Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit. (T.S. Elliott)

Spoiler: the author has not yet tried anything stronger than marijuana at the time of writing this essay.

Hello all,

I'm Anchorite. I was born and raised in the southwest of Iran in 2000. I am currently living in Tehran (capital of Iran), and I have plans to mmigrate to somewhere else soon. A lot of hobbies revolve around painting, music, and literature. Though I have not followed the first two in a professional manner, I have been studying the latter in Allameh Tabatabaei University since 2019.

Though I started smoking (cigarettes) and drinking alcohol at the age of sixteen, I've always had a negative attitude towards anything that society labels under the very general and misused term "drugs." I was (still am) heavily against the recreational use of drugs. That is of course until February 2021, when I had my first use of marijuana and saw how it can be used in a rather spiritual context; I was blown away by it.

I'm guessing for a vast portion of the members of this community my "first time high" story is dull and boring, so I'm going to only stick to one thing; for some reason, my experience high made me quit smoking cigarettes and killed my urge to drink alcohol immediately, and permanently. This blew my mind. With my next solo Marijuana session, I killed my porn addiction; something I'd been struggling with for a long time.

This opened my eye to the vast, spiritual universe of marijuana and psychedelics. I am doing my research on everything. I'm probably going to try mushrooms next.

Welcome to the Nexus.

I'm quite impressed you were able to overcome such powerful addictions with cannabis alone, that's awesome!

I think low dose mushrooms is an excellent way to start your journey into the psychedelic realms, they should treat you well. Given your location, you might also look into Peganum harmala as I'm sure it's easy to find round those parts.

Very good, Anchorite! I believe you will get far with this attitude.

Btw I love your alias. I want to link this video Hermits of our times: https://youtu.be/E-p1DmddP_I

This video about modern day anchorites is very touching. In the video the monk tells how some who have decided to spend their lives in simplicity open up to the kind of experiences we might call psychedelic and psychic. I have no trouble believing it and I think we who don't live in isolation can still get some inspiration from them.

Thanks a lot. I am already getting a lot of nice and friendly vibe from this community. I have come up with a "trip plan" for myself. A friend of mine who's a bit more experienced with cannabis is also on the same boat with me. our goal is to essentially make sure we are doing everything with solid plans and research, and definitely making sure we are using substances with a purpose/goal, be it self-discovery or creating art. Next is small dosage of Mushrooms for us, in about a 5 weeks from now.

I have not heard of Peganum Harmala, but I'm most definitely going to do my research on it. Thanks a lot.

edit: Okay apparently Peganum Harmala is what we call "Espand." I do know what it is. we use it quite a lot in our culture haha.

Thanks a lot! I have grown up around a lot of Iranian Anchorites (aka Darvish), the way they practiced simplicity in life was different and less extreme (for lack of a better world in my dictionary), but still inspirational. I've had a wild journey regarding spirituality and religion so far, I am still exploring a lot of ideologies about Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and basically anything that I stumble upon in books and discourses of spirituality.

p.s. now that I'm looking back at my name and the subject of my essay, it might look as if I'm taking myself way too seriously haha. the reason I add "st." behind Anchorite is that the username "anchorite" is often taken.

p.s. 2: the video was very nice. I have a feeling you'd really like the works of two of the most famous Farsi poets; Rumi and Khayyam. The interesting thing about old Persian poets and writers is that almost all of them were exceptional in practicing spirituality in their own time, which makes their writings highly valuable.

Very nice to hear. 🙂 I am actually somewhat familiar with Rumi and the Sufi tradition. I'll study Khayyam too in future!

Many years ago I came across a book called Way of the Sufi by Idris Shah and was very impressed. I believe those poets and authors have grasped the core of religion that is beyond names and rites. I think I found through them what is worth keeping in the religious tradition I grew up.

Glad to have your here. 🙂

Hiya mate,

I love Khayyam and Rumi.

One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,
One moment, of the Well of Life to taste--
The Stars are setting, and the Caravan
Starts for the dawn of Nothing--Oh, make haste!

There was a Door to which I found no Key:
There was a Veil past which I could not see:
Some little Talk awhile of ME and THEE
There seemed--and then no more of THEE and ME.

And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted--"Open then the Door!
You know how little while we have to stay,
And, once departed, may return no more."

- Omar Khayyam

Congratulations on quitting your addictions! Very impressive.

You sound like you are on the right path. I think mushrooms are going to be an interesting experience for you. Start with a low dose. Definitely do lemon tek. And taking a small amount of ground up esfand (1-3g) with your mushrooms will make the experience a lot more 'spiritual' in my experience.

Esfand together with cannabis edibles is also fantastic.

Stay safe and take care!

P.S. I know some Gonabadi dervishes. Any relation to your sect?