Any of you guys have rules that you'll follow leading up to a trip? Some sort of ritual?

For example, I don't like to eat certain things like junk food or meat the day of a trip and sometimes the days leading up. Or I don't masturbate or consume any other drugs before, sometimes cannabis during but that's it.

I'm beginning to wonder though, if any of this sh*t matters and if I'm just putting some neurotic sh*t onto myself. If you have rules, do they help to increase the chances of a good trip? If you don't, do you guys find that any of these things made a difference in retrospect?

I dont consider what I do tripping. I consider it ceremony. I usually follow a certain type of flexible structure. Depending on what plant I work with I may follow dietary restrictions.

I dont do things for no reason - I do things because they work well for me. I'm way too lazy to do things for no reason.

For example, before San Pedro ceremony I either skip breakfast or just have something small and simple like fresh fruit or oatmeal. This actually helps the tea sit better in my stomach, reduces nausea and helps it absorb faster (San Pedro takes long enough to kick in already). For my first meal I will usually have fresh fruit - not only does it sound the most appetizing at that time, but it also sits better in my stomach then heavier foods. When I have eaten heavier foods the weight in my stomach can sometimes be distracting from the San Pedro. I eat a normal dinner - whatever sounds tasty.

With mushrooms or salvia I usually eat normal. Sometimes I fast or change my diet and I do notice a difference, it just doesnt seem totally necessary so I only do it sometimes though. The food at least isnt distracting for me with mushrooms and salvia and neither gives me nausea.

I always sing and pray to open my ceremony. I always sing during. Song can have a powerful effect during ceremony.

I also go with the flow during ceremony though. Sometimes I want to meditate more, sometimes I want to sing more or less, and sometimes I want to play outside or make art.... Just because there is a loose structure doesnt mean anything has to be rigid.

I have way deeper ceremonies now then when I didnt do these things. The effects for me are very noticeable.

In traditional ayahuasca ceremonies fasting or eating only light, healthy foods like fruits and veggies (no processed foods or meats) is a common practice in the days leading up the experience.

Ayahuasca is a cleansing experience, not just of the soul but also the body (hence the purge). The shaman believe that the auahuasca must cleans the body before it can cleans the soul. Because of this they believe it's important to eat clean, natural foods so that the physically cleansing/purging is faster and less intense so the experience can be more directed at cleansing the soul.

I've also heard abstinence is a common practice beforehand. I'm not certain of the reason but I might guess that sex/masturbation either puts you more in your ego, or uses up energy that could otherwise be saved for during the experience. I'm just speculating though.

Personally, I don't take such ceremonial measures with most psychedelics. I do always eat light or not at all the day of, but that's more because psychedelics give me digestive issues if I have a lot in my stomach.

Actually they usually eat less fruit and veggies... They recommend mostly starches and fish. If you diet in the Amazon you basically eat fish, potatoes and green plantains all day and nothing else. With Ayahuasca it isnt always as strict as when you diet a master plant, but dieting a master plant they say other plants you eat can actually interfere with the diet because you are really supposed to be focusing only on the plant you are dieting.

Also - eating more clean actually helps you have a deeper purge. The purge is less about food and more about energy and too much food can sometimes block the purge. At least that is the perspective in the jungle. I find I purge more the cleaner I eat - and that is a good thing because it means you are cleaning more.

There are a few different perspectives you often hear based on the abstinence thing.... A couple people say you lose energy by having an orgasm. Some say the plants dont like the smell of the orgasm. Some say you are basically courting the plant and want to show them respect by focusing more on them. Some say it is a honor to the plants to sacrifice something and it teaches discipline and shows respect. Some say a few of those things.... Abstinence is almost always suggested.

Interesting. Thanks for clarifying my misconception about the diet/purging. I thought eating cleaner meant less bad energy would needed to be purged, but in fact it sounds like the diet allows the ayahuasca to purge more completely. My experience with ayahuasca is still very limited, but what you're saying does makes a lot of sense.

Ya - the "bad energy" you want to purge isnt necessarily from food. It is often from life, from spirits, from your ancestors or past lives even... At least that is the perspective of Ayahuasqueros I have spoke with.

Food can create bad energy sometimes too, but not usually as much as trauma - even people with eating disorders need to be healed from the trauma causing the disorder more then the food itself. Food can dilute and block the medicine sometimes though, so eating clean helps you go deeper.

we fast 12 hours more less.
we also shut down the condo, like were going on vacation.
keys for the " barbie harley" get put in a safe with 6 digit combo...........

then i call everyone and tell them im going to st thomas for the weekend,
and im outta cell range............

Most things don't interfere with my trips so any rules are usually just set and setting rules. With mushrooms I'll try to lessen the risk of stomach issues by limiting my food intake to certain things with a time buffer in between a meal and consuming the mushrooms. Even then I have a pretty strong stomach so I haven't really had any issues when I didn't follow any diet.

