The functions of dance and music in human evolution are a mystery. Current research on the evolution of music has mainly focused on its melodic attribute which would have evolved alongside (proto-)language. Instead, we propose an alternative conceptual framework which focuses on the co-evolution of rhythm and dance (R&D) as intertwined aspects of a multimodal phenomenon characterized by the...
Examines rise of Gnostic Spirituality within historical environment of shamanic practices and mystery initiation; Engages the movie, “The Truman Show.”
In Europe body purification and natural balance restoring rituals are becoming increasingly popular, but an introduction of Amazonian shamanic rituals in urban Europe can result in unexpected adverse events. A 44-year-old woman attended a Kambô or Sapo ritual in Slovenia where dried skin secretion from a giant leaf frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) was applied to five freshly burned wounds at her...
In an increasingly noteworthy manner translation appears as a process, device or configuration that is not limited do textual dimension, but inserted in the wider context of ritual, social and technical exchanges. This is a moment of overflowing or expansion of translation, which requires a specific attention. This extratextual proceeding of translation is taken here as a motif to rethink the...
Human NatureSeptember 2016Hervey C Peoples, Pavel Duda, Frank W Marlowe
Recent studies of the evolution of religion have revealed the cognitive underpinnings of belief in supernatural agents, the role of ritual in promoting cooperation, and the contribution of morally punishing high gods to the growth and stabilization of human society. The universality of religion across human society points to a deep evolutionary past. However, specific traits of nascent...
This chapter considers the hazy status of ayahuasca in the English legal system through a consideration of relevant international provisions, domestic legislation, and case law, and focusing in particular on the prosecution of self-proclaimed shamanic practitioner Peter Aziz. The core ambiguity is that, while the psychoactive component of ayahuasca, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), is scheduled as...
September 1, 2016Clancy Cavnar Beatriz Caiuby Labate2 citations
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that has been historically used by indigenous and mestizo Amazonians for shamanic purposes. It is typically constituted by boiling the vine Banisteriopsis caapi with the shrub Psychotria viridis – two plants that contain sets of chemicals that are a "match made in heaven."4 Many books and articles on the topic of ayahuasca begin with a similar opening statement,...
Since at least the early colonial period, ayahuasca has been crucial to social life for both mestizo and indigenous peoples throughout the western Peruvian Amazon. This psychoactive beverage, containing the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and usually other admixtures, especially chacruna (Psychotria viridis), is traditionally utilized by Amazonian peoples for curing numerous ailments,...
INTRODUCTION: Ayahuasca is a South American psychotropic plant tea traditionally used in Amazonian shamanism. The tea contains the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), plus β-carboline alkaloids with monoamine oxidase-inhibiting properties. Increasing evidence from anecdotal reports and open-label studies indicates that ayahuasca may have therapeutic effects in...
Trance is an absorptive state of consciousness characterized by narrowed awareness of external surroundings and has long been used-for example, by shamans-to gain insight. Shamans across cultures often induce trance by listening to rhythmic drumming. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined the brain-network configuration associated with trance. Experienced shamanic...