What do you think?
Rate this book
El camino a Eleusis: Una solución al enigma de los misterios
Publicada por primera vez en 1978, esta obra constituyó la exploración de un espacio absolutamente inédito y la develación de un secreto que puso fin a un silencio milenario. El corazón de ese espacio es la solución al enigma de los afamados misterios eleusinos de la antigua Grecia.
A partir de la etnomicologìa, los tres autores articulan un estudio multidisciplinario que los lleva a descubrir la estrecha relación entre los misterios eleusinos de la Antigua Grecia y el consumo de sustancias psicodélicas, semejantes a las existentes hoy en día.
La presente edición ofrece un par de nuevos prefacios, el de Robert Forte —con motivo del trigésimo aniversario de la primera edición— y el de Huston Smith, así como la "Retrospectiva" de Carl A. P. Ruck y el epílogo de Albert Hofmann y un apéndice en el que Peter Webster revisa y actualiza la evidencia química hallada por los autores.
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
142 people are currently reading
3647 people want to read
About the author
R. Gordon Wasson
34 books90 followersRobert Gordon Wasson was an American author, ethnomycologist, and a Vice President for Public Relations at J.P. Morgan & Co.
Wasson spent most of his career is banking in his position at J.P. Morgan. Later in his life, despite having little formal training in the field, he turned his interests to the study of hallucinogenic mushrooms, religion, and ethnomycology, publishing papers that received attention and acclaim. In the course of work funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Wasson made contributions to the fields of ethnobotany, botany, and anthropology. He is perhaps most famous for the problem of the botanical identity of soma–haoma in the ancient Aryan religion. Wasson suggested that "soma" described in the Rigveda was the fly agaric mushroom, and "haoma" in the Avesta was a hallucinogen.
Wasson spent most of his career is banking in his position at J.P. Morgan. Later in his life, despite having little formal training in the field, he turned his interests to the study of hallucinogenic mushrooms, religion, and ethnomycology, publishing papers that received attention and acclaim. In the course of work funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Wasson made contributions to the fields of ethnobotany, botany, and anthropology. He is perhaps most famous for the problem of the botanical identity of soma–haoma in the ancient Aryan religion. Wasson suggested that "soma" described in the Rigveda was the fly agaric mushroom, and "haoma" in the Avesta was a hallucinogen.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 19, 2013
I've kept an eye out for this book the last six months and finally ran across it the first six seconds I spent in a local book fair. I was just as surprised only dollar was being asked for it as I was that it has the appearance of having never been opened up in the thirty-five years since its publishing; someone (or several someones) didn't seem to know what they had. I had such high hopes for this book and I am happy to say they were greatly exceeded. It is one of my favorites now for the contribution it made to my studies in mythology and anthropology. I've lately been reading through works on Greek mythology, literature and philosophy, as I'm interested in better understanding the roots of western civilization. The Road to Eleusis quickly inserted a missing cornerstone to the foundation of my understanding of ancient Greek culture, bringing it into clearer focus. And likewise, I think this book is important for anyone else to read who is trying to understand the ancient Greeks and the roots of western civilization.
This book is a contribution by three "authors" with different areas of expertise who each handled different pieces of the larger idea as was relevant to their area of expertise. Each of the first three chapters are written by one of the authors each, compiled into a format meant to be presented at a conference of their peers in the late seventies. Those presented "papers" were pulled together into this book afterward, along with ancillary data, a re-translation of Homer's Hymn to Demeter (Greek goddess of the harvest), and then a heavily-detailed final chapter written by just one of the authors. The idea they're tackling is the mystery at Eleusis, and specifically if the ceremonial kykeion drink was of a psychotropic nature. The Eleusinian ceremony was open to all men and women, free or slave, and they could attend only once in their lives and were thereafter sworn to secrecy on some of the details. This ceremony took place at a temple complex near Athens and continued for two thousand years until Christianity put a stop to it in the 4th or 5th century A.D. Poets, philosophers, rulers and average citizens all speak of their experience at Eleusis with great emotion, describing the ecstasy and illumination it brought and the inspirational role it played in their lives. The exact details of the climactic portion of the ceremony and the techniques used by the priests both in the ceremony and the preparation of the elixir itself have remained vague though, due to the sworn secrecy of the attendees. Needless to say, there has been a lot of speculation over the centuries on this ceremony, everything from the theory of it being nothing more than a stupid peep show to the theory brought forth in books like these.
Listening to the description of ecstasy and illumination by those who participated in the Greek Eleusinian ceremony, Gordon Wasson began to theorize they may be describing an experience brought on by some sort of psychedelic compound. Wasson already made a major discovery in this field in the late fifties when Life magazine published his anthropological discussion on the magic mushroom cult of the Mazatec Indians of Central America. This was the first time the general public was made aware of such a thing and Wasson was thought to be the first outsider to have participated in the ceremony. That publication made a great impact on the youth culture of that era and its not hard to see where anthropologist/writer Carlos Casteneda may have gotten the idea four years later to seek out another Central American tribe to understand their use of psychedelic cactus peyote. After the publication of his findings on the Mazatec Indians, Wasson enlisted the help of famous Swiss Chemist, Albert Hofmann (the man who discovered LSD when experimenting with similar compounds used in obstetrics in the 1940's), hoping to identify one or more specific psychoactive compounds in the sacramental mushrooms. Hofmann successfully discovered and named two such chemicals, including "Psilocybin". In developing the theory of Eleusis, he asked Hofmann for his help again to determine if there was a naturally-occurring candidate that could produce a type of psychedelic effect in that region of the world. And finally, to understand if this type of "tripping" was even part of ancient Greek culture at all, he consulted another expert, Carl Ruck. Together these three authors developed a theory that leaves little room for doubt, and they paint an enlightening picture of the culture that birthed western civilization.
