Welcome to the return of the Friday Vibes column on The Pageless Book. I’m not going to promise that we’ll have this column on a weekly basis, but I am going to try valiantly to see if it can be done. There are two pieces of news that I’d like to touch base on this Friday - some religion and some pop culture. It’s a nice mix, as always…
First, I want to talk about Moses and his alleged drug problem. Benny Shanon, an Israeli scholar, recently put forth the theory that the experiences of Moses on Mount Sinai were caused by the hallucinogenic drug, ayahuasca. SoMA Review has an article about this issue, proposing that Shanon’s proposal might be a little too speculative to be given any serious consideration. However, I would contend that Professor Shanon may be on to something.
All religions have their genesis in shamanism - the most primitive form of religion. Every shamanic culture has used extreme methods of altering consciousness, including the use of hallucinogenic drugs. It isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that Moses may have been what we would consider a shaman for the tribes of Israel. In which case the question becomes of which means of altering consciousness did Moses use? Ayahusca is as likely a suspect as fasting, sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation, and oxygen deprivation.
We have this idea that spiritual experiences that are purposely sought after are some how less important or real that those experiences that occur naturally. I can’t disagree more. The means in which Moses experienced God is little more than a historical note. So long as you find the message meaningful to your own life, how a religion came upon its message is unimportant. What is important is to remain open minded and honest with ourselves so that meaning does not become dogma.
In other news, the father of roleplaying games passed away this week at the age of 69. Gary Gygax, along with Dave Arneson, developed Dungeons & Dragons. This game inspired legions of awkward teenage boys to gather weekly around the gaming table… myself included. Even now, Dungeons & Dragons remains my favorite hobby. I strongly suggest heading over to The Wild Hunt to read Jason Pitzl-Waters’ tribute.
As for myself, I don’t have much to say, except that I am grateful for Gary Gygax’s contribution to gaming. If it was not for Dungeons & Dragons, I would not be half the writer I am today. So in honor of the original Dungeon Master, I present the following video:
Above Photo by Chris Brown.
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