Stoned Peacocks & Blue-throated Gods - Mike Crowley

Mike Crowley explores the theory that entheogens played a fundamental role in the development of early religious practices and mythological iconographies. He presents evidence suggesting that the Vedic soma was a psychoactive substance, possibly involving species of mushrooms like Amanita muscaria. According to Crowley, these substances influenced shamanic experiences that were later integrated into the symbolic framework of various cultures, including those reflected in Buddhist and Hindu art. He discusses how figures and themes in religious art, such as the blue-throated deity Shiva, may represent historical experiences or symbolic representations of these entheogens, arguing that their visual tropes like peacocks relate to specific psychoactive effects.