I agree on some level but am not in a place to afford it and I would pay for Michael Pollan but this is to NYT which is quite expensive and I was hoping Michael Pollan had this on his website.
Great point on cost. There are multiple options. For example, I pay for a monthly aggregated news feed (Apple News+) and it costs me $10/month. I can search for articles from paywalled publications, like The New Yorker, The New York Times, etc. and oftentimes I am able to read them as part of my subscription. The article referenced in this post was available as part of my subscription and it made me feel better about paying that monthly $10 fee. Mr. Pollan and The New Yorker both get a cut, Apple gets their cut, too, of course, and hopefully everyone goes home happy. Good luck finding a way to read this article - it is worth the effort and cost.
Thank you, Michael, for interviewing me. Thank you for writing this great article, and I’m really looking forward to reading your next book on my favorite subject!
This is the first I'm hearing about your new book. Very exciting as consciousness is my favorite topic! I can't believe we have to wait almost a whole year though. :)
A very well-balanced and well-researched exploration of psychedelic induced experiments and their influence on religious perceptions of the divine among religious leaders of different faiths. Pollan avoids reporting statistics from the research focusing instead on the experiential which makes it easily accessible to the wider audience with a general interest in the topic. Highlights of the article include how lives have been transformed by the experiment in participants founding their own psychedelic inspired religious organizations. Criticism of the research is also well-considered. Pollan aptly concludes, "Religious institutions will need to be “enlivened and reimagined and transformed” if they are to survive and serve people today," throwing the ball back to us, so to speak, and forcing us to reflect on the wider purposes of religion and how they serve society.
I'm not crazy about the title "High Priests" but it's actually better than the headline they actually ran with: "This Is Your Priest on Drugs". Pretty snarky click-bait, which I know is not your style. (I'm a long time New Yorker subscriber and I recognize that they can't resist poking fun at anything sounding too spiritual.)
I'm looking forward to your book on consciousness. I'm hoping you found your way to talking to Bernardo Kastrup, whose theories are in the philosophical tradition of Idealism and which comport extremely well with non-dual Vedic and Buddhist traditions, just coming at it from a Western analytical direction.
Is there any way to view this without a subscription to NY’er?
Many libraries have free subscriptions, both online and in print.
Nowhere is the saying, "You get what you pay for", more true than on the internet and social media. Michael Pollan's content is worth paying for.
I agree on some level but am not in a place to afford it and I would pay for Michael Pollan but this is to NYT which is quite expensive and I was hoping Michael Pollan had this on his website.
Great point on cost. There are multiple options. For example, I pay for a monthly aggregated news feed (Apple News+) and it costs me $10/month. I can search for articles from paywalled publications, like The New Yorker, The New York Times, etc. and oftentimes I am able to read them as part of my subscription. The article referenced in this post was available as part of my subscription and it made me feel better about paying that monthly $10 fee. Mr. Pollan and The New Yorker both get a cut, Apple gets their cut, too, of course, and hopefully everyone goes home happy. Good luck finding a way to read this article - it is worth the effort and cost.
Thank you, Michael, for interviewing me. Thank you for writing this great article, and I’m really looking forward to reading your next book on my favorite subject!
This is the first I'm hearing about your new book. Very exciting as consciousness is my favorite topic! I can't believe we have to wait almost a whole year though. :)
A very well-balanced and well-researched exploration of psychedelic induced experiments and their influence on religious perceptions of the divine among religious leaders of different faiths. Pollan avoids reporting statistics from the research focusing instead on the experiential which makes it easily accessible to the wider audience with a general interest in the topic. Highlights of the article include how lives have been transformed by the experiment in participants founding their own psychedelic inspired religious organizations. Criticism of the research is also well-considered. Pollan aptly concludes, "Religious institutions will need to be “enlivened and reimagined and transformed” if they are to survive and serve people today," throwing the ball back to us, so to speak, and forcing us to reflect on the wider purposes of religion and how they serve society.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/26/this-is-your-priest-on-drugs I was able to access the article via this link and without a subscription.
I’m excited about your book on Consciousness. I’ve recently discovered this (THE) aspect of life, for which I’m truly grateful.
High Priests — the headline is just perfection.
I can’t wait! And I’ll definitely read the article! Thank you for all you bring to us🐞
Very good article, Michael. Thank you!
I'm not crazy about the title "High Priests" but it's actually better than the headline they actually ran with: "This Is Your Priest on Drugs". Pretty snarky click-bait, which I know is not your style. (I'm a long time New Yorker subscriber and I recognize that they can't resist poking fun at anything sounding too spiritual.)
I'm looking forward to your book on consciousness. I'm hoping you found your way to talking to Bernardo Kastrup, whose theories are in the philosophical tradition of Idealism and which comport extremely well with non-dual Vedic and Buddhist traditions, just coming at it from a Western analytical direction.
Proud Johns Hopkins Alumnus who is so excited to read this article.
Nice to see your story—will the stigma against practitioners lift in our lifetimes?
I assumed that my pledge would give me access to this article.