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The Wild Kindness; A Psilocybin Odyssey
The Wild Kindness: A Psilocybin Odyssey is the lyrical, unforgettable memoir of Bett Williams's relationship with psilocybin mushrooms, otherwise known as magic mushrooms. In pursuit of self-healing, she begins experimenting with mushrooms in solitary ceremonies by the fire. Word soon gets out about her New Mexican desert mushroom farm, though, and people arrive in droves. Not long after, the police read her her Miranda Rights, her relationships fall out of whack, and her dog Rosie just might be CIA.
On a quest to find help through the psychedelic community, Bett is led to Cleveland to meet Kai Wingo, an African American leader within a high-dose psilocybin community, and to Huautla de Jiménez, home of well-known, well-respected curandera María Sabina. Back home, Bett begins a solid ritual practice with the help of her partner and friends, bearing in mind the medicine's indigenous roots and power to transform one's life.
On a quest to find help through the psychedelic community, Bett is led to Cleveland to meet Kai Wingo, an African American leader within a high-dose psilocybin community, and to Huautla de Jiménez, home of well-known, well-respected curandera María Sabina. Back home, Bett begins a solid ritual practice with the help of her partner and friends, bearing in mind the medicine's indigenous roots and power to transform one's life.
280 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
34 people are currently reading
821 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
July 3, 2020
https://rogueliterarysociety.com/f/th...
...I suggest you look into it yourself. Three to five grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms should be sufficient to achieve clear-sightedness. Keep your wits and don’t do anything stupid. When you land solidly back to earth, you will have had the only psychedelic experience that really matters—the one that is your own…
Of course, Michael Pollan in his hugely successful book suggests otherwise. Controlled setting, professional guides, whatever. Bett Williams is a renegade, scary at times, but based on my long ago past experience, makes more sense the further I read. A rather disjointed, trippy sort of book, nonetheless Williams writes honestly about what she does and does not know.
...Vortexes of good fortune are usually preceded by a person who appears as a clown or trickster…
I wish that statement above were true for me, but typically it is an omen that my pants will soon be on fire.
The cure lies in glimpsing the whole, seeing things from a different angle, getting to the root of the imbalance. Maybe we discover that there is no root of the problem at all, that many of our sicknesses are nothing more than calcified mental phantoms based on ego attachment to our own stories of suffering…
The death of the ego. The realization that we are mere specks and ultimately matter little to the entire scheme of things. Possibly helpful to a person obsessed.
...Terry Allen writes songs about truckloads of art crashing on the highway, Billy the Kid, the fall of the Aztec Empire, Alice the child prostitute, Antonin Artaud in a state of peyote delirium facing annihilation by forces of the uncontrollable feminine—all in the cadence of a country song about a guy and his truck and his dog…our dads would have loved Terry Allen’s long, detailed ballads, accompanied by slide guitar, violin, and mariachi accordions…
The greatest gift in reading is being made aware of others that were previously unknown to you. I can’t tell you the number of new and different writers, musicians, educators, artists, and on, that I have discovered through constantly reading. Terry Allen is another in my still-growing list of gratitudes.
...How insignificant is a white man in a sandstorm, reaching in his pocket for a packet of saltine crackers he saved from the diner?
One great sentence. And apropos to the subject of our ultimate unimportance.
...Psychedelic plants and fungi have had their proving ground for thousands of years and the evidence of their effectiveness already exists, noted in anthropological texts and artifacts, and more importantly, in living traditions all over the world. We know this already.
How many capitalist projects actively depend on human beings forgetting what they already know and possess in order for it to be sold back to them for a price?
Bett Williams makes me think, which is good. She makes me aware of the possible sham in the normalizing of psychedelic drugs for professional use. She also makes good use of her experience as a proving ground for their effectiveness in achieving a better and more intuitive and instructive life. I only wish there was more information as to where to procure these teaching fungi rather than the often-suspect black market. This book is a useful tool in order to be responsibly forewarned before using these powerful drugs. Obviously they are not meant for everyone.
