T. Hatsis. Psychedelic Secret Traditions. Spiritual Plants, Magical Practices, Ecstatic States

“Psychedelic Secret Traditions” is a brilliant book that offers an abundance of fascinating information and stunning ideas. Its author, Thomas Hatsis, is one of the most important and rigorous historians in the field of psychedelic studies. He has specifically studied Latin to work with primary sources rather than relying on retellings.

The entire work is presented in the form of a narrative, where the author guides us from the mysterious symbolism of cave art in prehistoric times to the beginnings of recorded history and stories from archaeological and written sources. Through the millennia, he reveals and shares with us the secrets and treasures of the past before leading us to the present day.

His text confirms the suspicions of many of us who intuitively understand that the life of the spirit, soul, and awakened heart has occurred in various places and times and can now be much richer than what we see around us. While the book is aimed at a broad audience, it will also be of interest to researchers from related fields. The rigor that the author brings to his inquiries serves as a necessary counterbalance to the overly zealous claims of less disciplined psychedelic sociologists who want to see the presence of mind-expanding mushrooms and plants in too many historical phenomena. Thomas’s irrefutable debunking of claims about the psychedelic Santa with his red fly agaric (the red and white colors in his attire) and the symbolic shamanic flight (on reindeer) is just one of many examples.

The human spiritual landscape has become quite impoverished in our times, but thanks to the efforts of researchers like Thomas Hatsis, “the temple that has been destroyed and closed all this time is reopening”…

For the widest possible audience.