Ep 188 – The Entheogenic Origins of Mormonism: A Working Hypothesis pt. 3
Naked Mormonism Podcast
Bryce Blankenagel
4.7 • 680 Ratings
🗓️ 3 January 2020
⏱️ 117 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode, we conclude reading through our recently-published paper in the Journal of Psychedelics Studies on psychedelics in early Mormonism. Parts 1 and 2 established the foundation for what will be discussed in this part 3. We examine entheogens in the early church, the Kirtland-era, and Nauvoo-era endowment practices. Joseph Smith sending missionaries to Texas is viewed through the psychedelic lens in attempting to acquire a steady supply of peyote. After Smith’s death, the sharp drop off of visionary experiences in factions of Mormonism is particularly noteworthy. Frederick M. Smith, grandson of Joseph, practiced use of peyote and even advocated for their use, serving as a direct influence on the early 20th-century psychedelic movement coming out of Harvard. Peyote and entheogen use in modern factions of Mormon-related religions also present some interesting ethical and legal questions. The paper is wrapped up with a conclusion after which we bring on a guest to discuss an event coming 19 April 2020.
Find the paper here:
https://www.academia.edu/40786304/The_entheogenic_origins_of_Mormonism_A_working_hypothesis
https://akademiai.com/doi/pdf/10.1556/2054.2019.020
“Bicycle day” event 19 April 2020 at Salt Lake City Library followed by a tour of Gilgal Gardens
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/psychedelics-and-early-mormonism-what-hides-in-plain-sight-tickets-86967244369?fbclid=IwAR3hXoNtOcUwzHPCYVYJLTHDxFJaSED5pk_uXgZCgd-v3SxSda2iMDmiPAc
Utah Psychedelic Society
https://www.meetup.com/Utah-Psychedelic-Society/
Show links:
Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I am Ryan McKnight. I'm Kara Santa Maria. I am Christopher Smith. Hi, I'm Andrew Torres. This is |
| 0:08.2 | Naked Mormonism. The Serial Mormon History podcast. We've done parts one and two of reading through our recently published paper, |
| 0:25.8 | The Entheogenic Origins of Mormonism, a working hypothesis over the last two weeks of episodes. |
| 0:33.0 | Part one established the background of entheogens in magic and occult ritualism, as well as the |
| 0:39.3 | Smith family's magical worldview. It also discussed herbalism in the Book of Mormon, in the |
| 0:44.8 | Word of Wisdom, and other early Mormon sacramental rituals. Part two dove into the most likely |
| 0:50.8 | candidate psychedelics used in Mormon entheogenic practices. It also discussed |
| 0:56.3 | the symptomology of those plant medicines and discussed how Smith could have come into possession |
| 1:01.2 | of the knowledge and physical materials in order to employ these various entheogens. |
| 1:06.8 | That basis of knowledge served as the foundation for discussing the first vision experience |
| 1:11.5 | in the Sacred Grove, the death and rebirth symbolism within the book of Mormon, and also |
| 1:16.8 | the therapeutic effects of anthogens in order to treat trauma, depression, and PTSD for |
| 1:22.7 | Joseph Smith and many early Mormons. |
| 1:25.3 | Now for part three, the prestige of entheogens in Mormonism. |
| 1:30.5 | Today we examine entheogens in early Mormonism and what actually spurned this project in the first |
| 1:36.4 | place. When it comes to entheogens in Joseph Smith's life prior to the foundation of the church, |
| 1:42.2 | evidence is understandably scarce and requires a synthesis of multiple disparate documents |
| 1:47.4 | and suppositions based on what can be found in the dreams of Joseph Sr. |
| 1:51.5 | In the pages of the Book of Mormon, the first vision experience, and then drawn together |
| 1:55.3 | from the magical worldview. |
| 1:57.5 | However, in the early Kirtland era of Mormonism, a wealth of ecstatic and visionary experiences can be drawn from to form a rock-solid foundation to explore psychedelics in early Mormonism. |
| 2:10.7 | With that in mind, today we'll discuss early Mormonism under the leadership of Joseph Smith, the sharp yet brief transition away from |
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