THE HISTORY

It is generally accepted that psilocybin mushrooms have been used for approximately 12,000 years, but many say even longer. There are theories that suggest the human brain became distinct from other mammals due to the ingestion of psilocybin and other entheogenic substances. This theory is known as the Stoned Ape Theory. The first known record of psilocybin use is a mural found in Northern Australia dating back to 10,000 BCE. Across the Indian Ocean, ancient cave paintings in Algeria depicting shamans dancing with fists full of mushrooms indicate the prominent use of psilocybin in Africa. Another record of prehistoric rock paintings found in Spain indicates the use of psilocybin mushrooms by the Europeans.

The most famous use of psilocybin throughout history is in South and Central America, where many art forms depict the use of psilocybin to communicate with the gods. The Mayans and Aztecs named the psilocybin mushroom “Flesh of the Gods,” reflecting the sacred nature of this fungi. Psilocybin mushrooms, among other entheogens, were often used in religious and spiritual ceremonies to deepen one’s connection with the Great Spirit, to heal, and to overcome pain. Ceremonial mushroom use became secretive in the Americas when the Spanish invaded and deemed entheogenic substances barbaric and misaligned with the Catholic religion. While the most notable history of psilocybin use resides in Central and South America, there are multiple accounts of its use in ancient Egypt, Greece, India, and Siberia.

Many pieces of ancient artwork and hieroglyphs recovered in Egypt explain the ceremonial use of psilocybin mushrooms for religious purposes. It is known that their use was only reserved for priests and the upper class due to their sacred nature. Famous ceremonies in Ancient Greece utilizing psilocybin mushrooms in worship of the Goddess Demeter gained much attention due to the participation of influential characters like Homer, Plato, and Aristotle. These ritualistic ceremonies were held in such high regard that if anyone shared what they learned when convening with the mushroom spirits, they would get the death penalty. In the remote areas of Siberia, tribes were known to imbibe the sacred Mushroom Amanita Muscaria, another highly potent hallucinogenic mushroom, in their native rituals. Records indicate that the native tribes used these mushrooms since ancient times, and they still hold these traditional rituals to this day

Institute of Archaeology RAS – 2021 expedition to preserve rock images of ancient ‘magic mushroom whale-hunting’ people — Roughly 2,000 years old

So, how did psilocybin mushrooms get the classification as a harmful “drug” in modern times when the historical evidence clearly indicates the sacrality of these magic fungi?

Research in the 1950s and 60s revealed the miraculous healing powers of psilocybin mushrooms. Accounts of extreme interconnectedness and spiritual development from the ingestion of psilocybin gained much attention not only in the scientific world but also in the world of hippies. The hippie movement was highly associated with hallucinogenic substances and became an important symbol of the counterculture movement in the US and UK. The combination of the scientific revelations of the healing effects of psilocybin and the desire to squash the counterculture hippie movement led the Federal Government to ban psilocybin in 1968, initiating the detrimental war on drugs costing the US at least $1 Trillion to this day. Another potential contributor to the ban resides within the pharmaceutical industry. In 1963, the pharmaceutical industry released the popular anti-anxiety and sedative drug, Valium. It is proposed that the potential financial loss of the new drug may have played a role in the ban of psilocybin since much of the research uncovered the exceptional anti-anxiety and calming effects of the mushroom. Following the Federal ban, psilocybin, along with cannabis and LSD, were labeled as Schedule 1 substances. To add to the fearmongering of the time, President Nixon passed the Controlled Substance Act based on fraudulent research. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that research rematerialized at the University of Zurich. This was the starting point for the resurgence and general acceptance of psilocybin as a powerful healing substance.

God Creates Plants, Canterbury Cathedral. Manuscript depicting God creating plants on the 3rd day, from the Book of Genesis, illustrates four mushroom varieties (psilocybin and amanita muscaria) Source: “The Psychedelic Gospels”

PSILOCYBIN AND RELIGION

Before religion, the use of entheogenic sacraments had been used for almost 10,000 years.  Only in the few millennia did modern religions come about, from areas that had much deeper roots of sacramental use. Archeological and anthropological evidence shows that these sacraments were practiced around the world, by cultures using plants and fungi found in their local environments.  These entheogenic medicines were often believed to come from the gods and as civilizations grew they were strictly used for religious leaders and royalty.  Psilocybin and other entheogenic mushrooms, like the amanita muscaria, were used in ceremonies to deepen the connection with the Divine and to access realms and information previously unattainable by humans in their everyday state of consciousness. They were used for deep healing of mind, body, and spirit which in these cultures were believed to be intrinsically connected. 

While many people are aware that history books and scriptures have displayed stories of significant figures in the foundation of religion, few know that hallucinogenic mushrooms and other entheogenic plants played a notable role in the framework of religions worldwide. The rewriting and translation of scriptures over the last two millennia greatly impacted the way we perceive these scriptures. Over the last few decades, global research initiatives aimed to focus on the subtleties of famous religious texts, artwork, and symbolism and found that many of these original pieces include visual and written representations of entheogens, and specific species were included in native botanical texts.

Jerry Brown, Ph.D., an educator and anthropologist, and Julie Brown, MA, an integrative psychotherapist, released a book called “The Psychedelic Gospels,” which is a result of their search across Europe and the Middle East for the entheogenic roots in Christianity. Their work uncovered evidence of entheogenic mushrooms in Christian Art, including frescoes, illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, sculptures, and stained-glass windows in major cathedrals like Canterbury and Chartres.  This iconic evidence signifies that using entheogenic mushrooms was important from the times of Christ to the Medieval ages when these churches and cathedrals were built. 

Aside from Christianity, research into other world religions and the significance of entheogens has caught the attention of many. Author Lama Michael Crowley is the founder of Amrita Dzong, and a member of the advisory board of the national Psychedelic Sangha. Crowley began his study and practice of Buddhism at 18 years old as a student of a Tibetan Lama, and after 20 years of study became a Lama himself. In the tradition he was trained under and currently teaches, the psychedelic elixir “Amrita” (meaning deathless or nectar) is used to support participants in accessing and achieving higher states of consciousness. These findings led Crowley to write a book called “Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origin of Vajrayana,” which displays his work. The evidence includes the use of mushrooms in art, symbology, and traditions. He has practiced for over 50 years, utilizing entheogens and Buddhist meditation practices, and continues teaching these methodologies to the world.

Mushrooms and Buddha