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Psychedelic Shamanism, Updated Edition: The Cultivation, Preparation, and Shamanic Use of Psychotropic Plants
Psychedelic Shamanism presents the spiritual and shamanic properties of psychotropic plants and discusses how they can be used to understand the structure of human consciousness. Author Jim DeKorne offers authoritative information about the cultivation, processing, and correct dosages for various psychotropic plant substances including the belladonna alkaloids, d-lysergic acid amide, botanical analogues of LSD, mescaline, ayahuasca, DMT, and psilocybin.
Opening with vivid descriptions of the author’s personal experiences with psychedelic drugs, the book describes the parallels that exist among shamanic states of consciousness, the use of psychedelic catalysts, and the hidden structure of the human psyche. DeKorne suggests that psychedelic drugs allow us to examine the shamanic dimensions of reality. This worldview, he says, is ubiquitous across space, time, and culture, with individuals separated by race, distance, and culture routinely describing the same core reality that provides powerful evidence of the dimensional nature of consciousness itself. The book guides the reader through the imaginal realm underlying our awareness, a world in which spiritual entities exist to reconnect us with ourselves, humanity, and our planet. Accurate drawings of plants, including peyote, Salvia divinorum, and San Pedro, enhance the book’s usefulness.
Opening with vivid descriptions of the author’s personal experiences with psychedelic drugs, the book describes the parallels that exist among shamanic states of consciousness, the use of psychedelic catalysts, and the hidden structure of the human psyche. DeKorne suggests that psychedelic drugs allow us to examine the shamanic dimensions of reality. This worldview, he says, is ubiquitous across space, time, and culture, with individuals separated by race, distance, and culture routinely describing the same core reality that provides powerful evidence of the dimensional nature of consciousness itself. The book guides the reader through the imaginal realm underlying our awareness, a world in which spiritual entities exist to reconnect us with ourselves, humanity, and our planet. Accurate drawings of plants, including peyote, Salvia divinorum, and San Pedro, enhance the book’s usefulness.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
40 people are currently reading
1125 people want to read
About the author
Jim DeKorne
8 books9 followersJames B. "Jim" Dekorne is a former epidemiologist and college English professor. He participated actively in civil rights and antiwar protests in the 1960s, the back-to-the-land and appropriate technology movements of the 1970s, and the psychedelic renaissance of the 1980s. He lives in Hawaii.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 20, 2014
Humorous and intriguing to read even if you don't agree or buy into whole hog his ideas on archons, imaginal realms, etc.; also a great snapshot of psychonaut thinking circa '94 for those of us of later generations; I found this as good background reading to David Pinchbeck's Breaking Open the Head and in the end gave it five stars for the authors openness and honesty with his readership- I'd say it's a fine starting point for anyone seriously interested in the subject
June 22, 2021
Phenomenological depictions were highly enjoyable, as was his integral thinking and attempts at synthesizing various theories and perspectives on what the psychedelic phenomenon is. Although, it should have either a) stopped there or b) continued in the same vein. Only the 2nd part of the book is about actual cultivation and detailing of various plants and their attributes. Very boring and was a bad fit to the first part of the book.
Always interesting to listen to someone who is both well read and deeply experienced in this, from the consensus-reality-POV, wacky aspect of existence. Its fascinating to me how intuitive reading provides the right book for the right time. As ones reality tunnel expands and widens, books that would have been senseless before, suddenly falls into ones lap.
It's kind of like a litmus test for your capacity of ontological open-mindedness and humility, which probably presupposes having experienced an ontological breakdown for yourself. Meaning, that from a certain point of view, most of DeKornes (supposed) experiences necessarily must be thrown out of the window. Yet, when you have experienced the irreality of your axiomatic beliefs once or several times yourself, you can allow for the possibility of such things being, at least psychically, true. And, as one begins to realize, their "physical" reality isn't necessarily even an interesting question. It's like Plato's cave, once you've stepped out of it, the opinions of those who're still stuck inside becomes radically less important.
Always interesting to listen to someone who is both well read and deeply experienced in this, from the consensus-reality-POV, wacky aspect of existence. Its fascinating to me how intuitive reading provides the right book for the right time. As ones reality tunnel expands and widens, books that would have been senseless before, suddenly falls into ones lap.
It's kind of like a litmus test for your capacity of ontological open-mindedness and humility, which probably presupposes having experienced an ontological breakdown for yourself. Meaning, that from a certain point of view, most of DeKornes (supposed) experiences necessarily must be thrown out of the window. Yet, when you have experienced the irreality of your axiomatic beliefs once or several times yourself, you can allow for the possibility of such things being, at least psychically, true. And, as one begins to realize, their "physical" reality isn't necessarily even an interesting question. It's like Plato's cave, once you've stepped out of it, the opinions of those who're still stuck inside becomes radically less important.
March 7, 2022
Never have arguments been put forth with such a subtle blend of eloquence and psychosis.
