Ayahuasca as Liquid Divinity

Ayahuasca often produces transformative experiences that blur distinctions between sacred and secular, transcendence and immanence, subject and object, and human and nonhuman realms, but Western and indigenous frameworks interpret these experiences differently. Drawing on Bruno Latour's philosophy, André van der Braak reimagines ayahuasca as liquid divinity, shifting focus from personal experiences to ritual practices that cultivate relationships with more-than-human powers. He describes Santo Daime practices as a modern form of theurgy (god-work), as defined by Iamblichus, where rituals aim to draw down divine action through imagination. Van der Braak argues that ayahuasca religiosity centers not on individual healing or visions but on communal, transformative ecodelic practices that foster solidarity with all sentient beings.

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Abstract

Ayahuasca often yields transformative experiences that merge such familiar categories as the sacred and the secular, transcendence and immanence, subject and object, and the human and the nonhuman. However, such experiences are interpreted differently by Western and indigenous discourses. Using the work of French philosopher Bruno Latour, André van der Braak asks fundamental ontological questions in order to reimagine ayahuasca as liquid divinity, shifting the focus from ayahuasca experiences to ayahuasca-based ritual practices that aim to cultivate relationships with more-than-human powers, described by Latour as "beings of transformation and religion." Ayahuasca as Liquid Divinity: An Ontological Approach describes Santo Daime practices as a contemporary form of “theurgy” (god-work), as defined by the third-century Platonic philosopher and mystagogue Iamblichus. Theurgical practices aim at drawing down divine action through ritual procedures, using the imagination as an active faculty. Van der Braak argues that ayahuasca religiosity is ultimately not about individual recreation or healing, or even personal visions, but rather about engaging in communal transformative ecodelic practices that let us work as companions of the gods in order to practice solidarity with all sentient beings.