Jonathan Ott Interview

[Dna]

Here is an interview with Jonathan Ott. I find his perspective on the 'war on drugs' particularly interesting:

High Times interview with Jonathan Ott (2001)

Dna.


Pictured:
Claudia Müller-Ebeling,
Jonathan Ott,
Christian Raetsch

[Thom]

Thanks for posting that.

It seems to me that Ott, and especially Rätsch, are rarely mentioned these days. I've learned very much from Rätsch and Müller-Ebeling - especially their collaborative work on European 'witchcraft.' I've been trying to brew henbane ale, for example. Henbane was the typical ale additive used before hops. Alas my first batch was appalingly unpalatable.

Ott mentions bufotenine. Definitely more and more people are recognising the visionary psychoactivity of bufotenine, which has usually been classified as a simple toxin. Ott's book on the 'entheogenic errinhes' is hard to find though...I was able to browse it for an hour, two years ago!

The interview posted was conducted in 2000 and Ott mentions U.S. control of the Bolivian cocaine output. I wonder what effect the election of Evo Morales has had on this situation, if in fact Ott is correct in his suppostion.

The US-Government is now controlling the Cocaine Trade to Europe and the Old World via Bolivia. The USA pretty much has taken over Bolivia, not so much militarily but economically, by buying the politicans and so the country. The Cocaine Trade is running by the US-Embassy. They have their own air-force hangar in the major airport in Santa Cruz. US-Military transports comes in and out almost every day and they can load and unload as they please and nobody knows what they are carrying. Officially this is drug-aid but in fact they are the ones who are controlling the Cocaine Trade.

[forteanajones]

Originally Posted by Thom

Ott's book on the 'entheogenic errinhes' is hard to find though...I was able to browse it for an hour, two years ago!

Thom, this totally intrigued me and I ended up locating an entry for it on LibraryThing (thanks to Dna for pointing me to that).

[Thom]

Ah-ha! That kind gentleman Pappa once gave me essential and timely cactus advice. Thanks Forteana.

[Isaiah Mpski]

Glad to see you back Thom.How's the fishing?

[Thom]

Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines:



From: http://www.plot55.com/books/shamanic_snuffs.html

What an absolute gem of a book. Printed on acid-free paper, leather bound and hand stitched by the amazing Leo in Mexico. It comes with its own maroon slipcase and is numbered and signed in Mr. Ott's very own hand in blue biro.

Open those sensual tan covers and you find a tour de force of information written like only Jonathan Ott can. The attention to detail is phenomenal. The book is a thorough compendium of the use of snuffs in South America. It covers all the usual suspects; tobacco, Virola, Coca, Anadenanthera; and the more unheared of source plants, ash additives and other admixtures that you may have heared of in Ott's Pharmacotheon or some of Schultes' works.

As you might expect, Ott gives a detailed account of the historical and ethnobotanical research done into these snuffs; a detailed review of the pharmacology; and yes, autobiographical bioassays too.

This book is rivalled only by Johannes Wilbert's Tobacco and Shamanism in South America, another detailed look at plant use in South America, this time as the name implies on Tobacco.

There are only two criticisms I have concerning Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines. The first is fairly minor, Ott's sometimes self-important style can occasionally seem a little pretentious. The second most obvious problem with the book is its amazing scarcity (and by extension, cost). Although it was planned to print 1,092 copies of the first edition (mine is number 91, by the way); far, far fewer were ever produced. So you probably won't find it on Amazon.

Hi Isaiah, I'm not doing any fishing at the moment unfortunately as I'm back at university, though stalking trout along an isolated stretch of river is to enter into one of the orders of bliss, I think. My dream is to hunt salmo salar alone in the highlands of Scotland for a week or three. One day...

[Thom]

P.S. I was very sorry to read about the death of your friend Herb.