The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica

by R. Gordon Wasson

Book Overview

"From now on any comprehensive study of Ancient Mexican civilization must start from (and with) your discoveries."--Octavio Paz "The late Mr. Wasson is the Abraham of the reborn awareness in Western... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 007068443X
• ISBN13: 9780070684430
• Release Date: November 1980
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Hallucinogenic Mushroom in Mesoamerica.

_The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica_, No. 7 in the Ethnomycological Studies series, by newspaper reporter and banker turned ethnomycologist, R. Gordon Wasson, is a fascinating account of the hallucinogenic mushroom cult and its use among shamans in Mesoamerica. Wasson along with his wife Valentina Pavlovna had written their first account of hallucinogenic mushrooms in _Mushrooms, Russia and History_. Later, they extended their research to include the presence of the hallucinogenic mushroom cult among the Indo-European peoples in _SOMA: Divine Mushroom of Immortality_. The author refers to the hallucinogenic drugs he discusses as entheogens, a neologism coined to mean "God-within-us" referring to the quasi-religious experiences invoked by these substances. Wasson's writings focus on the mushroom cult as well as revealing its role in the origins of primitive religious practice and among shamans. Nevertheless, Wasson was opposed to the crass usage of the mushroom by pleasure and thrill seekers as well as hippies. He expresses his disgust at the "hippies, self-styled psychiatrists, oddballs, even tour leaders with their docile flocks . . . upsetting and abusing the quiet tenor of life in what had been, superficially at least, an idyllic Indian village". For Wasson, the mushroom was a sacred substance and therefore merited treatment with the highest respect. The regions discussed in this book begin at Nicaragua and run north and west to a wavy line that runs across Mexico just north of Mexico City. The author begins by discussing his encounter with the mushrooms at a velada (a shamanic mushroom ceremony) in Huautla, Mexico. At this velada the author encounters Maria Sabina, a mushroom seeress who administers the mushrooms and undergoes a transformative rite. The author notes the religious syncretism involved among the Indian inhabitants of Mesoamerica, often combining Catholic Christianity with their traditional pagan religious beliefs and worship of the mushroom. While Maria Sabina sings and dances, the author reports on his hallucinogenic state after he has consumed the mushroom. The author notes the kaleidoscopic colors that flash before his eyes comparing them to Plato's forms. While initially the experience induces nausea, at his second velada he did not experience this nausea to such a degree. The author thoroughly describes the Mesoamerican velada mentioning the essentials as well as the role of the shaman. The mushrooms are affectionately known as "small fry" or "little tykes" but also "clowns" by the shaman. Wasson considers the eating of mushrooms to be a sacrament and notes the animosity felt towards this sacrament by the early Spanish Christian colonizers. Wasson also compares these mushroom ceremonies to Siberian and Eurasian mushroom eating. Following this discussion of the velada, the author turns his attention to the past. Here, he traces the historical origins of the hallucinogenic mushroom in Mesoam

Entheogens: Professional Listing

"The Wondrous Mushroom" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy