The Stoned Ape Theory suggests that humans evolved faster than their primitive ape ancestors because they ingested psychedelic chemicals found in many of the plants they ate. Later in our evolution, those same plants were used as entheogens; chemical substances, typically of plant origin, that are ingested to produce a non-ordinary state of consciousness for religious or spiritual purposes. 

This illustration is based on my own musings of entheogens being used on alien planets. 

I used Adobe Fresco, Apple Pencil and iPad to produce this piece. I chose a pixel pen in order to give this an other-worldly aesthetic.