A priest, a rabbi, an imam, and a Buddhist walked into a lab… and took a high dose of psilocybin (magic mushrooms).
Sounds like the start of a joke, right? But this actually happened.
Nearly ten years ago, a groundbreaking study took place. The results were only recently published in the journal Psychedelic Medicine. And they’re astonishing.
It’s often said, half-joking, half-serious, that world leaders should take psychedelics to become warmer, wiser, more empathetic leaders. Well… this already happened. And here’s what came out of it:
- Over 90% of the 33 clergy members said their psilocybin experience was among the most spiritually meaningful and sacred moments of their lives.
- Nearly half said it was the single most profound experience they’d ever had.
- Many shared that it made them better religious leaders.
Wow.
And it’s in line with something else I recently read, a prediction that by 2050, traditional religions will largely dissolve and give way to a more spiritual way of living.
(No offense if you’re religious – I’m simply sharing what I see and hear around me.)
You might wonder: how can a single psilocybin experience outweigh a lifetime of religious devotion? Apparently… it can.
The roots of religion and the power of altered states
Most world religions (Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam) don’t encourage the use of mind-altering substances.
But indigenous cultures have done so for thousands of years – through ayahuasca in South America, peyote in North America, or even the Santo Daime church right here in Amsterdam.
Some researchers even believe psychedelics were the source of mystical experiences in ancient Greece, possibly laying the foundation for religions like Christianity.
So what came first , the mystical experience or the religious system? The chicken or the egg?
Maybe we don’t need to know. Maybe we’re here to learn how to be with the not-knowing. To live from the mystery of the heart, instead of always trying to understand everything with the mind.
What this taught me – again
💫 One psychedelic journey can equal dozens of therapy sessions.
Even for a devoted mystic or spiritual teacher, it can turn your world upside down, in the best possible way.
Some of the religious leaders in this study became advocates of psychedelics years later.
They integrated the experience into their teachings and found a deeper sense of connection, a liberation from dogma, and more openness to other expressions of the sacred.
And that… gives me hope.
Want to dive deeper?
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