Summary
A Wall Street banker, a mysterious shaman, and the psychedelic history of mushrooms that changed the world.
In 1955, R. Gordon Wasson, a vice president of J.P. Morgan & Co., ventured deep into the mountains of Mexico on a quest that would ignite a global revolution. He wasn't seeking gold or lost ruins, but a mysterious fungus used for centuries in sacred indigenous ceremonies: the magic mushroom.
Guided by the legendary Mazatec shaman, this book delves into the Maria Sabina biography, revealing the woman behind the myth. Wasson became one of the first outsiders to participate in a secret velada—a night-long ritual of shamanism in Mexico, Oaxaca that opened the doors to another reality. His groundbreaking 1957 article in Life magazine revealed the existence of these "divine mushrooms" to a stunned world, sparking the psychedelic sixties and forever linking the buttoned-down banker with the burgeoning counterculture. This is one of the essential counterculture 1960s books.
But this discovery came at a cost.
The Banker and the Magic Mushrooms tells the full, unvarnished story of the collision between the ancient and modern worlds. It reveals:
The secret history of ethnobotany and indigenous medicine and the Wassons’ decades-long obsession with fungi.
The CIA's hidden involvement and their hunt for a new mind-control weapon.
The tragic story of María Sabina, who was celebrated by outsiders but ostracised by her own people for sharing their secrets.
The cultural explosion that followed, from Timothy Leary at Harvard to the psychedelic rock of the Grateful Dead.
The modern psychedelic renaissance and the new **psilocybin research science** that is unlocking the healing potential of these ancient medicines.
A deep dive into consciousness exploration with psychedelics.
From the boardrooms of Wall Street to the mountains of Oaxaca, this is a sweeping, immersive account of a discovery that continues to shape our world. It is a story of adventure, betrayal, and the enduring power of the human spirit to seek out the mysteries of consciousness.
Are you ready to open the doors of perception?
