Anna Sierka, CSWR, Psychedelic Intersections: 2024 Conference Anthology
Anna Sierka analyzes medieval Kabbalistic texts that illuminate the role of a potentially psychedelic plant—the “marking nut”— in Jewish mysticism. Using the marking nut as a primary example, Sierka argues that these texts can be divided into an exoteric tradition and an esoteric tradition. Texts in the exoteric tradition share the identity of the marking nut and related sacred plants in order to highlight their capacities for healing. Conversely, texts in the esoteric tradition hide the identity and role of these plant assistants to direct the reader away from any specific plant and toward the sacred knowledge obtained vis-à-vis these plants.