She said let’s take a trip to the soul, a place within and far beyond all human conceptions, a place where we are free.
Have you ever dreamt of flying light as a feather, in heart and mind, body and soul? Well, what if I told you you could? Not only in the deepest stages of sleep but also while you’re awake. As a psychonaut, a psychedelic astronaut of sorts, the whole universe suddenly lays at your feet.
Since the days of Maria Sabina in the 60s, the first well-known shaman of our time from Mexico, the knowledge of the healing power of plants has spread to western culture. In indigenous traditions around the world, plants had already been naturally used as medicine for thousands of years. Lately, for us westerners, Ayahuasca seems to be the go-to psychedelic used as means to connect with the healing powers of the plant kingdom. What used to be known as a sacred ceremony for people suffering from otherwise incurable diseases has somewhat become a mainstream industry. Say what you will, but it’s helped the psychedelic revival of our time be more prominent than ever.
Let’s be honest though, being tied to 3D reality can sometimes seem like a drag, and once you’ve experienced higher dimensions through psychedelics, such as LSD, magic mushrooms, or others, life can start to become easier to navigate. Having experimented with many of the psychedelic medicines myself, I’ve found the healing powers of these brilliant herbs of mother nature are truly astounding. Not only will they save you years of therapy, but they will activate dormant parts of your being, opening you up for more channels of energy, inspiration, creativity, and emotional and intellectual intelligence to be at your disposal.
Do Shrooms Make You Smarter?
According to the “Stoned Ape” theory, first posited by Terrence McKenna, author, scientist and one of the most grandiose psychonauts of our time, the human evolution and the doubling of the human brain capacity could be attributed to the idea that monkeys ate psychedelic mushrooms.
I like to look at psychedelics as an activation, a catalyst for new ways of thinking, and hence, being. It puts you in a state of high brain activity where new pathways are created, which allows for new ways of thinking that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. With a disciplined mind, you can then introduce new healthy positive habits and rid yourself of the unhealthy ones.
On the note of Terrence McKenna, the greatest psychonaut of our time developed a vocabulary most rappers only could dream of. You can see in the graph below his picture in the top only surpassed by GZA, Kool Keith, and Aesop Rock.
LSD, Magic Mushrooms and Micro Dosing
Recently, science has opened up to the medical use of micro-dosing, which is, very small doses, hardly noticeable taken during extended periods of time. Studies show promising results regarding the use of magic mushrooms as means of treating depression and anxiety. On top of that, micro-dosing is believed to boost creativity and productivity levels. Having experimented with this myself I can attest to its efficiency, LSD micro-dosing will give you hours of focused work, without distractions or interruptions. Like drinking 5 cups of coffee, but with no raised heartbeat.
Granted there’s a lot more to explore in this field, and the correct methodologies are still being defined. Still, it looks like we might be around the corner of revolutionary treatments for mental afflictions.
The Transformative Power and Effects for Therapeutic Use
If you have seen the movie Fantastic Fungi you’ll know that the ordinary mushrooms in nature work as the digestive system of the earth, decomposing all matter that is old or dying. The same purpose goes for magic mushrooms, the psilocybin-containing mushrooms. They decompose anything that is without matter in our bodies, they work on the emotional, mental, and spiritual matters of our being.
Hallucinogenic mushrooms give you the opportunity to see yourself exactly for what you are, I see it as getting to see yourself from the objective perspective, or consciousness, of the earth. With all her wisdom, love, and care, you can walk yourself through the darkest corners of your being. You’ll be able to rid yourself of layers of fears, buried emotions, depression, and anxiety. Moreover, if you’re ready for it you could face traumas that are deeply stored within your body.
The Work and The Effects of Magic Mushrooms
Working with shrooms over an extended period of time, as James W Jesso describes in his book ”Decomposing the Shadow”, inspired me to do my own journeys quite frequently. Having experience working with different plant medicines I wasn’t afraid to go all in.
My shroom adventures began as I was living in the jungle in Panama, where I eventually learned to pick them when a perfect combination of sunlight and rain had conspired for golden caps to pop up from the cow pats in the fields. The golden teachers, a type of mushroom growing freely in the tropics were the initiation to a journey of working with “the flesh of the gods”, as the ancient Aztecs called them.
The work then is just you being with yourself and a fair dose of shrooms in one go. For me, it normally works like this;
- Brew a tea
- Find a safe, comfy space, with no distractions and some calming music
- Set your intentions
- Sip the tea, and wait
I set my intentions beforehand, but always trust the mushrooms to bring up what I’m ready to work with at that moment. The intentions I set can span anywhere from working on self-love, or forgiveness, to processing heavy emotions. I call it work, because it truly is, it’s tough, it can be scary and it can be heavy, it might not be for the faint-hearted.
During the ceremony, all sorts of memories and insights will well up within you. You might be able to see all the times you expressed a certain behaviour you now wish to change, or suddenly intensely experience emotions that were just lingering in the background before. It’s just you meeting you, doing a spring clean-up, and bringing the subconscious to the surface. The physical effects and short-term effects can include nausea and a sense of heaviness of the body, but they won’t last long.
In my experience, working with shrooms has accumulating and lasting long-term effects, like a happier and healthier mind. In my experience, the things you may go through, the issues you face in a sitting are released and decomposed, and they will be no more. The process creates space for new, creative, and empowered energy to flow freely through your being. All this space that you have freed up within yourself can now be used to build confidence and power, love and compassion. It’s truly a transformational process with positive psychological effects.
Safe travels!
