Psychoactive Substances and Shamans: An Influential shamans proved that these border-line divine individuals, " ... wielded Pairing immense power and importance ... in the complex Mesoamerican societies" (VanPool 2003: 713) Although most shamans did have this By Hollace Good large support system, normally they did not intentionally dominate or manipulate any other cultural arena (Eliade 1972: 4). The shaman Ancient Mesoamericans were greatly diversified as to their tended to coexist and cooperate with the other political leaders and religious ritual practices. The purposes for these rituals may have sacrificial priests with little difficulty, which was essential for main­ varied somewhat in content as well as toward whom they were being taining an organized and sound society. directed. Shamanism and its trademark trances maintained undeniable Throughout Mesoamerica, shamans ingested copious amounts of religious and cultural significance throughout the entirety of ancient various organic hallucinogens, narcotics and neurotoxins in order to Mesoamerica, and one of the most important ways in which the native reach their desired trance-state. These substances include seeds from religious practitioners could produce the trance that enabled them to the coj6bana tree (cohoba) and numerous varieties of hallucinogenic transcend reality, visit the spirit world and even provide convincing fungi. In addition to this, there is evidence that cultures like the recollections of their time there was through the utilization of organic Mexica hunted for and made use of a widely growing small cactus psychotropic substances and various self-destructive actions. Through called peyote. Peyote was an especially important component of the these practices, shamanism was able to manifest itself in such a way divinatory rituals of the Teochichimeca, who were the ancestors of the that it has become one of the many integral aspects of understanding Mexica (Schaefer and Furst 1998: 141 ). The Mesoamerican peoples Mesoamerican societies. also utilized various fauna in their quest for a deep trance. There is Many cultures appear to have used hallucinogenic plants and other evidence of shamans licking the toxic skin secretions from poison­ organic substances to achieve the sought after euphoric state that ous toads, such as Bufo marinus, in order to achieve a brief stupor. allows them to communicate with their gods. In his observations of Another concoction that has been found to be a potent psychoac- these religious ritual practices, Spanish missionary Bernardino De tive substance is referred to as teotlacualli (Markman 1989: 104). Sahagun described the effects of ingesting these potent hallucinogens, Teotlacualli is a mixture composed of tobacco, crushed scorpions, " ... as being extremely maddening and disturbing" (Aguilar-Moreno live spiders and centipedes that the shaman then smears all over his 2006: 360). Perhaps, though, this is exactly what the shamans would body or drinks. Interestingly, one of the most addictive and euphoric want from one of their hallucinogenic substances. The more "mad­ trance-state inducing narcotic substances used widely by modem day dening and disturbing" the effects of the psychoactive substance individuals was also used by Mesoamerican shamans. The scientific turned out to be, the deeper and more effectual the trance. name of the plant is Erythroxylon coca and, in its refined form, is Before delving into a greater description of shamanistic rituals, known as cocaine. Even though the ancient Mesoamerican shamans perhaps it is necessary to provide a brief overview of who these reli­ did not ingest the refined form, they did find that combining the leaves gious practitioners were as individuals. To begin, it should be known with powdered limestone and masticating the pair eventually released that shamans belonged to the elite tier of society and were often linked and amplified the potent neurotoxin that is already found within the with the divine. The spiritual powers of a shaman were thought to juices of the leaves (Doweiko 2009: 131 ). This powerful combina­ have been inherited from a deceased ancestor who had also possessed tion provided a very long lasting euphoric state that the shamans could this same tie to the spirit world. When a supposed candidate began utilize during their ritual practices. Ultimately, though, tobacco has to exhibit possible signs of possessing shamanic gifts, " ... they would been found to be the most extensively used substance (Nieves-Rivera become meditative and absent minded, seek solitude and often have 2010: 130). This is not due to its potency, but to its expansive domain seizures" (Eliade 1972: 35). All of these warning signs would occur of cultivation as well as the wide variety of ways it can be prepared before the potential shaman was actually communing with the spirit and ingested. world in any way. To bring about the shaman's first "celestial jour­ Extensiveness in the shamanic use of these substances depended ney" (Eliade 1972: 128), the individual became intoxicated through upon the ease of