Let me start off this thread with a definition from http://www.erowid.org

ENTHEOGEN
theo=god, spirit
gen=creationSubstances which generate god or spirit within. Peyote or psilocybin mushrooms are traditional examples of this.
(from Entheogens and the Future of Religion)

psychoactive sacrament; a plant or chemical substance taken to occasion spiritual or mystical experience
hallucinogen; psychedelic

Why Use The Word Entheogen?
The Age of Entheogens & The Angel's Dictionary
by Jonathon OttCarl A.P. Ruck, Danny Staples, Jeremy Bigwood and I, in collaboration with Wasson, proposed the neologism entheogen[ic] in 1973, as a term "appropriate for describing states of shamanic and ecstatic possession induced by ingestion of mind-altering drugs." Noting that shamanic inebriants did not provoke hallucinations or other psychiatric pathologies, we deemed hallucinogen[ic], psychotomimetic and its congeners to be pejorative, prejudicing "transcendent and beatific states of communion with deity" characteristic of traditional use of visionary drugs. We noted that, besides being pejorative outside of the counterculture, psychedelic was "so invested with connotations of the popculture of the 1960s that it is incongruous to speak of a shaman's taking a 'psychedelic' drug."
Entheogen[ic] (literally 'becoming divine within') was derived from an obsolete Greek word describing religious communion with visionary drugs, prophetic seizures and erotic passion, and is cognate with the common word enthusiasm. Since the neologism is apposite to traditional contexts ofuse of shamanic inebriants, it has met with an enthusiastic reception by ethnographers and historians, and has appeared in print in all of the major European languages, plus Catalin. Entheogen[ic] has now become the primary term for shamanic inebriants in the Spanish-speaking world, and bids fair to become the predominant term for these drugs in the ethnographic and ethnopharmacognostical literature worldwide.
Although we have thus elegantly solved the problem of a culturally-appropriate, non-pejorative term to describe the context of use of these drugs, the phytochemists and pharmacologists have yet to agree on a term to categorize their pharmacological action. There is no facile chemical classification, as many structural types of alkalolds, terpenoids, amino acids, even coumarins are psychoactive in various shamanic inebriants. Similarly, there is considerable pharmacological variability within this class of drugs. Hallucinogen[ic] remains the predominant term for the older generation of scientists, despite the fact that most of these drugs usually do not produce hallucinations in the clinical sense.
Psychedelic is still much used by younger scientists, but generally only in reference to drugs with effects like LSD or mescaline; while important shamanic inebriants like the mushroom Amanita muscaria(l. ex Fr.) Pers. ex Gray, the mint Salvia divinorum Epling et Jativa, tobacco (the shamanic drug of the Americas par excellence)-- all likewise used culturally as entheogens--are said not to evoke psychedelic effects. Although we may presently speak of all these shamanic 'plant-teachers' as entheogenic drugs or as entheogens, we as yet have no single word to describe their pharmacological effects, and must still have recourse to cumbersome binomials, like visionary effects, ecstatic effects, etc.; and we might just as well resurrect the obscure, but quite elegant, term psychoptic: 'producing mental or spiritual vision.'
Definition of "Entheogen"
by R. Gordon Wasson
ENTHEOGEN nov. verb.:
'God within us', those plant substances that, when ingested, give one a divine experience, in the past commonly called 'hallucinogens', 'psychedelics', 'psychotomimetics', etc etc, to each of which serious objections can be made. A group headed by the Greek scholar Carl A.P. Ruck advances 'entheogen' as fully filling the need, notably catching the rich cultural resonances evoked by the substances, many of them fungal, over vast areas of the world in proto- and prehistory. See Journal of Psychedelic Drugs Vol 11.1-2, 1979, pp 145-6. We favor the adoption of this word. Early Man, throughout much of Eurasia and the Americas, discovered the properties of these substances and regarded them with profound respect and even awe, hedging them about with bonds of secrecy. We are now rediscovering the secret and we should treat the 'entheogens' with the respect to which they were richly entitled. As we undertake to explore their role in the early history of religions, we should call them by a name unvulgarized by hippy abuse."

Hi Shawn,

This is an interesting article, and lead me to think even more about drug taking and perception effects.

I must admit, and I suspect you already realise, I feel that the human body (brain) is designed to give us realisation which is as close an approximation as is possible to the Real world. It does not always work properly.

This is attempted or done, as you know, by using 'chemicals' produced in the brain or made avilable to the body directly from food.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of them. Some are inhibitors, some activators, and to some extent, of which I am not aware, they interact with one another to creat a 'balance' which is 'symbolic' of interaction with the outside world.
I know from personal experience that they were imbalanced within my body for at least 40 years.
I have no doubt that most people have varying degrees of imbalance from time to time. Sometimes this will be slight and temporary, and other times it will be significant or maybe chronic.
I do not criticise those who try to alter their perception, because they may benefit from pre-existing imbalances. I am concerned at the potential risk that is imposed  upon them.
The medical professionals do not appear to know the full range of purposes of any one of these 'body' chemicals, or how they interact let alone their combined effect.
And if you don't know that you are already deficient or excessive in any one or more chemicals, how can you know which chemicals to try [remembering also that you don't know what the new chemical will do in your body].
Entheogens make God happy - but not really!

