Pablo Amaringo: Ayahuasca Visions

Jump to Section

Jump to Section

[ssp|path=http://evolver.slideshowpro.com/images.php?album=239696|width=640|height=640|params=audioAutoStart:Off]

This portfolio and the essay below are excerpted from The Ayahuasca Visions of Pablo Amaringo, a new collection of never-before-published paintings by the renowned artist, edited by Howard G. Charing, Peter Cloudsley, and Pablo Amaringo, recently released by Inner Tradions/Bear & Co.

 

Memories and Legacy: Early Encounters with Pablo Amaringo, Painter of Visions

by Dennis McKenna, Ph.D.

I first met Pablo Amaringo in May 1981, when I was finishing up some ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon. It was at the end of a grueling but rewarding six months of collecting specimens and material for phytochemical investigations on a project that was eventually to evolve into my doctoral thesis on the botany, chemistry, and pharmacology of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is the now-famous but at that time little-known visionary brew that is the portal to the shamanic universe of the Amazon. 

It had been a long trip. I had returned to Pucallpa for a few days to collect a few more specimens and to visit my chief informant there, the ayahuasquero Don Fidel Mosambite, who had been my major informant when I first arrived in Peru. It seemed appropriate, somehow, to stop and pay my respects to this wonderful man before catching my flight back to Lima, and then Vancouver. 

So it was that on a sunny Sunday afternoon I found myself in Pueblo Joven José Olay, a tiny settlement on the outskirts of Pucallpa, near Don Fidel’s home. I had stopped in at a local cantina to slake my thirst on the hot day, and was trying to order a beer and a little food in my broken Spanish (it has since improved) when a diminutive man with a kind face and a soft voice introduced himself in equally broken English and asked if I needed some assistance with my order. I was grateful for his help and offered to buy him a beer. In the conversation that ensued I learned that he was a maestro, a teacher, and, specifically, that he taught English in the local one-room school in his village. It was one of those chance encounters about which one thinks little at the time; a pleasant conversation in a local watering hole, a casual encounter that began what became, over the years, a warm friendship that would change both of our lives.

We passed the time in the dusty shade of the drowsy afternoon, learning what we could of each other through the limitations of our linguistic filters. It transpired that Pablo was not only a teacher, but a musician and an enthusiastic amateur painter. He invited me to his modest home on the main drag of this village (or what would have been the main drag if there had been any automobiles, which there were not). 

While I waited in his living room, nursing a glass of lemonade, he went into a back room and rummaged around for a bit, returning with a stack of paintings on cardboard or particle board. They were mostly representations of animals and plants, things he had seen during his extensive ramblings in the jungle. Though I murmured politely as he showed me painting after painting, they were workmanlike but unremarkable, the sort of effort that might be the product of a first-year art student. 

Eventually, as the afternoon dissolved into evening, I took my leave, telling Pablo that I was tired and had to return to my hotel to pack my gear in order to catch a plane to Lima the next day. I thanked him for his kindness and hospitality, made another insincere comment or two on the paintings, and prepared to depart. Pablo asked if I would like to return the next day for a fiesta de la musica. He wanted to gather together some friends and give me a little concert, a proper send-off for my long journey back to North America. 

I started to demur, but he would not be put off; he insisted that I come to his house the next afternoon. As my plane did not depart until early evening, I had no real excuse, so finally I assented and told him I would stop by around lunchtime the following day. It was perhaps one of the best spur-of-the-moment decisions I have ever made. 

When I arrived, bringing cervezas (beer) and a bit of comidas (food), Pablo had gathered several of his friends together and they were unpacking musical instruments of all kinds: a battered guitar, drums, flutes, ukeleles, tambourines, and bells–the typical ensemble of Peruvian folk music. This little band of “jammers” then proceeded to regale me, for about the next four hours, with a truly amazing repertoire of traditional folk tunes. 

The beer and laughter flowed freely, food was consumed, stories were told, and all of it transpired in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship, just a bunch of amigos hanging out, jamming, and having a good time. 

I was truly moved. 

Suddenly, I was no longer an extranjero, an alien foreigner dropped in from a parallel universe; I was just one of the guys and the guys were eager to share their music, their laughter, and their life with me. It was a moment I will never forget. As it happens, I had a few cassettes left, and my cheap tape recorder, which had served me well over the past months, still had some life left in its failing batteries. So I was able to capture a little of the performance, and that tape–tinny, scratchy, and about as bad a recording as it’s possible to make–remains one of my most treasured possessions to this day. My head was full of the music, but my heart was sad as I bid Pablo and his band of merry men good-bye, not knowing if I would ever see any of them again. I returned to Vancouver and threw myself into my work, spending long days and sometimes nights unraveling the chemical secrets of the hard-won samples I had collected. 

