The shaman sits alone in a dimly-lit shack, only thin beams of sunlight penetrating the leather walls.  A look on his face reveals how removed he is from the outside world. Within his mind a connection is being made, however profound or illegitimate, to the spiritual realm. Communication is made between dead ancestors, deities, and even abstract concepts.

In the days before missionaries and indoctrination, thousands of these men and women existed, some even in places removed from all outside influences. Shamans are seen in anthropological history as a common figure throughout most cultures. They are looked upon with mystical reverence, though sometimes seen as a bit of an “other.” Their unique ability to connect to a spiritual realm makes them a desirable addition to a society, but it also has a tendency to cause hesitation in fully accepting them into a civilization.

Still, the shaman was generally considered simply a normal person, if one with a rare and difficult to comprehend profession. While they are sometimes paid well for their efforts (most times in food or other trade items), they generally still have to work hunting or farming just like all the others. Many times they have children and act as a completely typical member of society, however the solitary ones are not uncommon.

In our modern world of advanced medicine and science, the role of shaman has been replaced by men in lab coats, or doctors bearing needles and pills of now-commonplace synthetic chemicals to cure our ills. Though some of us still turn to a more modern version of a spiritual leader, it’s one who doesn’t communicate with an alternate reality, they simply fantasize about it.

It’s a tragic loss, one that is magnified by the common perception that people who attempt to communicate with alternate realities are weird, crazy, or worse, junkies. This brings about an important question to me, one that most likely has a fairly depressing answer. What has become of the shaman, a person once revered and thought as integral to humanity as we know it? And the follow up to that; what will become of the collective human psyche without them?

I believe the first question, at least, is fairly easily answered. It started with the advent of religions and societies that say, “this is how everything works, you can take our word for it. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” It’s a trite concept, but one that I think has at least some merit, that a major reason drugs are outlawed is to keep people from thinking too much. ‘They’ want you to keep working, playing and all around existing as ‘they’ want you to.

Whether or not a large conspiracy exists to keep the masses from having a spiritual awakening is up for debate. But it certainly seems that a large consequence of the disappearance of shamans and tolerable drug use is a near-complete cessation of any semblance of spiritual and shamanic experiences. Only a very small minority of “civilized society” makes any attempt at achieving a higher level (or at least a different level) of consciousness.

The second question, addressing the implications of that phenomenon, is much more difficult to pin down. It may contribute to the utter collapse of good will and human nature, or perhaps it will help all humans become logical, rational actors. Or, equally likely, it will have no perceivable effect whatsoever. One thing seems to stand out, however, when looking at the history of humans. We have generally always needed or, if nothing else, possessed, some sort of “larger than ourselves” concept to appreciate.

At first glance, the two ideas of logic and spirit don’t seem to be cohesive. We have all but eliminated the possibility of a sky-god, we seem to have pinned down the sun’s antics to a fair degree, and the cycles of weather and season don’t seem to mysticize us all that much anymore. It would appear that eventually science will outperform religion and spirituality on all or most explanations of the universe.

But that doesn’t rule out utilizing both at the same time. There are certain notions science may not ever address, some of which we couldn’t even begin to explain, let alone set up an experiment for. It has also been shown that while medicine is a true miracle, it isn’t necessarily the only means to an end. In some circumstances, shamanic healing has done just as much good as medicine could have. The brain is, after all, a very powerful tool.

Many of these mysterious, unintelligible notions can be experienced and discovered through the use of psychedelics. Natural psychedelics like psylocibe mushrooms, mescaline-containing cacti, DMT containing plants, tobacco, marijuana, and countless more have helped spirit-seekers achieve new planes of understanding since we’ve recorded history. There’s no reason the newer psychedelics, like LSD, the 2c series, the DO series and anything and everything else that exists or does not yet exist shouldn’t be shown the same attention.

Most psychedelic users would probably agree that something completely novel and sometimes magical seems to happen when they ingest their favorite chemical. However, even among many pro-psychedelic use people, it has become somewhat taboo to utilize them for any spiritual purpose. People who do so are sometimes stigmatized as new-age hippies at best, and amoral drug-addled junkies at worst.

In a different world, one focused more on meditation and cognitive understanding, psychedelics are used universally and with great reverence. Instead of turning to blind faith, people turn to a very real experience to cope with reality. In this fantasy, there exist a number of ‘shamanic’ individuals, who are more experienced than most with the art of the mind-expanding chemical use. When the average person needs guidance with a trip, or needs some abstract insight on a personal issue, they see this person.

The role a psychedelic enthusiast could have in modern society is one that could be very useful to our culture, and one that doesn’t necessarily involve strange, drugged-up individuals running rampant on the streets. They could be like the common shaman, simply an average citizen who happens to have a large hobby involving deep spiritual experiences.

It would naturally take a huge divergence from the current mainstream perception of drug use. Something generally reserved for experimental young adults. A pursuit that is essentially forbidden by any self-respecting, upstanding member of society. A pursuit that is, at best, looked upon as a phase to grow out of, and at worst a dangerous habit to be severely punished and outlawed.

