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The Marriage of the Sun and Moon: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Consciousness
The 19 essays gathered herein were produced as newsletters while Weil was a Fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs. The fellowship allowed the Harvard-trained physician to travel in the USA, Central & S. America, following his heart's desire: the pursuit of altered states of consciousness as a means of realizing the full potential of the human nervous system. The "marriage of the sun & moon" is, just one of many metaphors he chooses (based on his experiences of eclipse-watching) to express the transcendent feelings experienced when there's union between complementary states of mind (conscious/unconscious; higher/lower). He emerges as a very open person, just the sort to try for a high--& be successful. Indeed, he makes a point of saying that altered states of consciousness are inherent in the nervous system & can be triggered by many sorts of events--dancing, drugs, the sweatbox, eclipse-watching, even vomiting--which cultists can learn to control. He also stresses that a lot depends on set & setting. One man's hallucinogen is another man's poison. Most of the essays deal with drugs. Here, he emphasizes what he considers to be significant differences between the use of the natural plant (good) vs. the synthesized or purified extract (bad). Thus, in an essay on cocaine he contrasts the merits of chewing cocoa leaves vs. snorting the crystalline powder. He also issues strong warnings on Datura (Jimsonweed), has cautionary advice on marijuana & makes salient remarks about cultural relativism in relation to all drugs. A surprising inclusion is an essay on Uri Geller in which Weil is seen 1st as convinced believer--until he spends a day with the Amazing Randi. Still, he likes to believe there's Something There...So, unabashed advocacy of transcendent union, with some sophisticated observations on drugs & cultures.--Kirkus (edited)
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
33 people are currently reading
641 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Weil
207 books650 followersAndrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care that encompasses body, mind, and spirit. He is the author of many scientific and popular articles and of 14 books: The Natural Mind, The Marriage of the Sun and Moon From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen) Health and Healing, Natural Health, Natural Medicine; and the international bestsellers, Spontaneous Healing and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition The Healthy Kitchen: Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit (with Rosie Daley) Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being; and Why Our Health Matters: A Vision of Medicine That Can Transform Our Future (issued in paperback with new content as You Can’t Afford to Get Sick).
Combining a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine, Dr. Weil is Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he also holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair in Integrative Rheumatology and is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. The Center is the leading effort in the world to develop a comprehensive curriculum in integrative medicine. Graduates serve as directors of integrative medicine programs throughout the United States, and through its Fellowship, the Center is now training doctors and nurse practitioners around the world.
Learn More:
Facebook.com/DrWeil
YouTube.com/DrWeil
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Combining a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine, Dr. Weil is Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he also holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair in Integrative Rheumatology and is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. The Center is the leading effort in the world to develop a comprehensive curriculum in integrative medicine. Graduates serve as directors of integrative medicine programs throughout the United States, and through its Fellowship, the Center is now training doctors and nurse practitioners around the world.
Learn More:
Facebook.com/DrWeil
YouTube.com/DrWeil
Instagram.com/DrWeil
Flickr.com/DrWeil
Pinterest/DrWeil
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 18, 2018
Andrew Weil travels around the world taking conscious-altering drugs or participating in mind-altering experiences (like a solar eclipse) to see what happens.
And to think, I assumed this book would be about meditation. :)
I recently read Weil's Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing and I really liked the way he presented Eastern teachings and techniques for a Western audience. I also like his mind-set, that practical knowledge is better than mere theory.
"I must emphasize at the outset my prejudice that the experience of an altered state of consciousness is intrinsically more valuable than any amount of theorizing about it, unless the theory helps individuals to make more and better use of the states available to them." pg 241
Similar to Tim Ferriss (the self help/improvement guru who brought us such works as The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman), Weil is focused on collecting actual experiences and he uses his own body and mind as a test subject.
This book is a collection of newsletters that Weil wrote for the Institute of Current World Affairs. They offered him a fellowship after the publication of his book The Natural Mind: A Revolutionary Approach to the Drug Problem, to further test his theories about consciousness in the real world. I think his results are fascinating.
