"Seeking the Magic Mushroom" is a 1957 photo essay by amateur mycologist Robert Gordon Wasson describing his experience taking psilocybin mushrooms in 1955 during a Mazatec ritual in Oaxaca, Mexico. Wasson was one of the first Westerners to participate in a Mazatec ceremony and to describe the psychoactive effects of the Psilocybe species.[1] The essay contains photographs by Allan Richardson and illustrations of several mushroom species of Psilocybe collected and identified by French botanist Roger Heim, then director of the French National Museum of Natural History.[2] Wasson's essay, written in a first person narrative,[3] appeared in the May 13 issue of Life magazine as part three of the "Great Adventures" series.
The essay was part of three related works about mushrooms released around the same time period. It was preceded by the limited release of Mushrooms, Russia and History, a two-volume book by Wasson and his wife, Valentina Pavlovna Wasson. The Life magazine essay was followed six days later by "I Ate the Sacred Mushroom", an interview with Valentina in This Week magazine.[4] Against Wasson's wishes, a Life magazine editor added the term "Magic Mushroom" to the title and brought its use into popular culture. The essay influenced the nascent counterculture in the United States and led many hippies to travel to Mexico in the 1960s in search of the mushroom, including Timothy Leary.[5] In the 1970s, Wasson expressed misgivings about the wide publicity the essay brought to the Mazatec culture and the defilement of the mushroom ritual.[6]
Wasson first became interested in mycology during his honeymoon in the Catskill Mountains in 1927.[7] His new wife, Valentina Pavlovna Wasson, a native of Moscow, Russia, was identifying and collecting mushrooms in the forest, having been brought up with an appreciation for the species. Wasson was disgusted. "Like all good Anglo-Saxons, I knew nothing about the fungal world and felt that the less I knew about those putrid, treacherous excrescences the better."[8] The incident sparked Wasson's interest in mushrooms, leading to subsequent contributions to the field of ethnomycology.
In 1952, English poet Robert Graves sent the Wassons a letter containing a journal article quoting American ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes discussing the ritual use of mushrooms by Mesoamericans in the 16th century.[9] The ritual was first observed in modern times in 1938 by American anthropologist Jean Basset Johnson in Huautla de Jiménez, in the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico.[10] Beginning in 1953, Wasson repeatedly traveled to Mexico in search of the mushrooms. On a trip to the town of Huautla de Jiménez in June and July 1955, Wasson and New York society photographer Allan Richardson participated in a mushroom ritual with curanderaMaria Sabina, where they became, in Wasson's words, "the first white men in recorded history to eat the divine mushrooms".[11] (When Wasson returned to the U.S., he sent some of the mushrooms to Dr. Andrija Puharich of the Round Table Foundation in Maine; Puharich analyzed them and identified muscarine, atropine, and bufotenin as the chemicals responsible for hallucinogenic effects, and also used them on himself and others.[12] Among these was the sculptor Harry Stump, in the presence of Aldous Huxley, who paid Puharich a three-week visit in August 1955.[13])
While having lunch at the Century Club in New York in 1956, a Time magazine editor expressed interest in their trip to Mexico and invited them to pitch a story about their experience.[14]
^Wasson et al. 1978, p. 4; Ruck 2010; Stafford 1993, pp. 225-233. Depictions of mushroom use can be seen in the Florentine Codex and the Codex Magliabechiano. Relevant papers on this topic by Schultes include: Schultes, R. E. 1939. The identification of Teonanácatl, a narcotic basidiomycete of the Aztecs. Botanical Museum Leaflets of Harvard 7 (3): 37-54. February 21; and Schultes, R. E. 1940. Teonanácatl: The narcotic mushroom of the Aztecs. American Anthropologist 42: 429-443.
^Wasson 1957, pp. 100–102, 109–120; Ruck 2010; Cloud 2007; Erowid Character Vaults 2012; Stevens 1998, pp. 74-79.
^Annie Jacobsen, Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis (New York: Little, Brown, 2017), p. 56.
Allen, John W. 2002. Mushroom Pioneers. Psilly Publications. ISBN1605294071.
Cloud, John. 2007. . Time (April 23).
Feinberg, Ben. 2009. “A Symbol Of Wisdom And Love? Counter-Cultural Tourism And The Multiple Faces Of María Sabina In Huautla, Oaxaca.” The Politics of Space and Imagery (2009): 93–114.
Harvard University Herbaria. 2002. . Harvard University.
Harvey, Graham. 2003. Shamanism: A Reader. Routledge. .
