Psychedelicasies

Psychedelic drug use within New Age spirituality is increasingly commodified, as shown by an analysis of the online platform 'Spiritual Sage'. Product descriptions, retreat marketing, and consumer narratives frame psychedelic experiences as fast-track routes to self-discovery, healing, and transcendence. These offerings are stripped of traditional religious or therapeutic frameworks and recast as customizable, consumer-friendly experiences. This commodification aligns psychedelic consumption with late modern identity construction, consumer agency, and the search for authenticity, reflecting a broader 'spiritual supermarket' where spiritual goods are marketed and consumed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This chapter critically examines the commodification of psychedelic drug use within the context of New Age spirituality, focusing on the online platform ‘Spiritual Sage’ as a digital manifestation of the ‘spiritual supermarket’. Through a detailed analysis of product descriptions, retreat marketing language, and consumer narratives, the chapter explores how psychedelic experiences are commodified as fast-track routes to self-discovery, healing, and transcendence. Drawing on concepts of spiritual materialism, New Age holism, and the cultural logic of late modernity, it shows how these psychedelic products are stripped of traditional religious or therapeutic frameworks and recast as customisable, consumer-friendly experiences. The chapter also discusses the sociological implications of such spiritual commodification, highlighting the alignment between psychedelic consumption and late modern identity construction, consumer agency, and the search for authenticity.