AIKEN, John W.

A small grouping of materials comprising most of the published output of John W. Aiken, founder with his wife Louisa of The Church of the Awakening. The Aikens hold an interesting if largely overlooked place in the early history of the psychedelics movement. After the tragic deaths of both of their adult sons, the two physicians turned away from their traditional Christian faith to found The Church of the Awakening, which is widely credited as the first non-American Indian church to utilize psychoactive sacraments, primarily peyote and mescaline. The church was incorporated in 1963, and in 1967 engaged in a protracted legal battle in an attempt to receive a religious exemption from FDA drug laws. The court ultimately denied the request, noting that a favorable ruling would have set a dangerous precedent for other psychedelic churches (namely Art Klep’s Neo-American Church) which the government perceived as being out of control. This grouping including the following three items:(1) Expl