The author who penned most of this work, Carl Ruck, is a professor on classical mythology and specifically understands the role that wines, elixirs, and potions played in the social and religious gatherings in ancient cultures like Greece. His grasp on Greek mythology is excellent and his ability to tie in the mythic beliefs to the ceremonies such that you truly understand the archaic mind is second to none. It is Ruck who brings the whole theory together, destroying any notions you may have that the Greeks were a bunch of stuffy scholars who (in the classical viewpoint) drank watered-down wine. He helps you understand all the types of intoxicants they mixed into their "wines" and meticulously cites all the known histories and literature so you better see the role it played, which in retrospect seems to have been sitting right under our noses. No doubt many a Christian from the Victorian era onward became disheartened at the verses in the new testament that describe Paul or Jesus as drinking wine (Matthew 11:19), so they obviously became overjoyed when they saw a couple references in Homer's Odyssey to watering down the wine. This is not only wishing to see their savior through rose-colored glasses, but it's unscholarly cherry-picking of the Odyssesy (which itself shows other examples with Telemachus drinking "drugged" wine with Helen and Menelaus and of Odysseus mixing an undiluted knock-out wine for the cyclops).
To say this book was simply written to argue the theory that the Eleusinian ceremony was psychedelic, would be incorrect. If that's all it was I don't believe it would have much more effect than just a "huh, that's an interesting bit of trivia; moving on. . ." Really it's just that portion which Hofmann and Wasson discuss which pave the way for Ruck to teach on the mythology, anthropology, and philosophy surrounding the whole Eleusinian mystery, and he does so with the skill of a truly gifted college professor. Learning from him I feel like I better understand how and why the roots of western civilization developed the way they did and seemed to spring out in all directions, all dimensions, and affecting every study from mathematics, to philosophy, to art, and spirituality. In retrospect you can see ancient Greece for the change in perception and expansion of the mind that it was, shaping the worldview under which we still operate.
This book is a contribution by three "authors" with different areas of expertise who each handled different pieces of the larger idea as was relevant to their area of expertise. Each of the first three chapters are written by one of the authors each, compiled into a format meant to be presented at a conference of their peers in the late seventies. Those presented "papers" were pulled together into this book afterward, along with ancillary data, a re-translation of Homer's Hymn to Demeter (Greek goddess of the harvest), and then a heavily-detailed final chapter written by just one of the authors. The idea they're tackling is the mystery at Eleusis, and specifically if the ceremonial kykeion drink was of a psychotropic nature. The Eleusinian ceremony was open to all men and women, free or slave, and they could attend only once in their lives and were thereafter sworn to secrecy on some of the details. This ceremony took place at a temple complex near Athens and continued for two thousand years until Christianity put a stop to it in the 4th or 5th century A.D. Poets, philosophers, rulers and average citizens all speak of their experience at Eleusis with great emotion, describing the ecstasy and illumination it brought and the inspirational role it played in their lives. The exact details of the climactic portion of the ceremony and the techniques used by the priests both in the ceremony and the preparation of the elixir itself have remained vague though, due to the sworn secrecy of the attendees. Needless to say, there has been a lot of speculation over the centuries on this ceremony, everything from the theory of it being nothing more than a stupid peep show to the theory brought forth in books like these.
Listening to the description of ecstasy and illumination by those who participated in the Greek Eleusinian ceremony, Gordon Wasson began to theorize they may be describing an experience brought on by some sort of psychedelic compound. Wasson already made a major discovery in this field in the late fifties when Life magazine published his anthropological discussion on the magic mushroom cult of the Mazatec Indians of Central America. This was the first time the general public was made aware of such a thing and Wasson was thought to be the first outsider to have participated in the ceremony. That publication made a great impact on the youth culture of that era and its not hard to see where anthropologist/writer Carlos Casteneda may have gotten the idea four years later to seek out another Central American tribe to understand their use of psychedelic cactus peyote. After the publication of his findings on the Mazatec Indians, Wasson enlisted the help of famous Swiss Chemist, Albert Hofmann (the man who discovered LSD when experimenting with similar compounds used in obstetrics in the 1940's), hoping to identify one or more specific psychoactive compounds in the sacramental mushrooms. Hofmann successfully discovered and named two such chemicals, including "Psilocybin". In developing the theory of Eleusis, he asked Hofmann for his help again to determine if there was a naturally-occurring candidate that could produce a type of psychedelic effect in that region of the world. And finally, to understand if this type of "tripping" was even part of ancient Greek culture at all, he consulted another expert, Carl Ruck. Together these three authors developed a theory that leaves little room for doubt, and they paint an enlightening picture of the culture that birthed western civilization.
The author who penned most of this work, Carl Ruck, is a professor on classical mythology and specifically understands the role that wines, elixirs, and potions played in the social and religious gatherings in ancient cultures like Greece. His grasp on Greek mythology is excellent and his ability to tie in the mythic beliefs to the ceremonies such that you truly understand the archaic mind is second to none. It is Ruck who brings the whole theory together, destroying any notions you may have that the Greeks were a bunch of stuffy scholars who (in the classical viewpoint) drank watered-down wine. He helps you understand all the types of intoxicants they mixed into their "wines" and meticulously cites all the known histories and literature so you better see the role it played, which in retrospect seems to have been sitting right under our noses. No doubt many a Christian from the Victorian era onward became disheartened at the verses in the new testament that describe Paul or Jesus as drinking wine (Matthew 11:19), so they obviously became overjoyed when they saw a couple references in Homer's Odyssey to watering down the wine. This is not only wishing to see their savior through rose-colored glasses, but it's unscholarly cherry-picking of the Odyssesy (which itself shows other examples with Telemachus drinking "drugged" wine with Helen and Menelaus and of Odysseus mixing an undiluted knock-out wine for the cyclops).
To say this book was simply written to argue the theory that the Eleusinian ceremony was psychedelic, would be incorrect. If that's all it was I don't believe it would have much more effect than just a "huh, that's an interesting bit of trivia; moving on. . ." Really it's just that portion which Hofmann and Wasson discuss which pave the way for Ruck to teach on the mythology, anthropology, and philosophy surrounding the whole Eleusinian mystery, and he does so with the skill of a truly gifted college professor. Learning from him I feel like I better understand how and why the roots of western civilization developed the way they did and seemed to spring out in all directions, all dimensions, and affecting every study from mathematics, to philosophy, to art, and spirituality. In retrospect you can see ancient Greece for the change in perception and expansion of the mind that it was, shaping the worldview under which we still operate.
