The Sacred Mushrooms of Mexico
The Sacred Mushrooms of Mexico

Author: Brian P. Akers

Publisher: University Press of America

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13:

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This work presents significant new readings in ethnomycology, a discipline that examines the role of fungi in human affairs. The greatest cultural and historical impact of mushrooms has resulted from psychoactive compounds found in certain species, and native interpretations of their mental effects in humans, as revealed through intensive multidisciplinary studies coordinated by the late R. Gordon Wasson, the father of ethnomycology. Wasson's research in the 1950s led to the elucidation of mushroom cultism in Mexico, a phenomenon dismissed as unfounded rumor by "experts" only a few decades earlier. Discoveries made by Wasson and his collaborators intersect a staggering number of disciplines, so much so that individual fields have had difficulty assimilating them. The Sacred Mushrooms of Mexico presents six texts concerning the mushrooms. Five of them are translations of relevant scholarly sources in Spanish previously unavailable in English. The sixth is a transcript of The Sacred Mushroom, a celebrated episode of the classic television series "One Step Beyond." This TV program may have been the only show in broadcast history in which the host ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms and endured their effects on camera for the viewing pleasure of the home audience.

The Wondrous Mushroom
The Wondrous Mushroom

Author: R. Gordon Wasson

Publisher: City Lights Publishers

Published: 2014-01-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780872865921

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The groundbreaking psychedelic classic about entheogenic mushrooms, shamanism and mesoamerican cultures.

The Wondrous Mushroom
The Wondrous Mushroom

Author: Robert Gordon Wasson

Publisher:

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

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This book provides an illustrated, in-depth exploration of the history and cultural meanings of the shamanic use of psychedelic mushrooms in contemporary and ancient Mesoamerican culture in Central America and Mexico.

The Wondrous Mushroom
The Wondrous Mushroom

Author: R. Gordon Wasson

Publisher: City Lights

Published: 2008-11

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780872864849

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“From now on any comprehensive study of Ancient Mexican civilization must start from (and with) your discoveries.” – Octavio Paz Gordon Wasson’s May 1957 LIFE article describing his encounter with a Mexican shaman woman triggered the psychedelic revolution. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, we present Wasson’s groundbreaking classic, The Wondrous Mushroom, an illustrated, in-depth exploration of the history and cultural meanings of the shamanic use of psychedelic mushrooms in contemporary and ancient Mesoamerican culture. "City Lights can be congratulated on their re-issue of Wasson’s classic of cultural history and ethnomycology. Through his contact with Maria Sabina, the Mazatec mushroom curandera, Wasson brought about the cultural transfusion of an ancient entheogenic ritual into the modern world. In this beautiful and generously illustrated monograph, written with his customary scholarly acumen and literary elegance, Wasson established forever the central role of the visionary teonanácatl mushroom in the religion, art and culture of the Aztecs. A book filled with wondrous details about the meaning and significance of our relationship with these fabulous fungi." – Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Editor/Author of Sacred Mushroom of Visions R. Gordon Wasson (1898-1986) former Vice President of JP Morgan Trust, authored groundbreaking books and articles on sacred mushroom use, culture, and history.

Sacred Mushroom of Visions: Teonanácatl
Sacred Mushroom of Visions: Teonanácatl

Author: Ralph Metzner

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2005-07-25

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 1594776288

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Over 30 contributors share their expertise on the chemical, biological, cultural, psychological, and experiential dimensions of psilocybin mushrooms • Describes in vivid detail the consciousness-expanding experiences of psychoactive mushroom users • Provides firsthand accounts of the controversial Harvard Psilocybin Project, including the Concord Prison and Good Friday studies Teonanácatl was the name given to the visionary mushrooms used in ancient Mesoamerican shamanic ceremonies, mushrooms that contain psilocybin, the psychoactive agent identified by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD. The rediscovery of these visionary mushrooms by the Mazatec healer Maria Sabina and mycologist R. Gordon Wasson ignited a worldwide mushroom culture that inspired the consciousness revolution of the 1960s. This book describes in vivid detail the consciousness-expanding experiences of psychoactive mushroom users--from artists to psychologists--and the healing visionary inspiration they received. It provides firsthand accounts of studies performed in the controversial Harvard Psilocybin Project, including the Concord Prison study and the Good Friday study. It describes how the use of the psilocybe mushroom spread from the mountains of Mexico into North America, Asia, and Europe by seekers of consciousness-expanding experiences. It also details how psilocybin has been used since the 1960s in psychotherapy, prisoner rehabilitation, the enhancement of creativity, and the induction of mystical experiences and is being studied as a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

