Common Name Clarification

[Psylo]

A question to the cactophiles out there. When referring to a a cacti by the common name of San Pedro, will the specimen always only ever be T.pachanoi, or might San Pedro be used loosely to refer to any number of entheogenic Trichocereus?

thanks

Psy

[CβL]

The South Americans use San Pedro to describe heaps of cactuses. Many apparently not even Trichocereus.

BUT

In order to keep confusion to a minimum, it's best to refer to T. Pachanoi as San Pedro, and T. Peruvianus as Peruvian Torch.

[Psylo]

Cool. Im having a hard time identifying a cacti in my garden, but the friend who gave it to me was told by the guy he got it from (a fellow ethno head and cacti lover apparently) that it's San Pedro. Less information than I would have preferred ! Maybe I should post some pictures and seek some expert's opinion before thinking about it's inclusion in any ceremony.

Edited April 23, 2011 by Psylo Dread

[ballzac]

I think there's lots of conventions. A lot of people use the term san pedro exclusively for the PC pachanoi, others use it for other forms. Some include the 'pachanoi spectrum' cacti which would include peruvianus and anything that's in the grey area like short spined peruvianus.

[Psylo]

That's always a problem with common names of plants, which can often be region specific as well as changing through history.

[Foo]

bridgesi is quite offten called san pedro on ebay :-/

[Gunter]

I use San Pedro in the same context as is used in the Andes and use it for several species of the entheogenic complex including T pachanoi, T bridgesii, and T peruvianus, among others.

It is a name that refers to the cosmology and the symbolism that was adopted after the occupation of the Andean lands by intolerant invader culture. The catholic symbols became used for the original religious symbols and San Pedro refers to Saint Peter, the meaning is not actually related however to the catholic convention but is a reference to another figure who has many names in many cultures and is a sort of gatekeeper and is associated with the crossroads and the wind. It is this figure who is appealed to in numerous so called pagan religions and ceremonies. He is associated with a staff, is sometimes called the staff god, although god is not a good word to describe him. He is associated with the serpent as well, and is sort of allied to pacha-mama as a form of her husband.

The cacti that have capacity to be used as tools to put one in touch with this spirit are San Pedro cacti. He is invoked in traditional rituals.

The name San Pedro in relation to the cacti is not about a single specie or plant, or form, but is used as a general term.

in western culture, which remains largely ignorant of spirits, the name San Pedro has become synonymous with T pachanoi, likewise emphasis has been placed upon the symbol as pertaining to Saint Peter in the Catholic sense, however it must be remembered that the use of these symbols was as a cloak to protect the users from the scrutiny of Catholic intolerance and the spiritual tradition is by no means catholic

San Pedro in this sense does not even refer to the cacti themselves, it refers to the spirit of the cacti, the spirit of the four winds who has many names and symbols. The cacti do not contain this spirit, they are of this spirit, sort of like a doorway or a portal. It is through and by appealing to this spirit that a sorcerer accomplishes many things.

I know this is too much information for such a simple question, but i do wish more people understood the nature of the name San Pedro and what it means in relation to these plants in the context of their traditional use.

[George]

Am I right in saying that San Pedro is the same as Saint Pedro?

Could be the white flowers or Mexicans have been known to call their allies after saints. I think salvia has a simmilar name, can't remember.

I see there's allso a place in CA called San Pedro, maybe there's a bit of histroy.

Edited April 23, 2011 by George

[WoodDragon]

George, San Pedro = Saint Peter. Archaea has a detailed explanation above, if you read through his post.

If one is trying to refer to specific species then the Western scientific binomial convention is the best way to do so, but if, as Archaea does, one is referring to the relevent ethnobotanic, cultural use then 'San Pedro' is the way to go.

It's all about context, and if we're serious about getting all of the ethnobotany right, it's good to learn how to detect and appropriately utilise the subtleties of the various contexts.

Edited April 24, 2011 by WoodDragon

[ballzac]

The name San Pedro in relation to the cacti is not about a single specie or plant, or form, but is used as a general term.

 

Would I be right in assuming that the term San Pedro is not appropriate when referring to lophophora? If I'm right, then why? I would mainly be thinking that it's regional/cultural. That is, lophophora is not found in the regions where the term San Pedro was/is used to refer to the cactus spirit. Alternatively, it's also highly conceivable that the peyote spirit is seen as being quite distinct from the San Pedro spirit, and therefore requires a different name. I don't know much about the culture and philosophy regarding these plants, so forgive me if this is a naive question.