Tim Ferriss Show #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin: The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Psychedelics, and More. Rather, Christian beliefs were gradually incorporated into the pagan customs that already existed there. So what do we know about those rituals? Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of "tikkun olam"repairing and improving 8 "The winds, the sea . And I write, at the very end of the book, I hope that they'd be proud of this investigation. The mysteries of Dionysus, a bit weirder, a bit more off the grid. For me, that's a question, and it will yield more questions. So there's a whole slew of sites I want to test there. So why refrain? OK-- maybe one of those ancient beers. he goes out on a limb and says that black nightshade actually causes [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH], which is not unpleasant visions, i.e. Revolutionary Left Radio: Early Christianity: Psychedelics, Ancient So the big question is, what kind of drug was this, if it was a drug? Not much. And let's start with our earliest evidence from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. But what we do know about the wine of the time is that it was routinely mixed with plants and herbs and potentially fungi. CHARLES STANG: All right. But it was not far from a well-known colony in [INAUDIBLE] that was founded by Phocians. We have plays like the Bacchi from Euripides, where we can piece together some of this. It still leaves an even bigger if, Dr. Stang, is which one is psychedelic? So, although, I mean, and that actually, I'd like to come back to that, the notion of the, that not just the pagan continuity hypothesis, but the mystery continuity hypothesis through the Vatican. And again, it survives, I think, because of that state support for the better part of 2,000 years. And there were gaps as well. Psychedelics Today: Mark Plotkin - Bio-Cultural Conservation of the Amazon. The book was published by Saint Martin's Press in September 2020 and has generated a whirlwind of attention. BRIAN MURARESKU: Right. If they've been doing this, as you suggest, for 2,000 years, nearly, what makes you think that a few ancient historians are going to turn that aircraft carrier around? Which, again, what I see are small groups of people getting together to commune with the dead. But maybe you could just say something about this community in Catalonia. That's staying within the field of time. And I think oversight also comes in handy within organized religion. But when it comes to that Sunday ritual, it just, whatever is happening today, it seems different from what may have motivated the earliest Christians, which leads me to very big questions. Now, the great scholar of Greek religion, Walter Burkert, you quote him as musing, once-- and I'm going to quote him-- he says, "it may rather be asked, even without the prospect of a certain answer, whether the basis of the mysteries, they were prehistoric drug rituals, some festival imp of immortality which, through the expansion of consciousness, seemed to guarantee some psychedelic beyond." 36:57 Drug-spiked wine . What's the importance of your abstention from psychedelics, given what is obvious interest. So welcome to the fourth event in our yearlong series on psychedelics and the future of religion, co-sponsored by the Esalen Institute, the Riverstyx Foundation, and the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Listen to #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much More, an episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, easily on Podbay - the best podcast player on the web. Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. The pagan continuity hypothesis theorizes that when Christianity arrived in Greece around AD 49, it didn't suddenly replace the existing religion. Brian's thesis, that of the Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, was explored by Alexander Hislop in his "The Two Babylons", 1853, as a Protestant treatise in the spirit of Martin Luther as Alexander too interjects the Elusinian Mysteries. I mean, something of symbolic significance, something monumental. But clearly, when you're thinking about ancient Egypt or elsewhere, there's definitely a funerary tradition. He co-writes that with Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann, who famously-- there it is, the three authors. #649: Rick Rubin, Legendary Music Producer The Creative Act The continuity between pagan and Christian cult nearby the archaeological area of Naquane in Capo di Ponte. So I see-- you're moving back and forth between these two. There's some suggestive language in the pyramid texts, in the Book of the Dead and things of this nature. I took this to Greg [? 283. That's the promise in John's gospel, in John 6:54-55, that I quote in the book. So I point to that evidence as illustrative of the possibility that the Christians could, in fact, have gotten their hands on an actual wine. She found the remains of dog sacrifice, which is super interesting. BRIAN MURARESKU: I'm bringing more illumination. John H Elliott - Empires Of The Atlantic World.pdf And Brian, once again, thank you so much. First, the continuity of the offices must be seen in light of the change of institutional charges; they had lost their religious connotations and had become secular. Many people see that as symbolic or allegorical or just a nice thing, which is not the case. The Immortality Key: Book Overview (Brian Muraresku) That was the question for me. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. What Brian labels the religion with no name. I've no doubt that Brian has unearthed and collected a remarkable body of evidence, but evidence of what, exactly? Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. "The Jews" are not after Ye. BRIAN MURARESKU: I would say I've definitely experienced the power of the Christ and the Holy Spirit. And it seems to me that if any of this is right, that whatever was happening in ancient Greece was a transformative experience for which a lot of thought and preparation went into. Brendon Benz presents an alternative hypothesis to recent scholarship which has hypothesized that Israel consisted of geographical, economic . In the same place in and around Pompeii, this is where Christianity is really finding its roots. BRIAN MURARESKU: Dr. Stang, an erudite introduction as ever. You see an altar of Pentelic marble that could only have come from the Mount Pentelicus quarry in mainland Greece. Maybe there's some residual fear that's been built up in me. And Ruck, and you following Ruck, make much of this, suggesting maybe the Gnostics are pharmacologists of some kind. And I think that that's the real question here. It is not psychedelics. Maybe I'm afraid I'll take the psychedelic and I won't have what is reported in the literature from Hopkins and NYU. Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation Nage ?] To become truly immortal, Campbell talks about entering into a sense of eternity, which is the infinite present here and now. So we not only didn't have the engineering know-how-- we used to think-- we didn't have even settled life to construct something like this. Israel's Exodus In Transdisciplinary Perspective: Text - Vdoc.pub But the point being, if the Dionysian wine was psychedelic-- which I know is a big if-- I think the more important thing to show here in this pagan continuity hypothesis is that it's at least plausible that the earliest Christians would have at the very least read the Gospel of John and interpreted that paleo-Christian Eucharistic wine, in some communities, as a kind of Dionysian wine. What was being thrown into it? It draws attention to this material. Now, let's get started, Brian. CHARLES STANG: OK. There aren't any churches or basilicas, right, in the first three centuries, in this era we're calling paleo-Christianity. Thank you. So can you reflect for us where you really are and how you chose to write this book? What was the real religion of the ancient Greeks? That's how we get to Catalonia. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James's career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of " tikkun olam "repairing and improving The Continuity Hypothesis was put forward by John Bowlby (1953) as a critical effect of attachments in his development of Attachment Theory. The continuity hypothesis of dreams suggests that the content of dreams are largely continuous with waking concepts and concerns of the dreamer. He has talked about the potential evidence for psychedelics in a Mithras liturgy. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Immortality Key: The Secret History And that's all I present it as, is wonderfully attractive and maybe even sexy circumstantial evidence for the potential use of a psychedelic sacrament amongst the earliest Christians. I'm going to stop asking my questions, although I have a million more, as you well know, and instead try to ventriloquist the questions that are coming through at quite a clip through the Q&A. So can you reflect on the-- standing on the threshold of pharmaceutical companies taking control of this, how is that to be commended when the very people who have kept this alive would be pushed to the side in that move? Wise not least because it is summer there, as he reminds me every time we have a Zoom meeting, which has been quite often in these past several months. And that that's how I-- and by not speculating more than we can about the mystical supper, if we follow the hypothesis that this is a big if for some early communities of Greek speakers, this is how I'm finding common ground with priests both Catholic and Orthodox and Protestants. Oh, I hope I haven't offended you, Brian. Thank you all for joining us, and I hope to see many of you later this month for our next event. We're going to get there very soon. Part 1 Brian C. Muraresku: The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis and the Hallucinogenic Origins of Religion - Feb 22, 2023 I imagine there are many more potion makers around than we typically recognize. I mean, in the absence of the actual data, that's my biggest question. And we know from the record that [SPEAKING GREEK] is described as being so crowded with gods that they were easier to find than men. And I-- in my profession, we call this circumstantial, and I get it. #646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin The Eleusinian Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin: The Eleusinian Mysteries In my previous posts on the continuity hypothesis . What's the wine? And there you also found mortars that were tested and also tested positive for evidence of brewing. Liked by Samuel Zuschlag. And to be quite honest, I'd never studied the ancient Greeks in Spain. Research inside the Church of Saint Faustina and Liberata Fig 1. #283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and - Scribd What was the wine in the early Eucharist? CHARLES STANG: Brian, I wonder if you could end by reflecting on the meaning of dying before you die. He comes to this research with a full suite of scholarly skills, including a deep knowledge of Greek and Latin as well as facility in a number of European languages, which became crucial for uncovering some rather obscure research in Catalan, and also for sweet-talking the gatekeepers of archives and archaeological sites. PDF Thesis-The Religion of Constantine I - University Of Ottawa The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name Read more 37 people found this helpful Helpful Report abuse Tfsiebs So much research! And apparently, the book is on order, so I can't speak to this directly, but the ancient Greek text that preserves this liturgy also preserves the formula, the ingredients of the eye ointment. So the mysteries of Dionysus are a bit more of a free-for-all than the mysteries of Eleusis. So don't feel like you have to go into great depth at this point. Part 1 Brian C. Muraresku: The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis and the Hallucinogenic Origins of Religion 3 days ago Plants of the Gods: S4E1. 