Please accept that these comments are my own personal view based on my own experience.
I do not intend to imply that I do not agree with other people experimenting - that is their own choice.

What are the views of other readers?
In particular, do you think the drugs referred to by Shawn, enhance our concept of reality, our imagination, or both?

Best regards, Bill.

Firts of all i like your attitude on the subject!!! Shawn,you have hit a goldmine of a topic!
I am tired of people having panic attacks on the sheer mention of the word "psychedelic"/"Entheogen" (hehe,both of them Greek words,they really DO honour my country!)

I have been studying this class of compounds both practically and theoretically for some time (should i hurry to say i am not a combulsive user/abuser and that i have respect for my neurochemistry?) and i think they are very interesting.Above all this class of compounds has been beneficial to me in more ordinary terms than "self exploration" or "self psychotherapy".They intrigued my mind to such a point that i acquired a biology Bachelor degree and developed a keen interest in neyrochemistry.

Rhymer: I tottaly agree that these kinds of compounds can imply great danger and one should be carefull as if he/she was handing explosives!Check out sufferers of PHPD (post hallucinogen perception disorder).My own belief is that entheogens can pinpoint that many thing in our "reality" are human conventions (agreements) like the interpretation of time,feelings social structure etc.IN that sence,yes they enhance our perception of "real" reality which says that "the core of what is observed can be the same ,but details and colors are given by the observer".They can "teach" you many things,in the sence that instead of orally transmitting information as humans could do,they let you experience.A simplistic example follows: It is different for someone telling you how you will feel when your much loved dog dies,and a whole new world when this happens...  Entheogens can also spark the imagination.But let us not forget that they are like knives: tools...Simply ,JUST,tools.WIth a knife i could kill you or i could cut and serve you a nice slice of beef roast! UNfortunatelly many people abuse them ,and you can see the nasty results...

Many people trace religion back to them (Search on Amanita Muscariq ibotenic acid muscimol,DMT,peyote mescaline ,psilocybin etc) ther people try to find universal secrets in them and others use them as a fuel for their psychonautical vehicle,going inwards the human psyche.I belong to the last category although i cannot ignore the first.Certainly ,i do not believe that they could grand me with...uhhh...cosmic secrets,that are not already hidden in me.

In that lights,if correctly used they could greatly benefit people.When all is said and done,their neuropharmacology and interpretation of it,are very intriguing.

A closing note: One "side-effect" that entheogens had on me is the constant admiration of beauty...When i look at a flower,dawn,river,people my heart and my mind is overflown with wonder,awe and that childish excitement...i know how plants grow and feed,why rivers flow,and why the sky has this amazing colour at dawn, from a scientific point of view but i cant help looking at them as if tomorrow i am going to be blind or dead.Science explains, awe and amazement remains.If only politicians and world leaders could do that for a second instead of planning more wars... (sorry for out of topic comments)

I just thought I'd throw my young, ignorant perspective into the mix regarding this subject. First of all I am at the mercy of the above intellects, I am an uneducated 18 yr old simply wasting away via drugs, going downhill in an unstoppable vortex of fate fueled by societies ideals and expectations. The bio of course is nothing more than a joke to at least enthrawl interest in the mind of the reader. This stands to be my second post, so please have mercy upon me. I am however an experienced user with entheogens and enjoy their use. I am the typical H.S.T wannabe dressing in aviators quoting gibberish, thriving in the drug world the place I feel cool in. However I might not be considered the extreme stereo-type, I most definetely exhibit extensive research on all the drugs I partake in. I also have my own methods of deriving whether a drug is harmful to me, if the pros outweigh the cons, my own set of checks and balances I think everyone should have in maintaing a healthy life parallel to drug use. The purpose for all this being said was to give the reader a more accurate depiction of the perspective of the poster.(bad grammar, like I said uneducated) I am experienced in the drug usage world, however I believe myself to be a virgin compared to the drug experience I will one day hold, not that this is a goal, but rather a prediction. My perspective on drug use and the reasoning involved in doing them has evolved to this. I am currently in the mindset of now using mainly psychedelics for their exploratory purposes. I also belive that reason for doing the drug itself has alot to do with what the drug will do to the user. This hypothesis may seem a little unscientific, but observation is a part of the scientific method. If one observes a plethora of drug users, one will find not only that the reasons for doing the drug changes from time to time, but the reasons will correlate with the effects of the drugs on the alleged users. So this little theory, more accurately put hypothesis is one in which I think many will agree with, however it may be a little off topic to this page, I just wanted to reveal it somewhere.

I found your post refreshing, at as you I also have similar ways of research and outwaying pro vs cons . However I'm 10 years older than you are and my journey into the vast vortex of various substances started at about 15. Your prediction regarding continued use is a just one :-) Don't let others tell you that you cant do both ( that is lead a successful life and partake ) I do to this day and have found my experiences especially with Lophoro Williamsi ( mesculine ) acid, 2cb, mushrooms, and others has really helped in many ways my mind/brain / intellect.

Nice to meet you

K U L T U R E - represantative

Substanceabuser I really like ur way of thinking.