With this book, the reader will be taken on a fascinating journey through many different cultures and traditions to explore the phenomenon of ecstatic visionary experience – from Gilgamesh and the Taoist immortals to the works of Borges and the discoveries of Einstein. Culianu comprehensively describes the otherworldly journeys that shamans, magicians and saints have made since time immemorial, illustrating their connections to such modern phenomena as altered states of consciousness, out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences.