Peyote mostly grows in northern Mexico and southern Texas. The cactus itself is small and woolly and shaped like a button. It is usually consumed with tea or the buttons (which are extremely bitter in taste!) are swallowed.
Timelines regarding peyote use in the USA chart how Peyote went from being clamped down on in the 1500's to its presence status of being protected under US law for use by Native Indians in 'bona fide religious ceremonies'. It is interesting to consider whether these laws could or should be extended to cover other religious communities such as Rastafarians who engage in smoking cannabis. It also highlights how something which is considered harmful or illegal by the government is permitted on a religious basis likening this issue to that of the Sikh kirpan .
Here's a question for those of you with enough spare time on your hands to be delving through this blog... Should people be allowed to break laws of the country based on religious grounds?
The video above talks about the experiences of those who have taken peyote as part of their spiritual practise. It documents how the Native American Church came to being in 1918 and from what I have read of this church online the core belief of this church is rooted in the usage of peyote with other factors such as religious figures of authority being only secondary.
Another interesting point stemming from the video is the expert’s explanation that in the Native American language there is no word for hallucination, instead the shapes, colours, sights and sounds that are experienced whilst peyote is consumed all are part of a spiritual realm or spiritual world.
Peyote has filtered through to popular culture from a mention in a Simpson’s episode to a peyote trip featured in Beavis and Butthead. And I am ending this post with a YouTube video from the movie 'Young Guns which includes a peyote trip and I think encapsulates the attitude held in US popular culture regarding the effects of peyote.
Aho Relatives, Peyote is a form of magical mushroom elixir of the Setting Sun, the Star (returning home). As you can tell it's not a mushroom, but looks like it. This is not traditional knowledge, but brought to Native Americans by the White Man perspective on the eastern shore, they being flesh elders (rainbow clan). Red man is the soul elder, which uses green grass and the sacred pipe, devoted to the western shore, the Morning Star, wakan (holy walking, meaning daily prayers) and dreaming while awaken.
ReplyDeleteThe Native American Church, is just this, a church in religious propaganda, trying to cultivate sacred knowledge. And it's not successful. Peyote usage, kills too many relatives and is the NOT the sacred path to wisdom. It is the Green Grass growing all around us, that shows us the way, together will save the daze. Dream with me relatives, share the Sacred Pipe instead.
Now, sacred knowledge returns when man learns to accept self and all will flood back to him/her.
your devoted servant, White Buffalo Calf Woman
elder crystal child, rainbow warriors of prophecy, http://alightfromwithin.org