Plant Medicine and Solo Psychonauts – A New Tradition In The Making
Part 4 of a 4 part conversation on plant medicine with a friend.
Questions presented are in bold italics.
Mark — Main question was whether you thought there is a distinction between ‘synthetic’ chemical drugs (e.g. LSD) versus ‘plant medicines’ (e.g. ayahuasca)? I.e. I appreciate your point (as with Ram Dass and Tim Ferris etc) that these drugs are not so much about ‘getting high’ but for uncovering and showing someone previously hidden traumas or issues that they are not consciously aware of and thus after the psychedelic can actually start to heal them.
Bruce — In the context of our discussion, broadly speaking I don’t see it relevant to differentiate between synthetic and natural. Its not like conventional food with organic v gmo where one provides an overwhelmingly more valuable alternative. In contrast within the domain of our conversation we can have a tremendously expansive, life changing experience thanks to a substance which is indeed synthetic and even mildly toxic to our body. ‘Natural’ doesn’t seem to be necessarily better. Perhaps the native intelligence in plants harmonises with us better providing a preferential experience? … seems possible, I don’t have sufficient experience with synthetics to know. But id say if this is so, its a periphery issue definitely not the central theme.
Seems to me in a journey the dominant facet which determines my experience is primarily what’s currently being exposed by the flow of life. Ie Patterns now up for review, hashed out and felt at an ego level, but managed by the deeper consciousness within me and what it desires me to experience. The substance taken to initiate the journey is relatively unimportant. So, within the context here it really doesn’t mater if its plant or engineered substance consumed, or a state experienced free from external stimulus. All paths within this realm of discussion offer awakenings by virtue of the expansion of consciousness they offer, differentiated by the unique texture and landscape of the journey environment, which presents itself as the domain where teachings are delivered.
All your commentary seems to be specifically on Aya yes?
Is this commentary specifically on Aya? Yes, my experience lies with Aya, so I speak to that primarily. But, given the consistency of similarities in the underpinning framework for how my other medicine journeys have unfolded, it seems extremely likely what is true for Aya is also true for many others. Ie with each medicine the teaching and upgrade offered would follow a similar basic paradigm. However the storyline of experience whilst receiving the teaching, the nuance of how each expansion is felt, received, implemented and integrated would be very different. (Each plants different and they do of course specialise just like humans.. not to mention different people harmonise with different plants.)
I’ve dabbled with cactus and mushrooms cumulatively less than ten times. Everything in those experiences feels comparable. Both have a distinct feel, yet the premise of the journey state remains consistent. A teaching experience where I meet various aspects of my conditioned consciousness from previously unseen perspectives which facilitates – if i’m open to it (mid journey and in the weeks / months of integration afterwards) an expansion of consciousness which effects the maturity of awareness I bring to the table as I engage with the normality of daily life.
I really know very little about LSD. I’ve only ever taken it decades ago under the guise of someone believing he was looking to get high – in this regard I consumed it reluctantly and more than once by accident. Clever lad. None the less, with hindsight I’m fascinated that each time it I ingested LSD, it invoked a very similar (if not identical) series of themes / trauma patterns to my Aya experiences. Im not saying LSD offers the same experience to Aya, because it certainly doesn’t, just noting similarities in the patterns revealed and the intelligence activated within my awareness through the different mediums. Actually…. facets of this feel eerily similar for Marujana as well.
Tried Salvia once… definitely insufficient direct experience. None the less, I’ll tentatively say all said for Aya is still true for this plant. This feels like a leap because I simply don’t know much about it. But present moment felt sense confirms Silvia is completely harmonious with my consciousness, and equally so a friendly, powerful agent for inner expansion. That said, my mental level experience contradicts this with a residue of confusion / misunderstanding which I’m translating into a host of negative emotional reactions. Thats the direct feedback from lived experience… Logic from similar relatable experiences mixed with what may (or may not be) an intuitive sense says no matter how alien things became with Saliva, my consciousness was still the framework where the dream-like state of the journey was housed. I experienced my unconditioned self as the central pivoting force behind the entirety of the journey landscape, laying out the particular aspects of the journey to be experienced – only different from other journey modalities in the flavour of how these aspects reveal themselves.