April 6, 2008
I appreciated the author´s clear explanations of alternate dimensions and his postulations on what kinds of entities inhabit them. His descriptions of how they make contact with us, and how this could have led to many of the world´s religions, are good cautionary tales for any psychedelic explorer.
For descriptions of the plants, I found Peter H´s work more useful and well-written. The chapter here on ayahuasca is entirely off, actually fearful, which clashes with his reverance for the plants in the rest of the work, which threw me off most sharply since that´s the brew I´m most familiar with.
For descriptions of the plants, I found Peter H´s work more useful and well-written. The chapter here on ayahuasca is entirely off, actually fearful, which clashes with his reverance for the plants in the rest of the work, which threw me off most sharply since that´s the brew I´m most familiar with.
April 21, 2018
Not particularly "shamanic" in tone, just new age preachy. Gave it a second star for some decent history and folk traditions given on certain plants in the second half of the book. Hamilton's Pharmacopeia a much better source for weeding out the wookery.
April 8, 2025
Why can’t I give half stars on here? So frustrating. Anyways- this was the perfect read to satisfy my inner mystic. I felt like a child again, reading hungrily and in wonder about tales of astral projection, one-ness, and the fantastical nature of the human psyche. I think before anything else, DeKorne is a wonderful storyteller.
DeKorne does an awesome job at synthesizing information and creating a well rounded perspective on psychedelics and mysticism. He infuses his own spiritual experiences with historical, mythological, and sociological anecdotes to get you to really understand a plant beyond its stigma. He then includes a very detailed and accessible how-to guide on using and preparing these plants. I found the section on datura’s femme fatale nature particularly cool and enlightening, and the psilocybin chapter was an overall favorite.
He also has a lot of really nice pulls from other underground books and spiritual teachers, like Jung and “I Ching”. I really liked the passage from Jung on his fondness and deep respect for trees and plants- an innate knowing that they should be respected, before even really understanding why. That the biology behind it was cool and all, but not the essential factor in their existence. This resonated with me to such a crazy degree. I remember taking a class on trees in college and being so thoroughly disappointed that it was just talking about soil chemistry and whatnot. What knowledge was I in pursuit of? I couldn’t say. But I knew the biological makeup of trees was not what had me in deep admiration for them.
There is also some commentary throughout the book on the capacity of the human condition. In his view, to my understanding, it surpasses the binary confines of good and evil. Tales of accidental vibrational terrorism from friends and objects that teem with an overwhelming energy tell a more nuanced story. He separates himself from the banality of these constructs and explains that these things and instances were not inherently evil, but inherently powerful, and we choose how to wield that power.
I took off a star only because he did lose me in some places, but I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in psychedelics, counterculture, and/or mysticism, or just wants to discover the magic that can manifest in our minds and erupt from our Earth!
DeKorne does an awesome job at synthesizing information and creating a well rounded perspective on psychedelics and mysticism. He infuses his own spiritual experiences with historical, mythological, and sociological anecdotes to get you to really understand a plant beyond its stigma. He then includes a very detailed and accessible how-to guide on using and preparing these plants. I found the section on datura’s femme fatale nature particularly cool and enlightening, and the psilocybin chapter was an overall favorite.
He also has a lot of really nice pulls from other underground books and spiritual teachers, like Jung and “I Ching”. I really liked the passage from Jung on his fondness and deep respect for trees and plants- an innate knowing that they should be respected, before even really understanding why. That the biology behind it was cool and all, but not the essential factor in their existence. This resonated with me to such a crazy degree. I remember taking a class on trees in college and being so thoroughly disappointed that it was just talking about soil chemistry and whatnot. What knowledge was I in pursuit of? I couldn’t say. But I knew the biological makeup of trees was not what had me in deep admiration for them.
There is also some commentary throughout the book on the capacity of the human condition. In his view, to my understanding, it surpasses the binary confines of good and evil. Tales of accidental vibrational terrorism from friends and objects that teem with an overwhelming energy tell a more nuanced story. He separates himself from the banality of these constructs and explains that these things and instances were not inherently evil, but inherently powerful, and we choose how to wield that power.
I took off a star only because he did lose me in some places, but I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in psychedelics, counterculture, and/or mysticism, or just wants to discover the magic that can manifest in our minds and erupt from our Earth!
July 16, 2025
yo ok. so this one’s wild. like messy notebook from a dude who's really been out there and back, and didn't clean it up too much before publishing.respect! it's part journal, part chaos guidebook, part occult-nerd download. it’s not polished, but that’s the point. it feels real,, lived, kinda ragged in the right way.
dekorne doesn’t pretend to be a guru or whatever. he just lays down his own trippy path into plant spirits, dreamstates, etheric zones, all mashed up with western magick frameworks and some deep respect for indigenous pathways (tho yeah... sometimes borders on edgy cultural borrowing, but at least he names it).
what i liked? he treats the plant allies with reverence. not just trip reports but deep psyche cartography.
like: what happens to the inner maps after the visions wear off? and his I Ching work with entheogens? 🔥
that mix of structured and wild is rare.
