Jeremy Narby

En una de sus estancias en lo más recóndito de la selva peruana, el antropólogo Jeremy Narby tomó conciencia del extraordinario conocimiento que los chamanes tienen no sólo sobre las plantas, sino tambien sobre los detalles de sus interacciones bioquimicas y moleculares. Y quiso averiguar como estos hombres, ajenos a toda herramienta cientifica y al propio paradigma de la ciencia occidental, podian haber accedido a este tipo de informacion. La respuesta que recibio de los chamanes fue tan simple como inesperada: fue la propia ayahuasca, planta maestra y visionaria, quien se la transmitio. Pero ¿acaso era posible, gracias al estado alterado de conciencia que facilitan ciertas plantas, acceder al conocimiento atesorado en el propio ADN? Su investigacion no habia hecho mas que empezar.

Traces Western civilizations to understand the ancient knowledge of shamans around the world, from Asia and Australia to Africa and the Americas.

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Cutting edge - GUARDIANThoroughly enjoyable - SUNDAY TELEGRAPHWhile living among Peruvian Indians, anthropologist Jeremy Narby became intrigued by their claim that their phenomenal knowledge of plants and biochemistry was communicated to them directly while under the influence of hallucinogens. Despite his initial scepticism, Narby found himself engaged in an increasingly obsessive personal quest. The evidence he collected - on subjects as diverse as molecular biology, shamanism, neurology and ancient mythology - led inexorably to the conclusion that the Indians claims were literally true: to a consciousness prepared with drugs, specific biochemical knowledge could indeed be directly transmitted through DNA itself. A gripping investigation that opens fresh perspectives on biology, anthropology and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent is new science of the most exhilarating kind.

La naturaleza nos ofrece desde el alimento que nos mantiene vivos hasta la belleza cuya contemplación nos hace humanos. Y nos propone, además, un misterio insondable. Pues ¿cómo funciona la naturaleza? Expresada de mil maneras diversas por mil culturas distintas, esta es la pregunta mas importante y constante que se ha hecho la humanidad. Con el paso de los siglos, le hemos dado muchas respuestas, aunque todas tenian un nucleo comun. Hasta que llegamos nosotros, la cultura occidental moderna. Entonces todo cambio. El ingente conocimiento milenario quedo anulado para implantar una nueva respuesta, bastante inverosimil: todo en la naturaleza funciona por azar e instinto, pues solo el ser humano es inteligente. Nos lo creimos. Para Narby llego un dia en que esta respuesta no fue suficiente.

Una fascinante recopilación de textos sobre chamanismo escritos en los últimos quinientos años, que muestra el drástico cambio de opinión en Occidente acerca del fenómeno religioso: desde la burla y la condena del chamanismo como una práctica diabólica, un engaño, o una evidencia de psicosis, al momento en que se comienza, por fin, a reconocer en estas prácticas un sistema completo de conocimiento espiritual.

Cutting edge GUARDIAN Thoroughly enjoyable SUNDAY TELEGRAPH While living among Peruvian Indians anthropologist Jeremy Narby became intrigued by their claim that their phenomenal knowledge of plants and biochemistry was communicated to them directly while under the influence of hallucinogens Despite his initial scepticism Narby found himself engaged in an increasingly obsessive personal quest The evidence he collected on subjects as diverse as molecular biology shamanism neurology and ancient mythology led inexorably to the conclusion that the Indians claims were literally true to a consciousness prepared with drugs specific biochemical knowledge could indeed be directly transmitted through DNA itself A gripping investigation that opens fresh perspectives on biology anthropology and the limits of rationalism The Cosmic Serpent is new science of the most exhilarating kind

Continuing the journey begun in his acclaimed book The Cosmic Serpent, the noted anthropologist ventures firsthand into both traditional cultures and the most up-todate discoveries of contemporary science to determine natures secret ways of knowing.Anthropologist Jeremy Narby has altered how we understand the Shamanic cultures and traditions that have undergone a worldwide revival in recent years. Now, in one of his most extraordinary journeys, Narby travels the globe-from the Amazon Basin to the Far East-to probe what traditional healers and pioneering researchers understand about the intelligence present in all forms of life.Intelligence in Nature presents overwhelming illustrative evidence that independent intelligence is not unique to humanity alone. Indeed, bacteria, plants, animals, and other forms of nonhuman life display an uncanny penchant for self-deterministic decisions, patterns, and actions.Narby presents the first in-depth anthropological study of this concept in the West. He not only uncovers a mysterious thread of intelligent behavior within the natural world but also probes the question of what humanity can learn from natures economy and knowingness in its own search for a saner and more sustainable way of life.

