The Creation of the Spirit World

Kenneth Leong
4 min readSep 9, 2024

How was the world of spirits created? How did religion enter the world? I learned this rather recently. I read Li Zhekou’s essay on why shamanic rituals is the source of Chinese culture. Subsequently, I read Robert Wright’s “The Evolution of God.” Interestingly, “The Simpson Movie” of 2007 is largely correct about the nature of spiritual experience and awakening.

Everything started with the prehistoric shamans. The argument that prehistoric shamans created the world of spirits through the use of hallucinogens can be grounded in anthropological, archaeological, and neuroscientific perspectives. Hallucinogenic substances, derived from plants and fungi, have been used by indigenous cultures across the globe for millennia to induce altered states of consciousness. These altered states often involve vivid visions, encounters with non-ordinary realities, and perceived communication with spirits or otherworldly entities. Of course, events that happen during prehistoric times are difficult to verify. But there is convincing evidence.

1. Evidence of Early Use of Hallucinogens

Archaeological discoveries provide evidence that prehistoric peoples used psychoactive substances. Cave art in Europe, South America, and other parts of the world, often dating back tens of thousands of years, has been linked to shamanic rituals involving the use of…

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Kenneth Leong

Author, Zen teacher, scientific mystic, professor, photographer, philosopher, social commentator, socially engaged human