some parts def feel like 90s white-guy psychonaut rants (you know the vibe). but still, he’s got this honesty. he’s not tryna be a savior. more like “here’s my chaos magic-laced toolkit and trauma history, good luck.”
you won’t find clinical data here. you will find a shamanic hacker’s diary with enough raw signal to spark your own pathways if you read between the rituals. read it with your bullshit detector and your third eye open.
dekorne doesn’t pretend to be a guru or whatever. he just lays down his own trippy path into plant spirits, dreamstates, etheric zones, all mashed up with western magick frameworks and some deep respect for indigenous pathways (tho yeah... sometimes borders on edgy cultural borrowing, but at least he names it).
what i liked? he treats the plant allies with reverence. not just trip reports but deep psyche cartography.
like: what happens to the inner maps after the visions wear off? and his I Ching work with entheogens? 🔥
that mix of structured and wild is rare.
some parts def feel like 90s white-guy psychonaut rants (you know the vibe). but still, he’s got this honesty. he’s not tryna be a savior. more like “here’s my chaos magic-laced toolkit and trauma history, good luck.”
you won’t find clinical data here. you will find a shamanic hacker’s diary with enough raw signal to spark your own pathways if you read between the rituals. read it with your bullshit detector and your third eye open.
December 7, 2023
I certainly have thoughts about this book. I got the chance to read this while living in Seattle and working/living in a national park over the summer, and certainly there are details that have escaped my memory of the reading experience. In all honesty I forgot I owned this book until I went through my bookshelf to organize it, however this book surely has charisma and I'm certain that for certain psychonaut communities this book is a great work and guide.
If I were more immersed in the psychedelia realm of literature and story telling this work would capture me a bit more. I enjoy dabbling in the arts as-it-were, and if I were a novice of psychedelics then DeKorne could easily be considered a highly experienced connoisseur of the arts, and it shows through his writings. DeKorne does a great job at warning about some of the heavier darker psychotropics discussed but can definitely used spaced-out harder to connect wording when discussing his own 'spiritual' experiences. An excellent coffee table book for a conversation starter, but it can be dense and hard to get through at times when DeKorne delves into the spiritual nature of the experiences.
If I were more immersed in the psychedelia realm of literature and story telling this work would capture me a bit more. I enjoy dabbling in the arts as-it-were, and if I were a novice of psychedelics then DeKorne could easily be considered a highly experienced connoisseur of the arts, and it shows through his writings. DeKorne does a great job at warning about some of the heavier darker psychotropics discussed but can definitely used spaced-out harder to connect wording when discussing his own 'spiritual' experiences. An excellent coffee table book for a conversation starter, but it can be dense and hard to get through at times when DeKorne delves into the spiritual nature of the experiences.
March 18, 2021
Great info!
February 2, 2023
Some good ideas, some really weird concepts that I struggle to confirm in more scientific literature. Interesting as a research material, I wouldn't treat it as a practical manual.
July 15, 2020
The author has gathered a timeless and vigilent experience with an insightful perception.
October 4, 2012
Well the beginning was sort of slow, I thought he might have been just a crazy druggie who also happened to be superstitious yet thought it okay to shoot neighbour's horses and a hawk. Once you get to the second chapter though he explains what shamanism is in a way for rational, scientific thinkers can understand and even appreciate - a very convincing explanation of the fourth, and subsequent dimensions. Then in the second part DeKorme gives a brief introduction to shamanistic/ psychedelic plants and also offers tid-bits of history, and ways to grow said plants. If you want to read this book but not so much interested with his life (which can be interesting, yet some parts are a little out there) then just skip to the second half - you won't regret it.
December 27, 2012
I thought this book was well-written and the references to popular culture were good, and the plant info was mostly new information for me. It referenced the updates from the 1st edition of the same name, and I have not read that version, although I wish that I had, so I could see how he judges his own work. Overall, a valuable reference, but likely only a starting point for serious pursuit of shamanism or psychedelia.
July 8, 2022
I’ve been reading this over the course of a few months. It was okay, I think it’s definitely a book you should take notes while reading (assuming you’re researching the subject.) The author’s personal experiences were interesting enough, but there wasn’t enough of a focus on shamanism. Largely anecdotes and occasionally history lessons on different drugs.
September 15, 2007
some hidden truths
May 28, 2008
No-nonsense book for those who prefer praxis to theory. Techniques presented here are valid for a variety of endeavors and offer sage advice to the psychonaut.
February 3, 2011
Pleasantly informative. I wouldn't make friends with the author, though.
April 3, 2013
Most of this book is pretty good, but I think he loses it with the archon stuff. If you can skip past that bit you will continue on to some good information.
July 27, 2016
Ei mikään huipputeos, mutta taattua Loompanics -kustantamon kamaa.
October 4, 2018
Bu konulara ilgi duyanlar için bilgilendirici bir başlangıç olacaktır. Yazar bazı yerlerde kendiyle çelişen ifadelerde bulunuyor ama salt bilgi için okumaya değer...
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews