The Sacred Mushroom, Andrija Puharich
The Sacred Mushroom, Andrija Puharich
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The Sacred Mushroom
Key to the Door of Eternity

Author: Andrija Puharich

Narrator: Jez Sands

Unabridged: 8 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/01/2025

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

• Shares the author’s research on extrasensory perception (ESP) and the psychic effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms

• Describes ancient Egyptian spiritual practices centered on Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms

• Details the author’s research work with R. Gordon Wasson and his experiments with Aldous Huxley and famed psychic Peter Hurkos

In 1954, neurologist Andrija Puharich, M.D., receives a call from a wealthy supporter of his lab about an unusual subject worthy of further research: Harry Stone, a young sculptor with unusually acute extrasensory perception. When handed an ancient Egyptian artifact, Harry had fallen into a deep trance, drawing hieroglyphic symbols, including mushrooms, and using ancient Egyptian phrases to describe a drug that can enhance psychic abilities.

Intrigued, Dr. Puharich studies Harry’s trance-induced statements and discovers that they are clearly describing ancient spiritual practices involving Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms. He begins direct investigations with Harry at his lab in Maine, learning more about the use and preparation of the sacred mushroom as well as about astral travel and past lives. Dr. Puharich shares his research with ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson, who is about to travel to Mexico on a CIA-funded research trip, and the two researchers agree to test telepathic communications between the lab in Maine and a Mexican curandero. The results of the psychic experiment lead Puharich to discover Amanita muscaria growing in the wild near his research facility.

Now with a supply of the sacred mushroom, Dr. Puharich begins to study its psychic and visionary potential and the veracity of Harry Stone’s channeled Egyptian statements. He studies the effects of Amanita muscaria not only on Harry, but also on famed psychic Peter Hurkos and other visitors to his lab, including Aldous Huxley. This book reveals all the details of that story in this new edition of the psychedelic classic. It also includes an in-depth introduction by psychedelic historian P. D. Newman.

About Andrija Puharich

Andrija Puharich, M.D. (1918–1995), was a neurologist and prominent investigator of the paranormal. After completing his studies at Northwestern University medical school, he set up his own laboratory in Maine for the study of extrasensory perception (ESP).

About P. D. Newman

P. D. Newman has been immersed in the study and practice of alchemy, hermetism, and theurgy for more than two decades. A member of both the Masonic Fraternity and the Society of Rosicrucians, he lectures internationally and has published articles in many esoteric journals, including The Scottish Rite Journal, Knights Templar Magazine, and Ad Lucem. He is the author of Angels in Vermilion: The Philosophers’ Stone from Dee to DMT and Alchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry. He lives in Tupelo, Mississippi, with his son, Bacchus, and his wife, Rebecca.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Peter A. Lio on August 02, 2018

Of interest for sure This is a very well-written and in some ways historical book. There are some puzzles in here and it was fascinating to watch Puharich struggle with some big ideas. Sadly, though, it feels like we ended too soon! I want a follow up of the next 40+ years and where we are at now. I......more

Goodreads review by Zora on August 21, 2023

Very interesting research on mushrooms and supernatural abilities. Wish the book was easier to read in the sense of entertainment. If you read this, realize that this was not written to entertain you. Great book, but there were parts I found difficult to get through. They did stop printing and is co......more

Goodreads review by El on January 01, 2022

An interesting book on mushroom research.......more

Goodreads review by Giuseppe on May 26, 2025

Really few words about Amanita Muscaria. Most about experience like Channelling and pastlife that for advanced spiritual students are well known......more

Goodreads review by Dan on April 05, 2024

Very good book on the early work of Puharic. Not as interesting as a his book on Geller, but still an interesting and curious work.......more


Quotes

“In The Sacred Mushroom, Andrija Puharich takes us on an extraordinary journey into a realm where ancient whispers intertwine with the pulse of modern exploration. The Amanita muscaria— mysterious and powerful, a gateway to the unseen—reveals its long-veiled truths through his words, weaving a path through luminous corridors of consciousness and awakening. A beacon for seekers, a key for the curious, this book dissolves the walls of the ordinary, unveiling the infinite mystery that lies beyond. A must-read for those drawn to the sacred dance of mysticism, science, and the eternal unknown.”