Supplementary Page for “Wasson and Allegro on the Tree of Knowledge as Amanita”

Michael Hoffman, 5:54 p.m. Feb. 12, 2026
Wasson and Allegro on the Tree of Knowledge as Amanita
http://egodeath.com/WassonEdenTree.htm – orig.
https://egodeaththeory.org/2025/03/18/wasson-and-allegro-on-the-tree-of-knowledge-as-amanita/ – local WordPress copy.

p. 180, SOMA, by Gordon . . . .🔍🧐🤔😠 Wasson 1968, annotations by Michael Hoffman.
v2 of photo/annotations, uploaded to WordPress Jan. 8, 2025.

Contents:

links work on desktop Edge/Chrome:

Backstory of this Article

The article is SO good, TOO good, it suffered an author-line dispute.

  1. Acharya S wrote something favorable about Sacred Mushroom & The Cross.
  2. Robert M. Price mocked her in writing, but he royally f’d up every aspect of his scholarship.
  3. Michael Hoffman emailed Robert Price pointing out the many horrible errors, because anything-but-drugs academics always go insane on this taboo topic.
  4. Robert Price invited Michael Hoffman to write an article on this topic.
  5. Michael Hoffman started writing the article.
  6. Jan Irvin heard about the article.
  7. Jan Irvin asked Michael Hoffman for Jan Irvin to participate in article.
  8. Lesson learned: There was no discussion of the Author line.
  9. Jan Irvin provided tons of substantive research findings in series of emails and phone calls with Michael Hoffman.
  10. Emails between Michael Hoffman & Robert Price about the article design.
  11. Michael Hoffman did 100% of the writing & article design & publication planning.
  12. Article finished.
  13. Michael Hoffman submitted the finished article to Robert M. Price for publishing.
  14. Jan Irvin wanted to be added on the Author line.
  15. Hoffman credited Irvin not by listing him on Author line, but by top-of-page credit, terse but accurate. http://egodeath.com/WassonEdenTree.htm – below the TOC, before the start of the article body:
    “Acknowledgements – Thank you to Judith Brown and the Allegro Estate for the letters, and to Jan Irvin for helping with much of the research for this article.”
  16. Robert Price terminated the journal of Higher Criticism.
  17. Acharya S emailed Michael Hoffman thanking Michael Hoffman for fully reconciling Acharya S with Robert Price.
  18. Acharya S died.
  19. The Journal of Higher Criticism resumed in 2018.
  20. Robert Price massively improved Acharya S’ book, in Nov. 2024.
    An extremely good outcome, that Michael Hoffman was instrumental in.
    The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold
    https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Conspiracy-Greatest-Story-Sold_Revised/dp/1948803224/

The Journal of Higher Criticism (Robert M. Price)

search web:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22journal+of+higher+criticism%22

Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Higher_Criticism

Will I Ask Price to Publish the Article, as Planned in 2006?

Michael Hoffman did 100% of the planning of the article, 100% of the arranging the publishing, & 100% of the writing.

There’s a dispute about whether Irvin’s name is on the author line.

The 64-Page Article is EXTREMELY Good, has Tons of Juicy Quotes

I read-aloud the article on Egodeath Mystery Show podcast.

Found two screwups where I didn’t say where the quoted passage is from.

Motivation for this Page

This WordPress site’s copy of the article is a backup at WordPress.com of the excellent 10/10, field-leading article from Egodeath.com.

This article is a rich motherlode gold mine of quotations and citations and arguments/ critical analyses. Centrally relevant and essential for mushroom imagery in Christian art.

A scholar cannot write about mushroom imagery in Christian art w/o citing this article, as Brown does.

Motivation for this page: My article w/ Irvin input 2006 is EXCELLENT, 10/10, needs more attention.

If, like Ronald Huggins, you haven’t read this article, you are not equipped to write about the mushroom imagery in Christian art debate.

I should have bought Irvin’s book The Holy Mushroom immediately; it has various topics. I was on hiatus 2008-Sep. 2011 when the book came out.

