More attention to psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs, like psilocybin, LSD, and ketamine, has come up lately, especially because of more interest in their use for religious and spiritual experiences by people of different faiths, including Christian and Jewish^[1.1]. This is something the Lord wants me to talk about because, recently, I counseled a young Christian who took a dose of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybin is the drug most associated with mushrooms). He was convinced by testimonies and false teachers that it was good for his mental health and spiritual walk with God. Those things are important to note, because the use of psychedelics are making a resurgence in mental healthcare.

The young Christian said his mental state while high on mushrooms was actually his true personality (lovingly emotive and easy-going) while the rest of the time he felt argumentative and withdrawn, not able to express his feelings. However, different drugs will affect your mind and therefore change your outward personality in different ways. So I told him plainly that being under the influence of psychoactive drugs does NOT reveal one’s true self NOR are they good for spiritual revelation or connection to God and the spirits. If you have problems with anger, impatience, or complacency, then do not look towards drugs for remedy, which are temporary fixes, but look at and correct sins, because negative personality traits are very often curses (judgment) for sins and are best fixed by repentance and staying away from sins, as well as cultivating virtues that are fruits of the Holy Spirit (see Are the worst personality traits ruining your life? for more about this).

I made the points about connecting with God through drug use clear when I talked about cannabis use and how many people think it actually helps their spiritual connection to God. Marijuana, cannabis, and THC are also psychedelic and hallucinogenic, though, I would say psilocybin, LSD, and the like are more potent hallucinogens, as well as more harmful than cannabis because of how they affect thinking and other negative physical effects. All of these drugs, though, are psychoactive and can augment spiritual rituals and so-called “connection” with God and the spirits.

What they augment, though, is very naively assumed to be good, even by educated and traditionally trained rabbis and pastors. Of special note, a study of psychedelic effects on clergy found the large majority who participated said they had one of the most spiritually significant and personally meaningful experiences of their lives while they were high on psilocybin^[1.1]. The experiences were so profound for some that they decided to invest in, advocate for, and lead ministries with the use of psychedelics in mind. They even attributed their spiritual experiences while under the influence as given by God, just like someone I spoke with about cannabis use and his so-called God-given visions from using marijuana (see the cannabis article update, God's true nature and warnings about mixing good and bad for details).

Most of the study participants were naïve about psychoactive drugs. This naivete is clear from comments like, “The only thing that really matters is the fruits of it [of psychedelic drug use]… The fruits to me, of these experiences, of the holding or transformation, are an ethical life. To me, that’s ultimately what it’s all about,” and “learning from Indigenous practitioners” is very important^[1.1]. These comments show how little they know about spiritual matters in general and that they have no clue how drugs and the dark parts of the spiritual realm affect them.

The documentary news program 20/20 aired a segment last night about a psilocybin retreat where they had “traditional” practitioners use indigenous techniques and rituals with psilocybin. Most people had positive reactions while only a person or two had what is called a “bad trip” or bad psychedelic experience or drug reaction. This percentage of “good trip” vs “bad trip” was mirrored in the clergy psilocybin study that made its participants want to incorporate psychedelics into religious life.

However, naivete about psychoactive drug use is only the beginning of ignorance for people who want to use them in religion or to connect with God and spirits. I noted in the cannabis article that the ancients, even in the Holy Land, used cannabis in their religious rituals, largely because its mind altering nature helped them to connect with the spirits, NOT with our one and only true God, but with dark spirits of all kinds, namely, those pagan gods whom the ancients worshipped and wanted to get revelation from.

Hallucinogenic drugs obviously also help create visions, which are some of the religious experiences and revelations that their users are trying to get. Remember how profound and “significant” these experiences feel to drug users? That’s simply because the drugs are mood altering, just like alcohol will enhance mood. Consider how much more potent psychedelic drugs are and you get an idea why people think their experiences are so amazing. When they connect those experiences to God and their religion, things that are obviously very important to clergy, then drug use becomes a doubly-deadly mix because of the sins and bad health effects involved.

But worse, these drugs do augment connections with the spiritual realm and the spirits, NOT to God, but to demons, especially, so most of these amazing and profound visions, revelations, and other spiritual guidance people get while high are not given by God as many believe. They’re actually given by dark spirits, whose guidance cannot be trusted because they twist the truth with many lies (see Light Within for more about how demons guide people). Furthermore, some of these spirits also claim to be archangels, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God Almighty Himself, but they are imposters whom I call the modern day Baals (see Baal Testimonies and Light Within for more).

Divination or the seeking of spiritual guidance and revelation was a big reason the ancients used psychedelic drugs, and today, indigenous peoples and other spiritualists use them for the same reasons, so it really is NOT an “ethical life” to use psychoactive drugs in religion, spiritualism, and most other ways. Divination is a sin, and worse, it is cursed to have demons associated with divination, like the Python Spirit of Acts 16:16, afflict you when you practice divination with drugs.

Like fortune telling, tarot cards, and Ouija boards, using psychedelic drugs in your spiritual life will always bring you harm. Such sins are major reasons why God brought many indigenous peoples to judgment and destruction, so, no, it is not an important aspect of drug use to honor indigenous traditions. The one who knows the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord will see how prudent it is to stay away from psychedelic drug use and pagan spiritualism, most of which also contains witchcraft and sorcery, more sins.

You will not find your true self in psychedelic drugs, nor will you find a good and trustworthy connection with God and the spiritual realm. The Lord’s anointed NEVER need to be high on drugs to be guided by Him (see the cannabis article for more about using drugs and alcohol as servants of God).

And consider, if the Baals of this age can infiltrate and influence you when you’re completely sober (that is the case for most people), then how much more influence will these demons have on you when you willingly drug yourself and are “tripping” for the sake of connecting to them? Thinking that you are connecting with God gives no protection from the spiritual influences of demons that reign in divination, witchcraft, false teachings, and that pretend to be God or His trusted servants. Do not be naive any longer about how easy dark spirits influence the people of God nor reject how widespread they are in the kingdom of God. The weeds in the kingdom have long overtaken God's wheat (Matthew 13:24-30, 13:36-43).

Also, like with cannabis, some psychedelic drugs do have medicinal use, but if you’re seriously considering these kinds of drugs for therapy, then please think again. They are not cures, and for people of God, they are only for the absolute last resort when faith and spiritual means have failed you. It is for reason God's healing and deliverance do not come for many people afflicted with very serious illnesses. The great majority is because of sin that God has judged must be paid for by your afflictions, and so prayer and petition for healing often go unanswered. Like I mentioned above, the best way to handle chronic afflictions is to address sins, come out of them, and correct them with wholehearted repentance. Please contact me if you need help in addressing such spiritual issues.

And as I said in the cannabis article, servants of God are not to be “high” or drunk when they serve Him, but furthermore, the one who walks with God, depends on Him and His help alone. We should not need any drugs, even natural ones like cannabis and mushrooms (by the way, opium, heroine, morphine, and cocaine are also natural). It is not by might nor power (physical means) but by God’s Spirit that we will triumph with God (Zechariah/ Zecharya 4:6). Let it be in your lives in the name of Mashiach Yeshua (Christ Jesus). Amen.