Liquid light : Ayahuasca spirituality and the Santo Daime tradition / G. William Barnard.

Includes bibliographical references and index

Introduction -- 1. First encounter with the Daime -- 2. Initial philosophical reflections -- 3. Next steps on the path -- 4. C�eu do Mapi�a : Beginnings -- 5. Feitio : The ritual of making the Daime -- 6. Early works in C�eu do Mapi�a -- 7. Mira�c�oes : Visionary/mystical experiences in the Santo Daime -- 8. Mediumship in the Santo Daime -- 9. The holy house in C�eu do Mapi�a : Rosary works -- 10. Final days in C�eu do Mapi�a -- 11. Post-Mapi�a ponderings : Divinization.

"In the last few years there has been a resurgence of interest in psychedelics across a number of fields from anthropology to religion, psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience. Whereas most recent publications have either stressed the potential therapeutic benefits of these powerful mind-altering substances or offered anthropological analyses of how these substances are utilized in different cultural contexts, Liquid Light takes a different approach. Using as a case study the Santo Daime community in Brazil, which practices a religion based on the sacramental use of ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew. Barnard gives readers a vivid, introspectively sophisticated depiction of the dramatic ritual and visionary worlds that appear in the life of a practitioner of this tradition--himself--arguing that careful examination of entheogenic religions, understood not only historically and culturally but also, as it were, "from within," can provide a rich empirical basis for sustained reflection on what psychedelics more generally can tell us about a wide range of key philosophical questions concerning the nature of consciousness, selfhood, and reality"-- Provided by publisher

G. William Barnard is a professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University.

Print version record.

WorldCat record variable field(s) change: 050