I was so sick of this topic by 2008: MOVE FORWARD PPL!

I read aloud this article in Egodeath Mystery Show. To research which episode, to see show notes:
https://egodeaththeory.org/2024/12/31/egodeath-mystery-show-podcast-episodes/

Brown error 158: Do not ever say “the Wasson & Allegro DEBATE”. There was no debate, as proved below. Say “dispute”.

Main/orig page: http://egodeath.com/WassonEdenTree.htm

todo:

  • Reformat like the original.
  • Move out the ideas now added at top.
  • Errata: Note the couple of quotes/passages that fail to have a citation of where Irvin & I got them.
  • Errata; my only regret about how I wrote the article: In the Takeaways list at top, make the observation and accusation – like my ~5 scattered paragraphs in article body: Wasson has certainly censored and withheld scholarly publication citations that Erwin Panofsky must have provided, and it’s intuitively immediately obvious that art historians have never written anything of any substance, so they must be feeble citations.

Brown 2019 publishing the Erwin Panofsky letters proved my 2006 accusations & assessment.

I WANTED to see and read the citations of art historians publications (pathetic, we can be sure – or entirely non-existent) on the subject of “hundreds of mushroom-trees” in Christian art.

I directly perceived Wasson holding back Pan’s citation(s) from us.

HOW I WISH I HAD PUT 2+2 TOGETHER AND POINTED TO THE . . . . ELLIPSES in the exact spot where Erwin Panofsky must have provided citations/ evidence to back up his BIG-TALKING claims of familiarity w/ mushroom-trees.

I did not see the ellipses until probably after Brown 2019 Panofsky letters, which shows what was censored by ellipses: Brinck cit + 2 art pieces showing mushroom-trees.

Not to mention, Pan’s branches arg.

WHAT IF I HAD SEEN THE BRANCHES ARG IN 2006, wouldn’t that have led me in 2007 to my 2020 breakthrough in Great Canterbury Psalter so that I would have comprehended the pictures in my 2007 main article?

Eadwine’s leg-hanging mushroom tree image in the Great Canterbury Psalter wasn’t uploaded by John Lash til May 2008 per Archive site.

It’s good to see that Brown 2016 cited “Discovery of a Lifetime” by John Lash, that article uploaded that image to the web ~May 2008, which I re-saw in Nov 2020, leading to massive breakthrough by confirming my Xmas 2015 hypothesis about the Dancing Man salamander bestiary’s mushroom-tree hi-res image provided by Thomas Hatsis:

“Stand on right foot = relying on eternalism-thinking instead of possibilism-thinking??” Dec. 25, 2015

Extremely confirmed in Nov. 2020, by Eadwine’s leg-hanging mushroom tree image in the Great Canterbury Psalter.

My Discovery of a Lifetime receiving Eadwine’s Psilocybin cybernetic message of {mushrooms}, {branching}, {handedness}, and {stability} motifs — incredibly perfect, ideal proof of fully developed use of Psilocybin in Christian history 900-1400 AD.

My received transmission of proof of fully developed use of Psilocybin in Medieval Europe & England flies in the face of everyone in the world, who are all wrong and prejudiced, led astray by Wasson, and by Allegro and then Ruck building on Allegro:

1st-generation entheogen scholarship (the Secret Amanita paradigm) – full of baloney; vs. 2nd-generation entheogen scholarship (the Explicit Psilocybin paradigm) where Brown 2019 lists me first in section Ardent Advocates.

Brown Falsely Says Heinrich & Irvin Say Jesus Didn’t Exist

Brown error YET ANOTHER lol –

It is hard to talk about multiple writers at same time accurately, Brown fell into this pit.

Cybermonk Is a Mythicist & Is Flexible

Brown 2016 is correct that I say Jesus didn’t exist.

Heinrich Is not a Mythicist; Is Literalist

Brown 2016 falsely says Heinrich says Jesus didn’t exist.

Strange Fruit 1995 says rather, Allegro says Jesus was leader of a mushroom cult.

