>Others believe that parts of it, such as the below quote, is a retelling of the Greek mythological story of a champion fighting a monster, which was John’s way of allowing as many as possible (especially new converts to Christianity) to identify with his vision. In the parallel mythological story, the pregnant goddess Leto is pursed by the dragon Python. She escapes to an island where she gives birth to Apollo, who later kills the dragon. That idea seems as viable as any of the other theories of its meaning and interpretations. With that being said, lets instead read it from the perspective that was the result of a vision induced by a trance state, so we can later examine if there’s any evidence to substantiate this seemingly wild speculation:
Island of Patmos…full of psychedelic mushrooms…and morning glory…and wormwood. A very good read for the initiated. There's an explanation…for everything.
>By their very nature, caves are conducive to altered states of consciousness. The darkness and isolation is the perfect recipe for sensory deprivation. With sensory deprivation often comes vivid imagery, and this imagery can be made even more vivid through a number of techniques that can include include everything from simple repetition of a mantra or prayer, to hyperventilation, to the ingestion of psychoactive substances, to dancing to the point of exhaustion, to sleep and/or food deprivation.
>Also, an entheogen known as “Gramofonche”, or Morning Glory, is a part of the flora of Patmos. The question of whether Morning Glory was ever used ritualistically in this area is often widely debated. But all it takes is speaking to a local Shaman, or simply looking to artwork from early cultures such as the Mayans and the Aztecs to see that Morning Glory was indeed a key part of Shamanic ritual as clearly seen in this image below of Ololiuqui and an Aztec Shaman:
>Furthermore, Wormwood was the sacred plant of the goddess Artemis, and had been used in sacred rituals to her as a sacrament for many hundreds of years on the island of Patmos, which was her sacred island. The plant is said to cause hallucinations when consumed, as well as a visual brightening of everything, which corresponds to the constant light and fire imagery found in Revelation. Wormwood is even specifically discussed in Revelation: 10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.
http://entheology.com/peoples/revelation-a-psychdelic-vision/