Years passed and although Pablo and I had exchanged addresses and I had heard from him once, there was no further communication from him. I had responded to his one brief letter with an equally short missive, the best I could do as a busy graduate student (or so I justified to myself).

In the fall of 1981, shortly after the conclusion of my fieldwork, I met Luis Eduardo Luna for the first time. He was in town to attend an anthropology conference being held at the University of British Columbia; though we had not met, we knew of each other, as he had been a friend of my brother Terence since 1972. When he sent word that he was coming to Vancouver, I invited him to stay in my tiny apartment, even though I had just moved in a few days earlier with my new girlfriend, Sheila (who is now my wife). Eduardo was a model houseguest. We spent many hours talking late into the night, after he had returned from the conference and I from my long days in the lab. Another birth took place there and then, of another friendship that I still cherish. 

Suddenly, it was 1985. I had completed my thesis the year before, published the findings (such as they were), and moved to San Diego to begin the first of an endless chain of postdocs. In the mail I received an unexpected invitation from my new (and now old) friend, Eduardo. It seemed that he was organizing a satellite symposium on ayahuasca that was to be held in conjunction with the 45th International Congress of the Americanists, scheduled for that summer at the University of the Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Could I be persuaded to attend and present some of my findings? It took no persuasion; I told him I was honored, and I was ready to go.

That July I met up with Eduardo at his home in Florencia, in the province of Caqueta, Colombia. I had passed through Florencia once before, in 1971 while I was on the way to La Chorerra in the company of my brother and our unlikely hippie entourage. It felt strange to be returning to this forsaken spot on the map, the place where, nearly a decade and a half before, I had had my first encounter with the Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, an encounter that changed my life forever. (The chronicle of our journey to La Chorrera and the hyperspatial portal lurking there has been related extensively in my brother’s book, True Hallucinations, so there is no need to belabor it here.)

We stayed at Eduardo’s home for a few days and journeyed together to Bogotá for the conference. Afterward, we parted company. I had an obligation to travel on to Iquitos to conduct some business, and we agreed to meet again in Pucallpa to embark on six weeks of travel and collecting in various parts of Peru. Eduardo showed up right on time, encountering me waiting impatiently in the cantina of El Pescador–the tiny, squalid hotel in the town of Yarina Cocha, a few kilometers from Pucallpa. 

No sooner had he dropped his bags than we left for an ayahuasca session with Don Fidel; I was eager to introduce him to my informant, still going strong since I had last seen him in ’81. The next morning, after a light breakfast, we determined to go to Jose Olaya to see if we could find Pablo. We found him at home and introductions were made. Eduardo’s presence, with his perfect Spanish, enabled a much less superficial conversation with Pablo to take place this time. 

In short order, the subject of ayahuasca came up (I had not discussed this at all with Pablo in our previous encounter, four years prior) and we learned that not only did he know about it, but that he had been a practicing ayahuasquero for many years. Suddenly my perception of this odd, funny little man changed dramatically. He was not just an ayahuasquero, but a very powerful one. He related to us the circumstances that had led him to follow the path of the medicine; how in his late thirties he had been diagnosed with a serious heart problem, a congenital defect that doctors told him was likely to shorten his life by decades. There was nothing they could do, they said. In despair, not knowing what else to do, Pablo sought out the local shaman and submitted himself to the medicine, not knowing whether this or any other measure could help him. 

He related an amazing story; how, in his first or second encounter, he had been visited by “spirit doctors” (he described them as “German doctors”). He found himself in a curved space, an operating room, surrounded by high-tech machines and doctors in white coats. He related how the doctors opened his chest and removed his heart, still beating, all while Pablo watched in terror, convinced he was going to die; how the doctors did things to his heart, fixing it before his eyes, and replaced it in his chest and closed him up; how, after this experience, he never had any further heart problems (his doctors in Pucallpa were baffled–they couldn’t explain it); how, following this miraculous healing, he had responded to the message from ayahuasca, that in order to maintain his health and vitality he had to become a student of ayahuasca; how he learned to use it to maintain his health and to cure others. Which he did, over many years, until it came about that he got into a shamanic conflict with other ayahuasqueros–evil brujos (sorcerers) who were bent on killing or harming him. 

