Peyote Information

Just a Drug?

Throughout our entire lives we have always been told that drugs are bad. They have terrible consequences on our bodies, and can cause us to do things that we wouldn't normally consent to do in a sober state. Drugs can have adverse and varying effects on people, but no matter what the drug is we have been made to believe that its use is bad. What if a drug was more than just a way to escape reality, or to feel good? Peyote is a drug that has had more than just physical use and meaning to people for over 400 years. It is used as a spiritual catalyst by many Native Americans, and is believed by them to cause a direct psychic link to God. People around the country have varying views on peyote use, but who can say that it is bad? If the drug does have bad effects on the body, Native Americans have surely accepted that as a reasonable tradeoff for the spiritual journey peyote brings. So is peyote as a drug, or it's use in Native American religion, bad?

In order to understand and base an opinion on a religion that is centralized around a drug, you must first understand the drug itself. Peyote is a small, round cactus that grows in the southern US and Mexico. Rather than spines or spikes, peyote has fuzzy tufts that stuck out from it's edges. Only about an inch of the cactus is viewable above ground, with the majority of it being the deeply buried, carrot-like root structure. The small portion that is above ground is harvested, and is referred to as the peyote "button". It is consumed either freshly cut, or dried, and has some extreme effects on the body.

The effects of peyote are quite strong, and cause an array of feelings and emotional perceptions. According to www.xs4all.nl;

"... There is a feeling of strange intoxication and shifting consciousness with minor perceptual changes. There may also be strong physical effects, including respiratory pressure, muscle tension (especially face and neck muscles), and queasiness or possible nausea... After this the state of altered consciousness begins to manifest itself.....among the possible occurrences

are feelings of inner tranquility, oneness with life, heightened awareness, and rapid thought flow...these effects will deepen and become more visual. Colors may become more intense. Halos and auras may appear about things. Objects may seem larger, smaller , closer or more distant than they actually are... upon closing their eyes they will see on their mind-screen wildly colorful and constant changing patterns... During the first part of the ceremony the participants submit to the feeling and let the peyote teach them. During the latter part of the ritual the mind turns to thoughtful contemplation and understanding with the conscious intellect what the peyote has taught the subconscious mind.

The effects of peyote are caused largely in part to the chemical compound mescaline. It was the first halucanogen isolated by man. It induces highly psycho tropic experiences, and the peyote button is about 1-6% mescaline. It usually takes about 6-10 buttons to get the desired effect. Peyote is proven to not be physically addicting, such as drugs like meth and heroine are, though in some extreme cases the user can become mentally addicted to the drug and 'think' that they need it. The only real risk associated with the drug is the possibility of a bad trip, which is centered around fear of dying or loss of control, which can lead to small panic attacks. Another drawback of the drug is its horrible taste. According to the website www.doitnow.org, Indians in Mexico had a saying for the drug; "Conquistadors come and go, but peyote endures forever".

Peyote use is very controversial, and peyote is considered a controlled substance by the government, and is illegal in all 50 states. However, Texas legalized peyote use to members of the Native American Church. The Native American Church was founded around peyote, and brings together elements of Christianity with Native American moral principles. Not all Native Americans were enthused about this new religion, as is shown on reference.allrefer.com; "In 1940 the church was declared illegal by the Navajo Tribal Council, which saw it as a threat to Navajo culture and to Christianized Navajos. The church flourished underground, however, until 1967, when the tribe reversed its decision. By 1996, the church had 250,000 members in the United States, Mexico, and Canada." But what made this religion so controversial? A combination of their beliefs and their use of peyote as a sacrificial food, most likely. But to make an informed opinionated decision about this religion and it's beliefs, one has to take a closer look a it's workings and rituals.

Native Americans relate the story the first person who was given peyote by the Creator Spirit (www.csp.org);

..a man or woman lost in the desert. Their wandering leaves them exhausted, starving, and dehydrated. Just at the point of giving up all hope of life comes a voice which instructs them to reach out and take hold of the soft and cool plant which grows just within reach of their outstretched hands. They are then told to eat it to quench their thirst for water, food, and guidance back to their home.

This is the basis for the most simple and historically primitive form of peyotism, called the 'vision quest'. A Native American goes out alone into nature, and the quest involves fasting, solitude, and quiet but steady contemplation. Peyote is eaten or consumed as tea and a vigil is kept until the communicant comes to a sense of physical and spiritual contemplation. This is the first use peyote had in Native American culture, and is the basis off of which the peyote religion is formed.

Another, much more complex, use of the peyote cactus exists in the form of a deeply-involved ritual called peyote meetings. These meetings can be held for gratitude for the recovery of health, safe return from a voyage, to celebrate the birth of a baby, to name a child, for the dead, on Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. You can see that the peyote religion incorporates many Christian beliefs also, since they celebrate on Easter and Christmas, which are Christian holidays. The leader of the peyote meetings can be anybody who is a member, and they are referred to as the 'Road Man'. The Road Man must refrain from eating salt the day before and after a meeting, and they may not bathe for several days following the service. Women are admitted to meetings to eat Peyote and to pray, but they do not usually participate in the singing and drumming. After the age of ten, children may attend meetings but o not take part until they are adults.

Usually, the ceremonies take place in a teepee erected over a carefully