Reasonably Irrational: Theurgy and the Pathologization of Entheogenic Experience

In this lecture, Professor Wouter Hanegraaff from the University of Amsterdam discussed the relevance of entheogens to theurgy and ritual evocation in Roman Egypt, with special attention to the story of Thessalos, the so-called Mithras Liturgy, and the Neoplatonic practice of Iamblichus. Professor Hanegraaff argued that if we deny or marginalize the clear evidence for entheogenic practice in these contexts- while acknowledging the spectacular visions and experiences that are claimed in the texts-it is hard to avoid traditional pathologizing interpretations of experiential practices that, in fact, can be rationally accounted.