Would it be a surprise to any of you out there if I told you I’ve had more mystical/psychedelic experiences than I can count? I bet a bunch of you can say the same. Others, maybe not and maybe not interested. What does a mystical experience or psychedelic experience mean? Is it heretical to bring up? Too sacred? Too basic? A joke altogether? Are psychedelics just a bunch of dumb shit that degenerates are into as far as you’re concerned? Are the altered states of consciousness brought on by these molecules simply what it feels like to be “on drugs”, or are they legitimate voyages by the mind to another dimension? Does acceptance of these things into society harken the beginning of a new golden era or the end of morality and law as we know them?
It’s amazing to me how controversial this topic still is for people. Usually it’s really only controversial for folks that haven’t tried anything of the sort, have only seen what irresponsible use looks like, or have been told how bad or dangerous these DRUGS are. I’m a pretty staunch “don’t knock it til you’ve tried it” kinda guy as long as the “it”in question doesn’t cause harm to anyone. I won’t bother getting into the research around the safety of entheogens*. It’s all out there to sort for yourself. And if you’re curious there is a lot of legitimate writing, speaking, and research on the topic. Meanwhile, here in the Northwest a whole industry was born seemingly overnight, full up with legions of recently “certified” guides to help people navigate a psychedelic journey. There are actual real life mystics/shamans out there in the world, and there are people who claim to be thus, but are not. Do your own homework, make your own informed decisions, and know that regardless of set/setting and personnel present, you’ll be going on the journey largely on your own.
*”Entheogens” being the term hauteur psychonauts (and researchers) prefer to use over “psychedelics”. A great primer on all this, if you’re curious, would be Michael Pollan’s “How to Change Your Mind”
People will argue til the cows come home about why these things should or should not be legal, at what age should folks be allowed to try them, yada yada yada. I’m not really interested in getting bogged down here today in the morality or legality issues around these things. Suffice it to say, we’re seeing a sea change with regards to legality in some countries and societal acceptance in surprising places. In other words, we’re seeing more freedom around this stuff. Freedom Good. There are a lot of folks out there that scream the word FREEDOM at the top of their lungs, but to the exclusion of anyone who chooses to use their freedom to do stuff they disagree with. I’ll say at the outset that I agree with Terence McKenna, Sturgill Simpson, and any other thinker out there that questions how any governing body limits our access to naturally occurring molecules from naturally occurring plants that we’ve mingled with for millennia. We’re a narrow minded lot, by and by.
But what I really want to talk about is what comes AFTER a mystical experience. Specifically those experiences brought on by entheogens or meditation or breathing techniques, or what have you. “Integration” they call it. How does one bring into the material that which is immaterial? This is important to me because I’m a songwriter that’s constantly trying to turn thoughts into sound (read: turn the immaterial into material). I’m also a person that believes pretty much everything humanity needs to get well comes from “mind-stuff”, or utilizing our minds and spirits to their fullest. The obsession with the physical and material world served us to a point- it made our brains big enough to figure out tools and gave us permanent dwellings, food supply chains, and science- but I think we’ve got ourselves in a right pickle now.
Alright, so let’s say you’ve just taken the ride and gone to another galaxy. These experiences can be a lot of things, but boring is never one of them. After the space ship has landed, what does one do with all they’ve just experienced? I took my first trek into the mystic with psilocybin mushrooms when I was 15 or 16. It was rad and strange and exciting and kinda unnerving at some points. If it hadn’t been all those things, my curiosity would not have been piqued, and I probably would have never taken them again. I’ve tried a number of entheogens and breathing techniques and meditation since then. Of course, in the intervening 25 years I’ve had all sorts of trips. “Fun”, “Heavy”, “Weird”, “Hilarious”, “Dark”. Some trips circumnavigating all these feelings and then some within the span of just a few hours. Only very recently did I really become more concerned with the post-trip or “integration” step of the journey. The natural reaction for most folks, especially after the first psychedelic experience, is something like “what the ever-loving f*ck was that”‽ Usually followed by “I’m gonna have to try that again sometime”, or “No way in hell I’m every trying that again”. There’s a lot of fun research around all that too- tell me what kind of “drug” is so non-addictive that often it causes one to question every trying it again, and even forces an individual to look at and question other addictive behaviors they might be engaging in? Also, I never heard anyone raging on coke and whiskey at a party yell “LOVE, PEACE, AND UNDERSTANDING”, and actually mean it. Ok, I’ll say it- entheogens are not drugs.
Anyway, after the trip to the faraway galaxy, after you’ve seen what you’ve seen, learned what you learned, felt what you felt…there’s usually a lot of “ineffable” stuff to sort through. Some of it makes no sense at all, some of it very hard to figure how any of it could be apropos to one’s life back here on earth. Some of the things one sees, hears, and feels on a trip is so obviously related to our troubles in our lives that it’s impossible to ignore and sometimes downright painful. I call those “business trips” and they probably only account for 10% or so of my overall time whilst “high”. I usually come away from a business trip kinda jostled but also knowing exactly what it is that I’ve got to do or stop doing to improve my life. There are no bad trips, just business trips I say. And all these experiences (business or otherwise) have probably been the most powerful tool for growth in my life other than time in nature, meditation, exercise and the good people in my life that love me and I love back. In other words, entheogens are part of a well-balanced diet. I know a lot of people who feel that way. And this sense of importance is really heightened when we shift the focus from “what happened on that trip” or “how fun that trip was” to “what to do with all that”. How to integrate.
