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Plant Spirit Shamanism: Fly Agaric

Years ago, I was called as an expert witness in a criminal case involving trance and possession. The circumstances are not important to this article, but not leave you hanging had to do with a man who had stolen in the UK from Nigeria and was found in possession of cocaine when arrested by customs officers. His defense was he had been in a trance, or perhaps drugged by a group of men who had planted the cocaine on him before boarding the plane.

What was most interesting to me is that I could have lunch with another expert witness, a toxicologist from one of teaching hospitals leading the United Kingdom, who had a keen interest in mycology and planned to publish a book on the sacred use of Amanita tue-mouche (Amanita muscaria) in healing and spiritual practices ancient warrior.

Following graduation, he has recently worked with a TV production company, which had made a documentary with him to test one's personal theories for pets: the Zulu War was conducted by indigenous peoples under intoxication sacred mushroom. This gave them not only the superhuman strength and impermeability to pain, but a sense of fearlessness and divine purpose in the battle. That was what helped them leave the field victorious, he said.

Clearly, the television company could not stage another war to test this theory, but they could - and did - was to get two experts from martial arts in a ring to fight for the cameras.

In the first part of this experience, combatants met equally and fought a few shots together. Neither emerged as a clear winner in this contest carefully matched.

In second part, however, one of the combatants received five bands fly agaric-consuming. He was allowed to rest when he takes effect, and then the two fighters met again.

Except they did not, exactly. The expert I spoke to (interestingly, during a lunch of mushroom paella), the fighter who took the fly Agaric simply flew over the ring when the bell rang, barely touching earth, and threw his opponent so hard he ends up on the floor outside the ropes. The fighting drunk never even broke a sweat and was not breathing to anything above normal levels when his opponent was counted.

Use and effects of the fly-agaric
In the modern West, we have lost most of our ancient ritual practices and no longer believe in a world of "spirit". Therefore, fly agaric (if considered at all) is considered only as a dangerous and potentially toxic "drug" rather than a route to the divine.

In his book, plowing The Clouds, by cons, Peter Lamborn Wilson argues persuasively that fly agaric is not only the sacred Soma mentioned in the Rig Veda, but it has been used in many European countries and was also central to the Irish Celtic tradition of shamanism, which continues in its basic form, today.

The mushrooms themselves, bright red with white spots, are gathered for ritual use in these traditions during the hottest months of the year - July and August - when they are most imbued with the element of fire and breath of the sun / Sky Father. The fungi most powerful, in fact, are expected to dry, ready to be removed for their communion with man. They are considered as much "stronger" than those picked early and dried artificially. Smaller mushrooms are also said to have more power than large, and it seems likely, the modern experimentation, their narcotic effects are certainly more intense during the first phase of growth.

For non-ritual use, mushrooms are used in the same way that the coca leaf in the Peruvian Andes, to create a change in consciousness Light, accompanied by mild euphoria and increased energy. In this usage, the mushrooms are just curled up and swallowed whole, without chewing. One mushroom larger (3-4cm) or 2-3 small enough.

To use a prescribed ritual, however, several fungi are normally consumed, usually in a set or sets of three. "The Rg Veda always speaks of Soma in sets of three cups, and in Siberia today, three Amanitas are still considered the dose own rite, "said Wilson.

An elaborate ceremony is often accompanied by consumption ritual of "magic mushrooms". This may take the form of a "hunt" for the fungus, followed by the "murder" of his mind by symbolically attack with spears, clubs or arrows, if it is "safe" for human ingestion. He then prepared a average time is assured for all stages to meet its power to avoid his anger and at the same time, take control of its spiritual strength. Only then eat the fungus, under very contained, the terms of sacred and holy space defended by the shaman, who leads through the ritual.

Once ingested, what we call the effects of "staggering" of fly-agaric begin after approximately 30 minutes.

Outwardly, drunkenness May appear as involuntary muscle spasms, followed by a sense of the fluidity of reality and sensory disorientation. Sometimes there is vomiting, during which whole mushrooms may be regurgitated. Paradoxically, however, this is often to intensify the feelings of another world flight and entering a "non-ordinary space.

Internally, the shaman, and those who partake of this sacrament, are now in communion with the gods.

According to a description Erowid.org, which, perhaps, bridges the gap between fact outside and inward sensation, the impact of the fly agaric is that "nerves are highly stimulated and the slightest effort of will, produces very powerful effects. If you want to take a small stick, he steps and jumps as if the obstacles were tree trunks. If a man is usually talkative, his speech is now constant, and he inadvertently lets slip the secret, fully aware of his actions and aware of his secret, but unable to keep in check. A man who loves to dance the dances, and music lover sings incessantly. Others run or walk quite involuntarily, without any intention move.

Two of the most interesting aspects of fly-agaric is that it retains its effectiveness almost permanently, and its effects are easily transmitted to others, including ingestion of urine from the first person to eat mushrooms. The same effect can be transmitted to a third, fourth or fifth person in exactly the same way.