All of the chapters converge toward the idea of unifying consciousness. pg 5
The dual consciousness Weil is talking about is the active mind, represented in ancient alchemy by the sun, and the subconscious mind, represented by the moon. Within each of us, both minds operate more or less in balance. Though many of his studies involve the conscious use of drugs to achieve that balance, Weil promotes natural methods above all else. He believes that though drugs may be used ritualistically and responsibly, that any state they reveal was already a latent potential in the mind.
Basically, you can get there without the drug.
The highs of altered states of consciousness such as those of trance and meditation are similarly related to the focusing of awareness. When we learn to bring about this kind of concentration at will, we can be independent of external triggers for highs, whether drugs, sex or mangoes. pg 26
Yes, according to Weil, mangoes, the fruit, have been used by mystics for millennia to unify the conscious and subconscious minds through a type of ecstasy of the mouth. Who knew?
Weil exposes himself some far out stuff. He has three different chapters about his experiences with mushrooms.
"In other words, there is no line between poisonous and psychedelic mushrooms. Mushrooms are a pharmacological continuum, from the white cultivated variety that has no action as a drug to species like the Death Cup that can easily kill. If one likes to get high by eating mushrooms, he can choose species over a wide range of toxicity." pg 47
In addition to all kinds of drugs, there's consciousness altering through purposeful vomiting in Mexico, chili eating, personally observing Uri Geller doing his metal-bending thing and more.
This book is perfect for readers who are interested in varying states of consciousness but, for whatever reason, aren't able to make the trips or take the risks themselves. And there are risks because not everything that Weil tries is safe. At one point, he's riding waves of nausea in the rain in the middle of the jungle while his friend vomits again and again an arm's length away and there's nothing he can do about it. Certainly doesn't sound like something I'd want to attempt.
Though these newsletters were written in the '70s and this book was published in 1980, I feel that it still has applicable uses for today. Just look at all of the states that are legalizing marijuana (and our Canadian friends!). Questions about altered states of consciousness and addiction are going to crop up that society, after decades of avoidance, is going to have to answer.
"Sooner or later we will learn that plants with effects on the body and mind, such as marijuana, are what we make of them. Used intelligently and carefully they can help us. Used irresponsibly they can harm us." pg 98
Good thing we have trailblazers like Weil showing us a middle way.
And to think, I assumed this book would be about meditation. :)
I recently read Weil's Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing and I really liked the way he presented Eastern teachings and techniques for a Western audience. I also like his mind-set, that practical knowledge is better than mere theory.
"I must emphasize at the outset my prejudice that the experience of an altered state of consciousness is intrinsically more valuable than any amount of theorizing about it, unless the theory helps individuals to make more and better use of the states available to them." pg 241
Similar to Tim Ferriss (the self help/improvement guru who brought us such works as The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman), Weil is focused on collecting actual experiences and he uses his own body and mind as a test subject.
This book is a collection of newsletters that Weil wrote for the Institute of Current World Affairs. They offered him a fellowship after the publication of his book The Natural Mind: A Revolutionary Approach to the Drug Problem, to further test his theories about consciousness in the real world. I think his results are fascinating.
All of the chapters converge toward the idea of unifying consciousness. pg 5
The dual consciousness Weil is talking about is the active mind, represented in ancient alchemy by the sun, and the subconscious mind, represented by the moon. Within each of us, both minds operate more or less in balance. Though many of his studies involve the conscious use of drugs to achieve that balance, Weil promotes natural methods above all else. He believes that though drugs may be used ritualistically and responsibly, that any state they reveal was already a latent potential in the mind.
Basically, you can get there without the drug.
The highs of altered states of consciousness such as those of trance and meditation are similarly related to the focusing of awareness. When we learn to bring about this kind of concentration at will, we can be independent of external triggers for highs, whether drugs, sex or mangoes. pg 26
Yes, according to Weil, mangoes, the fruit, have been used by mystics for millennia to unify the conscious and subconscious minds through a type of ecstasy of the mouth. Who knew?
Weil exposes himself some far out stuff. He has three different chapters about his experiences with mushrooms.
