When I asked them about this, they still maintained it was the result of chance. 'They call it an information-storage and duplication device, a text, or a program. When I talked with scientists, they described DNA as if it were the product of an intelligence,' said Narby. Could it be that scientists and shamans are converging on the same discoveries about life after centuries of following diverging paths? Many say that this form shows them that the life principle is the same for all species.Īmong Narby's most astonishing discoveries were paintings and drawing done by shamans of their own visions showing identifiable bio-molecular forms, such as the double helixes of DNA, triple helixes of collagen, and chromosomes duplicating during cell division. They also report seeing twins, twisted ladders and sky ropes in their visions. So he began an investigation of the surprising similarities between shamanism and science.ĭigging into field work by other anthropologists, Narby found that shamans on all five continents talk of a cosmic serpent, a very long single and double entity that is the key to life. However, in recent years, as Narby began following the latest findings in molecular biology, he became haunted by the stories his Indian sources had told him. But being a pragmatist, he initially discounted these visions. When Narby tried the Indians' hallucinogenic brew, ayahuasca, he too saw brilliant multicolored snakes. 'Ten years later, I discovered that much of what Amazonian shamans told me corresponds exactly to the latest findings of molecular biologists researching DNA.'

'The first time an Ashanica man told me he had learned the medicinal properties of plants by drinking a hallucinogenic brew, I thought he was joking ,'said Narby. A gripping investigation that opens fresh perspectives on biology, anthropology and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent is new science of the most exhilarating kind.The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origings of Knowledge, a Book by Jeremy Narby, Ph.D. The evidence he collected - on subjects as diverse as molecular biology, shamanism, neurology and ancient mythology - led inexorably to the conclusion that the Indians' claims were literally true: to a consciousness prepared with drugs, specific biochemical knowledge could indeed be directly transmitted through DNA itself. Despite his initial scepticism, Narby found himself engaged in an increasingly obsessive personal quest. A gripping investigation that opens fresh perspectives on biology and anthropology 'At the cutting edge of contemporary thought' GUARDIAN 'A thoroughly enjoyable read' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH While living among Peruvian Indians, anthropologist Jeremy Narby became intrigued by their claim that their phenomenal knowledge of plants and biochemistry was communicated to them directly while under the influence of hallucinogens.

The cosmic serpent dna