Does it seem likely that psychedelics are a doorway to mystical dimensions, separate from and equal to our own? Well, perhaps when LSD still has a firm grip on your serotonin receptors. But in general, of course not. Can we make productive use of the strange, seemingly other-worldly, experiences they produce? Absolutely. Go forth, shamans of the modern era, experience what you can, and expand the collective human consciousness so that we may become more in tune with ourselves and our reality. After all, life is nothing but a chaotic molecule in the limited perception of an incomplete reality in an abstract universe.

Lotus

Nobody can fully prepare you for what you’re going to experience on a psychedelic, so you must keep that in mind at all times. Remember that there are risks of permanent mental issues, but they’re fairly low. If your family has a history of schizophrenia, or you believe you have latent mental issues, I would highly discourage the use of any psychoactive drugs (this includes marijuana, psychedelics, etc).

Once you’ve decided that you want to take the step into a psychedelic world, you should always know that you will come back out of it. It can be an overwhelming experience sometimes, but it won’t last more than a few hours, so try not to freak out and think it’ll never end. I’ve personally gone through every type of trip, from the confusing, to the magical, to the hilarious, to the downright terrifying (some of which I’ve documented right here on Stoner Culture). I’ve come out of every single one of them, and usually better than I went in.

Alright, so you’ve accomplished the most difficult part of any psychedelic adventure, and decided you’re going to do it and procured the necessary chemicals. What comes next is totally up to you. I prefer to have a meticulously planned trip, with activities, alternate activities, and things set up for me to avoid any type of involved thinking during the actual trip. I love playing guitar, so having an amp set up and ready to go is a must. Anything else, including recording equipment, art supplies, video games, etc, I prefer to have ready to go before I dose. Some people just like to go where the trip takes them, with no planning. Again, it’s totally up to you.

As far as dosing, it’s difficult to know how much to dose. With LSD, I’ve had single hits that were plenty to handle, and two hits that were fairly underwhelming. I usually start out with one, wait about an hour, and use my judgement as to whether I should re-dose or not. Some people prefer to take it all at once, again it’s totally personal preference.

With LSD, I usually like to take it by sticking it under my tongue for about 5 minutes, then swallowing the material. I don’t think it particularly matters, however, as I’ve swallowed them immediately and tripped just fine. With shrooms, I usually just eat them slowly, breaking them up into pill sizes, then washing them down with water. They taste kind of nutty to me, and even though I’m extremely picky when it comes to foods, I can stomach them no problem. Some people can’t stand the taste, and prefer to grind them into smoothies or some other type of drink to make them easier to go down. Mescaline is difficult, as it comes in such a wide variety of methods. If it’s a pill, just take it. If you’re extracting it, I’d recommend extracting it as much as possible, as the goo tastes absolutely terrible. As far as DXM goes (and some people would even count this in the psychedelic category), I usually prefer the drinkable kind. The pills work fine, too, but when you take a lot of them they all burst and disrupt your stomach more so than the liquid form.

With most psychs it will usually take no less than fifteen minutes, and no more than an hour to kick in. Other extenuating circumstances can drastically affect this time, however. I recently took some acid, then went mountain biking, and it took two hours to fully kick in. My hypothesis is the adrenaline slowed it down, but who knows? Just be patient, and give them a few hours before you fully blow them off as bunk.

During the actual trip, there are many activities that are appropriate, but you should keep in mind that your mind is in a fragile state, and treat it as such. I would avoid any movies or even video games that are overly violent, and probably not watch anything involving serious topics, like news stories (that doesn’t sound any fun, anyway). Any really colorful visually appealing shows should be great fun.

Music is usually indescribable. Get a nice set of headphones, or a nice set of speakers, and blast whatever music you usually enjoy. You’ll find that music is far more spiritual than usual, and it may be difficult to find something you can stick with. I usually like psychedelic rock (go figure), and some choice favorites are Jimi Hendrix, Tool, Pink Floyd, Mars Volta, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, and the Smashing Pumpkins.

I would fully recommend having a “trip sitter,” someone who you trust, that will be able to keep an eye on your during the trip. Ideally this person will be an experienced tripper, with a fairly laid back attitude, who is excited to help you on your journey. It’s an amazing benefit to have someone to drive you around (something that is highly discouraged to do by yourself while you’re tripping), and generally help keep you grounded in reality. Especially on your first trip, I would suggest having a friend around to help you out. I have tripped alone, and it’s usually just not as fun as tripping with people.

While taking other drugs to supplement the experience, like cannabis, nitrous, MDMA, or DMT can be fun, I would suggest waiting until you are fairly experienced and comfortable with the psychedelics before attempting this.

The final suggestion you should take into consideration is tripping in a comfortable environment. Keep in mind that while tripping in an outdoor setting can be really fun, you’re also usually miles away from a safe place. You don’t want to have a freak out and then require a 45 minute transport to a safe area (as I once did, and wrote about on this site). As far as tripping in public areas (like concerts or movies) I would recommend against it at first, but only you will know whether or not you’re ready. Once you’re tripping you’ll be able to tell whether or not you’re a social butterfly, or you’re like me and you’d rather just sit in a fairly isolated area and jam to your favorite tunes.

Psychedelics are probably my favorite drugs, even if I don’t use them more than a fraction as much as other drugs. They’re absolutely the most intriguing activities I’ve ever been a part of, and they never cease to amaze me. Use them with discretion, don’t overdo it, and you’ll be just fine. If you have a good mindset, and a good place to trip, you should have an incredible experience that you wont soon forget.