...I suggest you look into it yourself. Three to five grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms should be sufficient to achieve clear-sightedness. Keep your wits and don’t do anything stupid. When you land solidly back to earth, you will have had the only psychedelic experience that really matters—the one that is your own…
Of course, Michael Pollan in his hugely successful book suggests otherwise. Controlled setting, professional guides, whatever. Bett Williams is a renegade, scary at times, but based on my long ago past experience, makes more sense the further I read. A rather disjointed, trippy sort of book, nonetheless Williams writes honestly about what she does and does not know.
...Vortexes of good fortune are usually preceded by a person who appears as a clown or trickster…
I wish that statement above were true for me, but typically it is an omen that my pants will soon be on fire.
The cure lies in glimpsing the whole, seeing things from a different angle, getting to the root of the imbalance. Maybe we discover that there is no root of the problem at all, that many of our sicknesses are nothing more than calcified mental phantoms based on ego attachment to our own stories of suffering…
The death of the ego. The realization that we are mere specks and ultimately matter little to the entire scheme of things. Possibly helpful to a person obsessed.
...Terry Allen writes songs about truckloads of art crashing on the highway, Billy the Kid, the fall of the Aztec Empire, Alice the child prostitute, Antonin Artaud in a state of peyote delirium facing annihilation by forces of the uncontrollable feminine—all in the cadence of a country song about a guy and his truck and his dog…our dads would have loved Terry Allen’s long, detailed ballads, accompanied by slide guitar, violin, and mariachi accordions…
The greatest gift in reading is being made aware of others that were previously unknown to you. I can’t tell you the number of new and different writers, musicians, educators, artists, and on, that I have discovered through constantly reading. Terry Allen is another in my still-growing list of gratitudes.
...How insignificant is a white man in a sandstorm, reaching in his pocket for a packet of saltine crackers he saved from the diner?
One great sentence. And apropos to the subject of our ultimate unimportance.
...Psychedelic plants and fungi have had their proving ground for thousands of years and the evidence of their effectiveness already exists, noted in anthropological texts and artifacts, and more importantly, in living traditions all over the world. We know this already.
How many capitalist projects actively depend on human beings forgetting what they already know and possess in order for it to be sold back to them for a price?
Bett Williams makes me think, which is good. She makes me aware of the possible sham in the normalizing of psychedelic drugs for professional use. She also makes good use of her experience as a proving ground for their effectiveness in achieving a better and more intuitive and instructive life. I only wish there was more information as to where to procure these teaching fungi rather than the often-suspect black market. This book is a useful tool in order to be responsibly forewarned before using these powerful drugs. Obviously they are not meant for everyone.
March 1, 2021
More like 3.5 stars but I’ll round up. Read this after reading the other mushroom book. I both loved and disliked it - there are many lovely and astute parts and the author’s voice is humorous, creative, and fantastical. Maybe I have broke woke internet brain but there’s a lot of iffy cultural appropriation, woo, and hippie-isms that turned me off. I’m not sure if I have the right to be grumpy about these things but it just seemed weird that there were passages where the author seemingly feels self-conscious about it but doesn’t delve into her rationalizations/reconciliations on the same topics and continues to use a sweat lodge for dog prayers and throws the words “in ceremony” around quite a bit. Again, just felt a bit cringe and iffy to me. Nonetheless enjoyable read for someone who really digs creative memoir (one of my fav genres).
October 10, 2020
Eclectric adventure of Psilocybin culture from a New Mexico based underground grower/journalists/explorer.
Unlike Pollan's famous book, this odyssey explores the underground of growers, therapists, recreational users, shamanic, non medical users in a more personal, less medical, more recreational and complex view of a fascinating substance. Wonderful review of a deep culture. Fun ride.