For me it all depends on the mindset of my self or others I'm tripping with. I won't trip larger doses if there's the possibility of any negativity happening. Low doses of shrooms I can handle just about any situation.

I would say that the impact of your rules are most affected by what YOU think will happen if you do/don't follow them. You could talk your unconscious into believing that any ritual will have a certain effect and it's surprising how far it can go to accommodate you.

That is not to say that certain things (fasting, adequate sleep, etc) don't make a real difference. But what you think they'll do plays a pretty major (maybe even bigger) part of the equation.

I would intirely agree with OneStepBeyond's post:
The only point of doing any pre-trip exercises is knowing that what your doing is beneficial. I'm basically skeptical as to the "scientific" reasoning behind what most shamanisms would tell you not to do (ex. no sex), and it's that skepticism that doesn't make it worth doing. Its really your perception of set, setting that is most important.

I dont know if shamans are trying to use scientific reasoning. Science doesnt help much in working with spirits I would think (though most scientific practices have their roots in spiritual practices such as chemistry coming from alchemy ect). Science usually ignores spirits.

I have found belief can play a role but is not necessary at all for rituals to work. First spiritual experience I ever had was when I was an atheist. Even after that experience I tried to pretend it didnt happen because I was too scared to change my world view so my second spiritual experience was also when I was an atheist. After that I decided to just believe my own experiences.

I know a number of atheists who came down to Ayahuasca ceremonies - they still told me they feel something when the shaman sings to them. They dont understand it, but they admit the songs are still very powerful.

As for no sex - you can have sex if you want. See what happens. I think it is good to test things out for yourself. I doubt combining sex with Ayahuasca would cause any problems. No sex during a master plant dieta feels appropriate to me, but shamans have sex before and after Ayahuasca ceremony all the time.

I can think of at least one "scientific" reason for no sex though.... It builds discipline and character giving up something, and it shows respect for the ceremony. This can be a good way to make sure participants take your ceremony seriously, and a good way to put the idea out there that it isnt a game - if people just want to get high for fun then they might be less interested in something that requires no sex.

Never impose rules upon your experiences. It's only by making rules that the bad vibes associated with breaking them are realised. While there are certainly good practices to follow for different experiences (diet, meditation etc), you should never limit yourself by setting strict rules (other than safety oriented rules). If there's one thing I've learned in all my years of psychedelic use, it's to follow your spirit and embrace the delicate chaos of the universe.

I try to get a lot of exercise the day leading up to my ceremony. I feel like the more air exchange I pump through my body and the more blood flow makes me more ready to allow the experience to take me. My ceremony is to spend the day walking, biking, kayaking in nature if possible, to have my materials prepared as well as a candle or two going at the altar, ( just my bedroom bureau,) wait till sunset, take a nice long warm shower while enjoying the pleasurable experience of the water running over me, then, in bed, naked and in the near total darkness to meditate and center myself for a short time ( minute or so,) then launch.
Not to change the subject, but I cannot launch more than once every other day. If I try to journey less than about 48 hours after my previous trip, I can't launch. Its as if my body knows how to block it for a few days and then forgets and I'm free to launch again. Has anyone else experiences that effect?

I find that ritual, both in a psychedelic context and otherwise, changes my internal space.

I've put a lot of thought into why I find benefit in ritual, especially when it's a thanks to Ganesaha, smudging, or something that I don't believe in as a concrete "truth," and have come to the conclusion it's because it changes my frame of mind. Smudging, or lighting candles or incense, or changing the dresser into an altar, signals the opening of sacred space internally. Thanking a deity I don't believe in cultivates gratitude and opens me to love and positive energy.

Ritual coupled with intention can be powerfully transformative.

Depends on the substance. Some things you build tolerance to quick and some have reverse tolerance. With San Pedro or especially Ayahuasca if you drink the second day too, you will generally go much deeper the second day because both plants have a reverse tolerance and you still have some medicine in your system. I often suggest for people new to Ayahuasca to try and drink twice over 2-3 days because they often get a fuller experience the second day.

But if you are talking about mushrooms for example, you have to eat way way more to get a similar effect the second day.

I don't think there is reverse tolerance with san pedro. I notice a drop in effects, compared to ayahuasca or even sometimes mushrooms where the second night is stronger. Mescaline tolerance is real IMO, and I have eaten quite a bit of it lately.

Regarding DMT: I turn the lights low, perhaps light a candle, maybe even light incense, get comfortable on my couch.

I may or may not put some kind of music on.

I use breathing techniques, sacrificing each exhale into the following inhale, and begin to clear my mind. This can take 5-15 minutes.

The cessation of thought is nigh impossible, so I achieve the place where I can watch my thoughts operate.

Then I take the hit, hold it in as long as possible, and still my mind. I attempt to give myself to them.