Patriarchy and the Drug War

by Dan Russell

Discusses the archetypal aspects of the drug war - the evolutionary politics of the transition from tribal to industrial culture. It is true ancient history. The text is illuminated by 200 genuine pharmaco-shamanic images from the ancient world.

Herbal magic, real pharmaco-shamanism, is at the core of all matriarchal cultures. The Goddess does not separate from her herbal magic, from her invention of medicine. The central sacrament of all Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures known is an inebriative herb, a plant totem, which became metaphoric of the communal epiphany. These herbs, herbal concoctions and herbal metaphors are at the heart of all mythologies. They include such familiar images as the Burning Bush, the Tree of Life, the Cross, the Golden Bough, the Forbidden Fruit, the Blood of Christ, the Blood of Dionysos, the Holy Grail (or rather its contents), the Chalice (Kalyx:'flower cup'), the Golden Flower (Chrysanthemon), Ambrosia (Ambrotos:'immortal'), Nectar (Nektar:'overcomes death'), the Sacred Lotus, the Golden Apples, the Mystic Mandrake, the Mystic Rose, the Divine Mushroom (teonanacatl), the Divine Water Lily, Soma, Ayahuasca ('Vine of the Soul'), Kava, Iboga, Mama Coca and Peyote Woman. The transition from tribal to patriarchal culture - the invention of chattel slavery - changed the sanctioned interpretation of this imagery and criminalized the power-rites to which it referred.

'A magnificent production. I find it not only brilliant, but beautifully organized and, of course, something that needs to be. It is a tremendous work and, by nature, a tremendous volume.' Professor Richard Evans Schultes, Director Emeritus, Botanical Museum of Harvard University

'I had to write in appreciation of the invaluable contribution you've made to realizing the possible human. Immediately, I was impressed with the multi-perspectives through which you see the classics. I find your book a major ally in delivering truth today.' Jeannine Parvati Baker, author of 'Hygieia: A Woman's Herbal,' 'Prenatal Yoga,' & 'Conscious Conception.'

357 pages, 200 Illustrations, annotations, 6x9 paperback, Quality Sewn Binding, $24.95 less 15%, Free Shipping