R. Gordon Wasson was an American ethnomycologist and vice president at J.P. Morgan & Company bank, known for his pioneering research into the use of psychedelic mushrooms in shamanistic rituals. His work became central to the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]'s [[Project MKUltra|MKULTRA Subproject 58]]'s quest for the *teonanáctl* (God's flesh) mushroom[^1]. Wasson and his wife, Valentina, a pediatrician, had been investigating a mushroom cult in Mexico. He had traveled to Mexico twice and was planning a third expedition when he was contacted by [[Andrija Puharich]] and [[Alice Astor Bouverie]]. Wasson explained that the Mexicans believed the mushroom was a pathway to the supernatural and possessed divinatory powers, allowing human consciousness to separate from the physical body[^1]. In August 1954, Wasson shared his information with Puharich, who then briefed his Army superiors on the *teonanáctl* mushroom. The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], however, chose to bypass Puharich and approached Wasson directly through their chemist, [[James Moore]], who posed as a professor[^1]. In June 1955, Wasson, accompanied by photographer Allan Richardson, arrived in Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, and became the first white men in recorded history to eat the divine mushrooms. Wasson reported intense hallucinations but no divinatory powers. Upon his return, he sent a cache of mushrooms to Puharich for chemical analysis[^1]. Wasson's work gained widespread public attention when he struck a publishing deal with *Life* magazine and authored a twelve-page account of his experience titled "Seeking the Magic Mushroom." While he omitted any mention of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]'s involvement, he highlighted the mushroom's alleged ability to access and enhance [[Extrasensory Perception|ESP]]. The article caused a sensation, effectively undermining the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]'s desire to keep the drug a secret psychic weapon under military intelligence control, as pleasure seekers flocked to Mexico to consume *God's flesh*[^1]. ### Footnotes [^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.