In 1953, an event occurred that changed not only the future of mycology, but also the whole world. Robert Gordon Wasson and his Russian-born wife Valentina Pavlovna Wasson discovered the fading semi-mystical cult of psilocybin mushrooms in Mexico. This has generated a whole range of consequences, ranging from the emergence of a new science of ethnomycology and the emergence of a psilocybin subculture to the current trend of legalizing “magic mushrooms” for psychotherapeutic use and the revision of the features of the formation and development of many modern religions.The book explores the mycophobic and mycophilic traditions of the civilizations of the Old and New World, describes the fly agaric cults of Northern Asia and the psilocybin rituals of Mesoamerica (in which the Wassons were directly involved). Drawing on extensive literary data and their own observations, the authors talk about the influence of psychedelic mushrooms on the history and culture of mankind.
For the widest range of readers, as well as for ethnographers, cultural scientists, religious scholars, historians, ethnomycologists. It is published in Russian for the first time.
Table of Contents
7 From the editor
15 Preface
Part 1. Old World
21 Chapter 1. Mushrooms and Russians
50 Chapter 2. Anatomy of mycophobia
68 Chapter 3. Mushrooms and the English
97 Chapter 4. Mushrooms and history
103 Chapter 5. Mushrooms for murderers
132 Chapter 6. Flies in the fly agaric
Part 2. New World
175 Chapter 1. Origins: historical information about sacred mushrooms
230 Chapter 2. Mazatek mushrooms
271 Chapter 3. Sacred mushrooms of the Miche Indians
289 Chapter 4. Mushroom stones
310 Chapter 5. Teonanacatl. Mushrooms and love for your neighbor
374 Chapter 6. Archaeological finds in the valley of Mexico
388 Vale
Applications
395 M. V. Vishnevsky. About the authors
414 V. P. Wasson, R. G. Wasson. Maria Sabina: Mushroom ceremony of the Mazatec Indians of Mexico (audio recording with transcript)
422 M. V. Vishnevsky. Wasson and the CIA: The 1956 Expedition
437 V. P. Wasson. I ate sacred mushrooms (O. V. Pelipeichenko lane)
444 R. G. Wasson. The Divine mushroom of immortality (fragment, per. O. V. Pelipeichenko)
