Weblog
Sunday, 01 March 2009
-
Legalize Marijuana: The Petition
For those of you who don't know already, the website change.org has a petition for the legalization of marijuana. This petition is sent to the president and your local state representatives, senators, and governors. Out of all the actions you can take in the site's criminal justice category, it seems that the legalization of marijuana is the most strongly supported issue.
Above the petition is a history of the failed prohibition of marijuana, as well as comparing it to the failed prohibition of alcohol. The petition below is already written for you, however you have freedom to edit it if you wish.
To sign the petition click here.
It's said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it and that's exactly what the prohibition of marijuana, as well as many other drugs is all about. Our previous leaders obviously didn't have the ability of critical thought, therefore were unable to draw connections between alcohol prohibition and the present day marijuana prohibition.
In this recession that our much despised George W Bush created, legalizing marijuana, regulating it and taxing it would boost the economy straight out of it (for those who deny this, please do some research). One of President Obama's top priorities is supposedly fixing the poor state of the economy and what better way than bringing in billions of dollars with legalization.
One argument I frequently hear about legalization is that everyone would just grow their own, therefore little tax money would be made. Now lets be realistic, how many people are actually going to grow their own plants all the time versus the amount of people that would rather just run to a gas station really quick and pick up a pack of joints? I, myself, would rather just run to a gas station.
Show Obama that if he stands for change then dammit things need to change. It's pathetic that our country incarcerates innocent potheads, treating them no different than the serial killers and child molesters. We can't let Obama stand by like previous leaders and pretend the prohibition of marijuana and the drug war altogether, is a minor issue that should be reserved for when there's some free time. Let him know you want something done NOW!
I urge you to take a few minutes and read over the petition and sign it, for the sake of a healthy and prosperous future.
Monday, 16 February 2009
-
The Teachings of Magic Mushrooms
There are no words to describe just how fascinating it is to be in the midst of a strong mushroom trip. It gives you a glimpse into the world of insanity, makes you feel like you're on the verge of certain death, and yet gives you an overpowering sense of peace and understanding. This is one of my more intense, and spiritual mushroom trips.
My Experience
This would be my second experience with magic mushrooms. I decided this time I would up the dosage from two grams, to a whole eighth (3.5 grams). Apparently this is considered a high dose, but I had friends who had consumed seven grams before so I wasn't too worried. These batch of mushrooms were hydroponic, psilocybe cubensis. Unlike my first experience where I just ate the mushrooms raw, this time I prepared it in a tea. In my opinion, the tea is much easier to consume rather than eating it raw and I also felt that it hit me faster.
The setting was my house, which was the hangout place at the time. I was the only one tripping that night aside from a close friend who also tripped with me the first time. Another friend and his girlfriend were also present to keep an eye on our antics.
Within about 15 minutes after I had drank the tea, I began to feel the telltale signs of a shroom trip. All of a sudden I felt as though I had downed several beers. The rest of my come-up was spent riding with my friend (the sober one), in his car to pick up another person. We drove down the highway at what seemed like light speed. All I could focus on was the car in front of us which appeared to not have any wheels, it was just floating along. I followed the tail lights with my eyes and all of a sudden the lights jumped from the back of the car, into my lap and disappeared, leaving a red trail behind it. I tried to explain this to my friend, but I don't think he quite understood since all that came out of my mouth was, "Those lights just jumped into me, man!"(in the most enthusiastic voice possible).
By the time we returned, the mushrooms had taken over. I immediately ran from the car into my house. I entered my house to see my other friend playing guitar hero. He looked up at me with a big smile on his face and pupils the size of marbles. It was obvious he had started tripping. My house had also come to life while I was gone. In the living room, the wall around the fire place is all bricks. These bricks were flowing from side to side as if they were a matrix. The textures of the hardwood floor were swirling around and appeared three-dimensional. When I would walk on it, it would ripple like water.
Now the mushrooms really start messing with everything. One second I would feel a slight nausea, the next second I would feel a rapid drop in my body which made me feel like I had to take a dump. It would switch back and forth, until I finally decided to go to the bathroom. The second I got in there I realized that the walls were a different color than they should be, but continued to do my business. Fortunately, all I really needed to do was urinate. The nausea subsided after this.
I exited the bathroom to find everyone in my room. My friend (the tripping one) was looking at my high school year book. I was intrigued by this idea and looked with him. This is where my trip turned more introspective.
