Topic: Cicero

The concept of being "born again" is analyzed as a simulated death experience induced by "sonosima" drugs that mimic a state of clinical death. Dr. Hillman details the Oracle of Trophonius, where initiates were starved and drugged before being dropped into a dark cave filled with snakes to induce "orgasmic psychosis." This trauma-based initiation was intended to allow the psyche to "cross the dark star" and perceive a deeper reality.

The Roman statesman Cicero is often cited as a man of reason, yet his writings acknowledge that consulting oracles was a standard practice for men of all statuses in his era. Despite his personal skepticism, Cicero’s records provide primary evidence of how deeply entrenched divination was in the functional reality of the Roman world. His dismissal of the "magical" perspective is contrasted with the widespread cultural reliance on signs and dreams.