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Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge a Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution Paperback – 1 January 1980
by Terence McKenna (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 2,075 ratings
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An exploration of humans' symbiotic relationships with plants and chemicals presents information on prehistoric partnership societies, the roles of spices and spirits in the rise of dominator societies; and the politics of tobacco, tea, coffee, opium, and alcohol.
Why, as a species, are humans so fascinated by altered states of consciousness? Can altered states reveal something to us about our origins and our place in nature? In Food of the Gods, ethnobotanist Terence McKenna's research on man's ancient relationship with chemicals opens a doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. McKenna provides a revisionist look at the historical role of drugs in the East and the West, from ancient spice, sugar, and rum trades to marijuana, cocaine, synthetics, and even television--illustrating the human desire for the "food of the gods" and the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness.
Praise for Food of the Gods
"Deserves to be the modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens."--The Washington Post
"Terence McKenna is the most important--and most entertaining--visionary scholar in America."--Tom Robbins
"The culture's foremost spokesperson for the psychedelic experience . . . Those who know and enjoy Joseph Campbell's work will almost certainly appreciate McKenna."--L.A. Weekly
"An eloquent proposal for recovering something vital--a sense of the sacred, the transcendent, the Absolute--before it's too late."--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Meaning & Medicine, Recovering the Soul, and Space, Time & Machine
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Print length
311 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Bantam Books Inc
Publication date
1 January 1980
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This item: Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge a Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolutionby Terence McKennaPaperback
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Review
"Deserves to be the modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens."--The Washington Post
"Terence McKenna is the most important--and most entertaining--visionary scholar in America."--Tom Robbins
"The culture's foremost spokesperson for the psychedelic experience . . . Those who know and enjoy Joseph Campbell's work will almost certainly appreciate McKenna."--L.A. Weekly
"An eloquent proposal for recovering something vital--a sense of the sacred, the transcendent, the Absolute--before it's too late."--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Meaning & Medicine, Recovering the Soul, and Space, Time & Machine
About the Author
Terence McKenna, author and explorer, has traveled the world to work and live with shamans. He has added to their shared knowledge of rituals his own efforts to preserve the plants used in these ceremonies. Coauthor of The Invisible Landscape and Psilocybin: The Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide, Terence mesmerizes his many lecture audiences with tales of science and shamanism. He lives in Occidental, California, and is co-manager of a botanical garden in Hawaii for endangered tropical plants.
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Publisher : Bantam Books Inc; Reprint edition (1 January 1980)
Language : English
Paperback : 311 pages
85 in Ecology (Books)
100 in Substance Abuse & RecoveryCustomer Reviews:
4.8 out of 5 stars 2,075 ratings
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Terence McKenna
Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist, mystic, psychonaut, lecturer, author, and was an advocate for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including psychedelic drugs, plant-based entheogens, shamanism, metaphysics, alchemy, language, philosophy, culture, technology, environmentalism, and the theoretical origins of human consciousness. He was called the "Timothy Leary of the '90s", "one of the leading authorities on the ontological foundations of shamanism", and the "intellectual voice of rave culture".
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Entropath (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons.
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Top reviews from Australia
Alex Bryant
4.0 out of 5 stars A well articulated critique of modern society's attitude to natural substance consumptionReviewed in Australia on 14 August 2016
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McKenna has a great way of articulating his ideas about the world. The book starts and ends well, but the technical nature of the middle sections on cultural history in relation to plant based substance consumption by different civilizations can be difficult to digest at times. In general the message of the book is strong and it does raise important questions about our history as a species and the incongruity of modern culture with our inherited biology.
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Matthew
5.0 out of 5 stars Great bookReviewed in Australia on 28 February 2021
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Author has a great mind
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saeed
5.0 out of 5 stars greatReviewed in Australia on 13 September 2020
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This is a great book from a great writer
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Billie
1.0 out of 5 stars DifferentReviewed in Australia on 13 June 2015
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I bought this book expecting something entirely different such as receipies. I also find the style of writing a tad above my intellect. No offence to the author because there will be a lot of highly educated persons who will enjoy this book
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Mylife
5.0 out of 5 stars ProudReviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2020
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RIP - Legend that was Terence McKenna!
So much they have hidden from us and lied to us about.
Plan-demic.
Tier 3 and proud!
No house arrest, no theft of DNA, no vaccination, no chip - ever.
Resistance Always
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Liz Summers
5.0 out of 5 stars unmistakably McKennaReviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2020
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If you like Terence McKenna, you'll love this narrative. His hair-raising adventures, his flirtation with madness, his examination of all things hallucinogenic that the Amazon Rainforest had to offer, are all detailed with the kind of language that is unmistakably McKenna. Lost to us now, his writing and recordings go on, informing and entertaining us. RIP Teremce and thanks for everything.
I bought the kindle edition, so cannot comment on presentation or packaging.
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Bretonista
3.0 out of 5 stars Because little pixies told him so...!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2022
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This is a hard book to review. On the one hand, it's an enjoyable romp through the history of psychedelics, putting forward some interesting arguments. On the other hand, so many of the key points in the book are actually unsupported assertions, making the book more of a breathless polemic than a serious study. This is most noticeable in regards to the very foundation of the book, where McKenna postulates the development of human consciousness as an off-shoot of psilocybin use - the famous "stoned ape" hypothesis. This is the starting point for the whole book, yet the author fails to put forward anything more than a few "what if" arguments to support it. Very disappointing. By the end of the book McKenna is telling us about the DMT elves who've told him things when he's been tripping, at which point I found myself chuckling indulgently rather than thinking "Wow! So it must all be true!".
In short, this isn't really a good introduction to the historical use of mind-altering substances - Paul Devereux's book 'The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia' is both more detailed and more level-headed. But this is a funny, and often passionate polemic, and was influential in some circles back in the late 90s and early noughties. So worth a look. And if you don't believe me, just go ask the elves!
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Doobavitch
1.0 out of 5 stars Appalling quality. Pages falling out.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2021
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Firstly let me make it clear that this is not a reflection of the author or his works.
The quality of paper and print is appalling. My book arrived today with pages falling out and was obviously a very cheaply printed version for amazon. Also a different cover than the one shown.
This can be said of almost all the books I have bought from amazon recently.
I would rather pay more for a better quality version.
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Ermemis
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind blowing!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 August 2019
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I can only say WOW! I'm only about a third of the way through this book but the ideas, the theories, the evidence and the research have truly opened my mind to a new view of evolution and spirituality! Thought it would be a bit heavy reading, but it is so fascinating that it keeps me absorbed. I can almost FEEL my mind expanding as I read!
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