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The Mushroom Rabbi fighting for religious freedom

#1
C C Offline
https://www.leafie.co.uk/articles/rabbi-...mushrooms/

EXCERPTS: . . . Despite being raised in a religious household, Rabbi Ben Gorelick admits he never really had a true ‘moment’ where he felt a heartfelt connection to God.

While studying Kabbalah, halfway through his second year of studies, Rabbi Ben became interested in halakhic references to the use of psychoactive mushrooms and LSA, a naturally occurring psychedelic similar in structure to LSD, found in seeds of a number of plants, such as Hawaiian Baby Woodrose and Morning Glory. Discovering that natural entheogens were documented in historic scripture triggered his curiosity.

Over the course of a few weeks, serendipity seemingly guided him closer to a psychedelic experience. A chance encounter with Michael Pollen’s book on psychedelics How To Change Your Mind, a deeper curiosity into the link between psychedelics and religious mysticism and then a profound call with a friend who’d sat with Ayahuasca for the first time all seemed like signs that were guiding him to his first trip.

“All of these things seemed to kick me down the path to try psychedelics, so I did!” Rabbi Ben tells me “My first experience with mushrooms was the first time I had felt oneness, the first time I had felt God in the way I wish everyone was able to feel.”

[...] Like many before him, Rabbi Ben’s psychedelic experience sparked a yearning to learn more about the psychedelic world that magic mushrooms had uncovered. He also wanted to see how that connection related to his faith. He attended seminars to seek out others in his religious community in a hope to find others who’d shared similar profound experiences. He even held ceremonies for other spiritual leaders in his quest to find a community that shared a desire to unite the psychedelic experience with religious practice, but he struggled to find a group that united faith and experience in a way that resonated with him.

In 2018, Rabbi Ben founded The Sacred Tribe, a member-based community that uses the framework of Kabbalah to create a space where people can explore their relationship with self and the world around them, using psilocybin as a catalyst for a deeper understanding. While mystical Judaism underpins much of the process of both the ceremony and integration process, being Jewish isn’t a prerequisite to becoming a member.

[...] Despite psilocybin being decriminalised for personal possession in Denver, where Sacred Tribe operates, Rabbi Ben always knew that his community could attract unwanted attention. ... For a man facing a potentially lengthy sentence, Rabbi Ben seems remarkably calm about the future. Prior to the raid, Sacred Tribe had paid particular attention to its legal standing. In the US, religious organisations that use psychedelics as part of their practice are protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA. He believes the criminal charges levied against him are simply a conversation that needs to be had to establish that The Sacred Tribe is indeed a genuine religious endeavour, following ceremony, scripture and practice... (MORE - missing details)
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#2
Kornee Offline
An uncanny resemblance to 'The Truth is out there/I want to believe' man we all know and some still adore.

Easy to predict a solid growth curve for 'religious movements' that just happen to focus an awful lot on psychedelics as 'faith/enlightenment boosters'.
Hey man - pass the weed or whatever. Feel G_d growing inside ya. Just like those mushies are growing in G_d's garden there.
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