The Sacred Mushroom: Key to the Door of Eternity

by Andrija Puharich

When in a state of normal consciousness, Harry Stone can neither speak ancient or modern Egyptian nor write hieroglyphics, but he does both when in trance--as Ra ho Tep. Ra ho Tep was a real person of whom little is known. Stone's English utterances include a description of a plant sending people into a trance--a plant identified by Dr Puharich as the fly agaric, a species of mushroom. This appears to suggest that the state of trance in which the spirit leaves the body was practised in Egypt in the year 2700 BCE, or 2000 years before its appearance in the western world. It also seems to imply that there is some connection between this phenomenon & the sacred mushroom cult which has long been practised in various parts of the world--tho not, apparently, in Egypt. There is more to follow & 'The Sacred Mushroom' continues to unravel mysteries of human personality--not to mention such phenomena as reincarnation, telepathy, clairvoyance etc.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal

262 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Peter A. Lio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of interest for sure

This is a very well-written and in some ways historical book. There are some puzzles in here and it was fascinating to watch Puharich struggle with some big ideas. Sadly, though, it feels like we ended too soon! I want a follow up of the next 40+ years and where we are at now. I have more questions than when I started!

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting research on mushrooms and supernatural abilities. Wish the book was easier to read in the sense of entertainment. If you read this, realize that this was not written to entertain you. Great book, but there were parts I found difficult to get through. They did stop printing and is considered a rare or hard to find book

[El Sh'Booms · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book on mushroom research.

[Dan Zarfati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on the early work of Puharic. Not as interesting as a his book on Geller, but still an interesting and curious work.

[Giuseppe Giorlando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really few words about Amanita Muscaria. Most about experience like Channelling and pastlife that for advanced spiritual students are well known

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puharich, a graduate of Northwestern's medical school, a doctor of internal medicine and the holder of many patents pertaining to audiology, devoted much of his life to the investigation, more and less scientific, of paranormal claims. His output, such as exemplified by this book about amanita muscaria, is uneven and, in my opinion, too credulous. Still, amidst the clairvoyant claims upon which too much rests, this book offers some tidbits about the use of psychoactive mushrooms, particularly fly agaric, throughout human history and across cultures.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting that the author met with R. Gordon Wasson prior to his ceremonies in Mexico with shaman Maria Sabina. They even try to stage a psychic link between a medium in Maine and Wasson's ceremony in Mexico. All of this 2 years before Wasson published his groundbreaking article in Life magazine which introduced 'magic' mushrooms to the Western world.

[Spencer]

i wasnt ready for this at the time but i tried (college)