Tag: psychedelics

EMK also draws influence
from the counter-culture of the 1960s, particularly the psychedelic movement. Timothy
Leary, Aldus Huxley, Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and the Electric Kool-Aid
Acid Test, and the culture surrounding the Grateful Dead, all espoused the use
of psychedelics in the creation of neo-tribal societies based on community and
individual freedom. This philosophy is perhaps best summarized in the works of
Terence McKenna, and his “stoned ape” hypothesis. McKenna suggested that great
advances in human evolution took place due to our species’ use of psychedelic mushrooms,
and that a return to their use, along with tribal spiritual values, are key to
us returning to Earth-based principles and avoiding the catastrophes of global
war and environmental destruction. In our view, the great social experiment of
the 1960s led to massive advances in rights for women and minorities, and
universal enfranchisement. The reaction of the totalitarian right ended that
progress abruptly. EMK seeks to refine the methods used by those earlier
counter-culture heroes and lead that experiment to its fruition.

DMT, short for N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, comes in many forms and methods
of consumption. DMT occurs naturally in many organisms, both plant and animal,
including human beings. A rise in the popularity of Ayahuasca, a traditional
brew made by shaman in indigenous tribes of South America, has raised awareness
of DMT. Ayahuasca has many side effects and requires an experienced shaman to
create the brew and guide the experience. We recommend you defer to them when
seeking out that particular form of DMT. We will focus on another form of DMT,
with much shorter and intense effects. 5-MeO-DMT can be extracted from specific
plants and even from the venom of certain frogs. While there is some
traditional practices that use 5-MeO-DMT, in most countries it comes in the
form of crystals, or sometimes a resin, that the user vaporizes and inhales.

Of all the psychedelics listed here, DMT has had the least research.
Most of what we know comes from the users themselves. People have reported
nausea, heart palpitations, rise in body temperature, and other minor symptoms.
Most doctors agree it is virtually impossible to overdose on DMT. No fatalities
from DMT have been recorded. Some claim that DMT can be used to help with
depression and fight addiction, but clinical evidence is sorely lacking.

Inhaled DMT will most likely be the most powerful hallucinogen a magus
will ever experience. In the largest doses that can be consumed at once, DMT
only lasts five to fifteen minutes. During that time, you will not have the
presence of mind to consume any more. In fact, DMT is not a good-time, party
drug. It does nothing to benefit the social experience. Feelings of euphoria
come only after the drug subsides, some of it coming from the sheer joy of
surviving the experience. A sufficient dose of DMT will obliterate all sense of
self. The user loses all senses, and is overwhelmed by visions of undulating
geometric shapes, intense colors, and sound. During a DMT trip, the most you
will do is lie there and take it. A few claim to have communication with alien
entities when on DMT, but the communication is difficult to put into words.
Some say that taking DMT is the closest thing to experiencing death, as the
visions overtake all other mental processes for the short time they last,
leaving the user totally without function. If this sounds frightening, it
should and it is. But few experiences will work so well to convince a magus
that everything they perceive is pure illusion. One hit of DMT is an initiatory
experience all its own. You will walk away changed.

One class of drugs has proven to be particularly useful in producing
the shifts in consciousness needed for doing magick. Psychedelics work by
radically changing our perceptions, causing states of heightened emotions,
heightened senses, hallucinations, and changes in neuro pathways. The most
commonly consumed psychedelics are: psilocybin, THC, LSD, MDMA, and DMT, all of
which are currently illegal in most countries and (many would argue without
merit) classified as Schedule I in the US—of no clinical value and has high
rates of abuse. As with many other drugs, this classification stems more from lack
of cultural familiarity and as a means for systemic persecution of those who
commonly use them.

This classification has led to a lack of serious medical research into
their properties for over fifty years. It has only been in the past twenty
years that research, closely scrutinized by the government, has seen the light
of day. The majority of these studies have found these substances useful in
fighting depression, ease and comfort for terminally ill patients, facilitating
emotional bonds in family therapy, and ironically, treating addiction. It is
important to note:

No credible study of any of
these substances has found any negative short-term health effects when taken by
adults in recommended doses. No data exists on the effects of chronic,
long-term use. None of these substances have been found to be physically
addictive.

This should not delude anyone into believing these substances do no
harm. They can be abused just like any other coping mechanism, such as over
eating or watching too much TV. By far the largest contributing factor in their
potential to do harm comes from them being illegal. Black market substances
have no quality control. They can vary wildly in potency and purity. It makes
it much easier for them to be adulterated, as no authority exists to punish the
manufacturer without punishing the victim. Depending on your locale, possession
can be punishable by loss of employment, fines, long prison sentences, and in
some places execution. May the spirits protect ye brave psychonauts.

Each of these substances have different properties and different uses
in a magical context. We will also touch on some of the social and physical
uses for them as well, as they can be just as important for an individual
magus. While we endeavor to describe the mental experience of each drug, keep
in mind that it can differ radically from person to person, depends heavily on
dosage, and oftentimes cannot be described in words. We recommend that each
individual research for themselves possible interactions, proper dosage, and
proper consumption, and to always err on the side of caution.