Jim Figora

“The Moonflower”
Acrylic on canvas.
A painting to honor the Sacred Datura. A plant so beautifully mysterious, that it demands attention. With a scent so intoxicating, that it bewitches its devotees. And a chemical makeup so deliriously potent, that those brave enough to consume it might never come back the same…
I first became interested in datura when I was a teenager, after hearing bizarre stories about local kids who consumed the “jimsonweed” seeds, looking to get high, and ended up having waking nightmares. It wasn’t until I began studying shamanism and ethnobotany that I realized how important the plant actually is. When used ceremonially, it can induce prophetic visions of the future, aid in astral projection, and offer spiritual protection from malevolent beings. It has a long history of shamanic use throughout the world. The spiral motifs around the moon in this painting come from the 500 year old rock art at Pinwheel Cave in California, where ancient quids of datura wrightii were also found. This helps prove the altered states of consciousness model, which hypothesize that many early cave paintings were done under the influence of visionary plants. The molecule around the moon is scopolamine, one of the alkaloids responsible for its hallucinogenic effects.
I’m offering a limited run of fine art/seed packs. $44 includes a signed 11x14 print, 10 datura wrightii seeds, 10 datura stramonium seeds, and 2 stickers of previous work. DM me to order. The original 20x24 painting is also available…
#datura #psychedlicart #visionaryart #ethnobotany #shamanism #plantmedicine #psychedelic