Sacred Mushrooms of the Goddess: The Secrets of Eleusis by Ruck, Carl (2006) Paperback

by Carl A.P. Ruck

The book is brand new and will be shipped from US.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Mythology, Drugs, Religion

Unknown Binding

First published June 8, 2006

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thesis that psychotropic mushrooms were used in the Eleusinian Mysteries.
There is a more in depth version by same author called Road to Eleusis but I thought I'd get the main gist of it by reading shorter version since it ties in with Mysteries of Demeter: Rebirth of the Pagan Way
I thought that while Ruck made some interesting points about the role of mushrooms in ancient religions, he went too far. He incorporated everything that remotely resembled a mushroom including crosses. It just became ridiculous.
The fact that the publisher seems to be focused on drug-related books (as advertised in the back of the book) did not add to his credulity. Obviously he was more motivated by the promotion of psychedelic drugs than the search for the truth about the role in ancient mystery religions.

I think the use of mushrooms or other entheogens in Eleusis may have been possible, but I would rather see this explored by a less biased and more academic source.

[Rhyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruck is a hidden hero. Fantastic book should be widely read. Very important.

[Vince McLeod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, if speculative, look into the ancient European spiritual traditions, particularly the Eleusinian Mysteries and how they were practiced for 2,000 years.

Carl Ruck was a professor of Classics, and Sacred Mushrooms Of The Goddess takes a fresh look at the spiritual traditions of the classical era. It goes into detail about the Eleusinian Mysteries, in particular with regards to the content of the kykeon, the potion that was central to the tradition. Later chapters are devoted to understanding the chemical processes involved in kykeon production, and how this likely involved a psychedelic made from the ergot fungus claviceps purpurea.

It's a very fun book for anyone interested in ancient Greek mythology as well as psychedelics. The focus is on the abduction of Persephone by Hades, and the ensuing distress of Persephone's mother Demeter. This myth explains the changing of the seasons and was central to the experience of the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Especially fun was reading about how often psychoactives were used in ancient Greece. Apparently many kinds of psychoactive herbs were added to wine. The psychoactive culture in ancient Greece was far more extensive than commonly understood.

[Dian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is tough to rate, because it was interesting, but I don't think the authors thesis and writing were very coherent. I felt like what I thought this book was about, and what I actually got, were two different things and that was disappointing. I wanted this book to be better, or maybe, better focused or honest, I am not sure which.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really interesting stuff in here with a compelling case for psychoactive compounds being a core part of the Eleusinian rites, and perhaps a basis for a number of later religious practises. Suddenly the Catholic Eucharist seems a lot more interesting! While some of the evidence was great, some went a bit too far and I found some examples a stretch. I also found later parts of the book a bit dry, but the first half was excellent.