Unlike Pollan's famous book, this odyssey explores the underground of growers, therapists, recreational users, shamanic, non medical users in a more personal, less medical, more recreational and complex view of a fascinating substance. Wonderful review of a deep culture. Fun ride.
July 19, 2021
exactly what i needed when i needed it. my new favorite book on psychedelics and one of my new favorite books, period. bett is deeply weird + hilarious + wise + thinks/writes in a way that makes your heart race because, thank god there are still ways to be so deeply surprised by the world, right? which is exactly how i feel when i trip.
May 25, 2021
Rounding up to a four here, but it’s close enough. This is a free wheeling ride through the magical mycelium... There are some funny stories, and some weird, slightly unfocused ones too.
One one hand, some really cogent points around why psilocybin mushrooms should be decriminalised, and why more research as to their clear benefits should be undertaken. On the other hand, also some evidence as to what taking too many mushrooms will do to you...
One one hand, some really cogent points around why psilocybin mushrooms should be decriminalised, and why more research as to their clear benefits should be undertaken. On the other hand, also some evidence as to what taking too many mushrooms will do to you...
June 1, 2021
Amusing yet tedious. I get it Bett, you have eaten mushrooms and acid more than most people have eaten tuna sandwiches, however your trip reports become a bore and your humor is laced with passive aggression towards the heterosexual community who more than likely hold nothing against you- they just don't care. So basically we have a couple of lesbians running around the country in what appears to be a bad pastiche of a Hunter S Thompson book. I enjoy mushrooms as much as the next person but they don't define my life, they are a nice way to open the occasional portal in what our brains have closed off to us. This could have been a great read but ultimately it's unsatisfying. The author misses the entire point- the mushrooms are taken to dissolve the ego, not to expand it by competitively trying to prove she's the greatest psycohnaught of the new millennium. Borrow it from the library -there are better books to spend your money on, one being Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
December 28, 2020
rly beautiful writing and some really important stories but it was just really muddled and felt more like someone’s diary, in which there were too many passages with no context and could only be understood by the writer. it was a struggle to get through those, and they were pretty frequent throughout
April 4, 2021
Great read, fabulous author,very down to earth lovely person who without hesitation answered my question posted to her on Instagram. I look forward to another book of yours Bett. Thank you for getting this book published. Rock on sister.
July 11, 2024
It’s magical realism and memoir with mushrooms. Beautiful. And I love Bett’s perspective on the spiritual, honoring, intersectional use of psychedelics.
February 14, 2022
An absolute trip, for lack of a better term. Williams approaches mushrooms with an intense religiosity that I haven't encountered since my conservative Christian upbringing. It's fascinating to witness such a degree of commitment, ritualism - and yes, intractability - in a novel setting (novel for me, at least). This book is a reminder that spiritual commitment can arise in any place, and be directed towards any symbol, be it an Abrahamic God, a Buddha, or a mushroom.
There are some stunning passages in here, both for the prose and the eccentricity of detail. The book doesn't follow much structure from chapter to chapter, it's more of a series of experiences, insights, practices, and beliefs that center around the author's mushroom worship.
There's also an interesting social justice facet to the material. Williams consistently tries to be the best white person she can be. She often reckons with what that means while also flagellating herself for thinking she's above whitness just because she's interrogating her whiteness. If that sort of turtles all the way down thinking doesn't entice you, I wouldn't recommend reading this.
I didn't leave the book feeling convinced to adopt William's practices into my life, nor did I feel like I gleaned any major insights. What I left with was a ton of respect. Williams is no Pinchbeck, she isn't cosplaying this lifestyle. Her commitment is so damn engaging, even when I don't know what the hell she's talking about. Which is unfortunately quite often.
There are some stunning passages in here, both for the prose and the eccentricity of detail. The book doesn't follow much structure from chapter to chapter, it's more of a series of experiences, insights, practices, and beliefs that center around the author's mushroom worship.
