Ron Mann, the director of the famous Grass Documentary is back with another marvelous documentary, this time on Shrooms, the Magical Fungus, titled 'Know Your Mushrooms' !

Mushrooms ... we put them on our pizza and steaks and in our soups and salads, we marvel at their variety and are sometimes repelled by their grotesque beauty when encountering them in the bush. And yeah, some have even sampled their more exotic possibilities and asked the question: “Do mushrooms come from a far away planet?”




The world of fungi and their integral relationship with the health of the planet have only recently been appreciated. The oldest and largest living organisms recorded on Earth are both fungi. And their use by a new, maverick breed of scientists and thinkers has proven vital in the cleansing of sites despoiled by toxins and as a “clean” pesticide among many other environmentally-friendly applications.

Inspired by a chance conversation with fellow filmmaker and mushroom buff Jim Jarmusch, Mann set off to the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado. It was there he encountered the unique sub-sub-subculture surrounding fungi that includes an unlikely assortment of nerds, nuts, hipsters, tripsters, artists, chefs, musicians, foodies, foragers, and seekers all paying homage to the mighty mushroom.

'Know Your Mushrooms' follows uber myco visionaries Gary Lincoff and Larry Evans (two of the more expert and unforgettably mercurial characters in the community) as they lead us on a hunt for the wild mushroom and the deeper cultural experiences attached to the mysterious fungi.

Combining material filmed at the Telluride Mushroom Fest with animation and archival footage along with a neo-psychedelic soundtrack by the Flaming Lips, KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS opens the doors to perception, takes the audience on a longer, stranger trip and delivers them to a brave new world where the fungi might well guide humanity to a saner, safer place… with extra cheese…

CONSUMER WARNING : Don’t Go Into The Forest Without This Movie !

Source : Sphinx Productions


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Amanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric Mushrooms, Amanitas), the highly visible and strikingly beautiful mushroom, also known as the Fly Agaric, is yellow to red in color and speckeled with white. Amanita muscaria is probably humanity's oldest entheogen. Amanita muscaria's history has it associated with both Shamanic and magical practices. It was identified as the "Soma" of the ancient (4000 BC) Rig Veda by Gordon Wasson.

So, Amanita Muscaria has historical use as far back as we have history, and it shouldn't be hard to suppose that prehistoric humans, in their activities as hunter/gatherer, recognized that there were mushrooms and other plants that had benefits not related to hunger. Our ancestors must surely have been intrigued by the Amanita muscaria--they appeared magically from nowhere, in strange and beautiful shapes and colors and gave magical visions of the beyond when eaten.

Today Amanita muscaria mushrooms are widely known : the Alice in Wonderland mushrooms, the fairytale mushrooms regularly seen in fairy tale books. Yet most people aren't aware that they are, in fact, real. A must have addition to any ethnobotanical collection.



Food of the Gods ?

Are mushrooms the real food of the gods ? Does it contain a hallucinogenic substance that was known and used by ancient cultures and its priests to gain access to the World of the Gods ?

Philip Coppens


Amanita Muscaria, the “red with white dots” mushroom is not only the central setting of many children’s stories; for the American author James Arthur it is the “mushroom that created Mankind”. It comes close to identifying the mushroom with god, but such a literal identification is out of place. What Arthur is suggesting, is that what typifies Mankind, can be found in the hallucinogenic properties of the mushroom.

The Amanita Muscaria is not only famous for its appearances in fairy tales; its colours are also linked with Santa Claus, racing through the skies with his reindeer. Is it a coincidence that reindeer eat this mushroom, and that it grows under the trees we seem to largely grow for Christmas tree purposes?

