A Psychedelic Odyssey: A Journey Below The Mind With A Trendy Fungus
We’ve all been there.
In the heat of the moment, with the craving of a child, we think, “Gosh, I could really use a high. I mean I deserve to take a break from this reality so I can feel some comfort, right? I mean, dammit, I need it. Look what I’ve been through, right? I’ve been through enough! Oh wait, mushrooms are trending and when I was drunk on new-age malarky, I read that when you eat psychedelic types of mushrooms, God pulls you into heaven and you trip with Him. Yeah, that’s what I want, man, a trip with God.”
Then we pop a stem or drink a tea or follow some hyped-up and trending hipster into a hot dome to trip into our warped egos. Soon after, we puke for 2 hours, after which, we still feel broken, fucked up, and depressed. Only now, we’re also exhausted beyond belief, dehydrated, and anxious.
Truly, there’s a better way.
Maybe you’ve embarked on a journey that promised profound spiritual insights but instead took you on a rollercoaster ride of mind-bending and mind-exacerbating proportions. Yeah, that sounds more like it.
If you have, you’re probably familiar with the curious world of psychedelic mushrooms. These magical fungi have a reputation for providing unique and, well, “interesting” spiritual and psychological experiences.
Picture this: You take a handful of psychedelic mushrooms, eagerly awaiting the profound revelations that lie ahead. The excitement builds, and you start to feel like a wizard about to unlock the secrets of the universe. You’re convinced that you are on the cusp of enlightenment, ready to take your place among the gods. And so, the adventure begins.
As the mushrooms kick in, reality takes a backseat, and you’re transported to a realm where the laws of physics no longer apply. Colors dance, shapes morph, and your senses tango with the infinite. You feel like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, only to find that Wonderland is a lot weirder than you imagined.
In this altered state of consciousness, you begin to believe that you are God – or perhaps something even grander. You’re conducting symphonies of thought, orchestrating cosmic events with the flick of your mental finger. Your ego inflates like a helium balloon, and you soar through the astral planes with boundless confidence.
But here’s the twist: Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, reality smacks you in the face like a wet noodle. You realize that your profound insights were nothing more than the ramblings of a cunning ego and mind under the influence of nothing sacred. The grand cosmic secrets you thought you were privy to were just illusions, like a mirage in the desert. They’re really nothing more than the dirty jokes you told at the bar last week. They’re just garbage.
I tripped one time, long long ago, and sang love songs to an open fridge – namely, to each of the condiments. In my mind, I was swooning over divine Beings. I fell out of the trip because I was so excited to sing these songs, I wet myself.
There are better ways to sing to The Divine.
“While substances like mushrooms may provide temporary glimpses into altered states of consciousness, they do not lead to lasting spiritual awakening. True awakening is the recognition that you are not your thoughts, and it can only be achieved through presence and awareness, not through external stimulants.” — Eckhart Tolle
Yay! Coming Down! Oh, Wait, This Sucks.
As you come down from your psychedelic high, the emotional sparks that once lit up your mind fizzle out. You’re left with a sense of bewilderment, nausea, anger, insane tears, brokenness, wondering what on earth just happened. Wait, where did my personality go? I can’t feel my toes. Oh wait, that’s because my shoes are filled with vomit.
The convoluted conversations you had with your inner Self just a few hours prior, which felt like profound revelations at the time, now seem like the ramblings of a madman who wanted to feel Self-important as he skirted traditional society and tripped on fungus.
And then there’s the aftermath – the moment when your inner child, who was initially thrilled by the prospect of this magical adventure, comes crashing down from the rotten sugar rush. It’s as if that inner child ate all the candy in the store, only to regret it later. Nausea sets in, and you find yourSelf hugging the porcelain throne, desperately hoping for some relief.
In the end, the journey with psychedelic mushrooms often turns out to be a whimsical trip to nowhere particularly useful. It’s like taking a detour through the wildest corners of your mind, only to realize that you’re back where you started, perhaps a little wiser but mostly just dazed and confused.
So, the next time you’re tempted to venture into the world of psychedelics in search of profound spiritual or psychological experiences, remember this: Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from the sober moments of introspection, when you can truly understand the mysteries of your mind without the need for magical fungi.