There were so many different faces in the year book, yet if I did not focus on any certain face, they would all appear to be the same. They also appeared to be three-dimensional. I looked at the faces of people who I didn't know, or had never even seen before. I thought about how they lead their own separate lives, completely independent of mine. My life does not exist in their eyes.
It was at this point I realized that I was even tripping and I realized just how hard. I suddenly felt a sense that I had returned. I had returned to this blissful insanity called a mushroom trip. No longer could I recall what it felt like to be a normal human being. I felt as though I had been reborn. Everything around me was brand new and had yet to be discovered. I wandered around my house looking at everything in sight. Every color was the truest color I felt I had ever seen. Greens were the greenest of greens, blues the bluest of blues, and so on.
A feeling of excitement came over me that I had not felt since I was a small child. I would look at simple objects such as a drinking glass and ponder it's existence for what felt like ages. At one point I looked at my hands and arms and reflected on just what I am. I came to the conclusion that who I was wasn't this physical body I see before me, it was only a boundary that restricted my true self, the consciousness, from floating away into infinity.
Every few seconds an incredible revelation would pop into my head, which I would try to share with everyone, but it would be completely forgotten in mid-sentence. One thing I do remember was thinking how easily I could write a whole book over the mushroom experience. Every material object seemed meaningless at this point. Basic instincts had taken over me. I could do nothing but ponder whether I needed to eat or sleep and whether I was uncomfortable or not. I felt as though tending to these needs would keep me from certain death, however I was not in any condition to attempt cooking anything, I could definitely not sleep, all I could do was make myself as comfortable as possible. The strangest and simplest things would bring me comfort in this state of mind, like simply walking around.
My friend, who was at this point experiencing the same rebirth effect that I was, began repeating, "What do you do on shrooms?" and began questioning who he was. The sober people watched us like a group of toddlers as we switched back and forth from fits of laughter, to expressions of great fear, to expressions of eternal peace. It was extremely hard for me to comprehend that there was only three other people at my house besides my friend and I who were tripping. When I would get up and walk around I would hear hundreds of voices whispering in my ear and my mind would begin to play out various scenarios of a full house of people when in fact there were only five.
Another very challenging thing to comprehend in this state, was that my sober friends were actually, well, sober. I couldn't even understand what it was to be sober. At times I felt it was my tripping friend and I against the sober people. Also, when they would ask me questions about what I was going through I would often just look at them and say nothing. I felt as though they already knew the answer to all of these questions.
I can't exactly say when I started to come down, but it happened eventually as did with my friend. After everyone had already left, we sat for a couple of more hours just talking about the sheer fascination that we were both captivated by. Also, our experiences turned out to be very similar in many ways. We both felt reborn, felt strong feelings of discontent, and felt threatened by the sober people, to name just a few.
After Thoughts
Mushrooms to me are like cleansing your mind of impurities by bringing those impurities to the surface to be evaluated. There were so many times I would think about how mushrooms were illegal and frowned upon by general society. I came to the conclusion that some people are simply just scared by what they cannot wrap their minds around.
My first experience was a beautiful one with many of the same visions and hallucinations, however the second time was truly awe-inspiring because I lost track of what I was and who I was and therefore was able to shape myself into a new, improved person.
Another thing mushrooms taught me is that so many things we believe to be real, are only real because of the meaning we put behind it. Things such as money, laws, government, the economy; it's all made up and virtually has no value behind it. Money was an especially difficult concept to think about on shrooms. It's a piece of paper basically with a numerical value on it, but it has no true value other than the value of people buying into it. For example, if you become stranded in the wilderness, money is not going to shelter you, feed you, or clothe you. Only things with real value behind them are capable of such things.
From all these thoughts of money and government, etc, I formed a prediction for the future of humanity. I believe that one day, humanity will reach a new enlightenment, in which they will come to the understanding that one does not need money or rigid government structure to keep motivation and order, but rather the individual will take it upon themselves to be productive and obedient because they have a strong desire to produce and be obedient, non-violent beings. People will at last be completely free and live in harmony with one another.
I could write another whole post over this topic, and I know to many it may sound like that stereotypical hippie rant, but that, my friends, that is the teachings of magic mushrooms and as unrealistic as it may sound, would you NOT want to live in a world like that?
Friday, 13 February 2009
-
The Shack: A Pothead's Tale
This is a personal story about a period of my life when I was first smoking marijuana. I hope all of the stoners especially appreciate it.
It was a time of my life when smoking weed was completely taboo. A time when going somewhere meant walking, and finding a place to smoke was a challenge. Often we would smoke in the woods between my neighborhood and a major road. It was a safe enough spot, however smoking outside always means dealing with a very common element: wind.