"In other words, there is no line between poisonous and psychedelic mushrooms. Mushrooms are a pharmacological continuum, from the white cultivated variety that has no action as a drug to species like the Death Cup that can easily kill. If one likes to get high by eating mushrooms, he can choose species over a wide range of toxicity." pg 47
In addition to all kinds of drugs, there's consciousness altering through purposeful vomiting in Mexico, chili eating, personally observing Uri Geller doing his metal-bending thing and more.
This book is perfect for readers who are interested in varying states of consciousness but, for whatever reason, aren't able to make the trips or take the risks themselves. And there are risks because not everything that Weil tries is safe. At one point, he's riding waves of nausea in the rain in the middle of the jungle while his friend vomits again and again an arm's length away and there's nothing he can do about it. Certainly doesn't sound like something I'd want to attempt.
Though these newsletters were written in the '70s and this book was published in 1980, I feel that it still has applicable uses for today. Just look at all of the states that are legalizing marijuana (and our Canadian friends!). Questions about altered states of consciousness and addiction are going to crop up that society, after decades of avoidance, is going to have to answer.
"Sooner or later we will learn that plants with effects on the body and mind, such as marijuana, are what we make of them. Used intelligently and carefully they can help us. Used irresponsibly they can harm us." pg 98
Good thing we have trailblazers like Weil showing us a middle way.
June 14, 2022
How can I give 6 stars? It was right up my alley. His points on consciousness.
-Human beings(starting from small children) all seek out altered state of consciousness(ex. Spinning around)
-Everybody spends large amount of time in altered state whether they are aware or not.
-Altered state is continuous spectrum from ordinary waking consciousness.
*-Although specific external trigger such as drug may elicit these states, they do not cause them. Altered state of consciousness arise from interactions among purely intrapsychic forces. Thus, a drug induced state may be essentially the same as one induced by changing or meditating.
-it is valuable to learn to enter other states deliberately and consciously because such experiences are doorway to fuller use of the nervous system, to the realization of untapped human potential.
Super thought provoking as he went on a journey with just a car to experience different drugs in different indigenous culture, which is exactly what I want to do!
-Human beings(starting from small children) all seek out altered state of consciousness(ex. Spinning around)
-Everybody spends large amount of time in altered state whether they are aware or not.
-Altered state is continuous spectrum from ordinary waking consciousness.
*-Although specific external trigger such as drug may elicit these states, they do not cause them. Altered state of consciousness arise from interactions among purely intrapsychic forces. Thus, a drug induced state may be essentially the same as one induced by changing or meditating.
-it is valuable to learn to enter other states deliberately and consciously because such experiences are doorway to fuller use of the nervous system, to the realization of untapped human potential.
Super thought provoking as he went on a journey with just a car to experience different drugs in different indigenous culture, which is exactly what I want to do!
June 3, 2025
In this book Harvard trained doctor Weil describes states of consciousness while being high on psychedelics and meditation. The book begins as a 1970 travelogue of his research trips into southern Mexico and Columbia to learn how indigenous people work with drugs. A subsequent part of the book attempts to describe bodies of knowledge which don't fit into our "solar" side of the mind. Most impressively, for me, he notes that truths experienced while high are intrinsic, always present but ignored by the solar side. The lunar side of the mind may be anatomically closer to the brain stem and the limbic system. A fun read, this, and worthy companion of the cookbooks and integrative health books he has written in recent decades.
July 25, 2022
This was a really interesting book with the premise that as humans we have a natural desire to experience different forms of consciousness.
The author focuses on the idea that the issue of drug abuse is one that has been exacerbated through the isolation of single 'active' compounds from complex plants by pharmacologists. For example, opium taken orally has a mechanism to deter overuse by creating nausea whereas heroin does not and its a lot easier to become addicted. Weil suggests an experiment; replacing heroin and methadone (which is prescribed on the NHS in the UK as a substitute for heroin) with opium, which would be a lot more economical as its unprocessed thus requiring less labour and processing and also because 'A single kilo of heroin requires 10 kilos of opium gum' and 'Opium farmers can sell a kilo of opium gum for $30 to $35. In the US, a kilo of heroin sells wholesale for $55,000 to $285,000' (https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publ... ). I know the source article is from 1985 but you get the idea. Weil reinforces this by also suggesting that 'ritualised use of natural drugs in positive ways under careful social controls' could help solve the problem of drug abuse.
