ZENSANA &
Rising Phoenix
ZENSANA
Rising Phoenix stems from the ZenSana faith, a registered 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity. Zensana is an inter-faith religion that takes inspiration from the 12 major religions - Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Baha’i, Confucianism, Shinto, and Zoroastrianism.
ZenSana is focused on fixing our damaged planet by creating enlightened mindsets that unlock real and practical solutions for change through prayer, free-thinking, and conversations. Our members come from all walks of life and denominations but share one central set of beliefs and entheogenic sacrament to help unlock their mind-state for innovative and practical solutions that create lasting change.
Our MISSION
Our mission is to empower believers and followers to unlock solutions for a better planet through freedom of thought, spiritual enlightenment, and the use of plant-based sacrament to unlock personal growth and betterment.
Our RELIGIOUS HISTORY AND DEIETY
At Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple we celebrate Soma, the Master of Plants, the God of the Moon, the Healer of Disease, and the Bestower of Riches. Revered in Hinduism as Soma (both an ancient sacred elixir and a God), versions of Soma as the moon-deity are also found in other religions including Buddhism and Jainism.
Soma, in ancient India, is both the fermented juice of several unidentified plants which include psychedelic magic mushrooms, and a Deva or God. The juice of Soma was a fundamental offering of the Vedic sacrifices and may have first originated in Persia. The stalks of wet plants were pressed between stones, and the juice was filtered through sheep’s wool and then mixed with water and milk. After it was offered as a libation to the gods, the remainder of the Soma was consumed by the priests and the sacrifice. Soma was highly valued for its exhilarating hallucinogenic effects and the visions it created, bringing the priests who drank it closer to the gods that they worshipped.
In ancient mythology, the Gods gained their immortality by drinking Soma from the Himalayan regions of Northern India. The gods then gave the drink to the archer-god Gandharva for safe-keeping but one day Agni, the fire-god, stole it and gave it to the human race. Not only drunk by priests for its sacred religious nature it was also credited with spiritually uplifting qualities, giving the drinker a boost in energy and alertness. These effects meant that the drink has been considered divine since ancient times; a sacred elixir which brought humans closer to the divine.
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Soma exhibits a number of similarities to the corresponding Haoma cult of the ancient Iranians and is suggestive of shared beliefs among the ancient Indo-Europeans in a kind of elixir of the gods. Like haoma, the Soma plants grow in the mountains, but its true origin is believed to be in heaven, whence it was brought to earth by an eagle. The pressing of Soma was associated with the fertilizing rain, which makes possible all life and growth. In the post-Vedic classical period, Soma is identified with the moon, which wanes when Soma is drunk by the gods but which is periodically reborn.
Elixirs like Soma then appear in other ancient religious texts including those of the early Mycenaeans, whose eponymous Goddess Mykenai (Mycenae), was said to have been founded when the female of that place lost her head to the male of the new dynasty, who had picked a magic mushroom. The etymology of Mycenae is correctly derived from Mykene, the bride of the mykes or mushroom. It is also where we derive the name for the modern-day science of Mycology.
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There is evidence early Christians also used psilocybin and psychedelic sacrament in their ceremonies. Wine jars discovered in an ancient pharmacy near Pompeii revealed traces of a brew containing opium, cannabis, henbane (a hallucinogenic plant) – and the bones of lizards – dating from 79 AD when the first Christians were active in the area.
Mushrooms have been present on the planet for over 700 million years. The fossilized remains of mycelium, a network of interconnected microscopic strands, were discovered in rocks whose age is between 715 and 810 million years – a time in Earth’s history when life on the continents’ surface was in its very infancy. Some scientists argue that psychedelics have been consumed by humanoids since the brain started developing over 10,000 years ago, and even earlier by animal species.
Understanding how our history has evolved, how mushrooms have been used to commune and connect with the divine for centuries, and how ancient lineages have used mushrooms in spiritual rituals and contexts, is essential to further understanding, and acceptance of, Zensana. The use of psilocybin allows us to see places, colors, structures, and other dimensions different to the physical world we inhabit.
OUR BELIEFS
Rising Phoenix is a house of worship in San Francisco that supports the religious use of entheogenic plants as sacrament including mushrooms which have been used since the birth of our planet to bring animals and humans closer to their inner freedom and gods. Our members come from multiple faiths and believe that all entheogens are sacred to our faith, values, and house of worship. We believe that the sacred use of this incredible plant can unlock new forms of thinking, sustainable solutions for a dying planet, and a better understanding of their inner self. Rising Phoenix welcomes people from all walks of life, corners of the planet, and belief systems.
FORM OF WORSHIP AND CREED
ZenSana is the belief that with purpose and will, we can live in a state of exemption from restraint, regulation and external control. ZenSana creates a mindset where individuals have the power to determine their own actions without restraint. ZenSanists believe that mother nature has naturally provided everything we need on this planet to thrive and survive. Our sacrament uses entheogenic plants, and other holistic treatments such as sound baths and meditation to unlock a deeper form of thinking and stimulate neural connectivity within the brain.
OUR VALUES
The Zensana faith is based on values taken from the 12 major religions.
OUR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
Zensana and Rising Phoenix celebrate two major holidays annually.
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Magic Mushroom Day (9/20/2024)
Educational day of action devoted to celebrating psilocybin mushrooms. Nicholas Reville chose September 20th for Magic Mushroom Day because this date aligns with the abundant growth of mushrooms in the early autumn. The primary goal was to inspire individuals to connect with magic mushrooms, educate themselves about the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, and advocate for its decriminalization and the broader legalization of psychedelics.
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National Mushroom Day (10/15/2024)
Originating in Australia, National Mushroom Day is now a holiday celebrated globally for the mushroom industry particularly meant for mushroom farmers, restaurants, cafes and health professionals to enjoy and celebrate everything related to growing and eating mushrooms.