Clark Heinrich knows nothing about ahistoricity; Brown is in error.

Unless Heinrich actually wrote, somewhere else, on the topic of ahistoricity.

Irvin Is not a Mythicist; Is Flexible

Same w/ the other guy (Irvin) Brown vaguely names as “other writers”, “some writers”.

Brown falsely says Irvin asserts ahistoricity of Jesus.

Jan Irvin & Andrew Rutajit AstroSham 1 & 2 2006 & 2009 is agnostic, against Brown; says “if Jesus existed” “we are right, either way.”

I don’t think Irvin ever wrote that Jesus didn’t exist.

Irvin only wrote maybe Jesus didn’t exist, apathetic/ agnostic/ doesn’t matter.

Irvin the Ambiguous, In-between Paradigms

Now that Irvin has become a Christian of a type that he only knows, The Ambiguous Irvin is unclear re: his system of religion & myth.

I doubt Irvin has a view, he doesn’t have all the answers.

I do not put any pressure on Irvin. I must identify pros and cons of every scholar.

Irvin lately tries to play the part of holy Psilocybin demonizer while saying silent on his anti-God idol worship of Amanita book sales. Irvin lately tries to be some certain type of Christian while not necessarily believing in Mr. Historical Jesus – the undigested Irvin.

Irvin in half-digested fashion demonizes Psilocybin:

  • his new book God’s Flesh;
  • his 2014-era article series SHMM at his site has 0 hits on Amanita, million demonizing Psilocybin

That’s consistent w/ his straddling awkwardly 1st & 2nd Gen entheogen scholarship.

Irvin would have just just been just a 1st-gen entheogen scholar, except that in 2006, I pulled him forward halfway toward 2nd-gen entheogen scholarship.

Irvin was pulled forward by my being essentially rooted in – my defining of — 2nd-generation entheogen scholarship (the Explicit Psilocybin paradigm) in 2006.

Irvin rejected, 2008-2009, the 1st-gen characteristic (fundamental basis of their whole paradigm & motivation) attempt to limit The Mushroom to:

  • only the suppressed counterculture (Ruck 2001); social drama narrative, ritual storytelling, of made-up fantasy fairytale.
  • or 1-2 elites (Ruck 2002: Eflluents of Deity)
  • or to all elites (Irvin 2006 in AstroSham 1 > Conclusion section > 1st sentence.

Irvin 2008 remained stuck in 1st-gen-type dishonoring of Psilocybin to force it to serve the false master Amanita the phony, fantasy, fairytale super-psychedelic.

When I went to Mr. Jesus & Paul 1998, instantly it was revealed – huge credit to The Jesus Mysteries, I met literally underground w/ Freke & Gandy — that there’s no strategy there to corroborate the Egodeath theory of 1997, but, that instead, there would be corrob of the Egodeath theory via Christianity as myth + world religious myth.

Post-Ahistoricity

I’m post ahistoricity: I’m past saying that I’m past thinking about ahistoricity. 

Remarkable to recall: in 1998 I turned to Mr. Historical Jesus & Mr. Historical Paul to confirm my theory of mystic-state mental transformation.

I immediately saw that due to genre, corroboration of my theory would not be forthcoming via that direction but would come via myth genre, so within half an hour I switched to ahistoricity, got the promised successful corroboration and by 2007 had been working with other scholars on myth interpretation, like Earl Doherty & Robert Price. 

I met with Freke & Gandy ~2001 discussing entheogen history.

Now I’m surprised when a colleague spends any time on teaching others about ahistoricity. 

Mythicist channels seem directionless: negative mythicism. 

I’m a positive mythicist, working productively with myth as analogy.

Earl Doherty’s Concept of “Positive Silence” of Paul About Earthly Jesus

Earl Doherty book 1st & 2nd Ed is quite good, lots of positive myth coverage.

Doherty explains the “positive silence of Paul” & “negative silence of Paul”.

Start with Paul’s cosmic christ, zero awareness of Mr. Jesus life of a human walking around teaching and healing – there’s no trace of that man in Paul writings.

