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The middle-aged New York banker-turned- ethnomycologist became the first westerner on record to consume sacred Mexican mushrooms deliberately and behold their entheogenic glory. The middle-aged New York banker-turned- It was not some common drug like alcohol to be taken ethnomycologist became the first westerner on record at the drop of a hat in order to drown one's sorrows or to consume sacred Mexican mushrooms deliberately | deaden oneself to reality. On the contrary, native and behold their entheogenic glory. shamans used the fungus for oracular reasons to cure and prophesise. The Mystery Explodes into Life Wasson was intimately familiar with the Indians’ Wasson recounted to the readers of Life how, deep in sacred traditions, and he was at pains to portray this the south of Mexico in a small village in Oaxaca, he had cultural phenomenon to his readers in the respectful once more gained the confidence of a local shaman: a light it deserved. No Indians ate the mushroom woman named Maria Sabina, under whose guidance he __ frivolously for excitement; rather, they spoke of their use was allowed to ingest sacred mushrooms. as muy delicado, that is, "perilous". Like all good empiricists, Wasson was determined to A deeply inspired man, Wasson was not only the first remain objectively aloof and ward off any major — westerner to document the psilocybin experience; he psychological effects so that he could study more clearly was also the first to attempt to account for the he nature of the revered shift in consciousness __ mysterious effects in reasonable psychological terms, engendered by the mushroom. As noble as such efforts —_ and his tentative speculations remain valid even today. are, however, they generally prove futile in the face of — It is remarkable to think that had he not had such a potent entheogens, as one is forced to succumb wholly —_ profoundly spiritual experience, or had his mind not o the emergent global alteration in mentation. been able to cope with the onslaught of a visionary As Wasson lay in the dark confines of the hut, the — dialogue, then the Mexican mushroom might well have power latent within the remained a buried phenomenon mushroom gradually made itsel to this day. nown to him. Visions unfolded _ Despite the widespread before his eyes—visions so Visions unfolded before interest generated by his Life intense and so profound tha . soe piece, Wasson later chose, hey breached the ineffable his eyes— Visions so perhaps wisely, to distance realms of religious mysticism. intense and so profound himself from the 1960s They began as vividly coloured psychedelic hippy culture, art motifs of an angular nature, that they breached the revolving as it was around as found on textiles and carpets. ineffable realms of religious synthetic LSD. Then the visions evolved into Instead, he concerned himself resplendent palaces and mysticism. with investigating the role of gardens laid over with precious the fly agaric mushroom in stones. At one point, Wasson ancient Indo-European Soma perceived a great mythologica cults. He also went on to make beast drawing a regal chariot. Still later, it seemed as if invaluable contributions to our knowledge of the use of his spirit had broken free from the constraints of his body psilocybin mushrooms by the Aztec and Mayan and lay suspended in mid-air, viewing vast mountains _ civilisations of ancient Mesoamerica. oo rising up to the heavens. Wasson confessed that the sights were so sharp and clear as to be more real than About the Author: anything that he had previously seen with his eyes, Simon G. Powell is a London-based writer, musician, somewhat akin to archetypes and the Platonic Realm of _ filmmaker and scriptwriter. After graduating from Ideas. University College London in 1992, he suffered an the intense and so profound that they breached the ineffable realms of religious mysticism. About the Author: Simon G. Powell is a London-based writer, musician, filmmaker and scriptwriter. After graduating from University College London in 1992, he suffered an extended bout of “mushroom fever” brought on by excessive psilocybin use. This led him to write a number of books, including Darwin's Unfinished Business, due for release in early 2012. He wrote and directed the DVD film Metanoia: A New Vision of Nature. He currently writes for the Earth 2 Channel. Visit his website http://www.thepsilocybinsolution.com. In Mushrooms, Russia and History, Wasson's description of his visionary experiences is more explicit than in the Life piece. What had started out as a unique work of ethnomycology, touching upon ancient Siberian shamanism, had now transformed into a personal testimony of the mystical experience. Coming from a man normally concerned with the world of finance, this is a truly remarkable turn of events, even the more so since he was not overtly religious. Readers of the Life article were also informed as to what the Mexican Indians themselves had to say about the mushroom. The Indians claimed that the fungi "carry you there where God is". Always the mushroom was referred to with awe and reverence. Editor’s Note: This article is an edited extract from chapter one, “Sacred Ground”, of Simon G. Powell's book The Psilocybin Solution (Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont, USA, 2011, http://www.ParkStPress.com). For more information, go to http://www.thepsilocybinsolution.com. 22 * NEXUS Visions unfolded before his eyes—visions so AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com