1. The Anthropology of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion
On Consciousness
(“Normal” and “Altered”)

2. Conscious
First use in the early 1600s; derived from Latin conscius
com- “with” + scire “to know”
Thus: “knowing with others, participating in knowledge, aware of”
Consciousness: the ability to know about – and consequently to act within – the world.

3. “knowing with others, participating in knowledge, aware of”
This is not as straightforward as it might seem…
How can I be certain that what I know
is what you know?
Can I really “participate” in your knowledge?
What does it mean to be “aware”?

4. One Answer - Ban Consciousness as a Topic of Study
Burrhus Fredric Skinner
John B. Watson
The “fathers” of behaviorism

5. The Behaviorist Answer
black box
Stimulus
Response
But what is going on inside the cat’s head?
that is…
Why does it respond the way it does?

6. Solipsism A range of answers…
Panpsychism
all matter has some form of consciousness
one’s own mind is all that exists

7. But things change (as they always do…)
Albert Hofmann
Holding a model of the LSD molecule
Allen Ginsburg dancing at the Human Be-In, 1967
and “consciousness” has made a come-back

8. Waking States of Consciousness
Enable an organism to function within the world
Primarily outward directed
Survival-oriented
(identifying food, enemies, mates, etc.)

9. For us…
Consciousness involves the ability to know about – and consequently to act within – the world.
Involves “self-awareness”
found in
humans
chimps
gorillas
i.e., of the self as being distinct from the rest of the universe

10. A Measure of Self-Awareness
“passed” by:
great apes
Bonobos
Chimpanzees
Orangutans
Gorillas
Bottlenose Dolphins
Orcas
Elephants
European Magpies
Pigs
Humans (after app. 18 months)
Don’t worry, they’re just friends…

11. Consciousness Is made possible by biological processes that are
rooted in our individual biology
open to manipulation
culturally expressed
As a result, “normal consciousness” differs from
society to society
person to person

12. Mind is a “high level” function of the brain that
Enables self-awareness
Allows the individual to conceptualize her or his place in the world
Makes it possible to learn, generate, and apply “high level” models (interpretations) of the world

13. Learned Models Hypotheses about the world
verified or falsified via sensory and motor activity
Unique to the individual (non-isomorphic)
Limited in scope and applicability (tenuous)

14. Via Sensory Input We experience “what is going on”
We learn how to refer to things (language)
We learn what things are (culturally) significant
We learn how to act upon the world

15. Via Motor Output We verify “what is going on”
We validate our linguistic categories
We communicate what we find significant
We verify the “correctness” of our models of the world

16. Normal “States” of Consciousness
Waking Mode (the “baseline”)
Deep Sleep
REM (Dream) Sleep

17. Altered States of
Consciousness

18. Altered “States” of Consciousness aka
Mystical
Transcendental
Transpersonal
Integrative

19. ASCs Can be induced at several “levels” Body/Brain functioning
Mental Activity
External agents

20. Sensory Activity deprivation overload Mental Activity focused relaxed
How to Induce ASCs
Sensory Activity deprivation overload Mental Activity focused relaxed

21. The Continuum of Consciousness States (Roland Fischer)

22. physiological exercises (manipulation of the psychological state)
four major methods
drugs
sensory deprivation
mortification of the flesh
pain
sleeplessness
fatigue
deprivation
food
water
air

23. 13 categories of religious behavior
prayer
music
physiological exercises
exhortation
reciting the code
simulation
mana
taboo
feasts
sacrifice
congregation
inspiration
symbolism
… the “smallest religious things” of a society

24. Cultures and “Drugs”
Prescribed drug use – culturally explained (often ritualized), tend to be integrative
Proscribed drug use – individually shaped, may be dis/integrative (both to the individual and the culture)

25. The Basic Structure of Sacred Space
“profane”

26. Balche’ Ritual of the Lacandon Maya
Made from a tree (Lonchocarpus violaceus) that is allow to ferment
Active components: alcohol, longistylines
Rite of Intensification (collective use)

27. “rite of passage” sacred world profane world initial social status
liminality (the threshold)
separation
reintegration
initial social status
subsequent social status
profane world

28. Peyote Use among the Huichol
Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) contains mescaline and numerous other alkaloids
Used as an all purpose medicine and for ritual purposes

29. Datura Use among the Chumash
Datura wrightii contains numerous tropane alkaloids (atropine, scopolamine)
Used in initiations, to acquire spirit helpers

30. Hoasca/Ayahuasca
Psychotria viridis
Banisteriopsis caapi

31. Caapi contains β-carbolines Chacruna contains Dimethyltryptamines
Sedative
Hypnotic
MAO-inhibiting
Chacruna contains
Dimethyltryptamines
Visionary

32. Ayahuasca Use for millennia in Amazon Basin and neighboring regions
May be the most commonly used hallucinogenic preparation in the world

33. Ayahuasca Churches Santo Daime
Founded in 1920s by Raimundo Irineu Serra
Combines Christian
with indigenous & Mestizo religious elements

34. Ayahuasca Churches União de Vegetal
Founded in 1961 by Jose Gabriel da Costa (Mestre Gabriel)
UDV Church has U.S. presence

35. What can we say about Consciousness?
It is dynamic
It is different for each of us
All cultures control the consciousness of their members
Your consciousness is your most personal attribute