Mike Crowley - Were Mushrooms a Women's Secret?

Psychedelic mushrooms are the likely true substance behind various ancient mythological accounts, according to Mike Crowley. He examines literary and mythological tales from ancient Greece, Hinduism, and other traditions, arguing that specific deity narratives often contain allegorical references to the preparation and use of hallucinogenic fungi, which appear suddenly in stories as divine intermediaries or sources of enlightenment. Many of these myths emphasize the role of women in the rituals associated with these substances. The accounts often detail the secret harvesting or consumption of the materials in secluded, non-patriarchal settings, suggesting that historically, the deeper knowledge of entheogens may have resided within female-led spheres of practice before being co-opted or obscured by later male-dominated societal structures.