May 23, 2019
"Though Athens brought forth numerous divine things, yet she never created anything nobler than those sublime Mysteries through which we became gentler and have advanced from a barbarous and rustic life to a more civilized one, so that we not only live more joyfully but also die with a better hope." - Cicero
The first part of this review will be my summary of the argument of the book, the second part a short review of the experience of reading it.
1.
The Eleusinian Mysteries was an ancient Greek biannual festival held near Athene for about 2,000 years straight. In the wintertime Month of Flowers, part one, the Lesser Mysteries were held, where a mimesis took place of the abduction of Persephone by Hades and as such her sacred marriage with death, as recounted in the Hymn to Demeter. It is argued in the book that this ceremony was connected to herbalism, more particularly with the picking of plants and flowers and in this case magic or psychotropic kinds.
After months of preparation with preliminary rites, part two, held in our month of September, the Greater Mystery was performed. In this most elusive of rites at times as many as three thousand initiates lived through an extraordinary, unforgettable, and ineffable night. Every year dependably and on schedule they were offered a glimpse into a world beyond. With the only requirement of a small fee and being able to speak Greek, man and woman, freeman and slave, all were invited to join in this, literally, once in a lifetime experience. The rule was: only once and you don't talk about it. No new religion was being promulgated, only a life and consciousness-altering experience had. Plato took part in the vision, as did Sophocles, Euripides, Heracles, and anyone else who was anyone in ancient Greece. Some guy named Alcibiades even profaned the mysteries in his home, showing them to some friends (which led to the tragic suppression of the whole tradition). Piecing together what exactly happened beyond the gates of the telesterion (temple) is a most challenging quest, though there are many reasons to suspect the involvement some kind of a potion which produced physical symptoms, and that closely related to this something transcendent, recounted as divine even, was seen. Persephone herself perhaps? Or was it Demeter, or Heracles?
The writers present a compelling case that the sacred "kykeon" potion apparently drank at the Eleusinian Mysteries, was in fact an entheogenic mixture. They argue that the contemporary priests must have found a manner to treat the naturally occurring ergopeptine alkaloids--found in claviceps purpurea, a parasitic fungus that probably grew on barley in this place and time and maybe now still--somehow with hydrolysis, by using a water and ashes mixture (ashes also being associated to the birth/death symbolism, more on this further on). This would then produce perhaps lysergic acid, approximately LSD, in other words, or in an earlier and easier stage of the process ergine, which may have been further epimerized to an ergine/isoergine mixture. These latter two substances, among others in lesser amounts, are entheogenic and plentifully present in morning glory or LSA seeds, which I can tell by personal experience are very damn psychedelically active. (I don't yet fully understand these processes and hence the authors' argument, but learning about it is on my lengthy to-learn list, if you could refer me to a source where I could do this comprehensively, please do.)
Robert Graves makes the case that it was actually psilocybin mushrooms which were the entheogenic agents of the rite, which is "not entirely unreasonable" in Terence McKenna's words, who agreed on the basis that ergot related alkaloids can cause convulsions, and that there yet is no record or sign of it having been dangerous to participate. (Except if you're a worldview perhaps.)
So that would be chemical and geographical evidence. Extant documentation can, the authors argue, be found in the archeological and historiographical records. Pottery and other excavated materials of this period and in this area somehow depict many of the gods and goddesses related to the festival together with barley (as with mushrooms). The Homeric Hymn to Demeter contains, among other obviously ambivalent, references to a sacred potion. After Persephone's water journey to the chthonic realm, Demeter in her anguish commands the building of the telesterion and teaches the mystery of mortality and rebirth. She threatens to starve humanity to death if Zeus doesn't send Persephone back her way, who by the time Zeus has acquiesced and she has to leave again has eaten a seed from Hades and thus from thence belongs partly to the underworld. The symbolism of death and rebirth and the cycle of life become very complicated here, and if you made it to here in my review I strongly recommend you to read the book. Put shortly, as far as I understand it the premise goes that both mysteries, each related to a specific plant, symbolized the conjunctio of destruction and redemption, of the reclaiming of life from its source in the chtonic depth of death, in other words, it made the reconciliation of both (chaos and order) an actual experience. This symbolism had profound significance for them, being dependent as society, to a large degree at least, on grain and good harvest.
2.
It was a fantastic and inspiring read. Only the documentation part was a bit boring in my experience, but upon reading that a second time I found many intriguing details that escaped my eye the first time around. The language is very clear and accessible, and almost never did I have the feeling that they were being overly repetitive. Speculation is kept to a minimum, they kept it to the point, and some extremely interesting questions are raised.
My favorite chapter was probably the afterword, the message for today's world, which crowns the work fittingly. In it the authors argue that with our Western, dualistic worldview, then in its cradle, we have gradually lost touch with our origins. We have lost a sense of divinity in and around us, and in negating the inner reality, and in thus dominating the external world, even with all the benefits that come with that, we have also become wreckers of the ground under our own feet and manglers of our own dignity. Humans clearly have a proclivity for visionary experience, and folks of all eons and places have realized that in times of change and upheaval, even way before, we need these kinds of profound experiences which touch us to the deepest core of our own being and move us, which connect us with and through our "soul" and bring us closer together, promoting solidarity and a deep, concrete sense of unity. That open our eyes to the mystery beyond and humble us enough to become wiser, whatever that may mean. We Westerners have been mastering the objective, outside world, but concerning the inner world of subjective experience we are adolescents. The authors of this book were true pioneers in reopening the gates to reestablishing our connection with the transcendent reality, and it's about time because at the pace we're going now the ravine does appear to be nearing at an extremely alarming rate. A reintegration of entheogenic drugs, of ecstatic experiences, of transcendence, into the cultural system, may be the missing link to retrieving--and not a bit too soon--a sense of real and profound meaning, felt to the marrow, in this too abstract world where true chaos factually looms. It may be what we need to pop this bubble and finally achieve what we've individually and collectively so long longed for, maturity.
Let us realize, brothers and sisters, that Cicero's praises and hopes were well placed.
The first part of this review will be my summary of the argument of the book, the second part a short review of the experience of reading it.
1.
The Eleusinian Mysteries was an ancient Greek biannual festival held near Athene for about 2,000 years straight. In the wintertime Month of Flowers, part one, the Lesser Mysteries were held, where a mimesis took place of the abduction of Persephone by Hades and as such her sacred marriage with death, as recounted in the Hymn to Demeter. It is argued in the book that this ceremony was connected to herbalism, more particularly with the picking of plants and flowers and in this case magic or psychotropic kinds.
After months of preparation with preliminary rites, part two, held in our month of September, the Greater Mystery was performed. In this most elusive of rites at times as many as three thousand initiates lived through an extraordinary, unforgettable, and ineffable night. Every year dependably and on schedule they were offered a glimpse into a world beyond. With the only requirement of a small fee and being able to speak Greek, man and woman, freeman and slave, all were invited to join in this, literally, once in a lifetime experience. The rule was: only once and you don't talk about it. No new religion was being promulgated, only a life and consciousness-altering experience had. Plato took part in the vision, as did Sophocles, Euripides, Heracles, and anyone else who was anyone in ancient Greece. Some guy named Alcibiades even profaned the mysteries in his home, showing them to some friends (which led to the tragic suppression of the whole tradition). Piecing together what exactly happened beyond the gates of the telesterion (temple) is a most challenging quest, though there are many reasons to suspect the involvement some kind of a potion which produced physical symptoms, and that closely related to this something transcendent, recounted as divine even, was seen. Persephone herself perhaps? Or was it Demeter, or Heracles?
The writers present a compelling case that the sacred "kykeon" potion apparently drank at the Eleusinian Mysteries, was in fact an entheogenic mixture. They argue that the contemporary priests must have found a manner to treat the naturally occurring ergopeptine alkaloids--found in claviceps purpurea, a parasitic fungus that probably grew on barley in this place and time and maybe now still--somehow with hydrolysis, by using a water and ashes mixture (ashes also being associated to the birth/death symbolism, more on this further on). This would then produce perhaps lysergic acid, approximately LSD, in other words, or in an earlier and easier stage of the process ergine, which may have been further epimerized to an ergine/isoergine mixture. These latter two substances, among others in lesser amounts, are entheogenic and plentifully present in morning glory or LSA seeds, which I can tell by personal experience are very damn psychedelically active. (I don't yet fully understand these processes and hence the authors' argument, but learning about it is on my lengthy to-learn list, if you could refer me to a source where I could do this comprehensively, please do.)
Robert Graves makes the case that it was actually psilocybin mushrooms which were the entheogenic agents of the rite, which is "not entirely unreasonable" in Terence McKenna's words, who agreed on the basis that ergot related alkaloids can cause convulsions, and that there yet is no record or sign of it having been dangerous to participate. (Except if you're a worldview perhaps.)
So that would be chemical and geographical evidence. Extant documentation can, the authors argue, be found in the archeological and historiographical records. Pottery and other excavated materials of this period and in this area somehow depict many of the gods and goddesses related to the festival together with barley (as with mushrooms). The Homeric Hymn to Demeter contains, among other obviously ambivalent, references to a sacred potion. After Persephone's water journey to the chthonic realm, Demeter in her anguish commands the building of the telesterion and teaches the mystery of mortality and rebirth. She threatens to starve humanity to death if Zeus doesn't send Persephone back her way, who by the time Zeus has acquiesced and she has to leave again has eaten a seed from Hades and thus from thence belongs partly to the underworld. The symbolism of death and rebirth and the cycle of life become very complicated here, and if you made it to here in my review I strongly recommend you to read the book. Put shortly, as far as I understand it the premise goes that both mysteries, each related to a specific plant, symbolized the conjunctio of destruction and redemption, of the reclaiming of life from its source in the chtonic depth of death, in other words, it made the reconciliation of both (chaos and order) an actual experience. This symbolism had profound significance for them, being dependent as society, to a large degree at least, on grain and good harvest.
2.
It was a fantastic and inspiring read. Only the documentation part was a bit boring in my experience, but upon reading that a second time I found many intriguing details that escaped my eye the first time around. The language is very clear and accessible, and almost never did I have the feeling that they were being overly repetitive. Speculation is kept to a minimum, they kept it to the point, and some extremely interesting questions are raised.
My favorite chapter was probably the afterword, the message for today's world, which crowns the work fittingly. In it the authors argue that with our Western, dualistic worldview, then in its cradle, we have gradually lost touch with our origins. We have lost a sense of divinity in and around us, and in negating the inner reality, and in thus dominating the external world, even with all the benefits that come with that, we have also become wreckers of the ground under our own feet and manglers of our own dignity. Humans clearly have a proclivity for visionary experience, and folks of all eons and places have realized that in times of change and upheaval, even way before, we need these kinds of profound experiences which touch us to the deepest core of our own being and move us, which connect us with and through our "soul" and bring us closer together, promoting solidarity and a deep, concrete sense of unity. That open our eyes to the mystery beyond and humble us enough to become wiser, whatever that may mean. We Westerners have been mastering the objective, outside world, but concerning the inner world of subjective experience we are adolescents. The authors of this book were true pioneers in reopening the gates to reestablishing our connection with the transcendent reality, and it's about time because at the pace we're going now the ravine does appear to be nearing at an extremely alarming rate. A reintegration of entheogenic drugs, of ecstatic experiences, of transcendence, into the cultural system, may be the missing link to retrieving--and not a bit too soon--a sense of real and profound meaning, felt to the marrow, in this too abstract world where true chaos factually looms. It may be what we need to pop this bubble and finally achieve what we've individually and collectively so long longed for, maturity.
Let us realize, brothers and sisters, that Cicero's praises and hopes were well placed.
November 7, 2016
Muy buen compilado de ensayos y documentos. Este libro tiene doble interés. Por un lado, interesa como estudio erudito sobre la Grecia Antigua. Por otro lado, interesa como estudio sobre drogas alucinógenas o de viaje. La hipótesis central del libro afirma que la cultura griega -origen del mundo actual- deriva del consumo ritual de hongos psicodélicos. El himno homérico a Deméter parece bastante claro respecto a los misterios de Eleusis. El ritual habría nacido como mito del rapto de Perséfone, hija de Deméter. En una reacción muy particular, Deméter instituye el ritual para recuperar a su hija que está secuestrada en el Hades. Es interesante la fundamentación filológica que proponen los autores de este libro. La vinculación de los hongos griegos con hongos mexicanos similares y con el ácido lisérgico de Hofmann -LSD- está bien lograda en mi opinión. Como se trata de un libro de la década de 1970, es importante notar que se realizaron abundantes investigaciones posteriores. Por ejemplo, ahora se sabe que el consumo de LSD genera réplicas luego de varios meses de una ingesta única. Por lo tanto, no se trata de una experiencia tan limpia como sugieren los autores de este libro. Queda un remanente psicótico impredecible. En cualquier caso, creo que lo interesante está en la destrucción de la experiencia trivial y la consecuente reconstrucción de la experiencia como novedad absoluta. Éste es el tema que también abordan Aldous Huxley en Las Puertas De La Percepción, los libros de Castaneda y varios trabajos posteriores de Antonio Escohotado. También se han observado fenómenos similares en monjes budistas durante largas sesiones de meditación. Pienso que este libro promueve preguntas muy interesantes, no tanto respuestas fiables.
April 24, 2016
I'd long known of this book but had never seen a copy of it until coming to visit my old high school chum, and former roommate, Mike Miley. As ever, he generously loaned it. It has since been returned.
What this amounts to is a series of essays. Wasson's contribution is minor, Hofman's a bit more substantial. Most of the text is by the classicist and that is a very scholarly, detailed study of the Greek traditions surrounding the rites of Eleusis--hard going for general readers. To the credit of the editors, the final essay updates, critiques and corrects the suppositions of the original writers from the perspective of botany and chemistry.
What this amounts to is a series of essays. Wasson's contribution is minor, Hofman's a bit more substantial. Most of the text is by the classicist and that is a very scholarly, detailed study of the Greek traditions surrounding the rites of Eleusis--hard going for general readers. To the credit of the editors, the final essay updates, critiques and corrects the suppositions of the original writers from the perspective of botany and chemistry.
January 26, 2008
Convincing study of the use of psychotropic substances in the ancient Mystery cults in various parts of the world.
April 30, 2024
I’m sure I’ll pick this up again and learn a whole new slew of Greek mythos surrounding the events at Eleusis. Dense but accessible, this was a very fun read for anyone who’s either seeking deeper spiritual understanding, or is interested in just how long humans have been doing so, and by what methods available in antiquity. I definitely want a physical copy, but rather than order one, I’ll hold out hope that I’ll find it when I’m not looking for it. Which, for some mystical inclination, feels appropriate.
April 19, 2022
Testo fondamentale, finalmente in italiano in versione completa.
July 19, 2023
"The situation seems to fulfill the rule of thumb that when ideas are controversial they are discussed, when they are revolutionary, they are ignored."
- Terence McKenna on The Road to Eleusis
Beautiful, revolutionary book that was ahead of its time and is just now being taken seriously. Perfect prequel and companion to Muraresku’s titan of a work The Immortality Key. Taken together it radically shifts perspective on Ancient Greece and the trajectory of Western civilization as a whole.
- Terence McKenna on The Road to Eleusis
Beautiful, revolutionary book that was ahead of its time and is just now being taken seriously. Perfect prequel and companion to Muraresku’s titan of a work The Immortality Key. Taken together it radically shifts perspective on Ancient Greece and the trajectory of Western civilization as a whole.
May 15, 2021
A very interesting and provocative fusion of chemistry, mythology, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, and mysticism.
It propounds a radical and revolutionary thesis on ancient Greek culture and tradition. The implications of this thesis are simply mind bending. You have to read this book with as open a mind as possible (how I would recommend reading anything, personally).
The authors of this book (a classicist, a chemist, and a banker) have painstakingly pored over reams of ancient texts, documents, and archeological items to pull together disparate elements of Greek culture to come to the conclusion that the Eleusinian mysteries revolved around the ingestion of psychedelic, or as these authors linguistically prefer, entheogenic substances.
Greek and Roman luminaries of antiquity from Marcus Aurelius, Cicero, Euripides all took part in these ceremonies and wrote ravingly about the spiritual and philosophical merits of this ceremony.
This is a forgotten thread of Western Civilization that seems to bear more scrutiny and study than it has warranted. Again, the implications of this book are simply hard to fathom.
It propounds a radical and revolutionary thesis on ancient Greek culture and tradition. The implications of this thesis are simply mind bending. You have to read this book with as open a mind as possible (how I would recommend reading anything, personally).
The authors of this book (a classicist, a chemist, and a banker) have painstakingly pored over reams of ancient texts, documents, and archeological items to pull together disparate elements of Greek culture to come to the conclusion that the Eleusinian mysteries revolved around the ingestion of psychedelic, or as these authors linguistically prefer, entheogenic substances.
Greek and Roman luminaries of antiquity from Marcus Aurelius, Cicero, Euripides all took part in these ceremonies and wrote ravingly about the spiritual and philosophical merits of this ceremony.
This is a forgotten thread of Western Civilization that seems to bear more scrutiny and study than it has warranted. Again, the implications of this book are simply hard to fathom.
