Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy

In this unusual and controversial history of religion, Heinrich attributes miracles as varied as the burning bush of Moses and the raising of Lazarus from the dead to the hallucinogenic effects of the amanita muscaria , or fly agaric mushroom. The book is illustrated with color photos of mushrooms and examples of mushroom symbolism found in religious artwork. Heinrich, an ethnobotanist and student of yoga philosophy and Western mysticism, concludes that the use of such mushrooms in Vedic and Puranic religion, ancient Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism, may have had a fundamental influence on human perception of the nature of God. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)