It may well be that the nature of the rites of Eleusis is an intriguing but insoluble problem. But the events described in The Road to Eleusis are remote, and the details of the rites in question were a closely-guarded secret. Wasson and Hofmann are, of course, beloved icons of psychoactive research culture, and their titanic stature imparts credibility. However, it is important to recognize that, while the argument of the book is taken for gospel in some circles, the authors’ hypothesis has not been established with certainty. Anyone familiar with these three authors will not be surprised to learn that The Road to Eleusis is a beautiful and fascinating book. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, and Charles Ruck offer a provocative argument: that the kykeon, the brew that was ritually consumed during the ancient Greek mystery rites of Demeter, was a hallucinogenic potion derived from the sclerotia of the parasitic fungus Claviceps purpurea, or ergot.
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