Let me preface this by saying I regard Salvia as a highly sacred plant with a deep wisdom that can be surprising.

I myself approach it with respect and caution. I only chew it these days, partially because the experience is more gentle and comprehensible and partially because that's how the Mazatecs do it (the indigenous people of Southern Mexico who use the plant ritually).

That said, I think this is hilarious. I suppose I should be saying, "This is disrespectful to the plant!" But a) it's really funny, b) who am I to say what the plant likes or dislikes? c) people have the freedom to do whatever they want with the plants, and d) everyone's experience is different, including their approach and the story from which they weave the Salvia experience.

I could say, "This gives Salvia a bad name!" But, does it? I think it gives it a name it deserves: Powerful. It's obvious in the video that this is a powerful plant and you shouldn't mess with it recklessly. Though Erik has a video called, "Driving on Salvia," it's clear in the video that it would be a freakin' awful idea to actually drive on Salvia. The hilarity of the video makes its point.

Finally, I could say, "This makes fun of something very serious!" But is it serious? Do we need to be serious about spirituality? What good does being solemn do? Spirituality is life, and if you go around being solemn all the time, you're gonna have a bad time. Erik's experiences with Salvia show us that contacting the Other (read: Self) can be a hilarious journey. Life can be absurdly light. In personal evolution, we don't necessarily have to be methodical and composed. We can go at it berserker-style, wielding the absurd corners of our mind as they give fruition to truth. Trickster energy, trickster energy.

Now, onto the hilarity!

Gardening on Salvia:


Driving on Salvia:


aaaaand, his evolution into a full-time youtube comedian:


I welcome any rebuttals, or any discussion regarding the exhibitionist use of Salvia on the internet, or just Salvia use in general. I know it can be offensive to some, worrisome for others (in terms of endangering its relatively light legal status), and seem like it encourages reckless behavior. But I really think it just shows us that we really ought to not f*** around with this plant, unless you're a reckless teenager who doesn't give a **** and need to experience getting your arse handed to you.

He even apologized to the Salvia Gods:


I was really touched that he did that. Feeling conflicted about the whole thing, especially the seemingly non-considerate way he ended the apology, I decided to meditate on the matter... with Salvia.

I immediately was brought back to myself, my inner world, and the deep well of wisdom Salvia brings me to. I realized that my experience of Salvia is different from his (duh?) and that he is filming the "real" world, not the "Salvia world." In other words, it's not really misrepresenting Salvia because Salvia CAN'T be represented, because its world is so vast and incomprehensible in this waking reality, not to mention a youtube video. The Salvia world has nothing to do with this silly video. It's completely other, and it's a doorway into the spirit world (in my opinion), and that's missed by a lot of people.

But there's no harm done in bringing Salvia into the light of public consciousness, I've concluded. People deserve to know about this plant, no matter how they first learn about it. People are smart enough figure out for themselves its spiritual value, or stupid enough to completely miss the point. Either way, it's all good. And for the very few that would overreact and think it's the devil's weed or something, I have yet to see that attitude surface (again) into the mainstream with any real consequence, and, if it has in some places, I think it's worth all the attention it receives.

We live in an age where things are being brought into the light--even the most "serious," powerful tools for spiritual development and consciousness expansion--and I think it deserves embracing.

Love and Light.

Salvia divinorum definitely helped me learn some lessons in life via visions. Lessons that were hard for me to accept. Salvia was like a class I needed to graduate from gradually. It's no party drug. For me it was like school was in session when I partook.

A poet's words...

Tanks RS, this rings so true to me upon seeing it inside and resolves some older psychic puzzles regarding the nature of the sacred and what behaviors to consciously harbor when entering sacred ground.

So, in this way, maybe the worse method is like being distracted, not being in the moment, not consciously engaging. Hmm..

Maybe!

My preferred method is an intentional, respectful, and ceremonial approach, but I also know that sometimes our conscious mind needs a distraction so that we can "get out of our own way."

I don't know if there is a better way.

We all are exploring different parts and aspects of spirituality at our own pace and in our own way.

"Well, that's how you apologize to the salvia gods on salvia - you don't."

Erik is (still) a genius. His commitment to the art is quite remarkable, including pre-recording a seemingly limitless amount of segments for the deaths of famous people. And that "late night youtube" episode was spot on, Don't ask me how I know...

But it got me wondering, RS - have you really only now discovered his stuff? What other ancient gems are lying out there waiting for us to discover them?

Here's the latest offering from a favorite of mine (nothing to do with Erik but I hope it makes you laugh as much as it did me, cos this guy also has a level of comic genius.)

Yeahhh...


I don't want to know.

He's in some hot dad videos as well: Big money salvia, and big money salvia city.

Oh. My. God. Hahah this was hilarious. Vanilla and Garlic Powder ice cream? No thanks haha. I'm interested in the benzyme ice cream though lol.

Regarding salvia Erik, I remember watching a lot of that when salvia was first being sold at head shops.

To me, smoking salvia is what it was feel like to have severe autism and cerebral palsy. I never gained anything from smoking salvia, and I don't know if it's because we were smoking extracts that were too powerful or what.

I must have smoked it 50 plus times, but the last time I did it, I did not have a good experience.

I was trapped underneath of a carnival tent while my family screamed my name and told me not to die. I awoke to find my bathroom in utter disarray, bong was broken, mirror was broken. I never touched that stuff again.

However, without Salvia, we never would have had Tommy Chong and Salvia Erik having a foot race on Tosh.0.