Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
From a review of this book I read it the other night in a single sitting (kinda nice not having to read Civ Pro):[Jeremy Narby's argument is that when shaman's drink hallucinogenic brews, their consciousness sinks to the molecular level], and literally communicates with DNA, the basic building block of life. DNA appears to shamans, and others who drink these magic brews, as serpents.
This is why, Narby claims, serpents loom large in ancient cultures around the world. It is also how shamans get their expert knowledge of plants. When shamans say that the spirit in the plants tell them how to concoct life-saving remedies, they mean what they say. In hallucinogenic trances, the plants speak. Narby goes onto to speculate that the world is one vast communication network among strands of DNA.
You don't have to buy the DNA-communication theory to enjoy this book. It is written in an engaging, personal, first person narrative style. It shows how science works, how "eureka moments" occur when one is relaxed and thinking about other things. Maybe his theory is totally off-base, but even so, big ideas like this one often spur research in different, interesting directions. We are only as good as our questions, and Narby's question is a great one: What if the shamans are right?
posted by majqa @ 7:12 PM
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