The Hashish Eater · Chapter
The Visionary; To Which Chapter There Is No Admittance Upon Business explained
The narrator defends the human longing for stimulus as a sign of the soul's capacity for higher existence, arguing that this yearning is not inherently depraved but reflects a desire for broader being, deeper insight, and grander views of B
What happens
The narrator defends the human longing for stimulus as a sign of the soul's capacity for higher existence, arguing that this yearning is not inherently depraved but reflects a desire for broader being, deeper insight, and grander views of Beauty, Truth, and Good. He warns against the use of drugs like hashish and opium, which ultimately lead to exhaustion and ruin, and instead urges communion with Nature, Art, and acts of goodness as noble stimuli. The chapter concludes with a call for truth and a vision of a restored Eden and a crowning race of humankind.
Themes in this chapter
Hashish and Altered States of Consciousness
The narrator discusses hashish as a powerful stimulant that can lead to temporary expansion but ultimately to exhaustion and ruin, warning against its use.
The Search for Transcendence
The chapter centers on the soul's yearning for a higher existence, deeper insight, and grander views of Beauty, Truth, and Good, advocating for noble stimuli over drugs.
Suffering and Redemption
The narrator speaks of hope for a better growth and a grander life, with the light of a resurrection shining through the sepulchre of the body, pointing toward redemption.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Defends the longing for stimulus as a sign of the soul's capacity for higher existence, warns against drug use, and advocates for communion with Nature, Art, and good deeds.
- Hashish
Mentioned as a powerful stimulant that leads to exhaustion and poisonous wildernesses; the narrator warns against its use.
Key passages
“But of the stimulus of drugs, of potions, beware. For the sake of that very majesty with which you justly wish to aggrandize your soul, beware. Their fountains will be presently exhausted, and then you shall helplessly beat your breast, as without possibility of arising from the brink you draw in their foul, their maddening lees, and curse yourself for slaying those noble powers which it was your longing to strengthen, to nourish, and to clarify.”
The narrator warns against using drugs and potions, as they will quickly run out and leave you helpless, cursing yourself for destroying the very powers you sought to enhance.
A direct warning against the use of stimulants like hashish, emphasizing their ultimate harm.
“The Infinite One is communing with this illimitable soul of yours to lift it higher. At a hundred doors he comes in to you continually. There are breathings within you which are not of yourself.”
The narrator suggests that the divine is constantly communicating with the soul to elevate it, with influences that come from beyond the self.
Highlights the theme of transcendence and the soul's capacity for higher communion.