He went on to tell us how, at that point, he determined to give up his practice. He saw himself at a crossroads, he said, where his only choice was to kill his enemies or to be killed by them. Not wanting either of these grim options, he stepped back from the world of ayahuasca and never ingested the brew again. Eduardo and I were struck by this story and while we were ruminating over his tale, Pablo proceeded to bring out some of his paintings to show us. As we were examining these (his work had improved somewhat since he had first shown it to me years before, but his paintings were still fairly conventional) Eduardo asked him if he had ever tried painting his ayahuasca visions. Pablo seemed puzzled by the question; the idea had really never occurred to him! Eduardo made some compliment about his technique and gently suggested that he ought to give it a try. Pablo was noncommittal, and the moment passed. We spent another hour or so in conversation about inconsequential matters and then took our leave.

The next morning, we decided to drop by Pablo’s house again, with no particular agenda except to say hello. Pablo was excited and showed us three canvases, the first three visionary paintings he had ever produced. Intrigued by Eduardo’s suggestion, he had been up all night producing these paintings. They were still somewhat crude by the standards of his later work, but it was clear to both of us that these works were of a wholly different order from anything he had shown us before. They seemed to come from a place of vision and inspiration–a direct download from the magical ayahuasca universe, its details remembered and rendered perfectly from memory, though it had been many years since he had taken the brew. 

Both Eduardo and I noted with slight amusement that the paintings were unsigned. So egoless was this man, so naively unaware of such conventions, that it did not occur to him to spoil the effect with the imprimatur of his creative ownership. Eduardo, much more qualified than I to judge the quality of Pablo’s artistic efforts and quick to discern their commercial potential, lost no time in suggesting that he should include his name on any further works he might produce; but those first two remained unsigned and are hanging, still unsigned, one in my den in Minnesota, the other in Eduardo’s study in Helsinki. 

We returned to visit Pablo the next day, to find that he had turned out three more paintings in the preceding twenty-four hours. They were signed this time, as he proudly pointed out. They were, if anything, even more intricate, colorful, and inspired than the works of the previous day. And thus began Pablo’s remarkable career as one of the world’s foremost visionary artists. 

It was as though Eduardo’s simple suggestion had triggered something in Pablo; once he took to the idea, it turned on a floodgate of creative expression, with ideas and images pouring out of him almost faster than he could put brush to canvas. That original inspiration and its prolific result continued and his technique improved while his fame grew. His later works are more sophisticated and detailed, reflecting his years of experience, and yet they clearly spring from the original creative impulse that moved him to put brush to canvas and generate the first of his visionary works. 

In the years that passed subsequent to this fateful encounter, initially with Eduardo’s help in arranging sales and international exhibitions and later independently, Pablo became famous and revered worldwide, not only for his paintings but for the Usko Ayar school of Amazonian painting, which he founded with Eduardo’s help in the late 1980s. Through the school he taught many young people in his community how to paint and gave them a means of livelihood, a way to help support their families by producing and selling wonderful paintings depicting the marvelous plants and animals of the Amazon. 

There are now many derivatives; one cannot wander into to a gallery or tourist shop in Pucallpa or Iquitos that does not have a few paintings from Usko Ayar, or, more frequently, crude knockoffs of the genuine articles. But few of Pablo’s students have ventured into visionary painting and while their works are wonderful, masterfully done, highly detailed, and taxonomically accurate, they are largely representational. Only Pablo can claim the title of curator and official artist in residence of a museum of marvels, committing to canvas, for the world to see, the bizarre, beautiful, magical, and terrifying reality that is the ayahuasca dimension. 

The results of Pablo and Eduardo’s collaboration in the late ’80s culminated in the publication of his first collection of visionary paintings. Ayahuasca Visions: The Religious Iconography of a Peruvian Shaman, published in 1991, brought Pablo’s work to the world. Pablo’s paintings, reproduced in high-quality full color, together with Eduardo’s detailed translations of Pablo’s interpretation of each painting, have given students of folk art, anthropology, Amazonian mythology, and ayahuasca a window into this shamanic realm that few will ever experience firsthand. 

Pablo’s creative output did not end with the publication of his first book, and although he was subsequently invited to hundreds of conferences and workshops, no additional collection of his paintings was published. Recently some new collaborators, Howard Charing and Peter Cloudsley, teamed with Pablo to create the second collection of his work, which includes numerous examples of his more contemporary paintings, many of which have never been widely shown before. 

The collection builds on Pablo’s previous work and illustrates its evolution over the last two decades. Any collector of Pablo’s work or student of Amazonian art or mythology will want to have and cherish this new work. The collaboration has done justice to Pablo’s legacy. Always and forever, Pablo will remain the maestro, the explorer, and chronicler of the visionary worlds of ayahuasca.

