orld of unmitigated sensory experience. The need to leave oneself behind for a while and experience the world in a different way is as old as time itself. For centuries, man has known that certain plants or distilled liquids would produce altered states of consciousness. This need for transcendence is not new nor does it show signs that it is on the decline. One need only frequent the many bars that line the streets of every town in America to know that people yearn for a break from their lives occasionally. It is this need for transcendence that drives the human race. Huxley realizes this of course and has the good sense to see that the approved sources of transcendence leave something to be desired. Alcohol creates at best a less inhibited moron and at worst an alcoholic and always comes with the price of a nasty hangover. Cigarettes will ease the nerves of those who smoke them but at the price of lung cancer, emphysema, and other health problems. Mescaline on the other hand causes no hangover and leaves the user no more eager to return to its other-worldly effects than he was before. These benign aspects of mescaline are evidenced by its widespread use within the Native American Church of America. Several studies have shown the ritual users of mescaline to be in no worse health than other non-users of similar physical attributes. In fact, the users of mescaline within the church are often more contented with life and usually abstain from drinking completely. It is this usage as a spiritual catalyst that Huxley believes would be most useful to society and the needs of humans. The idea of combining chemical modifiers of consciousness and spirituality is not a new concept, the cult of Bacchus in Roman times being a prime example. However, since the Christian era and its sometimes repressive policies, man has had to get his religion in one place and his release from daily suffering in a bottle. This problem Huxley believes is solved by...