There's also an interesting social justice facet to the material. Williams consistently tries to be the best white person she can be. She often reckons with what that means while also flagellating herself for thinking she's above whitness just because she's interrogating her whiteness. If that sort of turtles all the way down thinking doesn't entice you, I wouldn't recommend reading this.
I didn't leave the book feeling convinced to adopt William's practices into my life, nor did I feel like I gleaned any major insights. What I left with was a ton of respect. Williams is no Pinchbeck, she isn't cosplaying this lifestyle. Her commitment is so damn engaging, even when I don't know what the hell she's talking about. Which is unfortunately quite often.
March 29, 2023
“They [mushrooms] seem to be here to do what mushrooms do, which is help organisms be in balance with the ecosystem as the earth changes.” “When the people do mushrooms with one another, it is a revolutionary act. It's stealing power.”
Bett is an ambassador of the mushroom. Taking us through some spectacular trips experienced with their community, honouring the medicines indigenous roots. As the teacher [mushroom] and the student [Bett, their community and each of us], take us through their journey, I can’t help but hear their calling [to be in ceremony].
“Psychedelic plants and fungi have had their proving ground for thousands of years and the evidence of their effectiveness as a medicine already exists, noted in anthropological texts and artifacts, and more importantly, in living traditions all over the world. We know this already. How many capitalist projects actively depend on human beings forgetting what they already know and possess in order for it to be sold back to them for a price?”
Bett is an ambassador of the mushroom. Taking us through some spectacular trips experienced with their community, honouring the medicines indigenous roots. As the teacher [mushroom] and the student [Bett, their community and each of us], take us through their journey, I can’t help but hear their calling [to be in ceremony].
“Psychedelic plants and fungi have had their proving ground for thousands of years and the evidence of their effectiveness as a medicine already exists, noted in anthropological texts and artifacts, and more importantly, in living traditions all over the world. We know this already. How many capitalist projects actively depend on human beings forgetting what they already know and possess in order for it to be sold back to them for a price?”
March 10, 2021
This book was absolutely amazing from beginning to end. Bett Williams takes the reader into the underground realm of psychedelia, and shares her own personal rituals while taking the reader on a journey through a mystical realm shown to her by the mushrooms.
I wanted to finish this book in a single go, but had to withhold myself to be able to sit with the pieces of Bett's journey, and fully digest everything going on. Humor, humility, anger and happiness fill the pages as Bett describes many of her journeys and visions shown to her by the mushrooms. From talking dogs, to ghostly spirits, to helping others that edging towards the edge of an existential crisis, this book has it all.
Reminiscent of a modern day "True Hallucinations" that takes place in New Mexico.
The Wild Kindness is sure to become one of the go to books on the psychedelic experience.
I wanted to finish this book in a single go, but had to withhold myself to be able to sit with the pieces of Bett's journey, and fully digest everything going on. Humor, humility, anger and happiness fill the pages as Bett describes many of her journeys and visions shown to her by the mushrooms. From talking dogs, to ghostly spirits, to helping others that edging towards the edge of an existential crisis, this book has it all.
Reminiscent of a modern day "True Hallucinations" that takes place in New Mexico.
The Wild Kindness is sure to become one of the go to books on the psychedelic experience.
Read
January 24, 2023An interesting exercise in reading something where I can both strongly agree and disagree at the same time. I had a good time but not necessarily because of the material, but the ways I responded to the material and reflected on my own personal opinion. I can’t rate it because at different points I was having one star experiences followed by five star experiences like ten pages later. A useful reminder to sometimes just pick up a book I know very little about and just experience whatever is inside, good or bad
August 11, 2022
Jo vairāk lasu par likuma aizliegto, jo mazāk spēju saprast, kā brīviem cilvēkiem laikmetā un valstīs, kas tā novērtē cilvēka brīvību, var aizliegt darīt noteiktas lietas.
