hello everyone, very glad to be able to be part of this forum, i have been dreaming of this since a long time. i am a french psychonaut of 31 years old, and was member of a very great french forum about psychedelic culture called lucid state forum, that is now dead. it is where i first learned about ayahuasca, and i have been using it since a little more then 10 years. during this journey i have been able to drink with the shipibo and the huni kuin, in Brazil and Peru, as well as with the santo daime church and quite a few neo-chamanic groups, be it in Europe or south america . i study anthropology and have made some research about huni kuin shamanism, having spent something like 3 month in an huni kuin territory, in the state of acre, Brazil.

i live in Brazil, in the state of pernambuco. it is a region where the culture of jurema is very important. i am initiated into the religion of jurema sagrada, also called catimbo since a little more then a year. i actually am making my master thesis about the religion. catimbo is an afro-indigenous Brazilian religion that is centered around the mimosa hostilis tree, and the work with the many spirit that inhabit its realms. it is an initiatory process where the adept learns how to turn himself jurema through the implantation of mimosa hostilis seeds inside his body, a becoming plant that is also a becoming spirit as the person learns to use the power of the tree to do magic. the place where i am initiated has the particularity of using an activated jurema tea for some of the ceremonies, cooked with peganum harmala and ayahuasca vine. this is not a common practice and is also a phenomenon that is quite new, having been introduce into the religion by the influence of neo-shamanism and santo daime. but we are not the only religious center that does it, and the practice of psychedelic catimbo is slowly expending. i am for myself convinced that the jurema cult used to be about entheogenic jurema and the introduction of the use of imao inhibitor such as peganum harmala is nothing more then a revival of some more ancient practice. during this spiritual journey, a few local plant have been indicated to us by some spirit has being part of an anciant way of cooking jurema, and we are making experiment in producing a brew only made from plant from the region. anyway, jurema is not just a fantastically powerful source of dmt, it is also a fascinating and very spiritual tradition, that have nothing to envy from better known vegetalist traditions, such as amazonian shamanism. i am more then happy to talk about the little knowledge i have learned about it.

being in the home country of jurema, i have also started to produce my own dmt, quite recently. i am more of an ayahuasca fan, because i am always frustrated by the rapidity of the effect of smoked dmt. always feels that the trip ends when i start to really settle myself in the hyperspace realm, and it is quite often frustrating. but the use of smoked dmt have been of great interest to me recently, as part of my learning of mediumship. as you might be aware, jurema is primarily a religion of possession. a lot of its practice are based around indorcism rituals, where a spirit take the body of somebody to give messages or make some healings. to be possessed by spirit is something that must be learned, it is the construction of a relationship with one spirit, to invite the entity to be part of one's life, and share one's body. although this trance can be reached without the use of any psychedelic, smoked dmt have helped me to reach to these spirits and start the process of spirit possession. i also use it to get to see the place where these spirits live, an hyperspace territory known as cities in the juremeiro tradition. i think of it as a very interesting process. for years i have been drinking ayahuasca and smoking dmt without being part of a tradition. i feel that the initiation process has transform my dmt experience, helping me to control it a little more, in the sense of projecting myself to these places, and do magical work there. my sessions have felt a little less like hyperspace tourism, and seems to have more purpose now.

i am also very interested in Sufism, and like to perform zhikr under the influence of ayahuasca. there is something about Sufi chant that puts me in a very powerful visionary state, and i really love it. i am very fascinated by the traditional use of peganum harmala in the Muslim and pre- muslim world, and how it points to a possible archaic plant related shamanic tradition in this part of the world.seems to me that the use of acacia tree might have been an important anchor for spiritual traditions worldwide. it is an other subject of great interest to me, one of which i could be speaking for hours.

apart from ayahuasca i have a long time love relationship with lsd, and really love to do session of acid while jamming on my electronic music production machines, making some twisted loops of ambient techno in my living room. i got to say that psychedelics are a big part of my life, since 16 years, and they really have shaped the person i am in almost every aspect, such as my hobbies, my academic interest, the place i live and so much more. the dmt realm is of really great importance to me, getting to have access to this world is without a doubt the thing i love the most in life, because to me it is a connection to a mind-space which is god. it is a molecule that i respect profoundly although this journey has been made of up and downs , ayahuasca is not an easy ride and its revelations can be at time difficult to handle, but overall, it really made me a better person and continue to do so days after days. even if i really love dmt, i feel that the neo-shamanic practice in the west sometime exaggerate its importance in relation with the β-Carboline alkaloids, that are often thought about just as a way to metabolize the dmt, when for me they are a very important part, a crucial part of the magic of ayahuasca.

once again, i am very happy to be part of this forum and hope to be able to bring a contribution to this great edifice of countercultural science. i hope this essay has not been to difficult to read, as English is not my first language.

