Plato as Shamanic Philosopher 

 
It is argued by Benny Shanon, (author of the Antipodes of the mind which charts the 
phenomenology of the ayahuasca experience) that Platonism is likely shamanic in 
origin and that the philosophy itself fits best with the ayahuasca experience out of 
all the philosophies he is aware of ​link​. 
 
Is it not therefore likely that Platonism represents a great resource for approaching 
the spiritual and the mundane realms given that Plato so thoroughly covers both of 
these in his writings? 
 
I have outlined here some of the major ideas present in Plato which I believe 
relevant. 

The Cave 
 
Plato describes the visible world as analogous to the inside of a cave in which, from 
childhood, we have been chained. The images that our senses take in are less real 
than the true reality outside the cave (the realm of the mind), and that through 
certain processes (mainly the dialectic, the out of body experience, and love) one 
can leave the cave and come to know reality itself (​Republic​ 514-516). 
 

Immortality of the Soul 

 
Plato argues on three separate occasions, in the Republic, the Phaedrus, and the 
Phaedo, a reasonable proof of the immortality of the soul, that it survives through all 
experiences including the death of the body and is reincarnated until it learns 
enough so that it may maintain its existence in the realm of the mind by regaining 
the ‘wings of the soul’ and breaking the cycle of reincarnation (​Phaedrus​ 246-250). 
Indeed, for Plato, our existence here on Earth is a direct result of inability to 
maintain our existence in the realm of the mind. 
 

The Out of Body Experience 

 
Plato argues that one way to reach the reality outside of the cave is to practice the 
habit of collecting the mind’s awareness from all areas of the body such that it can 
be by itself in a process which he describes as being like death but occurring before 
the physical body dies (​Phaedo​ 66-68). 

Love 
Plato argues that love is a semi-divine entity that inspires the mind of the lover to 
become more like the Gods (ideals that exist in the realm of the mind). He argues 
that through love one can both regain their ability to maintain their existence in the 
realm of the mind (​Phaedrus​ 244 onwards), and come to know the true nature of the 
ideals that exist there (​Symposium​ 202 onwards).  
 
Key to the pursuit in the Phaedrus is figuring out which of the olympian Gods one 
likes the most, and attempting to imitate them as closely as possible so that when 
finding a lover who also most likes this God one will be appealing to them. By falling 
in love by the methods outlined one can be greatly inspired by the demi-God Love, 
and use this as a platform to come ever closer to resembling the mind of the 
olympian God one desires to be like. All this of course could easily be overlayed 
onto any system of Gods if one desired. 

All is Good 
Plato argues that there is only one danger in our existence, and that is to forget the 
truth, that the mind is capable of surviving all experience, nothing happens to 
anyone that isn’t good for them in the long term, and that thus, in essence, all reality 
is good (​Republic​ 380, although the Rouse translation renders this point much 
better). 
 
Plato builds on this and argues for a ethics based on virtue with wisdom being 
based in the true belief that reality is good and courage being the maintenance of 
this belief through all experience. He argues that physical and intellectual exercise 
should revolve around the development of this courage, that one should pursue 
things that challenge their courage so as to make it stronger. 
 
Indeed this concept of reality being good and that one should take a courageous 
approach to whatever comes one's way in life mirrors the buddhist idea of 
non-attachment. 

Proclus: There is No Such Thing as Evil 

In ​Proposition CXLIII of his metaphysical elements​, Proclus (the last leader of 
Plato’s academy before it was shut down by Christian Rome) follows this up and 
argues that there is no such thing as evil, just an obscuring of the divine light in 
individuals which caused by inaptitude for the light causes imbecility and ignorance. 
 
Anyone who has physically combated hostile entities whilst out of their body may 
attest to their weakness and inability to resist when met with force. 

Turning Belief into Knowledge 

Plato argues that it is better to turn the belief that you may receive from reading his 
work that all reality is good into actual knowledge that is less likely to leave your 
mind through degradation over time or being argued down by opposing beliefs from 
others. 
 
To do this one must gain knowledge of a particular ideal in the realm of the mind, 
the Good or the One itself (both these ideas are considered to be the same for 
Plato).  
 
To do this one can follow the process outlined in the Symposium (where the Good 
is termed the beautiful), or follow the process outlined in the Republic termed the 
dialectic.  
 
