Luis Eduardo Luna
Encyclopedia
Luis Eduardo Luna, anthropologist and noted ayahuasca
researcher. Dr. Luna was born in 1947, in Florencia, Colombia
. He received his doctorate
in 1989 from the Institute of Comparative Religion
at Stockholm University
, as well as an honorary doctorate in 2000 from Saint Lawrence University, New York. He currently is a language teacher at the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
in Helsinki, Finland.
Dr. Luna is best known for his research of the entheogen
ic tea Ayahuasca
. His research has focused on traditional indigenous
usage as well as the newer syncretic ayahuasca churches such as Santo Daime
and the União do Vegetal
. He is the director of Wasiwaska, Research Centre for the Study of Psychointegrator Plants, Visionary Arts, and Consciousness, located in Brazil
; currently, they are studying the neurological aspects of ayahuasca inebreation on the central nervous system
.
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine-containing species of shrubs from the Psychotria genus...
researcher. Dr. Luna was born in 1947, in Florencia, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. He received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1989 from the Institute of Comparative Religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
at Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
, as well as an honorary doctorate in 2000 from Saint Lawrence University, New York. He currently is a language teacher at the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
The Hanken School of Economics is a Finnish business school.Hanken is a Swedish-language business school of university standing located in Helsinki and Vasa, Finland. Hanken is one of the oldest business schools in the Nordic countries...
in Helsinki, Finland.
Dr. Luna is best known for his research of the entheogen
Entheogen
An entheogen , in the strict sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. Historically, entheogens were mostly derived from plant sources and have been used in a variety of traditional religious contexts...
ic tea Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine-containing species of shrubs from the Psychotria genus...
. His research has focused on traditional indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
usage as well as the newer syncretic ayahuasca churches such as Santo Daime
Santo Daime
Santo Daime is a syncretic spiritual practice founded in the 1930s in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Acre by Raimundo Irineu Serra, known as Mestre Irineu...
and the União do Vegetal
União do Vegetal
União do Vegetal is a Christian religion based on the use of Hoasca in a program of spiritual evolution based on mental concentration and the search for self-knowledge...
. He is the director of Wasiwaska, Research Centre for the Study of Psychointegrator Plants, Visionary Arts, and Consciousness, located in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
; currently, they are studying the neurological aspects of ayahuasca inebreation on the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
.
Writings
- Vegetalismo: Shamanism Among the Mestizo Population of the Peruvian Amazon, 1986, ISBN 91-22-00819-5
- Ayahuasca Visions: The Religious Iconography of a Peruvian Shaman with (Pablo Amaringo), 1991, ISBN 1-55643-064-7
- Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies with Rick StrassmanRick StrassmanDr. Rick Strassman is a medical doctor specialized in psychiatry with a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology research. Strassman was the first person in the United States after twenty years of intermission to embark in human research with psychedelic, hallucinogenic, or entheogenic substances...
, Slawek Wojtowicz M.D Ede Frecska M.D, 2008, ISBN 159477224X