God’s Pharmacy: On the Use of Entheogens in Jewish Mystical Traditions
January 13, 2025 DOI: 10.70423/0001.05 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDrawing on Derrida's essay Plato's Pharmacy, this article examines sacred and profane illuminations within Judaism, focusing on the marking nut (baldhur). It surveys both exoteric-curative and esoteric-altered states of consciousness induced by this medicinal plant fruit, retracing veiled pharmacopoeias that blur the line between medicine and poison. The analysis points to Walter Benjamin's later intoxication trials, which attempted to revive this recondite pharmacology.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Judaism Pharmacy Religious studies Psychology |
| Key finding | 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.