I met the author of this book, Jeremy Narby, a few years ago at a conference (I was working there, not attending it, but enjoyed it tremendously nonetheless). He described how, during his first South American shaman-led vision, he had seen his hand, with its veins, and a leaf, with its veins, and gotten the unmistakable message that “you are the same stuff.” Needless to say, I had to read his book.

To say that “The Cosmic Serpent” is the most important book that you’ve probably never heard of is not an understatement. Dr. Narby, a highly-trained anthropologist, went to South America to try to help the indigenous people. He wound up receiving detailed (scientifically verifiable) information directly from plant spirits, drawing connections between the Gaia hypothesis and the nature of DNA, and much, much more.

Dr. Narby was naive enough to think that the scientific community would be fascinated by his observations. What he received - and has continued to receive - is stony silence. Despite his rigorous methodology, Narby’s work has been ignored by his peers and rejected by most publications. It is, for that reason, all the more important to read this book. “The Cosmic Serpent” is a slim volume (it can easily be read in one weekend) and it will change the way you view science and nature forever.