Quakerism and Psychedelics

It is hard to find much information on the connections between Quakerism (or the Religious Society of Friends) and psychedelic use. This is in contrast to discussions on the (actual or possible) influence of psychedelics on other religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and animistic religions. In contrast to these other traditions, there are no signs or evidence that psychedelic experiences were connected to either the origin of Quakerism itself or key figures in the movement. However, this doesn’t mean Quakers haven’t tackled the subject of psychedelics. Furthermore, given that Quakerism is an experiential tradition – and, some say, a form of mysticism – many people find a resonance between the tradition and psychedelic experiences. For some, these experiences set them on the path to Quakerism.

Quakerism began as an offshoot of Protestant Christianity in mid-17th-century England. It originated during the Civil War and the republican era of Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth. This was a time of social, political, and religious upheaval. Many other radical religious sects emerged during this time, including the Shakers, Ranters, Diggers, Levellers, Muggletonians, Seekers, Congregationalists, Brownists, and Fifth Monarchists. ‘Quakers’ was a nickname that others ascribed to members of the Religious Society of Friends, owing to their ‘quaking’ when they felt moved by the Holy Spirit. This trembling is a common aspect of ecstatic experiences.

Quakerism is an experiential religion that encourages direct experience of the divine (which Quakers commonly refer to as the ‘inner light’, among many other names). This inner light, or light within, is associated with Christ and God. Quakers see every single person as possessing this spark of the divine, and they believe everyone can access it and perceive it in others. It is this belief – ‘that of God in everyone’, to use the Quaker phrasing – that underpins their commitment to the principles of equality and peace.

Since its founding by George Fox, Quakerism has emphasised the authority of one’s own direct and immediate experience of the divine, and rejected the so-called ‘authority’ of religious clergy and dogma. Quakerism is creedless and non-hierarchical. For this reason, the Quakers were initially seen by mainstream Protestant Christianity as heretics. Despite this, Fox travelled around England, preaching Quakerism to crowds (including other religious groups, such as the Seekers and Puritans). He and other Quaker preachers, including James Naylor, were often arrested and imprisoned for blasphemy.

While Quakers today aren’t viewed as heretics, their movement is still not very popular. The number of Quakers worldwide is 400,000, with the majority living in Africa and the Americas. Today, there are around 12,000 Quakers in Britain, which is a tiny membership, especially when we compare it to the 27.5 million who identify as Christians. (While Quakerism began as an offshoot of Christianity, many now consider the movement to be non-Christian. In fact, it accepts people with a wide range of beliefs, including those who hold no theistic beliefs.)

Buddhism can also be considered an experiential religion (or philosophy), and there are similarities between it and Quakerism, although there are important differences too. When I describe silent worship to people, they sometimes remark that it sounds like meditation, but Quaker worship does not involve focusing on an object of attention (e.g. the breath or certain phrases). It is not so much a developed meditation practice as ‘expectant waiting’ – one is waiting for the inward presence of the divine to appear. Buddhism does not refer to a divine presence (as it is, fundamentally, an atheistic tradition: the Buddha was not divine). Nonetheless, the emphasis on stillness in Quakerism accords somewhat with Buddhist thought, as does its emphasis on certain virtues.

Quakers access the divine (non-theist Quakers will use a different term) through silent worship. By attending Quaker meetings with a preparedness to experience the inner light, and by sinking into a state of deep communal silence, the feeling of a guiding presence can manifest. If someone feels called to speak based on this experience, they stand up and do so (which is known as ‘ministry’). There is no priest delivering a sermon. Anyone can share a spiritual message with the group. There are also no religious symbols present or hymns. Quaker meetings are centred on direct and unmediated experience.

