What Are the Spiritual Origins of Psychedelics?

Ancient cultures, both near and far, have used psychedelic sacraments for ages, while Western culture has only been somewhat aware of the same substances for not even the last 100 years. 

Post-World War II America brought about many societal changes over the next few decades, some of which–psychedelics–permanently changed the way we view ourselves and the world around us. 

Indigenous cultures of North and South American lands, as well as other continents, still learn and connect with the inherent spirituality of psychedelic experiences and rituals. Many Westerners now recognize these substances, but they may not be as familiar with their native spiritual origins.

Ancient Mystical Experiences Mirror Those of Psychedelic Experiences

People often interpret personal experiences with a higher power through a religious or spiritual lens. Individuals describe these experiences as joyous, astonishing, or revelatory, stemming from a profound personal impact.

Most major religions around the world feature in their backstory some kind of messenger who experiences a cathartic interaction with a type of divine being, eventually spawning religions or reinforcing them. The Buddha dedicated his life to seeking enlightenment through “visions” that offered insight into human suffering and spiritual liberation. 

These visions laid the foundation for what is now known as the Buddhist religion, which centers on the mindful practice of meditation. This practice makes one feel better connected to a mystical higher power or provides a sense of inner peace. The same goes on for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity–chance encounters with supernatural deities and beings that shape the essential framework of a major worldwide religion. 

A Sense of the Profound & Natural Inner Peace

Most people who have taken psychedelic drugs have also encountered some unknown and powerful force during their hallucinogenic experiences. These encounters are subjective, with the person experiencing them often developing a sense of the profound and walking away with a more natural feeling of inner peace. While there is always debate when it comes to any aspect of religion, there are certainly more than enough documented correlations between ancient mystical encounters and the psychedelic experience. 

Historical Use of Psychedelics in Native Cultures

Native and indigenous cultures across North and South America have long grounded their traditions in a spiritual connection to the earth. Long before Columbus arrived, native peoples used ceremonial psychedelic substances to connect with the spirit world.

These native cultures tear down the wall separating religion and psychedelics to make them both intertwined in the scope of their spirituality and connection to the earth and each other. Indigenous cultures of both North and South America have developed many of the psychedelic substances we are all familiar with or may have tried.

Tryptamines Are Many of the Psychedelic Substances We Are Familiar With

Tryptamines are naturally occurring drugs that can induce major effects on perception, thought, and mood while interacting with serotonin and the 5-HT2A receptors in the brain. Many people in today’s society have become familiar with tryptamines, which reentered Western culture less than 100 years ago.

Although lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is not a tryptamine, it sparked a new era in the 20th century known as the countercultural movement. Once the proverbial genie was out of the bottle in the 1960s, society and culture have undergone everlasting changes. Widely available psychedelics like LSD inspired new ways of thinking and living, driving cultural changes around the world.

Western culture adopted other classic tryptamine psychedelic substances, once traditionally used in indigenous spiritual ceremonies, and gave them greater prominence after their effects became widely known. While we may already be familiar with these drugs, their origins may not be as widely known. 

Mushrooms Paved the Way for Countercultural Change in Society

Psilocybin-containing mushrooms are perhaps the most widely known and accessible form of tryptamine-based psychedelics in the world–they grow on every continent except Antarctica. They also provide a very large knowledge base of history related to indigenous cultural and spiritual practices. 

Documented rituals and ceremonies in which psilocybin mushrooms are consumed go back to at least 1500 AD in Mexico and Central America, with around nine native groups still spiritually consuming them in the present day. Ancient Mayan and Aztec people were just two of the advanced cultures found in that region who utilized these mushrooms for communion with the gods. Aztecs even referred to these mushrooms as “flesh of the gods”. Ceremonial leaders usually place mushrooms in a gourd and introduce them with incense and tree resin. They then give participants six pairs of specific mushroom species to consume on an empty stomach before the participants experience the “other-worldly” effects.

Famed mycologist R. Gordon Wasson first encountered psilocybin mushrooms being utilized by native peoples in the 1950s. He participated in a mushroom ceremony in Oaxaca, supposedly the first Westerner to do so. Wasson’s deeply profound experiences from the event eventually spurred him to write an article for Life magazine in the late 1950s describing these “magic” mushrooms and the ancient spiritual practices connected to them. Wasson’s discoveries perhaps led to the Western world’s eventual adoption of psychedelic mushrooms for spiritual connection and enhancement in the latter half of the 20th century. 

Ayahuasca Is Nothing New, But Something Ancient

Before Westerners were flying to South America to undergo spiritual or emotional changes in their lives, the infused vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and dimethyltryptamine-rich (DMT) plant (Psychotria viridis) brew known as ayahuasca had already been used by native shamans and communities in those regions. 

