26/04/2026
The first weekend of May 2026, Fridaythe 1st through Sundaythe 3rd, I am speaking at Nimbin MardiGrass in the psychedelic tent run by
My first talk on the Friday night is a History of Magic Mushroom Cultivation. I am also doing a talk on fungi identification, basic lab style cultivation, and sitting in on a panel on the Sunday.
Magic Mushrooms have been cultivated since the late 1950s – for almost 70 years – by an impressive community of underground cultivators and researchers. In 1956, mycologist Dr. Roger Heim was gifted a spore print of (cue the nasal tones of Terence McKenna) “Stropharia cubensis” by Valentina and Gordon Wasson. The mushrooms Heim went on to cultivate in his laboratory were the first known indoor flush of “Gold Tops”; of course he sampled them, and two months later he was in Oaxaca with the Wassons foraging for more species…
The history of magic mushroom cultivation contains an array of remarkable individuals, intent on sharing the health and psychological benefits of these quirky fungi. Weaving narratives from an emerging self sufficient counter culture of the 60s, the amazon jungle in the 70s, through the counter cultural abyss of the Reagan years, into the psychedelic renaissance on the 90s and beyond, this talk covers the principal individuals and their contribution to a rich, and vibrant community of dedicated cultivators.
My talks will cover books by some of the classic cultivation innovators, Roger Heim, Oss & Oeric of .academy, Stephen Po***ck, Jeremy Bigwood, of , of , Professor Psilocybe Fanticus, and of course Virginia Haze and Dr Mandrake of
I will also mention a few other important cultivation books, by , , and
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