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Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks
    #6723958 -

This is Jan Irvin. I co-authored Astrotheology & Shamanism with Andrew Rutajit.

I sent this out tonight for the major researchers. Hopefully we can do something about this ASAP. I've read about 50 pages. We've got some debunking to do.
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This email is being sent to the following researchers in entheobotany and related fields:

Clark Heinrich
Mike Hoffman
Mark Hofmann
Rick Strassman
Dennis McKenna
Jack Herer
Chris Bennett
Andrew Rutajit
Judith Anne Brown

The reason this email is being sent out to everyone is because we have something that I deem as URGENT for follow researchers in this field. This email is going out in order to (hopefully) establish a collaborative effort in order to confront the matter at hand. Those who have contact, please also forward this email to Carl Ruck, Paul Stamets, Christian Rastch, Paul Devereux, Jim Dekorne, Ralph Metzner, Kat Harrison and anyone else currently involved in the study of ethnomycology / ethnobotany.

As you may or may not know, in February of this year Dr. Andy Letcher published his book called Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom.

http://www.amazon.com/Shroom-Cultural-Hist...0131&sr=8-1

In this book, Dr. Letcher attacks head on the works of Heinrich, Stamets, (T.) McKenna, Kat Harrison, Allegro, Wasson, Ruck and Herer and ourselves (though some of us not named directly), as well as many others. This is a frontal, academic attack in a well written and researched hard bound, 360 page book, published by HarperCollins. This book is receiving WINDOW STATUS at major book sellers such as Barnes & Noble and Borders Books. The book seeks to DISPROVE any entheogen (especially mushroom) theory to established religion, cultural identity, etc. except on a very small scale e.g. Maya, Mazatec, etc.

As I discussed with Mike H. this evening, the book seeks to show that there is zero archaeological/historical evidence of the mushroom/entheogen theory of religion. I’ve read about 1/6 of this 300 page (+ footnotes) book thus far. I zoomed to the bookstore last night in order not to delay its reading when I heard more specifics on its content. The book certainly does have its errors, as well as its points, and I think that all of us on a collaborative effort can debunk it, at least most of it, quickly. For instance, the book repeats the same errors regarding Allegro that Mike H. and I debunked last year: http://www.egodeath.com/WassonEdenTree.htm . Our article also questions the integrity of some critical areas of Wasson’s research. However, Letcher seeks to utterly destroy G. Wasson’s research and reputation, singling him out specifically for the most ruthless attacks in the book. As one reviewer writes on Amazon:

“Letcher pushes forward into the roots of the cultural movement that elevated the humble mushroom into an archaic religious symbol for an increasingly cynical age, and the primary target of this academic hit job is the legendary banker-turned-amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson, the originator of the sacred mushroom myth. To say that Letcher has a bone to pick with Wasson would be putting it mildly. Let's just say Letcher barely masks his glee in annihilating this man's historical legacy, not only peeling apart his legendary theories one after the other, but criticizing the man himself for being somewhat stubborn and single-minded; too blinded by his own theory to do the proper research; too quick to mold the facts to meet his preconceptions; too arrogant and forthright to allow dissenting voices to penetrate his mythos. It is a view of Wasson I have never seen before -- including new insights into his relationship with Maria Sabina -- and like much of this book, contains a wealth of new material.”

I hope this email comes across as informational and organizational and not as anxious or over zealous. From what I’ve read so far, this book requires our immediate attention. Please order your copy ASAP and let’s begin to dissect this attack on this field of study.

Kindest regards,

Jan Irvin

from mj

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: mjshroomer]
    #6724500 -

I guess I dont really understand what the problem w/ this is...

I'm a scientist, and I read scientific papers every day.

Dissenting views are the hallmark of science. Listen, if what the guy says isn't true, then the facts should show that, and he can be safely ignored.

But a knee-jerk reaction of "OMG! WE have to disprove this immediately!" seems unnecessary. If he's got a point, he has a point, and if he doesnt, then he doesnt.

Res Ipsa Loquitor...Let The Thing Speak for Itself...


