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and although a few European people had observed a native Mexican mushroom ceremony, no outsiders had been permitted to partake of the mushroom itself. This is significant, for without actually personally experiencing the psilocybin mushroom, one can only guess at its effects, and so the early anthropological observations passed by without much interest. Once the Wassons learned of these intriguing facts, armed as they were with detailed knowledge of fly agaric mushroom history and lore, it was only natural for them o heed Graves's investigational indications and focus heir attention upon Mexico. If mushroom ceremonies were still being practised, they would be testimony to he shamanic use of fungi not limited to the pages of istory. Through associates, the Wassons were soon in avid correspondence with one Eunice Pike, an American inguistics student and Bible translator (in other words, a missionary) who had been living among Mazatec ndians in Huautla, Mexico, for over 15 years. Having become familiar with the native customs and beliefs about certain sacred mushrooms, she was only too willing to share her knowledge with the Wassons. Pike informed the Wassons by letter that one Indian boy had referred to the mushroom as a gift from Jesus, no less than the blood of Christ. The Indians also said that while it helped "good people’, it killed "bad people" or made them crazy. Furthermore, the Indians were sure that Jesus spoke to them while in the "bemushroomed" state. Everyone whom Pike asked agreed that they were seeing into heaven itself through the mushroom. As well as highlighting the ongoing integration of the Christian faith into native Indian culture, the Indians’ claims indicated that the mushroom was highly powerful in its psychological effect, able to induce a radical alteration of consciousness still relatively new to western science. It was also clear that the normal procedure was for a shaman to eat the mushroom on behalf of another, usually in order to heal, this being the classic social function of the shaman found in most of the world’s native cultures. Sensing in Pike's letter that there was indeed some great revelational discovery to be made, the Wassons decided to travel as soon as possible to Huautla, and in 1953 they did so. As an aside, they also realised that, to judge from Pike's description, the mushroom being used by these Indians was not the Panaeolus species previously identified by Schultes. This was further reason for prompt scholarly investigation. Getting Warmer By August 1953, the Wassons had managed to enlist he help of a Mexican curandero, or shaman, and this was an achievement in itself as the Indians were reluctant to discuss the mushroom with outsiders. Under the pretence of wanting supernaturally inspired news of heir son, the Wassons were permitted to take part in a mushroom rite during which the shaman would ingest sacred mushrooms in order to gain the requested information. Unfortunately, the shaman was the only person allowed to consume the fungus, and the Wassons were forced to remain uninitiated. [he shaman, under the effects of psilocybin, made hree specific predictions concerning the Wassons' son—predictions which, at the time, Wasson politely umoured as he had no real inkling into psilocybin's atent ability to produce feats of clairvoyance. His interest was, after all, still predominately academic, and any kind of supernatural utterances were to be taken with a large pinch of salt. As it later transpired, all three of the shaman's predictions were borne out, and Wasson was at a loss to explain this. Was i coincidence? Or was it a genuine case of the paranormal? Whatever it was, the mysterious mushrooms demanded closer scrutiny, for they seemed to promise much more of interest. A fully detailed witness account of this mushroom ceremony was to be the culminating chapter o Mushrooms, Russia and History, though just as the book was going to press in June 1955 a new breakthrough was made. In fact, it was the ultimate breakthrough and became the highlight of Gordon Wasson's scholarly career. It also generated another chapter in his book and the seminal piece for Life magazine. ~ Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric. NEXUS ¢ 21 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com