Weil also mentions examples of the healing nature of 'drugs' in their natural state, such as the coca leaf (which can treat arthritis and promote longevity as well as so much more) and marijuana (which is selective about who it will heal).
Weil also mentions the concept of rolfing where muscles are manipulated to break up knots and resistance in them which is believed to correlate with 'painful experiences repressed in the unconscious'. This I found interesting and wondered why it isnt promoted and as widely available as an alternative or in addition to talking therapies for people who have gone through painful experiences?
Weil dedicates three chapters to certain species of psychedelic mushroom, which also grow naturally here in the UK and have been described as having therapeutic benefits such as in the treatment of depression, again using a extract 'psilocybin' from the mushroom as opposed to the whole, perhaps because it cannot be patented in its naturally occurring whole mushroom state which would have implications for profit and legitimacy of use and labelling as a 'medication'. Although Im not so sure that a clinical setting is what Weil meant in terms of a 'careful social controls'.
One interesting experience Weil has in the book is when he is taking a Liberty Cap mushroom and he has a vision in the form of a premonition of another species of mushroom he has not yet encountered that he recognises at a later date growing someplace else.
Weil looks at certain legalised 'drugs' such as coffee and sugar and the health impact of consuming too much. Which also makes me wonder why alcohol is legal, when it can have such devastating health consequences? Is it because of its links with the economy, in terms of the UK, ownership of the land and agricultural sector, processing and distribution facilities and the historical socially cultural acceptance of alcohol by those who get to decide what is legal and what is not? The climate and soil quality here wouldn't enable many of the illegal 'drugs' to grow here naturally so those people who own the alcohol resources, processing and distribution networks greatly benefit from the legality of alcohol (and other substances), if as Weil suggests people have a natural inclination to want to experience different forms of consciousness. There is this video by Jake Tran on youtube that gives some background to the history of Hawaii and the impact of sugar plantations on the people of the country; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbQjN...
One of the other natural highs Weil notes is watching an eclipse and he wonders why governments around the world have issued advice against looking directly at an eclipse. Weil then talks about how Wovoka, a native American experienced a revelation from the spirit world during an eclipse, that prophesised that a Ghost Dance would cause the 'white men' to go 'back to his own continent' (Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by John Fire Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes).
The author focuses on the idea that the issue of drug abuse is one that has been exacerbated through the isolation of single 'active' compounds from complex plants by pharmacologists. For example, opium taken orally has a mechanism to deter overuse by creating nausea whereas heroin does not and its a lot easier to become addicted. Weil suggests an experiment; replacing heroin and methadone (which is prescribed on the NHS in the UK as a substitute for heroin) with opium, which would be a lot more economical as its unprocessed thus requiring less labour and processing and also because 'A single kilo of heroin requires 10 kilos of opium gum' and 'Opium farmers can sell a kilo of opium gum for $30 to $35. In the US, a kilo of heroin sells wholesale for $55,000 to $285,000' (https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publ... ). I know the source article is from 1985 but you get the idea. Weil reinforces this by also suggesting that 'ritualised use of natural drugs in positive ways under careful social controls' could help solve the problem of drug abuse.
Weil also mentions examples of the healing nature of 'drugs' in their natural state, such as the coca leaf (which can treat arthritis and promote longevity as well as so much more) and marijuana (which is selective about who it will heal).
Weil also mentions the concept of rolfing where muscles are manipulated to break up knots and resistance in them which is believed to correlate with 'painful experiences repressed in the unconscious'. This I found interesting and wondered why it isnt promoted and as widely available as an alternative or in addition to talking therapies for people who have gone through painful experiences?
Weil dedicates three chapters to certain species of psychedelic mushroom, which also grow naturally here in the UK and have been described as having therapeutic benefits such as in the treatment of depression, again using a extract 'psilocybin' from the mushroom as opposed to the whole, perhaps because it cannot be patented in its naturally occurring whole mushroom state which would have implications for profit and legitimacy of use and labelling as a 'medication'. Although Im not so sure that a clinical setting is what Weil meant in terms of a 'careful social controls'.