 

Dennis McKenna received his doctorate in botanical sciences in 1984 from the University of British Columbia. His research has included the pharmacology, botany, and chemistry of ayahuasca. He has also conducted extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. He coauthored The Invisibe Landscape with his brother Terence and is an assistant professor at the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. 

 

 

 


Psychedelic Resources

A Foraging Trip: Where Do Magic Mushrooms Grow?
Eager to learn more about the origin of psilocybin species? Read this article to find out where magic mushrooms grow and more!

How to Make Shroom Tea: Best Recipe and Dosage
A step by step guide on how to brew shroom tea, and why entheogenic psilocybin tea is a preferred method for psychedelic connoisseurs.

R. Gordon Wasson: Author and Mushroom Expert
Learn about R. Gordon Wasson, the “legendary mushroom expert” and popular figure within the psychonaut community.

Shrooms vs Acid: Differences and Similarities Explained
Ever wondered what the differences are between shrooms vs acid, or if you can take both together? This guide explains what you need to know.

Quantum Mechanics, Reality, and Magic Mushrooms
Scientist and author Dr. Chris Becker takes an in-depth approach in understanding how we perceive reality through magic mushrooms and quantum mechanics.

Psilocybin Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Psilocybin has everything you want to know about this psychedelic fungi from its uses to its legal status.

The Psilocybin Experience: What’s the Deal With Magic Mushrooms?
From microdoses to macrodoses, the psilocybin experience has been sought after both medicinally and recreationally for millennia.

Psilocybin and Magic Mushroom Resources
Curious to learn more about psilocybin? This guide is a comprehensive psilocybin resource containing books, therapeutic studies, and more.

Paul Stamets Profile: Mushroom Guru, Filmmaker, Nutritionist, Scientist
Learn about Paul Stamets, read his thoughts on psilocybin mircodosing, the future of psilocybin, and his recent film “Fantastic Fungi”.

Microdosing Psilocybin & Common Dosage Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivably, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing psilocybin.

Psilocybin Nasal Spray: Relief for Anxiety, PTSD, and Depression
Microdosing nasal spray with psilocybin, is that possible?! Oregan a start-up Silo Wellness believes so and has created this new option for PTSD treatment.

Mazatec Mushroom Usage: Notes on Approach, Setting and Species for Curious Psilonauts
A look at traditional Mazatec psilocybin mushroom usage, and a comparison to the cliniical therapeutic approach, with an examination of the Mazatec setting and species used in veladas.

María Sabina: The Mazatec Magic Mushroom Woman
Magic mushrooms are incredibly popular today. How they became introduced to into American culture isn’t usually a topic discussed while tripping on psilocybin fungi. We all may have María Sabina to thank for exposing the Western world to the healing properties of the psilocybin mushroom.

Guide to Magic Mushroom Strains
Are there different types of psilocybin? Read our guide to learn about the different magic mushroom strains and their individual effects.

Kilindi Iyi: Mycologist, Traveler, Teacher
Learn about traveler and mycologist Kilindi Iyi known in the psychedelic community for his research and exploration of psilocybin.

How to Store Shrooms: Best Practices
How do you store shrooms for optimal shelf life? Learn how and why the proper storage method is so important.

Shroom Chocolate Recipes: How to Make Magic Mushroom Chocolates
This recipe provides step by step directions on how you can make mushroom chocolates with the necessary ingredients. Read to learn more!

Why Do People Use Psilocybin? New Johns Hopkins Study
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicines has just published a new study on psychoactive effects of psilocybin. Read here to learn more.

How-To Lemon Tek: Ultimate Guide and Recipe
This master guide will teach you how to lemon tek, preventing the onset of negative effects after consuming psilocybin. Read to learn more!

How to Intensify a Mushroom Trip
Learn about techniques like Lemon tekking, or discover the right time to consume cannabis if you are looking to intensify a mushroom trip.

How to Grow Magic Mushrooms: Step-by-Step
This step-by-step guide will show you how to grow magic mushrooms at home. Read this guide before trying it on your own.

How to Dry Magic Mushrooms: Best Practices
Read to learn more about specifics for the best practices on how to dry magic mushrooms after harvesting season.

How to Buy Psilocybin Spores
Interested in psilocybin mushrooms? We’ll walk you through all you need to know to obtain mushroom spores. Nosh on this delish How To guide.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

Having Sex on Shrooms: Good or Bad Idea?
Is having sex on shrooms a good idea or an accident waiting to happen? Find out in our guide to sex on magic mushrooms.

Gold Cap Shrooms Guide: Spores, Effects, Identification
Read this guide to learn more about the different characteristics of gold cap mushrooms, and how they differ from other psilocybin species.

Guide to Cooking with Magic Mushrooms
From cookies to smoothies and sandwiches, we cover various methods of cooking with magic mushrooms for the ultimate snack.

2020 Election: The Decriminalize Psilocybin Movement
Are you curious if mushrooms will follow in marijuana’s footsteps? Read to learn about how the U.S. is moving to decriminalize psilocybin.

Oregon’s Initiative to Legalize Mushrooms | Initiative Petition 34
Oregon continues to push ahead with their initiative to legalize Psilocybin in 2020. The measure received its official title and now needs signatures.

Canada Approves Psilocybin Treatment for Terminally-Ill Cancer Patients
Canada’s Minister of Health, Patty Hajdu approved the use of psilocybin to help ease anxiety and depression of four terminal cancer patients.

Mapping the DMT Experience
With only firsthand experiences to share, how can we fully map the DMT experience? Let’s explore what we know about this powerful psychedelic.

Guide to Machine Elves and Other DMT Entities
This guide discusses machine elves, clockwork elves, and other common DMT entities that people experience during a DMT trip.

Is the DMT Experience a Hallucination? 
What if the DMT realm was the real world, and our everyday lives were merely a game we had chosen to play?

How to Store DMT
Not sure how to store DMT? Read this piece to learn the best practices and elements of advice to keep your stuff fresh.

What Does 5-MeO-DMT Show Us About Consciousness?
How does our brain differentiate between what’s real and what’s not? Read to learn what can 5-MeO-DMT show us about consciousness.

How to Smoke DMT: Processes Explained
There are many ways to smoke DMT and we’ve outlined some of the best processes to consider before embarking on your journey.

How to Ground After DMT
Knowing what to expect from a DMT comedown can help you integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible from your journey.

How To Get DMT
What kind of plants contain DMT? Are there other ways to access this psychedelic? Read on to learn more about how to get DMT.

How DMT is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make DMT? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how DMT is made.

Having Sex on DMT: What You Need to Know
Have you ever wondered about sex on DMT? Learn how the God Molecule can influence your intimate experiences.

Does the Human Brain Make DMT? 
With scientific evidence showing us DMT in the brain, what can we conclude it is there for? Read on to learn more.

How to Use DMT Vape Pens
Read to learn all about DMT vape pens including: what to know when vaping, what to expect when purchasing a DMT cartridge, and vaping safely.

DMT Resources
This article is a comprehensive DMT resource providing extensive information from studies, books, documentaries, and more. Check it out!

Differentiating DMT and Near-Death Experiences
Some say there are similarities between a DMT trip and death. Read our guide on differentiating DMT and near-death experiences to find out.

DMT Research from 1956 to the Edge of Time
From a representative sample of a suitably psychedelic crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who couldn’t tell you all about Albert Hofmann’s enchanted bicycle ride after swallowing what turned out to be a massive dose of LSD. Far fewer, however, could tell you much about the world’s first DMT trip.

The Ultimate Guide to DMT Pricing
Check out our ultimate guide on DMT pricing to learn what to expect when purchasing DMT for your first time.

DMT Milking | Reality Sandwich
Indigenous cultures have used 5-MeO-DMT for centuries. With the surge in demand for psychedelic toad milk, is DMT Milking harming the frogs?

Why Does DMT Pervade Nature?
With the presence of DMT in nature everywhere – including human brains – why does it continue to baffle science?

DMT Substance Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to DMT has everything you want to know about this powerful psychedelic referred to as “the spirit molecule”.

DMT for Depression: Paving the Way for New Medicine
We’ve been waiting for an effective depression treatment. Studies show DMT for depression works even for treatment resistant patients.

Beating Addiction with DMT
Psychedelics have been studied for their help overcoming addiction. Read how DMT is helping addicts beat their substance abuse issues.

DMT Extraction: Behind the Scientific Process
Take a look at DMT extraction and the scientific process involved. Learn all you need to know including procedures and safety.

Microdosing DMT & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing DMT.

DMT Art: A Look Behind Visionary Creations
An entire genre of artwork is inspired by psychedelic trips with DMT. Read to learn about the entities and visions behind DMT art.

Changa vs. DMT: What You Need to Know
While similar (changa contains DMT), each drug has its own unique effect and feeling. Let’s compare and contrast changa vs DMT.

