For centuries, people have explored various methods and practices to find ways to expand their consciousness and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. Putting oneself into various states that allow one to alter perception and experience new levels of consciousness has been one way to achieve this goal.
One practice that has been used for millennia to alter consciousness is the consumption of psychoactive substances, including Psilocybe mushrooms, which contain psilocybin.
Today I’ll invite you on a magical journey to a time when people used sacred mushrooms, called Teonanácatl – “body of the gods” by the Aztecs. Mushrooms whose true effects we – modern people – are only beginning to discover.
What do we know about psilocybin?
Psilocybin was identified and isolated by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1958. Hallucinogenic mushrooms containing psilocybin grow all over the world, but the largest number and variety of species is found in Mexico. More than a dozen species of Psilocybe grow in Europe, but psychedelic effects have been demonstrated in only a few species, including: Psilocybe semilanceata (common in Europe), Psilocybe bohemica (a rare species found in Europe), Psilocybe azurescens (naturally occurring only in North America, along the Pacific coast) and Psilocybe cyanescens (naturally occurring in North America and Western and Central Europe).
Undeniably, the most recognizable type of Psilocybe mushroom is Psilocybe Cubensis, which has gained popularity mainly due to its wide distribution area and ease of cultivation at home.
Psilocybin in itself is not a psychoactive substance. It is only in the human body that it is converted into psilocin – an active compound responsible for perceptual, cognitive and affective changes, creating a state of altered consciousness. Substances contained in Psilocybe mushrooms show structural similarity to serotonin and act mainly through agonistic (stimulatory) action on serotonin 5-HT2A receptors.
In the body, psilocin is evenly distributed, but accumulates in larger amounts in the liver and adrenal glands. In addition, the substance has been found to accumulate in specific areas of the brain, such as the neocortex, hippocampus and thalamus, affecting learning, memory and emotional control.
Psylocybin shows similar properties to LSD, but is much weaker. It does not cause physical dependence, but can lead to psychological dependence. Psylocybin is a substance with low toxicity, relatively safe for health, and shows great therapeutic potential.
Sacred mushrooms in ancient times
Taking psychoactive substances is one of the practices of changing consciousness in order to heal and achieve mystical states.
Inducing a shift in consciousness is common among tribal communities, assigning an important role to the practices of shamanic healers. Such ritual practices of expanding consciousness are characteristic of hunter-gatherer societies, which today include indigenous tribes of Mesoamerica, Africa and Asia. This type of behavior is not typical of modern times, but it also occurred in ancient times.
Research on the use of psychoactive substances in ancient times is based on finds such as phytoliths, plant fossils and the presence of alkaloids in artifacts and human remains. Traces of the use of hallucinogenic plants, cannabis, datura and hallucinogenic mushrooms were found.
The oldest source documenting the use of fungi of the genus Psilocybe is believed to be cave paintings in the caves of the Tassilin’Ajjer massif in the Sahara in southern Algeria. The cave paintings, dated to 7000-9000 BC, probably depict a species of Psilocybe mairei growing in areas of Algeria and Morocco.
In Europe, on the other hand, the use of these mushroom species can be seen in the Selva Pascuala mural in Spain, which dates from between 4000 and 6000 BC. The mural depicts an image of a bull with mushrooms, probably of the Psilocybe hispanica species, arranged in a row underneath it a short distance away. The extraordinary care taken in depicting the mushrooms suggests that for the author of the painting they must have had significance as part of a ceremony or as a source of visionary experiences.
Evidence of ancient forms of hallucinogenic plant use suggests that shamanistic practices involving the use of these substances in rituals may have been much more widespread than previously thought. Since ancient traces of the use of mushrooms and other hallucinogenic plants have been discovered in Africa and Europe, it appears to be a misconception that shamanistic practices involving the use of such substances were the domain of only pre-Columbian and indigenous Mesoamerican cultures.
Magic mushrooms as entheogens
Given the close association of psilocybin mushrooms with the realm of spirit and the sacred, experts in the field of anthropology and ethnobotany stress that the term “hallucinogenic” does not fully reflect the nature of these substances. In the context of religious or shamanic practices, a more appropriate term is entheogens, which refers to substances that enable a person to get in touch with his inner sacredness (from the Greek words en – within and theos – god).
Thus, the term entheogen refers to psychoactive substances used, among other things, to induce mystical experiences or as an aid to personal spiritual development. Anthropological studies show that entheogens have been and continue to be used for religious, magical, shamanic or spiritual purposes almost all over the world.
Traditionally, they have been used to support practices that aim to achieve a state of transcendence, such as healing, divination, meditation, yoga, sensory deprivation, asceticism, prayer, trance, rituals, drumming and ecstatic dancing.
Psychedelic experience is often compared to unusual states of consciousness, such as those occurring during meditation or mystical experiences.
We discuss this topic in more detail in the article Psylocybin – the key to deeper meditation?
Diversity of experience
The effects of magic mushrooms are difficult to describe using psychological terms alone and can lead to positive experiences of a mystical nature.
Therefore, it has been proposed to refer to these substances as psychedelics (from the Greek psyche – soul and delein – to show, reveal, that is, in free translation, to open the soul) and entheogens (triggering inner sanctity). However, even in religious and therapeutic terms, experiences under the influence of hallucinogens can have different overtones, and the experience of holiness, goodness and love can be preceded by difficult emotions such as sadness, anxiety and even paranoia.
The lack of a perfect term to adequately describe psychoactive substances such as psilocybin is due to the nature of these substances, whose effects cannot be strictly defined. The effects of hallucinogens are not unambiguously positive or negative, but depend on the context of use and the attitude of the person choosing to enter an altered state of consciousness.