The Psychedelic Gospels
The Psychedelic Gospels

Author: Jerry B. Brown

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-09-15

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1620555034

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Reveals evidence of visionary plants in Christianity and the life of Jesus found in medieval art and biblical scripture--hidden in plain sight for centuries • Follows the authors’ anthropological adventure discovering sacred mushroom images in European and Middle Eastern churches, including Roslyn Chapel and Chartres • Provides color photos showing how R. Gordon Wasson’s psychedelic theory of religion clearly extends to Christianity and reveals why Wasson suppressed this information due to his secret relationship with the Vatican • Examines the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels to show that visionary plants were the catalyst for Jesus’s awakening to his divinity and immortality Throughout medieval Christianity, religious works of art emerged to illustrate the teachings of the Bible for the largely illiterate population. What, then, is the significance of the psychoactive mushrooms hiding in plain sight in the artwork and icons of many European and Middle-Eastern churches? Does Christianity have a psychedelic history? Providing stunning visual evidence from their anthropological journey throughout Europe and the Middle East, including visits to Roslyn Chapel and Chartres Cathedral, authors Julie and Jerry Brown document the role of visionary plants in Christianity. They retrace the pioneering research of R. Gordon Wasson, the famous “sacred mushroom seeker,” on psychedelics in ancient Greece and India, and among the present-day reindeer herders of Siberia and the Mazatecs of Mexico. Challenging Wasson’s legacy, the authors reveal his secret relationship with the Vatican that led to Wasson’s refusal to pursue his hallucinogen theory into the hallowed halls of Christianity. Examining the Bible and the Gnostic Gospels, the authors provide scriptural support to show that sacred mushrooms were the inspiration for Jesus’ revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven and that he was initiated into these mystical practices in Egypt during the Missing Years. They contend that the Trees of Knowledge and of Immortality in Eden were sacred mushrooms. Uncovering the role played by visionary plants in the origins of Judeo-Christianity, the authors invite us to rethink what we know about the life of Jesus and to consider a controversial theory that challenges us to explore these sacred pathways to the divine.

The Psilocybin Solution
The Psilocybin Solution

Author: Simon G. Powell

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2011-06-23

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1594779376

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How psilocybin mushrooms facilitate a direct link to the wisdom of Nature and the meaning of life • Examines the neurochemistry underlying the visionary psilocybin experience • Explains how sacred mushrooms help restore our connection to the natural intelligence of Nature • Reviews the research on psilocybin’s ability to dispel anxiety in the terminally ill and its helpful effects on obsessive-compulsive disorder It has been more than 50 years since sacred mushrooms were plucked from the shamanic backwaters of Mexico and presented to the modern world by R. Gordon Wasson. After sparking the psychedelic era of the 1960s, however, the divine mushroom returned underground from whence it mysteriously originated. Yet today, the mushroom’s extraordinary influence is once again being felt by large numbers of people, due to the discovery of hundreds of wild psilocybin species growing across the globe. In The Psilocybin Solution, Simon G. Powell traces the history of the sacred psilocybin mushroom and discusses the shamanic visionary effects it can induce. Detailing how psilocybin acts as a profound enhancer of consciousness and reviewing the research performed by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Johns Hopkins University, and the Heffter Research Institute on psilocybin’s ability to dispel anxiety in the terminally ill and its helpful effects on obsessive-compulsive disorder, he examines the neurochemistry, psychology, and spirituality underlying the visionary psilocybin experience, revealing the interface where physical brain and conscious mind meet. Showing that the existence of life and the functioning of mind are the result of a naturally intelligent, self-organizing Universe, he explains how sacred mushrooms provide a direct link to the wisdom of Nature and the meaning of life.

The Sacred Mushroom
The Sacred Mushroom

Author: Andrija Puharich

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2025-05-13

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 164411688X

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• Shares the author’s research on extrasensory perception (ESP) and the psychic effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms • Describes ancient Egyptian spiritual practices centered on Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms • Details the author’s research work with R. Gordon Wasson and his experiments with Aldous Huxley and famed psychic Peter Hurkos In 1954, while conducting scientifically rigorous experiments on psychic abilities at his research laboratory in Maine, neurologist Andrija Puharich, M.D., received a call from a wealthy supporter of the lab about an unusual subject worthy of further research: Harry Stone, a young sculptor with unusually acute extrasensory perception. When handed an ancient Egyptian artifact, Harry falls into a deep trance, drawing hieroglyphic symbols, including mushrooms, and describing, using ancient Egyptian phrases, a drug that can enhance psychic abilities. Intrigued, Dr. Puharich studies Harry’s trance-induced statements and discovers that they are clearly describing ancient spiritual practices involving Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms. He begins direct investigations with Harry at his lab in Maine, learning more about the use and preparation of the sacred mushroom as well as about astral travel and past lives. Dr. Puharich shares his research with ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson, who is about to travel to Mexico on a CIA-funded research trip, and the two researchers agree to test telepathic communications between the lab in Maine and a Mexican curandero. The results of the psychic experiment lead Puharich to discover Amanita muscaria growing in the wild near his research facility. Now with a supply of the sacred mushroom, Dr. Puharich begins to study its psychic and visionary potential and the veracity of Harry Stone’s channeled Egyptian statements. He studies the effects of Amanita muscaria not only on Harry, but also on famed psychic Peter Hurkos and other visitors to his lab, including Aldous Huxley. This new edition of the psychedelic classic includes an in-depth introduction by psychedelic historian P. D. Newman.