Cet ouvrage est double : il est écrit par deux auteurs, lanthropologue Jeremy Narby et le chamane amazonien Rafael Chanchari Pizuri, sur deux plantes, le tabac et layahuasca, sous deux angles différents, le savoir indigene et la science. Deux eclairages visionnaires et complementaires sur les plantes maitresses . PresentationPour le monde occidental, le tabac est une plante dangereuse et mortifere. Or les peuples indigenes, qui lutilisent dans sa forme la plus pure, la voient comme une plante enseignante et guerisseuse.Quant a layahuasca, elle suscite a la fois linteret de ceux qui la considerent comme un remede puissant contre nombre de maux mais aussi la mefiance de ceux qui lassocient a un hallucinogene dangereux. Mais quen est t-il vraiment ?Ce livre reunit, a propos de ces deux plantes puissantes sud-americaines, deux systemes de savoirs : lexpertise dun chamane amazonien et les connaissances scientifiques dun anthropologue.Avec une ecriture claire et accessible, cet ouvrage permet au lecteur dacceder a des savoirs complementaires et de tirer ses propres conclusions. Jeremy Narby est anthropologue et specialiste du chamanisme. Il a notamment ecrit Le Serpent cosmique, LADN et les origines du savoir (publie dans une quinzaine de langues), Chamanes au fil du temps, Anthologie du chamanisme (coecrit avec Francis Huxley) et Intelligence dans la nature, En quete du savoir.Rafael Chanchari Pizuri est ne en Amazonie peruvienne. Il vit a Iquitos au Perou et travaille comme formateur denseignants indigenes. Il soccupe dun grand jardin de plantes medicinales et soigne avec la medecine indigene.Enseignant, guerisseur, jardinier et penseur amazonien, il sait naviguer entre les mondes et relier differentes cultures. Une exploration croisee, dense et dune rare richesse, entre science et chamanisme. Stephane Allix (Re)decouverte de ce chamanisme fascinant, du monde des plantes enseignantes, de layahuasca, mais aussi de limportance capitale de la plante de tabac au coeur de ces pratiques. Pour une reconnexion au corps, mais egalement au monde environnant. Inrees TV Une exploration croisee qui bouscule les idees reçues. Radio Dunes

"A Copernican revolution for the life sciences."Medical TribuneUnlock the mysteries of biology, anthropology, and ancient civilizations in this thought-provoking read where science and spirituality intersect. Through Jeremy Narbys travels and research in the Amazon, he discovered that shamans were able to use hallucinogens to tap into knowledge and insights that rival our discoveries using modern scientific methods, particularly with regards to DNA and molecular biology. Drawing on visionary experiences, indigenous knowledge, and pharmacology, Narby challenges conventional understanding, unraveling the connections between consciousness, serpent symbolism, and the origins of life itself. This enlightening book blends science, anthropology, and mysticism into a captivating narrative that will expand your mind.

A survey of five centuries of writings on the worlds great shamans-the tricksters, sorcerers, conjurers, and healers who have fascinated observers for centuries.This collection of essays traces Western civilizations struggle to interpret and understand the ancient knowledge of cultures that revere magic men and women-individuals with the power to summon spirits. As written by priests, explorers, adventurers, natural historians, and anthropologists, the pieces express the wonder of strangers in new worlds. Who were these extraordinary magic-makers who imitated the sounds of animals in the night, or drank tobacco juice through funnels, or wore collars filled with stinging ants?Shamans Through Time is a rare chronicle of changing attitudes toward that which is strange and unfamiliar. With essays by such acclaimed thinkers as Claude Levi-Strauss, Black Elk, Carlos Castaneda, and Frank Boas, it provides an awesome glimpse into the incredible shamanic practices of cultures around the world.