This Is Your Mind on Plants

by Michael Pollan

Some people call it the flesh of our ancestors, because that’s what it is, you know, and at the same time it’s a spirit. Different people have different experiences with the medicine. It talks to you at different levels: about what it is you need to see, what it is that you need to feel, or experience. The medicine knows you before you even know yourself. It is like a mirror. When people get up and look in the mirror, they can fix themselves, brush their teeth and see if they look okay, you know, presentable for society. But this medicine is a mirror that allows you to see inside yourself, into the core of your heart and spirit. The peyote knows you. So when you start to think about something, maybe something that needs healing, what you’re thinking about, what you’re saying, the medicine can hear you. It’s not like taking out the DSM, and getting a diagnosis. It’s our way of life, talking to things and realizing the life force in all things.