The Spiritual and Medicinal Uses of the "Magic Mushroom" (Psilocybe)

As evidenced by findings at numerous Maya sites in Guatemala where numerous mushroom-shaped stones have been discovered, dated to 1000 BCE, archaeologists now know that aptly-named “mushroom cults” of Mesoamerica held psilocybe, the so-called  "magic mushroom," in highest esteem for centuries.  In fact, the archaeological record shows that early Mesoamerica people not only regularly partook of psilocybe, but a number of other hallucinogenic fungi for ritual divining and healing--a practice continued today by the Mazatec people of Oaxaca, in Southern Mexico.  But, what are these so-called magic mushrooms all about?  Read more . . .

Witches and Witchcraft: So, You Think You Know What Witchcraft is?

Whenever the word “witch” is used in everyday conversation, any number of images may come to mind.  Some may relate the word to the “Wicked Witch of the West,” while others to the modern Wiccan image associated with the likes of Sybil Leek.  Some may harken the image long held of the Salem witches, while still others may imagine a curandera, the wise woman found in Hispanic communities throughout North, Central, and South America (and Europe as well).  In fact, depending on one’s place of origin, age, sex, spiritual persuasion, life experience, education, and worldview, any number of archetypes are possible.  Read more . . .

The Adena Legacy: Founders of Native American Religion

Beginning about 10,890 BP, a succession of people settled, flourished, and then faded from the Ohio River Valley–perhaps drawn to its diverse range of vegetation, terrain, water sources, and wild game–leaving numerous rock shelters, flint knapping sites, hunting camps, agricultural hamlets, and mound-oriented ceremonial centers in their wake.  Slowly evolving from a big-game hunting society into one based on foraging and smaller game, a dynamic culture of the so-called “moundbuilding” tradition emerged from the upper Ohio River Valley about 2,700 BP known as the Adena, a group that shaped the cultural and geographic landscape of Northeastern America as no group had before.  Read more . . .