Illustrations of Magic Mushrooms in Early Christian Iconography
Does Christianity have a psychedelic history?
Psilocybin mushrooms commonly referred to as magic mushrooms are naturally occurring psychoactive substances. Although psilocybin was first isolated in 1958 by Dr. Albert Hofmann, the consumption of this hallucinogenic compound is historically traced back to different cultures.
Dating back to 200 CE, various mushroom motifs and a mushroom stone resembling the shape of Psilocybe Mexicana have been found in Mexico that might have been used by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica for religious ceremonies, divination, and healing.
In fact, it is speculated that in Rigveda (one of the four sacred canonical texts of Hinduism), the ritual concoction Soma was a psychedelic drink. Gordon Wasson became famous to introduce psilocybin mushrooms from Mexico to the Western world published a book in 1967 called Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality and made a claim that the fabled drink Soma contained the psilocybin mushroom Amanita muscaria (the red mushroom with white spots).
