Eating a plant or an animal is a way of claiming its power, a way of assimilating its magic to one's self. In the minds of preliterate peo­ple, the lines between drugs, foods, and spices are rarely clearly drawn. The shaman who gorges himself on chili peppers to raise in­ner heat is hardly in a less altered state than the nitrous oxide en­thusiast after a long inhalation.

• drugs
• food
• power
• magick
• self