One of the first researchers to draw attention to the hallucinogenic purposes of the mushroom was Andrija Puharich. Puharich worked for the American government and is specifically famous for his involvement with the psychic Uri Geller, who he brought to the United States for testing. Puharich learned about the hallucinogenic mushroom through his mediums, specifically the Dutch Harry Stone, who spoke and wrote ancient Egyptian while he was in a spontaneous trance. He identified himself as Ra Ho Tep, an Egyptian priest from the times of the pyramids. He described a ritual that centred on mushroom worship. He claimed that the mushroom was worshipped in ancient Egyptian times for its hallucinogenic power, allowing entrance into another dimension, the dimension of the Gods.


The Egyptian Underworld was named Amenta; the mushroom was named Amanita. Coincidence? Perhaps. What is clear, is that the Egyptian Book of the Dead makes numerous references to food of the soul, which allowed Mankind the opportunity to meet with the Gods. Stone told Puharich that the Egyptians labelled this substance “the plant of life”: ankh khut. The ankh-sign is the predecessor of the Christian cross. It is the symbol of life. The symbol also resembles the shape of a mushroom.

Are mushrooms “stargates”? Arthur believes he has identified symbolism in the Mithras cult that depicts such “stargates” and which form a link between mushrooms and religion. Like many mystery traditions, the cult of Mithras involved an initiation, as well as sacred meals. Were mushrooms eaten during such meals?

Puharich asked Stone what exactly an initiation into the mushroom cult involved. Stone replied that this involved “opening the door. Enter it. Disappear through it. But it is only for those who know”. Stone spoke of a blinding light, a thundering sound and an amazing speed which propelled him to various places, at each of which he received specific information – knowledge – mostly about the future.

The presence of a stargate was the central premise of an early 1990s movie, Stargate – later reworked into a television series. The use of the stargate in the movie is largely identical to the description given by Stone. But Stone’s stargate is not a physical structure – it is a mental structure, a mental landscape, created by the mushroom.

A key section of Stone’s description is his ability to enter that dimension and receive information. Is this the mechanism that might have allowed the ancient Egyptians to successfully build their impressive monuments? Did they delve into a pool of knowledge? Perhaps. Without being able to positively say “yes”, it should be clear that the concept of the pyramid and the first building of one, was an idea of Imhotep, who was a priest. And though we should not take Stone’s claims at face value, he does suggest that there was a mushroom cult in ancient Egypt at the time of the pyramids.

Arthur and Puharich are not the only ones who have asked these questions. Terence McKenna believed that the use of hallucinogenic substances was the best method to access other dimensions. Those who had used, had witnessed God. “Direct knowledge” in Greek means “gnosis” and here we are back to our link with the many mystery schools, who largely promoted this concept of “direct knowledge” of the divine.

Gordon Wasson was another researcher who was deeply intrigued into this type of mushroom. He stated that Amanita Muscaria was the true Soma, the divine beverage of the Vedic and Hindu tradition. He underlined both his own work and that of Puharich when he identified a tribe in Mexico that was still worshipping the mushroom when he made contact with them. This was an important breakthrough, as many of his colleagues had labelled his theories as “improbable”. The same was concluded about the existence of mushroom-worshipping tribes.

The oldest depictions of hallucinogenic mushrooms are 7000 to 9000 years old. They are rock engravings in the Sahara, in the Tassilli. Here is a sequence of people that are dancing. Each dancer holds a mushroom-shaped object in his right hand. Two parallel lines radiate from this object, towards the central area of the dancer. Later, people would be depicted with two horns there. It was furthermore this image that inspired the Swiss author Erich von Däniken to label these people “Martians”.

Whereas they do not show aliens, the rocks do show an ancient mushroom cult. It also shows that the mushroom cult was present in a region which has been identified as a key location in the rise of civilisation. It is also important to note that rock markings as a whole are considered by archaeologists as aspects of initiation rituals, and thus part of a religious doctrine. It seems that the evidence argues for just one conclusion: from our earliest known history, there is a clear parallel between the presence of a mushroom and religious ceremonies… to the Gods – via the mushroom ?

