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book1978

The Road to Eleusis

Summary

The Road to Eleusis (1978) by R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, and Carl Ruck argues that the kykeon drink at the Eleusinian Mysteries contained an ergot-derived psychedelic compound, and that the ecstatic visions of initiates were due to this psychedelic brew.

Core Contribution

Foundational text of the psychedelic hypothesis of the Eleusinian Mysteries; launched serious academic discussion of entheogenic origins of Greek religion.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Eleusis
  • psychedelics
  • ancient religion
  • entheogens

Historical Influences

Ethnomycology classical scholarship

Intellectual Lineage

R. Gordon Wasson Albert Hofmann Carl Ruck

Allied Works

Soma Persephone's Quest

Contemporaries & Peers

Ethnomycology literature

Minds Influenced

Entheogen research psychedelic origins of religion thesis

Intellectual Posterity

No conceptual posterity found.

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