Daudz jauna, foršā formātā, gan biogrāfiski, gan tehniski, gan ar atsaucēm uz man pilnīgi nezināmiem cilvēkiem (rakstniekiem, šamaņiem, andergraunda leģendām), gan – diezgan pārsteidzoši – jau lasītiem un goodreads atzīmētiem.
p.s. Beidzot būšu iemācījies, kā raksta un izrunā vārdu PSILOCIBĪNS.
Daudz jauna, foršā formātā, gan biogrāfiski, gan tehniski, gan ar atsaucēm uz man pilnīgi nezināmiem cilvēkiem (rakstniekiem, šamaņiem, andergraunda leģendām), gan – diezgan pārsteidzoši – jau lasītiem un goodreads atzīmētiem.
p.s. Beidzot būšu iemācījies, kā raksta un izrunā vārdu PSILOCIBĪNS.
June 23, 2022
Went into this thinking it would be coming from more of a scientific/non-fiction standpoint, so initially I was disappointed. Once I started reading it for what it was, I really enjoyed it.
January 5, 2024
It was really amazing to read about Bett’s journey with psychedelics. Always eye opening to see someone else’s perspectives and life experiences. I really enjoyed it!
March 6, 2021
I loved journeying alongside Bett in this book.
I can see why it has been so positively reviewed by people who aren't "psychedelic" people as well as psilocybin enthusiasts like myself.
It is really accessible, in general, while still feeling true to the experience of psilocybin enough to keep psy-peoples engaged and immersed.
I can see why it has been so positively reviewed by people who aren't "psychedelic" people as well as psilocybin enthusiasts like myself.
It is really accessible, in general, while still feeling true to the experience of psilocybin enough to keep psy-peoples engaged and immersed.
January 12, 2025
Bett Williams crafts a captivating tale taking us through her life with psilocybin, through the ups and downs. She's got the (fake) DEA, spirit dogs, and trickster energy from the fungi, helpful advice, all told through a hysterical filter. Highly recommend if you're into psychedelics or reading about them.
March 31, 2021
I loved this book! Bett’s prose flows, becoming the spoken word of moments from her life. It describes her adventures and misadventures, her hobbies and “people,” her queer friends, hippies, new age tourists; the mushrooms she learned to grow in her home in New Mexico. The places she went to, the people she talked to, no one left out! When you compare it to the many psychedelic books that simply restate how LSD was discovered and how Maria Sabina factored in to the eventual popularity of psilocybin and other psychedelics, this novel leaves out such dry historical details and instead explains the psychedelic culture through Bett’s own personal intentions and experiences.
We read about how Bett was tripping with several guests at her home with her altar and psilocybin mushrooms, and how some of these experiences were beautiful and others more problematic. We read about her cute little dogs, including Chihuahuas! Or how she took a half tab of LSD with a friend at a concert, and as she came to enjoy the concert she put it into this book in prose. We see how she visited Maria Sabina’s hometown in Mexico and inadvertently attended a psilocybin healing ceremony. Furthermore, we notice how Bett dedicates herself to invoking Maria Sabina’s healing chants and is nearly Wiccan-like in her knowledge of herbs and plants.
Bett occasionally manifests the pensive, dreaming five-year-old prodigy in all of us! She doesn’t talk about psychedelic culture as much as she lives it! Her views on being against integration, against clinical use without recreational use; skepticism of gatekeepers and trip guides, and condemnation of the corporatization of the use of psilocybin (such as legal magic mushrooms gained from corporate and / or clinical settings) are refreshing!
We read about how Bett was tripping with several guests at her home with her altar and psilocybin mushrooms, and how some of these experiences were beautiful and others more problematic. We read about her cute little dogs, including Chihuahuas! Or how she took a half tab of LSD with a friend at a concert, and as she came to enjoy the concert she put it into this book in prose. We see how she visited Maria Sabina’s hometown in Mexico and inadvertently attended a psilocybin healing ceremony. Furthermore, we notice how Bett dedicates herself to invoking Maria Sabina’s healing chants and is nearly Wiccan-like in her knowledge of herbs and plants.
