The ‘Bee-Faced Mushroom Shaman’ cave painting was created sometime between 6,000-9,000BCE in Tassili, Algeria. It is thought to be one of the oldest pieces of evidence of psychedelic use in humans. Although this mysterious image seems to point to an ancient psychedelic culture, it is ultimately shrouded in mystery.
The cave painting depicts a humanoid figure, with a bee-like face, and mushrooms protruding from his body. After my first transformative experience with psilocybin mushrooms, I began researching the history of psychedelics and this image has particularly fascinated me ever since. My first impression of this image arose while reading the book “Food of the Gods” by Terence McKenna. Inside the book was a re-creation of the mushroom shaman by his wife Kat McKenna. There are actually two different cave paintings of this mushroom shaman, both created around the same time period and location. It appears that Kat created her image of the shaman based on a composite of these two deteriorated cave paintings. I decided to base my painting on Kat’s interpretation of the two pieces. (These images show below for reference.)
During the painting process, there were nights where I would prostrate in front the piece and ask, “Who are you? What do you mean?”. I never received a clear answer. His meaning is truly a mystery, but an interesting interpretation began to take hold as the painting materialized.
To set the stage, the mushrooms surrounding his body are a rather blatant proclamation that we are dealing with psychedelic experiences catalyzed by psilocybin mushrooms. His body is made of an apparent netting, as if he’s holding the fabric of space-time together. His aggressive stance is rather intimidating; yet not menacing. He seems to be a guardian or gatekeeper to an ecstatic psychedelic dimension. Be warned, this journey is not for the faint of heart. You must not fear confrontation if you wish imbibe the sacrament and embark on this transcendent journey. Prepare to be challenged to your core. All that you think you know will vanish, and more than you ever thought to be possible will overwhelm you.
Is this the true meaning? I really don’t know and would never claim to know. It’s simply the story that came to my understand during the creative process.
I’m so fascinated to know who created these original cave paintings. Truthfully, it feels a bit spooky to be following in the footsteps of a psychedelic artist that created the cave painting 8,000-11,000 years ago. Both artists (them and I) imbibing the same substances, millennia apart, and catching a glimpse of something truly other-worldly. I wonder if he even knew exactly who this figure was. Did he see this being during a breakthrough psilocybin experience? Did a human shaman take on this form in an altered state? The research of, and pursuit of, this particular piece has left me with far more questions than answers. Funny enough, that seems to be exactly in the spirit of the psychedelic experience.
Some notes on how I decided to paint this rendition of the ‘Bee-Faced Mushroom Shaman’:
-The original cave painting had no background, it was simply the figure. I decided to create a large grid spanning the whole painting, with the main figure and other forms growing out of that grid. I think this underlying grid is an effective way to represent the interconnectedness of all things, whether in this dimension or beyond.
-On the bottom of the painting are green mountains and streams. Tassili is currently one of the driest climates on earth, but at the time of the original cave painting it was a lush ‘garden of eden’. This brings context to the time and place of the painting’s origin.
-Behind the shaman is a matrix of symbols, shapes, and letters which represent the unbridled extreme downloads that are experienced in a highly altered state. He is the barrier between us and those shapes. Letting us know that the mixture of mushrooms and courage are needed in order to reach that dimension.
-The two large laughing mushrooms on either side of his head are a depiction of beings that I have personally interacted with during transcendent experiences. They serve as a counterpoint to the intimidating shaman. After passing though that treacherous threshold of grounded sobriety to transcendent realms, I have been met countless times by these entities. They laugh at all my fear, worries, and doubts; letting me know that it’s all okay and to not take things so seriously. My hope is that these figures and the original shaman figure act to balance each other out to create a harmonious piece of art.
I am very interested in other viewer’s interpretations of this artwork. Both the original cave painting and my rendition of it. Also, if you have additional information shedding light on the nature of this being it would be very cool to share. Thank you!!!