Hey there and welcome - congratulations on your rapid promotion too! Your non-native English has been anything but a hindrance

It would seem that many of us here are very interested in what you have shared so far and that's what got you the upvotes for full membership.

Would you consider sharing some of your music with us here? Quite a few Nexians are musicians/music producers on some level or other (in my case it's been rather a long time since I finished anything - maybe one day...)

Many - maybe most - of us here echo your sentiment about the importance of the β-Carboline alkaloids. I certainly use them far more frequently than anything except caffeine nowadays.

It really is fascinating to hear from someone with direct experience of the Jurema trees.


See you around!

thanks for the kind words here is my soundcloud although it doesn't really reflect the jam i do on acid, not the most psychedelic jams. i should probably record one of those sometime

https://soundcloud.com/mariri23

Welcome aboard! I agrée with you - the DMT flash is quite too rapid
To learn à lot from it.

Mariri23- how interesting and fascinating your work sounds. Thank you for sharing here. I first learned about folks within the Jurema religion mixing in MAOIs from an interview with Mark Collins. Are you familiar with him or his iDMT project?

Reading here, I have a question regarding...



I am trying to develop a relationship with harmalas and have been unable to gain traction or have an experience that leaves me anything but feeling a bit agitated or physically sick. What are your views on harmalas on their own and the way they as their own medicine fit in to a practice?

Sorry for being vague, but I don't really know yet what I'm asking as my experiences have all been disappointing and uncomfortable and less then visionary with harmalas so far. So seeing someone with your "pedigree" for lack of a better word, and immersion in the work, speak so highly of them gives me pause and makes me wonder what it is exactly that I am missing.

How much harmalas are you working with in a session and what's your method of administration? It sounds like your dose may be a little high (I ended up throwing up last time I took 150mg of THH). Agitation and nausea can be expected when one is not used to working with them. I'd recommend lowering your dosage until you adjust and then increase gently over time. I personally started with 3g of rue everyday starting about a year ago. I now drink 5g a day. Also, the effects will be subtle in their power. I find it beneficial to meditate for a while after taking harmalas or during. I often sit at my altar drinking rue tea, and fall into a full meditative process once it's all been drunk.

Harmalas are wonderful at teaching one focus, awareness, and Mindfulness.

One love

I have so far worked with pure THH (from liftmode- the authenticity of which I know has been called into question here), sublingually in doses ranging from 50-100mg, and ingested in doses ranging from 50mg-300mg. The only time I felt any effects from this was at the 300mg range, and I indeed had some interesting closed eyed mon0chrome visions, as well as a change in my normal conscious voice. I made the mistake of vaporizing spice on top of this dose, and it was unpleasant and frankly, terrifying. I blacked out and came to being fed upon by dark entities. The next few days I suffered some odd physical symptoms and emotional unbalance. The other times I took THH on its own it was too subtle to really feel anything or teach me anything.

I also have taken "caapi spirit extract" from a well-respected vendor who supposedly extracts 1:1 THH/Harmine from high quality yellow Hawaiin vine. I have taken this sublingually in doses ranging from 50mg to 100mg, and ingested in doses from 100mg-420mg. I have felt a little tickle from this extract on its own, but nothing note worthy. It is almost as if I can sense a presence beyond the veil, but haven't fully had communion with it. It has produced discomfort and emotional unbalance the next day, particularly when I have attempted to vape spice along with it. None of these approaches have led me to understand the benefits of harmalas, besides as a potentiator of DMT- which yes, it sure does.

These experiences kind of lead me to believe that I may need MORE rather then less. At the same time I have realized that my DMT doses have typically been way too high, and I should try lessening those. Perhaps also I should try a straight vine brew instead of extracts, or experiment with some Pengam Harmalas.

Any thoughts?

Thoughts? I sure do

So, THH is a weird one. I think going for more "full-spectrum" experience will help you notice what you need to with harmalas. Again, they way they work is powerful but subtle. A strange little paradox.

I really encourage working with Rue (peganum harmala). It's a little bit easier to work with than brewing vine. Roast them until the majority pop, boil/steep in slightly acidic water, reduce, drink, take in the effects.

Take note of those physical feelings and emotional imbalance. Those may be clues as to what you should be paying attention to.

One love