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The Sacred Soma Shamans book tells you everything you need to know about Amanita mushrooms.
The Secrets of Soma DVD shows you how the Shamans prepare Amanita. (Also on VHS.)
Mushroom T-shirts & Art Prints can be found in our Gift Shop, along with shamanic jewelery and more.
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About Amanita & FAQ
Table of Contents FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)- Will you sell me spiritually prepared Soma?
- How much Amanita muscaria should I use?
- I recently bought some dried Amanita online. Is it safe?
- What types of Amanita do you recommend?
- You say not to use dried mail-order mushrooms, but are commercial Amanita extracts safe?
- I found some beautiful Amanita muscarias, can I store some for later use?
- Can I order the Soma 101 Book & DVD set with my credit card?
- I might get your book and DVD someday, so how much are those sessions? When can I arrive?
- I heard that people who take Amanita get nauseous. Do you have any advice on how to avoid this?
- I heard you're supposed to drink the urine of someone who consumed Amanita. Is this true?
Introduction to Amanita mushrooms
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| Fully bloomed Amanita muscaria (by Paul de Boer) |
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Species of Amanita come in a variety of colors, red, orange, yellow, brown, gold, olive and white. They grow all over the world, from America to New Zealand. In some European countries, the tasty Amanita caesarea is regularly eaten, but this reddish spotless variety can easily be confused for the more potent Amanita muscaria, especially during rains, when muscaria spots are sometimes washed away.
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| Amanita Muscaria (Bulb state) |
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Amanitas form a symbiotic relationship with trees such as fir, pine, birch and oak, through a fine network of underground mycelium. Though most regions have a seasonal crop, in some hidden places, such as the Pacific Northwest, they can be found year round.
The microscopic spores from the mature Amanita fall to the ground like powdered sugar. Some are blown away and some are worked into the soil, where they attach to the mycelium network and begin the fascinating growth cycle to form a fleshy egg-shape, surrounded by a protective membrane. As the mushroom matures, the egg-shape elongates, breaking the veil, and a stalk springs up through the earth. Then the bulbous cap opens to a wide umbrella-shape with fragments of the veil clinging to form spots.
Amanitas can be anywhere from one inch to a foot in diameter. They grow singularly, in groups or fairy rings, and if you ever come across Amanita growing in the woods, walk softly and respectfully past these wonders of Nature, for in each one dwells the spirit of an Angel.
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The ritual, Shamanistic and religious use of Amanita can be traced back in history before the Vedas extolled the glories of the divine Soma, to a simple solar religion over 5,000 years ago. Through the knowledge of ceremonial purification, Amanitawas once the way mystics communed with God. Today there are still people who use the mushroom for Shamanistic purposes such as healings, visionary experiences and medicinal tonics.
We take pride in keeping the tradition of the spiritual and visionary use of Amanita alive.
Back to Table of Contents
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Will you sell me spiritually prepared Soma? I looked for A. muscaria in the wild and couldn't find any.
A: It seems like the ideal solution for everyone, but Amanita doesn't do well sold as a commercial product through the mail. Even with the most careful handling, a mushroom can become as lifeless as a peice of cardboard or highly toxic by the time it reaches you.
It's too hard on the Soma, and unsafe for people to consume unpredictable mail order mushrooms.
The only way we can share our sacred Soma -- with the mushroom's blessing -- is through personal sessions and ceremonies. You're just starting out, be patient and keep looking!
Q: How much Amanita muscaria should I use?
A: Dosage depends on many factors: Where it came from, how it was handled, prepared, and the potency of the individual mushroom etc. There is no "set" measurement in grams, ounces or amount of caps. We share our safe tips for self-dosing in our book, Sacred Soma Shamans.
Q: I recently bought some dried Amanita online. Is it safe? Can you just email me the right dosage and information I need to take it?
A: All vendor Amanita is suspect. And when you take them, you may die.
Amanita purchased through mail order or internet vendors is either chemically inert or contaminated through mishandling, and I wouldn't take it as a gift. Vendor mushrooms are worthless as a medicinal, spiritual sacrament or recreational drug. One such vendor, JLF, has allegedly had three deaths of youths attributed to his products. Click here to read the full story.
Soma is a sacred mushroom, not a commercial product sold by businesspeople online or in shops. Vendor Amanita is not sacred Soma, it's false soma -- so stale and inert you feel nothing or so highly toxic and unpredictable it can cause longlasting psychological harm.
Remember, a "bad acid" trip is nothing compared to a bad Amanita trip. You could wind up either dead or in a state of psychosis that lasts for months.
Vendors warn, "Not for ingestion!" — we agree.
Q: What types of Amanita do you recommend?
A: If you are going to take Amanita on your own, we strongly recommend positively identified non-commercial Amanita muscaria, and only in moderate doses (see above).
We seriously warn you not to take A. pantherina, A. phalloides, A. virosa or any "yellow", "brown", "green" or "white" colored Amanitas. They're for professionals only.
When we have taken these "high wire" varieties, Hawk carefully checks and shamanically prepares them for us. Without being there to personally check them out, we can't condone their use for anyone else.
Q: You say not to use dried mail-order mushrooms, but are commercial Amanita extracts safe?
A: Using ANY commercial preparation is a risk to your mental and physical health! Powders and extracts can be made from a mishmash of inferior grade Amanita muscaria and deadly A. pantherina, A. phalloides ("Death Cap") and even A. virosa ("Destroying Angel") mixed together.
Don't believe sales pitch lies that drying Amanita at certain temperatures or special extract distillation makes them safe.
Every year, people are poisoned by meals made from Amanita phalloides and pantherina, mistaking the deadly mushroom for edible varities. In an interview with UCSF Daybreak News, Kent R. Olson, MD, warns people, "The poison is not destroyed by cooking."
Why put your life in the hands of a mail-order business that warns not to take their product? These salesmen aren't experienced Soma Shamans who understand Amanita's complex energies and toxins, nor can they accurately determine which mushrooms are best for you.
These dangerous Amanita powders and liquid extracts can be extremely toxic, even fatal to your mind and body. As a medicinal it's dangerous, and as a sacrament it's spiritually worthless, for there is no longer a live mushroom spirit to connect with.
Q: I found some beautiful Amanita muscarias, can I store some for later use?
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Q: Can I order the Soma 101 Book & DVD set with my credit card?
A: We only accept Money Orders, Western Union or MoneyGram. But don't let that stop you from reaching Soma Paradise! Those who are interested can email us for the order form.
Q: I might get your book and DVD someday, so how much are those sessions? When can I arrive?
A: Many people who ask for session information may think they are just doing some harmless "window shopping." But there is spiritual work that Hawk must do to determine the details of a unique soma session for each person.
Once you have ordered, read and watched "Soma 101" (book & DVD set) contact us to make a deposit. After you have made a commitment to do your Soma session with a deposit, Hawk will do the shamanic work to determine details such as date, location, and price (determined by the length of the session.)
We're only interested in spending our time and sharing our Blessed Soma with sincere, well-mannered adults able to follow instructions... no exceptions.
Q: I heard that people who take Amanita get nauseous. Do you have any advice on how to avoid this?
A: Nausea is a symptom of Amanita overdose! It is not an indication of a "good trip." Overdosing on anything is likely to make you nauseous. Our video, Secrets of Soma, and now our book, Sacred Soma Shamans, have all the information you need to ensure a safe and pleasurable experience.
Q: I heard you're supposed to drink the urine of someone who consumed Amanita. Is this true?
A: Ah, the eternal question. To pee or not to pee...
Just to set the record straight, there is absolutely no need to drink the urine of one who has consumed Amanita in order to experience the mushroom high. There is a psychiatric term for those who drink urine: Urophiliac (the enjoyment of drinking ones own urine). (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition)
Though some people claim this is the way to metabolize toxins, converting ibotenic acid into muscimol, preparing Amanita by boiling it for tea has the same effect on the chemical composition of toxins as recycling through urine.
Though it has been noted that Siberians, and the destitute have used this method due to scarcity of supply or dire need to economize, it is not necessary and indeed counterproductive to the spiritual aspects of the Soma experience.
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation on how to prepare and use Amanita and this keeps people from tunng into the finer frequencies of pure Soma consciousness.
Some people suggest boiling dried Amanita for an hour. This will kill its spirit and all that remains is a diluted chemical high. Then if you "recycle" it, you're not only getting a weakened version, you're also drinking waste by products and possibly germs, bacteria and infection (AIDS?) from someone's urinary tract.
According to leading urologist in Australia, DR. Robert Farnsworth "Its possible your urine could be infected,so you're ingesting bacteria and maybe viruses, and that could be hazardous-it's biologically illogical and also hazardous." Read the full transcript by clicking here. [Off-site link. Hit "Back" button to return to Red Angels.]
Though you may have an experience from the fumes of the mushroom, it will never be the one intended by Amanita properly handled and consumed at its spiritual peak.
Hawk knows when to pick, how to prepare, blend energies and harmonize the mushroom to retain its full essence. Just like peyote, and vine, you need the ceremony to recieve the full blessings of Soma. There are sacred laws to obey when you seek a spiritual trip.
He mastered ancient shamanistic skills through extreme personal sacrafise, severe austerities and 30 years experience of almost daily consumption. This wisdom is sacred and precious.
The Soma experience is not supposed to be painful, cause vomitting, humiliation, or result in overdose. It should be one of the most rewarding, uplifting and inspiring experience of your life.
We know people are searching for answers and we're here to guide those who are interested in Soma to the truth and how to handle these divine messengers with the care and love they deserve.
We discourage any practise that defiles or contaminates the purity of Soma unnecessarily. We'd rather have the experience of paradisial bliss from pure Soma essence than false illusion.
For More Information
If you'd like to learn more about Soma, the Amanita muscaria mushroom, our Secrets of Soma DVD is a great way to get acquainted with the delights of Soma, and our Sacred Soma Shamans book takes it to the next level.
