Person
Every book Brian Muraresku recommended on podcasts
Brian Muraresku appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast to discuss the secret history of psychedelics, ancient consciousness, and the intersection of religion, history, and altered states. Throughout the conversation, Muraresku reflects on the foundational texts and impactful reads that shaped his extensive research journey. He credits Graham Hancock's Supernatural as a beautiful book that sent him down a significant research rabbit hole back in 2007. Muraresku also notes that his exploration began with an impulse purchase of Jeremy Narby's The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge at a New York bookstore, which subsequently introduced him to Hancock's work. Furthermore, he mentions Daniel Pinchbeck's Breaking Open the Head as an influential text regarding contemporary shamanism and psychedelics. In addition to these works on altered states, Muraresku discusses Peter Kingsley's In the Dark Places of Wisdom and Reality, and highlights Julian Jaynes's The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind while exploring the nature of ancient consciousness and internal voices. Through these varied recommendations, Muraresku outlines an intellectual lineage of historical and anthropological texts that question conventional understandings of human awareness and spirituality.
Books recommended by Brian Muraresku
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Supernatural
Supernatural by Graham Hancock is a comprehensive exploration of human consciousness, ancient rock art, and the historical use of shamanic psychedelics to connect with nonhuman entities.
Recommended“and graham hancock wrote a beautiful book about this called supernatural which in many ways like sent me down this rabbit hole back in 2007.”
Where to get it
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In the Dark Places of Wisdom
In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley is a historical and philosophical examination of the origins of Western philosophy in ancient Greece, focusing on figures like Parmenides and Empedocles and their connection to mystical traditions.
Recommended“uh one is in the dark places of wisdom and the other is reality”
Where to get it
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Reality
Reality by Peter Kingsley is a profound philosophical exploration of Parmenides and the mystical roots of Western thought and consciousness.
Recommended“uh one is in the dark places of wisdom and the other is reality”
Where to get it
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The Cosmic Serpent
The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby is an anthropological investigation proposing that shamans in the Amazon rainforest gain their botanical knowledge through an intuitive connection to DNA at a molecular level.
Recommended“it started with jeremy narby the cosmic serpent dna in the origins of knowledge”
Where to get it
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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes is a profound exploration of human psychology proposing that ancient humans operated with a divided brain structure where divine voices were heard rather than internal monologue.
Recommended“julian janes writes a great book um the origins of consciousness and the breakdown of the bicameral mind”
Where to get it
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Breaking Open the Head
Breaking Open the Head by Daniel Pinchbeck is an exploratory non-fiction work that chronicles the author's immersive journey into shamanism, indigenous entheogens, and alternative states of consciousness across the globe.
Recommended“actually because it was after that that i discovered breaking open the head by daniel pinchback”
Where to get it
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Meditations
Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is a foundational work of Stoic philosophy that records the personal reflections and spiritual exercises of the Roman emperor.
Discussed“Copies of marcus aurelius's meditations and paperback were sold out at the beginning of 2020.”
Where to get it
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Soma: divine mushroom of immortality
Discussed“he writes a book about this in 1968 soma divine mushroom of immortality that that was his guess too for for soma”
Where to get it
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The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth by John Marco Allegro is a controversial theological study examining the connections between ancient religious texts, secret societies, and the sacramental use of psychedelic plants in early Christianity.
Discussed“and then he so he comes out the second book the dead sea scrolls in the christian myth what”
Where to get it
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The sacred mushroom and the cross
The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross by John Marco Allegro is a controversial historical study that proposes Christianity and ancient religious rituals originated from fertility cults centered around the sacramental use of psychedelic mushrooms.
Discussed“and carl rock has written the afterword to uh one of the additions you probably have of sacred mushroom in the cross”
Where to get it
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The Universal Christ
Discussed“richard rohr the franciscan friar i mentioned in the universal christ he writes a lot about how the divine for you is is often encountered in in the other”
Where to get it
Books Brian Muraresku wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #211 – Brian Muraresku: The Secret History of Psychedelics | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2021-08-15 | 13 |
| The Psychedelic Origins Of Western Civilisation - Brian Muraresku - #276 | Modern Wisdom | 2021-01-30 | 1 |
| #1543 - Brian Muraresku & Graham Hancock | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2020-09-30 | 5 |
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“that's what i explore in the immortality key that this notion of techniques archaic techniques in some cases of ecstasy that allow that experience of the eternal principle to actually rise up in our consciousness”
“so the first chapter of my book is called identity crisis and it talks a lot about this”
“i mean what if it in addition to our faith traditions in addition to the bible the new testament what if in addition to all that these ancient philosophers and mystics had ideas that weren't that distinct from christian mystics and some of these heretical sex like the gnostics or some of the very mainstream followers of jesus”