Professional Mormon historian Alex Criddle brings his background with psychedelics as a researcher, psychonaut, and integration guide, to discuss the role substances and non-ordinary states of consciousness played in early Mormonism. We also discuss the light and dark sides of Joseph Smith, analyzing him as a multidimensional character shaped by trauma, unintegrated shadow, and mystical experiences very likely occasioned by psychedelic substances. Understanding the nature of non-ordinary states of consciousness undermines the simplistic narrative of prophet or fraud. We go beyond simply making a case for psychedelic use in early Mormonism, and discuss the philosophical, scientific, and spiritual implications of psychedelics, as well as the many mystical experiences that others were reporting in the Second Great Awakening, and continue to do so today. He also discusses the group starting at Harvard Divinity School researching psychedelics and Mormonism, which is giving a presentation at this year's Sunstone Symposium.
Links:
Michael Ferguson's TEDx Talk - This Is Your Brain On God
New to the podcast? Make sure you watch Episode 2 or read it in on the Substack for the integrative narrative of Mormon origins:
https://open.substack.com/pub/mormonsmysticsandmuons/p/mormonism-psychedelics-quantum-physics
Please rate, share, and get in touch at [email protected]!
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Alex Criddle's Background
02:19 Research on Psychedelics and Mormonism
03:07 Neural Correlates of Feeling the Spirit
04:17 Spectrum of Belief Involved in Research into Mormonism and Psychedelics
05:29 Mormonism's Contemporary Influences
07:19 Possible Osychedelic Influences on the Second Great Awakening
08:46 Variety of Modalities to Access Mystical States
14:46 Psychedelics and the Stigma of "Drugs"
16:26 The Difficulty of Describing Mystical Experiences
19:14 Types of Altered States of Consciousness and Experiences
21:58 Alex's Personal Journey and Cosmology
23:56 "Joseph was on drugs" and Alex's Start into Psychedelics
25:25 Alex Being Honorably Excused from a Mission
27:05 Alex Finds the Remnant Movement and Denver Snuffer
28:49 Alex's Journey Through Atheism, Agnosticism, and then Polytheism
29:29 Polytheism from the Perspective of Idealism
33:30 The Validity of Mormonism within Idealism
34:03 Polytheism and the Universal Unconscious
36:19 Indra's Net of Jewels
38:15 Joseph Smith's Pursuit of Oneness
38:48 The Case for Joseph Smith having had Geneuine Mystical Experiences
41:25 Joseph's Ability to Induce Mystical Experiences in Others
43:04 Joseph's Potential Access to Altered States Through Trauma
45:55 How Much Did Joseph Believe?
47:30 Denver Snuffer and the Second Comforter
52:13 Joseph Smith's Ritual Genius
56:12 Interpretation and Integration of Psychedelic Experiences
01:03:57 Stan Grof and Joseph Smith's Failed Shamanic Initiation Crisis
01:06:52 Joseph Smith's Conflicted Nature
01:10:15 Understanding Joseph Smith's Complex Personality
01:12:56 Joseph Smith's Difficulty Integrating his Experience
01:15:28 Exploring Joseph Smith's Shadow Side in the Book of Mormon
01:17:35 Sexuality, Polygamy, and Taboos
01:20:24 Carl Jung's Two Personalities and Joseph Smith's Shadow
01:22:11 Psychedelic Experiences being Mapped onto God and Satan
01:24:22 Reconciling Psychedelics with Feelings of the Spirit
01:29:22 The Potential Impact of Psychedelics on the Church
01:34:18 Any Smoking Gun for Psychedelics in Mormonism's History?
01:35:43 Conclusion