Thread by @0xQuasark

𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘄:

You had to get high before you could rule.

And no ruler was exempt.
Marcus Aurelius, Plato, Cicero, Augustus.
All drank the same ego-dissolving potion.

They called it: The Eleusinian Mysteries.
The drug cult that birthed democracy 🧵

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝟰𝟬𝟬𝗕𝗖𝗘, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲:

Before you could lead people, you had to experience death.

On the temple it read: "𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙚"

But the Eleusinian Mysteries weren't just some psychedelic party...

They were the ultimate in leadership training.

Every major politician, general, and philosopher made the pilgrimage to drink 𝙠𝙮𝙠𝙚𝙤𝙣 and receive revelation.

And the crazy part?
It wasn't optional. Mind expansion was mandatory.

After drinking the sacred brew, these future leaders experienced:

🧠 Complete ego dissolution
💀 Direct confrontation with death
🌍 Universal interconnectedness

You can't rule cruelly after that.

And the impact was permanent:

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.

- Pericles led Athens' Golden Age.
- Marcus Aurelius ran an empire while writing about universal compassion.
- Cicero challenged tyrants so hard that they cut out his tongue for it.

They thought in generations,
not election cycles.

Compared to today's leaders:
Ancient: Ego-less, death-aware, service-oriented (for the people)
Modern: Ego-driven, mortality-denying, power-hungry (for themselves)

We've professionalized politics but removed ways to ensure wisdom.

So what was the Mysteries' ultimate fate?

The Christians shuttered the "pagan" temple in 392 CE and the Goths destroyed it a few years later.

We lost the mysteries, and with it, our high expectations of our leaders.

Power became about control, not service.
The mysteries promised one thing:

They democratized enlightenment.

Anyone could:
✨ Experience divine consciousness directly
🌈 Lose their fear of death permanently
🤩 Access mystical states without clergy

Not exactly a monopoly to the divine, right?

So we have to remember:

As psychedelics continue to revolutionize society, we shouldn't forget their role in leadership.

No hollow platitudes or grabs for power.

As Marcus Aurelius said:

"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."

I really do believe that psychedelics can give profound experiences that will forever alter how we view ourselves in the world, a perspective that I wish all our leaders have.

If you think we should expect more of our leaders please Retweet!