Greek civilisation knew the Temple of Demeter, the Goddess of the Earth, at Eleusis. Philosophers such as Aristoteles, Plato and Sophocles partook in its rituals. These were the participants in the “Elysian Mysteries”, the contents of which have never been written down, even they continued to exist until well into the Christian era.

They were amongst the thousands of pilgrims who made the 20 km long voyage between Athens and Eleusis, in which huge amounts of money were paid for the privilege to partake in the yearly ceremonies. From a hidden, central room in the temple, a substance derived from mushrooms was given to the participant. They remained in the temple for the duration of one night, but left in the morning, “forever changed”.

Was the mushroom the centre of the Egyptian civilisation? Puharich states that the Egyptian language does not have a word for mushroom. Does this imply the Egyptians did not know of them? It seems unlikely. Though the mushrooms needs humidity and trees to grow and Egypt might not seem an ideal candidate to offer either, Egypt’s current climate is different from that of 4000 years ago.

An alternative suggestion is that they did know, and that it was indeed the “food of the gods”, which they often do refer to as “what is it?” – a food that allowed direct communication with the gods.

It is known that the priests made sure that the secret of how to contact the gods was kept hidden from the general public. Perhaps it was merely a secret because of the scarcity of the mushroom and that it was felt that its use should be the sole privilege of the priesthood. So, the absence of evidence, might in this case be the best evidence of presence… for the “food of the god” was one of the best – if not the best – secrets of ancient Egypt.


References :

• Amanita Muscaria : Bouncing Bear Botanicals
• Philip Coppens : Mushrooms ~ Food of The Gods

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The Story of Santa Claus is the story of the Magic Mushroom ! Santa Claus is the Amanita Muscaria or Fly Agaric Mushroom ! Santa's Red and White attire is symbolic of the Red and White Amanita Muscaria and it's no coincidence the flying reindeer love eating 'Fly Agaric' ... Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, and he has flying reindeer pulling his sleigh through the air. Reindeer are native to Siberia, and the shamanic use of this mushroom in Siberia is well documented. Now, I know Siberia isn't the North Pole exactly, but it's pretty close, and the earth's magnetic pole is actually shifting away from North America and towards Siberia. Christmas trees are Pine trees. Pine trees are the trees that the Amanita Muscaria grows under.They have a mycorrhizal(which basically means non-parasitic) relationship with that plant and Spruce trees. Their shiny red and white caps blooming under the tree looks very much like the tradition of placing shiny wrapped boxes under there and a lot like the red and white stockings children hang under the tree !



Why do Santa’s reindeer fly ? The role of ancient mushroom using Shamans !

by Mark Adams


These red and white mushrooms, Amanita muscaria, were found in an alpine forest around Creede, Colorado. A. muscaria was the “sacred mushroom” used by the ancient tribal peoples of pre-Christian northern Europe. Its bright coloring suggests the colors of Santa’s garments and of holiday lights.

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, most of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanistic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian northern Europe.

The sacred mushroom of these people was the red and white Amanita muscaria, also known as “fly agaric.” This mushroom commonly is seen in books of fairy tales and usually is associated with magic and fairies. It contains potent hallucinogenic compounds once used by ancient peoples for insight and transcendental experiences. Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of this most sacred mushroom.

The World Tree

Ancient peoples, including the Lapps of modern-day Finland, and the Koyak tribes of the central Russian steppes, believed in the idea of a World Tree. The World Tree was seen as a kind of cosmic axis onto which the planes of the universe are fixed. The roots of the World Tree stretch down into the underworld, its trunk is the “middle earth” of everyday existence, and its branches reach upwards into the heavenly realm.


Amanita muscaria grows only under certain types of trees, mostly firs and evergreens. The cap of the mushroom is the fruit of the larger mycelium beneath the soil which exists in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the tree. To ancient people, this mushroom was literally “the fruit of the tree.”

