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Buy The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby available and for sale on Brightsurf
| View Larger Image | The Cosmic Serpent
by Jeremy Narby
| | List Price: | $13.95 | | Price: | $11.16 | | You Save: | $2.79 (20%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 58241 | | Studio: | Tarcher | | | Binding: | Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 272 | | Publication Date: | April 05, 1999 | | Publisher: | Tarcher |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Book Description
A personal adventure, a fascinating study of anthropology and ethnopharmacology, and, most important, a revolutionary look at how intelligence and consciousness come into being.
This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald "a Copernican revolution for the life sciences," leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge.
In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it.
"The Cosmic Serpent is a spellbinding, scholarly tour de force that may presage a major paradigm shift in the Western view of reality." --Michael Harner, Ph.D., president, Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and author of The Way of the Shaman |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 62 reviews)
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Modern Mythology 
Apparently countless civilizations have recognized the serpent or other double-helix like shapes as of primal importance, and consumption of hallucogenic drugs induces similar visions. Narby has taken this information and declared that humans are, and always have been, somehow aware of the DNA that underlies our existence. He also believes that DNA has intentions, can communicate with us, and it not of this world (he does not believe in natural selection, etc). As a geneticist with an interest in neurobiology and consciousness myself, I am aware that he has butchered much of the science he presents (for example, claiming that the circularity of natural selection makes it untestable). However he writes well, and I enjoyed reading about the anthropology (which appears well documented to my admittedly inexpert eye) that led him to derive this new mythology. I certainly don't agree with his conclusions, but I appreciate his intellectual creativity and sense of discovery.
June 29, 2008 | |
Intriguing theory. 
Parts of this book were really interesting, and others were a bit tedious. Overall, the author's theory that Shamans are "seeing and learning" from plant DNA (that looks like snakes/serpents to them, hence the inordinate amount of ancient paintings that depict snakes) is certainly counter to conventional Western thought.
If you enjoy learning about alternative ideas, you'll enjoy this book. Who knows, it may be generally accurate -- Western science certainly can't explain the knowledge native Shamans have acquired.
June 02, 2008 | |
A Very Interesting Read 
I sincerely enjoyed reading this book as I could not put it down. This book is roughly 240 pages with eleven chapters. And, it is very easy to read. Narby's "Notes" section at the end of the book is lengthy and informative.
"The Cosmic Serpent" reads more like a novel or a personal journey rather than a scholarly work that one would normally read on the subject. Personally, I was fascinated with the sincere expression of the author's stories and his mix-in with the science of DNA. There were much confusion among the scientific community about connection between the use of hallucinogenic plants and genetic, and yet Narby was able to clear that up, even as briefly, in this book. I also find it interesting about Narby's discovery of the connection between the symbolism of snakes and that of DNA (double helix), and he backed this up with historical evidence from Americas as well from other cultures.
I found this book to be quite informative and most interesting to read. Most certainly a new look on DNA. I also enjoyed his other book, such as Intelligence in Nature.
May 04, 2008 | |
The Cosmic Serpent (book)
I read this book originally several years ago, but a friend borrowed it and alas it never returned. I found the book fascinating, though not for those who habitually ascribe to the false dilemma fallacy!
April 01, 2008 | |
mind blowing
Mind blowing and TWISTED!
If you are interested in changing your perception of...almost everything then read this book.
Jeremy Narby gives you the scientific and the experiential evidence.
It's Fascinating.
January 21, 2008 | |
SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
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