From âPoisonâ to Sacrament: Spiritual and Therapeutic Use of Amanita muscaria in the 21st Century

Kevin Feeney; Tristan T. Kallweit

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Chapter 17 From âPoisonâ to Sacrament: Spiritual and Therapeutic Use of Amanita muscaria in the 21st Century

In: Handbook of Entheogenic Healing

Authors:

Kevin Feeney

Kevin Feeney
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Tristan T. Kallweit

Tristan T. Kallweit
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 441â470

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004729759_019

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Abstract

International interest in the psychoactive Amanita muscaria mushroom has grown rapidly over the last decade. Once considered highly poisonous in most of the world, views on its toxicity have recently softened and interest in its psychoactive, and therapeutic properties have increased, as evidenced by a proliferation of online social media discussion boards, websites, and other platforms dedicated to discussing and sharing information about this mushroom. A more obscure but related development has been the incorporation of A. muscaria into rituals and ceremonies, likely based on or inspired by more widely known ceremonies incorporating psychoactive plants (i.e., peyote) and brews (i.e., ayahuasca), though traditional and ceremonial psychoactive uses of A. muscaria are documented in Siberia and are suspected in parts of Mexico and Europe. This chapter describes the growing contemporary interest in use of A. muscaria in both ceremonial and therapeutic settings and situates the emergence of these practices within broader historical and mythological contexts. Surveys from ceremony participants, interviews with individuals engaged in facilitating ceremonies, and participant observation provided a basis for an assessment of contemporary practices and informed discussions on the contours of emerging ceremonies centered on the sacramental use of A. muscaria.

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Handbook of Entheogenic Healing

Series:Â Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion, Volume: 23

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004729759

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 16 Jun 2025

Subjects
- Religious Studies
  - Anthropology of Religion

Front Matter

Part 1 Traditional Entheogenic Practices

Part 2 Modern Entheogenic Healing

Part 3 Post-modern Entheogenic Medicine

Part 4 Medical Healing with Entheogens

Part 5 The Evolutionary Psychology of Entheogenic Healing

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Chapter 17 From âPoisonâ to Sacrament: Spiritual and Therapeutic Use of Amanita muscaria in the 21st Century

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Handbook of Entheogenic Healing

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Chapter 17 From âPoisonâ to Sacrament: Spiritual and Therapeutic Use of Amanita muscaria in the 21st Century