Drug apologists such as myself tend to overstate the matter, and to emphasise the good while glossing over the bad. Take the example of marijuana, a mostly benign substance and essentially a type of grass. People like me are quick to tell you how absurd it is that a roll of paper stuffed with 4000+ chemicals (modern cigarettes) is legal while a roll of grass is not. We are often found criticising a democratic state that does not allow its citizens to form their own relationships with a plant. This critique is not invalid, and with the support of increasing data that shows the medical benefits of marijuana, the era of complete legalisation may not be too far away.
Now, any college-going pothead can tell you the above, but what we don’t tell you are the following. For one, having a relationship with a plant is one thing, but regular purchase of the pudiya (bag) where the money trail would lead to nefarious outlaw groups is another thing altogether. I’ve not known potheads who are aware that their daily habit funds such groups, and even aware ones such as me continue with the habit, choosing hypocrisy over the high road. Secondly, calling what eventually becomes a dependence of some degree a mere relationship is sheer under-representation of facts. When you smoke multiple joints a day, when where you go and who you meet depends on whether weed will be accessible, and when your life begins to revolve around that next joint, it is no longer a relationship with a plant. It is a dependence like any other, and when it starts regulating you rather than the other way round you’ve crossed the rubicon of drug use to drug abuse.
Add to this the facts that in India we mix our weed with tobacco, and that most weed is adulterated in any case, and you’ve all but written away the disclaimer that marijuana has no lasting detriment on one’s health. Yes, justifications abound in the form of vaporisers and clean, pure hashish from Malana- but those really are the exceptions. The rule is of the general pothead who procures a Rs. 100 pudiya from the nearest peddler, who in India is never too far away.
Thus, while we demand a free, fair and informed public discourse on the legal status of many drugs, we must not lose sight of the easy way in which they lend themselves to abuse, dependency and habit. It warrants confession here that in this context I’m more a preacher than a practitioner of moderation. I’ve been an inveterate marijuana user for more than a decade, and in my honest moments I confess that it’s now more a dependency than anything else. Given the frequency with which I smoke up, I don’t even get high anymore! Why else do I do it then, if not to pander to a dependency? Marijuana is not the only substance open to abuse in this manner, for the same caveat applies in the case of psychedelics.
Take the drug 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, more commonly known as Ecstasy. If I recommend MDMA to someone, it is for one of two reasons- for a purely recreational experience, or for some form of development (personal or inter-personal). But whenever I do so, I am also quick to dole the following warnings to the prospective first-timer:
-A lot of the stuff you get in the market is fake, or MDMA mixed with some other chemical. This is highly dangerous! Only take MDMA from a known, trusted source. How to know of and trust a source, that’s another thing!
-Be prepared for the downer that comes when the effects start to wear off. And take guard against the temptation to pop another dose as you start coming down. Taking one dose of MDMA while coming down from the first is a step down a dangerously slippery slope.
-Keep yourself hydrated! Take frugal sips of water at frequent intervals. If you are with company, make a pact- whenever one of you takes a sip of water, get the others to take one as well.
The above set is only a gist of the caveats mandated when you recommend a drug to someone, and it illustrates that psychedelic usage is no light matter. While there is room to indulge in these substances recreationally, the room is only so large. And it is easy to push to seams too hard. Longer, more elaborate lists of warnings come along with any recommendation to do mushrooms, acid, DMT or other deep psychedelics. It’s beyond the scope of our journey here to go into each in detail, but here are the six things everyone should keep in mind before thinking of attempting a psychedelic experience. The aim here is not to dissuade- that would be a tragic result of such a list. The objective is to impress upon the reader that this experience is a serious one, as are the rewards it can give. I call these the cardinal rules of psychedelia, and variations of these are not uncommon on the internet.
1. Inform Yourself
Psychedelicos from the 80s and early 90s will tell you how easy we have it to engage with psychedelic culture in the internet age. Use this resource. If you are a reader, head to Erowid or conduct your own searches to read up on whatever route you elect to attain a psychedelic experience. If you prefer videos, YouTube is your best resource. There is no excuse in this era for not unlearning what you know through propaganda, or not learning what you don’t get to know even through recommendation and word-of-mouth.
Every psychedelic route comes with its own set of precautions, possible downers, and eventual experiences. No two routes are alike, and the periphery of what constitutes a psychedelic experience is an amorphous membrane. This makes it all the more important that you do your research well. There is yet another reason to arm yourself with knowledge—it can help you form a paradigm through which to interpret the experience itself. Though all eventual conclusions must be formed only by yourself, it helps to have a platform to stand on before you leap forward.
2. Choose Your Company Well
There is a reason why the only prescribed way to have ayahuasca is under the guidance of a genuine shaman. An experience so profoundly psychedelic needs an adept guide, and this extends to all other psychedelic methods. For most of us, our first experience will not be in an Amazonian jungle, but it is still important to choose our companions and a sitter with discretion. Your companions need to be people we trust and sync with well in real life. The office colleagues we have our Friday beer with are not necessarily the best choice here. The sitter needs to be a trusted friend, apart from being reliable, level-headed and of course—completely sober.