One interesting experience Weil has in the book is when he is taking a Liberty Cap mushroom and he has a vision in the form of a premonition of another species of mushroom he has not yet encountered that he recognises at a later date growing someplace else.
Weil looks at certain legalised 'drugs' such as coffee and sugar and the health impact of consuming too much. Which also makes me wonder why alcohol is legal, when it can have such devastating health consequences? Is it because of its links with the economy, in terms of the UK, ownership of the land and agricultural sector, processing and distribution facilities and the historical socially cultural acceptance of alcohol by those who get to decide what is legal and what is not? The climate and soil quality here wouldn't enable many of the illegal 'drugs' to grow here naturally so those people who own the alcohol resources, processing and distribution networks greatly benefit from the legality of alcohol (and other substances), if as Weil suggests people have a natural inclination to want to experience different forms of consciousness. There is this video by Jake Tran on youtube that gives some background to the history of Hawaii and the impact of sugar plantations on the people of the country; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbQjN...
One of the other natural highs Weil notes is watching an eclipse and he wonders why governments around the world have issued advice against looking directly at an eclipse. Weil then talks about how Wovoka, a native American experienced a revelation from the spirit world during an eclipse, that prophesised that a Ghost Dance would cause the 'white men' to go 'back to his own continent' (Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by John Fire Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2012
I'd read The Natural Mind years before, liked it, remembered it enough to notice and pick up this subsequent work by Dr. Weil about altered states of consciousness. Unlike the former book, this is a collection of essays ranging from discussions of class-one narcotics to pieces praising tropical fruits and hot--very hot!--peppers. (The pepper article really raised my eyebrows, but I'm not ready for that path of self-transcendence yet). Weil is a very engaging writer, the kind of person one would want as a family physician and, judging by his oeuvre, health guru. He looks, with his bearded teddy-bear visage, like Ginsberg and is just about as non-threatening. His advocacy of certain natural psychotropics is quite sincere, careful and discriminating.
December 28, 2022
Admittedly was skeptical at first but ended up with a fresh new perspective on drugs and a craving for mangos and shrooms. I was particularly interested in how weed decreases nausea and how MDA counters allergic reactions. Shout out to Mahiro for recommending this book to me!
June 28, 2020
Easily one of the most interesting books I've read. I learned of everything from Mangoes and vomit, to Mushrooms and Cocaine. There is even a chapter on Yuri Geller. I never knew I needed to read this book, until I brought it to work to fill a gap on my breaks. An amazing collection of essays!
February 9, 2013
Quite refreshing to find a variety of ways to experience altered states of consciousness beyond substance use. Weil's coverage of substances, plants, practices, and theory was surprisingly well rounded. He makes very interesting connections of the "unconscious" and how humans tend to interact with this shadowed part of ourselves, and the possibilities of interaction thereof. My favorite sections were probably the least representative of what the bulk of the book deals with, however, I really appreciated the sections about Uri Gellar and Iridology; both were entirely new to me.
August 22, 2007
Chapters about different adventures with plants, fungi, and other such things that can bring about a deeper awareness of connection between body and mind. Honest and intuitive. Some were so great, like the ecstasy that is mango season in central america, or how the human iris can be read as a map of the health of the entire body. Also some good writing on relating to mushrooms.
February 12, 2011
Set throughout his travels through Latin America on a four-year fellowship to explore the relation between mind and body, plants and culture, this book is mind-blowing at every turn. It has the potential to change the way you think about consciousness. I'd also recommend Weil's "The Natural Mind" and "Eight Weeks to Optimal Health" as being able to change your outlook on health and mind.
October 2, 2013
Easy read. I like this guy and this is one of his first books if not the first.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2014
This book is about Andrew Weil's travels through Latin America and his study of altered states of consciousness. Every page left me wanting to read more. What an adventure!
November 17, 2015
Couldn't finish it
October 25, 2021
I enjoyed this, but it seemed a poor man’s Shaman’s Apprentice.
August 30, 2007
mushroom hunting in oregon, the ecstasy of eating peppers, more more!
March 7, 2015
Well told and full of interesting facts and observations.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews