John G. Bourke

A comparison of the effects of Soma with those of the Amanita muscaria and cannabis was first proposed in the book Scatalogic [sic] Rites of All Nations by John G. Bourke, 1891.<a id="ednref1" href="#edn1" name="_ednref1" title="">[i]</a> The author dedicated more than 30 pages (pp. 65-99) to the study of the ritualistic use of mushrooms, including the Siberian Amanita muscaria urine-drinking custom, and Mexican mushroom practices. This is probably where Wasson first learned of the ritualistic use of mushrooms, urine consumption, and Soma. On page 98 is a letter to Bourke by a Dr. J. W. Kingsley:

I remember being shown this fungus by an Englishman who was returning [...] from Siberia. He fully confirmed all that I had heard on the subject, having seen the orgy [mushroom rituals] himself. ... Nothing religious in this, you may say; but look at the question a little closer and you will see that these 'intoxicants,' [...] were at first looked upon as media able to raise the mere man up to a level with his gods, and enable him to communicate with them, as was certainly the case with the 'soma' of the Hindu ecstatics and the hashich [sic] I have seen used by some tribes of Arabs.

Most scholars claim that Wasson was the progenitor of these ideas, but this is not wholly accurate. It appears that Wasson may have 'borrowed' several key ideas from Bourke's research and expanded upon them throughout his career, subsequently creating the field of ethnomycology. Thereafter it appears that Bourke was relegated mostly to rare catalogue and bibliographical entries published by Wasson and a few other scholars of his ilk.<a id="ednref2" href="#edn2" name="_ednref2" title="">[ii]</a> However, Bourke is not to be found, as one should expect him to be, given the extent of his studies on the subject, in the main body of text in most of the books published on the subject for the last half century.

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<a id="edn1" href="#ednref1" name="_edn1" title="">[i]</a> John G. Bourke Scatalogic Rites of All Nations, 1891.

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<a id="edn2" href="#ednref2" name="_edn2" title="">[ii]</a> Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University, March 10, 1963. Vol. 20, No. 2a, p. 39

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John Gregory Bourke - Scatalogic Rites of All Nations: A Dissertation upon the Employment of Excrementitious Remedial Agents in Religion, Therapeutics, Divination, Witchcraft, Love-philters, Etc., in All Nations: Compilation of notes and memoranda bearing upon the use of human ordure and human urine in rites of a religious or semi-religious character among various nations. 1891

The title page bears the warning ‘not for general perusal’.

1.   Made a detailed study of the traveller’s reports of the Central Asian use of the Fly Agaric for shamanic and recreational intoxication.

Bourke references no less than 15 authorities

2.   Speculated that the taboo surrounding mushrooms were based on their power to intoxicate.

Bourke observes that: ‘The ancient Hindus held the fungus in such detestation that … those who eat mushrooms, whether springing from the ground or growing on a tree, (are) fully equal in guilt to the slayers of Brahmins and the most despicable of all deadly sinners’.[1] He concludes that: ‘This inhibition, under such dire penalties, can have but one mean¬ing.       In primitive times the people of India must have been so ad¬dicted to the debauchery induced by potions into the composition of which entered poisonous fungi …that the priest-rulers were compelled to employ the same maledictions which Moses proved of efficacy in with-drawing the children of Israel from the worship of idols’.[2]

3.   Connected Mushrooms and with journeys to Fairyland

4.   Identifies the fly agaric as and not merely a recreational but as a sacred intoxicant and Identified the importance of the mushroom as speaking to the intoxicated

According to Salverte the use of this fungus might well be referred to the category of Sacred Intoxi¬cants. - (See " Philosophy of Magic," Eusebe Salverte, New York, 1862, vol. ii. pp. 19, 20.)

Bourke page 72

statement made by the shipwrecked sailor, Vincent, who undoubtedly may be accepted as the most competent witness who has ever presented himself. According to him, there was a man "selected," who "prepared himself by fasting;" the "feast "took place "during their carnival season," "corresponding to about our Christmas holidays" (i.e., the winter solstice), and there was much attendant "pomp and ceremony." Add to this the statement made by Grieve, "they maintain that what¬ever foolish things they did, they only obeyed the commands of the mushroom,"

5.   Made a connection between the Siberian use of fly agaric with the Mexican use of psilocybe

That some such use of poisonous fungi as has been shown exists among the tribes of Siberia was made by other nations would be difficult to prove in the absence of direct testimony, but many inci¬dental references are encountered which the reflective mind must consider with care before rejecting them as absolutely irrelevant in this connection.       The Mexicans, as we learn from Sahagun; were not igno¬rant of the mushroom, which is described as the basis of one of their festivals.

Bourke page 89

6.   Linked the use of the fly agaric with the soma of the ancient Vedic scriptures.

Bourke quotes from a personal communication from one Dr J W Kingsley who: “Speaking of the Ur-Orgy of the Siberians” having witnessed the use of Amanita in Siberia comments that “these 'intoxicants,' which nowadays are used to produce mere excitement or brutal drunkenness, were at first looked upon as media able to raise the mere man up to a level with his gods, and enable him to communi¬cate with them, as was certainly the case with the ‘soma’ of the Hindu ecstatics”.

NB: check ‘orgy’ in 19th century dictionary.

7.   Correlates the taboos surrounding mushrooms with their power to intoxicate

Bourke observes that: ‘The ancient Hindus held the fungus in such detestation that … those who eat mushrooms, whether springing from the ground or growing on a tree, (are) fully equal in guilt to the slayers of Brahmins and the most despicable of all deadly sinners’.[3] Bourke concludes that: ‘This inhibition, under such dire penalties, can have but one mean-ing.           In primitive times the people of India must have been so ad¬dicted to the debauchery induced by potions into the composition of which entered poisonous fungi …that the priest-rulers were compelled to employ the same maledictions which Moses proved of efficacy in with¬drawing the children of Israel from the worship of idols’.[4]

8. Considered but failed to find a connection between Amerindian ‘urine dances’ and the Central Asian use of Fly Agaric.

As you have probably already noticed, Bourke laid out all of Wasson's core themes long before Wasson started. Wasson was a fraud and was ever busy trying to cover things up. This explains why he went Berserk when Allegro found his letter to John Ramsbottom. It's all a fraud...

John G. Bourke

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