DOSE: T+ 0:00	20 g	buccal	Banisteriopsis caapi	(dried)
T+ 1:00	6.5 g	oral	Mushrooms	(ground / crushed)
T+ 1:13	3 bowls	smoked	Cannabis	(plant material)
T+ 1:13		smoked	Tobacco
T+ 5:00	2 bowls	smoked	Cannabis	(plant material)

BODY WEIGHT:

102 kg

PREAMBLE

As those who know me well can attest, I am an avid adventure seeker. Though my pursuit of adventure has taken me many places, my excursions in the land beyond the grave are among those I anticipate with most eagerness.

With my previous mushroom experience nearly a year behind me, I had anticipations of a rough trip from around T - 2 months. I understood that if I was to gain true acceptance in the spirit world, I would need to endure an ordeal. I understood that such an ordeal would not harm me. I did however, greatly underestimate the extent and intensity of the ordeal and the subsequent wear and tear on my psyche. I am pleased to report that the validation I now have has made this worthwhile.

Unlike the previous journey, this time I employed some ancient shamanic technology to enhance the mushroom's effects. By this I mean the bark of the native South American woody vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, provided to me by my friend D. Thanks man. This contains a Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) called Harmaline. I also smoked some cannabis to further enhance my enjoyment!! Hehehe.

SET

My mind was calm and I felt relaxed, although just a little nervous about what the night had in store for me. Bring it on! :))

SETTING

It was a Saturday in October. I had done a little house work during the day and then in the evening I watched most of a Harrison Ford movie.

PREPARATION

I placed some incense sticks on the window sill in my bedroom, ready for lighting. I had my iPod handy should I decide to adjust the mood of the trip with some cool psy trance. I rolled a small joint and placed it on my bed side table. I ensured I had some more cannabis prepared for smoking in a bong (water pipe).

I measured 6.5 grams of dried Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms on a digital scale and put this aside along with my Banisteriopsis caapi sample. I was inclined to take all 13 grams, but I decided that since this was the first time I'd used a MAOI it would be wiser to err on the side of caution. I am glad for this decision because 13 grams would have been entirely superfluous.

I placed a bucket where I could easily reach it in case of nausea. I prepared some milk, blending it with honey to ease the unpleasant taste of my intoxicants and their effects upon my stomach. Finally, I placed my Omega Speedmaster Professional (watch) on my wrist for timing the outcomes.

CAVEAT

Such journeys are *NOT* for the feint of heart. Especially for those with have health or mental/emotional problems. If you must try this, BEWARE that the dose I take here is around 3 times what an average size adult would take for the same effect. Also BEWARE that these drugs cause severe states of detachment from consensual reality and have been known to cause catatonia in some people and discombobulation in others.

TRIP PROPER

Note: I started timing as soon as I had
finished swallowing the mushroom powder.

T minus 1 hour.
I began chewing on the caapi bark, drinking some milk and honey with it. I consumed twice the amount recommended to me by D. Hey man, you know I have to be a hero. :))

A note here about using the caapi: chew it until all the bitterness is gone and then SPIT IT ALL OUT. If you swallow it you'll be rewarded with a 'burning ring of fire' like I was. OUCH!

TIME
I added the mushroom powder to the milk/honey preparation and stirred. Then I swallowed it.

T plus 13 minutes
I just cannot believe that I can already feel the mushroom's effects!! MAOI WOWEEE!!! So I sat down at my desk and smoked 3 large cones/bowls of cannabis mixed with just a little tobacco.

T plus 15 minutes
I now retire to my bed. I listened to some Shpongle (the album Nothing Lasts).

T plus 20 minutes
I can feel the trip coming on very strongly now. Time to turn off the iPod. Then I closed my eyes and within a minute I saw the chrysanthemum pattern. I realised that the mushroom was attempting to emulate a DMT (N-N-dimethyltryptamine) trip. I said 'Stop!'. 'Don't be DMT. Be yourself.' 'Well', it replied. 'There's another side of me that you haven't seen yet.' 'Yeah what's that?' I continued.

Then my ordeal began. For the next four hours I was pinned to my bed and unable to move. During this time my astral body was being 'kneaded' by some unseen force as though it were made of play dough. This caused a 'resonance' in my physical body which felt much like every muscle was in spasm simultaneously. It left me with the impression that no two 'particles' or 'cells' (of my astral body) which were formerly adjacent were adjacent now. In terms of intensity, I can liken my ordeal to death by crucifixion. My experience here verifies what the late Terence McKenna said about mushrooms in that you can tell Psilocybin to be another drug and that it will comply with your directives.

