Enoon wrote: they stated that originally the checker-board was used as a symbol for a portal to another world.
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So do you notice that your trips are more focused or more intense or more something when you trip in this kind of setting instead of say a room with nothing in it?
I honestly can't say if there is a difference as I have always tripped in my room that is set up specifically for DMT--the painted walls, the lights, symbols, music, everything is set up for DMT. Though, I can imagine doing DMT in a plain white room wouldn't be very appealing, until you get a proper dose and the room fades away, naturally.
Here is an excerpt from a book I gathered much wisdom of the checkerboard design from . . .
Fear, belief, love phenomena that determined the course of our lives. These forces begin long before we are born and continue after we perish. We cross and recross our old paths like figure skaters; our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.
---David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas