Sacred Mushroom of Visions: Teonanácatl: A Sourcebook on the Psilocybin Mushroom

by Ralph Metzner (editor)

Over 30 contributors share their expertise on the chemical, biological, cultural, psychological & experiential dimensions of psilocybin mushrooms. 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 thru the Mazatec healer Maria Sabina by mycologist R. Gordon Wasson ignited a worldwide mushroom culture that inspired the consciousness revolution of the 60s. This book describes the consciousness-expanding experiences of psychoactive mushroom users--from artists to psychologists--& the healing visionary inspiration received. It provides 1sthand accounts of studies performed in the Harvard Psilocybin Project, including the Concord Prison study & the Good Friday study. It describes how the use of the psilocybe mushroom spread from the mountains of Mexico into the USA, Asia & Europe by seekers of consciousness-expansion. It also details how psilocybin has been used since the 60s in psychotherapy, prisoner rehabilitation, the enhancement of creativity & the induction of mystical experiences & is being studied as a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder.

Genres: Psychology, Science, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Anthropology, Drugs

293 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Ralph Metzner Ph.D. was an American psychologist, writer and researcher, who participated in psychedelic research at Harvard University in the early 1960s with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later named Ram Dass). Dr. Metzner was a psychotherapist, and Professor Emeritus of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where he was formerly the Academic Dean and Academic Vice-president. He received his undergraduate degree at Oxford University and his doctorate in clinical psychology at Harvard University, where he was also the recipient of an NIMH Post-doctoral Fellowship in psychopharmacology at the Harvard Medical School. He had a life-long interest in the many different realms of consciousness and its modifications.

He is the author of The Well of Remembrance, The Unfolding Self, Green Psychology, Birth of a Psychedelic Culture (with Ram Dass); editor of two collections of essays on ayahuasca and on psilocybe mushrooms; and author of a new series of seven books on The Ecology of Consciousness.

Reviews

[Erik Graff]

This book is divided into two parts following a lengthy overview by editor Metzner. The first contains objective essays by experts in their disciplines approaching the subject from a variety of angles including the botanical, the ethnographic, the psychological and the chemical. I found these essays and the introductory essay illuminating, especially that about brain chemistry. The second part consists of a lot of personal remiscences about relevant drug experiences. With a few exceptions I found this part tedious and repetitious. Some of the experiencers overlay a great deal of New Age mumbojumbo.

[Martyna Wieczorek]

Wspaniale się to czyta. Jeszcze większe chętki i znowu trochę wiedzy. Polecam tego allegrowicza oraz jego produkty.

[Sara]

Though there's not much new here for a mushroom nerd, this is still a great book filled with informative essays on the history, chemistry, and ethnobotany behind fungi as well as a sampling of trip reports. Light on the woo woo and heavy on the info. Great for anyone new to and/or curious about psychedelic mushrooms.