Rufus Jones (1863–1948) established the mystical foundations of Quakerism, arguing that we should seek direct experience of God, rather than rely on second-hand descriptions of mystical experiences found in books and scriptures. He wrote that mystical experience “makes God sure to the person who has had the experience.” Jones was influenced by the American philosopher (and psychonaut) William James, who in The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) said, “Mystical states, when well developed, usually are, and have the right to be, absolutely authoritative over the individuals to whom they come.” James acknowledged, however, that those who have not had the experience are justified in being sceptical about the revelations described by those who have had them. This further stresses the value of direct experience, rather than putting faith in outside sources.

This experiential and mystical aspect of Quakerism may appeal to many psychedelic users, who might be looking for non-drug methods of accessing ‘the divine’ that they encountered in a psychedelic state. Moreover, Quakerism can provide a community and ethical framework that helps people to make sense of and integrate psychedelic-induced divine encounters.

For those who don’t resonate with the term ‘the divine’, for metaphysical or personal reasons, other terms can be used to encapsulate one’s direct experiences during Quaker worship. ‘Unity’ is one. Feeling connected to other group members in the deep stillness is common, as is feeling more connected to oneself and the world at large. Since unity and interconnectedness are common themes of the psychedelic mystical experience, this aspect of Quaker worship can also be appealing to psychedelic users. For the non-theist Quaker, ‘that of God in everyone’ can take on a different meaning in the experience of unity; it might instead be interpreted as the ‘inherent goodness in everyone’.

Quaker meetings can bring up feelings of inner warmth, compassion, and wisdom, which for psychedelic users might feel similar to what they experienced in their altered states, or it could be viewed as bringing to the surface mental states already unlocked by psychedelics. Aligned with Quaker principles, these direct experiences can then inform their life in meaningful ways, influencing their careers, lifestyles, interactions with others, and moral decision-making. Many Quakers, for example, are passionate activists, which is often an outcome – or at least something informed by – their experiences during Quaker meetings. (Quakers were involved in the founding of groups like Amnesty International, Oxfam, Greenpeace, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Conscience, and Peace Tax International. They were also the first religious group to condemn slavery.)

Quakers’ rejection of authority, and history of ‘speaking truth to power’, may also resonate with the mindset of those in the psychedelic community. People who use psychedelics (understandably) tend to have higher levels of openness to experience than non-users. Psychedelics themselves also lead to increases in this personality trait. Crucially, an aspect of this trait is ‘challenging authority’. We can often see this in statements from key psychedelic figures, such as Timothy Leary, who famously advised, “Think for yourself, question authority.” I think many parallels can be drawn between Quakers and the countercultural movement of the 60s (e.g. the focus of both movements on anti-war, peace, social justice, equality of the sexes, and environmentalism).

There is no official or common Quaker view on psychedelics specifically. However, in the Quaker text Advices and Queries, the following view on alcohol and drugs is offered:

In view of the harm done by the use of alcohol, tobacco and other habit-forming drugs, consider whether you should limit your use of them or refrain from using them altogether. Remember that any use of alcohol or drugs may impair judgement and put both the user and others in danger.

Classic psychedelics aren’t considered habit-forming drugs (although it is possible, albeit uncommon, for a unhealthy pattern of use to arise). It is also possible for psychedelics to impair judgement (if one’s mind is intensely altered), putting oneself and others at risk. Nevertheless, causing harm to oneself or others on psychedelics is rare. In any case, the risk of addiction and harm to oneself and others is certainly lower than that of alcohol. And while early Quakers were teetotal (the founders of Cadbury, Rowntree, and Fry were Quakers who wanted to provide chocolate, an alternative indulgence to alcohol, to people), many modern Quakers drink alcohol in moderation. Thus, Quakers do not necessarily reject all drinking as harmful; they just want to avoid the harms associated with excessive drinking.

Similarly, if psychedelics are framed in these terms – used sensibly, not impairing one’s judgement (perhaps even being used to improve judgement and wisdom), and not having a tendency to cause harm to oneself or others – then they don’t seem comparable to the kind of drinking and drug use that Advices and Queries refers to.

