“The Doors of Perception” by Aldous Huxley – Beyond the Realm of Reality

The consumption of hallucinogenic and psychedelic substances is a subject on which people in general have been and still are very divided.

Though there are certainly many schools of thought on the subject, the main ones can be classified as follows: those who believe the substances are dangerous and should off-limits without question, those who believe that everyone needs to try them, and those who are curious about studying them, learning, and perhaps even using them as help on the path to knowledge.

As you can imagine, Aldous Huxley was of the third kind, and in his book The Doors of Perception he details his experience with the hallucinogenic cactus peyote, also now commonly referred to as mescaline.

What makes Huxley’s account so fascinating is really the kind of person he was at the time he tried it. He was a well-known intellectual who came from a highly-respected British family that many saw as eccentric.

He was able to keep prejudices to a minimum and approach the whole thing from a more neutral perspective, which in turn allowed him to provide a very detailed, vivid and eye-opening account of the things he saw.

Basically-speaking, the book is separated into two main parts; his experience during the consumption of the peyote, and his thoughts and reflections done afterwards. If you have never explored the topic of hallucinogenic substances before, then I warn you that despite his rational and intellectual approach, Aldous Huxley was still not completely able to use words to describe what he experienced with flawless accuracy.

In other words, some of the things may feel outlandish, but it is mostly because our language is a bit too limited for the description of such experiences. In any case, regardless of whether or not this is your first foray into this domain, you will still be able to understand Huxley on both an intellectual and emotional level.

In my opinion though, Huxley’s reflections are what really takes the center stage. It seems as if he had suddenly developed some kind of understanding of this world, something that was hidden to him all along and has helped him to see the world in a way that made sense to him.

It seems as if he understood the purpose and importance of the many aspects of life, from the small daily tasks and unnoticeable details to big decisions and internationally-acclaimed works of art.

All in all, if you are looking to learn about the effects of peyote on the human and take well to the idea of one of the brightest minds of the 20th century taking you through this journey, then this is definitely a book you should give a chance, regardless of what your pre-existing opinion on the subject is.

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Aldous Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) Aldous Leonard Huxley was a writer of English origin and a rather renowned member of the Huxley family. His novels were always seen as somewhat out of the ordinary, with Brave New World depicting a dystopian London future and The Doors of Perception exploring the effects of a powerful hallucinogenic drug (amongst other things). He was awarded in 1939 the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.