--------------------
After one comes, through contact with it's administrators, no longer to cherish greatly the law as a remedy in abuses, then the bottle becomes a sovereign means of direct action.  If you cannot throw it at least you can always drink out of it.  - Ernest Hemingway

If it is life that you feel you are missing I can tell you where to find it.  In the law courts, in business, in government.  There is nothing occurring in the streets. Nothing but a dumbshow composed of the helpless and the impotent.    -Cormac MacCarthy

He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.  - Aeschylus

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: Madtowntripper]
    #6724565 -

Yes, but there's no need to attack someone personally.

But going along the lines of what you said; his candor should be of some evidence to his lack of professionalism.


--------------------
On storing pedro tea...

Brewmaster: Well, the mescaline will still be in there, but I'd be afraid of it conjealing and trying to escape after it grew in size from eating all the other shit in my fridge, and possibly my dogs if it got out.

Pithlit: sentient drugs, now that is an idea ...

OneMoreRobot: Idea? It's a fuckin' reality. You know Salvia? Nigga stole my TV.

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: Madtowntripper]
    #6726181 -

Ya really, I'm reading this book right now and so far the criticisms he has made of the 'mushroom mythos' have all been warranted and logical. I haven't got to the part on Wasson yet, but from what I've read so far, Lechter's analysis is quite dispassionate, he doesn't want to "assassinate" anyone's reputation. He just wants us to be skeptical and critical, which is always healthy.

It seems to me that if anything, he is sympathetic to the modern 'mushroom culture' and wants to bring more credibility to it by dispelling some of the more persistent and ultimately damaging myths spouted by its adherents.

As someone said in the Terrence McKenna thread over in Psychedelic Experience: 'Nothing brings legitimacy to a subject like "hyper-dimensional machine elves".' I mean, McKenna is great but it doesn't do any service to anyone to uncritically accept the things he said.


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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: DadeMurphy]
    #6727218 -

I've never been a big fan of McKenna. He's a swell guy but a far cry from a scientist.


--------------------
On storing pedro tea...

Brewmaster: Well, the mescaline will still be in there, but I'd be afraid of it conjealing and trying to escape after it grew in size from eating all the other shit in my fridge, and possibly my dogs if it got out.

Pithlit: sentient drugs, now that is an idea ...

OneMoreRobot: Idea? It's a fuckin' reality. You know Salvia? Nigga stole my TV.

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: Brewmaster]
    #6727341 -

Well he made some distorted comments about Koh Samui and the Tsunami which hit (Krabbi and Phuket Islands). A tsunami by the way, which is hundreds of miles from Koh Samui, and on the far southwestern side of Thailand facing the Andaman Sea. Although he cited my Koh Samui paper in his book. H obviously does not know where in Thailand Koh Samui is.

And that is but one. I have the book, bought it yesterday and I will get around to reading it in a week or so.

mj

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: mjshroomer]
    #10322514 -

I thought it was a good book..

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: DadeMurphy]
    #10325754 -

DadeMurphy said:
Ya really, I'm reading this book right now and so far the criticisms he has made of the 'mushroom mythos' have all been warranted and logical. I haven't got to the part on Wasson yet, but from what I've read so far, Lechter's analysis is quite dispassionate, he doesn't want to "assassinate" anyone's reputation. He just wants us to be skeptical and critical, which is always healthy.

It seems to me that if anything, he is sympathetic to the modern 'mushroom culture' and wants to bring more credibility to it by dispelling some of the more persistent and ultimately damaging myths spouted by its adherents.

As someone said in the Terrence McKenna thread over in Psychedelic Experience: 'Nothing brings legitimacy to a subject like "hyper-dimensional machine elves".' I mean, McKenna is great but it doesn't do any service to anyone to uncritically accept the things he said.


This is pretty much how I feel about the book.

I also thought the book was very fair and even handed. There's nothing gleeful or malicious about his debunking, it's more of a tone of "it's a shame that there's not enough evidence".


--------------------
"You've got to get hold of the thread of marching time, pull the fuck thing down, get on the end of it and pang yourself to the infinitude of absolute mind"
Ken Campbell - Furtive Nudist

"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced" - Aart van der Leeuw

Edited by theorganicdomino (05/12/09 04:54 AM)

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Re: Andy Lechter's new shroom book sucks [Re: theorganicdomino]
    #10326183 -

I agree with those two guys. I enjoyed the book. IMO, the author has no agenda. He merely relates his opinion to his perception of reality. It's a good read too, I finished it in a week.

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