One day, a friend and I decided to make a quick-fix to this problem by standing a large, wooden for-sale sign against the base of two trees. It worked for the most part, however once we were stoned, we knew it was not enough. We looked around at all the junk people had littered these woods with: pieces of fencing, long sheets of metal, thick, wooden posts, and even chairs. To our eyes this was not junk, this was raw building material. And so, high as kites, we began constructing what would become a beacon of hope for fellow potheads in our area.
After a couple of days we were completely finished. We looked in awe at our mighty creation. It was a pile of junk woven together in such a way, it gave the appearance of some sort of shack. It had four walls that blocked out the wind just as we had intended. It had a welcoming doorway that would draw in curious visitors, a metal roof, and two chairs and a couch to accommodate the obvious need to lounge. To the untrained eye, it was just a shack, to us it was a safe haven from those who frowned upon our ways, it was THE shack.
Over the following months we smoked weed in there nearly every other day and frequently brought along other visitors. Sometimes it would be me and one other person, sometimes it would be ten other people. We would walk the paths of the woods in deep, philosophical conversation, or mock the traffic passing by because we knew of their presence, but they had no knowledge of ours.
I met many friends who I still keep in contact with to this day, by smoking with them in the shack. It was a place where you were not judged. Everyone was stoned, so all opinions were valid and if you didn't know someone, you would by the time you left.
Many times I remember sneaking out of the house to go smoke with friends in the shack in the middle of the night. No one would suspect you of being in such a place at night, but to us it was an obvious retreat. You would get stoned and then immerse yourself in the nature all around, or simply relax inside and converse. It was something that seemed almost too good to be true, which eventually led the shack to the end of it's days.
This particular day, was a sober day and I was with a sober friend, one who wouldn't touch any substance, but seemed to overcome that with his severe case of ADHD. We decided that we should build more onto the shack to make the inside bigger. This went as planned for a minute or two before my friend's ADHD set in. There was a lighter on the ground, which he picked up and began to burn insects with. Apparently there was a bug that looked just a little too weird to let survive. Therefore when it crawled into the old mattress we had been using for part of the wall, he proceeded to smoke it out.
Now I guess no one had told him that mattresses burn faster than you'd think. When he realized it wouldn't go out, he called for me to help him. The mattress was wedged in between pieces of fencing and a tree. I felt that if I could pull the mattress out and lay it in the middle of a dirt-covered area, it would just burn and that would be that, but unfortunately it was burning too fast. I had to let it go and ran outside the shack. The large flames the mattress created began to engulf the tree it was wedged against and a large flame shot upwards high into the air. The entire tree was now on fire and it was too big to keep hidden from anyone around. We ran back to my house, where you could see smoke pouring into the sky from behind the houses. Luckily it was a very damp day and after numerous people had already called the fire department, we returned to see that the fire was almost out. The shack however, was completely destroyed. What was not destroyed by the fire, was somehow destroyed by firemen. The one thing the fire did not destroy of the shack was our fond memories of it.
This was the end of a chapter in my life. With the end of the shack, came the end of our reign over the woods. No longer were there any truly safe places, no longer was there that refuge for our kind that we had once turned to in dark times.
My friend was charged with a class A misdemeanor for illegal burning, as was I, however it was merely the fact that I was in his presence when it happened, that I even got charged. I guess you could say that the moral of this story is to not play with fire, however I believe it also teaches that if you put forth the effort, you can create something great out of nothing, because that is exactly what the shack was.
Does anyone else have any memories they'd like to share about what they'd consider, "the good 'ol pot-smoking days?"
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
-
Salvia Divinorum: An Alternate Reality
No experience lingers in the back of my mind quite like that of salvia divinorum. Salvia, as I'm sure many of you know, is a completely legal hallucinogen, with little side effects, and is virtually a safe substance, physically speaking. Mentally speaking, the salvia experience is a complete loss of contact with reality. You will transcend into a completely different world that you will believe at the time, is very real and also strangely familiar. I would like to share my own personal experience with salvia mainly to highlight the unique journey this substance puts your mind through.
My experience:
It started with a gathering at a friends house. One of my friends brought along some salvia 20x extract. I had always wanted to try salvia and this being my first true psychedelic, I wanted to know what it felt like to trip also.
A bong was passed around with the extract in it. I made sure I took a large hit and held it in for as long as possible. Within a few seconds, I felt the sensation of being pulled back. I enjoyed this sensation at the time, thinking that was basically all, but it was far from it.
