The original of this ancient artwork exists on a rock wall of the Tassili Plateau, in Southern Algeria. There is a second painting which depicts human forms from a side view, dancing and playing. Their heads are wide and round like mushroom caps; they hold mushrooms in their hands and a mushroom sprouts from the earth in front of them. All around them are glowing sparks and patterns, similar to the patterns a human sees when under psychedelic inebriation.This evidence seems to obviously indicate that these ancient artists and their culture ate of psilocybin mushrooms(McKenna). Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound present in many species of mushrooms which causes a wide range of effects, ranging (at lower doses) from a feel of heightened energy in the body and a sense of acuity and presence in the mind, to (when high amounts are ingested) a total dissolving of the ego into something which may be best referred to as God.

Psilocybin is not totally unique among psychoactive drugs. It belongs to a class of psychoactive chemical compounds known collectively as the psychedelics. The spectrum of psychedelics ranges from the popular and illegalized LSD, to mushrooms, to MDMA (common name Ecstasy), to the rare and almost mythical DMT (also illegal), to the huge pharmacopaeia of plants available to indigenous people of the planet. The psychedelics are very interesting from the point of cultural commentary in that they clearly are spiritual and, when used with care, extrodinarily benificial in effect, providing a depth of experience which is literally mind expanding and possibly inaccessable to human beings through any other means. Yet they are declared contraband and criminalized by every modern society on the planet (excepting Holland, where most anything goes...interesting that Holland is one of the cleanest and most prosperous nations of the planet). A taboo is naturally interesting to remark on.

• The issues of abuse and escapism must be addressed when discussing the use of any drug.

• It is difficult to communicate the intimate personal discovery which takes place on a psychedelic journey. There was an interesting study done in 1994 by Tamara Allen of the University of New Mexico.

• Conclusions which may be drawn from these lines of thinking.*  
  *because of the fact that this site is an adaptation of a print based paper (and the linear nature of that style of thought), please explore the rest of the site before venturing to the Conclusions.

References Used In the Creation of this Site

contact me
I am particularly interested in how succesful the transition from paper to Web was.