Hello everybody!
First of all thank you to all of the thoughtful contributors on this forum. I have been interested in ayahuasca for some time and without the guidance of this site I'm not sure I would have had a positive experience. The wealth of knowledge and compassion are of great value.
I began using cannabis as a teenager and used it too much during college. I was pretty straight laced up until that time, so once I found it I abused that substance. It was also during college when I went on a few light mushroom trips. These were mostly pleasant but I found myself a bit bi-polar and introspective, sometimes to an uncomfortable degree. I did play the best game of f foosball of my life, though, and there were sober people to back it up 😆
I "cleaned up my act" and got married, got a master's degree and have one year of teaching music in an inner city under my belt. I began feeling that altered perception was missing from my life, and have been seeking a different perspective of looking at the world. As I brew my own beer I have made a couple of ancient styles containing mild psychoactive compounds such as thujone from yarrow and other herbs, and then a mandrake beer. While these were interesting and I'm glad that I made and drank them, they are not what I was looking for.
I've always been very environmentally conscious and feel that I have a relationship with nature and the earth, as many of us do. I always seek a deeper connection with plants, the earth and my fellow man. Once I heard about ayahuasca, my curiosity was piqued. After extensive research I decided to "dip my toes in" with light doses two nights in a row. The first was almost only vine, with very little P. Viridis. The next night I upped the P. Viridis significantly. I would like to share my experiences with you all and gain insight from the wisdom of this community, but as today is the day after I still need time to process and integrate.
Thank you all for the knowledge and wisdom!