Shamans have used—and continue to use—ayahuasca to heal members of their community physically and mentally, and to connect with a higher power. However, different tribes have their specific ceremonies and practices when it comes to preparing and utilizing ayahuasca, with the preparation being a big part of it. A shaman typically prepares a ceremonial brew and gives it to subjects once night falls, guiding and supervising them through their journey. Sometimes these ceremonies last several evenings, combining mysticism and cosmology during time spent in a hallucinogenic spiritual realm.

All persons from any communities–native or Western–often experience the same phenomenon–vivid hallucinations brought on by bouts of nausea, vomiting, and confusion. 

However, the aftereffects truly define the experience—people often gain improved mood, enhanced well-being, increased brain activity, greater self-love, better addiction control, heightened body awareness, and a deeper connection to spirituality, the earth, and a higher power.

Indigenous groups in the Amazon region of South America may have been ingesting ayahuasca for thousands of years, according to researchers. Archaeologists estimate that discoveries associated with ayahuasca rituals date back to around 2400 B.C. Some of these practices began to incorporate elements of Catholic rituals, like using tobacco smoke and an altar, after Spanish missionaries arrived in the 1500s. 

DMT – As Popular Now As It Was Back Then

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the main active psychedelic compound found in ayahuasca, has seen its fair share of popularity in Western culture as of late as well. Celebrities tout its self-refreshing, anti-depressive effects as very similar to that of ayahuasca, while vape pens containing DMT have made it more accessible compared to the convoluted preparation process usually involved. 

Before Columbus arrived, South American peoples widely used ceremonial snuffs prepared from plants containing DMT. Researchers have discovered paraphernalia—including kits with spoons, pouches, and inhalers—in the Amazonian rainforest, home to the Yanomami, Tukanoan, and Matses groups. They believe the shamans most likely prepared the ceremonial snuff from the bark of the Virola tree, which contains various psychedelic tryptamines.

READ: A Quick Guide to the Many Types of Psychedelic Therapy

Ibogaine, A West Central African Psychedelic

Ibogaine is another tryptamine that has shown effective results in managing rampant modern-day afflictions such as depression, opioid addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since being introduced to Western culture in the 1960s. It’s derived from the Tabernanthe iboga shrub found in West Central Africa. 

Ceremonial and pharmacological use of this tryptamine-based psychedelic has been used in West Central African cultures for hundreds, if not thousands, of years in West African regions where the Fang Bwiti religion is prevalent. The history of ibogaine use is not as clear as that of ancient North and South American cultural psychedelics and rituals due to oral traditions being the main way of passing on knowledge and traditions by West Central African peoples. 

Native groups have used and still use low doses of ibogaine as a stimulant to stay alert during hunts, fatigue, hunger, and thirst. They also use lower doses for some ceremonial dances and rituals, while reserving higher doses exclusively for religious ceremonies. The psychoactive effects typically produce vivid closed-eye hallucinations and visions that can create a dream-like state, after which subjects feel more inner peace. 

Mescaline, Not A Tryptamine, But Just as Spiritual

Mescaline differs from the tryptamines mentioned above because it is classified as a phenethylamine. It naturally occurs in the buttons or crowns of Peyote and San Pedro cacti, which grow in the Southwestern U.S. and parts of northern Mexico. Native peoples like the Aztecs have used mescaline and these cacti for thousands of years because of their powerful effects. Recently, Western researchers have recognized them for their anti-anxiety and antidepressant qualities, highlighting their therapeutic potential.

The Native American Church currently considers Peyote a natural medicine and recognizes its spiritual importance. However, as per preserved buttons excavated in a cave in Texas, its ceremonial history dates back over several thousand years. During peyote ceremonies held for spiritual connection and healing, participants prepare the buttons as an infused beverage, a paste, or eat them raw.

These ceremonies vary on an individual basis depending on region, but for North American groups, they typically begin at dusk inside a tipi to represent a womb that participants will evolve out of once the ceremony is complete at dawn. Inside the tipi, participants place a large peyote button on an altar and use smoke from a fire to carry prayers to a divine entity. During the evening prayers, songs, ingestion of peyote, and deep reflection occur. A shaman will guide the ceremony while giving prayers and drumming complements ceremonial songs. 

Indigenous Cultural Use of Psychedelics Can Help the Western World Live In Harmony

The many positive correlations between physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and psychedelics are almost too much to ignore. Mind-altering substances have motivated and inspired human beings for thousands of years, often blurring the line between religion and subjective experience.

Native cultures have and still utilize many different psychedelic substances for better growth, understanding, and connection to something bigger. These same compounds are no longer ancient secrets to the Western world, with plenty of access now available. Let’s continue to hope that native cultures continue to share the same natural reverences and deep spiritual insights with us Westerners, so these are no longer a secret to us either.