The dialectic is a process whereby you demolish all your assumptions about the 
nature of reality by systematically questioning them and seeing if they stand up to 
reason. In doing so one should come to question the nature of the One. What is the 
One itself?  
 
For some ideals such a question is easier, but this one is tricky. What is the two 
itself? Well, two is simply two ones. Two individual ones which are identical in some 
way such that they can be grouped together and called two. This goes for all 
number, and as such all number is set on the base of one. But what is the one? 
How can it be defined? All number is defined in terms of one, and of course the one 
cannot be defined in terms of one as then it will not be a definition. 
 
This process continues in Plato’s Parmenides, and the conclusion across his work 
is that the One cannot be defined. That any assertion as to its nature limits it in 
some way such that it cannot be an unbroken unity. For example: Can the one be 
said to be at rest? No. If it was at rest it would have to be at rest relative to some 
other entity and then we’re talking about two entities. Can the One be said to be 
moving? Again no. This would mean it is moving relative to some other entity. 
Therefore the One cannot be said to be moving nor at rest. It transcends the 
concept of motion and rest entirely.  
 
Continuing in this fashion is nearing the end of the process of the dialectic, the 
result of which is described at the end of the sequence on the pursuit of beauty in 
the Symposium as coming to see reality as a great ocean of beauty (​210-211​). 

The One in Other Traditions 

 
Assertions of the nature of the One, the basis of reality, are seen to take similar form 
in other traditions. 
 
In the Zen teachings of Huang Po the One Mind is described as without beginning, 
unborn, indestructible. It is not green nor yellow, and has neither form nor 
appearance. It does not belong to categories of things which exist or do not exist, 
nor can it be thought of in terms of new or old. It is neither long nor short, big nor 
small, for it transcends all limits, measures, names, traces, and comparisons. It is 
that which you see before you. Begin to reason about it and you at once fall into 
error.  
 
The Dao De Jing has it as: 
 
“The Tao that can be understood (or described, or conceived of) cannot be 
the primal, or cosmic, Tao, just as an idea that can be expressed in words 
cannot be the infinite idea. 
And yet this ineffable Tao was the source of all spirit and matter, and being 
expressed was the mother of all created things.” 
 
The Kabbalah has Ein Soph rendered as: 
 
“Before He gave any shape to the world, before He produced any form, He 
was alone, without form and without resemblance to anything else. Who then 
can comprehend how He was before the Creation? Hence it is forbidden to 
lend Him any form or similitude, or even to call Him by His sacred name, or to 
indicate Him by a single letter or a single point.” 
 

The Mundane 
In book eight of Plato’s Republic he describes the systems of politics as he 
understands them. In his discussion of democracy and oligarchy he makes many 
points which are applicable to the situation many states in the western world find 
themselves in. He describes in democracy the dynamic struggle between the rich 
and the many, and how the rich will use their influence to attempt to turn the 
political process to their favour.  
 
The level of insight runs very deep when Plato’s politics is understood as analogous 
to his map of the mind. For each system of government that he describes there is 
an analogous state of mind, key motivator, and part in an individual mind. Oligarchs 
are ruled by the desire for gain, democrats by their desire for liberty, timarchs by 
their desire for victory, and philosophers by their desire for wisdom, and the various 
political states more or less represent the same motivations on a larger scale. 
 
Applying this model of politics and the mind allows one to form insights into the 
motivations and nature of various states and individuals, allowing one to seamlessly 
integrate their own psychedelic understanding of the nature of reality down into the 
mundane realm without having to learn alternative systems of thought which may 
not fit together so well. 
 
Plato also argues (​Gorgias​) that injustice done to oneself by another is far less 
worse for oneself that being unjust. He argues that it should be thought of lightly, 
and that the unjust person should be pitied. It is of primary concern to occupy 
oneself with one’s own virtue (wisdom and courage), and based in belief, 
knowledge, and experience of the goodness of reality and the immortality of one’s 
mind one will never falter in maintaining their own personal excellence. 

Conclusion 
The works of Plato represent a formal shamanic system of philosophy which is 
eminently useful to those disposed to such pursuits. It relates intelligibly to other 
spiritual systems, ties well into many mundane concerns, and gives those interested 
a very approachable and practical means by which their mundane and spiritual lives 
can be tied together seamlessly.