For the first three hours of my torment, my ego would often scream 'AHHHHHH I'M GONNA FUCKING DIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!' It tried desperately to convince me that I had really done it this time and that I would never (in this lifetime) see the outside of a psychiatric ward. Of course I knew that both myself and my ego would survive perfectly intact - at worst only a few more hours to endure. Of course, I was greatly relieved when my ego finally 'died'.

T plus 5 hours
During my ordeal I felt nauseous. So you can surely appreciate my relief now that it was over. I purged (vomited), but did not bring up more than a little food and some traces of the caapi bark that I had swallowed. I then lay in my bed for about an hour, not wanting to move and feeling totally drained.

Then I got up for a 'pit stop'. Before returning to bed, I smoked two more cones/bowls of the prepared cannabis. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this greatly intensified the trip and greatly improved the way I felt.

It was at this time that I first noticed the open-eye hallucinations. Everything had an aura - or a series of them. These 'auras' were most noticeable with strait edged objects. I could see a series a parallel lines surrounding such objects, each successive line tracing the shape of the object.

Now back in my bed, the trip continued. I suddenly sensed a (spirit) presence and then I saw an enormous python. It must have been 25 metres long with a torso around the same size as mine. Its head was about 80 centimetres across at the jaw. It was covered in typical python markings in olive green and tan. I instantly recognised the python as my tormenter. But rather than feeling bitterness, anger or fear; the python's presence made me feel reassured. I felt a sense of affection toward the python, and I sensed that the feeling was mutual.

Then to my surprise and in defiance of physic's laws (two masses cannot occupy the same space at the same time), the python 'dived' into my left side head first and the entire length of its astral body passed through mine!!! What a incredible sensation!! For a brief time our identities were lost. I was the python and the python was me. I could see (in my mind's eye) my astral body adopt the colour scheme and shape of the python! Although I had no dialogue with the python, I look forward to future encounters with my new spirit guide and companion.

T plus 7 hours
This heralded the end of the trip proper. Although I still had the open-eye hallucinations, my journey in the spirit world was for now complete. I felt much better, having now a severe case of the tryptamine giggles. Thinking of some things sent me into hysterics!! Things like the movie the night before, teasing the hot babe at work and more.

T plus 8 hours
The effects of the drug are no longer perceptible. The trip is over.


DICHOTOMY

During the trip, I found myself confounded by many dichotomies. I had a sensation of being both dead and alive at the same time. I felt both hot and cold concomitantly. There seems to be some correlation between this and my feeling both dry and wet (from sweat) concurrently.

I was perplexed to find myself feeling hungry and nauseous in unison. Who could imagine such a thing? Before the departure of my ego, I experienced sanity and insanity together. Again, I believe that a correlation exists between this and my feeling despair and joy simultaneously.

When the python passed through me, I had a sense of validation as though I had passed my challenge. Although I was not at all uncomfortable with this, I could say that I was violated in that my 'body space' was being invaded by another.

During the ordeal, as I said, I experienced extreme pain in my astral body. Though the pain was real, it seemed to also have an illusory quality and the same comes about (I believe) from the resonance of the pain in my physical body.


CONCLUSION

The experience, although painful, is one for which I am most grateful. I don't expect any more ordeals or unpleasant trips. I believe that my passage of the initiation rite will grant me greater scope for exploration.

To my surprise, I have discovered that the mushroom knows me much better than I do and I have very good confirmation on this. Though my ordeal would send most people strait to the loony bin, this experience was chosen for me (I believe) because the mushroom sees strength in my character and considers me a worthy advocate.

Very few people ever experience life on anything more than just superficial level - never venturing outside their comfort zones except by force. It is my hope that my writings may arouse in others a sense of wonder about the mystery of our existence and that they may come to consider themselves as something more than just a separate entity from the universe.

The psychedelic experience is, without doubt, the richest experience life has to offer. The most amazing things happen BEHIND CLOSED EYELIDS. If only you knew... ;)

Exp Year: 2005	ExpID: 47268
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Nov 8, 2005	Views: 15,014
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Banisteriopsis caapi (169), Mushrooms (39) : Alone (16), Entities / Beings (37), Difficult Experiences (5), Combinations (3)