03-09-2006, 12:00 AM
MAGICKAL MINT....
When Alice visited Uncle Wyrdd again several weeks later, she was very interested in learning more. Much more.
Uncle she said, "Ive heard of a plant called 'Magic Mint', what is it"?
Uncle Wyrdd said, There are a number of plants in the mint family that are psychoactive. For example, there is an intoxicating mint from Central Asia; but I dont think its the one you have in mind.
I think what you have in mind is a sage from the Oaxaca region of Mexico known as Magic Mint Magic Sage, Diviners Sage, 'Leaves of the Virgin Shepherdess' and many other names. However, it is most commonly referred to by its botanical name, Salvia divinorum. Or just Salvia for short. Sometimes it is called "Sally or Sally Dee."
Alice said, Im confused; is it a sage or a mint?
Uncle replied All the true sage species belong to genus Salvia which is in the mint family.
Alice said, Like sagebrush.
Uncle corrected her, No, sagebrush is in the wormwood family. But, cooking sage is a Salvia species. It is a true sage, and its psychoactive too, and to confuse matters more it contains thujone just as wormwood does.
Alice replied, It is all a bit confusing. Is Salvia divinorum like wormwood then, I know wormwood is used in absinthe. Ive had absinthe.
Uncle said, Salvia divinorum is not like absinthe. Its not really like any other herb.
Alice asked, Is it habit forming?
Uncle answered Not at all. It is a unique visionary herb that is not habit forming and is not toxic.
Alice queried But, is it legal?
Uncle replied It still is legal in the US as a whole, but unfortunately a few states are in the process of outlawing it,
Louisiana and New York are likely to make it illegal soon. It already is illegal in Australia, Denmark, and Italy. It could well
be scheduled in the U.S. within the next several years."
Alice said, If its not toxic, and not addicting, are there any dangers?
Uncle answered Its a good idea to have a sober sitter looking after you when you take it, because some people sleepwalk when under its influence. The danger is not poisoning but accidents, or doing things in a confused state that could be dangerous. So it should be taken in a safe private place with a sober sitter present
By safe I guess you mean away from heights, open flames, guns, hot tubs and swimming pools, that sort of thing? And never in a car, or at work, or in a public place. Right?
Uncle agreed.
Alice asked, How is it taken?
Uncle replied, In many ways. It is never injected. The Mazatec Indians, its traditional users, chew the leaves in their ceremonies. They also drink a non-alcoholic drink made of crushed or ground leaves.
It can be smoked, but Mazatecs dont smoke it.
Smoking is popular though, even if not traditional. Fortified leaves can be made that are even stronger than the untreated leaves. This is done by extracting its active ingredient with alcohol or other solvents and then drying the fluid extract onto the leaves.
Alice said, What way is best?
Uncle smiled a fleeting smile and said. I dont like to smoke it. Chewing the leaves is effective, but they taste bitter, and chewing a mouthful of leaves is kind of unpleasant. My favorite way is taking it as an alcoholic tincture. This is diluted with water just before use so the alcohol wont burn your mouth. And youve got to keep the tincture in your mouth until its active compound is absorbed across the mucus membranes of the mouth.
Whats the active compound, Alice asked?
Uncle replied It is a very potent substance called salvinorin A, and like THC or kava-lactones, or alcohol itself it contains no nitrogen.
Alice said, No nitrogen? Then it would not be an alkaloid. How long does its effect last?
Uncle replied, The tincture's effects come on in about 12 minutes to half an hour, and then last about 1/2 hour to an hour, sometimes a bit longer.
Alice asked, What does the plant look like?
Uncle Wyrdd pointed to one of his houseplants that looked very much like Coleus but had large leaves that were green, rather than multicolored. Its stems were square.
Uncle, Alice said, Just what are the effects like?
Well it depends on who you are, how sensitive to it you are, and how much you take. But, this is not a party drug, and you may not find it fun at all. It is a shamans drug, a healers drug, a diviners drug, a mystics drug. Ill try to describe its effects, but youve got to understand there are NO words which really describe it.
At a low dose all you may feel is that things are somehow subtly different. With a little more youll notice your thought patterns have changed, become less logical and more playful. Take a still higher dose and you will experience closed eye visual patterns that you wont mistake for real scenes. Noise and bright light will interfere with experiencing this.
Alice asked, Is that all?
