Into the Deep

When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “[Teacher], we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” – Luke 5:4-5 (NRSV) 

There’s a popular topic that people from The New Yorker to countless book groups are talking about. It touches on politics, religion, spirituality, chemistry, psychology, culture, and law. And yet it probably hasn’t come up at your church.  

“It” being the use of psychedelic medicine for healing. There are Republicans and Democrats working together (!) federally and in many states to legalize psychoactive substances to treat PTSD, depression, anxiety, opioid addiction, and other conditions.  

Despite the safety and efficacy proven in decades of scientific research, many folks are still scared of psychedelics. The blunt hammer of Nancy Reagan’s “This is your brain on drugs” campaign was effective.  

Except that the core fear these medicines awaken is not unfounded. They do take us into deep waters: trauma and hidden memories, suppressed longings, religious and racial wounds, a deep reckoning with relationships, climate grief … even a face-to-face encounter with the Divine. And who wants to do that? 

Jesus, no stranger to the mystical, told Peter and the others to let their nets down into deep waters. It was a calculated risk. They might come up empty—no food at all. They might drag up old tires, pirate’s treasure, or an irritable sea monster awakened from its centuries-long slumber.  

It’s no different for us, whether we’re exploring our own depths through traditional therapy, intense spiritual practices, or applications of ancient spiritual aids. To go into the deep—even within ourselves—awakens a primal fear.  

Jesus also said: be not afraid.  

Prayer
God who made and knows my inward parts: may I not fear the deep, but the shallows. Amen.

About the Author
Rev. Molly Baskette is the lead pastor of First Church Berkeley UCC and the author of books about church renewal, parenting, spiritual growth and more. Sign up for her author newsletter or get information about her newest book at mollybaskette.com.