In this paper, I am bringing the branches of entheogenic esotericism and intermediary beings together, asking whether beings experienced under the influence of the entheogen N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (henceforth: DMT) should be seen as a special category, and should therefore be included among Asprem’s list of intermediary beings. As I will argue, due to their high occurrence in cross-cultural experience and scholarly study, and by common understanding as being real, one should treat DMT-beings as a special variation of the intermediary ones. Furthermore, I will argue that due to its long cultural resonance outside South-American traditions, clear definable Western streams of interpretation have arisen to contextualize experiences with DMT-entities. Key figures for providing and contributing to these templates are Terence McKenna (1946-2000), and Rick Strassman (b.1952). The streams of interpretation are highly dependent on theories and examples provided by authors studied within Western Esotericism. It is thus legitimate to include DMT-entities among the subjects to be researched especially under the label ‘entheogenic esotericism’.
To support my argument, I will first give a historical overview of the scholarly research of DMT in the Western world, and highlight entities as a cross-cultural dimension of (religious) experience. I will thereby focus not on the indigenous uses of DMT, but exclusively on the works of influential Western advocates of psychedelics and the ways they experienced, and made sense, of DMT-entities. I will refer especially to Terence McKenna, Rick Strassman, and David Pinchbeck (b. 1966), building a bridge between the descriptions of DMT-entities at the time of Timothy Leary (1920 – 1996), to discussions on contemporary internet platforms.