Her uncle replied, No. Theres lots more. Take a bit more than you need to see geometric patterns, and you may have the sort of experience shamans talk about -- or dont talk about-- you may find yourself in some other world, or a different place, or a different age of this world. And with even higher doses you may remain conscious but lose your self identity, you might exist without a body and without a name and may merge with the universe at large, or oddly merge with a wall, a stone, a plant etc. You will experience strange topologies, space will become non-Euclidian; time will become non-linear.
Alice said, So it produces an out of body experience?
Uncle thought and replied "It can. Some people compare it to a near death experience, but without any danger of dying."
Coming down from it is a trip in itself. As the experience wanes, you will find yourself returning to your body and your identity. And that process will seem very strange indeed.
Alice asked, Will I have a hangover.
Uncle answered, If Salvia is all you take and you are not smoking it; you are unlikely to have any unpleasant aftereffects other than an irritated mouth if you don't dilute the tincture enough. Actually, you may have a positive beneficial hangover --- after the intoxication wears off you may feel very cheerful for a few days.
Alice said, Im interested, but the idea of chewing up a lot of leaves doesnt sound so great, and I dont want to smoke. Do you have any Salvia tincture? May I try some?
Uncle said, Ill give you some, but you wont be driving home for several hours. By the way also have a bottle of a miraculous liqueur which I invented. It contains Salvia and other psychoactive herbs. Its effect is similar to Salvia elixir, but it is a pleasanter, more euphoric, and soothing. Salvia by itself can sometimes be a frightening roller coaster ride but the other herbs mellow it out.
Alice debated and said that shed like to try pure Salvia elixir by itself first, but she would appreciate the recipes for both the Salvia elixir and the miraculous liqueur.
Uncle brought out two bottles that were mysteriously wrapped in aluminum foil.
Alice asked him What gives with the aluminum foil? Uncle explained, If salvinorin A is dissolved in alcohol, light can destroy it. So I protect the bottles from light with the lightproof layer of foil.
Alice asked to smell the Salvia elixir, and the Miraculous liqueur too. The Salvia elixir smelled of rum and had pleasant tea like but slightly minty smell. The Miraculous elixir smelled deliciously like a field of wildflowers on a perfect summer day.
Wow! Smells like a summertime day in a meadow Alice said. I think Ill like this. If I like Salvia Ill try the Miraculous Elixir sometime soon, but
for today I will try just Salvia elixir. I want to know what Salvia is like, and taking something with lots of different psychoactive herbs in it will make it impossible to tell which effects are due to what.
Alice said, I want to try the Salvia tincture; you will be my sober sitter?
Uncle said Yes. He then explained, The trick is to dilute with water, so the alcohol in it does not burn your mouth. Since sensitivity to Salvia varies, you should initially try no more that 1/2 oz, that's a tablespoon, of my tincture diluted with at least 1/2 oz. of water. Hold it in your mouth for as long as you can, say 20 minutes, then swallow it all. But, if you find it is getting to much for you, just spit it out. Ill give you a bowl to spit into, and a towel to wipe your mouth.
Alice said, I think I understand, first dilute it, hold it all in my mouth, swishing it around a bit, and keep it in my mouth a long time, then finally swallow what is in my mouth.
Uncle said, Once you have emptied the glass, lie down on my couch, the room lights will be off, but Ill light a candle placed where you wont accidentally knock it over. There will be just enough light for you to see if you open your eyes. But remain still with your eyes closed and motionless, as if asleep, until the experience wears off. Its important you dont wander around in a confused state. Ill give you a blanket to wrap around yourself if you feel cool.
He offered her music to listen to, saying If you listen to pleasant harmonious music without words, or to chanting, you can let the music carry you away. Or just try it without music.
Alice asked, How about TV?
Uncle said, Absolutely NO TV. Unless you want to experience just how hellish TV really is! Ill put the dogs out so they dont bother you. Ill turn my phone off so it wont ring.
So its best to take Salvia in the evening after the sun is down, in a quiet private place. Thats really important?
Uncle agreed, Thats how the Mazetecs take it. And they know what they are doing. Quiet, privacy, and safety are essential. We are not talking of a party drug. We are talking of a magic potion.
Alice said, Im not to drive afterwards?
Not until several hours after you think it has completely worn off. Better yet not until tomorrow. I can drive you home, or Bob can. Or you can stay here overnight. But no driving.
