What can be said about the experience that the psilocybian mushrooms can produce? We would have to create a new dialect, more detailed, to describe the amazing, ecstatic and religious experience that ingesting them produce. After entering the para-physical space of the Teonanácatl (God's flesh, divine mushroom) is like getting back to the mother's womb and coming back to your body completely renovated.

This mushrooms have played an important role on rituals in India, Greece and Mesoamerica for millennia; as far back as 4.000 years ago according to R.G.Wasson. About 20 mushroom shaped stones were found on America which belong to the 1,000 - 500 b.C. A drawing from 3,500a.C. of a shaman with an electrified aura, dancing while holding mushroom on he's hands was found on Tassili.

On the 16 century the first report of ritual use of Teonanacatl "divine mushroom" was made. Some investigators think that this mushrooms were used on the Eleusis' rites and that they are the real Soma mentioned on the Vedas.

This mushrooms are seen by many as the catalysts spirituality, consciousness and genesis of religion which born out of the symbiotic union of the humans and this plants. The separation of this two species caused the degradation of the rites becoming today's religions anthropocentric-macho-dominator like Judaism and Christianity. An example of the legacy of this ancient rites is the eucharist of the Christians. The Aztecs ate the mushroom which they considered the flesh of god.

Mushrooms- Quick Definition

The first definition of mushrooms was written by Teofrasto (370 - 287 b.C ) who described it's characteristics: Plants that lack roots, leaves, fruits or flowers. Then, Pliny (79 - 23 aC) ,on his book "Naturalis Historia" ,defines the veil (the sheath that cover the mushroom when small) and describe a few mushrooms. His work was continued by: Pietro Antonio Micheli (1679-1737) who discovered the spores; their way of reproduction. Then Elias Fries (1794-1878) the father of mycology , completed the most intense study of this plants creating about 26 reports where he described about 3.000 species. Lucien Quelet (1832-1899) one of Fries disciples continued his work adding about 400 new species.

The mushrooms are a type of "fungi". They lack chlorophyll and obtain their food decomposing organic matter and extracting the nutrients. The mushrooms have been divided on three types:

Parasitic = Lives on live organism without benefitting them.

Saprophytic = This one grows on death organism like dung or wood.

Mycorrhizal = This one creates a symbiotic union with the host .

Among the superior mushrooms are 2 types:

Ascomycete=They include penicillin, bread mold, yeast and mushrooms like the Morel

Basidiomycete = This is the umbrella type mushrooms.

The umbrella shaped part of the mushrooms is only the sexual part of the plant. Most of the mushroom lives below ground. This part is called the "Mycelium". The mycelium stays underground, growing and digesting the nutrients until, if the conditions allow it, send up the Basidiomycete (mushroom). On the cap are millions of spores that will be liberated at any moment. If they fall on a place where they can germinate, it will produce a new mycelium and grow for years.

 

CHEMISTRY

 

The principal psychoactives on the psilocybian mushrooms are:

1)psilocibin-4-opo3-dmt =4-phosphoryloxy-n,n-dimethyltriptamine

2) Psilocin- / 4-oh-dmt = 4-hydroxy-n,n-dimethyltriptamine

The following psychoactive chemicals are present in some psilocybian mushrooms:

3) baeoscystin = 4-opo3-nmt

4) norbaeocystin = 4-oh-nmt

5) 4-oh-t

The molecular group to which psilocybin and psilocin belong is similar chemicals on the human brain like Bufotenine and Serotonine

Two of the chemicals that have been synthesized and tested in humans with good results are:

CY-19 - 4-OPO3-DET =4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine

CZ-74 - 4-OH-DET= 4-hydroxy-N, N-diethyltryptamine

Mushrooms are 90% water.

EFFECTS

The effects may start in about an hour after ingestion or after about 7 to 20 minutes if they are kept on the mouth and chewed for a while. (Yawning is a sing that the effects are about to begin).

1- Empathy
2- Peace
3- Ecstasy
4- The belief that one has contacted something pure, divine or god
5- Feelings of unity to the world and people
6- Euphoria
7- Hallucinations (visual and sometimes audible) colors and shapes(most of them with closed eyes).

