Entheogens act as divine sacraments for some various practitioners and facilitate transcendent experiences. It is a term derived from the Greek 'entheos', translated to mean "having God within" and 'genesthe' meaning "to generate".
The word entheo has been used to describe poets, musicians and other artists, as well as hippies. And even though these substances are also enjoyed recreationally within these cultures, the term entheogen is a strictly reverent term for the enthnobotanicals, such as peyote and ayahuasca, used by practitioners dating back tens of thousands of years.
Most entheogens are illegal and their use is not to be taken lightly. The use of some of these plants is permitted in limited areas within the US as a protected religious practice, but is generally prohibited in most parts of the world. The Netherlands is an exception and tolerates the use of several psychoactive substances, including peyote, ayahuasca, truffles (mushrooms) and San Pedro cactus.
In Amsterdam, you will find 'Smart Shops' and 'Dream Lounges', places which sell the aforementioned drugs and provide advice and safe environments for their use. This would be a more secular environment than where you can also have a drug-enduced spiritual experience (cutting to the chase) domestically at certain churches in the Southwest.
From what I have found, these 'churches' seemed to be formed for the exact purpose of providing these drugs to whoever can afford their 'membership fee.' I haven't joined, so I cannot speak from personal experience, but it seems you can pay a fee for a 'spirit walk' on their property in Arizona.
Even though I have spent a lot of time in recent years in the Southwest, I never explored these 'churches'. Rather than going back there though, I decided I would finally travel to Europe. So, I booked a trip to Amsterdam for a week in July. One of my goals there - to experience these entheogens myself at one (or more) of these Dream Lounges.
While there, I will also be taking in a music festival (www.rootsinthepark.com), as well as my share of windmills, tulips and wooden shoes. But, I am going to talk openly here about my experiences with these psychoactive plants.
As a practical matter, I am going to be writing an emergency contact number on my skin with a sharpie when I'm over there. :)
As well as discussing these drugs, I will also be adding some experiences relating to solo travel abroad. It's been a few years since I have been overseas like this alone and I am excited to see what all unfolds.
Stay tuned! :)