Alice measured a tablespoon of the tincture into a shot glass then added 4 teaspoons of warm tap water to it. Immediately, the clear brown solution turned muddy brown. She put it in her mouth and lay down. The taste wasn't too bad but holding the liquid in her mouth for half an hour would prove to be a bit of a nuisance.
Uncle Wyrdd put a the CD of Carlos Nakais Mythic Dreamer in the CD player and played the music softly. The lights were dimmed. Uncle Wyrdd lighted a candle placed far away from the couch on which Alice lay down. She covered herself with a blanket. The dogs were put out. The phone turned off. She felt ready for her voyage, but did not know what to expect.
For a long time nothing seemed to be happening except that her mouth gradually filled with saliva. She hoped she could hold the liquid in her mouth long enough to experience its promised magic. The diluted tincture irritated her mouth slightly but not unbearably.
After about 10 or 15 minutes had passed she noticed something seemed to be happening, but it was hard to know just what. It was subtle. Then she realized her thought patterns were different from usual --- more playful, somewhat odd.
And then, it happened, the music started taking her away on an inward journey. She saw, faintly at first, then more vividly, fractal patterns which were visual but somehow were the music too. She recalled the word synesthesia. Ah this was synesthesia. The patterns became more intricate and more recognizable as arabesques and fantastic architecture. Yet, she clearly knew what she was seeing- feeling-hearing was from the drug. Somehow the architecture was the music but was her skin too. And it flickered, moved and self transformed.
Without realizing it she found she had swallowed the tincture she had been holding in her mouth. Well it must have been long enough, she guessed.
Then she found herself slipping through her skin and fought to hang on to herself.
But, slip through her skin she did, and suddenly found herself in a jungle. Shafts of light came through ancient trees, and vines hung from them. The greenness of the foliage somehow was herself and yet was a scene apart from herself. She told herself Salvia is strange. Then she noticed someone silently stepping through the forest, it was an energetic appearing old man, who appeared to be an Amazon native. He wore a breechcloth and had colorful feathers in his hair, and wore a necklace made of colored beans. She knew he was a shaman. And he said something to her, yet it was not in any language she knew. But, she felt reassured rather than frightened. He smiled and unexpectedly became a parrot who flew to a branch on the tree.
She looked up in the tree to locate him, and as she did the tree changed.
It was no longer a tree but had become a tower. She climbed stone stairs on the tower and found herself on a stone platform. As she stood there the sky turned dark and stars came out. A voice spoke to her Dont worry. Become the Universe. Everything really is connected to everything else. She turned and looked for the voice and saw she was listening to a giant preying-mantis like creature. She thought - "this is very strange, I can only go with the flow". And then, she found herself effortlessly rising into the night sky faster and faster, higher and higher, and soon found herself in absolute blackness surrounded by an infinite number of galaxies. She realized she no longer had a body, and that her being extended through infinite space.
Slowly the trip faded, and Alice realized she would be coming down into someone's body. But whose body, in what life would it be? That was the scariest part of the trip. She knew she was somebody but had lost her identity somewhere in infinity.
She realized there were an infinite number of choices of whom to materialize as. Whose life should she choose to live. Whose body should she choose to inhabit? That was terrifying. What if she made the wrong choice? Then she realized there was no wrong choice, whatever is, IS.
Next she found herself slipping into a nostril sucked in by a breath. And suddenly she was inside a body, which she knew would be hers for the rest of her life.
No it was not a body, it was herself. She recalled her name and that she had taken Salvia at Uncle Wyrdds house. She realized she was still very high but coming down rapidly.
She sat up opened her eyes and saw the room in candlelight. It still looked very strange. Very ancient. She lay back down and started telling Uncle Wyrdd what had happened - in isolated words at first, then in telegraphic cryptic sentences, then in a nonstop fluent torrent of speech.
Her uncle told her, Make an effort to remember any lessons you were taught. Do it now before they fade.
She realized she already recalled but a small part of the trip, and that much of what had happened she would never recall, but she had somehow absorbed many lessons, even if she could not recall them. Yet what she recalled had far surpassed her expectation of what Salvia could do.
Uncle Wyrdd smiled at her and simply said, Everyones trip is different. But, I told you Salvias Realm cant really be described. Its magical.
She said, Its completely different from what I expected, even what I told you is not really what it was like, but thats the best I can do. It was totally weird, yet it was as if I had once lived in Salvias Realm and was coming home to something completely familiar. I cant explain it.
