I've been visiting this community but lurking, like so many others, over the last couple of years. Before I do anything else, I have to say thank you all for all the great resources and knowledge that you've contributed... and for making this such an entertaining site to read.
Having come to the experience over the last 8 months, my ideas about the world and about myself have completely changed. I have always leaned away from materialism, but I learned very quickly that, when in these altered states, the idea of a world with concrete rules seems far more comforting. While I still lean toward belief in a non-physical aspect in the universe, I now understand that how I live is often a contradiction. As a result, I am exploring many frameworks to find the one that seems to fit my experience.
Another change in my life during this last year is that I have become an apartment gardener. I have always had a strong affinity for all animals, but had never done much with plants (other than occasionally neglecting them). I am now raising a variety of herbs (basil, catnip, rosemary, and spearmint), mimosa hostilis (from seeds), acacia acuminata (from seeds), and b. caapi (cutting). Raising the plants this way as I've undertaken these experiences has drawn me close and nurtured a fondness for these plants I didn't think possible.
Surprisingly, one plant in particular has changed my view of the vegetable world. I bought my spearmint mid-summer, and, from the beginning, it was a strikingly beautiful specimen. One day as I slipped out of hyperspace, I noticed a beautiful purple halo around the edges of the plant. So, on my next journey, I brought the plant directly in front of me as I sat in a lotus position and prepared to enter another state. But this time, instead of going elsewhere, my library was transformed. The shelves and the flooring seemed to be perfected and my body seemed ten feet tall. It was such a change of existence that I kept saying "whoa, this is different... whoa, what's happening?" The spearmint sat before me, changed into something that looked like a living chess set or some sort of object of immense power. My arms were dark like tree bark with intricate runes carved on every surface. I reached out and touched the surface of the plant to try to figure out exactly what had happened. It was an amazing experience that still fills my mind with wonder.
That spearmint plant still reacts differently to dmt than any other plant in my house. It seems to completely transform at even threshold doses. Sometimes it's just that the leaves and branches are darker and perfectly arranged, other times it's much more alien.
I look forward to reading and sharing more experiences in the future.