But hey, if you’re up for a wild ride filled with cosmic delusions and inner child shenanigans, psychedelic mushrooms are always there to provide a memorable, albeit bewildering, experience. Just don’t forget the anti-nausea medication!
And keep your shoes on your feet the whole trip.
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In the realm of spirituality, the allure of psychedelic substances like mushrooms often lies in the belief that they can take us beyond the boundaries of our ordinary consciousness. Many seekers are drawn to these experiences in the hopes of transcending the limitations of the mind and connecting with higher realms of existence.
However, as numerous enlightened masters have pointed out, these substances may, in fact, take us beneath the mind’s surface, rather than beyond it. Ram Das found this out after years of freaking himself out. Leaving mushrooms, he found nirvana.
“The mind is a powerful instrument, capable of profound depths and soaring heights. However, it is not by altering its chemistry with external substances that we truly transcend its limitations. Rather, it is through Self-inquiry and the direct realization of our true nature that we go beyond the mind’s confines.” — Ramana Maharshi
In essence, what these enlightened masters are conveying is that the mind, in its ordinary state, is clouded by the ceaseless chatter of thoughts, desires, and egoic identifications. Psychedelic experiences can indeed plunge us into a realm where the boundaries of the ego seem to dissolve, offering a glimpse of something greater.
However, this often involves navigating through a maze of subconscious material, vivid hallucinations, and the ego’s attempts to reassert itSelf in new and perplexing ways. Yeah, the ego does that – ALL THE TIME – because that’s its job – to have a word with you – and often the last say.
Rather than leading us beyond the mind, these substances often take us on a journey deep within ourselves. They reveal the hidden recesses of our psyche, but not the psyche connected to The Divine, rather, the warped sense of Self and reality connected to a temporary Self-identity and what it imagines to be its most expanded Self.
This might provide an interesting pathway around Self-exploration, but it cannot open the door to profound spiritual enlightenment and liberation that many seek.
Liberate YourSelf From Mushrooms & The Like
Certainly, it’s important to be aware of the types of mushrooms that can induce psychedelic experiences if you are on a spiritual path focused on moksha (liberation) and Self-realization.
While some individuals may explore these substances for various reasons, it’s essential to understand why avoiding them can align better with certain spiritual goals.
Here’s a list of some psychedelic mushrooms and reasons to consider avoiding them if you’re dedicated to a path of spiritual awakening:
Psilocybe cubensis: Commonly known as “magic mushrooms,” Psilocybe cubensis contains the psychoactive compound psilocybin. While these mushrooms can lead to profound altered states of consciousness, they may also distract you from deep introspection and Self-realization by generating intense and sometimes chaotic experiences.
Amanita muscaria: Also known as the fly agaric, Amanita muscaria contains muscimol, a psychoactive compound. These mushrooms are associated with vivid and often unpredictable hallucinations. Engaging with Amanita muscaria can hinder your ability to focus on meditation and Self-discovery due to their potentially disorienting effects.
Psilocybe semilanceata: Also called “liberty caps,” these mushrooms contain psilocybin and psilocin. While some users report spiritual insights during their trips, the unpredictable nature of psychedelic experiences may make it challenging to maintain a consistent and focused spiritual practice.
Psilocybe azurescens: Known for their high psilocybin content, these mushrooms can induce intense and overwhelming trips. Pursuing Self-realization may require a clear and focused mind, which can be disrupted by the emotional and sensory fluctuations caused by these mushrooms.
Psilocybe cyanescens: Similar to Psilocybe azurescens, Psilocybe cyanescens mushrooms are potent in psilocybin. They can lead to intense and unpredictable experiences that may not align with the goals of moksha and liberation.
Gymnopilus species: Some Gymnopilus mushrooms contain psilocybin and can induce psychedelic experiences. However, their effects can vary widely, making it challenging to predict how they will impact your mental state during meditation and spiritual practices.
Why Avoid Psychedelic Mushrooms?
- Distraction from True Self-Realization: Psychedelic experiences can be captivating and intense, potentially diverting your focus from the inward journey towards Self-realization.