Uncle smiled and said No you cant. I cant either. Maybe your shaman could, but somehow I doubt he could explain it either. You are back to your normal self now, but youll never look at things quite the same way again. Youre very fortunate to have had a breakthrough experience on your first meeting with Salvia. Most people dont."
Alice asked "Was the shaman real?"
Uncle smiled, and gently said "He was real in Salvia's Realm, not in this one. Don't expect that if you travel to Brazil you will find him."
Uncle added, for the next several days, you may feel unusually happy. But don't make any major life decisions in the next few days.
And indeed over the next several days Alice found she really was quite happy. She did not feel intoxicated, but life was more interesting. She felt profoundly at home in the universe. She knew that somehow, despite all that was wrong with the world, everything was quite all right. Something had been healed in her that she did not know had needed healing.
______________________________________________________
Making Salvia Tincture
Equipment
1 graduated measuring cup that can measure in ml.
1 coffee grinder
2 screw top jar whose seal will not dissolve in rum. A Mason canning
jar will work. Or a well cleaned jar from any of Classico Brand
Italian tomato sauces.
1 roll of aluminum foil
1 wire mesh collander
Materials
Dried Salvia divinorum leaf
151 proof Bacardi Rum. if you can get Everclear it can be
substituted. But do not use any liquor with less than 150 proof (75%
ethanol)
Preparation
1. Grind leaves to fine powder in grinder
2. Measure volume of powder using measuring cup
3. Put powder in the jar
4. Measure out the rum until you have 3 times the volume of powder
that you used
5. Pour rum into jar
6. Screw on top of jar
7. Shake well
8. wrap jar in foil to light proof it
9. place jar in kitchen cabinet. Shake daily for one week
10. Let jar settle for a week
11. Carefully decant the liquid into another jar, without disturbing
the sediment
12. Cap the jar and wrap in aluminum foil. This is your tincture.
Store in the dark at room temperature until use.
To use, pour the dose into a glass and add twice the volume of warm
water. Hold in the mouth with tongue raised off floor of mouth.
Dosage will have to be titrated to each individual. And will have to
be retitrated if a different batch is used. A reasonable starting
dose is two teaspoons of the tincture. Increase dose if effect is
inadequate. This stuff is about 1/4 the strength of commercial
tincture so one would need to use a larger volume to get the same
effect
For the Standing Mother,
DG
When Alice visited Uncle Wyrdd again several weeks later, she was very interested in learning more. Much more.
Uncle she said, "Ive heard of a plant called 'Magic Mint', what is it"?
Uncle Wyrdd said, There are a number of plants in the mint family that are psychoactive. For example, there is an intoxicating mint from Central Asia; but I dont think its the one you have in mind.
I think what you have in mind is a sage from the Oaxaca region of Mexico known as Magic Mint Magic Sage, Diviners Sage, 'Leaves of the Virgin Shepherdess' and many other names. However, it is most commonly referred to by its botanical name, Salvia divinorum. Or just Salvia for short. Sometimes it is called "Sally or Sally Dee."
Alice said, Im confused; is it a sage or a mint?
Uncle replied All the true sage species belong to genus Salvia which is in the mint family.
Alice said, Like sagebrush.
Uncle corrected her, No, sagebrush is in the wormwood family. But, cooking sage is a Salvia species. It is a true sage, and its psychoactive too, and to confuse matters more it contains thujone just as wormwood does.
Alice replied, It is all a bit confusing. Is Salvia divinorum like wormwood then, I know wormwood is used in absinthe. Ive had absinthe.
Uncle said, Salvia divinorum is not like absinthe. Its not really like any other herb.
Alice asked, Is it habit forming?
Uncle answered Not at all. It is a unique visionary herb that is not habit forming and is not toxic.
Alice queried But, is it legal?
Uncle replied It still is legal in the US as a whole, but unfortunately a few states are in the process of outlawing it,
Louisiana and New York are likely to make it illegal soon. It already is illegal in Australia, Denmark, and Italy. It could well
be scheduled in the U.S. within the next several years."
Alice said, If its not toxic, and not addicting, are there any dangers?
Uncle answered Its a good idea to have a sober sitter looking after you when you take it, because some people sleepwalk when under its influence. The danger is not poisoning but accidents, or doing things in a confused state that could be dangerous. So it should be taken in a safe private place with a sober sitter present
By safe I guess you mean away from heights, open flames, guns, hot tubs and swimming pools, that sort of thing? And never in a car, or at work, or in a public place. Right?
Uncle agreed.
