God’s Pharmacy: On the Use of Entheogens in Jewish Mystical Traditions
January 13, 2025 DOI: 10.70423/0001.05 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Judaism Pharmacy Religious studies Theology Family medicine |
| Key points | Argues that the marking nut (baldhur) exemplifies blurred lines between medicine and poison in Jewish spiritual traditions, and that Walter Benjamin's intoxication trials attempted to revive this recondite pharmacology. |
Abstract
Building on Derrida's essay Plato's Pharmacy, the current article examines sacred versus profane illuminations within the spiritual realm of Judaism.As exemplified by the marking nut (baldhur), I survey exoteric-curative and esoteric-altered states of consciousness inducing deployments of this medicinal plant fruit.Retracing the veiled pharmacopoeias that blur the lines between medicine and poison, I point to Walter Benjamin's later intoxication trials, which attempted to revive this recondite pharmacology.