61: Brian Muraresku - The Immortality Key

In this episode, John interviews Brian Muraresku, author of New York Times Bestseller, The Immortality Key: The Secret History of The Religion with No Name. On an average day back in 2007, Muraresku’s life changed after reading the Economist’s article reviewing the research underway at Johns Hopkins investigating the clinical use of psilocybin mushrooms. Thus, Brian’s twelve-year study of a controversial theory was born. The theory positions psychedelics at the root of early the Christian Eucharist, and beyond that, at the root of religion as a whole. Through this conversation, Brian and John explore the psychedelic theory of religion, “graveyard beer” - a psychedelic brew used as a sacrament to commune with the dead 10,000 years ago, the mysteries of Eleusis – a Greek religious, esoteric tradition, literalism, the need for all of us to study the classics, healthy skepticism, Christ as a Dionysus figure, the relationship between blood and wine, the kingdom of heaven (not in the afterlife, but present day), the technology and science that is providing insight into our religious traditions, and the powers that seek to erase those histories – spoiler alert: for the Roman Catholic Church this was women and drugs. Referencing The Immortality Key, Jeff Kripal writes, “Buckle up tight, Toto. You were never in Kansas. It’s Oz everywhere and always." BRIAN C. MURARESKU graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a degree in Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. As an alumnus of Georgetown Law and a member of the New York Bar, he has been practicing law internationally for fifteen years. He lives outside Washington D.C. with his wife and two daughters. In 2016, Muraresku became the founding executive director of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation. Their work has been featured on CNN and ESPN, as well as The Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle. In arbitration with the NFL in 2018, Muraresku represented the first professional athlete in the United States to seek a therapeutic use exemption for cannabis. The Immortality Key is his debut book. https://www.brianmuraresku.com/author Website for The Sacred Speaks: http://www.thesacredspeaks.com WATCH: YouTube for The Sacred Speaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAuksnpfht1udHWUVEO7Rg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/ @thesacredspeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesacredspeaks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesacredspeaks/ Brought to you by: https://www.thecenterforhas.com WATCH Get Centered https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdbeVcDXWXezYMkHJg-2duw Theme music provided by: http://www.modernnationsmusic.com