At least one of these people must also be an experienced navigator of the route you embark upon. This is important because she must be at hand to deal with experiences that go ‘sideways.’ My own initiation into the psychedelic domains was guided by an experienced, conscientious friend—and I am forever indebted to him for that. It is easy to take this rule lightly, mostly because the psychedelic experience itself is so alien to a first-timer that the requisite amount of seriousness is tough to muster. But sticking to this rule with diligence is one of the necessary ingredients for a positive psychedelic experience.
3. Be Judicious with the Method
As previously acknowledged, there are several routes to attaining a psychedelic experience, and not all of them require the ingestion of a substance. Rule 3 is a corollary to rule 1—an essential part of pre-psychedelic research is choosing what way to experience these realms. When it comes to substances, though you will find opposing views as well, my take is a modified version of one of Terence McKenna’s quotes:
Hyperspace is delivered to us by many kinds; some are born naturally, some through scientific grind. The ones born in the laboratory, you’ll find, offer no guarantee for the sanity of mind.
To experienced psychedelicos, the meaning of the above will be clear even if they disagree with it. To others, an elaboration is warranted. There are several ‘natural’ ways to experience psychedelia, and these are available to us through certain plants and fungi. The most common, and registering lowest on the psychedelic scale, is cannabis. But as you jump a level up, the degree of psychedelic intensity increases exponentially through plants such as peyote, banisteriopsis caapi, peganum harmala, tabernanthe iboga and of course, psilocybin mushrooms. Most plant psychedelics have been used by central American tribes for centuries, which is another way of saying that we have very tangible human data on the long-term effects of their usage. On the other end of the psychedelic spectrum, testimonials from deep meditation techniques reveal that the experience can be attained even without the ingestion of a substance. Rule 3 reminds us that there are many methods of psychedelic attainment to choose from, and each of us must be judicious to our own degree.
4. Understand Set and Setting
The mother of all clichés, the baap of all oft-repeated things, yet the most justifiably emphasised concept ever. Set and Setting. Set and Setting. Set and Setting. Drill this into your head. To understand what Set and Setting means is to understand how to have a positive psychedelic experience 100% of the time. Shamans and experienced psychedelicos alike will tell you that set and setting are more important than the substance.
Let us visit a simple fact observed in human infants—they are not afraid of snakes until they witness adults display fear of the creatures, and thus imbibe the same cautionary reflexes. In other words, that one is to be wary of snakes is not part of a human’s mindset till the same is acquired through witnessing another’s mindset play itself out. The ‘Set’ of rule 4 refers to mindset. It refers to our knowledge, expectations, perceptions and overall state of mind as we embark on a psychedelic journey. Put simply, if you expect to see faces melt and snakes appear out of eyeballs because your paradigm has been formed through watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then you are appropriately primed to witness that very thing.
Sailors will tell you, the day of embarkation for an important journey is carefully dependant on the weather. The best time to sail forth is when the seas are calm and likely to remain so. In this case, the seas and the weather make the ‘setting’ that has a direct impact on the experience of the sail. Setting means the same in the psychedelic context. Where is it that you have embarked on your psychedelic journey? Indoors? Outdoors? In a crowded party full of strangers? Among reliable friends and the safe confines of your own garden? Amid loud noises or disliked music? To the best tunes ever composed? The importance of choosing a positive setting can never be over-emphasised.
Also remember—set and setting differ from person to person. How the set differs is obvious enough, but even under the same setting the effects can vary between you and your fellow-psychedelicos. When I began my psychedelic journeys, I was in a place that enjoyed beautiful, sunny days during spring. My companions, like most normal people, enjoyed the wonderful sun and the fresh, liberating feel of open air. I was unlike most normal people, for I preferred a closed environment—preferably my own room. Most people will recommend that you undertake the psychedelic experience of say, psilocybin mushrooms, when outdoors. I am here to tell you that I found the opposite to be advisable in my own case. You must similarly test the waters to ascertain your comfort zone.
5. Biology Is Important
Too many people limit the implications of set to their mental makeup alone, thus requiring a separate rule to drive home an important point—your biological state is equally important. Follow this prescription religiously:
-Do not drink alcohol at least 24 hours before you begin the psychedelic journey. Sure, a pint or two of beer is fine—if it really is a pint or two. Anything more or anything else, generally avoid.
-Do not eat anything heavy at least 12 hours before you begin the journey. This includes all oily and fried things.
-Make sure that you have been well-slept for the past 3-4 days, and are adequately rested on the day of embarkation itself.
6. The Law Is Real
All of the substance-based methods available to us to experience the psychedelic realms are classified illegal by Indian and international law. Be very careful as you embark upon these journeys, and consider whether you want to at all. In most cases, you are a criminal simply for having such an experience. Possession and trade in psychedelic substances can land you in jail and hand you a lifetime of bad record. Enough said.