Mushroom Wisdom: How Shamans Cultivate Spiritual Consciousness [Paperback]

Martin W. Ball (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 2006

Mushroom Wisdom explores the universal aspects of the psilocybin mushroom experience as it relates to spirituality. Author Martin Ball explains how mushroom use can lead the spiritual seeker to profound states of self-awareness and radical understanding of the nature of the self, reality, and the sacred. Topics include looking into the spiritual mirror to uncover an authentic sense of self, developing “witness” consciousness to overcome self-limiting concepts and judgments, and removing obstacles of ego and self-induced suffering to trigger the rich experience of “spirit flow.” The book also addresses the creation and use of ritual, sacred objects, and the importance of sound and silence. Ball distinguishes between using mushrooms in spiritual work as opposed to simply having a pleasant psychedelic experience. Not a guide to how to have “fun” with psilocybin mushrooms, Mushroom Wisdom is a serious investigation into deep spiritual nature, drawing on both a wide array of scientific disciplines and ancient shamanic practices.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ronin Publishing (December 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579510361
• ISBN-13: 978-1579510367
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guidebook for beginners, good reminder for experts, September 26, 2008

By 

J Irvin "author of The Holy Mushroom" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mushroom Wisdom: How Shamans Cultivate Spiritual Consciousness (Paperback)

Mushroom Wisdom: How Shamans Cultivate Spiritual Consciousness, by Martin Ball, Ph.D., 2006

This is a simple and much needed guidebook on the how-tos of entheogenic (Psilocybe) mushroom use, and entheogen use in general, and how to navigate through the experiences. It's a great guide for beginners, as well as a strong tool for remembering some of the basics for even the most hardened psychonauts. I will certainly be referencing this book in the future for my own explorations.

Ball explains in simple language what you can expect on many levels of the mushroom experience, including how to deal with "bad trips," which are not really bad by the way, they're self reflective, and should be looked at and studied as such to help us learn and grow, something I myself have long argued. He also argues against always going after only good trips as well as the perfect set and setting, because the user will not learn near as much about him or herself if they avoid looking into the mirror of themselves or experience these substances in various environments. As Ball states in Ch. 5:

"The advice is that "trippers" should be aware of their mindset when entering into the experience. Is the person depressed, happy, overly concerned about something, having pressing issues on his or her mind? Secondly, is the setting conducive to a good experience? Is the person comfortable with the other trippers? Is the person in a safe and secure environment so as to not feel endangered or exposed?

These are certainly important considerations and one would be foolish to ignore them. However, this is really just advice for having a "good" trip and avoiding a "bad" one. It is not advice for using mushrooms as a spiritual tool." pg. 60

"On the other side is the "bad" trip. Bad trips are where seekers are fearful and fight against the flow of the mushrooms. The environment is uncomfortable; the people are wrong. Seekers feel judged and judge themselves, so they try to stop the experience, but can't. In fact, the more they fight, the worse it becomes as they are beset by demons and hellish nightmare images that they wish desperately to escape.

Ultimately, both experiences are two sides of the same coin. The "good" trip reaffirms the seeker's sense of self. The seeker is with people who don't challenge one and is in an environment that is comfortable and relaxing. All the seeker is doing is reaffirming positive illusions. Similarly, on the "bad" trip, the seeker is being confronted by negative illusions and judgments, but gives them power by fighting against them. The primary instinct is to escape, to return to safe illusions, but if the trip is bad enough, seekers don't know how to get back to the realm of safety, and they suffer." Pg. 61-62

If you know someone who's done mushrooms and had a "bad trip" and says "I'm never doing that again," this is the book to give them in order to help them understand the process(es) of what the neophyte experienced (or what the mushroom delivered). Indeed, mushrooms are a reflection of the self (mushrooms don't produce the thoughts, they're your own subconscious thoughts brought forth), and to polish the self we must look into the mirror, accept it with love and beauty, rather than loathing and disgust. And here Ball also explains much of what can be expected (as far as what can be delivered with the English language) on the heavier "full blown" experiences in which one seems to connect with everything, the divine.

Ball also covers directing the experience so as to gain the most out of it; the pros and cons, the facts of ritual, recognizing patterns, maintaining the "witness" position during your experience, or as I personally call it "the observer".

I also agree with much of the way Ball presents his case of the experience and what to expect, as well as his suggestions in dealing with issues/circumstances that may arise during the experience. As someone who has personally experienced these mushrooms countless hundreds of times, I can attest to his presentation and approach, as I had attempted a similar writing with much less success six years ago. Ball clearly understands much of the deeper meaning behind these experiences, and he's not afraid to discuss it openly.

This is not a book heavy on citations, if it has any at all, other than a suggested reading list. It is a quick read. However, although written by a doctor/Ph.D., it is clearly not written to be heavily academic. It's meant to be, in my opinion, a practical guide, and for this purpose, it delivers. And since I began reading it 3 days ago, I've already recommended it to several others, both neophytes and experienced users.

For those who want a more detailed and heavier academic work, I also recommend Antipodes of the Mind, Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience, by Professor Benny Shanon, Oxford Press, 2002. Though Shanon's book is not a guide, it is the most amazing presentation of the Ayahuasca experience ever written - and its pages have implications on mushrooms and other entheogens.

Mushroom Wisdom might also be a great book for would-be initiates into the Santo Daime, or Native American Church, etc, since it breaks things down into a practical and applicable, not overly new agey approach.

For the beginner or expert, buy it.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid introductory material into shaman psychology, March 11, 2007

By 

blue jaguar (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mushroom Wisdom: How Shamans Cultivate Spiritual Consciousness (Paperback)

Finally, we have post baby-boom author with the authority and integrity of McKenna to talk about altered concsciousness. This material is more of a general orientation into modes of thought, consciousness, and perspectives used by mystics, shamans, knowers, etc. This is not a technical book. But there is enough here on insight and orientation alone to make it an almost required resource for anyone researching mystical experiences. If you are new to the spiritual path or mystical studies then there is much more than a pinch[beck] of good information here. Much of the authors music is also good expecially Shaman's Path.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "how to" book on working with Plant Teachers, June 16, 2007

By 

Darmony91 (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mushroom Wisdom: How Shamans Cultivate Spiritual Consciousness (Paperback)

I remember a Terrance McKenna comment that went something like-- "If you want to work with psychedelics, the first place you should go is a library." Unfortunately, back in the 60's there was nothing to speak of in any library. So psychedelics exploded into the spiritual vacuum of social club Christianity, creating a backlash of fear and loathing. Bit by bit, this situation is being rectified with books like Mushroom Wisdom. This book is a must for anyone considering following the arduous spiritual path of working with Plant Allies.