One more super-sized hit did it for me. The pulling sensation became incredibly strong. I began to feel like my body had become wax and was melting into the chair I was sitting in. I started to have a conversation with my friend sitting across the room about how strongly I was feeling all of these sensations. This is where everything gets very strange.
My friend began enlightening me on the fact that we were not in the real world, that this world hasn't been real this whole time, and that it's time for me to come back. As I listened in confusion, I literally witnessed the fabric of reality peel away before my eyes. It was as if everything that held the pieces of the wall onto the wall, and what held the floor on the floor, began melting away like hot wax. Beneath our reality, was the surreal, beautiful, and terrifying salvia world.
The world was made up of bright colors, mainly consisting of yellow, green, and pink. My friend was now an entity of this world, completely unrecognizable. Everyone else was gone as well. It was just me and the strange entities.
At this point, all memory that I had smoked salvia was gone. I was certain that I had died, however I kept thinking that I was not ready to die and that I would like more than anything to be able to go home at the end of the night.
There was a strong sense of urgency in this world. The entity that was once my friend, was telling me that there was work to be done. I started to panic as I thought about trying to continue my life in this world that didn't make sense. All around me, strange, cartoonish characters would morph into whole walls, or simply stay in a dancing limbo of they're transformation. It's all really too much for words to describe.
I stumbled upon a stack of blocks. On the faces of these blocks were the various body parts of my friends. It was like some surreal puzzle to put them back together. An overpowering feeling of insignificance came over me. I thought, "THIS is what my friends really are? These fellow human beings who I personally knew, were just an illogical arrangement of blocks?"
It was about this point that I heard my name being called. It was a connection to reality for me and I took it. I was launched out of the salvia world faster than I had been launched into it.
Everyone was gathered around me asking me what happened. I didn't even know the answer, I felt as though I had just fainted. I was very sweaty, couldn't put together coherent sentences, and felt very irritable. As the fact that we had just smoked salvia dawned on me, I began to recall the experience. At the time I was too shaken to recall the most important parts, but it eventually all returned to me and it is now a very spiritual and respected experience that I look back on.
After thoughts:
One interesting thing about the salvia journey is that no matter how alien the world feels, it all seems to be familiar in some way. Though I was terrified, throughout the whole experience I felt as though I had been there before.
Also, I was told that from everyone else's point of view, all my trip consisted of was standing up from the chair, walking toward the bathroom, and stubbing someone's toe in the process. All in all, it lasted less than a minute. This fact truly baffles me as I felt like I was in this alternate reality for years. Every now and then I still have memories of an unknown place I visited while on the trip.
Another thing I've found about salvia is that while it is very hallucinogenic, it borders on delusional. No one could have told me at the time that my friend was really not telling me that reality was fake, etc. The salvia world became my reality.
I've always speculated what the salvia world could be. Could it be an afterlife? Could it really be another realm of existence, or could it simply be the most inner depths of my subconscious? I believe that is something I can never know.
Salvia has allowed me to value just being alive and face the truth that everything is not always what it seems. Though I won't deny that salvia frightens me, I have a very great respect for it. I did not prepare myself for it's incredible power and it made me pay at the time, but in the end it left me with an amazing experience that questioned all I know to be real and true.
Some Words of Advice
It's not a party drug: Salvia is a very introverted experience. Following my trip I did not want to be around anyone for awhile. The odd nature of the hallucinations can also make you feel very uncomfortable around people. The best way to experience salvia is by yourself or with a sitter, which brings me to my next bit of advice.
Have a sitter: You can brave the territory alone if you wish, but just keep in mind that a full-blown trip is going to completely disconnect your mind from your body. The actual "YOU" will be off in some other dimension, while your physical body will most likely be thrashing around everywhere or doing something you don't really want it to. If you choose to have someone sit for you during your trip, you don't have to worry about coming out of the experience with a huge headache or a broken leg, or other accidents that can happen when your mind is completely absent from your body. Just make sure your sitter is a responsible person who you can trust.
Do not drive: This should be an obvious one and the only way I can see it even being a possibility is if someone's smoking it while they're driving since you probably couldn't find you're way to a car. If you choose to make the unwise decision of driving under the influence of something, Salvia is definitely not the substance you want to pick. I can safely say, you will crash, probably immediately.
It's not another weed-like drug: Weed can be psychedelic of course, but it is not classified as a true psychedelic. Salvia divinorum is a true psychedelic, with intense effects that I can only compare to a strong substance like DMT. Not even the mind-boggling effects of mushrooms and LSD can compare to the intensity and surreality of salvia.
