Tripping the Trail of Ghosts
Psychedelics and the Afterlife Journey in Native American Mound Cultures
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Publishing:24th Apr '25
£15.99
This title is due to be published on 24th April, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Exploring psychedelic spiritual practices and afterlife beliefs among the Mississippi mound cultures
• Examines the Path of Souls or Trail of Ghosts, a Native American model for the after-death journey
• Demonstrates how psychoactive plants were used to evoke the liminal state between life and death in initiatory rites and spirit journeys
• Explores the symbology of the large earthwork mounds erected by the Indigenous people of the Mississippi Valley and how they connect to the Path of Souls
The use of hallucinogenic substances like peyote and desert tobacco has long played a significant role in the spiritual practices and traditions of Native Americans. While the majority of those practices are well documented, the relationship between entheogens and Native Americans of the Southeast has gone largely unexplored.
Examining the role of psychoactive plants in afterlife traditions, sacred rituals, and spirit journeying by shamans of the Mississippian mound cultures, P. D. Newman explores in depth the Native American death journey known as the "Trail of Ghosts" or "Path of Souls." He demonstrates how practices such as fasting and trancework when used with psychedelic plants like jimsonweed, black nightshade, morning glory, and amanita and psilocybin mushrooms could evoke the liminal state between life and death in initiatory rites and spirit journeys for shamans and chiefs. He explores the earthwork and platform mounds built by Indigenous cultures of the Mississippi Valley, showing how they quite likely served as early models for the Path of Souls. He also explores similarities between the Ghost Trail afterlife journey and the well-known Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead.
“In his latest work, P. D. Newman builds upon his literary legacy into the domain of the ancient use of magical plant medicines in southeastern North America. A disciplined and visionary scholar, Newman ties the oral traditions and cosmologies of Indigenous peoples to carefully researched evidence of the use of mystical substances at sacred geographic sites. Newman has uncovered a secret connection between entheogenic and medicinal plants and the inspiration behind Mississippian iconography and cosmology. Indigenous spiritualists consumed these sacred medicines and looked to the cosmos to tell the story of the first humans, the Tree of Life, and the epic tales of the Thunder Twins—among many other mythological motifs. P. D. Newman raises the bar for Indigenous anthropologists and archaeologists to higher levels of thought regarding the formation and function of cosmology in ancient Native America.” * Taylor Keen (Omaha/Cherokee), author of Rediscovering Turtle Island *
“P. D. Newman has written a remarkable and authoritative book that dramatically alters what we have long believed about Native American shamanism. He has masterfully uncovered and documented key aspects of the rituals involved in what is called the ‘Path of Souls’—the journey of the souls of the departed to the sky world and beyond. For those interested in the practices and beliefs of Native American mound builders, this is a must-read book that answers long-concealed mysteries.” * Gregory L. Little, author of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthwo *
“P. D. Newman has produced a book with a rare and elusive combination of qualities: engaging, intellectually stimulating, and benefiting from sound scholarship and personal experience. His reconstruction of the interface between psychedelics and shamanic afterlife journeys among the Indigenous peoples of the Mississippi Valley is both inventive and original.” * Gregory Shushan, Ph.D., author of Near-Death Experience in Ancient Civilizations *
ISBN: 9798888500415
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 205g
216 pages