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Drugs in shamanic practices
Controversial? Yes! Traditional? Likely.
There is some very compelling evidence that shamanic use of hallucinogenic and/or psychotropic drugs dates back to the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon {tens if not hundreds of thousands of years}. Essentially, scholars believe that many prehistoric and ancient shamans used these drugs to commune with their deities.
A well-known example of this is the Delphic Oracle of Ancient Greece. {Rather than ingesting a drug or a combination of drugs, the Delphic priestesses likely inhaled gases that were hallucinogenic.) Another ancient example is Soma, which though considered to be a Druidic {Celtic priesthood} tradition, seems to trace back to the Vedic peoples of the Indus Valley of India {4000 to 5000 years ago}. Modern evidence is found in the use of peyote by shamans of the Navajo and Hopi First Nations. Ditto for a number of Middle and South American shamans {though the psychotropic drugs can be such things as secretions from poison dart frogs}.
Medieval Europe didn't see the end of hallucinogenic drug use. Many of the witch trials included evidence of "flying to sabbats and esbats" as proof that a person was a witch. Research has indicated that a number of hallucinogenic herbs - used as teas or as lotions - were what made medieval "witches" think that they flew.
Probably the most commonly used psychotropic agent was {is} amanita muscaria or the fly agaric mushroom/toadstool. The use seems to have been worldwide and the mushroom is commonly found. Haoma {Iran-3500 years ago} may have been the same, may have been Soma, or may have been "wild rue", a harmaline-containing shrub. It's also believed that psycilocybe {ergot} was another psychotropic agent. In Greece, a number of the Mysteries {the best known being the Eleusian Mysteries} usually used an ergot-based preparation in wine. Datura and morning glory seeds were {are} also used and are also common herbs worldwide.
Some modern Wiccans and witches - usually those who practice shamanic traditions - will use hallucinogenic and psychotropic drugs to enhance their communing or experience with the Goddess. It should be noted - quite emphatically - that not all Wiccan shamanic traditions utilize drugs. The use of these drugs not only has health issues, but also legal issues, associated with them. The shamanic traditions that do use these drugs are very insistent that the use is never done by a person alone - there must always be a "watcher".
What is the appeal of Wicca and witchcraft?
Non-harmful
Spirituality and spiritual
Empowering and enhancing
Individual expression and free will
Nature-oriented
Feminist and humanist expression
As Wicca matured, many practitioners started to pay greater attention to prehistory, and so, the focus amongst a number of Wiccans and witches shifted to matriarchy, matriliny, the Goddess, and priestesses. This resulted in feminist Wicca but it also resulted in a number of Wiccans viewing the Goddess as a duality-both female and male in one. One mythological example of this is Awonawilona, Creator God of the Zuni First Nation, who can be either a woman or a man. S/he created Father Sky and Mother Earth. Also, this is comparable to the philosophy of yin and yang in Taoism-neither yin nor yang can exist without the other.
Sadly, many patriarchal-based religions place women in some sort of second-class position. Too, society today is still strongly influenced by patriarchy - even though the feminist movements of the past half-century have made some major inroads. So, of course, as both feminist and duality interpretations arose in Wicca and witchcraft, this was perceived as very attractive to many women.
{Some pretty cool beliefs, eh?}
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