The elaborate question mark tattoos below belong to Jesse Smith, who struggled for a long time with doubts about his Christian upbringing. The uncertainties were so great that they almost drove him to suicide — until he discovered the hallucinogen DMT.
Although a widely banned substance, one church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has the legal right to use substances containing DMT. They take it in tea at services, saying the visions that the drug triggers enhance understanding of their religion.
It’s a claim that it’s easy to knock as an excuse for going on drug-induced trips, but Jesse and his partner Sarah told me over dinner about their sincere belief that DMT not only saved Jesse’s life, but also opened their minds to omnism: the belief in all religions.
Click on the picture above or on this link to read about my meal with the Smiths, in which they told me about how they met; their experiences with DMT; the pros and cons; and how their religious beliefs have evolved as a result.