- Unpredictable Outcomes: Psychedelic trips are highly variable, and their outcomes may not always align with your spiritual intentions. The unpredictability can disrupt your progress on the path to moksha.
- Dependency Risk: Regular use of psychedelic mushrooms can lead to a dependency on external substances for spiritual experiences, rather than relying on inner practices like meditation and Self-inquiry.
- Potential Mental Health Risks: For individuals with certain mental health conditions or vulnerabilities, psychedelic experiences can be destabilizing and may have lasting negative effects.
- Dependency On The New-Age Circus: Round and round she goes, never-ending – and that’s because there’s always one more trendy influencer trying to hook us into doing something to make us foolish or dependent. Just get off the ride – and never come back.
- You Identity Can Change: Your personality can change and your self-identity can fracture, leaving you completely clueless about who you are and what to do next. This state of the broken Self can last for hours, days, weeks, or longer.
- You Forget Your Purpose: You can break your connection to what thrills and motivates you. You can forget your work ethic and you can be persuaded by the drugs to venture down creative paths that have nothing to do with your value and pure Self.
- You Bounce To More Worthless Trends: Being fascinated by your trip, you might spend the next 20 years wasting your money and time tripping and being fractured. This is a wasted life.
Microdosing
There is a trend called microdosing, which is different than taking a higher dosage of mushrooms for the specific purpose of having psychedelic experiences. Micro-dosing is when you are guided by a professional to take very microscopic doses of psychedelic mushrooms to help you stimulate your brain synapses to break a horrible mental or emotional pattern.
Upon the tiniest shift, you stop taking the microdoses, and you move on with your life. Check out my article on the subject HERE.
Truth Be Told – Shrooms Are Not For Spiritual Seekers
We are each seeking to find that one thing that will give us joy, comfort, or safety, depending on what we are each desperately seeking at a given time. That’s why the enlightened masters teach us to go within and to give up looking for ourselves externally or within our egoic minds.
Psychedelic experiences is the epitome of chasing the external or fantastical to help us feel better. The doors you imagine you’re opening are not doors – they’re delusions.
It might seem like a higher level experience, might have the right lingo around it, and even spiritual retreats built around it – but it remains, in the end, a mental experience – not a spiritual one.
For as long as we are chasing the mind or the external, we are not meeting or knowing ourselves.
If you are truly seeking liberation, your ultimate goal is to meet yourself fully and deeply where you are – and to end the chase. Here’s the thing: the world is filled with these things, so your sojourn will NEVER END. There will always be another experience to buy that pretends to be your ticket for liberation. If you are focused on these experiences, you will certainly go in circles.
The idea is to get off the spiritual tourist train and get on the solo train that takes you to Divine Consciousness so you can become It. Mushrooms will take you anywhere BUT the pure Self.
In pursuing moksha, liberation, and Self-realization, many spiritual traditions emphasize the importance of inner practices such as meditation, Self-inquiry, and mindfulness. While some individuals may find value in occasional psychedelic experiences, it’s crucial to approach them with caution, respect, and a deep understanding of their potential impact on your spiritual journey.
Ultimately, the path to Self-realization is a deeply personal one, and the choice of whether or not to engage with psychedelics should be made with careful consideration of your unique spiritual goals and intentions.
Consciousness is accessible because we are pure consciousness. But our sense of consciousness and our pure Selves is only warped when we consume intoxicating substances. These substances cannot take us beyond the mind to immerse in divine bliss. All they can do is open a wacky, trendy door to give us a warped sense of who we truly are, but only if we decide to do the work required to get there.
Why take candy when the path of Sadhana can guide you to experience the real thing?
In the end, the wisdom of the enlightened masters reminds us that the true path to spiritual realization lies not in the external consumption of substances but in the inner journey of Self-discovery, Self-inquiry, and the realization of our essential nature beyond the mind’s fluctuations.
While mushrooms may offer a curious and occasionally amusing detour, the timeless wisdom of these spiritual sages points us toward a more enduring and transformative path to Self-realization.
If it’s trending, it’s probably not true. Dig deeper. You can do it!
