Psychonauts – A term sometimes applied to neo-shamans, Chaos Magickians, techno-shamans, those ingesting entheogens, some Pagans, and other contemporary Westerners exploring the realms of altered states of consciousness. Where astronauts travel into space, psychonauts undertake journeys to inner space—be it defined as the mind, the human consciousness, the subconscious/unconscious, or an external cosmic reality. The term is most memorable as the title of “a manual of the theory and practice of magic” (1987) by Phil Carroll and of a major song by the gothic rock band Fields of the Nephilim.
SOURCE:
Historical Dictionary of Shamanism by Graham Harvey and Robert J. Wallis 2007