Alice asked, How is it taken?
Uncle replied, In many ways. It is never injected. The Mazatec Indians, its traditional users, chew the leaves in their ceremonies. They also drink a non-alcoholic drink made of crushed or ground leaves.
It can be smoked, but Mazatecs dont smoke it.
Smoking is popular though, even if not traditional. Fortified leaves can be made that are even stronger than the untreated leaves. This is done by extracting its active ingredient with alcohol or other solvents and then drying the fluid extract onto the leaves.
Alice said, What way is best?
Uncle smiled a fleeting smile and said. I dont like to smoke it. Chewing the leaves is effective, but they taste bitter, and chewing a mouthful of leaves is kind of unpleasant. My favorite way is taking it as an alcoholic tincture. This is diluted with water just before use so the alcohol wont burn your mouth. And youve got to keep the tincture in your mouth until its active compound is absorbed across the mucus membranes of the mouth.
Whats the active compound, Alice asked?
Uncle replied It is a very potent substance called salvinorin A, and like THC or kava-lactones, or alcohol itself it contains no nitrogen.
Alice said, No nitrogen? Then it would not be an alkaloid. How long does its effect last?
Uncle replied, The tincture's effects come on in about 12 minutes to half an hour, and then last about 1/2 hour to an hour, sometimes a bit longer.
Alice asked, What does the plant look like?
Uncle Wyrdd pointed to one of his houseplants that looked very much like Coleus but had large leaves that were green, rather than multicolored. Its stems were square.
Uncle, Alice said, Just what are the effects like?
Well it depends on who you are, how sensitive to it you are, and how much you take. But, this is not a party drug, and you may not find it fun at all. It is a shamans drug, a healers drug, a diviners drug, a mystics drug. Ill try to describe its effects, but youve got to understand there are NO words which really describe it.
At a low dose all you may feel is that things are somehow subtly different. With a little more youll notice your thought patterns have changed, become less logical and more playful. Take a still higher dose and you will experience closed eye visual patterns that you wont mistake for real scenes. Noise and bright light will interfere with experiencing this.
Alice asked, Is that all?
Her uncle replied, No. Theres lots more. Take a bit more than you need to see geometric patterns, and you may have the sort of experience shamans talk about -- or dont talk about-- you may find yourself in some other world, or a different place, or a different age of this world. And with even higher doses you may remain conscious but lose your self identity, you might exist without a body and without a name and may merge with the universe at large, or oddly merge with a wall, a stone, a plant etc. You will experience strange topologies, space will become non-Euclidian; time will become non-linear.
Alice said, So it produces an out of body experience?
Uncle thought and replied "It can. Some people compare it to a near death experience, but without any danger of dying."
Coming down from it is a trip in itself. As the experience wanes, you will find yourself returning to your body and your identity. And that process will seem very strange indeed.
Alice asked, Will I have a hangover.
Uncle answered, If Salvia is all you take and you are not smoking it; you are unlikely to have any unpleasant aftereffects other than an irritated mouth if you don't dilute the tincture enough. Actually, you may have a positive beneficial hangover --- after the intoxication wears off you may feel very cheerful for a few days.
Alice said, Im interested, but the idea of chewing up a lot of leaves doesnt sound so great, and I dont want to smoke. Do you have any Salvia tincture? May I try some?
Uncle said, Ill give you some, but you wont be driving home for several hours. By the way also have a bottle of a miraculous liqueur which I invented. It contains Salvia and other psychoactive herbs. Its effect is similar to Salvia elixir, but it is a pleasanter, more euphoric, and soothing. Salvia by itself can sometimes be a frightening roller coaster ride but the other herbs mellow it out.
Alice debated and said that shed like to try pure Salvia elixir by itself first, but she would appreciate the recipes for both the Salvia elixir and the miraculous liqueur.
Uncle brought out two bottles that were mysteriously wrapped in aluminum foil.
Alice asked him What gives with the aluminum foil? Uncle explained, If salvinorin A is dissolved in alcohol, light can destroy it. So I protect the bottles from light with the lightproof layer of foil.
Alice asked to smell the Salvia elixir, and the Miraculous liqueur too. The Salvia elixir smelled of rum and had pleasant tea like but slightly minty smell. The Miraculous elixir smelled deliciously like a field of wildflowers on a perfect summer day.
