The First Shaman (Was Not An American Indian)
R Gordon Wasson wrote one of the most important books ever written.
Religion, as we know it in the modern age, originated as a result of a hallucinogenic drug found in a mushroom.
The first “shaman” were people who could eat this mushroom without dying. The mushroom was often fatal. Those who survived experienced increased strength, endurance and prolific, detailed visions.
(This point, in particular, illustrates why there never was, never is, and never will be a North American Indian “shaman”).
These conclusions, among many others, were presented in the spectacular published work entitled “Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality” by R. Gordon Wasson.
I found this book, as I say in the headline, very important. Perhaps its importance has really grown over time. That concept “shaman” for example. It has become nearly an everyday word in most English-speaking cultures. Wasson shows us that when this word was first expressed to describe something, it was a very specific behavior.
North American Indians don’t have no stinking shamans. The word has unfortunately become inevitable, and increasingly meaningless.
If you really want an exceedingly clear eye on who the first shamans really were, as well as a brilliant and detailed view of our most ancient ancestors and how they moved and lived in their time, the work of Mr. Wasson is required reading at some point.
I just want to be on the public record with this point.
Turtle Heart
Wabeeno Ahnishinabeg
Pantelleria Island
