Well, why wouldn’t a man called Heaven write about God? Rather than God, or hummingbirds, this book is devoted to the Peruvian cactus San Pedro, its healing properties and use in Andean shamanic healing ceremonies. There is an introduction by a Dr David Luke, who researches ESP-enhancing properties of San Pedro and ayahuasca, but this subject is not treated in the book. The book contains a useful glossary and has nice print, but the photo reproductions are very poor. The author, who is to be congratulated for bringing San Pedro to a wider audience, recounts his experiences on taking the cactus, and also interviews other Andean healers and those who have drunk the brew. His style is too ‘New Age’ for my taste, though I was prepared to believe the accounts of people cured of alcoholism, grief and other emotional disorders. I do not believe the “instant cures” for cancer, diabetes and paralysis. The author’s main “insight” on drinking the brew is that we only become ill if we “choose” to. Choosing to get sick, thinking you can fly or control your environment are not insights but delusions. Those who take mind-altering substances had better be able to recognise the difference!
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