Erowid.org: Erowid Reference 8045 : Shamanism and San Pedro through Time: Some Notes on the Archaeology, History, and Continued Use of an Entheogen in Northern Peru : Glass-Coffin B

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Glass-Coffin B. “Shamanism and San Pedro through Time: Some Notes on the Archaeology, History, and Continued Use of an Entheogen in Northern Peru”. AOC. 2010 Spring;21(1):58-82. <a name="ref">Glass-Coffin B.</a> <a href="/references/8045">"Shamanism and San Pedro through Time: Some Notes on the Archaeology, History, and Continued Use of an Entheogen in Northern Peru"</a> <i>AOC</i>. 2010 Spring;21(1):58-82.
Texts Abstract (this page) Full Text - English (private) External Text Show Articles by Glass-Coffin B Article IDs Erowid RefID: 8045 PubMedID: unknown Collections Hofmann Collection MDMA Collection All References	Abstract This paper discusses archaeological, historical, and contemporary ethnographic evidence for the use of the San Pedro cactus in northern Peru as a vehicle for traveling between worlds and for imparting the “vista” magical sight necessary for shamanic healers to divine the cause of their patients' ailments. Using iconographic, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence for the uninterrupted use of this sacred plant as a means of access to the Divine and as a tool for healing, it describes the relationship between San Pedro, ancestor worship, water/fertility cults and also the common symbolic associations between San Pedro and wind-spirits. It closes by suggesting that the more than 2000 year time-depth of using this plant as a means for accessing the realms of Spirit and as a tool for healing should serve to challenge the unfortunate tendency in the contemporary United States to consider this plant as a “recreational drug.”
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