The North Star was also considered sacred, since all other stars in the sky revolved around its fixed point. They associated this “Pole Star” with the World Tree and the central axis of the universe. The top of the World Tree touched the North Star, and the spirit of the shaman would climb the metaphorical tree, thereby passing into the realm of the gods. This is the true meaning of the star on top of the modern Christmas tree, and also the reason that the super-shaman Santa makes his home at the North Pole.

Ancient peoples were amazed at how this magical mushroom sprang from the earth without any visible seed. They considered this “virgin birth” to have been the result of the morning dew, which was seen as the “semen of the deity.” The silver tinsel we drape onto our modern Christmas tree represents this divine fluid.

The active ingredients of A. muscaria are not metabolized by the body, and so they remain active in the urine. In fact, it is safer to drink the urine of one who has consumed the mushroom than to eat the mushroom directly, as many of the toxic compounds are processed and eliminated on the first pass through the body.

It was common practice among ancient people to recycle the potent effects of the mushroom by drinking each other’s urine. The mushroom’s ingredients can remain potent even after six passes through the human body. Some scholars argue that this is the origin of the phrase “to get pissed,” as this urine-drinking activity preceded alcohol by thousands of years.

Reindeer were the sacred animals of these semi-nomadic people, as the reindeer provided food, shelter, clothing and other necessities. Reindeer are also fond of eating the mushroom; they will seek it out, then prance about while under its influence. Often the urine of tripped-out reindeer would be consumed for its psychedelic effects.

This effect goes the other way too, as reindeer also enjoy the urine of a human, especially one who has consumed the mushroom. In fact, reindeer will seek out human urine to drink, and some tribesmen carry sealskin containers of their own collected piss, which they use to attract stray reindeer back into the herd.

Legend of the flying reindeer and modern image of Santa

The effects of the A. muscaria usually include sensations of size distortion and flying. The feeling of flying could account for the legends of flying reindeer and legends of shamanic journeys included stories of winged reindeer, transporting their riders up to the highest branches of the World Tree.

Although the modern image of Santa Claus was created at least in part by the advertising department of Coca-Cola, in truth his appearance, clothing, mannerisms and companions all mark him as the reincarnation of these ancient mushroom-gathering shamans.

One of the side effects of eating A. muscaria is that one’s skin and facial features take on a flushed, ruddy glow. This is why Santa is always shown with glowing red cheeks and nose. Even Santa’s jolly “Ho, ho, ho!” is the euphoric laugh of one who has indulged in the magic fungus.

Santa also dresses like a mushroom gatherer. When it was time to go out and harvest the magical mushroom, the ancient shamans would dress much like Santa, wearing red and white fur-trimmed coats and long black boots. These peoples lived in dwellings made of birch and reindeer hide, called “yurts.” Somewhat similar to a tee-pee, the yurt’s central smoke-hole is often also used as an entrance. After gathering the mushroom from under the sacred trees where they appeared, the shamans would fill their sacks and return home. Climbing down the chimney-entrances, they would share out the mushroom’s gifts with those within.

The mushroom needs to be dried before being consumed; the drying process reduces the mushroom’s toxicity while increasing its potency. The shaman would guide the group in stringing the mushrooms they gathered and hanging them around the hearth-fire to dry. This tradition is echoed in the modern stringing of popcorn and other items.

The psychedelic journeys taken under the influence of the amanita were also symbolized by a stick reaching up through the smoke-hole in the top of the yurt. The smoke-hole was the portal where the spirit of the shaman exited the physical plane.

Santa’s famous magical journey, where his sleigh takes him around the whole planet in a single night, is developed from the “heavenly chariot”, used by the gods from whom Santa and other shamanic figures are descended. The chariot of Odin, Thor and even the Egyptian god Osiris is now known as the Big Dipper, which circles around the North Star in a 24-hour period.

In different versions of the ancient story, the chariot was pulled by reindeer or horses. As the animals grew exhausted, their mingled spit and blood falls to the ground, forming the mushrooms.



Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure who supposedly lived during the fourth century. His cult spread quickly and Nicholas became the patron saint of many varied groups, including judges, pawnbrokers, criminals, merchants, sailors, bakers, travelers, the poor, and children.

