Shooting Stars

25 November 2011

I journeyed with some shooting star mushrooms last night... They were fresh, no more than 10g. I know this may sound strange but it was the most difficult and rewarding experience of my life. It was incredibly traumatic; it’s the same feeling which has come over me a few times during some of my most recent journeys, the epiphany came crashing over me like a huge wave. For a short time I felt like I was being drowned, struggling against the might of the world and my own suffocating fear.

In an instant of a moment I made the choice to not fear the knowledge, so I gently closed my eyes and started to pour out as much compassion as I could. The compassion welled up within my heart to a point of over flowing through me, bringing on a vision of my consciousness bundled up within a seed pod deeply snuggled within the earth.

As I opened my eyes the room was covered in beautiful clouds surrounding me, as I was just coming to grips with the realization that everything material around me was a lie which I had been telling myself. Slowly I began to struggle with my realization once again; I wasn't sure as to what I should do to remedy the situation. The way, in which I want to live my life I am unable to in my society, there are very few choices that I am able to make which would be the most constructive way to deal with the complete fragmentation.

I have really been battling with the whole illusion concept that material reality is a lie which I tell myself and that everything material is all part of an unhealthy attachment which is weaved within an empty way of existing. I would really love to hear any advice that anyone could give me, which might aid me in coming to grips with the concept in its entirety.

As my first reaction was to immediately sell everything I own and buy a plane ticket to India and live in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery where I could teach Tibetan monks English. Yet when I woke up this morning I truly felt that running away wouldn't be the most constructive way to deal with the knowledge that keeps getting presented to me.

My life has been forever changed and I’m not really sure as to how I am going to be able to channel the knowledge and information I have received in the most positive and compassionate way. I know compassion is key but how do I not run away from this empty and self-orientated existence…


Much Peace and Respect

This sounds amazing. I have many thoughts on reality after seeing death and giving birth. Yours are more interesting.

Only one piece of advice-give it awhile before booking that ticket. You know, sleep and meditate on major life changing decisions. If they are good they will be good a week from now.

Wow!

nice write up, thanks Aegle. I too have had quite a bit of trouble grappling with my 'place' in society while tripping. Other times i'll get an overpowering message that right where i am now is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Is one feeling illusory and the other not? Both valid? Let me know if you find out!

So is 10g of those mushrooms fresh a low dose for most? I've never heard of shooting stars before

Anyways, good luck to you and your path! (which i think will turn out just fine )

much love to you

EuphoricHavoc

It was amazing i must say even though it was the most difficult journey. The more challenging the experience, the more worth while the journey... Sound advice my friend, thank you ever so much for that gem of knowledge.


Much Peace and Understanding

Universecannon

Indeed this is the exact conundrum... 10g fresh mushies should equate to about a 1g dried so it is quite a minimal dose, Shooting stars are a Canadian strain that is intensely potent which fruits prolifically. Thank you for the luck as its always greatly appreciated.


Much Peace and Sunshine

I am curious as to what sort of life you wish to live? After finally waking up, I had a very similar realization. So, I gave away the majority of my personal possessions, traded them in for a backpack, sleeping bag, and a tent. For the past three months I have been walking and hitchhiking through the states visiting family and friends. It's been an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am currently working at a wwoof farm in the panhandle, where I trade some hard work for room and board. It's merely a temporary stop on my journey, but it has provided me with some new skills.

While I was hitching through Tennessee, I got picked up by this woman who was able to philosophise with me in a way I haven't seen I a long time. She pushed me and made me question many my beliefs in ways that not many people can. In the few hours that we spent together I learned much about myself. The funny thing is that she suggested that I take some time to volunteer at an orphanage. Well, on Thanksgiving I finally got a hold olf a good friend that did something similar to what I am doing, but had left a month earlier. Anyhow, he's heading to centreal america on Monday to volunteer at an orphanage. So, being the kind to dive in, I got me a ticket and plan on meeting him there.

This may sound a bit impulsive, but let me say that my original intention was to continue hitchin to Cali and then start heading South towards Peru. I planned my journey out over the Summer and spent a lot of time meditating on how to go about it. It finally came to me that I should basically start with nothing and that I had to walk/hitch. My original idea was to start a myco project and use the profits to by a motorcycle or a car and hit the open road - so I will say it's not exactly what I had in mind. I never sold any of those little guys, but shared them all with friends and random people. It was an amazing experience as well, that allowed me to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of new friends.

I have a vision of a community that I would like to live In and it is ever expanding. I would like live in a sustainable community and have my own entheogenic garden. My use of psyches used to be for fun, but now it is mostly for spiritual and healing purposes. I feel like I have been given an amazing gift and I want to share that with as many people as possible.

Please excuse my rambling.
Ez

-It's always a pleasure to hear from someone who's made a positive, bold decision. Travelling is certainly my big love also. Good luck, and happy travels EZ, i'll be checking out your blog in due course!!

