Daniel Pinchbeck introduces himself and recounts his early shamanic journeys in Gabon, Ecuador, Brazil, and elsewhere. We look at initiation practices found in shamanic cultures worldwide. What is the traditional purpose of initiation? What are the basic characteristics of initiatory trials? We explore the history of psychedelic shamanism to gain a context for today’s psychedelic renaissance: What do we know about the origins of shamanism around the world, from Siberia to Ancient Greece to South America? Psychedelics and Europe from the Mysteries of Eleusis until today. Christianity developed out of Gnosticism, rejecting initiation for indoctrination. The Gnostic Christ says: “Open the doors for yourself, so you will know what is.” The demonization of visionary states and indigenous plant knowledge in the Middle Ages, with the inquisition and the burning of the witches. European alchemy and the quest for the Prima Mater or alchemical gold. Discussion on how this history of repression has impacted our own lives and society, and how we overcome it now by reintegrating visionary states and intuition.