In fact, the ability of the fungus to act this way may be partly behind the myth of Father Christmas are observed in the rituals of winter in the West.

In the traditions of Siberian shamanism, the shaman would ingest agaric fly to journey to the Father of heaven and bring gifts of knowledge and power to his community. Dressed in a warm, fur-lined, the ritual costume, with a thick belt of bells, the shaman would make his trip at dusk to consult the spirits of another world. In the hours that followed, the shaman would need to urinate and could walk in the woods to do so. Rennes would then eat urine covered with snow, as part of their normal route and also get drunk.

"Flying" (drunk) reindeer with a sky of human origin (the shaman) who controls ... similarities in costumes ... bells and the belt ... The red and white mushroom ... travel across the sky to deliver gifts ... All elements of the modern day Santa Claus is there, creating a rather idyllic fly-agaric.

We must remember, However, the Amanita that has not always had such a "peaceful reputation. The Vikings, for example, are said to be ritually ingested it to enter the "Berserker" state, ready for battle (indeed, the name of Iceland to the fly agaric contains the word "madman"), as Zulu was, in my lunch companion toxicologist.

Properties and chemistry
One of the first studies of fly-agaric was made in 1863 by two German chemists who published a book on the properties of muscarine, a poisonous alkaloid that they had isolated from Amanita. For nearly a century, their study (which turned out to be false) had been taken as gospel and believed muscarine erroneously to be the main active ingredient in mushrooms fly agaric. Various confusion followed and it was not until 1964 that his constituents have been isolated true - and then almost simultaneously by three different laboratories in Japan, England and Switzerland. Finally, the compounds were correctly identified as ibotenic acid and muscimol.

Muscimol is the psychoactive constituent. A small part of the ibotenic acid is converted to muscimol in the system of man following ingestion of the fungus, which produces the effects for which fly agaric is known.

Research shows that ibotenic acid will create a hallucinogenic effect in humans at doses as small as 50mg. The emergence of these effects may be rapid or very slow, ranging from 30 minutes to 2-3 hours, depending on body type, susceptibility, addiction, and the circumstances of the ingestion.

In Anyway, three hours is usually enough for the effects will be felt, which will then take 4-8 hours depending on dose, and usually includes spasms muscle (as if there is actually a "journey" so to speak), visual distortions ( "visions"), altered auditory (voice perception Hearing "), and loss of balance (changed perspective on" reality "normal").

A considerable amount of ibotenic acid is excreted rapidly after the fly agaric is eaten, and remains unchanged in the urine. This adds credibility to experience of Siberia (and the myth residual Father Christmas), because, after eating the mushrooms, the shaman excrete acid ibotenic in his urine and reindeer could ingest and reworking its content as ibotenic acid, muscimol, produces a hallucinogenic effect similar. The animal would then excrete the ibotenic acid in his own urine, and the process will continue.

In this way, a 50-100mg dose of ibotenic acid could produce 10-15mg doses of muscimol for up to 10 users, so that an intake of mushrooms would certainly effective in four or five generations of animals or ingestion of man.

Trees and fungi, mushrooms and trees
It seems that there is also a symbiotic relationship between the mushroom fly agaric and birch - mushrooms grow in the shade of the tree - which would account for the "sacred birch, tradition Shamanism in Europe.

Indeed, in shamanism, the tree itself, are held as sacred, that houses the elementals or walkways in mind, and the connections between different life forms (such as the fungus and the tree) are venerated as the shamanic belief is we are all - all life forms - linked to each other. This principle animist connection would certainly have been reinforced for the shaman knows the magical effects of fly agaric, so that the birch tree would become sacred by association.

The mushroom fly agaric is still present everywhere where birch is common, including the United Kingdom and the Americas. Distinguished by its bright red color and white spots, it is better prepared to use ceremony (according to some shamanic traditions, and the advice of my fellow toxicologist lunch) to cut into thin strips which are then boiled in milk for 30 minutes. The juice is then drank and ate the mushroom strips. An alternative is to dry the mushrooms and add to vodka, drinking alcohol Amanita mixture when the liquid turns orange-red.

Naturally, in a ritual use, fly agaric must always be taken on a sacred with the intention of revealing the true spiritual knowledge, and with full respect for its power. To do otherwise is simply to engage in "doping" with all the dangers inherent in the misuse and the consequences of superhuman Zulu-like, deadly force we simple and commuters West May while to process.

About the Author

Ross Heaven is a therapist, workshop leader, and the author of several books on shamanism and healing, including Darkness Visible, the best-selling Plant Spirit Shamanism, and Love’s Simple Truths. His website is http://www.thefourgates.com where you can also read how to join his sacred journeys to the shamans and healers of the Amazon.

Terrence Mckenna - Nobody is smarter than you are !!!

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