Yoga and Meditation

Andy Letcher’s 2006 book on the history of magic mushrooms is definitely a must read for anyone with an interest in shrooms; which is not to say that you will necessarily like it. In fact, the intellectual, scientific and clinical analysis provided by the author may actually annoy you. But you still need to read it!

Why? Because where else could you find a comprehensive summary of everything that has ever been written about magic mushrooms? I don’t know that I have ever read a book with such an exhaustive list of literary references. It would take me a decade to read all that source material on my own. Instead, Shroom… provides me with an easily digestible summation that I can read in a week or less.

A major section of the book is dedicated to the Fly agaric and its use in Siberia. But the most important part of the book relates to Gordon Wasson’s discovery of Psilocybe mushrooms in Mexico, and subsequent popularization of it in America.

Later on in the book, Letcher give a historic account of the immensely popular ‘free festivals’ in Britain during the late 1970’s and early 80’s. The no. 1 ‘drug’ of choice at these festivals was wild-harvested magic mushrooms. Margaret Thatcher successfully put a stop to these festivals, thereby ending the second wave of magic mushroom use. The third and still ongoing wave of shroom popularity began when simple methods of cultivating Psilocybe mushrooms in large quantities were developed by American Terence McKenna.

My main reservation when it comes to this book is that Letcher, at least in the beginning, seems overly prone to side with the critics and skeptics of the many various theories of historic use of magic mushrooms.

As an example, he makes the point that the famous ancient rock paintings in the Sahara Desert, which many believe depict mushroom wielding shamans, could easily be interpreted differently. As a reader, one is left with the sense that because the interpretation of the petroglyphs as mushrooms may be wrong, therefore it is wrong.

Critical evaluation of any unproven theory is a great thing but it needs to be balanced. Letcher often appears overly critical of the theories of historic mushroom usage, while being totally uncritical of the arguments of the detractors of said theories.

One example of this is how he uses a “changing environment” to argue that British druids did not use magic mushrooms (because the isles were too heavily forested back then), while at the same time not allowing for a “changing environment” scenario in Egypt, which could mean that Fly agaric related mushrooms may have grown there thousands of years ago even though they do not today.

In all fairness, though, Letcher does get more balanced in his presentation of different viewpoints towards the end of the book, acknowledging several times that there is no objective way to be sure which of the opposing claims are valid. He deserves kudos for that.

Overall, this book contains and astounding wealth of information on everything relating to the history of shrooms, in particular the discovery of magic mushrooms by western enthusiasts over the past century. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In addition to magic mushrooms, Shroom is also an account of the history of psychedelics in general. Large portions of the book tell the stories of Aldous Huxley and mescaline, Timothy Leary and LSD, and the more recent use of ecstasy at rave fests.

So in spite of my reservations against Letcher’s somewhat unbalanced siding with the critics against various theories of the historic use of magic mushrooms, I insist that if you have a sincere interest in shrooms, you really do need to read this book. It’s a fascinating account of the history of shrooms.

Order Shroom by Andy Letcher now! Dr. Markho Rafael graduated from Chiropractic College in 1996. He now specializes in studying and writing about herbal medicine. You can find more of his reviews on mushroom books at mycelium-running.info.

For at least 7,000 years, humans have used mushrooms for spiritual rituals. Pre-historic cave paintings in Tassili, Algeria, from 5,000 B.C. depict masked, dancing, mushroom-wielding medicine men. It is believed the people in the area, known as the “San Peoples,” used consciousness-altering mushrooms in their spiritual practices.

Tassili is located in an area that today is an uninhabitable mountainous desert. But in ancient times, the climate was wet, allowing not only humans to live there but also cattle, and even crocodiles. The San Peoples were culturally tied to other tribes across the desert, from Chad to Egypt, maybe even Greece.

Jumping forward 3,400 years in time to Greece, 1,600 B.C., we find the Eleusinian Mysteries. Continuous for an astounding two millennia, the Eleusinian Mystery initiation was the most important spiritual ceremony of ancient Europe. Scholars believe the Mysteries involved use of consciousness-altering mushrooms. With well-known participants like Plato and Aristotle, its influence on western civilization cannot be denied.

Jumping another millennia or so forward in time, the Vikings were known to consume the poisonous species Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) in limited amounts to overcome fear. In spiritual pre-war ceremonies, they are said to have eaten mushrooms and danced in the woods before going into battle.

Of course many of us may not think highly of the Viking warrior spirituality but it was an undeniable part of their religious practices whether or not we approve. At the same time, across the Baltic Sea, Siberian shamans also used Fly agaric to achieve spiritual communion with their gods.

R. Gordon Wasson even claimed in a controversial book titled Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality that Fly agaric was the very substance referred to in ancient Vedic literature as the mysterious soma, a plant or mushroom extract used in ancient Hindu rituals and believed to bestow immortality of the soul and other divine qualities to the consumer.

(Please note: Fly agaric is poisonous. It can also be easily confused with other more deadly species. Consumption is strongly discouraged.)

Across the Atlantic Ocean, spiritual rituals using consciousness-altering mushrooms were first recorded in the Mixtec Codex, which is of uncertain age from between the 13th and 15th centuries. In ancient engravings, the Mixtec gods are often depicted with mushrooms in their hands.

In spite of the fact that the Mixtec people of central Mexico self-professed to use spiritual mushrooms in their religious ceremonies, western scholars still questioned it in a characteristically condescending fashion.

William Safford, an American botanist, believed the supposed mushrooms were actually nothing but peyote buttons. Other western scholars, meanwhile, insisted that the “spiritual mushrooms” of the Mixtec people really were mind-altering mushrooms.

The debate raged on until the early 1930s, when amateur anthropologist Robert Weitlaner got invited to witness an original spiritual ceremony that included the use of consciousness-altering mushrooms.

Then in 1953, mycologist R. Gordon Wasson and his wife Valentina Povlovna as the first westerners became honored participants in a mushroom ceremony - Velada - performed by shaman Don Aurelio. Wasson published his account of the Velada in Life Magazine, 1957. His article initiated the broader public awareness of spiritual mushrooms.

25 species of the Psilocybe genus are known to contain the consciousness-altering chemical compounds psilocybin (stable) and psilocin (unstable). The species used by the Mixtec culture are believed to have been Psilocybin caerulescens and Psilocybin mexicana. The more common and sometimes cultivated species Psilocybin cubensis did not exist in America before the arrival of Europeans.

Spiritual mushrooms have been illegal in most of the world since the 1970’s because of their potential misuse as recreational drugs. Only in The Netherlands were fresh Psilocybe allowed to be sold until less than a year ago.

But after a 17-year old French tourist killed herself by jumping off a bridge after consuming Psilocybe mushrooms, the Dutch parliament voted to ban all sale of so called “magic mushrooms.” The ban took effect on December 1, 2008. The use of consciousness-altering mushrooms in spiritual practices is now officially history.

Dr. Markho Rafael has worked with natural health products since the mid-90’s, today specializing in medicinal fungi. He does not endorse the use of consciousness-altering mushrooms. The article on this page is for entertainment only. Click reishi to visit site for more free mushroom articles, or reishi cordyceps for medicinal mushroom products. Note: Absolutely no magic mushroom products, please do not inquire.

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