Abstract
Given that the Liberty Cap, Psilocybe semilanceata, grows in great abundance in Britain and parts of Europe, it might be reasonable to assume that its psychoactive effects have been intentionally sought by people throughout history and prehistory. The Druids are perhaps the best known pre-Christian religious figures from Britain, and in this talk I shall examine what evidence there is, if any, for the Druids employing these ‘magic mushrooms’ in their rituals.
For several hundred years people have been attempting to revive Druidry, and in its current incarnation, Druidry is a neo-Pagan movement, a nature-based spirituality that honours a ‘wheel’ of seasonal festivals and performs public ceremonies at stone circles and other prehistoric sites. I shall also report on findings of my own research into the use of psychedelics by these contemporary Druids. Contrary to expectation, psychedelics remain a minority interest, but where they are employed, we can profitably understand their use through the lens of what has come to be known as ‘the new animism’.
Biography
Andy Letcher is Programme Director for the PGCert and both the online and in-person MSc programmes in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture. He is also Senior Lecturer at EPIC (Exeter Psychedelic Interdisciplinary Centre), the University of Exeter, UK.
He began his career as an ecologist before transitioning into the humanities and the Study of Religion.
His work focuses on the critical and psychological study of so-called “dark green” religions—traditions that centre relationships with the nonhuman world, including Paganism, shamanism, animism, and psychedelic spiritualities. He is particularly interested in how psychedelic experiences are interpreted through religious and spiritual frameworks, as well as the often-unexamined theological assumptions that underpin aspects of psychedelic research, especially in relation to the psychology of mysticism.
Andy Letcher is the author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom (Faber & Faber, 2006), along with numerous academic papers on psychedelics. His recent research explores the use of psychedelics among contemporary Druids.
