In the interest of full disclosure, I tell you this writer has traveled to the Amazon to drink the musky tea of the ayahuasca vine and drunk San Pedro cactus in the ruins of Machu Pichu under a full moon. I confess to many LSD trips, one of which ended with my consciousness being altered by being beaten bloody by seven cops. And, while these days my mind alterations are of a more caffeinated variety, the subject of altered states of mind in spiritual quest is near and dear to me personally and one that raises many questions.

Perhaps no subject other than sex itself is bound to conjure as much discussion, if not outright controversy, as drug use and abuse. For some, there is no difference between the two. Yet for many cultures and people and centuries the use of certain plants, drugs, as well as other forms of consciousness alteration, have a long, rich and honorable history.

Indeed, as has been noted on this page before when White Crane Journal explored the spiritual facets of food, the late Terrence McKenna posited that the discovery and use of the mind-altering amanita muscaria mushroom, among other plants, might very well explain the "missing link" in the development of the human race. His work in Food of the Gods and his exploration of the mysterious Indo-European "soma" culture, among others, builds a persuasive case for the important role of "hallucination" and ecstasy (Greek ek stasis, to stand outside, but also ex stasis, to break out of the static, to flow) in the development of human culture and might explain the leap of intelligence that occurred in the species.

What exactly are we to make of the Bible that spawned the three warring Abrahamic traditions when it tells of the ingestion of "the fruit of the tree of knowledge" and how it lead to the downfall of man? What, upon the consumption of that forbidden fruit, did it mean to "discover that we are naked" and why was that a matter of shame? And why was it an apple? Or was it a pomegranite?

The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. Henry Miller

Mushrooms, poppies, desert cacti and jungle vines, tobacco and grapes, even honey have all been sources of substances humankind has used to attempt to alter awareness. How important is set and setting to the effectiveness of such substances? Is it just coincidence, for example, that the sacred plant of western religion (the grape and the alcohol derived from it) causes so much pain and suffering for the North American aboriginal, while the American Indian's sacred tobacco reacts so carcinogenically in Europeans?

Not that drugs, or entheogens (a term coined by R. Gordon Wasson referring to the felt presence of indwelling divinity experienced under the influence of psilocybin originally) are the only sources of altered states of mind. The Bible tells tales of fasts and journeys of forty days and forty nights in desert wilderness, while Native American and other aboriginal cultures have ordeals involving days of deprivation and physical hardship all in search of sacred vision. Yogis famously levitate and inhale and exhale back and forth across the thin veil of life and death, through the power of meditation, riding on a breath.

In many cultures, the dreaming world is every bit as real as the waking and much attention is paid to the messages and images received there. Exercise, sex and crisis are all said to cause the production of chemicals in our bodies that change our consciousness.

And yet, in western society these altered states of mind, particularly the ones induced by the ingestion of entheogens, to say nothing of the vision quest, have fallen into disfavor and disrepute. Why? Is it only ascetic, puritanical attitudes and the western dichotomy of spirit and the flesh? Is it further evidence--and the necessary outcome--of the on-going estrangement of man from Nature? Where does a modern person find vision?

With this issue, we asked contributor readers to explore their own experiences with altered states of mind and we are particularly pleased to present the writings of Ralph Metzner and a fascinating interview with tantra teacher Rudy Ballentine.

As I sit here writing, my consciousness is being altered by the constant throb of a toothache that I should have taken care of weeks ago. . . I'm hoping that the medication I've just taken will shortly alter that reality a little bit more and when it does, maybe I can get some sleep and I'll dream. Which of those states of mind is real and which is being altered is all a matter of perspective. Illness, drugs, breathing, fasting, sex... all are methods in which individuals have engaged in the millennial old quest to alter consciousness to take a peek into peak experience.

As usual, with the limitations of time and space we have only been able to scratch the surface of the subject with this issue. Nothing can alter that. But we hope this issue may plant a seed for further thoughtful discussion.

Bo Young
New York City