A bit of a hodgepodge topic, but I was just reminded of something and it's got my mind in a frenzy.

I had an experience with DMT a couple weeks back and what stuck out to me was the amazing symbols I saw. Despite being a less than stellar trip, I will say it was probably the best in regards to visuals. I saw the skin of the people I was with consumed with a glowing, flowing, patterned energy that seemed to correspond with the texture and wrinkles of the skin. I also saw visions of the famous Vitruvian Man by Leonardo, which struck me as odd and also profound. One of the things that gets me, is this isn't the first time I've had such "famous" images appear to me. I've seen Celtic knots (I have Celtic ancestry), crosses, and even swastikas appear to me in different mindsets or meditative states. This has made me wonder about what originally inspired these works. Could it be that these ancient people saw these images in a way similar to how I perceive them now? Could it be that these images are just some by product of an internal process of the human mind? Also, have any of you had any experience or visions like this?

Another subject I want to touch on is memory of events during a DMT trip and so called flash backs. When I had this trip I saw many things, like all trips, but I couldn't seem to remember a lot of it, even the things that stuck out to me. I was completely astounded by this energy I saw in my companions, and yet I completely forgot this fact after I came down. It wasn't until I saw someone else observe this same phenomena that the memory of it came flooding back. Similarly, I completely forgot that I had seen the Vitruvian Man until just tonight when, coincidentally, this image was lampooned (On the Ricky Gervais Show for the curious) and again I was reminded of this extraordinary imagery that had captivated me so at the time, yet was, seemingly, completely erased from my memory the second I came down. Is there any explanation, scientific or otherwise, for this DMT amnesia? Or what causes us to have these flash backs?

One last thing, how is everyone's vision functioning? Not in a 20/20 eyesight kind of way, but in other ways. I've had visual snow (though its come to be more like static, or something similar) ever since my first LSD trip, but it's been so long that I've completely forgotten what it's like to see "clearly". I also get really intense, though sporadic, after images as well as constant closed eye visuals(hell, probably even open eye ones too). Does this ever interfere with your life? Does it get better/worse depending on hallucinogen usage for you? Do you ever miss seeing in a normal way?

So that's whats been on my mind, I'd love to hear what any of you have to say on the matter. If you're interested I have a long post about a few of my trips in the first steps section titled "Patterns and Revelations".

I can't believe this... I'd love for you to contact me somehow if you still use this sight. The Leonardo DaVinci thing.... and the patterns. I have so much to say it's making me overwhelmed. I sure hope you still use this or will somehow see this, we're onto something.

On one of my most recent trips, I saw a very distinct Da Vinci Vitruvian Man, energized in bright blue, side by side with diagrams of human DNA. That was shortly after being shown an image very similar to my avatar (which happens to be why I'm using this avatar).

i would agree that there is a peculiar nature of the hallucinatory things seen and art that has been produced and i wonder if those hallucinations are a result of my memory once seeing those art pieces or if the art pieces were inspired by the hallucinations? maybe its a mixture of memory and hallucination.

This is one of my experiences that leads me to believe that it probably isn't tied to memory or at least not exclusively. If memory were involved, I would expect to see a lot more personal (rather than cultural or generic) elements to the hallucinations like family members, childhood cartoon characters/stuffed animals, comic book characters or early childhood icons, family, friends, etc...to show up in hyperspace. I've heard that some people see their friends and family on a rare occasion, but I've never personally found this to be the case. I see lots of those celtic knots, and hindu interweaves and Egyptian imagery of all kinds, and I'm rather convinced at this point that it's not memory that's involved in conjuring these particular hallucinations. How or why they're in hyperspace is a completely different (chicken and the egg) question.