The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
by Jeremy Narby
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Book Reviews of The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
Book Review: Just bad science
Summary: 2 Stars
I think it's amazing that an educated person could write something like this, and I would be amazed if any other educated person could read it and not laugh out loud. His narrative can be fun to read at times, yes. But he has completely abandoned everything he SHOULD have learned about the scientific method. He systematically confuses anecdotes and visual similarity with real evidence. If you can call what he is presenting a hypothesis, he doesn't present a control experiment or any way to disprove it.I think the fact that this book actually came from somebody with a PhD is shameful--he is contributing to the idea that science is just a Western fad and just another belief system.
If you are the kind of person who buys dream catchers, crystals, and magic pyramids, then you will probably love this book. I suggest that if you love this book, you read "The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan and pay attention.
Book Review: It's about time.
Summary: 5 Stars
Jeremy Narby has made a breakthrough of epic proportions. I am not some new age fruitcake - I have a degree in biochemistry and have studied extensively in the areas of genetics, physics, and the properties of light. This book is a MUST READ for anyone even slightly concerned with finding the truth. If you do not have a scientific background, do not worry. Narby has written this book so that anyone can understand it (I estimate that 5-10 % of the information might require additional research by those with no scientific background). I find myself incorporating the theories of Cosmic Serpent into basically all other apects of study, including the Bible, Chaos Theory, the Kaballah, Sacred Geometry, and other religious beliefs from all over the world. I have read many books, and I consider Cosmic Serpent to be one of the most important books of our time, or any time, for that matter. I hope there is a follow up soon.Book Review: Definitely on to something
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent book. Essentially the author is saying that basically all the world's ancient cultures worshipped a giant serpent of some description. Yet they had no contact with each other as far as we know - and some, such as the Siberians - had no contact with snakes. The author suggests that the shamans took similar trance inducing herbal compounds which enabled them to see visions etc. Inevitably they saw giant snakes. The author tries this with some Amazonian shamans and he also has experiences with these giant snakes - like anacondas or boa constrictors. Sounds cuckoo..but the truth is most of us at some time have a dream with large snakes in it. I know I did. Anyway, he connects it to the molecular level, which is to say that he thinks the shamans got down to the DNA level which is represented by the double helix, intertwined snakes. Interesting, but needs more work.
Book Review: Intriguing
Summary: 4 Stars
Are there other roads to knowledge other than reason? It would appear that ayahuasca using shamans ascertain information by accessing imaginal (not imaginary) worlds. This is what they claim and it is hard to explain their vast and complicated understanding of herbal pharmacology in some other way. This was the point that this book impressed upon me.Also, it would appear that big pharmaceutical companies exploit these shamans by stealing their information and taking the credit and the profit for it.
I cannot go so far as believing that the serpent visions are somehow projections of DNA. It is an interesting hypothesis though, and perhaps in the future science MAY confirm Narby's theory.
Anyway, I have heard so many good things about the entheogen ayahuasca (from varied sources) that I would definitely like to try it in the future
Book Review: An insightful book that leads us back to the planet.
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this to be one of the most exciting books I have ever read. Not because of the science or the shaman perspective but because it leads us out of the clouds and back to the planet we live on to learn fundamental truths about life. The appreciation and love of our planet and all its species is crucial to our continued existence and Dr. Narby certainly whets our interest with his fascinating hypotheses. Perhaps, if God created everything and God is in us and all around us, God and DNA may be synonymous. And how wonderful it would be for us to feel that God actually has such a close physical association with us instead of being a separate being living in a far off realm. This book brings a number of important ideas and concepts together to attempt the creation of a whole meaning. Wonderful read!!!