5-MeO-DMT Guide: Effects, Benefits, Safety, and Legality
5-Meo-DMT comes from the Sonora Desert toad. Here is everything you want to know about 5-Meo-DMT and how it compares to 4-AcO-DMT.

4-AcO-DMT Guide: Benefits, Effects, Safety, and Legality
This guide tells you everything about 4 AcO DMT & 5 MeO DMT, that belong to the tryptamine class, and are similar but slightly different to DMT.

How Much Does LSD Cost? When shopping around for that magical psychedelic substance, there can be many uncertainties when new to buying LSD. You may be wondering how much does LSD cost? In this article, we will discuss what to expect when purchasing LSD on the black market, what forms LSD is sold in, and the standard breakdown of buying LSD in quantity.   Navy Use of LSD on the Dark Web The dark web is increasingly popular for purchasing illegal substances. The US Navy has now noticed this trend with their staff. Read to learn more.   Having Sex on LSD: What You Need to Know Can you have sex on LSD? Read our guide to learn everything about sex on acid, from lowered inhibitions to LSD users quotes on sex while tripping.   A Drug That Switches off an LSD Trip A pharmaceutical company is developing an “off-switch” drug for an LSD trip, in the case that a bad trip can happen. Some would say there is no such thing.   Queen of Hearts: An Interview with Liz Elliot on Tim Leary and LSD The history of psychedelia, particularly the British experience, has been almost totally written by men. Of the women involved, especially those who were in the thick of it, little has been written either by or about them. A notable exception is Liz Elliot.   LSD Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety LSD, Lysergic acid diethylamide, or just acid is one of the most important psychedelics ever discovered. What did history teach us?   Microdosing LSD & Common Dosage Explained Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing LSD.   LSD Resources Curious to learn more about LSD? This guide includes comprehensive LSD resources containing books, studies and more.   LSD as a Spiritual Aid There is common consent that the evolution of mankind is paralleled by the increase and expansion of consciousness. From the described process of how consciousness originates and develops, it becomes evident that its growth depends on its faculty of perception. Therefore every means of improving this faculty should be used.   Legendary LSD Blotter Art: A Hidden Craftsmanship Have you ever heard of LSD blotter art? Explore the trippy world of LSD art and some of the top artists of LSD blotter art.   LSD and Exercise: Does it Work? LSD and exercise? Learn why high-performing athletes are taking hits of LSD to improve their overall potential.   Jan Bastiaans Treated Holocaust Survivors with LSD Dutch psychiatrist, Jan Bastiaans administered LSD-assisted therapy to survivors of the Holocaust. A true war hero and pioneer of psychedelic-therapy.   LSD and Spiritual Awakening I give thanks for LSD, which provided the opening that led me to India in 1971 and brought me to Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji. Maharajji is described by the Indians as a “knower of hearts.”   How LSD is Made: Everything You Need to Know Ever wonder how to make LSD? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how LSD is made.   How to Store LSD: Best Practices Learn the best way to store LSD, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long LSD lasts when stored.   Bicycle Day: The Discovery of LSD Every year on April 19th, psychonauts join forces to celebrate Bicycle Day. Learn about the famous day when Albert Hoffman first discovered the effects of LSD.   Cary Grant: A Hollywood Legend On LSD Cary Grant was a famous actor during the 1930’s-60’s But did you know Grant experimented with LSD? Read our guide to learn more.   Albert Hofmann: LSD — My Problem Child Learn about Albert Hofmann and his discovery of LSD, along with the story of Bicycle Day and why it marks a historic milestone.   Babies are High: What Does LSD Do To Your Brain What do LSD and babies have in common? Researchers at the Imperial College in London discover that an adult’s brain on LSD looks like a baby’s brain.   1P LSD: Effects, Benefits, Safety Explained 1P LSD is an analogue of LSD and homologue of ALD-25. Here is everything you want to know about 1P LSD and how it compares to LSD.   Francis Crick, DNA & LSD Type ‘Francis Crick LSD’ into Google, and the result will be 30,000 links. Many sites claim that Crick (one of the two men responsible for discovering the structure of DNA), was either under the influence of LSD at the time of his revelation or used the drug to help with his thought processes during his research. Is this true?   What Happens If You Overdose on LSD? A recent article presented three individuals who overdosed on LSD. Though the experience was unpleasant, the outcomes were remarkably positive.

The Ayahuasca Experience
Ayahuasca is both a medicine and a visionary aid. You can employ ayahuasca for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual repair, and you can engage with the power of ayahuasca for deeper insight and realization. If you consider attainment of knowledge in the broadest perspective, you can say that at all times, ayahuasca heals.