Singer, Rolf. 1958. Mycological Investigations on Teonanácatl, the Mexican Hallucinogenic Mushroom. Part I. The History of Teonanácatl, Field Work and Culture Work. Mycologia 50, no. 2 (March–April): 239–261. (subscription required)
Wasson, R. G. 1957. Seeking the magic mushroom. Life 49, no. 19 (May 13): 100–102, 109–120.
Stevens, Jay. 1998. Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream. Grove Press. ISBN0-8021-3587-0.
Wasson, R. Gordon. 1970. Drugs: The Sacred Mushroom. The New York Times (Sept 26): 21. (subscription required)
Wasson, Valentina Pavlovna. 1957. I Ate the Sacred Mushroom. This Week. (May 19): 8–10, 36.
Wasson, Valentina Pavlovna and R. Gordon Wasson. 1957. Mushrooms, Russia and History. Vol II. New York: Pantheon Books. OCLC 319942
Weiner, Tim. 2002. Huautla Journal; The Place for Trips of the Mind-Bending Kind. The New York Times (May 8).
Further readingedit
Wasson, R. Gordon. 1961. The Hallucinogenic Fungi of Mexico: an inquiry into the origins of the religious idea among primitive peoples. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 19: 137–162.
Wasson, R. Gordon, Hofmann, Albert, Ruck, Carl A. P. 1978. The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries. New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich. ISBN0-15-625279-1
seeking, magic, mushroom, 1957, photo, essay, amateur, mycologist, robert, gordon, wasson, describing, experience, taking, psilocybin, mushrooms, 1955, during, mazatec, ritual, oaxaca, mexico, wasson, first, westerners, participate, mazatec, ceremony, describe. Seeking the Magic Mushroom is a 1957 photo essay by amateur mycologist Robert Gordon Wasson describing his experience taking psilocybin mushrooms in 1955 during a Mazatec ritual in Oaxaca Mexico Wasson was one of the first Westerners to participate in a Mazatec ceremony and to describe the psychoactive effects of the Psilocybe species 1 The essay contains photographs by Allan Richardson and illustrations of several mushroom species of Psilocybe collected and identified by French botanist Roger Heim then director of the French National Museum of Natural History 2 Wasson s essay written in a first person narrative 3 appeared in the May 13 issue of Life magazine as part three of the Great Adventures series Psilocybe caerulescens var caerulescens Wasson ingested this species on June 29 1955 1 The experience became the basis for his 1957 essay The essay was part of three related works about mushrooms released around the same time period It was preceded by the limited release of Mushrooms Russia and History a two volume book by Wasson and his wife Valentina Pavlovna Wasson The Life magazine essay was followed six days later by I Ate the Sacred Mushroom an interview with Valentina in This Week magazine 4 Against Wasson s wishes a Life magazine editor added the term Magic Mushroom to the title and brought its use into popular culture The essay influenced the nascent counterculture in the United States and led many hippies to travel to Mexico in the 1960s in search of the mushroom including Timothy Leary 5 In the 1970s Wasson expressed misgivings about the wide publicity the essay brought to the Mazatec culture and the defilement of the mushroom ritual 6 Contents 1 Background 2 Notes 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksBackground edit nbsp nbsp Huautla de Jimenezclass notpageimage Huautla de Jimenez Wasson first became interested in mycology during his honeymoon in the Catskill Mountains in 1927 7 His new wife Valentina Pavlovna Wasson a native of Moscow Russia was identifying and collecting mushrooms in the forest having been brought up with an appreciation for the species Wasson was disgusted Like all good Anglo Saxons I knew nothing about the fungal world and felt that the less I knew about those putrid treacherous excrescences the better 8 The incident sparked Wasson s interest in mushrooms leading to subsequent contributions to the field of ethnomycology In 1952 English poet Robert Graves sent the Wassons a letter containing a journal article quoting American ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes discussing the ritual use of mushrooms by Mesoamericans in the 16th century 9 The ritual was first observed in modern times in 1938 by American anthropologist Jean Basset Johnson in Huautla de Jimenez in the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca Mexico 10 Beginning in 1953 Wasson repeatedly traveled to Mexico in search of the mushrooms On a trip to the town of Huautla de Jimenez in June and July 1955 Wasson and New York society photographer Allan