DOSE: T+ 0:00	14 in	oral	Cacti - T. pachanoi	(fresh)
T+ 1:30		smoked	Cannabis

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

I've been experimenting with psychedelic plants since I was 18 years old, but it wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I really started to get interested in them. Over the course of the year I've taken LSD 5 times, mushrooms 4 times, 'research chemicals' once, and MDMA 3 times. Every experience has left me in awe of the universe and really helped me to appreciate the world around me.

After reading a few experiences online I decided I had to try mescaline for myself. I talked to two of my friends Mike and Alex, and they both said they would love to experience some 'old school shaman magic'. I ordered 4 one foot cuttings of San Pedro cactus and eagerly awaited their arrival. We had planned to trip two weeks after I placed the order but the cacti ended up arriving a week early. I was really eager to experience it so I asked Mike and Alex if they were willing to trip that weekend. Mike agreed but Alex had to back out.

On Friday afternoon I started to prepare two of the cactus cuttings, one for myself and one for Mike. The cacti ended up being bigger then I expected they each weighed about 3 lbs and were about 14'' in length.

Preparation
To begin I washed each of the cacti under cold water and ran my fingers down the grooves. I then cut out all of the spines trying to make the cuts as small as possible as to conserve as much of the green flesh as possible. Cutting the spines took about 1.5 hours. I then cut the cactus down the grooves to get 7 individual pieces. I peeled the skin off of all these pieces (about 3 hours). I then took all of the skinned pieces and put them in a bowl in my freezer. On Saturday morning I took the pieces broke them up and used a mortar and pestle to smash them to a fine liquid. I strained this liquid through a cheese cloth into a bowl (took about 3 hours).

Setting
On Saturday afternoon Mike and I drove out to a state park with the intention of spending the night camping out in the woods. I've always felt that psychedelics really come to life out in nature. We got to the state park and proceeded straight up into the woods. The park is around a huge lake so the view was really incredible. We took our time to find a good spot, and then set up our camp ready to imbibe the liquid cacti.

Mental Setting
I am a really positive person when it comes to psychedelics, they always leave me so right with the world. I always approach them with respect and love. I was a little anxious but mainly very excited for the day.

Experience (all of this took place over a 7.5 hour period of time Saturday afternoon)

We took the liquid from the bowl we had it in and poured it into solo cups, we each had to drink about 1.5 cups. This is some of the nastiest stuff I've ever tasted, it was slimy and sludgy and tasted really bitter. We had to egg each other on to get it all down and ended up nicknaming it 'sludgy cactus brew'. After choking it down and drinking some orange juice we decided to go off on a hike.

The first thing both of us did was pick up walking sticks just something to keep us grounded for the experience. We hiked for about 1.5 hours with very little effect. I had read that vomiting was common but Mike and I only experienced mild nausea. We walked off the hiking trails and found a log to sit on and decided to smoke some marijuana in hoping of activating the cacti. We smoked a small joint and almost immediately a strange calm came over my body. I turned to Mike and said 'You know what's absolutely amazing? Breathing, it's pretty much my favorite thing to do.'

We decided to keep hiking and our conversation took a turn towards what it really means to be alive, what it means to be an animal, and what it means to be a primate. I as a human being am unfathomablely well adapted to the earth's environment. I breathe air, I drink water, I can eat just about anything, my body's senses are so well adapted to detect and deal with threats of any kind. Even the act of picking up walking sticks is a threat-reducing activity.

I really broke into my unconscious mind that day, I realized just how many things I'm doing that I've never paid any attention to. I am constantly adapting to my environment and to the stimuli I receive from the environment. I felt so incredibly alive, I am so incredibility alive.

The visuals I experienced were very very subtle, I would think a thought and receive a background image of what I was thinking. I felt like I was sensing hallucinations rather then seeing them in the environment. I could sense my 'vibe' the general mood you send out to the environment around you. My vibe was interacting with Mike's vibe and I could sense his vibe and he could sense mine.

We talked about karma and how important it is to be good to people in your life and to put out really good vibes. If I put out good vibes I will attract good vibes. The more good vibes I put out, the more people with good vibes I'll bring into my life. The more happiness I bring into the world, the more happiness will be brought to me.

My favorite part of the experience was when we were sitting on a hilltop overlooking these other campsites and looking at an opposing hill. I felt like I could see so far in all directions. Mike and I were sitting and talking about what it could be like to be a tree. Tree's are alive just as much as I am, but the main difference? They chill so hard. 'Nobody chills harder than the trees'. They just sit in one spot their whole life, living life, putting out amazing energy, causing no harm to the environment and just being one with the planet. They make wonderful oxygen for me to breathe and shade me from the hot sun. I really gained an appreciation for them. Without the tree's I don't exist, they provide my oxygen, without oxygen I cannot live. I am 100% reliant on nature to survive.

I learned how eating good foods is so important to feeling good and feeling happy. Everything starts with my body, without a body I cannot be, so I want my body to be made of the food mother nature spent so many millions of years making for me. You are what you eat!

Wrap Up
The whole experience took place over 7.5 hours and it was one of the most beautiful days of my entire life. Since then I have taken San Pedro on two other occasions, and both experiences have been unique and wonderful in their own right. I try to go on long walks in nature as often as I can. I started eating a ton of fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. The experience feels very beneficial to my life as a whole and I'm still riding off that energy today.

Exp Year: 2013	ExpID: 100928
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 20
Published: Dec 31, 2020	Views: 724
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Cacti - T. pachanoi (64) : Combinations (3), Glowing Experiences (4), First Times (2), Public Space (Museum, Park, etc) (53)