 

Trippy Talk: Meet Ayahuasca with Sitaramaya Sita and PlantTeachers
Sitaramaya Sita is a spiritual herbalist, pusangera, and plant wisdom practitioner formally trained in the Shipibo ayahuasca tradition.

 

The Therapeutic Value of Ayahuasca
My best description of the impact of ayahuasca is that it’s a rocket boost to psychospiritual growth and unfolding, my professional specialty during my thirty-five years of private practice.

 

Microdosing Ayahuasca: Common Dosage Explained
What is ayahuasca made of and what is considered a microdose? Explore insights with an experienced Peruvian brewmaster and learn more about this practice.

 

Ayahuasca Makes Neuron Babies in Your Brain
Researchers from Beckley/Sant Pau Research Program have shared the latest findings in their study on the effects of ayahuasca on neurogenesis.

 

The Fatimiya Sufi Order and Ayahuasca
In this interview, the founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order,  N. Wahid Azal, discusses the history and uses of plant medicines in Islamic and pre-Islamic mystery schools.

 

Consideration Ayahuasca for Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Research indicates that ayahuasca mimics mechanisms of currently accepted treatments for PTSD. In order to understand the implications of ayahuasca treatment, we need to understand how PTSD develops.

 

Brainwaves on Ayahuasca: A Waking Dream State
In a study researchers shared discoveries showing ingredients found in Ayahuasca impact the brainwaves causing a “waking dream” state.

 

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a pro cannabis Peruvian Shaman.

 

Ayahuasca Retreat 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brave the Brew
Ayahuasca has been known to be a powerful medicinal substance for millennia. However, until recently, it was only found in the jungle. Word of its deeply healing and cleansing properties has begun to spread across the world as many modern, Western individuals are seeking spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. More ayahuasca retreat centers are emerging in the Amazon and worldwide to meet the demand.

 

Ayahuasca Helps with Grief
A new study published in psychopharmacology found that ayahuasca helped those suffering from the loss of a loved one up to a year after treatment.

 

Ayahuasca Benefits: Clinical Improvements for Six Months
Ayahuasca benefits can last six months according to studies. Read here to learn about the clinical improvements from drinking the brew.

 

Ayahuasca Culture: Indigenous, Western, And The Future
Ayahuasca has been use for generations in the Amazon. With the rise of retreats and the brew leaving the rainforest how is ayahuasca culture changing?

 

Ayahuasca Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
The Amazonian brew, Ayahuasca has a long history and wide use. Read our guide to learn all about the tea from its beginnings up to modern-day interest.

 

Ayahuasca and the Godhead: An Interview with Wahid Azal of the Fatimiya Sufi Order
Wahid Azal, a Sufi mystic of The Fatimiya Sufi Order and an Islamic scholar, talks about entheogens, Sufism, mythology, and metaphysics.

 

Ayahuasca and the Feminine: Women’s Roles, Healing, Retreats, and More
Ayahuasca is lovingly called “grandmother” or “mother” by many. Just how feminine is the brew? Read to learn all about women and ayahuasca.

What Is the Standard of Care for Ketamine Treatments?
Ketamine therapy is on the rise in light of its powerful results for treatment-resistant depression. But, what is the current standard of care for ketamine? Read to find out.

What Is Dissociation and How Does Ketamine Create It?
Dissociation can take on multiple forms. So, what is dissociation like and how does ketamine create it? Read to find out.

Having Sex on Ketamine: Getting Physical on a Dissociative
Curious about what it could feel like to have sex on a dissociate? Find out all the answers in our guide to sex on ketamine.

Special K: The Party Drug
Special K refers to Ketamine when used recreationally. Learn the trends as well as safety information around this substance.

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

Ketamine vs. Esketamine: 3 Important Differences Explained
Ketamine and esketamine are used to treat depression. But what’s the difference between them? Read to learn which one is right for you: ketamine vs. esketamine.

Guide to Ketamine Treatments: Understanding the New Approach
Ketamine is becoming more popular as more people are seeing its benefits. Is ketamine a fit? Read our guide for all you need to know about ketamine treatments.

Ketamine Treatment for Eating Disorders
Ketamine is becoming a promising treatment for various mental health conditions. Read to learn how individuals can use ketamine treatment for eating disorders.

Ketamine Resources, Studies, and Trusted Information
Curious to learn more about ketamine? This guide includes comprehensive ketamine resources containing books, studies and more.

Ketamine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to ketamine has everything you need to know about this “dissociative anesthetic” and how it is being studied for depression treatment.