attainment, overall availability and even its effec­ a combination of self-mutilation and consumption of natural narcotic tiveness. While a shaman may not have had any control over both substances (Markman 1989: 145). Once the shaman had created the availability and attainment of the substance, he did have control over "bridge" between reality and the spirit world using these methods, he its effectiveness in terms of potency. Although, the shaman could not then had the ability to commune with the spirits. Essentially, the sha­ completely alter the true chemical potency of the substances, he could man succeeded in," ... shedding his physical being in order to become amplify it through the way it was ingested. For instance, substances pure spirit ... so that all boundaries could be crossed, time and space such as tobacco, cohoba, peyote and the hallucinogenic mushrooms could be transcended and the order of the cosmos revealed"(Markman were either smoked or eaten as they were. Other substances, like the 1989: 102). From here, the shaman was able to utilize this "out of Bufo marinus secretions, coca leaf juices and teotlacualli were usually body" method to preside over numerous other ritual ceremonies and, absorbed into the body transdermally or sublingually. This means on behalf of a single person or entire community, serve as an interme­ that the psychoactive toxins within the substances were taken up by diary between humans and divine spirits (Schaefer and Furst 1998: the shaman's bloodstream directly and transported throughout the 19). body via the circulatory system. Even though some of the substances In addition to their roles in religious ceremonies, Shamans also that were utilized in this way were not as chemically potent as the often served as political and societal leaders that were key compo­ substances ingested orally or through smoking, they in fact had the nents of regional societies. Of course it would have been entirely potential to be more powerful because they were not metabolized by possible for a non-elite, non-shaman individual to obtain the means to the shaman's body as extensively. However, regardless of the method intoxicate themselves in order to induce a trance or stupor so that they of ingestion or total potency of the substance, the fact remains that could have visions. While this is so, any visions that this unquali- once any of these hallucinogens were consumed by the shaman they fied individual would have had would have only been seen as unreli­ brought forth vivid "revelations" that enabled him to commune with able sources of information. This being said, the great amounts of the spirit world (Soustelle 1970: 194). trust that the ordinary Mesoamerican citizen had in regards to these Overall, the entire structure of the shamanic-trance ritual did not Indiana University South Bend I _ 35 vary significantly, but the rituals could vary slightly in the specific de­ seem that these religious practitioners truly believed that, " ... in the tails. For instance, the methods by which shaman-priests, and even se­ shamanic universe, the soul...is separable from the individual. .. and lect members of the civilian population in some cultures, purified and can become autonomous and function free of the body ... ," in such a cleansed their bodies in preparation for the ritual, the hallucinogens way that the communication between reality and the spiritual realms they ingested to enter the trance-like state, as well as the way in which becomes entirely possible (Markman 1998: 101-102). At this point, they ingested the hallucinogens are just several ways in which the ritu­ though, it is immaterial whether or not the shaman actually did travel als specificities diverged from one another. An example of a culture between realms. What does matter is the fact that there were entire that also communes with the spirit world, but through slightly differ­ communities relying on whatever information the shaman did relay ent methods, is the Pueblo from Southwest North America. Unlike back. So ifthe shaman himself did not believe in the occurrence of the Pueblo, Mesoamerican shaman-priests, " ... contacted the spirit art actual trance-state, one that was replete with visions, omens and world by directly traveling to it during ecstasy trances, not indirectly free-floating essences, then there was no hope of him "returning" to through smoke and prayers" (VanPool 2003: 700). In other words, the convey any convincing information to the people awaiting him. If this Mesoamerican shaman-priests interacted directly with the spirit world occurred, it could be disastrous for the entire society. while other cultures, like the Pueblo, used more indirect methods of The purpose for the trances according to the shaman and his prayer to make contact. Another slight difference between the two devoted followers is something infinitely more profound than merely cultures ritual methods is that every adult male was eligible to take the psychedelic side-effects of the substances ingested. A shaman's part in the ritual chanting and prayer sessions that were held.