Bett occasionally manifests the pensive, dreaming five-year-old prodigy in all of us! She doesn’t talk about psychedelic culture as much as she lives it! Her views on being against integration, against clinical use without recreational use; skepticism of gatekeepers and trip guides, and condemnation of the corporatization of the use of psilocybin (such as legal magic mushrooms gained from corporate and / or clinical settings) are refreshing!
December 31, 2021
I picked this up because I love reading about people's trip experiences (it's like hearing someone describe a dream, but it's always more coherent somehow). This unusual memoir ended up being a lot more than just that for me, but I'm still digesting. I don't agree with everything she said - even though I do get her argument against gatekeeping psychedelics by limiting them to clinical settings...I still think getting that usage legalized would be a huge step to more broad legalization.
July 27, 2020
An absolutely exceptional memoir! It took me on an unexpected journey where I learned about people that enchanted me and a lifestyle that mesmerized me. I had such an amazing time reading this book and wish I could read it for the first time all over again. Bett Williams is a talented writer whose prose swept me up and carried me for all two hundred and eighty pages.
May 2, 2023
I just wanna hang out with Bett and the dogs and the mushrooms, maybe have a bath outside...
Read
September 13, 2023DNF (stopped on p. 146).
July 14, 2022
This is the second book I finished this week, but I am not ready to put this one up in our bookshelf yet. I am still going back to several pages I marked, and wrapping my head around so many topics. I love a good novel here and there; but (to me) nothing compares to an educational book, especially in one of my favorite topics! This book is filled with so many insightful views about our psycodelic culture. This book wasn’t only about her incredible mushroom trips and adventures. It’s was not only about her relationship with such a sacred medicine. The author talks about her thoughts against clinical use without recreation, her views on normalizing psycodelic drugs and the controversy she encountered within the psycodelic movement itself. I am still digesting everything. She gives a lot of information and insight.
I am also insanely thankful for learning about so many new authors she mentioned, and different educators on this topic. This is not a book for everyone, especially if you get offended too easily. Some other reviewers noted her racism against white people - it did not bother me. I will most likely read this one again, 2 or 3 times! 🍄🍄🍄
I am also insanely thankful for learning about so many new authors she mentioned, and different educators on this topic. This is not a book for everyone, especially if you get offended too easily. Some other reviewers noted her racism against white people - it did not bother me. I will most likely read this one again, 2 or 3 times! 🍄🍄🍄
December 31, 2020
Beautifully honest trajectory of one woman’s transcendent journey, indicative to plant medicine healing and that's what psilocybin mushrooms are; plant medicine.
Insightful, mesmerizing and powerful.
Insightful, mesmerizing and powerful.
March 21, 2021
Betts writing is so delicious and I eat it up. I’ve never really felt someone else exploring a subject across a breadth of time and brain and space in a way that I so personally identify with. Mycelium indeed. Thank you Brett. It was an honor to join you on this experience.
-Boone
-Boone
April 12, 2022
I have read this book 3 times and will return for a 4th. Bett Williams takes this topic, interesting enough already, and meshes with a mycelial network of personal tales that are truly astounding. Life well lived, stories perfectly told, all aided by a lot of wise mushrooms.
April 27, 2022
I picked up this book because the energy in the cover felt good. I love the energy of this book. It is a quirky, insightful into the world of psychedelic mushrooms with an introduction to many intriguing characters and adventures. I quite enjoy this book.
April 6, 2023
Anti-capitalist and anti-medical industrial complex psylocibin manifesto that speaks to indigenous and self-created histories of psychedelics, narrated by a lesbian author surrounded by a New Mexico landscape. At times deeply self aware, at others lacking.
Read
January 24, 2025trips are like dreams: amazing to experience, extremely boring to hear about someone else's. My favorite parts of this book were about the communities of people invested in mushrooms more so than mushrooms themselves.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews