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November 22
George Eliot, C.S. Lewis, and Maria Sabina
David Barnhart
November 22, 2025
Spore print from King Stropheria (not psilocybin) by Angela Barnhart, 2025.
Today is the birthday of George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), English author, in 1819. She translated several works of biblical criticism from German, and in her Victorian novels skewered religious hypocrisy.
Today marks the death, in 1963, of Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis), English Christian author. Both his fantasy series (The Chronicles of Narnia) and popular writing (The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity) influenced both evangelical and progressive Christianity. Less well-known, but I think just as rich, is his science-fiction books (starting with Out of the Silent Planet).
Today marks the death, in 1985, of Maria Sabina, Mazatec healer and poet, who somewhat accidentally helped introduce the West to psilocybin, so-called “magic mushrooms.” She lamented the way psychedelic culture appropriated and exploited her indigenous tradition, but believed the healing power of “the children” was meant ot be shared.
Reflection:
George Eliot wrote:
“Nice distinctions are troublesome. It is so much easier to say that a thing is black, than to discriminate the particular shade of brown, blue, or green, to which it really belongs. It is so much easier to make up your mind that your neighbour is good for nothing, than to enter into all the circumstances that would oblige you to modify that opinion.”
and
“The blessed work of helping the world forward, happily does not wait to be done by perfect men.”
C.S. Lewis wrote:
“For the Supernatural, entering a human soul, opens to it new possibilities both of good and evil. From that point the road branches: one way to sanctity, love, humility, the other to spiritual pride, self-righteousness, persecuting zeal. And no way back to the mere humdrum virtues and vices of the unawakened soul. If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God.”
Apropos for our time, he also wrote:
“I don't deserve a share in governing a hen-roost, much less a nation. Nor do most people — all the people who believe advertisements, and think in catchwords and spread rumors. The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows.”
De-centering pharmacology from the effect of “the children,” Maria Sabina said:
“You are the medicine.”
Prayer: God, you created us not only for redemption, but to be medicine. Help us toward this humbling wisdom. Amen.