Additionally, a Quaker could subscribe to what is known as ‘the principle of causal indifference’ in the philosophy of mysticism. This is the view, promoted by Walter Terence Stace, that all mystical experiences are valid, regardless of what causes them. After all, mystical experiences occur outside of Quaker meetings. Jones argued that these experiences were common, writing that “many people have had this vital experience.” Mystical or ecstatic states can be triggered not just by worship but also by psychedelics, the natural world, music, meditation, fasting, rhythmic drumming, strenuous exercise, singing hymns, chanting, and reading sacred texts. For Jones, the founders of most world religions gained their spiritual understanding through mystical states.

From personal experience, I have not found Quakers to hold stigmatising views on psychedelics (this could also speak to the fact that Quakers, in general, tend to be open-minded, non-judgemental, and pluralistic in their outlook). The subject of psychedelics has come up when talking to other Quakers at meetings if I’m asked what I do for a living. I’ll mention I’ve been covering psychedelic science and psychedelic therapy. People usually show interest and curiosity in the subject (this could also be related to the trend of mainstreaming and destigmatising psychedelics). One older woman I spoke to, currently an addiction therapist, opened up to me about her use of psychedelics in her hippie days, and she was aware of their current mental health application.

Mary K. Mattosian has suggested in an article published in Quaker History that the unusual mental and physical states experienced by early Quakers may have been related to ergotism. This is a form of poisoning caused by ingestion of a fungus, Claviceps purpurea (or ergot), which commonly grows on rye. Ergot alkaloids are chemically similar to LSD. The Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesised LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) by isolating ergotamine (a precursor of lysergic acid) from ergot. Ergotism, or ergot poisoning, can cause a range of unpleasant physical symptoms, as well as mental effects like mania, hallucinations, and psychosis. Mattosian’s hypothesis, if correct, perhaps lends weight to the view that meaningful experiences related to Quakerism can legitimately result from psychoactive drugs.

Joseph Havens, a Quaker, addressed the subject of psychedelics in a 1964 article published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Here he connected these substances to Quakerism:

It is just possible that God, in His inscrutable Grace, may wish to shatter all our Pharisaic pretensions, and through these remarkable substances gracefully provide glimpses of the realm of the Spirit precisely to those whose path would otherwise never have come near it....Seldom has the demand for the rethinking of the nature of mystical, experiential religion been so insistent. And this demand rests with unusual weight upon the Society of Friends, because of its claim to be a religion of immediate experience, of the inward Christ.

An additional way that Quakerism and psychedelics can reinforce each other is through concern for the environment. Modern Quakers take sustainability seriously, so much so that it is now one of the main principles they try to live by, alongside truth, simplicity, peace, and equality. Sustainability is also related to the other principles; one lives simply as a way to live sustainably, and living in a way that doesn’t damage the environment is part of following a path of non-violence. Advices and Queries states:

We do not own the world, and its riches are not ours to dispose of at will. Show a loving consideration for all creatures and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life.

As a result of feeling more strongly connected to – and identified with – the natural world, psychedelic users can feel drawn to the kind of behaviours and lifestyle choices that Quakers themselves often recommend. These include not falling prey to the culture of consumerism; reusing and recycling; doing away with unnecessary goods; buying local, fair-traded, and organically produced food; reducing or eliminating the consumption of animal products; composting food and garden waste; driving and flying less; and reducing waste.

Many psychedelic users want to find a community of people they can relate to after they’ve had profoundly transformative and spiritual experiences. Psychedelic communities exist, but finding one that one resonates with can be difficult. Some may be attracted to the New Age spirituality that is often a part of the psychedelic community, whereas others (myself included) are put off by this. Wanting to find a spiritually-minded community post-psychedelics does not mean that the community has to be psychedelic-focused. In fact, a community not focused on psychedelics might, for some people, be more helpful for integrating psychedelic experiences and being part of a relatable community, if that group better promotes the values and attitudes that one is attracted to.

Some psychedelic users, therefore, may feel at home in the Quaker community. This community can offer the opportunity to have spiritual experiences without psychedelics as well as help people integrate psychedelic experiences in a meaningful way.

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