And of course I found it growing right outside our doctor's office, here in Haarlem.This is the famous fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) of fairy tale lore, one of the earliest psychedelics ever used by humans.
First one I ever found, and I have been hunting mushrooms for years now. Really extraordinary to find one of these inside a city's limits.
This species has a long, curious history of intruding itself into human imagery.
And even, I wonder, about this from the news today...
5 comments:
Dude, it could be a decoy placed there by your doctor. I'm surprised I don't find one like that here in my damp damp office.
Hey, those are illegal even in your hedonistic paradise.
link
Wow. They finally did it. I knew they were discussing ways to keep them out of the hands of tourists, but an outright ban didn't seem likely.
Still, if I'm reading the news stories correctly, it's only the sale and cultivation for sale in shops that's going to be banned.
"The ministers plan to send the legislation to parliament on Oct. 15 for final approval," said Karin Donk, a spokeswoman for the health ministry. Using the mushrooms will not be illegal, she said."
I imagine the spores will still be legal, and the Dutch government will not be going after the "home aficionado."
Yep, that's the way to do it--just turn it into a black market. Should reduce the hell out of unwanted behavior.
The mushroom pictured in this post is legal and always has been, for the record. (It's other-lookin' kinds of mushrooms that are maybe going to be made illegal in Holland.) Though legal, the fly agaric is fairly a bad idea generally -- and if misidentified, its cousins are lethal. A lot of thoughtful caution and diligent study is highly recommended, reportedly. Use with watchful moderation, if not extreme caution -- if at all.
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