The Spiritual Use of Entheogens

[godwide_void]

Excellent post godwide and I agree with all of it. I would highly recommend you check out Timothy Leary and his work to do with psychedelic consciousness exploration in particular his eight-circuit model of consciousness.

Oh and just wondering if you have tried LSD? I found LSD to be much more potent then mushrooms, the analogy I would make was on mushrooms I felt like a part of the earth in fact me and my friend insisted we felt like mushrooms in a giant tree while on them hehe, then on LSD I felt like a part of the universe.

I'm somewhat familiar with Leary and his eight circuit model and would like to counter-suggest you Anterro Alli's book Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide To Reality Selection which draws heavily on Leary's eight circuit model and applies it towards intelligence increase. Although I actually haven't immersed myself too much in Leary's works nor did he impact me significantly.

As for LSD I have tried it a handful of times and the experience to me really struck me as being very "digital" as opposed to LSA which has a very spiritual air to the experience. For instance, during one powerful experience on several potent blotters I felt as though I'd "accessed the consciousness debugging mode" and I'd felt like a "reality hacker". My mind felt extremely computerized and the world around me appeared increasingly more holographic.

As for mushrooms, my first few experiences were difficult to stay grounded on and they were the most 'rollercoaster'-esque sacraments I've ever had, although the range of psychic and spiritual phenomenon that I've experienced from them (namely when combined with an MAOI and at heroic dosages) merit my acknowledgement of their power. In fact, if I were to ever come across them again anytime soon I wouldn't engage in the experience without combining them with Syrian Rue. One experience ended up with my observing, behind closed eyes, a vast chamber with what appeared to be a council of several 'godhead' looking entities towering over me, and another resulted in my seeing a gigantic eye staring back at me for 2-3 weeks whenever I'd closed my eyes.

Have you ever tried combining them with Syrian Rue? Both the length and intensity of the experience become doubled (e.g. 3g would feel like 5 and the 4-6 hour experience becomes 8-10!). Especially if you lemon-tek the mushrooms prior to ingestion, which is basically grinding them to powder and steeping them in lemon juice for 30-45 minutes which results in the mimicking of the conversion of psilocybin to psilocin in the stomach causing the intensity to double but the duration to shorten, if taken alone. Lemon-tekking them and ingesting them after having taken Syrian Rue or any other MAOI is a very powerful experience and the combination feels very much like Ayahuasca.

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Excellent post indeed, I got a lot out of that. I LOVE talking about psychedelics.

My initial experiences were emotionally purgative and allowed me to work through some intense emotional difficulties and approach certain traumas and problems which occasionally shattered my peace of mind, and I am now completely at peace with myself thanks to the emotional healing Ayahuasca catalyzed. After getting those out of the way, I have been able to pursue more "educational" matters, and much of the information revealed to me has been easily integrated.

This was very insightful. This has tied together some thoughts and feelings that have been puzzling me for years. I initially got into entheogens in order to be a "psychonaut" (explorer of the mind) but then later realized I must "catch up" so to speak and become an explorer of the heart.

When I do get back into entheogens my initial experiences will be in the spirit of emotional cleansing and purging, but for now the plants and I have decided we need to hit the pause button on our relationship.

By the way Godwide have you worked with synaptolepis kirkii? It's a dream root from Africa. When taking it it feels like there is some spirit guiding my dreams!

Also cannabis does seem like an odd plant in the context of my spiritual development. It makes me paranoid like no tomorrow but I know it has helped me to some degree in the past. My understanding is that it has taught me all that it has to offer, and possibly vice versa.

On that note I think I will end the night with a big cup of Calea/smoke combo. Oneiromancy IS something I am emotionally prepared to handle.

Whether you're exploring the mind or exploring the heart, you're still sailing out into the oceans of the soul. The entheogenic path will always be there whenever you feel ready to engage in any deeper cleansing or seeking to do work through nature to access the Spirit.

I've heard of that African root but have seen it being called Silene Capensis instead if I remember correctly. Unfortunately I haven't worked with it yet but I'm aware that it's considered supreme for dreamwork. How do you usually take it and how would you compare it to Calea Zacatechichi? How long have you been working with Calea also and what impact has it been having on your dreamscapes? Also, since I'm sure you're all too familiar with the ultra bitterness of Calea tea, I'd like to pass along a recipe to you that I personally devised that not only masks the taste but makes it very sweet and pleasurable to drink!

- Empty out half of a peach teabag, add calea leaves and boil in pot
- The most important ingredient! Add peppermint chamomile teabag to the pot
- Optional, but you can also add saffron teabag
- After the tea's been made and served, add milk and a fair bit of sugar
- Voila! The bitterness is extremely diluted thanks to the milk and the peppermint flavoring guarantees you won't be shuddering in disgust everytime you sip! The slight peach and the saffron also contribute to giving the tea a bold and sweet flavor, and only a very small residual bitterness will linger but fortunately it is mostly lacking.

Cannabis has also been a somewhat tricky one to integrate. I actually very rarely smoke cannabis anymore as I have come to prefer the mental clarity I obtain after weeks of abstaining from it, and in the infrequent times I do smoke nowadays my tolerance has completely tapered off so the experience actually becomes enjoyable again rather than a dull and anxious one that constant use resulted in. I've also cut out marijuana in favor of optimizing my Ayahuasca practice so I'm vibrationally pristine when I engage in the experience without the darkening and dampening effect of cannabis.