March 5, 2016
Huippu! 5/5
Super mind-boggling juttua ainakin 1500 vuotta putkeen jatkuneista Eleusiin mysteereistä, jotka olivat antiikin kreikan tärkeimpiä uskonnollisia instituutioita. Kirjan teesi on se, että mysteerimenoissa käytetty kykeon-juoma ssa käytettiin ainesosana psykedeelistä ergotamiinia (josta LSD on johdettu).
Paljon puhuva on Ciceron lainaus mysteereistä:
“-- rakas Ateenasi on antanut ja suonut ihmisten elämälle monia loistavia ja jumalallisia asioita, eikä näistä mikään ole mainittuja mysteerejä parempaa. Ne ovat jalostaneet ja muokanneet meidät alkukantaisesta ja villistä elämäntavasta ihmisyyteen. Näiden initiaatioiden myötä me tosiasiassa olemme saaneet tietää elämän oikeat perusperiaatteet ja oppineet tuntemaan paitsi tavan elää onnellisesti myös tavan kuolla toiveikkain mielin.”
Super mind-boggling juttua ainakin 1500 vuotta putkeen jatkuneista Eleusiin mysteereistä, jotka olivat antiikin kreikan tärkeimpiä uskonnollisia instituutioita. Kirjan teesi on se, että mysteerimenoissa käytetty kykeon-juoma ssa käytettiin ainesosana psykedeelistä ergotamiinia (josta LSD on johdettu).
Paljon puhuva on Ciceron lainaus mysteereistä:
“-- rakas Ateenasi on antanut ja suonut ihmisten elämälle monia loistavia ja jumalallisia asioita, eikä näistä mikään ole mainittuja mysteerejä parempaa. Ne ovat jalostaneet ja muokanneet meidät alkukantaisesta ja villistä elämäntavasta ihmisyyteen. Näiden initiaatioiden myötä me tosiasiassa olemme saaneet tietää elämän oikeat perusperiaatteet ja oppineet tuntemaan paitsi tavan elää onnellisesti myös tavan kuolla toiveikkain mielin.”
June 26, 2018
Excellent book that provides new information about the Eleusinian mysteries in ancient Greece, focusing on certain types of mushrooms in the rites! I found the book informative and engaging, though I missed the documentations and references in the text.
June 20, 2023
Another interesting book regarding the religio/spiritual uses of psychedelic substances in antiquity (Allegro's Sacred Mushroom and the Cross is a personal favorite). This one is the source of the neologism "entheogen"! Lovely term, that.
Its basic conclusion is that since the initiation mysterious at Eleusis were both regular annual ceremonies, and conducted for large audiences of up to 1000 people at its heights, the psychedelic substance used could not be something rare, irregular or elusive- something like amanita muscaria, because supplies had to be readily available in large supply. But how could such a substance be such an efficiently kept mystery? Especially given that the Demeter/Persephone mythos that formed the background of the Eleusis cult was centered around agricultural allegories- which at times explicitly mention grains and barely, the authors land upon a variety of ergot fungi as the most likely source of the entheogenic substances, arguing that it was probably prepared in a specific way that could've been kept secret, and then mixed with a wine or beverage to make a concoction perhaps similar to the Vedic soma. Although they can't prove this conclusion outright, it certainly seems likely given their reasoning and the evidence marshalled!
Its basic conclusion is that since the initiation mysterious at Eleusis were both regular annual ceremonies, and conducted for large audiences of up to 1000 people at its heights, the psychedelic substance used could not be something rare, irregular or elusive- something like amanita muscaria, because supplies had to be readily available in large supply. But how could such a substance be such an efficiently kept mystery? Especially given that the Demeter/Persephone mythos that formed the background of the Eleusis cult was centered around agricultural allegories- which at times explicitly mention grains and barely, the authors land upon a variety of ergot fungi as the most likely source of the entheogenic substances, arguing that it was probably prepared in a specific way that could've been kept secret, and then mixed with a wine or beverage to make a concoction perhaps similar to the Vedic soma. Although they can't prove this conclusion outright, it certainly seems likely given their reasoning and the evidence marshalled!
September 24, 2025
man i wish they had half star ratings on here. this is probs more like a 3.5
good—i got what i wanted out of it. insane that the ancient greeks were probably straight up tripping/group hallucinating some version of a deity and the whole of western civilization is in a way derived from it. love that for us. life is so serially unserious.
also albert hoffman and gordon wasson and carl ruck are just out here self-experimenting, dropping lsd and home derivations of it and the like right and left. i love it. science, baby!!!!!
good—i got what i wanted out of it. insane that the ancient greeks were probably straight up tripping/group hallucinating some version of a deity and the whole of western civilization is in a way derived from it. love that for us. life is so serially unserious.
also albert hoffman and gordon wasson and carl ruck are just out here self-experimenting, dropping lsd and home derivations of it and the like right and left. i love it. science, baby!!!!!
October 27, 2024
Excellent exposition of a very interesting aspect of ancient Greek rituals! The philosophical and political implications definitely deserve more debate and research but I don't see that happening, at least not at the level of this scholarly book. But maybe that's my ignorance.
August 23, 2022
Persuasive and hugely important regarding the botanical roots of Western religion.
October 16, 2022
Stimolante raccolta di saggi che trattano dei Misteri Eleusini. Gli autori indagano sulle fonti, letterarie e archeologiche, cercando una soluzione al segreto che ha avvolto da sempre i Misteri. La tesi dei tre studiosi è che il kykeon, la sacra bevanda di Demetra che gli Iniziati bevevano in occasione dei Misteri e che permetteva loro di avere, contemporaneamente, nello stesso luogo e nello stesso tempo, un’esperienza estatica comune e ugualmente indicibile, contenesse, oltre ad acqua, orzo e menta, come troviamo scritto nell’Inno Omerico a Demetra, anche un composto ricavato dalla segale cornuta, pianta allucinogena capace di provocare alterazioni dello stato di coscienza.
Si tratta di un volume estremamente interessante per chi vuole approfondire sia il culto di Demetra a Eleusi e le religioni misteriche, sia il ruolo degli allucinogeni nelle religioni.
Si tratta di un volume estremamente interessante per chi vuole approfondire sia il culto di Demetra a Eleusi e le religioni misteriche, sia il ruolo degli allucinogeni nelle religioni.
August 20, 2012
Μια πολύ έξυπνη θεωρία περι του αρχαίου κυκεών, της χρήσης του αλλα και γενικός της ιεροτελεστίας πίσω απο τα Ελευσίνια μυστήρια.
December 22, 2014
El nexo entre la Grecia clásica y el Mexico prehispánico no es la Atlántida, sino el uso de drogas enteogénicas (alucinógenas).
August 11, 2016
Fascinating stuff
January 23, 2022
Esperaba mucho más, quería subrayar mucho y mi pluma se usó en 1 página. Igual las dos estrellas son por dos ensayos cortos muy disfrutables (el primero de Wasson y el último de Hofmann).
January 16, 2025
I expected this book to be excellent, but it simply wasn't. I tried to like it. However, it has some serious flaws. I do need to confess that I came to read it after reading about their hypothesis in The Immortality Key by Muraresku. In it, he describes 10 years of research trying to prove Wasson's hypothesis. So, in a way, I was fully aware of their hypothesis before reading this book. In retrospect, though, I now understand why this book fell flat. It's not a book but a set of essays from different matter experts that try to provide plausible proof of their hypothesis. Nonetheless, that proof is circumstantial, poorly explained, and wholly disconnected. Muraresku thought, takes all this and creates a solid storyline and a great explanation. I do know it's unfair to the original book, but it's also true that Ruck, in particular, is just a lousy writer. It's hard to follow his essay, packed with names, no context, and no explanation. He's an example of how an expert might know a lot but communicate their knowledge poorly. This is precisely the case. Dr. Hofman limits himself to a series of chemical hypotheses, but his part is also disconnected from the overarching book. Too bad.
I will acknowledge that my feelings of being let down by the book are partially an issue with my expectations. Still, at the same time, it's hard not to see that the writing and the unfolding and support for their hypothesis (which I do believe) is just downright bad.
I will acknowledge that my feelings of being let down by the book are partially an issue with my expectations. Still, at the same time, it's hard not to see that the writing and the unfolding and support for their hypothesis (which I do believe) is just downright bad.
May 30, 2023
Un libro académico con una hipótesis revolucionaria para su momento (1978) que recoge el conocimiento de 3 científicos. Ellos proponen que los misterios de Eleusis, que exaltaban a Deméter y su hija Perséfone, que daban a los iniciados en sus misterios valor místico en la relación con la muerte gracias al uso de un hongo alucinógeno.
Wasson (etnobotánico), Hofman (químico) y Ruck (filólogo clásico), presentan evidencia que sugiere que es muy probable que los miles de iniciados que peregrinaban a Eleusis vivían una experiencia reveladora con los dioses y con la muerte gracias a el consumo de la Claviceps purpurea (Ergot).
El libro es apasionante, pero está escrito en tono académico en cada una de las disciplinas y puede requerir una lectura muy paciente. En el libro The Immortality Key de Brian Muraresku el autor revive y reivindica buena parte de los argumentos de Wasson (et.al.) y puede ser suficiente para entender los puntos centrales de “The Road to Eleusis”. https://twitter.com/JuanFGiraldo/stat...
Vale la pena si uno quiere hacer una inmersión profunda en una hipótesis muy concreta y muy debatida sobre el uso de alucinógenos por parte de los clásicos y las implicaciones de este reconocimiento para entender su impacto en los orígenes de la civilización occidental.
Wasson (etnobotánico), Hofman (químico) y Ruck (filólogo clásico), presentan evidencia que sugiere que es muy probable que los miles de iniciados que peregrinaban a Eleusis vivían una experiencia reveladora con los dioses y con la muerte gracias a el consumo de la Claviceps purpurea (Ergot).
El libro es apasionante, pero está escrito en tono académico en cada una de las disciplinas y puede requerir una lectura muy paciente. En el libro The Immortality Key de Brian Muraresku el autor revive y reivindica buena parte de los argumentos de Wasson (et.al.) y puede ser suficiente para entender los puntos centrales de “The Road to Eleusis”. https://twitter.com/JuanFGiraldo/stat...
Vale la pena si uno quiere hacer una inmersión profunda en una hipótesis muy concreta y muy debatida sobre el uso de alucinógenos por parte de los clásicos y las implicaciones de este reconocimiento para entender su impacto en los orígenes de la civilización occidental.
June 23, 2021
A fascinating insight into the human habit of ritual and ceremony, which places psychedelics squarely at the centre of such practices, as a right of passage that was only for those invited into the inner sanctum. A closely guarded secret despite its importance in Ancient Greece and - indeed - other cultures around the world where such traditions were practiced. The Eleusinian Mysteries are perhaps shrouded in such secrecy and garner so much interest because of the eventual connections between the Ancient Greek spiritual traditions and those that later formed under the monotheism of the Abrahamic religions. These religions would evolve and become more authoritative in terms of their control with past wisdom and knowledge suppressed, as Catherine Nixey outlines in “The Darkening Age”.
A really interesting and thought provoking book on his mind altering drugs have been a long standing tradition in spiritual and religious ceremony, and thus have an underlying connection with the development of western civilisation. Greek Mythology plays a starring role throughout and provides much fascinating insights into our world today.
A really interesting and thought provoking book on his mind altering drugs have been a long standing tradition in spiritual and religious ceremony, and thus have an underlying connection with the development of western civilisation. Greek Mythology plays a starring role throughout and provides much fascinating insights into our world today.
July 3, 2025
The Eleusinian Mysteries were something along the lines of an Ancient Greek ceremony, initiation and rite. They revolved around goddesses Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus, and other related individuals and were highly secretive to the point of death if talked about. Greeks and Romans were partakers. The mysteries died out several hundred years after Christ. The book does an overview of what we have been able to discover about it and a good portion of the book (which in my opinion should have been a chapter later in the book, not near the beginning) detailed hallucinogenics used, mostly in the theorized form of ergot in barley, a fungal disease caused by Claviceps purpurea fungus.
This book is more academic in nature and is about 30 years old. The theory of hallucinogenic was able to be confirmed in the 2010s in investigations into an area of Spain that hosted thy mysteries (this was not in the book, but found in my own online research). It's a book I'd be interested to go through again, but after I have internalized more about Greek religion and mythology. It does provide a little more context for other mysteries of that time, such as the Bachic or the Mithraic mysteries.
This book is more academic in nature and is about 30 years old. The theory of hallucinogenic was able to be confirmed in the 2010s in investigations into an area of Spain that hosted thy mysteries (this was not in the book, but found in my own online research). It's a book I'd be interested to go through again, but after I have internalized more about Greek religion and mythology. It does provide a little more context for other mysteries of that time, such as the Bachic or the Mithraic mysteries.
November 15, 2023
This book is wrong, as its own afterword admits, as far as the proposed pathways to hallucinogenic experiences go. It's a bit of an exercise in finding what you're looking for in interpreting the ancient material, and the best spin it has to offer for being wrong about the pathway is that it was put there as a red herring to hide the real psychedelic mystery. Except the rather tortured way of producing this thesis in the first place is more easily just dismissed as wrong?
Regardless, it's an interesting idea about spiritual initiation through psychedelics which has precedent in other cultures, and does fit to the mythology fairly well. Without a plausible source of that psychedelic you need to look further afield into similar experiences from less fitting sources. Mushrooms perhaps, datura type dream wine? Natural gasses were proposed for inducing visions in the context of oracles but no evidence has been found. There's something here, even if the central argument doesn't hold up.
Regardless, it's an interesting idea about spiritual initiation through psychedelics which has precedent in other cultures, and does fit to the mythology fairly well. Without a plausible source of that psychedelic you need to look further afield into similar experiences from less fitting sources. Mushrooms perhaps, datura type dream wine? Natural gasses were proposed for inducing visions in the context of oracles but no evidence has been found. There's something here, even if the central argument doesn't hold up.
act47-org
January 14, 2024~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}-------:}|{:-:}|{:- * LINKS * -:}|{:-:}|{:-----------{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
* -:}|{:- * A * -:}|{:- *
-:}|{: ? :}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
* -:}|{}|{: INCOMPLETE :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{ + POSITIVE +/ - NEGATIVE - }|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{:- * SUMMARY * -:}|{}|{:- *
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
* -:}|{:- * A * -:}|{:- *
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
* -:}|{}|{:- * KEY * ~ TIMESTAMPS & NOTES -:}|{}|{:- *
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
* -:}|{:- *
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}-------:}|{:-:}|{:- * LINKS * -:}|{:-:}|{:-----------{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
* -:}|{:- * A * -:}|{:- *
-:}|{: ? :}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
* -:}|{}|{: INCOMPLETE :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{ + POSITIVE +/ - NEGATIVE - }|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{:- * SUMMARY * -:}|{}|{:- *
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
* -:}|{:- * A * -:}|{:- *
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
* -:}|{}|{:- * KEY * ~ TIMESTAMPS & NOTES -:}|{}|{:- *
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
-:}|{}|{:- ? :}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{: ? -:}|{}|{:-
* -:}|{:- *
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
July 28, 2023
Really important in its contribution to entheogenic studies (a term I am taking up wholeheartedly!) but the literary speculation could be somewhat dense. Of course, discourse around the topic has completely evolved, but I appreciated the ideas introduced if somewhat frivolously and at times unseriously. Requires a mild appreciation for Greek myth, and of course, entheogens. I was slightly disappointed with the lack of critical examination of Wasson's discovery and with the lack of rigor re: applying and introducing the ideas to a modern context, which very much seemed to be the ultimate motivation - in these ways, the book fell short, but again, it is an important read to one interested in these themes nonetheless.
January 16, 2024
Een helder opgeschreven verhaal over de (vermeende) psychotropische achtergronden van de Eleusische Mysterien. Zo wordt er een relatie gelegd tussen de rol van bewustzijnsveranderende paddestoelen bij de religie van de bevolking van Midden-Amerika en de riten van Eleusis in het Archaische Griekenland. Hoewel Castaneda nergens wordt genoemd kun je een relatie tussen dit boek en zijn werk niet ontkennen. Bovendien kom je wat te weten over de etymologie van het woord paddestoel in verschillende europese talen en het verschil tussen de wijn die nu wordt geschonken en die in 500 voor Christus werd geserveerd bij een symposion in Athene. (De sterkte en het hallucigene effect!) De titel is overigens enigszins leugenachtig, want de mysterien worden nergens ontsluierd. Daarom 3 ballen😆
October 8, 2022
Wasson, Hoffman, and Ruck's hypothesis (that the Eleusinian mysteries were based on communal consumption of a psychedelic beverage) is a fun read. At best it is intriguing, but at worst pure guesswork. Some facts presented are suggestive, but simpler explanations are perhaps more possible. Wasson's own contribution is poor, being complete speculation. Hoffman's coverage of the chemical side is short but at least based in fact. The centrepiece is Ruck's mythological analysis and the translation of the Hymn of Demeter. Overall, it's worth a read for those interested in mythology or the history of psychedelics, as long as it's read with a critical eye.
January 2, 2021
Lectura muy específica en la que se expone la tesis entre otros de Albert Hofmann sobre lo que fueron realmente los censurados misterios de Eleusis celebrados en el templo anualmente con iniciados del peso de Platón o Marco Aurelio y que han permanecido ocultos hasta el punto que hoy en día solo han llegado unas pocas líneas de las sensaciones de los participantes en los ritos tras pasar por ellos. Culto a Deméter y su hija Perséfone que acaba siendo una explicación para su tiempo de la existencia de las estaciones y del propio rito.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews