Trying to approach the spice has been an interesting situation for me. I can't seem to find, within my everyday life, a space in which it feels properly placed. It seems elevated or disjointed or somehow deserving of an environment which I don't typically experience.

This brings me to rituals or practices employed by cultures to bring the context and environment of reality up to par with the experience of the psychedelic at hand.

I don't know much about these practices, but assume they arose naturally at some point, and weren't always passed down.

I wonder if perhaps these cultures knew far before we thought it clever to parrot Leary about set and setting, the importance of this facet in directing the experience. Maybe the vast amount of 'bad trips' we see in western culture is a result of ignoring this piece of the equation or failing to erect rituals and practices of our own.

Thinking perhaps stereotypically about both what I have seen in movies/culture and what I imagine to be the proper environment, I come up with some vague ideas about rituals that could smooth this transition. Please share any ideas you have about this, I would really like to work out a cohesive system that allows me to really work with the spice in an effective way.

1: Create an altar or axis mundi to bridge the gap, or create a point within space that is elevated to encourage a sense of place under the influence of these types of substances.

2: Chant, dance or meditation. Some form of physical expression or movement that is repeated each time one delves into these realms. The creation of a ritual may psychologically create a sense of stability or place when at such depths.

3: Surround yourself with living matter, the transient sensation of the wild outdoors could help to create a bed where thoughts might be less prone to echo back and distort themselves as they bounce off the barren walls of your home. (what are some natural escapes that you have found to be grounding?)

4: Stylize your tools and create beds for your spice. Smoking off tinfoil tends to set things off on the wrong foot, so normalizing this experience or stylizing it in a way that makes it objectively appear timeless, I think is a must. Creating a bed or resting place for your spice elevates it and creates a sense of respect in those who participate. If your spice is stored in a little drug baggie with red hot lip prints running along it, this might create a sense of uneasiness, especially to newcomers. If however your spice is stored in a locket or specially made/handmade container that has some sort of meaning or level of craftsmanship that doesn't degrade the spice in anyway, then it actually helps to present it as something to be respected rather than some sketchy shit you got in a bag.