Set
My intent whenever using entheogens is to gain as much power from the drug
as I can. I approach the event with the expectation that I will have a
powerful, meaningful spiritual experience. Beyond this, I make no effort
to direct or manage my thoughts in preparation for the journey. If I have
stresses or concerns (eg if I've been working hard, or a friend is sick)
I make no effort to relax my mind: I have found that the only important
component of my mindset going into the trip is my direct expectation of
the trip itself, and not anything else going on in my head. Sure, if I've
got problems I may dwell on them while I'm travelling, but I don't see
that this affects the power or the value of the experience. In short, despite
conventional wisdom on the subject, I don't believe that mind-set has so
great an influence on the power of the experience (although it obviously
affects the direction the experience takes). The only existing state of
mind I need to gain the most value from the medicine is the will to do
so.
Setting
I have played with a number of entheogens, and have always found that the
most important contributing factor to the experience is physical setting.
I am highly conscious of other important contributing factors to an entheogenic
experience - who travels with you, what sounds you surround yourself with
and what refreshments you prepare for yourself - but nothing seems as important
to me as where you are. In my experience, there is NO WAY that an entheogenic
experience constructed in doors, or even within sight of concrete can be
half as powerful (and enjoyable) as one built Somewhere Beautiful, (in
a forest, on a beach, on top of a mountain) with no cars, no roads, no
houses, buildings, overflying planes. Tripping indoors can never compare
to tripping in nature. I have found this to be true with every single entheogen
I have experimented with, particularly mushrooms. Every outdoor mushroom
experience I have had has been ecstatic, while every indoor mushroom experience
has been difficult. While with other entheogens, I have gradually learnt
from experience that tripping in nature away from the concrete jungle I
live in is somehow much more powerful and enjoyable than being in a house,
a warehouse, a backyard or even a suburban park, with mushrooms this understanding
is much more clearly communicated. While I've had some incredible experiences
tripping at home on mushrooms, when I pick them in the wild and eat them
then and there I enjoy wild hallucinatory interaction with the natural
world around me. Grass grows wildly between my toes; mushrooms sprout up
everywhere, making popping sounds as they burst through the earth; my skin
peals away to reveal to me the intricate inner structure of my body: the
green around me is alive! The sky is like a movie screen; trees are like
giants towering over me; I learn from and communicate with all that is
Living.
JT, USA
Setting
A lot of creation of Setting certainly shapes and is shaped by Set. For
entheogenic work, I have noticed that stuff which I have been thinking/worrying
about and doing lately seem to come up and/or color my experiences. I tend
to try to spend at least the day before an entheogenic experience reading
something that I would like to think about or wouldn't mind diving into.
I pick out ritual clothing to wear, which consists of clothing that I really like for one reason or another, is comfortable and loose around my stomach (I tend to find tension focused in my abdomen a lot and this seems to be made worse by tight waisted pants.) I avoid elastic waists. I personally like simple, all natural fiber clothing. I have specific clothes that I wear for entheogenic work. I usually fast the day of the experience (mostly to limit my stomach discomfort).
I find that if my space is cluttered and/or dirty, that I can find myself thinking or worrying about the mess. I find that if I clean/straighten before any entheogenic work, I am much happier. I like to light candles or incense as a marker of the shift to a relaxed state of mind. I tend to pick out music to play based on what kind of mood I think I'm heading towards. Sometimes I like to just listen to the noises of the world.
I usually begin my work by sitting in meditation/contemplation about what it is I'm about to do, reflect on why I'm doing it, try to think of the path the entheogen took through the world to get to me. I then think about what I hope to accomplish. I write down the date and time and anything that I've been thinking about. I have a few ritual objects I like to have around.
I always have my blanket with me. I find that there is nothing quite as comforting as being able to wrap myself in my favorite blanket when I want to. I usually have picked out clothes I would wear to go outside (a jacket or hat or whatever) so I don't have to go fumbling about.
I think about the Code of Conduct concept we've been working on: "When I engage in spiritual practices designed to bring about profound changes in consciousness, I will consider my intentions and will choose carefully the occasion and location for the practice. I will be well informed about the mental and physical effects, anticipate reasonably foreseeable risks to myself and others, and employ safeguards to minimize these risks."
I almost always find that I need to lie down for the onset and peak of most entheogenic experiences, so I don't usually like to do much entheogen work outside of spaces where I can lie down (at home or somewhere home-y).
I also try to write down some of the insights, thoughts, visions that I have. I try to spend the time after the experience reflecting on it, reflecting on my ideas about what it was for and how that turned out. I try to think of ways of remembering insights. I try to associate them with words, phrases, try to think of mnemonics for bits of images, etc. I try to think of how I can use those insights in my daily life, whether I need to try to tell someone something, behave differently, etc.
I also try to take vitamins of various types throughout and after the experience or drink herbal tea because I tend to experience fairly unpleasant side/after effects from most entheogens - headaches, muscle soreness, stomach discomfort, and general drained-ness. For most entheogens, these effects do not persist longer than 2 sleeping periods after the experience.
Earth Erowid
© 1997 Nicholas Saunders
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