New evidence regarding the multicultural use of Psilocybin in ancient times

The Rig Veda (RigVeda) is possibly the oldest religious text in continuous use with its origin dating back to around 1500 BC. The Rig Veda is the oldest of four Vedas, the earliest scriptures of Hinduism and are considered to be sacred texts. Orthodox Indian theologians consider the Vedas to be revelations from ancient sages derived through intense meditation. The Rig Veda is a highly philosophical treatise that deals with the origin of the universe and the nature of god. It consists of ten books (Mandalas) and 10,600 verses. The quote below is similar to something a present day astronomer could ponder in a quiet moment:
   
     Who really knows?
     Who can here proclaim it?
     Whence, whence this creation sprang?
     Gods came later, after the creation of this universe.

     Who then knows whence it has arisen?
     Whether God's will created it, or whether He was mute;
     Only He who is its overseer in highest heaven knows,
     He only knows, or perhaps He does not know.
                                                      —Rig Veda 10.129.6-7

The Ninth Mandala (Soma Mandala) glorifies ingestion of the Soma, a sacred potion of the Vedic religion, who's identity has been much debated.  The sacred potion is obtained from the juicing of the stalk of a "plant" but its origin has been lost with time.  Both Hinduism and Zoroastrianism share a common sacred ritual and name for the "plant" (Zorastrian - Haoma). Possible candidates that have been proposed include an Ephedra species, Amanita muscaria, opium poppy, and Cannabis as well as a Psilocybe species.  Due to the hallucinogenic/entheogenic nature of the Soma experience, it makes sense that Psilocybe is the only likely candidate. Since Psilocybe grows in cow dung, perhaps that is why cows are still considered sacred in India today.

Based on recent research ("We drank Soma, we became immortal" -PDF) published by Dr. Natalia V. Polosmak in Science First Hand (April 2010), the identity of Soma as Psilocybe cubensis appears to have been solidified. Dr. Polosmak is a Russian archaeologist best know for her discovery and analysis of the Ice Maiden mummy.  In the article, Dr. Polosmak describes the 2009 discovery of a carpet, an embroidered cloth that covered the narrow space between the burial chamber walls and coffin, a discovery in Mongolia that dates to the first century BC.

Holding the sacred mushroom

Emboidered on  the carpet are individuals standing attentively around the altar fire. A prominent figure among them is the man on the left, possibly the king himself or a priest, dressed in a smart long embroidered kaftan gaping open at the bottom. He
has a notably expressive face, and his intent look is focused on the mushroom he is holding in both hands.

"Strewn all over the cloth are the depictions of bees and butterflies. Their presence can symbolize the Other World – the world of souls, the world of ancestors, what warriors experience after they have tasted sacred mushrooms".

An article (PDF) from the journal Economic Botany (Feb 2011) describes a cave mural in Spain dating to around 6,000 BC that depicts the first direct evidence for possible ritual use of Psilocybe in prehistoric Europe. From the article conclusion:

Selva Pascuala mural

"We suggest that Viñas’ hypothesis is sound, and the Selva Pascuala mural likely depicts mushrooms, especially neurotropic fungi. Although Psilocybe hispanica presents a probable candidate for the species depicted, as indicated by Guzmán, we emphasize that this identification is tentative, and contingent upon a shamanistic interpretation of the mural."

Neolithic Early Gathers rock art

Dating back to the Neolithic Era 7,000 to 10,000 years BP, Early Gatherers produced a series of remarkable rock art in the Sahara Desert (The oldest representations of hallucinogenic mushrooms in the world (Sahara Desert, 9000-7000 BP); G Samorini - Integration, 1992). From the article: "It is perhaps not a chance occurrence that the areas where examples of rock art are to be found – areas in which it is most often asserted that the use of hallucinogens might have taken place, on the basis of the scenes represented or on the basis of the consideration that this practice might have served as a source of inspiration – are also the areas where the most famous examples are to be found in terms of imagination, mythological significance and polychromy".

Samorini then goes on to write "... it would seem there are at least two species (in the rock art) one of which is small and topped with a ‘papilla’ (a characteristic it would share with most known hallucinogenic Psilocybes) and the other of which is larger (like Boletus or Amanita)".

Lets not leave out the Western Hemisphere cultures. From a 2015 article in the journal Neuroglia, the author writes "Mushroom stones (Psilocybe sp.) dating from 3000 BC have been found in ritual contexts in Mesoamerica" (Hallucinogenic drugs in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures; FJ Carod-Artal - Neurología. 2015 Jan-Feb;30(1):42-9.) The use of psychoactive substances was common in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies. Today, local shamans and healers still use them in ritual ceremonies in Mesoamerica.

The importance of these discoveries is the spiritual role Psilocybe has played amongst practitioners of the earliest known sacred traditions - Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, possibly the Mycenean Greeks and in earlier prehistoric times. People today have that same desire for a spiritual/sacred experience to add a sense of unity and peace to their lives.

There is too much suffering in the world. We are possibly on the brink of a profound, global ecological disaster and need all the help we can to muster up a mutual sense of mindfulness, cooperation and openness to the needs of one another to include the other species we share the earth with and to enhance our journey on this spiritual quest.