Wow! Smells like a summertime day in a meadow Alice said. I think Ill like this. If I like Salvia Ill try the Miraculous Elixir sometime soon, but
for today I will try just Salvia elixir. I want to know what Salvia is like, and taking something with lots of different psychoactive herbs in it will make it impossible to tell which effects are due to what.
Alice said, I want to try the Salvia tincture; you will be my sober sitter?
Uncle said Yes. He then explained, The trick is to dilute with water, so the alcohol in it does not burn your mouth. Since sensitivity to Salvia varies, you should initially try no more that 1/2 oz, that's a tablespoon, of my tincture diluted with at least 1/2 oz. of water. Hold it in your mouth for as long as you can, say 20 minutes, then swallow it all. But, if you find it is getting to much for you, just spit it out. Ill give you a bowl to spit into, and a towel to wipe your mouth.
Alice said, I think I understand, first dilute it, hold it all in my mouth, swishing it around a bit, and keep it in my mouth a long time, then finally swallow what is in my mouth.
Uncle said, Once you have emptied the glass, lie down on my couch, the room lights will be off, but Ill light a candle placed where you wont accidentally knock it over. There will be just enough light for you to see if you open your eyes. But remain still with your eyes closed and motionless, as if asleep, until the experience wears off. Its important you dont wander around in a confused state. Ill give you a blanket to wrap around yourself if you feel cool.
He offered her music to listen to, saying If you listen to pleasant harmonious music without words, or to chanting, you can let the music carry you away. Or just try it without music.
Alice asked, How about TV?
Uncle said, Absolutely NO TV. Unless you want to experience just how hellish TV really is! Ill put the dogs out so they dont bother you. Ill turn my phone off so it wont ring.
So its best to take Salvia in the evening after the sun is down, in a quiet private place. Thats really important?
Uncle agreed, Thats how the Mazetecs take it. And they know what they are doing. Quiet, privacy, and safety are essential. We are not talking of a party drug. We are talking of a magic potion.
Alice said, Im not to drive afterwards?
Not until several hours after you think it has completely worn off. Better yet not until tomorrow. I can drive you home, or Bob can. Or you can stay here overnight. But no driving.
Alice measured a tablespoon of the tincture into a shot glass then added 4 teaspoons of warm tap water to it. Immediately, the clear brown solution turned muddy brown. She put it in her mouth and lay down. The taste wasn't too bad but holding the liquid in her mouth for half an hour would prove to be a bit of a nuisance.
Uncle Wyrdd put a the CD of Carlos Nakais Mythic Dreamer in the CD player and played the music softly. The lights were dimmed. Uncle Wyrdd lighted a candle placed far away from the couch on which Alice lay down. She covered herself with a blanket. The dogs were put out. The phone turned off. She felt ready for her voyage, but did not know what to expect.
For a long time nothing seemed to be happening except that her mouth gradually filled with saliva. She hoped she could hold the liquid in her mouth long enough to experience its promised magic. The diluted tincture irritated her mouth slightly but not unbearably.
After about 10 or 15 minutes had passed she noticed something seemed to be happening, but it was hard to know just what. It was subtle. Then she realized her thought patterns were different from usual --- more playful, somewhat odd.
And then, it happened, the music started taking her away on an inward journey. She saw, faintly at first, then more vividly, fractal patterns which were visual but somehow were the music too. She recalled the word synesthesia. Ah this was synesthesia. The patterns became more intricate and more recognizable as arabesques and fantastic architecture. Yet, she clearly knew what she was seeing- feeling-hearing was from the drug. Somehow the architecture was the music but was her skin too. And it flickered, moved and self transformed.
Without realizing it she found she had swallowed the tincture she had been holding in her mouth. Well it must have been long enough, she guessed.
Then she found herself slipping through her skin and fought to hang on to herself.
But, slip through her skin she did, and suddenly found herself in a jungle. Shafts of light came through ancient trees, and vines hung from them. The greenness of the foliage somehow was herself and yet was a scene apart from herself. She told herself Salvia is strange. Then she noticed someone silently stepping through the forest, it was an energetic appearing old man, who appeared to be an Amazon native. He wore a breechcloth and had colorful feathers in his hair, and wore a necklace made of colored beans. She knew he was a shaman. And he said something to her, yet it was not in any language she knew. But, she felt reassured rather than frightened. He smiled and unexpectedly became a parrot who flew to a branch on the tree.
She looked up in the tree to locate him, and as she did the tree changed.
