——— Peahures

Transforming the Past: Questioning the Future

Chris Hergesheimer, OP Contributor

na desert, seven hours north of the | Mexican Capital, flanked by the bar- ren high Sierra, exists for some a spiritual homeland. In a desert, seven hours south of the Texas/Mexican bor- der, exists for some a great place to get high. In a desert, an ancient pilgrimage is colliding with increasing modernity and tourism. We must tread carefully, my friends. If not, in future times, those who journey to this desert—above all else to maintain their crucial ancient mytholo- gies—may find it stripped clean of peyote. They may find their complex cul- tural universe crumbling around them. Peyote, a small, bitter, green cactus, which grows in the Mexican desert, has been a naturally powerful source of visions and healing to many indigenous groups for centuries. In Mexico, the tradi- tion is believed to go back 7,000 years. The small, spineless cactus contains mescaline, an effective hallucinogenic when ingested in the right quantities. However, is it simply a matter of quanti- tye? Anyone entranced by the earliest writings of Carlos Castenada can ingest a peyote button if they try hard enough. But what was Don Juan’s lesson from it all? Simply, that one must undergo rigor- ous training and ritual. One must seek the answers to questions before he/she can understand, even in the slightest, what a material manifestation of power and wis- dom the peyote really is. Those who feel this way and who use it ritually cannot separate peyote from cre- ation and their existence. This gift, the

peyote, which according to legend was left in the tracks where the sacred deer walked, was given to them by a universal power much greater than themselves. A power that moves in and through all things, sustaining life and keeping the bal- ance.

The High Sierra, S.L. Potosi State, Mexico

A Land Rover groans to life. It chokes out exhaust as it precariously descends the narrow road from the mountains and then races into the heart of the desert. Foreigners both young and old ride down into the peyote fields, excited at the prospect that they too might become con- nected to this sacred place through peyote. Beer bottles and garbage are seen

remains—their temples and artifacts. When the key component of millennia of tradition can be bought and sold in a nine- dollar package deal, we must recognize a growing problem. Perhaps our own soci- ety’s de-contextualized and de-ritualized view of this sacrament, in a world where spiritual tradition is embedded in a ritual we know little about, is at the root of this problem.

After some hours, a peyote button, half a century old, lies half eaten on the sand. By 4pm the travelers are on their way back up the crumbling road to the mountain town. No night around the fire watching spirits dance in the shadows was had. No fasting. No singing or dancing. There was no one to lead and guide them,

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Me

in places along the road, mocking the starkness of the hallucinatory landscape. The light changes from bright to dim and the rushing clouds cast spectre-like shad- ows along the sand. An endless stretch of desert glimmers beyond. The wind rushes against their faces and the excitement grows. The truck stops. Its passengers flood out like ants into the surrounding area to make their own search. The drivers claim they can’t show any- one where it grows—it’s illegal—but if they take you close by and you find it for yourself, well, at nine dollars a person for the return journey the desert, it’s a lucrative

to and from

business opportuni- ty that can’t be missed.

One would think that it would be in the locals’ interest to pre- serve traditions much in the same way they attempt

to preserve their material

Peyote, a small, bitter, green cactus, which grows in the Mexican desert, has been a naturally powerful source of visions and healing to many indigenous Lroups for centuries.

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except a sly driver who claims that he ate 12 in one go. Little respect was given and generally no signifi- cant effects were perceived by any who had embarked on

this seven-hour enlightenment journey. The power sits idle in their stomachs and their minds. At the same time, as the sun sinks towards the horizon in the desert below, some 15 or 20 peyote buttons have been severed from their earthly power source to feed the whims and fancies of anyone who pleases.

If the desire to eat peyote conflicts with your thoughts about disturbing or disrespecting a profound ritual, perhaps you are feeling how you should. However, if travels in Mexico bring you here because the desire to try to step into a world unimaginable is overwhelming, ride a horse or walk down the desolate stone road from the mountains so you feel the pain of the journey. Eat nothing and drink only water for at least a day before. Have a fire and stay awake all night with someone who can guide you and keep watch over you, then stay another day. Ponder the vastness of the universe, of the earth, its people, and the power of creation until you feel overwhelmed— then at peace. Maybe this way the peyote gives itself willingly. If you are truly ready and it is willing, only you will know. What is sacred to one may be profane to anoth- er, but in my opinion, their sacred place is

not ours to transform.

Mmm...Peyote buttons

havember 10/a0au