E-SUPPLEMENT TO THE JOURNAL FOR CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS THEORY
The following is the third of a three-part series. The first and second can be found here. It Was Only a Dream The idea of reaching another layer of reality via hallucinogens is often associated with the dream experience. Dreaming is believed by many New Agers and New Paradigmers to be a therapeutic phenomenon. But […]
The following is the second of a three-part series. The first can be found here. Symbolically, the idea of going beyond the edge of the ordinary world to encounter other levels of reality is a recurring theme in religion and mythology. For example, Hindu mystical texts promise, via practices such as yoga and meditation, glimpses […]
Osto, Douglas. Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. ISNB 10: 0231177305 Hardcover, e-book. 328 pages. In recent years, the amount of published scholarly work on psychedelics, religion, and spirituality has grown enormously. Even so, many writers still feel it necessary to do a rhetorical dance around the […]
The following is the second installment in a three-part series. The first installment was published on May 27, 2016 and can be found here. Chod, the Rite of Severance Chod, translated from Tibetan as meaning “severance”, is a ritual that focuses on interaction with supernatural entities. As such, one may postulate that Chod is a […]
From time to time Religious Theory (RT) invites well-known academic authors to outline current book projects that have not yet been published. This second installment of the article, released in three parts, reflects a recent talk in California by Prof. Luis Leon, a well-known author of several key books on the theory of Latino religions […]