Psychedelic Gnosis
Arthur Versluis
Oxford University Press eBooks October 10, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197653210.003.0008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that twentieth- and twenty-first-century psychedelic and entheogen literature, especially the work of Christopher Bache and Daniel Pinchbeck, carries "neo-gnostic" elements alongside prophetic and millenarian themes, with Bache's work also connected to Buddhism; Christopher Partridge's scholarship supplies context, and the term "paragnosis" is introduced to describe this new religious framing. |
Abstract
Abstract There is a history of psychedelics and entheogens in twentieth- and twenty-first century in the context of neo-gnostic elements from contemporary popular authors and scholars including Christopher Bache, Jonathan Phillips, Erik Davis, and Daniel Pinchbeck. In particular the scholarly work of Christopher Partridge provides some context. Christopher Bache’s work also clearly has a prophetic element in such books as Dark Night, Early Dawn. There is also millenarian aspects of Bache’s and Pinchbeck’s work and the relation of Bache’s work to Buddhism, with contemporary literature on psychedelics in a new religious context with relation to neo-gnostic elements, including the term “paragnosis.”