Entheogenics 101: Glimpses Through The Veil

Article originally written on January 21, 2009, for binnallofamerica.com

Entheogen - noun - any substance, such as a plant or drug, used in a religious or shamanic context to catalyze the spiritual experience.

Entheogen's are a touchy subject in today's world, and the validity has been systematically quashed through a thorough campaign of disinformation, propaganda and legislation since they were popularized in western culture in the 50's and 60's. I suppose I should clarify on what exactally I mean by the term "entheogen", which I use as a very seperate and distinct word from "drug". When I say entheogen, I refer specifically to those plants and chemicalls which occur naturally, and have a history of human use in shamanic contexts as allies for aiding in attaining spiritual experiences.

I believe very strongly in the benefits of such plants and chemicals if used properly by the right individual in the correct context, and I believe that the world of esoterica could benefit strongly from their study. When you have a substance such as DMT that has been studied in a laboratory setting under rigorous scrutiny by Rick Strassman in the early 90's, in which he reports that the majority of his subjects experienced "contact" with extraterrestrials, and described scenarios not unlike those of alien abduction, one needs to wonder why the esoteric community at large has not investigated this subject further. But more on DMT later, in part 2 of this series.

I should also preface what I am about to share by saying that I do not encourage nor reccomend that anyone take these substances - they are illegal, and by merely posessing them, you are committing a federal offense in most nations of the world. And though I look forward to a day in which we approach these things with a more open mind, and more evolved policy - thus is the case for the moment. Additionally, they can be extremely dangerous to those who are unprepared to handle to psychological (and in some cases, physical) consequences of their consumption. However, all could benefit of their research, and they may fill in many missing gaps in the world of esoterica.
I would like to begin this series of articles with a series of personal accounts of mine while under the influence of Salvia Divinorum.

Salvia Divinorium (Salvia, from here on), is a member of the sage family. It has a history of use by the Mazatec shamans of southern Mexico, they used it to facilitate and catalyze visionary states of consciousness - Salvia Divinorum translating to, literally, "diviners sage". If taken correctly it is, in my experience, one of the single most powerful psychadelic compounds that I have ever encountered - quite simply pushing the limits of "psychadelia" into a whole other realm.

Incredibly, is is legal to posess and purchase in North America and most countries of the world, and can still be purchased at a number of stores all across Canada and The United States. The only explanation as to its legality I've been able to discern is the fact that what is experiened while under its influence, is so far removed from anything that could be considered even remotely "recreational", that it scares away those who would abuse it. Having inquired for years about peoples experiences, it has been described as terrifying and extremely unpleasant by some, and profoundly illuminating by others.

Salvia is particularly unique in its effect - after smoking an extract or chewing on dry leaves at a sufficient dosage, one will experience complete dissociation from their body in a matter of seconds, followed by an indescribaby vivid and intense visonary state that lasts for no longer then five minutes. When the effects wear off, one literally "snaps back" into their body, almost instantly, followed by a 10 minute "hangover" type of effect where one feels slightly groggy, but is more or less functional - and after this, almost no physical effects remain.

It should be noted that when I say dissociation from ones physical body - I mean it. This is a very dangerous chemical to ingest while alone, which is why it is always reccomended to have someone around, who is sober, to sit next to you during the experience and make sure you do not harm yourself. According to a friend who "trip-sat" me during an experience in which I was experiencing somthing utterly compelling "out there", I was, in my body, "flailing madly on the ground, while chewing on my fist and groaning loudly for five minutes", this is not a chemical to be taken lightly.

For the record - I have consumed Salvia more times then I can count, I estimate it to be about 60 times, to reaccount all of these experiences would be pointless and off topic. I will share the two experiences that were the most profound, that I still remember the most vividly, and that are most relevant to the world of the esoteric. Both experiences took place over the summer months of 2006, both with my partner and fellow explorer at the time.

Experience #1: The Matrix

I refer to this expereince as "the matrix", as upon reflection that is precisely what I was shown. After smoking an extract, I fell on my back, closed my eyes, and was dissociated fully from my body within a matter of seconds. This is also the experience I referred to earlier, where I was chewing on my fist and flailing madly, it seems almost humorous, though suiting, given the intensity of what I was experiencing.

It began with a vision of a single null point in space, and from that point of nothingness, my field of vision began to zoom outwards. As it moved further and further outwards the contours of a giant machine that resembled some kind of mechanical spiderweb began to reveal itself. As I moved back, layer by layer, I began to notice that at each linkage point on this web, there was a sort of node, and upon this node was a human being, strapped into place on this machine. Most of them were asleep, but some showed signs of being awake, almost aware that they were trapped here against their will. Eventually it zoomed out to a layer of such staggering complexity that each node became an almost infinitesimal point, one among billons. A voice began to speak to me telepathically, telling me that what I was witnessing was the symbolic representation of the machination known as "consensus reality", and that while some people were aware of this higher level, and some even escaped this machine, most were utterly oblivious. At the center was the null point from which all of this sprang - still visible, its meaning I have yet to wrap my head around.

My field of vision then began zooming in rapidly on one particular node where I saw myself, strapped in, but eyes open - kicking and screaming to be let loose. Around me on the nearby nodes were every human being I had ever met or ever effected, and around them - every human being they had ever met, as though we encountered and experienced souls in our human lives relevant to their position on this "machine", it certainly leads creedence to the notion of "soul mates" or "kindred spirits". Those in my life who were closest to me were next to me on the machine. And then again, my field of vision zoomed out from myself, rapidly expanding at an indescribeable speed, and then, instantly, as the entire machine became visible - I snapped back into my body, woke up in a cold sweat, and opened my eyes.

Experience #2: My Birth

This trip was of an intensely personal nature, and I had some difficulty coming to terms emotionally with what I was shown - I do not often share this experience with others though I believe it to be valid and topical. It seems that this was the plants way of showing me the phenomenon referred to in the esoteric community as the "indigo" or "crystal" children.

What I witnessed upon being dissociated was the symbol of a tree, this tree was a place of complete and infinate love, and neverending extatic bliss. Upon this tree were a series of branches, branching out endlessly - each branch made of needles. Below the tree was this sort of strange barrier, and beneath the barrier I could make out the outline of what I knew was Earth. Eventually, as I watched, a needle would fall from the tree, and form what resembled a luminestent raindrop, and as it passed through the barrier, making a ripple, it began to take form as a human being who fell to planet Earth.

After witnessing this take place a number of times my field of vision zoomed in on a specific cluster of needles on the outermost extremeties of one of the branches, and I became quite aware that I was one of these needles, and I was connected to the divine - the tree. A voice told me, "Its time for you to go, you need to be born on planet Earth, you have work to do", at this suggestion I became terrified, almost downright angry - here I was in extatic bliss and perfect love, and this damn divine presence was telling me to go to EARTH? Hell no! So I argued, I said I didn't want to go, and I would refuse. The voice told me I had no choice - and at this I continued to refuse, I began to lose my grip on the tree, and I could feel myself slipping into human form, but still, adamant and indignant as ever, I held on for dear life. Finally the voice began to bargain with me, it told me that it would send others like me down to Earth - I would meet them, they would help me, the divine presence was authoratitive - but it was not cruel. And as I began to fall, and those around me began to fall as well, I grabbed onto the nearest "needle", and pulled it off with me, being the jackass that I naturally am, and the two of us fell down to planet earth together. I took form, was born, and, needless to say - here I am.