Episode 13 Supplement
A priest, a rabbi, and a Zen Buddhist walk into an eternal meadow...
Let’s start with mushrooms and end with the astonishing, shall we?
“Effects of Psilocybin on Religious and Spiritual Attitudes and Behaviors in Clergy from Various Major World Religions” by Roland R. Griffiths, et. al., published 30 May 2025
From the study’s conclusion:
This study found that psychedelic-naïve, professionally trained and engaged clergy from four major world religions experienced and interpreted their experiences with psilocybin to be religiously significant, meaningful, and generally beneficial. The frequency and types of reported adverse effects were similar to those reported in previous studies with psilocybin in healthy participants and in patient populations, and no serious adverse events were reported…The historical associations between psychedelic experiences and religious and spiritual attributions have long been noted, and we believe it is compelling to better understand, through ongoing study, the nature of these associations and why they are so persistent.
Speaking of tripping rabbis, in an earlier GGU episode I related (badly) the story of Hillel the Elder. Here’s it told correctly:
A famous story is told about a Roman who decided he wanted to affiliate himself with the Judean sages of the Second Temple. However, he did not have the patience to spend an adequate amount of time immersed in their teachings and literature, so he said he would join them on condition that he be could be taught the entirety of the Torah while standing on one foot.
The first sage he approached, Shammai, thought that the gentile was not being genuine, and chased him away with a measuring stick.
The second sage, Hillel, accepted the challenge and stated the following:
שׁוּב מַעֲשֶׂה בְּגוֹי אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא לִפְנֵי שַׁמַּאי. אָמַר לוֹ: גַּיְּירֵנִי עַל מְנָת שֶׁתְּלַמְּדֵנִי כׇּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ כְּשֶׁאֲנִי עוֹמֵד עַל רֶגֶל אַחַת! דְּחָפוֹ בְּאַמַּת הַבִּנְיָן שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ. בָּא לִפְנֵי הִלֵּל, גַּיְירֵיהּ. אָמַר לוֹ: דַּעֲלָךְ סְנֵי לְחַבְרָךְ לָא תַּעֲבֵיד — זוֹ הִיא כׇּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ, וְאִידַּךְ פֵּירוּשַׁהּ הוּא, זִיל גְּמוֹר.
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to another; that is the entire Torah. The rest is interpretation. Go study!”
More on the Electric Buga-loo:
Video: Radiologist Jose Lius Velasquez’ initial examination of the Buga Sphere
Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales: “INFORME DE RESULTADOS ESFERA DE BUGA” Spanish speakers who can be bothered to read it please enlighten us!
The Wall Street Journal: “The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America’s UFO Mythology”
A Smörgåsbord of High Strangeness from our friends at Astonishing Legends:
The infamous File 10 EVP from the Sallie House investigation
The life-saving “Sarah and the Spider Woman” episode
That’s the entirety of this supplement. Now, go study!