Paul’s Christ is 100% cosmic vision only.

There’s no mention of Mr. Jesus on earth in Paul’s letters; no trace of any awareness of such a man.

Paul evidently never heard of such an idea.

That is I think called “negative silence”. But positive silence is:

If you take visionary cosmic Christ per Paul, and then attempt to add mundane Mr. Jesus, earthly teacher/ healer, that causes insoluble problems and contradictions.

Before adding Mr. Jesus, no problem; consistent – Hellenistic mythic figure. Then add Mr. Jesus, and nothing coheres – it doesn’t work.

Mr. Jesus is incompatible with Paul’s mythic visionary Christ.

Takeaway: Wasson Censored Feeble Citations Panofsky Had to Have Provided to Back Up His Aggressive Claim of Thorough Familiarity of Mushroom-Trees

Michael Hoffman 2025

1) Erwin Panofsky MUST HAVE provided citations to Wasson, given the aggressive ultra-confident claim of familiarity w/ mushroom-trees.

2) I doubt art experts ever wrote anything much about mushroom-trees; they are probably feeble citations/ treatments of mushroom-trees – by art historians who are SO thoroughly familiar w/ mushroom-trees, they wrote 1 or 2 paragraphs – exhaustive!

This is why we must instantly halt any notion of mushroom-trees mean mushroom, b/c [super feeble] citations, proving art historians know NOTHING about mushroom-trees and have no more credibility than any random (ignorant, prejudiced) person.

Eager sucker MICA Deniers like Letcher, Hatsis, and Huggins lap up the manifest bullsh!t served by Wasson about Erwin Panofsky’s “conclusion”. Wasson is obviously pulling a stunt, given that Wasson would fully disrespect & ignore, NOT cowtow & cave w/o any resistance, to any authority making empty arg from authority re: mushroom ethnomycology – on any aspect OTHER than mushrooms specifically in Christianity.

As Samorini 1997 & Brown 2016/2019 pointed out, a huge contradiction in attitude by Wasson, totally SUS a.f.: bold and independent thinker, yet eager to halt & cave to know-nothing Erwin Panofsky & unnamed, faceless art “authorities”.

Who’s paying you to lie, Wasson? Easy question: Wasson the banker for the Pope.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: 100%.

Conflict of Interest: 💯🥇

Irvin re: agent Wasson.
https://www.gnosticmedia.com/SecretHistoryMagicMushroomsProject

Letcher 2006 in Shroom is dishonorable, play-acting like Wasson has any credibility here.

The quality of arg’n by MICA Deniers is wretched, based on lies, coverup, pretext, dissimulation, duplicity.

MORAL ROT! is the basis for MICA Deniers.

Wasson’s writing style on p 108 SOMA is that of a sneering, pompous con artist. Totally un-believable and not credible.

See how Wasson – below – tears apart the credibility of Eliade – and then one-ups Eliade, pulling the same move – as ONE CON ARTIST CRITIQUING THE TECHNIQUE OF ANOTHER.

Pay attention to Wasson’s tone – that of a sleazebag manipulator & bullsh!tter, at top of p. 180.

Wasson wrote to Allegro — maddening! — in 1970, “I gather the mycologist Ramsbottom was duly impressed [🤬👆pompous @ss, gtfo, fraud!] by Panofsky’s conclusion that anyone saying the Plaincourault fresco is Amanita is a blundering ignoramus.”

And Huggins remarks “Those terrible MICA Affirmers show no concern with the conclusions of the art authorities.”

Get the hell out of here, Huggins, playing defense for the Devil.
https://egodeaththeory.org/2025/02/03/conceptual-errors-misinterpretations-and-bad-argumentation-from-entheogen-scholars/

The art experts deserve a kick in the rear, as the appropriate level of respect you’ve earned.

