Thank you for all for the excellent content this site has provided me over the years. I first logged on here back in 2012. August 2012 was when I had my first psychedelic experience with mushrooms, and discovered Terence McKenna. I was tripping every other week at the time, listening to Terence's rants and at the same time awaiting the results of the Timewave Zero which would soon be coming to its conclusion.

I've been on a hiatus from psychedelics since 2013. Taking some time to make sense of what I learned so far. The mushroom directed me towards zazen meditation which I've been practicing for three years now. I'm also a ceremonial magician if anyone here is interested in such funny/interesting ideas. My background is mainly in philosophy and religion, so that's what I am bringing to the table here if possible.

So the time has come for me, after three years of sitting on the fence, to seek out DMT and to try it for the first time. I'm pouring through all of the notes you guys/gals have been writing up and preparing myself as best I can.

Looking forward to joining the conversation more fully and exploring whatever the heck these mysteries presented to us mean, if anything

Hello and welcome.

There are nice contents around meditation, breathing exercises and such on the forum.
Ever heard of Wim Hof?
Also, what are some tips you could give me about meditation? I've been trying it out the past few days. As far as I can shee the main thing is to keep calm and think about nothing for 5-30 minutes, and the benefits are better sleep quality and memory. Do you agree on some level?

Cheers!

Just looked up Wim Hof and no way that sounds awful. I live in a subtropical climate zone so taking a plunge in ice is a foreign idea to my mind.

As far as tips on meditation...Don't try thinking about nothing. That is still thinking about something. Some people like to allow their minds to run wild in meditation (ie visualization). In zazen you allow thoughts to flow in and out of your mind as they will. You don't latch on to them or pay them any attention. Beginners start out by counting their breath up to 10, then starting over. The focus remains on the breath. Eventually the thoughts diminish and the mind becomes still.

Practice with zazen, you can turn your focus deeper and deeper into the mind, always focusing on NOW. You struggle with this, you wonder what the hell are you doing here, staring at a wall. The more you struggle the harder your mind pushes back. The secret of this zazen is to let go of it all. To focus your entire attention on an infinite point of consciousness, "samadhi".

All the advice I've ever received though amounts to very little. The learning only comes with the experience.