In 1966, American anthropologists Barbara G. Myerhoff (1935-1985) and Peter T. Furst, set out on a peyote pilgrimage together with a small group of Huichol Indians, led by a shaman named Ramón Medina Silva. Their destination was Wirikuta in the mountains of central Mexico, which the Huichols believe to be their original homeland. Eight years … Continue reading
Originally published in 1989 under the title ‘Intoxication: Life in the Pursuit of Artificial Paradise,’ this 2005 reissue by Park Street Press is entitled ‘Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances.’ The author, Ronald K. Siegel is a psychopharmacologist interested in the social and psychological effects of drugs. His other works include ‘Fire in the … Continue reading
Originally published in 1980, the 2013 edition of R. Gordon Wasson’s ‘The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica’ is issued by City Lights Books. Early in his career, Wasson was Vice-President of J. P. Morgan but later became the ‘father of ethnomycology’, dedicating his life to the study of psychoactive mushrooms in religion, culture, and history. … Continue reading
Originally published in 1973 by the Oxford University Press, ‘Hallucinogens and Shamanism’ is a collection of scholarly, anthropological essays compiled and edited by Michael J. Harner. At the time of publication Harner was the President of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. After the wide negative publicity surrounding hallucinogens during the 1960s, which saw both medical … Continue reading
Originally published in 1982 under the title ‘Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady’, this revised ad updated 2000 Park Street Press edition is entitled ‘Sisters of the Extreme: Woman Writing on the Drug Experience’. This collection of works of pharmacography is edited by Cynthia Palmer and Michael Horowitz. Scholars of drug history and literature, Palmer and Horowitz … Continue reading
Originally published in 1997, this review of ‘Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House’ by Matthew Collin, with contributions by John Godfrey, is from the 1998 updated second edition. Detailing the growth of ecstasy culture in the UK, from its roots in the United States, Ibiza and in the phenethylamine MDMA, the … Continue reading
Originally published in 1990 by Timber Press ‘The Sacred Mushroom Seeker: Tributes to R. Gordon Wasson’ is a collection edited by Thomas J. Riedlinger. This review is written from the later Park Street Press edition. The short tributes to ethnomycologist Robert Gordon Wasson come from the likes of Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann and the … Continue reading
Originally published in Italy in 2000 under the title ‘Animali che si Drogano’, this English Translation of Giorgio Samorini’s ‘Animals and Psychedelics: The Natural World and the Instinct to Alter Consciousness’ was published by Park Street Press in 2002. The author is an ethnobotonist, ethnomycologist and the editor-in-chief of the scientific journal ‘Eleusis, Plants and … Continue reading
Originally published in 1979, this review of ‘Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers’ by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann and Christian Rätsch, is from the 2001 revised and expanded edition (Healing Arts Press). The authors of this book are all renowned within the psychedelic and entheogenic fields and their combined experience … Continue reading
Originally published in 2000 ‘Mushrooms and Mankind: The Impact of Mushrooms on Human Consciousness and Religion’ is written by James Arthur. The author is a long-time researcher in the field of ethnomycology and this book is short and succinct introduction to the relationship between humans and psychoactive mushrooms. The author sadly passed away in 2005. … Continue reading
