Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating subject matter; a little rough in the delivery, January 14, 2003
I completely agree with other reviewer's opinions on this book: it contains fascinating subject matter, but is a little rough in the delivery/presentation.
My major complaint would be that the author needs to learn to keep certain things in perspective, most notably, to avoid stopping in the middle of an interesting historical lecture to rant about the state of affairs of our country's War on (some) Drugs. While I feel that pointing out such hypocrisy is a positive thing to do, it is my opinion that this detracts from the flow of his lecture. (My suggestion would be to save such speeches for either the footnotes or to be presented as an appendix essay at the end of the book; you won't lose your reader's interest that way and will have all the space you need to confront these important issues).
That aside, I still enjoyed this book. Be prepared for an interesting look at how the majority of the world's major religions are most likely based in the use of entheogenic substances, particularly the Amanita Muscaria mushroom. The author guides the reader on a walk through much of the mushroom symbolism found in historical religious imagery (including some of Christianity's most cherished icons, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus!)
Admittedly, some of the author's observations seem to be stretching things to some degree, but he still provides some great food for thought. A fascinating subject that I hope the author will see fit to expand on for us later.
Curt Rowlett,
Author of Labyrinth13
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hardcover Edition?, February 6, 2002
By A Customer
I rate this book 5*s exclusively based upon the information contained therein. The formatting could use some polishing and it would be nice to have a hardcover available (color pictures etc.) I did manage to find Arthurs website which has many of the same images in color.I have not seen as broad a look at the subject of Ethnomycology, as far as Amanita muscaria goes, either in contemporary writings or the classics, but I would like to see this author explore more information on Psilocybe sp. My only beef is; I would like more. I hope he has an aim to comment further in future works in regards to some of the subjects only briefly touched upon in this book. I also enjoyed the writing style and will comment that sometimes things just need to be said no matter who doesnt agree with it. Arthur says a lot, about a lot, in this book.. This is a welcomed addition to my library and I find myself commenting on the book and showing it to my friends quite often. The seemingly unrelated areas tend to grow on you and as an example understanding certain connections continues to dawn on me still. Also it is refreshing to see so many new ideas I have seen presented nowhere else. In a world becoming increasingly redundant and robotic I can see the unique combination of ideas and Philosophical viewpoints contained in this book to be revolutionary!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent & full of pioneering ideas on religious history, October 6, 2004
I've spent many years researching many of the ideas that James Arthur has laid out in this book. Arthur is probably the first to recognize the proper relationship between macro (Astrotheology) worship and micro (entheogen) worship.
To some who've not researched the ideas in this book, they may come across as "new agey". This could not be farther from the truth. A study of the "precession of the equinoxes" in the Oxford OED will alone tell volumes on the merit of Arthur's research.
Other recommended scholars for those skeptical:
Archarya S., G.A. Wells, Jordan Maxwell, Gordon Wasson, Clark Heinrich, Kersey Graves, Manly P. Hall, Terence McKenna, Ernest Brussenbark, Carl Ruck, Jonathan Ott, and Christian Ratsch. There is also a free video called the Pharmacratic Inquisition that may be found by doing a search online.
The bad: This book could definetly use a colour edition!
To set the record straight:
The Amanita does contain Ibotenic Acid and Muscimol. As the other reviewer mentioned, the Ibotenic Acid is decarboxylated (converted) into Muscimol when roasted or dried, and passed thru the body. Ibotenic acid is mildly toxic. There are reports of Muscarine (a poison) being found in European species at 0.0003% which is too small an amount to effect a toxic reaction. The amount of Muscarine in American species has not been studied, and could be higher.
These mushrooms should not be eaten raw. Many mycology books WRONGLY list Amanita muscaria and pantherina as poisonous.
Here are the facts from Pharmacotheon by Jon Ott:
"Deaths following the ingestion of Amanita muscaria have not been documented sufficiently to permit the conclusion that this is a lethal mushroom when ingested by healthy persons. In two cases of ingestion of considerable quantities of both raw and cooked mushrooms, the patients experienced some discomfort but recovered quickly and completely."
I suggest buying a copy of Ott's book (if you can find one $80 to $200) and read the details on the research. Many enjoy it's use, and many others don't. My personal experiences with this substance have been for the most part good. I have consumed up to 60 grams by in Tea in one sitting. The Amanita muscaria is also well known in Germany and other countries for its effectiveness in treating certain health problems.
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