Artist unknown
By Wes Annac, Culture of Awareness
Society condemns psychedelic drugs, but some people believe they expand our consciousness and connect us with an omnipotent spiritual power that the majority of the world us unaware of. Some spiritual people condemn them, and whether or not they work for you, we have to learn to respect the unique methods people use to come closer with the spirit.
Some users will tell you all about the positive impact psychedelics had on their life and the personal changes entheogens inspired them to make, and the only way to understand the experience is to have it ourselves.
Psilocybin (“magic”) mushrooms. Credit: noeticscience.co.uk
Nonetheless, I’d like to share snippets from three stories of people who had interesting spiritual experiences with psilocybin mushrooms, otherwise known as magic mushrooms. I share these stories because they interest me and I want to be open-minded, and I’m not trying to say everyone should take psychedelic drugs. The plentiful experiences that are shared online are certainly worth exploring, however.
Anyone who consider him or herself a spiritual seeker is usually interested in expanding their consciousness, and while psychedelics aren’t the only way to do so, some argue that they’re the most powerful.
All of the stories shared here come from the popular drug database Erowid, and there, you’ll find experiences and descriptions of nearly any drug you want to learn about.
Our first story is called “The Infinite Light in the Beautiful Reality”, and it comes from Erowid user “IamAaron’sRationale”.
“This is something I have desired and feared for a long time — to throw myself into my biological ocean and not just float, but also swim. I have used mushrooms (and I mean ‘use’ in the sense that a painter uses his brush and pallet to express himself) multiple times before, but never completely by myself. It has never happened like this before. For that reason, I write.
“I cannot explain my motivations for this experience exactly. Lately, though, I have been reading more and more about Zen Buddhism and the release of what Alan Watts calls the ‘ego’. The immediate set and setting was as such: my life at the time was really creating a lot of stress, although it seemed to be on the upturn. Still though, a lot of conflicting inner dialogue.
“I had returned to my hometown for a court date, had no money, brought nothing with me, and as result was utterly bored. I think the most direct motivation, however, was my introduction to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, more specifically the manual created by Timothy Leary. I knew that I could not afford much, but figured it was the best way I could think of to spend my money at the time.
“The day before my trip, I planned. I decided that the most comforting place to go would be my mother’s bed. It has been her bed all of my life, and has always been a place where I feel safe. I also decided to do it early in the morning, so I could be by myself while I ‘peaked’ since my brother would be at school and my mom at work. I went and obtained the mushrooms. They seemed very healthy. That night, I was a child again and it was Christmas Eve.
“My mom woke me up at 8 a.m. like I asked her to, but I did not tell her why. Based on her reaction to me telling her about my experience after it happened, this was a wise choice. I had some errands to get out of the way, and I wanted to read some more of the Book of the Dead. I also chose to eat half of the mushrooms that I got (1.5 grams) and make tea, which is my favorite method of ingestion, with the other half. I chopped up half of the caps and stems and added them to the tea bag along with the shake. I think I used some sort of raspberry tea.
“I then walked up to mother’s room, turned the television off, and cleared the bed. I supported myself with pillows so that I could eat the mushrooms and drink the tea without any inconvenience. Another thing that I think is noteworthy is that my dog, Lola, was with me the whole time.
“I thought about the things I had read in the Book of the Dead, and tried to make myself aware of landmarks to let me know that ‘it had begun’. I do not want to trivialize the information in this book because I do not think this is the place nor do I feel I can do it justice in my own words. My advice is to read it for yourself and, also, to use it because it is a very powerful tool.
“Significant events did occur, however, that correlated with this book so I think they are important details in my story. The first was the drone. I heard a low hum begin that reverberated like a gong.
“This continued throughout the entire what I will call my ascension period. The next event was a burning at the base of my spine. Throughout my ascension period this burning sensation flowed up my spine into my skull. I made a point of allowing these events to happen, not to restrict them in any way. I believe this is a crucial point of focus if one wants to enjoy his or her psychedelic experience fully. Resistance and rationalization seem to only lead to fear and loathing.
“I started to doubt this feeling, so I closed my eyes to see what would happen. In my previous experiences with psychedelics, this has always made things more interesting, but I always found it incredibly hard to keep my eyes closed.
“This time however, I would not allow my ego to fight back. I closed my eyes again and soon found myself in a fetal position in the middle of the bed with Lola lying right beside me…
“…With my eyes closed, I began to move them around behind my lids to get them used to the feeling. My visuals remind me of what happens when you put a magnet up to a television screen. The ‘background’ was black with waves of color spectrums pulsating, flowing, ever-changing yet constant. I was ecstatic. I was delighted. I was safe. Then, I peaked.
“Normally, it is impossible for me, as well as most that I know, to sleep while influenced by psychedelic substances. It’s simply something that cannot be forced. This time however, I lost myself. I went into what I would call a trance. For it was as if I was dreaming, but my entire self was there. It must be what people experience during lucid dreaming.
“I do not remember much of it, but I will tell you what I can. The first thing that I saw was a very bright light coming from everywhere. I also remember some blues in the background after the light subsided a little, but the light was always present. I do not have any sequence of time for these events but there are images that are quite vivid in my head. Soon I was somewhat ‘introduced’ to two characters. There were definitely more of them but these are the two that I can remember.
“The first was the largest being I have ever seen. He took up my whole field of vision. He appeared to be some sort of genie as he was bound at the wrists by gold gauntlets and possible elsewhere on his body. He was dark skinned and fairly old. Despite his apparent bondage, he seemed very content. One idea I reflected on later was that he is the physical polar opposite of my pale, skinny, and young appearance. The other being I almost immediately associated with my mother.
“It was a sort of black bird, as it was flying at a very fast rate in and out of my field of vision. The first reason I associated it with my mother was that it had a sort of fiery mane down its upper back and my mom has red hair. If I talked to them, I do not remember what we talked about. All I know is that they were both very content creatures and very comforting to me. I do vividly remember them waving ‘goodbye’ to me as I opened my eyes and returned to the external world.
“If I am calling the first part my ‘ascension period’ then this was my descent back into reality. I realized I had only drunken one cup of the mushroom tea and that I had intended to drink three. I do not think I needed any more than I took. What is ironic is that this was my deepest experience and yet the smallest dose I have ever taken.”
You can read the full story here: https://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=77073
Continued in Part 2 tomorrow.
