https://oldmooresalmanac.com/the-mysterious-and-lost-magic-mushroom-rituals-of-the-ancient-celts/
https://gclyfe.com/arts-culture/halloween-and-its-fascinating-origins-mind-blown/ It has long been theorised that magic mushrooms were used in religious ceremonies by druids since humans first inhabited Ireland. These ceremonies disappeared when the church became more influential. Now that religious influences are waning, is it time to revive this practice of acquiring insight? By Nicole Buckler There are two types of “magic mushroom” in Ireland. The first is the red topped, white-spotted stunning variety called the fly-agaric. This little guy is the one you see in children’s books, with faeries and pixies sitting all over them. The second is the liberty-cap, which actually looks like a brown little elf’s hat. FLY-AGARIC The fly-agaric appears between August and November. They grow beneath certain select trees in a symbiotic relationship. Although this mushroom is classified as poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare. A deadly dose is estimated to be around 15 caps in total per person. A dose strong enough to give the user hallucinations has been medically documented to be less than one cap. So, these mushrooms have received an unnecessarily bad rap over the years. The danger with this little guy is that this mushroom does somewhat resemble a very poisonous mushroom called the death cap. The death cap looks the same but tends to be white rather than red. After preparing the fly-agaric for consumption, druids were said to eat it for its hallucinogenic properties. It was believed that these hallucinations conferred great knowledge and enlightenment to those who received them. The fly-agaric mushroom was a very important fungus to the druids. In fact, ancient people called it the “flesh of the gods”. It was thought to put the druids in direct communication with the universe when they ate it. Mushrooms are the above-ground “fruit” of a much larger organism that lives underground. The subterranean part can spread under huge tracts of land, and can be thousands of years old. Many of the ancients believed that because the organism is so old, it has accumulated wisdom which can be passed to humans via the fruit. Whatever your stance is on the ‘use’ of the fly-agaric mushroom, there’s no doubt it is one of nature’s most interesting and beautiful species. LIBERTY CAP The second type of magic mushroom found in Ireland is the liberty cap. These can be found all over Ireland. They can even be found in Phoenix Park in Dublin, right at the feet of the Pope’s Cross! They prefer a south-facing slope with wet soil. These mushrooms are known as a stimulant and mind-expander. People who have taken them report feeling at one with nature and the universe. Many also say that they have acquired “knowledge” from their trip. (Sheep like magic mushrooms too. Modern-day farmers from the Curragh say they like to laugh at their sheep going mental after they’ve eaten a bellyful of magic mushrooms). Throughout Irish history, liberty caps were taken by regular people. The psychedelic trip is milder than that of the fly-agaric, which was left to highly-trained druids and other masters of the mushroom. The fly-agaric was deemed too powerful for anyone who had not undertaken training at the higher levels of the mind. Druids took these mushrooms and reported back to the lay-people on the wisdoms the universe had transmitted to them while “away with the faeries.” THE FAERY CONNECTION Here’s an interesting thought for you: different hallucinogens produce different types of visions. LSD or “acid” is a synthetic chemical copy of the ergot fungus that grows on rye. People who take it are likely to report seeing paisleys in front of their eyes. It is a common hallucination when taking the psychoactive drug. And of course, when did paisleys burst into Western, mainstream fashion? In the 60s and 70s, when people were tripping on LSD like mad. Paisley art was everywhere, and some was stunningly intricate and beautiful.So as for those Irish mushrooms… The two magic mushrooms that grow here in Ireland – the liberty cap and the fly agaric – look really different to each other, but both are said to produce visions of faeries and leprechauns, plus a variety of Otherworld creatures very specifically associated with Ireland. In just about every vintage picture of faeries or elves, there is a picture of a mushroom in it. Faeries and mushrooms have been closely associated since time began in Ireland. Have you ever wondered why the two are so intertwined? Visions of faeries are so strongly associated with mushrooms that the Gaelic slang for faeries and mushrooms is the same: pookies. Let that sink in for a minute. A magic mushroom trip has always been said to make the user “go away with the faeries.” Or someone could be “off with the pixies.” And now you know why. There are many tempting clues about the usage of fly-agaric in pagan times. Psychic poets called imbas forosnai speak of eating “red flesh of a pig, dog or cat” which was likely a metaphor for the fly-agaric. It was chewed before a poet would lie in a dark room and seek inspiration. Speckled things were also considered to have certain powers.
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Author24 year old student from Nottingham, United Kingdom. Archives
June 2020
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