Ketamine for Depression: A Mental Health Breakthrough
While antidepressants work for some, many others find no relief. Read to learn about the therapeutic uses of ketamine for depression.

Ketamine for Addiction: Treatments Offering Hope
New treatments are offering hope to individuals suffering from addiction diseases. Read to learn how ketamine for addiction is providing breakthrough results.

Microdosing Ketamine & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing ketamine.

How to Ease a Ketamine Comedown
Knowing what to expect when you come down from ketamine can help integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible.

How to Store Ketamine: Best Practices
Learn the best ways how to store ketamine, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long ketamine lasts when stored.

How To Buy Ketamine: Is There Legal Ketamine Online?
Learn exactly where it’s legal to buy ketamine, and if it’s possible to purchase legal ketamine on the internet.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?
How long does ketamine stay in your system? Are there lasting effects on your body? Read to discover the answers!

How Ketamine is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make Ketamine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how Ketamine is made.

Colorado on Ketamine: First Responders Waiver Programs
Fallout continues after Elijah McClain. Despite opposing recommendations from some city council, Colorado State Health panel recommends the continued use of ketamine by medics for those demonstrating “excited delirium” or “extreme agitation”.

Types of Ketamine: Learn the Differences & Uses for Each
Learn about the different types of ketamine and what they are used for—and what type might be right for you. Read now to find out!

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

MDMA & Ecstasy Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to MDMA has everything you want to know about Ecstasy from how it was developed in 1912 to why it’s being studied today.

How To Get the Most out of Taking MDMA as a Couple
Taking MDMA as a couple can lead to exciting experiences. Read here to learn how to get the most of of this love drug in your relationship.

Common MDMA Dosage & Microdosing Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing MDMA.

Having Sex on MDMA: What You Need to Know
MDMA is known as the love drug… Read our guide to learn all about sex on MDMA and why it is beginning to makes its way into couple’s therapy.

How MDMA is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make MDMA? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how MDMA is made.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

How Cocaine is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make cocaine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how cocaine is made.

A Christmas Sweater with Santa and Cocaine
This week, Walmart came under fire for a “Let it Snow” Christmas sweater depicting Santa with lines of cocaine. Columbia is not merry about it.

Ultimate Cocaine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
This guide covers what you need to know about Cocaine, including common effects and uses, legality, safety precautions and top trends today.

NEWS: An FDA-Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray
The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which has raised suspicions that the pharmaceutical company, Lannett Company Inc., paid off the FDA..

The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Bioavailability
What is bioavailability and how can it affect the overall efficacy of a psychedelic substance? Read to learn more.

Cannabis Research Explains Sociability Behaviors
New research by Dr. Giovanni Marsicano shows social behavioral changes occur as a result of less energy available to the neurons. Read here to learn more.

The Cannabis Shaman
If recreational and medical use of marijuana is becoming accepted, can the spiritual use as well? Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Hamilton Souther, founder of the 420 Cannabis Shamanism movement…

Cannabis Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Cannabis has everything you want to know about this popular substances that has psychedelic properties.

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a procannabis Peruvian Shaman.

CBD-Rich Cannabis Versus Single-Molecule CBD
A ground-breaking study has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic cannabidiol (CBD), challenging the medical-industrial complex’s notion that “crude” botanical preparations are less effective than single-molecule compounds.

Cannabis Has Always Been a Medicine
Modern science has already confirmed the efficacy of cannabis for most uses described in the ancient medical texts, but prohibitionists still claim that medical cannabis is “just a ruse.”

Related Posts

Ready to explore the frontiers of consciousness?

Sign up for the Reality Bites newsletter and embark on a journey into the world of psychedelics, mindfulness, and transformation. It’s where the curious minds gather.

Become a conscious agent with us.

Featured Partner

Cosmic Melts

Cosmic Melts are the latest mushroom gummies we’ve been munching on. Choose from five fruity flavors, each gummy containing 350mg of Amanita muscaria.
 
Amanita muscaria offers a unique (and totally legal!) mushroom experience, and Cosmic Melts is an ideal entry point for the curious consumer.
Featured Partner

Lab Link Supply

Our go-to source for spores so you can grow your own shrooms right at home. Carrying several of our favorite species including B+, Golden Teacher, Jedi Mind F*ck, Blue Meanie and more. Browse their selection of spores and get started with your home grow.

Our Partners

Welcome to Reality Sandwich. Please verify that you are over 18 years of age below.

Reality Sandwich uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By entering Reality Sandwich, you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.