Most religious historians agree that St Nicholas did not actually exist as a real person but was instead a Christianized version of earlier Pagan gods. Nicholas’ legends were mainly created out of stories about the Teutonic god called Hold Nickar, known as Poseidon to the Greeks. This powerful sea god was known to gallop through the sky during the winter solstice, granting boons to his worshippers below.

When the Catholic Church created the character of St Nicholas, they took his name from “Nickar” and gave him Poseidon’s title of “the Sailor.” There are thousands of churches named in St Nicholas’ honor, most of which were converted from temples to Poseidon and Hold Nickar. (As the ancient pagan deities were demonized by the Christian church, Hold Nickar’s name also became associated with Satan, known as “Old Nick!”)

Local traditions were incorporated into the new Christian holidays to make them more acceptable to the new converts. To these early Christians, Saint Nicholas became a sort of “super-shaman” who was overlaid upon their own shamanic cultural practices. Many images of Saint Nicholas from these early times show him wearing red and white, or standing in front of a red background with white spots, the design of the mushroom.

St Nicholas also adopted some of the qualities of the legendary “Grandmother Befana” from Italy, who filled children’s stockings with gifts. Her shrine at Bari, Italy, became a shrine to St Nicholas.

True spirit of Christmas

By better understanding the truths within these popular celebrations, we can better understand the modern world, and our place in it.

Many people in the modern world have rejected Christmas as being too commercial, claiming that this ritual of giving is actually a celebration of materialism and greed. Yet the true spirit of this winter festival lies not in the exchange of plastic toys, but in celebrating a gift from the earth: the fruiting top of a magical mushroom, and the revelatory experiences it can provide.

Instead of perpetuating outdated and confusing holiday myths, it might be more fulfilling to return to the original source of these seasonal celebrations. How about getting back to basics and enjoying some magical mushrooms with your loved ones this holiday season? What better gift can a family share than a little piece of love and enlightenment?


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Nederlands, one of the most liberal countries when it comes to drug laws is tightening the noose on the sale of Magic Mushrooms starting 1st of December 2008. According to a study published in January by Amsterdam’s health services, the city’s emergency services were summoned 148 times to deal with a bad reaction to mushrooms in 2004-2006 of those 134 were foreigners, with Britons forming the largest group. 92% of the incidents related to Magic Mushrooms were due to Foreign Tourists.

The death of a 17 year old French girl who jumped from a bridge in Amsterdam in March of this year after consuming mushrooms, brought the drug to the attention of the parliament. The incident led to a motion approved by a parliament majority to prohibit fresh mushrooms. The fractions of CDA, VVD, CU and PVV repeated that point of view after it was made public that a French tourist in Amsterdam had killed his dog "under the influence of mushrooms". Later an investigation by a GGD psychiatrist revealed that his act had probably nothing to to do with the use of mushrooms, like in case of the 17 year old French girl who is said to have had a history of psychological issues !

The proposed ban comes as a nasty shock to the smart shop owners who market these shrooms and are said to sell about 500,000 dozes in the Netherlands annually. They remain opposed to the ban as do most people who know prohibition of any drug is never a good idea instead organizing drug awareness campaigns and ensuring an age limit on the buyer, also limiting the smart shops that market these substances should keep things in perspective and less chaotic. Another health report published in January 2007 said that while alcohol consumption led to 2,050 incidents in 2005, magic mushrooms had caused only 70.

Marjan Heuving, a spokeswoman for the country’s Trimbos Institute, a drug policy think-tank, said mushrooms are not toxic and themselves pose no physical risk to users.

But she agreed that people’s reaction to them is unpredictable, depending on factors such as weight; how much food they have eaten recently; their past drug experience; psychological health; and the setting in which they are taken.

“The main danger to the user is that he will somehow hurt himself,” she said. “I should add that that’s extremely rare.”