Dune, Religion and Psychedelic Spice

A Paradox of Power and God

Creative Commons 3.0 - ‘Fan art of a sandworm from Dune’ by Astronimation

‘Much that was called religion has carried an unconscious attitude of hostility toward life. True religion must teach that life is filled with joys pleasing to the eye of God, that knowledge without action is empty. All men must see that the teaching of religion by rules and rote is largely a hoax. The proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you’ve always known.’ – Dune

Dune has taken the world by (sand)storm. While the recent film takes a mocking stance on religion, the narrative and the original books paint a much more nuanced picture of the place of religion, and psychedelics, in the world.

The novel represents religion as having a dual nature. The first and most familiar in our age is religion as a tool of power. We see this through the protagonist Paul Atreides’ use of the shadowy Bene Gesserit’s prophe…