Table of Contents

Introduction: Visionary Mushrooms of the Americas
Ralph Metzner, Ph.D.

1. Ethnomycology and Distribution of the Psilocybian Mushrooms
John W. Allen and James Arthur

2. Global Ecologies, World Distribution, and Relative Potency of Psilocybin Mushrooms
Paul Stamets

3. The “Wondrous Mushroom” Legacy of R. Gordon Wasson
Thomas Riedlinger

4. Biochemistry and Neuropharmacology of Psilocybin Mushrooms
David E. Presti, Ph.D., and David E. Nichols, Ph.D.

5. A History of the Use of Psilocybin in Psychotherapy
Torsten Passie, M.D.

6. Prisoner Behavior Change and Experimental Mysticism: Two Classic Studies from the Harvard Psilocybin Project
Diane Conn Darling, Rick Doblin, and Ralph Metzner

7. A Note on Current Psilocybin Research Projects
Rick Doblin, Ph.D.

8. The Initiation of the “High Priest”
Timothy Leary

9. Initial Experiences from the Harvard Psilocybin Project
Ralph Metzner

Experiential Teachings of the Mushroom Spirits

The Mushroom Beings Would Help Us Return to Our True Nature
Leila Castle

The Land of Eternal Waiting--Report of a Mushroom Experience with Maria Sabina
Frederick Swain

A Mazatec Indian Curandero’s Healing Practice Using Psychoactive Mushrooms
Bret Blosser

I Was Awed by the Mysterious Precision and Generosity of the Mushroom Spirits
Raoul Adamson

I Was Being Told to Paint with the Blood of the Heart
Kate S.

I Was Having a Conversation with the Sun
Evan Psilo

Shadow, Be My Friend
Ganesha

Where Ancient Spirits Dwell and the Air Hums with Magic and Mystery
Cat L.

My Heart Was the Doorway to Greater Vision and Awareness
Abraham L.

It Was the Divine Play of Hide and Seek
Jason Serle

The Power of the Heart in the Face of Darkness
Mindfire

Encounter and Metamorphosis with the Sirenian
Leopold

My Role, However Humble, Was Necessary and Cosmically Inspired
Phil O. Cybe

I Felt the Vitality of What It Was Like to Be Primitive
Thirdpalissy

I Saw My Entire Worldview and Value System Realign
David S.

Pondering the Separation between What I Experience and What Actually Is
Mark Bryan

I Remember What It Was Like before I Had This Face
Jack Silver

We Are All Actors and Directors in a Giant Cosmic Drama
Mark A. Schroll, Ph.D.

The Little Beings Tell Me That Laughing Is Also Holy
Karin Riese

Mushroom Magic in the Lightning Field
Martin Goodman

Biographical Information

About the Author

Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., who studied psychology and psychopharmacology at Harvard University, was part of the Psilocybin Research Project with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later Ram Dass). He lives in Sonoma, California.

Reviews

"A compilation of scientific information, historical lore, and experiential reports about the magical psilocybe mushrooms. . . . It is sure to be treasured for years to come."
*Andrew Weil, M.D., author of The Natural Mind: A New Way of Looking at Drugs and the Higher Consciou*

"An outstanding comprehensive gathering of vital information from the psychedelic world."
*Myron Stolaroff, author of The Secret Chief and From Thanatos to Eros*

". . . this book is a must-have for entheogen and mushroom lovers alike."
*Heads, Vol 6 Issue 07*

"One gets the impression when finishing the Sacred Mushroom of Visions that the many dimensions of psilocybin offer humanity a truly wonderful gift; for personal experience, for scientific research, and as a light through which the environment discourse of the modern age can be shone. If you have an interest, indeed a belief, in entheogenic, empathogenic, (as many of the narratives elude to) shamanism, or simply mycology, then this book is a must for your shelf."
*Psychedelic Press, UK, March 2010*