The article argues for a feminist reinterpretation of psychedelic consciousness, challenging male-dominated narratives in psychedelic studies. It proposes that psychedelic experiences can foster radical feminist consciousness by breaking down hierarchical thinking and promoting interconnectedness, empathy, and embodied awareness. The author draws on feminist theory, philosophy, and historical accounts to suggest that psychedelic states align with feminist goals of social transformation and critique of patriarchal structures. The work is a theoretical and philosophical paper that reimagines psychedelics as tools for feminist radicalism rather than solely as therapeutic or countercultural agents.
This issue examines the connections between religion and social/political radicalism across two eras separated by about a century: nineteenth-century Spiritualism and the 1960s–1970s counterculture. Elizabeth Lowry argues that Spiritualism was more deeply tied to antebellum social reforms like abolition and feminism than previously recognized, serving as both a shelter and catalyst for oppositional discourse in what she calls a "counterpublic" sphere. Chris Elcock analyzes how 1960s proponents of psychedelic drugs framed their advocacy through rhetorical appeals to patriotism and freedom, revealing the religious alongside the social and political dimensions of that era's radicalism.