Religious Riptides
"A New, Earth-Sweeping Spirituality"
The following is a summary. Click here to read the full post on substack.
The article explores the evolving intersection of psychedelics and spirituality, particularly in the context of the psychedelic renaissance showcased at *Psychedelic Science 2025 (PS2025)*. A key theme is the merging of material science with mystical and religious traditions, presenting a new worldview where neuroscience, indigenous wisdom, and spiritual practices like Hindu Advaita Vedanta converge. The event's ambition, as stated by Rick Doblin of MAPS, is “net-zero trauma by 2070,” reflecting a broader cultural goal of healing and transformation.
Psychedelics, often called “entheogens” — meaning “generating the divine within” — are increasingly framed not just as therapeutic substances but as sacred tools for spiritual awakening. Influential voices in the psychedelic movement, including Terence McKenna and Bernard Carr, argue that these substances facilitate direct encounters with the divine and help bridge the gap between science and spirituality. This trend parallels Albert Hofmann’s vision of a new global spirituality rooted in both mysticism and science.
Historically, the roots of this spiritual transformation in America can be traced to the 1960s counterculture, which saw a blending of Eastern religious traditions with Western psychedelic experimentation. Figures like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Transcendental Meditation (TM) to the West, gaining support from cultural icons like The Beatles. Others, such as Yogi Bhajan and Sri Chinmoy, brought forms of yoga and meditation that found receptive audiences in both political and spiritual circles.
The *Esalen Institute* in Big Sur, California, founded in 1962 by Michael Murphy and Dick Price, became a hub for this emerging spirituality. Combining Eastern philosophy, humanistic psychology, and psychedelic exploration, Esalen attracted influential thinkers such as Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, Abraham Maslow, and Joseph Campbell. Workshops at Esalen offered experiences in yoga, shamanism, spiritual psychology, and personal transformation. Over the decades, Esalen played a pivotal role in mainstreaming esoteric spirituality and advancing what scholar Marion Goldman calls “spiritual privilege.”
Financial backing from figures like Lawrence Rockefeller helped institutionalize these movements. Rockefeller funded not just Esalen but also related organizations like the San Francisco Zen Center and the California Institute for Integral Studies, which further promoted a synthesis of Eastern and Western spirituality.
Popular culture mirrored these spiritual shifts. Music of the late 1960s and 1970s, from The Beatles’ “My Sweet Lord” to songs by the Moody Blues and Jefferson Airplane, reflected this fusion of psychedelic and Eastern thought. Young seekers like Philip Goldberg and Victor Marshall turned to Eastern philosophy for meaning, though some, like Marshall, eventually rejected its promises and returned to a Christian framework, citing disillusionment and spiritual emptiness.
The article argues that American religious life has undergone a profound transformation, increasingly embracing Hindu and Buddhist concepts such as oneness and self-divinity. Yoga and mindfulness, once niche practices, are now globally celebrated. Spiritual centers modeled on Eastern traditions now dot the U.S. landscape, from Colorado to Texas to New York.
In conclusion, the psychedelic and spiritual renaissance represents a fundamental shift in Western spirituality — from traditional theism to mystical oneness. The author warns that Christians are now the counterculture, tasked with discerning truth amid this entheogenic tide.
