What is the food of the gods

Jack Bensington: [pointing at bubbling fluid from ground] That's what your husband brought us out here for?

Mrs. Skinner: Just like Mr. Skinner found 'er. Just like that one day. At first he thought it was oil and it was going to make us rich.

Jack Bensington: Come on, Lorna.

Lorna Scott: No, wait a minute, Jack, wait a minute. Look at this. I've never seen anything like it. Mrs. Skinner, how did your husband happen to feed it to the chickens?

Mrs. Skinner: Well, when we found out it weren't no oil, there was nothing to do about it, so we fed it to the chicks.

Lorna Scott: Right out of the ground like that?

Mrs. Skinner: No, miss. Nothing'll eat it unless we mix it with chicken feed.

Lorna Scott: And did all the chickens grow?

Mrs. Skinner: Only the baby chicks. Nothing seemed to affect the grown ones. Nothing at all.

Lorna Scott: Nothing happens to the full-grown chickens, is that right?

Mrs. Skinner: Well, they didn't grow none, if that's what you mean. But I didn't say nothing happened to 'em.

Lorna Scott: Well, what did happen?

Mrs. Skinner: They got et... by the real big ones.

Jack Bensington: Come on, Lorna.

An exploration of humans' symbiotic relationships with plants and chemicals presents information on prehistoric partnership societies, the roles of spices and spirits in the rise of dominator societies; and the politics of tobacco, tea, coffee, opium, and alcohol.

Why, as a species, are humans so fascinated by altered states of consciousness? Can altered states reveal something to us about our origins and our place in nature? In Food of the Gods

, ethnobotanist Terence McKenna’s research on man’s ancient relationship with chemicals opens a doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. McKenna provides a revisionist look at the historical role of drugs in the East and the West, from ancient spice, sugar, and rum trades to marijuana, cocaine, synthetics, and even television—illustrating the human desire for the “food of the gods” and the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness.  

Praise for Food of the Gods

“Deserves to be the modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens.”

—The Washington Post

 

“Terence McKenna is the most important—and most entertaining—visionary scholar in America.”

—Tom Robbins

 

“The culture’s foremost spokesperson for the psychedelic experience . . . Those who know and enjoy Joseph Campbell’s work will almost certainly appreciate McKenna.”

—L.A. Weekly

 

“An eloquent proposal for recovering something vital—a sense of the sacred, the transcendent, the Absolute—before it’s too late.”

—Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Meaning & Medicine, Recovering the Soul, and Space, Time & Machine

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What is Ambrosia?

In Greek mythology, ambrosia was considered the food or drink of the Olympian gods, and it was thought to bring long life and immortality to anyone who consumed it. It was often linked to nectar, the other element that the gods consumed; usually, it was thought that ambrosia was the food and nectar was the drink of the gods. In general, ambrosia was only consumed by deities; when Heracles achieved immortality, Athena offered him ambrosia; while when Tantalus tried to steal some to give to other mortals, he was punished for committing hubris. Whoever consumed ambrosia no longer had blood in their veins, but another substance called ichor.

Achilles’ immortality

One of the myths about Achilles’ immortality has it that his mother Thetis anointed him with ambrosia when he was born and then passed him through flames, so that the mortal elements of his body would be consumed. However, Peleus, his father, found out and stopped her; this caused Thetis’ rage and left without managing to immortalise Achilles’ heel. As a result, that was the only vulnerable spot in his body.

See Also: Nectar, Athena, Heracles, Tantalus, Achilles, Thetis, Peleus

Written by: The Editors of GreekMythology.com. GreekMythology.com editors write, review and revise subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge based on their working experience or advanced studies.

For MLA style citation use: GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Ambrosia". GreekMythology.com Website, 07 Jul. 2021, //www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Elements/Ambrosia/ambrosia.html. Accessed 16 May 2022.

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