Allegro’s answer to Wasson 1970 letter [below] would be: Yes, Ramsbottom exposed your lying azz in the body of his page as a full Addendum, NOT as a mere hidden footnote, 17 years ago;

Yes WE’RE “DULY IMPRESSED” BY WHAT A LYING SCUMBAG YOU ARE, using idiot Panofsky’s sheer argument from authority and non-sequitur circular argument from prejudice,

“The Plaincourault fresco cannot possibly mean mushrooms, because there are hundreds of other mushroom-trees like it.”

Is that supposed to be an argument?

Gordon . . . .🔍🧐🤔🤨 Wasson

🤥👖🔥🤞 –> 🤑💰

Huggins 2024 is dishonorable, play-acting like Wasson has any credibility here. Ronald Huggins’ 2024 article “Foraging for Psychedelic Mushrooms in the Wrong Forest: The Great Canterbury Psalter as a Medieval Test Case”.

Anyone who PRETENDS Wass has credibility in putting forth Erwin Panofsky as definitive, is obviously biased. Citation proving my point: read Wasson’s expose of Eliade, in the present article. Wasson recognizes the baloney fake denial by Eliade that he turns around and brings to perfection, himself. Wasson is perfectly intelligent, and entirely morally compromised.

3) I bet Wasson in 1968 SOMA withheld (censored) the citations that Erwin Panofsky must have provided. Find “withhold” below, twice in 1 sentence.

What else is Wasson withholding from Erwin Panofsky? Answer from Brown 2019 publishing the two Erwin Panofsky letters: the fact of 2 not 1 letters; the 2nd letter; 2 art pieces showing mushroom-trees; double, strong recommendation of Albert Brinckmann‘s 1906 86-page book in German, Tree Stylizations in Medieval Paintings.

— Michael Hoffman Mar. 18, 2025

Motivation for this Page

Feb. 12, 2026

Clean up the horribly messy local copy of Egodeath.com article page.

Easy, b/c the article is long and totally separate from any addl junk i added.

Some Books and Articles that Cite the Article

The Holy Mushroom: Evidence of Mushrooms in Judeo-Christianity (Jan Irvin, 2008)

The Holy Mushroom: Evidence of Mushrooms in Judeo-Christianity (Jan Irvin, 2008) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439215170

Site Map > Jan Irvin
https://egodeaththeory.org/nav/#Jan-Irvin

John Allegro and the Psychedelic Mysteries Hypothesis (Ascough, 2025)

John Allegro and the Psychedelic Mysteries Hypothesis
Richard Ascough
2025/08/08
School of Religion, Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston, ON, Canada
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/8/1029
John_Allegro_and_the_Psychedelic_Mysteries_Hypothe.pdf

https://www.google.com/search?q=richard+ascough+the+psychedelic+mysteries+hypothesis
There are reviews of the article.

On John M. Allegro’s Suggestion That the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the 12th Century Plaincourault Chapel Depicts an Amanita muscaria Mushroom (Huggins, 2025)

The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity (Brown & Brown, 2016)

The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity (Jerry Brown & Julie Brown, 2016), https://egodeaththeory.org/2023/01/22/the-psychedelic-gospels-brown-2016/ & https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620555026

Entheogens in Christian art: Wasson, Allegro, and the Psychedelic Gospels (Brown & Brown, 2019)

Entheogens in Christian art: Wasson, Allegro, and the Psychedelic Gospels (Jerry Brown & Julie Brown, 2019)
https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2019.019

See Also

Wasson and Allegro on the Tree of Knowledge as Amanita
http://egodeath.com/WassonEdenTree.htm
The main, original copy of the article.

Wasson and Allegro on the Tree of Knowledge as Amanita
https://egodeaththeory.org/2025/03/18/wasson-and-allegro-on-the-tree-of-knowledge-as-amanita/#see-also
The local, WordPress site copy of the article.

Site Map > Jan Irvin
https://egodeaththeory.org/nav/#Jan-Irvin

Site Map > Huggins
https://egodeaththeory.org/nav/#Ronald-Huggins

Site Map > Scholars
https://egodeaththeory.org/nav/#Various-Entheogen-Scholars

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Author: egodeaththeory

http://egodeath.com

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