific experiments on the effects of using oneirogens • Shows how studies in this area of ethnobotany can yield a scientific understanding of the mysterious mechanism of dreams Oneirogens are plant and animal substances that have long been used to facilitate powerful and productive dreaming. From the beginning of civilization, dreams have guided the inner and outer life of human beings both in relation to each other and to the divine. For centuries shamans have employed oneirogens in finding meaning and healing in their dreams. Drugs of the Dreaming details the properties and actions of these dream allies, establishing ethnobotanical profiles for 35 oneirogens, including those extracted from organic sources--such as Calea zacatechichi (dream herb or “leaf of the god”), Salvia divinorum, and a variety of plants from North and South America and the Pacific used in shamanic practices--as well as synthetically derived oneirogens. They explain the historical use of each oneirogen, its method of action, and what light it sheds on the scientific mechanism of dreaming. They conclude that oneirogens enhance the comprehensibility and facility of the dream/dreamer relationship and hold a powerful key for discerning the psychological needs and destinies of dreamers in the modern world.

Salvia divinorum is a unique and profoundly powerful visionary herb from the Mazatec region of Mexico. Now widely available in the western world via the internet, but still little understood, this legal entheogen is becoming ever more popular among those who follow the shamanic path of plant based spirituality. In this work, artist, musician, writer and shamanic explorer, Martin Ball, navigates his way through the strange world of sage space, from Burning Man to overtone singing and cosmic serpents, bringing back guidance and advice for the use of Salvia divinorum as a true entheogen and ritual sacrament. Sage Spirit is bound to be a valuable resource for all those interested in exploring salvia responsibly as a spiritual catalyst and consciousness-expanding agent of personal transformation. Filled with personal accounts, practical advice and philosophical reflections, this book is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about this amazing visionary plant.

A detailed account of the transformation of consciousness and discovery of life’s purpose brought on by peyote • Shows how peyote and other visionary plants do not distort reality but gloriously unveil it, pulling the mind out of its cosmic slumber and revealing our unity with all life • Explains the necessity when working with peyote to remain the master of one’s mind and consciously work on oneself • Examines how modern society’s revulsion to sacramental plants and other consciousness expanders is deeply rooted in Western philosophy Charles Duits was caught in the grip of a dead-end existential and spiritual crisis. At the urging of one of his oldest friends, he takes peyote “like a man committing suicide,” launching him on a visionary journey of philosophical examination and spiritual revelation. In this little-known classic of drug literature, we find a detailed account of the radical alteration of consciousness and discovery of life’s purpose brought on by the Mexican cactus known as peyote. Consuming peyote more than 200 times, Duits lucidly describes the transformation of reality he experienced as well as the necessity to consciously work on oneself and remain the master of one’s mind in order to avoid getting carried away by hallucinations. The author examines how modern society’s revulsion to sacramental plants and other consciousness expanders is deeply rooted in Western philosophy’s embrace of reason and materialism at the expense of inner knowledge. He explains how sacramental plants do not distort reality as many fearfully believe but gloriously unveil it, pulling the mind out of its cosmic slumber and revealing a world that is finally real and full of meaning. Poetic yet precise, Duits’s descriptions of his peyote experiences offer a glimpse in to the beautiful divine reality of which we are all a part, yet over which the structures of society cast a veil. This guide to “sailing the inner sea” reveals that the answers to the meaning of life lie not in material pursuits but in experiencing the richness and unity of the world in front of us.

Goes beyond the stereotypes to restore Vodou to its proper place as a powerful shamanic tradition • Provides practical exercises and techniques from the Vodou tradition that can be used as safe and effective means of spiritual healing and personal transformation • Shows how to remove evil spirits and negative energies sent by others • Written by a fully initiated Houngan (Vodou shaman) Providing practical exercises drawn from all aspects and stages of the Vodou tradition, Vodou Shaman shows readers how to contact the spirit world and communicate with the loa (the angel-like inhabitants of the Other World), the ghede (the spirits of the ancestors), and djabs (nature spirits for healing purposes). The author examines soul journeying and warrior-path work in the Vodou tradition and looks at the psychological principles that make them effective. The book also includes exercises to protect the spiritual self by empowering the soul, with techniques of soul retrieval, removing evil spirits and negative energies, overcoming curses, and using the powers of herbs and magical baths.