Muchos gracias! The next leg of my trip involves heading down to Cancun and traveling by bus to Guatemala and hopefully doing some volunteer work and exploring the jungles of Central and South America.

I'm sure you will have a great time. Be sure to visit Belize, and Caye Caulker along the way, and travel all down the coast. In Guatemala there is SOOOO much to see, be sure that you visit TIKAL before you go further inwards...Best regards.

Ahh, thank you for the suggestions! I have been using the lonely planet tour guide and all of these are listed on the classic routes itineraries. I think that will be the route I travel down the coast and then into Antigua to stay with a host family and brush up my castellanos. I would also like to visit plaa del carmen as well.

What are shooting stars?

^that is my question as well..Im guessing they are a strain of cubes? I think aegle mentioned they are from canada so maybe they are psilocybe cyans? The dosage would sure correlate. So would the claim of prolific fruiting..

Though even 1g of dry cubes has blown me away at times.

Jamie

Indeed they are a Cubensis strain... maybe set and setting contributed to the intensity of my journey.

I had 16 grams wet last night and it was one of the loveliest journeys of my life. After ingesting them with some yummy honey and fresh water I went outside beside the pool area which borders a beautiful forest valley that we had gone missioning through that afternoon with two friends. We could hear the river and the waterfall in the distance which had a magic soothing hum. As it grew dark the sweetest little group of glowflies appeared amongst the undergrowth. They had such a playful and mischievous nature as they darted back and forth as we tried to catch them.

While i was lying on my back looking at the immense sky Aztec patterns immerged from within the storm clouds, the patterns were incredibly mesmerising. After a while all the patterns began to merge into a blurry oil like painting, i let myself go completely and everything melted into total dissolution... A soft buzzing hum began to reverberate deep in my inner ear, pure peace and compassion was seeping out from my body and pouring onto the ground beneath me.

The storm was threatening for some time now and finally gave way to cool tropical rain drops which came torrenting down... Up perching on the balcony the sky was my main fascination as it seemed to be doing strange things of trickery the entire time, mist was creeping over the forest hills which created a distinctly creepy but pleasant scene. The moon glinted with such glee, filling me with much wonder and mystery.

I came across a pile of rocks that a friend had collect that afternoon and for some reason my eyes were drawn towards a metallic brown metal looking rock, it was my grounding stone during the fill entirety of my journey. (it could possibly be a meteorite but i need to investigate a little further to know for sure)

Fits of giggles overcame my entire body for quite some time, it felt so incredibly good to exist in a perpetual loop of giggles, aahh these shooting stars are the business and i am defiantly going to be working with these little guys a lot more.


Much Peace and Happiness

Thanks for the beautiful report Aegle.
The most challenging experience always seem to re-positionate us.
Maybe it's part of the programming potential they do have.
However I think you're right in thinking that running away won't give any good.
In my interpretation, the action has to be simple and closest to the purest things of life. Such as loving all forms of life, never giving up and choosing a life-path which doesn't discredite the eventuall lessons learnt.

The most important part and maybe the most difficult is when coming back, to now really act positively in applicating the teachings.
With time to meditate it.

Great report Aegle. I think that your powerful experience is consitant with Ps Cubensis experiences I have had when eating fresh wet mushrooms. They are ooooh soooooo much better fresh than when they have been dried out.

Ice House

Indeed fresh mushies are by far superior for journeying, i feel really lucky to have the opportunity to experience these incredible mushrooms freshly picked, as they are truly amazing while still wet.


Much Peace and Respect

Love your report, and its got me curious about these "shooting stars"

Because in general, Potency varies more with substrate and growth paramaters, then it does with different strains of cubensis. Perhaps you've heard the phrase "a cube is a cube is a cube"?

Im not saying believe that, Different strains from different parts of the planet do have different effects at times. For instance, one strain could be more friendly and gentle, or one could be more visual, or one could give you organic/earth based visions etc. But as far as a super significant difference in potency, i have yet to see a glaring difference in potency between cube strains. Im aslo not saying its not possible, in fact if it is true that they are very potent (significantly moresoe than other cubensis strains) I would love to test em out for myself.

Thanks for your report

Harmalosa

So far shooting stars have been the strongest fresh mushies that I have eaten so far other than transkeis, from my personal experience every cubensis I have eaten has distinct differences within the experience.

For example amazonians are very much slower on the mind and have quite a strong body load where as ksss are incredibly energetic and invigorating. After consuming transkei mushies it was only 10 mins later and the walls were melting into piles of wax like matter.

The shooting stars were grown on dung and verm with some calcium carbonate added, I defiantly do think that substrate and growing conditions do factor in, but I also think that the different type of cubensis strains also influence the type of experience that you are going to have quite significantly. Let me know what you think of the shooting stars fellow journeyer, wishing you safe travels.


Much Peace and Compassion