Spiritual Experience with my first trip

Before I describe my trip, I think it is important for someone to understand my brief background with any type of substance.

Before my experience this week, I had never participated in really in the use of any illegal drug. I didn't even drink until I was 21. I have tried weed three times, twice smoking and once with edibles. Niether of these experiences are really worth noting, and other than a mild body high with the edibles, all three experiences were pretty much negatable. For some reason both my brother and I seem to have naturally high tolerances for marijuana so mostly I stay away from it.

However my experience on mushrooms were much different.

A friend of mine had recently began growing and trying psychedelics, and from my readings of Graham Hancock and his experiences with Ayahusca, I decided that this could be an opportunity to see what they had to offer. My girlfriend and I decided to ask for a low dosage and make a new experience together (with my brother as our trip sitter). It was around 5pm on a Friday with a free evening ahead of us, we both took around 1 gram a piece (I don't recall the exact strain of mushroom at the moment) and waited in my apartment for the effects to kick in.

Around 10-15 minutes in is when we both began to feel the beginning affects. Laughter, and uncontrollable giggles soon started, with both of us sitting on the couch smiling and embracing the experience. Before the trip we asked my brother to take us out to the local park once the trip began if we felt comfortable enough to travel. So we soon left and headed towards the park.

At this point we are roughly 35 minutes from the point of ingestion. We are from a small, southern college town and it was fall so we drove towards the park during twilight with the full colors of autumn on the trees. This is somewhere around the point were my 'peak' started.  The first thing you notice is the 'wide' feeling you get and the feeling of time begins to disappear. From my reading I had expected the brightening of colors but something I did not expect happened. Only natural things appeared to brighten... buildings and florescent lights looked unbelievably dull. The colors came to life and suddenly time slipped away and felt euphoria wash over my body. The best way to describe this moment is like watching you life take place in IMAX and with life looking like an HDR photo. Trees, rivers, even just grass became incredibly interesting. Nature became absolutely fascinating!

It is at this point that one image sticks in my mind and will forever be with me. It was just the sight of a local building I pass everyday but saw it in a much different light. I saw the beauty in the contrast between the dull shades of concrete and the bright, luminescent colors of the trees. This image along for some reason spoke to me.

With visual stimulation setting in and the feeling of euphoria in full effect, my trip was already beginning to tell me what I needed to learn.

My brother asked if we wanted to listen to music so we both agreed. After trying to listen to various types of music (dupstep, trance, etc) the only music we could tolerate was music by Strauss and Gustav Holst (we listened to Jupiter and Venus from the Planets Suite). We both enthusiastically listened as we made our way to the park.

From then on our trip continued and we enjoyed our evening watching the trees, feeling the breeze, and generally just enjoying being with nature. During this time I spent much thinking about life and taking in the beauty the trip was opening me up to. My peak lasted rather short (40 mins, mostly due to my dosage) but it was a great time. My girlfriend's peak was closer to an hour or so.

What we both learned from our calm evening was simply that life passes us by at such a rate that it becomes necessary to stop every once and a while and appreciate our lives. Appreciate the world we live in, those we surround ourselves with, the things that separate us from nature and things that unite us with nature and one another.

Whether I ever try another psychedelic or not, I will take the experience to heart. If I do try shrooms again I might increase my dosage but will do so with caution. My only advice to those who wish to try shrooms and experience nature. Plan a camping trip or visit a park (as long as you have access to privacy). Enjoy the beauty the earth that give you these mushrooms is now surrounding you with.

Happy tripping and be safe!