Some of the physical effects:

Blurred vision
Incoordination
Dilated pupils
Alteration of concentration and attention.
Increased acuity of hearing
Slowed passage of time

If the mushrooms are smoked the effects may last about 15-25 minutes. The effects are light (like 5mg of 5-meo-dmt) because when they are smoked most of the important chemicals are destroyed.

DOSE

According to Albert Hoffman, the medium oral dose is: 4mg - 8mg of psilocybin which is equivalent to 2grams of psilocybe mexicana.

Set and Setting

I'm not quite sure if set and setting is essential to ensure a positive experience. All my experiences (twice close to nature and twice on a public place -small dose- surrounded by people) have been positive. What might influence is the mood and the place where the person is when ingesting the mushrooms.

1) You must be in a good mood (this is important with all drugs)

2) You must want to ingest them and do it for that reason and not because somebody else tells you to

3) The place and the people you are close to when ingesting the mushrooms should be enjoyable for you. Is recommended a natural setting like a forest. This place must be one where not many people go since some might get curious of what is happening to you and start making questions (that is a realy bad-trip).

4)I've always ingested mushrooms while day and had a few nice visuals. Even so, is better if they are ingested on a dark place so the visuals are not corrupted by daylight. (The Mazatecas prefer to ingest them while on total darkness)

GENUS

The psilocybian mushrooms are part of the agaricales family and might belong to the genus: Psilocybe, Stropharia or Panaeolus. The potency of each genus may vary from none to hight Also their habitats may vary as well as colors and size. There are many poisonous mushrooms that look a lot like the psilocybian ones so be careful when picking them, take somebody who knows which mushrooms to pick or take with you a guide which describe all the mushroom's aspects. Don't ever ingest a mushroom if you are not sure to which species it belongs. This is one of many good guides: Magic Mushroom Field Guide. (Never take a mushroom that is all white). You might find a few good photos of all kind of mushrooms inside this sites: Fungi perfecti and Fungi Images on the Net

Psilocybe azucarencens
P. cyanofibrillosa
P. bohemica
P. weilii
P. semilanceata (Liberty cap)
P. hoogshagenii
P. baeocystis
P. liniformans
P. cyanescens (Wavy Caps- Blue Halos)
P. stunzii (Stutz's blue legs)
P. tampanensis
P. caerulipes (Blue-foot psilocybe)
P. caerulescens (Landslide mushrooms)
P. cubensis (San Isidro)
P. coprophila (Dung-loving psilocybe)
P. montana (Moutain moss psilocybe)
P. pelliculosa (Conifer psilocibe)
P. Silvatica
Panaeolus subalteatus

Some of this mushrooms can be cultivated. One of the many growers guide is: The Magic Mushroom Growers Guide

 

EXPERIENCE

 

Two of my friends and i went to a place kind of popular among the puertorricans psychonauts, to get some mushrooms. We arrived at about 10:00am and started the search. After about 2 hours we filled a paper bag and a box of cereal.

We decided to go to the beach which is really close to the place where we acquired the mushroom and when we arrived each of us ingested 3-4 mushrooms. My friends got in the beach and i started making a head in the sand which end up as a huge head with 3 horns. By that time an hour have passed and no effects. Then i started to stare at the sand face' eyes and couldn't turn my face away as if i was hypnotized by it. I started to growl and started to feel as if the sand face was trying to posses me. I got up, destroyed it and ran to where my friends were to tell them what had happened but i realized that my arms were so long that i was dragging them through the sand. I started laughing and seated. At that moment the most incredible and awesome ecstatic feeling possessed me. My ego was totally dissolved. Everything was so clear that i could see where was all the real beauty, everywhere.

I started to question, why humans live a life so away from our nature, why we accepted rules imposed by our equals, why we create protocols and why we kneel in front of everything that intimidates us and consider superior when the reality is that there is nothing superior nor inferior than humans.

I stared at the sky waiting for answers. One of the questions was: Why who ever you are after creating us, you leave us alone and with so many doubts? There was no answer from the sky but suddenly the clouds alined forming a stair. I taught for a moment about going up there but discarded the idea when i realized that i was talking to myself and that in me and all humanity dwell all the answers. The problem is that they are too simple and consequentially irrelevant for the humans.

The effects lasted for a few more hours. The only side effects were: intense peace, positivism and empathy.

by legion