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cover image
Salvia divinorum
Doorway to Thought-Free Awareness
Rating :
rating
Author(s) :
J. D. Arthur
Pages :
131
Pub Date :
2008
Edition(s) at Erowid :
2008(pb,1st ed,f)
Publisher :
Park Street Press
ISBN :
9781594773471
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REVIEWS & COMMENTS #
This is a reprint with a new title of the book Peopled Darkness: Perceptual Transformation through Salvia divinorum (2008).
FROM THE EROWID REVIEW #
  • 10
    Review by David Arnson, 2011 Nov 17
    Originally published in 2008 under the title Peopled Darkness: Perceptual Transformation through Salvia divinorum, this book is based upon a series of experiences the author had over several years. Arthur is able to bypass the bewildering sensory effects of his initial experiences with an articulate analysis and description of a true "relationship" that he develops with the substance, especially with that of a 5X concentrate.. . . (more)
  • 8
    Review by David Aardvark, 2009 May 27
    The author wisely chose to focus Peopled Darkness entirely on his own first-person experiences with the plant, and the philosophical questions that those experiences raised. While many people try any given drug once or twice, and can write up spectacular trip reports or even hit the lecture circuit as "experts," relating riveting tales of their limited encounters, it is much more difficult to take the time to develop a long-term relationship with a single plant ally, like Arthur has done with Salvia divinorum.. . . (more)
BACK COVER #
One man's personal journey through the unparalleled trance states of salvia
  • Contains real-life descriptions of salvia-induced visionary experiences
  • Offers guidance for the responsible use of this psychoactive plant
  • Explores the shamanic awareness associated with salvia
Salvia divinorum, which recently entered the visionary pharmacopoeia of the modern world, has been used for centuries in the shamanic practices of the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico, for healing and divination. A member of the Mint family, Salvia divinorum--"diviner's sage"--offers a new doorway to the visionary pursuit of higher spiritual and meditative states.

With repeated sessions using salvia over the course of several years, J. D. Arthur began returning each time to the same inner landscape where he found himself entering a unique state of thought-free, or "thoughtless," awareness. There he accessed a mode of "dream language" that communicated an exquisite constellation of detailed meanings swiftly and flawlessly. His repeated immersion in these states of trance, as well as his analysis of their approach and withdrawal, led to a profound reassessment of the nature of normal perception and a reevaluation of what we refer to as the real world. With true-life descriptions of salvia-induced visionary states, this book offers a detailed experiential analysis for those interested in exploring salvia in their quest for higher knowledge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S) / EDITOR(S) #
J. D. Arthur began experimenting with hallucinogens during the 1960s. This led to a lifelong interest in spirituality and the enhancement of awareness. He works with disabled adults as well as people with mental illness and lives in northern New England.