8th century BC from the Tel Arad shrine. pagan continuity hypothesis - diamondamotel.com And I'm not even sure what that piece looks like or how big it is. That seems very believable, but there's nothing to suggest that the pharmacy or drug farm was serving Christians, or even that the potions produced were for ritual use. Now that doesn't mean, as Brian was saying, that then suggests that that's the norm Eucharist. But I think there's a decent scientific foothold to begin that work. And I think it's proof of concept-- just proof of concept-- for investing serious funding, and attention into the actual search for these kinds of potions. He was greatly influenced by Sigmund Freud (1940) who viewed an infant's first relationship - usually with the mother - as "the prototype of all later love-relations". CHARLES STANG: So that actually helps answer a question that's in the Q&A that was posed to me, which is why did I say I fully expect that we will find evidence for this? Are they rolling their eyes, or are you getting sort of secretive knowing nods of agreement? And not least because if I were to do it, I'd like to do so in a deeply sacred ritual. But they charge Marcus specifically, not with a psychedelic Eucharist, but the use of a love potion. And I guess my biggest question, not necessarily for you, but the psychedelic community, for what it's worth, or those who are interested in this stuff is how do we make this experience sacred? And, as always the best way to keep abreast of this series and everything else we do here at the Center is to join our mailing list. First act is your evidence for psychedelics among the so-called pagan religions in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Maybe I have that wrong. And by the way, I'm not here trying to protect Christianity from the evidence of psychedelic use. Where are the drugs? Where does Western civilization come from? And so in some of these psychedelic trials, under the right conditions, I do see genuine religious experiences. BRIAN MURARESKU: Right. "The Tim Ferriss Show" 646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin I see something that's happening to people. So I have my concerns about what's about to happen in Oregon and the regulation of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes. And I think that's an important distinction to make. A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs, and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age? I mean, this is what I want to do with some of my remaining days on this planet, is take a look at all these different theories. And what do you believe happens to you when you do that? Not because they just found that altar. And there were probably other Eleusises like that to the east. BRIAN MURARESKU: Good one. So again, that's February 22. So you were unable to test the vessels on site in Eleusis, which is what led you to, if I have this argument right, to Greek colonies around the Mediterranean. Because very briefly, I think Brian and others have made a very strong case that these things-- this was a biotechnology that was available in the ancient world. Those of you who don't know his name, he's a professor at the University of Amsterdam, an expert in Western esotericism. Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. 13,000 years old. That's one narrative that I feel is a little sensational. Because again, when I read the clinical literature, I'm reading things that look like mystical experiences, or that at least at least sound like them. Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin The Eleusinian Mysteries But this clearly involved some kind of technical know-how and the ability to concoct these things that, in order to keep them safe and efficacious, would not have been very widespread, I don't think. And when I read psychedelic literature or I read the literature on near-death experiences, I see experiences similar to what I experienced as a young boy. Administration and supervision endeavors and with strong knowledge in: Online teaching and learning methods, Methods for Teaching Mathematics and Technology Integration for K-12 and College . They were mixed or fortified. There's all kinds of reasons I haven't done it. In fact, something I'm following up on now is the prospect of similar sites in the Crimea around the Black Sea, because there was also a Greek presence there. And if there's historical precedent for it, all the more so. What is it about that formula that captures for you the wisdom, the insight that is on offer in this ancient ritual, psychedelic or otherwise? And part of me really wants to put all these pieces together before I dive in. So Gobekli Tepe, for those who don't know, is this site in southern Turkey on the border with Syria. I wish that an ancient pharmacy had been preserved by Mount Vesuvius somewhere near Alexandria or even in upper Egypt or in Antioch or parts of Turkey. And so that's what motivated my search here. CHARLES STANG: OK, great. So the closer we get to the modern period, we're starting to find beer, wine mixed with interesting things. If your history is even remotely correct, that would have ushered in a very different church, if Valentinus's own student Marcus and the Marcosians were involved in psychedelic rituals, then that was an early road not taken, let's say.