Sunday, 08 February 2009
-
With Great Drugs Comes Great Responsibilities
There are those in this world that would like to see drugs wiped off the face of the earth. In all likelihood these are the people that had, or knew someone that had a very unpleasant experience when they decided to experiment. Bad experiences can happen and some people just can't handle drugs altogether, but for those who can and wish to brave the unknown territory, being responsible can make all the difference between an enlightening, educational experience and putting yourself through what seems like an eternity of hopeless insanity.
The reason we hear about these horrible stories about drugs through the media isn't because the drugs themselves are horrible things, it's simply because some people choose to use them quite irresponsibly. For example, MDMA(Ecstasy) has received a lot of bad press over the years due to the problems it has caused at late-night raves and other parties. When you're dancing all night with MDMA in your system you can become very sweaty and dehydrated, which will eventually lead to becoming disoriented, fainting, and in the worst case, death. So what's the solution? Just know about what ecstasy does to the body and prepare yourself; in this case, drink plenty of water, but not too much. The simple fact is, MDMA doesn't create these problems, it is the users of it who are not using it responsibly.
So now lets look at some ways to be a responsible user so that you may give these powerful substances the respect they deserve so they can return the favor.
Know your setting: What people must understand is that psychoactives change your perception of the world around you, therefore what is around you during an experience if of utmost importance. If you find yourself at someone's house you're not too acquainted with and are thinking of eating that eighth of mushrooms you just got, it may in fact be a little wiser to wait until you're in the comfort of your own home or somewhere similar. Certain details in an environment that you wouldn't take much notice to sober, can become sinister things and cause panic in the individual. For example, if you're at a rock concert and you think it would be fun to maybe take a hit of acid since after all, you enjoy both rock concerts and acid, so why not? Well, consider the state of mind you will be in once you're tripping. The loud music of the concert could easily become unbearable for some people, or just make them feel like it's too much for them to handle. Also in this type of scenario there would be quite a lot of people around. On a psychedelic like LSD this can create much anxiety, which of course can lead to a bad trip. If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable in an environment while sober, you're going to feel 100 times more uncomfortable if you're tripping.
Know your substance: Nothing starts off a trip wrong like not knowing what you're doing. If you take LSD and don't know that it can last over 12 hours then you might find yourself in a panic, thinking you're stuck that way for the rest of your life because it's the next morning and you still don't feel normal. If you take a substance like DMT thinking it will be like mushrooms or LSD, you're also going to find yourself in a very unwanted situation. The simple solution is to be informed. Know what you're taking, know how much you should take, know it's effects, benefits, and consequences.
Know your body and mind: If you're feeling mentally unstable, a strong psychoactive might not be the path to go down quite yet. Psychedelics especially, magnify your emotions, so if you're depressed, it could make you just feel more depressed. Then on top of that you're going to be pulled out of you're comfort zone and put on a mind and body rollercoaster, which can be extremely jarring to certain individuals. Also, know how you're body responds to different substances. If you seem to be the person who always experiences the negative side effects of prescription and over-the-counter medicine, it would be wise to assume you might have negative side effects with other substances as well.
Prepare your body and mind: Don't rush into making the decision to do something. If you decide to do it, don't wake up in the morning and do it after deciding the previous night. Pertaining to the psychedelic journey, it is not recommended to go out and have a mentally and/or physically exhausting day before returning home to eat some mushrooms. You're mind and body will need a lot of energy to take you through the experience and at the end of it all you will feel drained. Just spend a day relaxing, doing nothing, knowing later you will feel very different.
Do not mix drugs: Some combinations can work fine(assuming you know what you're doing), some do nothing when mixed (mushrooms with LSD), and some will of course, kill you! Unless you're an experienced user that understands the properties of various substances, it's simply not a good idea to mix anything. I, myself don't feel the need to add anything else to the mix when I feel so gone already. In my case I also wanted to be able to identify the individual feeling of different substances.
Drugs have the power to help us grow as human beings, or can destroy our lives. With this I believe they deserve respect. Respect that it is a powerful tool that can change your life for better or for worse, not a toy that you can use to see fun colors and dancing shapes.
Psychonautic_89
-
- Name: Psychonautic_89
- Gender: Male
- Member Since: 2/3/2009
Connect
Weblog Archives
Don't worry - your calendar is here… to see it in action just click "Save"
above and refresh the page.