Obviously we’re only discussing partnership with ’safe’ medicines, synthetic or otherwise. Plants like Toe, consumed as an add plant with Aya Im unsure about as I’ve limited experience and too many question marks surrounding it, but like others I’ve considered its possible with a significantly increased dosage, a long term departure from the lucid waking state possible. Have heard of this, but not known the person directly.
Is there any difference with this process between someone doing a journey supervised by a shaman or trained practitioner versus someone just popping their own synthetic LSD pill etc?
Credibility of sitting with a trained practitioner as apposed to a romp in the wild lands as solo psychonaut? Its just down to individual preference and their intention. Ive known several people whom I respect deeply who at times sit with medicine alone as a means to process trauma, negotiate life’s hurdles or simply up-level, often delivering good, sometimes great results (ie comparable with shaman). Indeed some (mature) folks distinctly prefer the solo experience and stay clear of group ceremony to do their inner work… others vice versa. Medicine journeys are a specific arena where for some, it’s simply not necessary to leverage another’s wisdom as a teacher or guide. During the journey they are automatically (without conscious effort) tapped directly into greater consciousness which teaches them. Whether you believe this is the plant teaching, or the higher consciousness of the journeyer etc. It’s a bit like being hard wired into the consciousness of your spiritual teacher, whereby the teacher speaks and illustrates concepts directly (and often not subtly) into ones awareness. This way teaching is done in a manner which is very difficult to miss (but open to misinterpretation I find as the symbols and imagery etc can be misconstrued by ego). In my reality it seems the teaching and expansion is a group effort, a really interesting mish-mash of dimensions and energies that teaches and upgrades in an intertwined fashion. Probably plant intelligence, working alongside angelic realm beings, et’s, power animals etc as is called for given specifics of the task, under guidance of higher self. It’s a given this is personal, varying individual to individual.
Present day, a good friend who’s come from a medicine tradition now prefers the plants (mainly mushrooms) solo. As does my wife (Ha! different substance of choice though)… equally in alignment and outrageously beneficial (not normal).
Late 2019 I met a chap who was mid 20’s, didn’t seem like he had any exposure to a specific spiritual discipline. Had experimented with LSD and other psychedelics solo in his backyard for the sole purpose of ‘knowing thyself’. Superficially he had the look of someone who’d fallen through he cracks of society – permanently unemployed, little motivation, appearing quite lost without credibility… But his emotional intelligence was off the charts relative to the norm for society.
Based on the maturity he presented and enthusiasm for plant medicine and continued return to it for greater clarity and the broad well grounded logical nature of how he presented his understandings,
I see a fair degree of his impressive wisdom around the mechanics of life was likely given structure and voice by the experience gained through his LSD adventures. And to your question, it doesn’t seem to me he was lacking for not having experienced a traditional ceremony nor spiritual tradition. Perhaps solo psychonauts are a new tradition in the making. Makes sense given we obviously need to explores routes which by pass externalised authority in all domains of life.
The way I see it, the degree of up levelling he received from his partnership with LSD isn’t only reflective of the LSD. More accurately the deeper consciousness within him was inviting expansion and activated his attraction to LSD as a potential means to facilitate the growth which was cued up and ready to dawn. LSD was the medium of choice because it resonated with his sensibilities, but it could have been any number of other medicines or activities in and out of the medicine sphere that were compatible. This invokes in me an unassailable sense that there’s only personal preference. From the perspective my consciousness affords me, any sense of hierarchy, or better or worse than, when considering modalities for traversing into higher realms of consciousness feels like a function of conditioning, and a misperception. And speaking to this very blindness of conditioning, I’ve been recently perplexed, rigidly asserting that deep psychedelic experiences must to a degree hamper expansion due the contraction of fear. Now there’s obviously truth to this statement – but only relatively so, its not universally applicable and I wasn’t seeing this. Synchronistically, Willow recently showed me a clip of Daniel Schmachtenberger (intellectual, cognitively brilliant, loves Maharshi by the way) who was commenting very positively about Aya, explaining people often require trauma to grow, and Aya can provide this in a safe container etc. Quite beautiful life’s gentle correction here, so much truth lies beyond the confines of mental constructs right…
Hope this helps. I enjoyed thinking this through, interesting discerning the truth – as opposed to what agenda I desire others to adopt…
