The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell

By Aldous Huxley

Categories: Religion & Spirituality

This volume pairs two essays by Aldous Huxley. The Doors of Perception (1954) describes his experience after taking mescaline in May 1953 and reflects on its insights, from the aesthetic to the sacramental. Heaven and Hell (1956) extends those reflections, exploring how bright colors, geometric patterns, art, meditation and psychedelic drugs can open what Huxley calls the antipodes of the mind. Both titles come from William Blake. This edition also includes his essay "Drugs That Shape Men's Minds."

Recommended by 5 people

• Michael Pollan
• Jordan Peterson
• Naval Ravikant: “Two great books, kind of give you an idea of what you could be facing in your psychedelic trips coming up.”
• Sam Harris
• Jason Silva: “I'm a big fan, of course, of Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception.”