Richardson participated in a mushroom ritual with curandera Maria Sabina where they became in Wasson s words the first white men in recorded history to eat the divine mushrooms 11 When Wasson returned to the U S he sent some of the mushrooms to Dr Andrija Puharich of the Round Table Foundation in Maine Puharich analyzed them and identified muscarine atropine and bufotenin as the chemicals responsible for hallucinogenic effects and also used them on himself and others 12 Among these was the sculptor Harry Stump in the presence of Aldous Huxley who paid Puharich a three week visit in August 1955 13 While having lunch at the Century Club in New York in 1956 a Time magazine editor expressed interest in their trip to Mexico and invited them to pitch a story about their experience 14 Notes edit a b Stafford 1993 p 233 Stevens 1998 p 77 Singer 1958 Cloud 2007 Harvard University Herbaria 2002 Cloud 2007 Karttunen 1994 p 229 Reuters 1970 Cloud 2007 Wasson 1970 p 29 Letcher 2008 pp 80 81 Wasson 1957 p 113 Wasson et al 1978 p 4 Ruck 2010 Stafford 1993 pp 225 233 Depictions of mushroom use can be seen in the Florentine Codex and the Codex Magliabechiano Relevant papers on this topic by Schultes include Schultes R E 1939 The identification of Teonanacatl a narcotic basidiomycete of the Aztecs Botanical Museum Leaflets of Harvard 7 3 37 54 February 21 and Schultes R E 1940 Teonanacatl The narcotic mushroom of the Aztecs American Anthropologist 42 429 443 Wasson amp Wasson 1957 pp 237 238 Wasson 1957 pp 100 102 109 120 Ruck 2010 Cloud 2007 Erowid Character Vaults 2012 Stevens 1998 pp 74 79 Annie Jacobsen Phenomena The Secret History of the U S Government s Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis New York Little Brown 2017 p 56 Jacobsen Phenomena 2017 pp 56 59 Riedlinger 1997 p 199 Stevens 1998 p 78 References edit nbsp Maria SabinaAllen John W 2002 Mushroom Pioneers Psilly Publications ISBN 1605294071 Cloud John 2007 When the Elite Loved LSD Time April 23 Feinberg Ben 2009 A Symbol Of Wisdom And Love Counter Cultural Tourism And The Multiple Faces Of Maria Sabina In Huautla Oaxaca The Politics of Space and Imagery 2009 93 114 Harvard University Herbaria 2002 R Gordon Wasson 1898 1986 Archives Harvard University Harvey Graham 2003 Shamanism A Reader Routledge Bone Eugenia 2011 Mycophilia Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms Rodale ISBN 0 415 25329 2ISBN 1582140995 Lee Martin A Shlain Bruce 1992 Acid Dreams The Complete Social History of LSD The CIA the Sixties and Beyond Grove Press ISBN 0 8021 3062 3 Karttunen Frances E 1994 Between Worlds Interpreters Guides and Survivors Rutgers University Press ISBN 0813520312 Letcher Andy 2008 Shroom A Cultural history of the Magic Mushroom Harper Collins ISBN 0060828293 Reiedlinger Thomas J 1990 The Sacred Mushroom Seeker Essays for R Gordon Wasson Dioscorides Press ISBN 0931146178 Reuters 1970 Hippies Flocking to Mexico for Mushroom Trips The New York Times July 22 subscription required Ruck Carl 2010 Wasson and the Psychedelic Revolution Brainwaving Beckley Foundation Singer Rolf 1958 Mycological Investigations on Teonanacatl the Mexican Hallucinogenic Mushroom Part I The History of Teonanacatl Field Work and Culture Work Mycologia 50 no 2 March April 239 261 subscription required Stafford Peter 1993 Psychedelics Encyclopedia Ronin Publishing ISBN 0914171518 Wasson R G 1957 Seeking the magic mushroom Life 49 no 19 May 13 100 102 109 120 Stevens Jay 1998 Storming Heaven LSD and the American Dream Grove Press ISBN 0 8021 3587 0 Wasson R Gordon 1970 Drugs The Sacred Mushroom The New York Times Sept 26 21 subscription required Wasson Valentina Pavlovna 1957 I Ate the Sacred Mushroom This Week May 19 8 10 36 Wasson Valentina Pavlovna and R Gordon Wasson 1957 Mushrooms Russia and History Vol II New York Pantheon Books OCLC 319942 Weiner Tim 2002 Huautla Journal The Place for Trips of the Mind Bending Kind The New York Times May 8 Further reading editWasson R Gordon 1961 The Hallucinogenic Fungi of Mexico an inquiry into the origins of the religious idea among primitive peoples Botanical Museum Leaflets Harvard University 19 137 162 Wasson R Gordon Hofmann Albert Ruck Carl A P 1978 The Road to Eleusis Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries New York Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ISBN 0 15 625279 1External links editFull text at Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies MAPS Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Seeking the Magic Mushroom amp oldid 1145143059, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