It can be pretty hard to sort through all that sensory input, try to make sense of it, and apply it to our lives but I do believe that “apply it to our lives” part is of utmost importance when it comes to integration. When you go on one of these journeys, it’s mainly a journey of the mind, unless you manage to get yourself physically lost in the woods too (highly recommended). A psychedelic journey almost invariably weaves into and melds with a place that some might call “the imagination” but I never have felt like I was “imagining” or “hallucinating” any of what I saw. It’s like the whole experience was MORE real or some veil on reality had been lifted. On that other side, communication comes clearly to the listener through nature and symbolism more so than straight-ahead language or conversing. God forbid you ever have to try and hold down a “normal” conversation on 5g of dried cubensis. It’s a different place entirely than what we all agree to call “the world we live in” or “consensus reality space”. More than once I’ve come back with the feeling that normal waking life here on earth is a strange circumstance in a foreign land where we’ve all bought into whatever our egos are telling us, and “over there” where unity with nature and dissolution of self happens is where the real shit goes down. So the challenge has felt to me like bringing something very real and profound back to Earth no matter how funny or disorienting or awesome or however one might describe their trip. How does one take profound but immaterial souvenirs from outer space and put them to use in a highly material world. Sometimes “the mushroom voice” as McKenna called it, will just speak so plainly it’s impossible to ignore. The plants (and fungi and even certain synthetic molecules) literally preach unity and peace. They’ll pointed out how ridiculous our emphasis on “the other” is when we’re all ONE species, for fuck’s sake. They’ll tell you that killing isn’t cool, nor is keeping animals in cages. They’ll also tell you you’re taking yourself too seriously, or that you’re not spending enough time alone in nature. I’ve yet to hear or bring back anything untrue, unkind or inauthentic from that other dimension.
I’ve found a tremendous amount of love, compassion, humor, and peace “over there”. When you come back with a pile full of those things it’s usually pretty clear what the practice is. Yes, you can cultivate those feelings and spread them without the ingestion of psychedelic molecules but find me a faster, more sure-fire way. They’re years’ worth of meditation packed into just a few grams (or less) of dried material. I’m not preaching everyone should feel like they gotta go out and try these things. They’re not for everyone. There are lots of folks on this planet that get by just fine having never tried entheogens and find ways everyday to be more peaceful and compassionate humans. But I’ve been helped tremendously from the lessons I’ve garnered from my inter-dimensional travels. The lesson, over and over again, is to be graceful with oneself and others, to give freely of ones love and empathy, to relax more and worry less. Thich Nhat Hanh talked a lot about how the best thing anyone can do in their lives is bring peace to themselves. Being a peaceful and compassionate human is perhaps the best gift we can bestow on this world because it has a ripple effect. I’ve heard LSD say the same thing.
The psychedelic mindset is directly at odds with violence, overconsumption, greed, hierarchy, etc. That is to say, it is at odds with large swaths of most governing bodies and many of the sick individuals that claim to be “public servants”. Some other time maybe I’ll write about how it isn’t that money and power corrupts, but how the rich, corruptible, and/or downright insane are perennially attracted to those positions of power. Right now all over the world we’re seeing a ratcheting up of violence, greed, the twisting of facts and the fracturing of society through othering and identity politics. Divide and conquer has been the only game in town for a long while. Entheogens strip away any ability to buy or digest any of that bullshit, because they chip away at duality itself. Taking these things make us love and care more. They make us want to imagine and cooperate. That’s at odds with what most policymakers want. The system isn’t broken- it’s working exactly as those in power have intended. Apathy, helplessness, violence and dishonesty amongst the populace are their most powerful weapons. I bet most people in power are so sick of mind that a psychedelic experience would be a disaster for them- a “bummer”. Probably some of these cats tried LSD in college, didn’t like it or didn’t get it, and did their best to forget. Meanwhile a society that welcomes the ceremony and profundity of this medicine back into existence is one that’s sure to awaken the urge to chase the bastards right out of town. Your greatest weapon is peace of mind and positive, imaginative thinking. Please find that by any means necessary, we’re gonna need it.
I wore your cap at a hockey game
Cool thoughts about shrooming. My feeling is that the journey is private and that nothing will save the world because the world will be fine without us. Im not convinced of the Timothy Leary idea that we could turn everyone on and create some kind of psychiatric or revolutionary change in humanity. And I don’t think much of big pharma and governmental regulation of our little mushroom. I think that we take shrooms in part because we take that dare. We stand on that precipice and then take the leap. Its a personal journey into the abyss and therein lies the magic.