So, my journey here began some 23 years ago, my first time taking mushrooms. I had a profound experience, and found myself enjoying the personal exploratory aspect of it. For the next several years, I spent many a weekend picking/eating mushrooms or dropping LSD with my friends, admittedly hedonistically.

The magic started to wear off from those substances, when I started going to raves in the late 90s and taking MDMA. I saw it as the other side of the coin... MDMA was more extroverted, whereas LSD and mushrooms were more introverted. This was also the time that I first heard of DMT, but it was made to sound much worse than it actually is. Eventually, as the rave scene became more commercialized and law enforcement crackdowns came down, I found myself enjoying the music without the influence of psychoactive substances. Clubbers going to events off their heads became faux pas, and those who did were often considered irresponsible, as their actions could shed a negative light on the community. Even then, I still enjoyed psychedelics a couple of times a year, but free time and availability prevented it for the most part.

Eventually I became almost completely disassociated with the dance music community, which further limited my access to my favorite psychoactive substances. A solid 10 years went by with little to no spiritual journeys, or deep connections with others. Then, I stumbled across a reliable trusted source, and began to dabble. I mentioned to him I wanted to try DMT, after reading and researching it for quite a while. The idea of exploring other realities/universes/dimensions was intriguing, as were the descriptions of meeting otherworldly beings, and the spiritual aspect of it all. He mentioned he wanted to make some more, but never got around to it. Finally, when I asked about it again, he admitted he had a small amount he set aside for a rainy day, and that he would let me try it. I made some changa with it, some Mullein, and Passion Flower, and one day after work and home alone decided to try it. I immediately was taken aback by the unique visuals, then the etherial hum/sound caught my attention. It was a beautiful experience, but knew I hadn't broken through. I tried again the following day, with the same results. Finally, my wife mentioned she had wanted to try it, as she takes mushrooms a couple times a year to treat her depression (successfully, I might add.) The problem with mushrooms is that she gets incredibly nauseous from them... she doesn't even enjoy the trip because she spends a good bit of it sick. The idea that she could take a trip and be back within an hour had her interest piqued. She had been having a rough time recently, and thought some perspective would help her. With my help, she broke through first try, and still cannot speak highly enough of her experience. We had one dose left, and shared it with a close friend as a birthday gift.

So, here I am, studying and researching not only experiences shared here, but also the different TEKs to extract my own. My wife and I both see great therapeutic potential for this chemical, both for her depression issues and my own self exploration and discovering worlds beyond our own. I've become fascinated by it, as well as other tryptamines related to it, and view it as an incredibly useful key in unlocking our consciousness' from our physical selves. I am eternally grateful for such a vast library of information and expriences, and genuinely hope I can contribute even a fraction of what you all have given me.

Thank you for having me,

Triangle Person

Welcome to the nexus! I am glad that you found d it. It seems we have a lot in common. The 90's rave scene! Those were the days! So much love and light, mingled with the less common shade of the people that cared less about the movement and more about the money to be made at it.

My beginnings with psychedelics were very hedonistic trips, as you said. But after the awe of the new experience wore off and I found myself able to navigate the experience with a bit more lucidity, I found that psychedelics are deeply personal, and using them gave me the only sense of spirituality I have ever experienced. As I got older, these substances became harder to acquire and life went on.

I had heard of DMT but never got my hands on any, which was frustrating, because I felt drawn to it. After months of researching it, I stumbled upon this amazing community and the treasure trove of knowledge that it collectively contains.

I lurked here for months, reading and learning, and then when I finally decided to click the JOIN button, it was the middle of the week and was unable! So for a few months I kept telling myself not to forget to join on the weekend, but with my chronic short term memory loss (see what I did there? ), I failed to sign up week after week. Finally, after successfully completing my first extraction, I remembered to and here we are.

Sorry to ramble on so long, hope to see you around the boards.

PLUR!

Sounds like we do, in fact, have a lot in common!

I too have been lurking for months, absorbing as much information as I possibly could. After spending so much time here, it seemed logical to join and give back to the community that's given me so much... even if it's only sharing my experiences at first.

And yes, the 90s rave scene was a magical era indeed. Hunter S Thompson's "Wave Speech" about The Summer Of Love could easily be applied to that era. For a short time, it genuinely felt like we were on the cusp of changing the world, that we were celebrating life in the purest sense. But, all good things must come to an end... I'm just happy and proud to have been a part of it.

The biggest difference between then and now is that my psychonautical exploration has become more academic, I strive to take something away from every experience, to learn something about myself and/or the universe. I suppose that is something that comes with age and experience, my respect for these substances has grown over the years.

Anyways, thank you for the welcome, I hope we will chat more in our time here!