The Immortality Key summary

But actually, maybe the connection between spirituality and psychedelics is not so new. According to some experts, we’ve been here before. It’s time to journey back to Ancient Greece…

Not far from Athens was Greece’s spiritual capital – a religious sanctuary known as Eleusis. For millennia, pilgrims flocked there to take part in mysterious rituals – rituals so mysterious, they are known to this day as the “Eleusinian Mysteries.” Participants weren’t allowed to reveal any details of their experiences, and the punishment for indiscretion was death.

Clearly, Muraresku had a lot of investigating to do. And it wouldn’t be easy.

His research took twelve years, as he talked to countless experts, and explored museums and archaeological sites across Europe. He even managed to get access to the hidden archives of the Louvre and the Vatican.

The Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, is one of the most important rituals in Christianity. During the Last Supper, Jesus Christ invited his followers to eat the bread and drink the wine in his memory. And for centuries, this moment has been reenacted in churches across the world.

But for Muraresku, who was raised Catholic, this symbolic ceremony has always seemed a little hollow. You sip the sacramental wine, and then what? Where’s the experience?

But there are more pieces out there, just waiting to be uncovered. Muraresku is convinced that the evidence exists. Ancient cups used in early Christian rituals could be tested for traces of hallucinogenic substances. With advances in technology, and more interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers, who knows what we could find?

Of course, not everyone shares Muraresku’s enthusiasm for proving the psychedelic Eucharist theory. If it turned out to be true, it would have massive ramifications for Christianity. It would change our understanding of the faith’s foundations, and force the church to reassess one of their most important rituals.

We still don’t know for sure whether or not the early Christians drank hallucinogenic wine during the Eucharist. But it’s certainly plausible, especially as we now have clear evidence of hallucinogenic drinks in the ancient world. Recent scientific research suggests that hallucinogens can have significant, long-lasting benefits – something that our ancestors already knew. So let’s keep an open mind about psychedelics. In the right circumstances, they can lead to profound experiences. Perhaps the best way to achieve spiritual awakening is not through going to church, but through a dose of psilocybin. And at last, maybe the moment has come to return to our roots, and kick-start the psychedelic revolution.