Sacred Mushroom of Visions: A Sourcebook on the Psilocybin Mushroom

Over 30 contributors share their expertise on the chemical, biological, cultural, psychological, and experiential dimensions of psilocybin mushrooms • Describes in vivid detail the consciousness-expanding experiences of psychoactive mushroom users • Provides firsthand accounts of the controversial Harvard Psilocybin Project, including the Concord Prison and Good Friday studies 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 by the Mazatec healer Maria Sabina and mycologist R. Gordon Wasson ignited a worldwide mushroom culture that inspired the consciousness revolution of the 1960s. This book describes in vivid detail the consciousness-expanding experiences of psychoactive mushroom users--from artists to psychologists--and the healing visionary inspiration they received. It provides firsthand accounts of studies performed in the controversial Harvard Psilocybin Project, including the Concord Prison study and the Good Friday study. It describes how the use of the psilocybe mushroom spread from the mountains of Mexico into North America, Asia, and Europe by seekers of consciousness-expanding experiences. It also details how psilocybin has been used since the 1960s in psychotherapy, prisoner rehabilitation, the enhancement of creativity, and the induction of mystical experiences and is being studied as a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Visionary Mushrooms of the Americas Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. 1. Ethnomycology and Distribution of the Psilocybian Mushrooms John W. Allen and James Arthur 2. Global Ecologies, World Distribution, and Relative Potency of Psilocybin Mushrooms Paul Stamets 3. The “Wondrous Mushroom” Legacy of R. Gordon Wasson Thomas Riedlinger 4. Biochemistry and Neuropharmacology of Psilocybin Mushrooms David E. Presti, Ph.D., and David E. Nichols, Ph.D. 5. A History of the Use of Psilocybin in Psychotherapy Torsten Passie, M.D. 6. Prisoner Behavior Change and Experimental Mysticism: Two Classic Studies from the Harvard Psilocybin Project Diane Conn Darling, Rick Doblin, and Ralph Metzner 7. A Note on Current Psilocybin Research Projects Rick Doblin, Ph.D. 8. The Initiation of the “High Priest” Timothy Leary 9. Initial Experiences from the Harvard Psilocybin Project Ralph Metzner Experiential Teachings of the Mushroom Spirits The Mushroom Beings Would Help Us Return to Our True Nature Leila Castle The Land of Eternal Waiting--Report of a Mushroom Experience with Maria Sabina Frederick Swain A Mazatec Indian Curandero’s Healing Practice Using Psychoactive Mushrooms Bret Blosser I Was Awed by the Mysterious Precision and Generosity of the Mushroom Spirits Raoul Adamson I Was Being Told to Paint with the Blood of the Heart Kate S. I Was Having a Conversation with the Sun Evan Psilo Shadow, Be My Friend Ganesha Where Ancient Spirits Dwell and the Air Hums with Magic and Mystery Cat L. My Heart Was the Doorway to Greater Vision and Awareness Abraham L. It Was the Divine Play of Hide and Seek Jason Serle The Power of the Heart in the Face of Darkness Mindfire Encounter and Metamorphosis with the Sirenian Leopold My Role, However Humble, Was Necessary and Cosmically Inspired Phil O. Cybe I Felt the Vitality of What It Was Like to Be Primitive Thirdpalissy I Saw My Entire Worldview and Value System Realign David S. Pondering the Separation between What I Experience and What Actually Is Mark Bryan I Remember What It Was Like before I Had This Face Jack Silver We Are All Actors and Directors in a Giant Cosmic Drama Mark A. Schroll, Ph.D. The Little Beings Tell Me That Laughing Is Also Holy Karin Riese Mushroom Magic in the Lightning Field Martin Goodman Biographical Information

About the Author :
Ralph Metzner (1936–2019) obtained his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Harvard University, where he collaborated with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert on psychedelic research. He was Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and president and co-founder of the Green Earth Foundation. Dr. Metzner is the author of numerous books, including Overtones and Undercurrents, Searching for the Philosophers’ Stone, and Green Psychology.

Review :
"A compilation of scientific information, historical lore, and experiential reports about the magical psilocybe mushrooms. . . . It is sure to be treasured for years to come." "An outstanding comprehensive gathering of vital information from the psychedelic world." ". . . this book is a must-have for entheogen and mushroom lovers alike." "One gets the impression when finishing the Sacred Mushroom of Visions that the many dimensions of psilocybin offer humanity a truly wonderful gift; for personal experience, for scientific research, and as a light through which the environment discourse of the modern age can be shone. If you have an interest, indeed a belief, in entheogenic, empathogenic, (as many of the narratives elude to) shamanism, or simply mycology, then this book is a must for your shelf."