Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions
February 1, 2020
Christopher Partridge
119 citations
This article discusses the relationship between inner space (the mind/consciousness) and perceptions of outer space (the extraterrestrial) in Western psychedelic cultures. In particular, it analyses the writings and lectures of Terence McKenna, the most influential psychedelic thinker since the 1960s. Assimilating a broad range of ideas taken from esotericism, shamanism, and science fiction,...
Oxford University Press eBooks
May 24, 2018
Christopher Partridge
34 citations
For a number of complex reasons, humans are fascinated by drugs and altered states. Even if only momentarily, psychoactive substances lift people out of the ennui and pain of their everyday lives and, in some cases, introduce them to new visions of reality. It is no surprise, therefore, that the use of recreational drugs is rising. While, sadly, this also means that levels of addiction are...
Oxford University Press eBooks
May 24, 2018
Christopher Partridge
2 citations
The final chapter discusses a number of post-1960s developments, focusing particularly on the ideas of two influential thinkers who were shaped in different ways by the psychedelic revolution, Carlos Castaneda and Terence McKenna. Central to the thought of both of them was the significance of shamanism. The chapter also discusses the emergence of interest in constructing contemporary indigenous...
Oxford Scholarship Online
May 24, 2018
Christopher Partridge
This chapter discusses the significance of opium during the early nineteenth-century and its relationship to Romanticism. While the chapter is organized around the influential work of Thomas De Quincey, particularly his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, it also discusses the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It discusses Romantic theories about the significance of dreams and their...
International Journal for the Study of New Religions
February 20, 2017
Christopher Partridge
1 citation
While much has been written about the life, work and influence of Aleister Crowley, relatively little attention has been directed to his drug use. This is a little surprising because, not only did he become addicted to heroin, but he incorporated psychoactive substances in his occult work, discussed their psychological effects, commented on drug-related social issues, critiqued contemporary...