Mastodawn

Hez Mar 8, 2023

Finally finished reading the extraordinary work of multidisciplinary scholarship that is #MushroomsRussiaAndHistory, and then found a 1979 documentary about the #Mazatec #curandera that first introduced #RGordonWasson (& later, wife #ValentinaWasson) to #MagicMushrooms in 1955, #MariaSabina, w/o whom I don't think modern day studies into #psilocybin would have been possible. So many forgotten (or barely-known) #WomenInPsychedelicResearch. They all deserve their flowers. https://youtu.be/kFnMRrc7T3s

Nicolás Echeverría: Maria Sabina, Spirit Woman / 1979 (English+Hungarian subtitles)

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Hez Mar 2, 2023

Like every good story, #MushroomsRussiaAndHistory has its villains. In 1915, some 🤡 named Safford published a paper insisting the Spanish padres were wrong & there were *NO* "intoxicating #mushrooms" whatsoever in Mexico & all the previous reports had made a mistake in misidentifying what he claimed was actually #peyote. As u can expect, this #mushsplaining angered the locals & lit a fire under Mexican anthropologists like #BiasReko to refute his dumb ass. #WorkJournal

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Hez Mar 1, 2023

And the phrase "spark a passion" is purposeful, because if you've been following along in my studies of the Wassons' book #MushroomsRussiaAndHistory, you'll know that the word "spark" (like its variants "spunk" and "punk") owes its existence to a type of ancient shelf-fungus that for centuries was used as tinder (and even sold commercially). #Mushtodon

Hez Feb 23, 2023

Starting Vol 2 of #MushroomsRussiaAndHistory - married #mycologists the Wassons are booking their first research trip to Mexico. Sad to learn that after all her hard work, #TinaWasson ended up missing the first #MagicMushroom ceremony her husband #GordonWasson participated in (she arrived a day later with their daughter). Breaks my ❤️ that he went ahead & started the #psychedelic experiments w/o her, he's now the more famous one & she's seen as the trailing spouse. #ValentinaWasson #WorkJournal

Hez Feb 23, 2023

Yesterday while reading #MushroomsRussiaAndHistory, I learned the jaw-dropping fact that #punk would probably not exist without #mushrooms. Originally the word "punk" referred to the tinder used in firestarting, the most commonly used being a shelf-fungus known as #FomesFomentarius which was sold commercially & whose use dates back to the stone age. Even in our modern usage, you can still see the roots of the sparky firestarter in the word punk, all because of MUSHROOMS. Wow. 🍄 🤯 #WorkJournal

Hez Feb 21, 2023