It was no longer a tree but had become a tower. She climbed stone stairs on the tower and found herself on a stone platform. As she stood there the sky turned dark and stars came out. A voice spoke to her Dont worry. Become the Universe. Everything really is connected to everything else. She turned and looked for the voice and saw she was listening to a giant preying-mantis like creature. She thought - "this is very strange, I can only go with the flow". And then, she found herself effortlessly rising into the night sky faster and faster, higher and higher, and soon found herself in absolute blackness surrounded by an infinite number of galaxies. She realized she no longer had a body, and that her being extended through infinite space.
Slowly the trip faded, and Alice realized she would be coming down into someone's body. But whose body, in what life would it be? That was the scariest part of the trip. She knew she was somebody but had lost her identity somewhere in infinity.
She realized there were an infinite number of choices of whom to materialize as. Whose life should she choose to live. Whose body should she choose to inhabit? That was terrifying. What if she made the wrong choice? Then she realized there was no wrong choice, whatever is, IS.
Next she found herself slipping into a nostril sucked in by a breath. And suddenly she was inside a body, which she knew would be hers for the rest of her life.
No it was not a body, it was herself. She recalled her name and that she had taken Salvia at Uncle Wyrdds house. She realized she was still very high but coming down rapidly.
She sat up opened her eyes and saw the room in candlelight. It still looked very strange. Very ancient. She lay back down and started telling Uncle Wyrdd what had happened - in isolated words at first, then in telegraphic cryptic sentences, then in a nonstop fluent torrent of speech.
Her uncle told her, Make an effort to remember any lessons you were taught. Do it now before they fade.
She realized she already recalled but a small part of the trip, and that much of what had happened she would never recall, but she had somehow absorbed many lessons, even if she could not recall them. Yet what she recalled had far surpassed her expectation of what Salvia could do.
Uncle Wyrdd smiled at her and simply said, Everyones trip is different. But, I told you Salvias Realm cant really be described. Its magical.
She said, Its completely different from what I expected, even what I told you is not really what it was like, but thats the best I can do. It was totally weird, yet it was as if I had once lived in Salvias Realm and was coming home to something completely familiar. I cant explain it.
Uncle smiled and said No you cant. I cant either. Maybe your shaman could, but somehow I doubt he could explain it either. You are back to your normal self now, but youll never look at things quite the same way again. Youre very fortunate to have had a breakthrough experience on your first meeting with Salvia. Most people dont."
Alice asked "Was the shaman real?"
Uncle smiled, and gently said "He was real in Salvia's Realm, not in this one. Don't expect that if you travel to Brazil you will find him."
Uncle added, for the next several days, you may feel unusually happy. But don't make any major life decisions in the next few days.
And indeed over the next several days Alice found she really was quite happy. She did not feel intoxicated, but life was more interesting. She felt profoundly at home in the universe. She knew that somehow, despite all that was wrong with the world, everything was quite all right. Something had been healed in her that she did not know had needed healing.
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Making Salvia Tincture
Equipment
1 graduated measuring cup that can measure in ml.
1 coffee grinder
2 screw top jar whose seal will not dissolve in rum. A Mason canning
jar will work. Or a well cleaned jar from any of Classico Brand
Italian tomato sauces.
1 roll of aluminum foil
1 wire mesh collander
Materials
Dried Salvia divinorum leaf
151 proof Bacardi Rum. if you can get Everclear it can be
substituted. But do not use any liquor with less than 150 proof (75%
ethanol)
Preparation
1. Grind leaves to fine powder in grinder
2. Measure volume of powder using measuring cup
3. Put powder in the jar
4. Measure out the rum until you have 3 times the volume of powder
that you used
5. Pour rum into jar
6. Screw on top of jar
7. Shake well
8. wrap jar in foil to light proof it
9. place jar in kitchen cabinet. Shake daily for one week
10. Let jar settle for a week
11. Carefully decant the liquid into another jar, without disturbing
the sediment
12. Cap the jar and wrap in aluminum foil. This is your tincture.
Store in the dark at room temperature until use.
To use, pour the dose into a glass and add twice the volume of warm
water. Hold in the mouth with tongue raised off floor of mouth.
Dosage will have to be titrated to each individual. And will have to
be retitrated if a different batch is used. A reasonable starting
dose is two teaspoons of the tincture. Increase dose if effect is
inadequate. This stuff is about 1/4 the strength of commercial
tincture so one would need to use a larger volume to get the same
effect
For the Standing Mother,
DG