Having never utilized any psychedelic tools before, I have to ask if mushrooms are a good first step?

they were mine. Mushrooms are not easy, and can be every bit as intense as DMT can be..but you dont need to take that much to start off anyway..like with anything ease into it.

they were my first teacher as well.

including myself i know three people who started out on mushrooms, all of us had great times.

ime, if you start with a reasonable dose (.8g-2g, i would probably stick with 1g with .5 to take later [if/as needed] for my first dose) the only thing to fear is laughing yourself to death

me three! whole eigth first time. a bit overwhelming. thought acid was way easier of a trip until I went overboard on that later on. originally me and my friends compared it like this. with acid you're in the drivers seat, mushrooms you're in the passengers seat. realized later on both can kick you right out the damn car if you push it.

I think mushrooms are a perfect introduction though, just keep doses low and to keep a respectful relationship eat them raw the first time before you hide it in pb&j, orange juice, or chocolate in later trips. have a good setting and mind set, and trusting sitters. good music and you'll be aye okay.

Me....uh....4!

My first psychedelic experience was also shrooms. Had an Eighth my first go as well...but I was in a forest camping with a bunch of close friends. Was AWESOME!

Great place to start...

I suggest growing your own...

Safe Journeys!

THIS.

guaranteed good times in nature. buildings and rooms can become claustrophobic especially on your first trip. I made this mistake and was indoors most of my first time.

Indoors with a black light and reactive posters....WHOA!

Only problem I had in the Forest was this big shrub asked me for a hug...I gave it one and fell in...but in my trip, it was a sea of every color....

Next day...all scratched up and inchy....

WORTH IT!

Wonderful! Thank you all for the replies.

Definitely take shrooms in nature if you can. I've done both lucy and psilo in nature many times, shrooms were far better. they also don't last so ridiculously long so they fit in better. it all depends on the shrooms themselves though; shrooms aren't like acid. acid's all about purity of the chemical, shrooms are an actual plant (fungi to be specific) so there are different strains. I've had some amazing shrooms and I've had some alright shrooms. I haven't done dmt just yet but going off what I know, shrooms would be a better starting point. shrooms and most psychedelics just change the world around you, dmt takes you into a completely different world.

however, if it's your first time you're going to have to plan it all out and make sure you're far from people. I didn't do this and one of my friends couldn't handle it with people in the background, so we had to go home.

foreverbluegreen, it really depends on what you are looking to accomplish. I took DMT first and had no experience prior. I do not regret it. It was intense and really got me interested in exploring more. If you want to start with mushrooms, start low, with a gram or so. You propably won't have amazing visuals, but it will show you a certain aspect of psychedelics, a low dose DMT won't. They are all different but still somehow similar. Nature is a good setting for a low dose mushroom experience. Good, warm weather is also a plus.

Prepare for anxiety during the comeup. This is normal and no reason to freak out. It passes quickly as you settle into a new mode of perception.

If you want to tell us more about your aspiration, we can give you proper advice.

I have been looking to explore additional aspects of my mind, dreams and imagination with the psychedelic realms offering me another perspective to draw from. I cannot say at this point in time intense visuals and complete wonderment are necessary or sought after. I do not seek being thrust into the source of existence just yet either. What I am looking for is a beginning immersion beyond reading and thinking about what these tools can provide.

I've taken a few factors into consideration with experience (a lack of) and availability of tools being two of them. I recently discovered that I live in a region where psilocybin mushrooms may be a lot easier for me to acquire than DMT. Instead of being disappointed over what I do not have yet, I’ll make use of what I may have available.

Time is not a factor and I sincerely want to spend as much as I can understanding, growing and developing with such tools. Again, astounding visual intensity isn’t what I particularly want right now but when time, resources, understanding and desire increase, I will absolutely seek to push those boundaries and others.

I hope my intentions are a bit more clear.

if you plan on gathering wild mushrooms, i sincerely recommend taking a print and growing them indoors. ime they wild ones dont have as much magic (could just be that its really cold where i find them)

and at the very least guarantee a positive ID

I certainly hope to eventually. Given where I am (SE US) the approach you mentioned may be my most viable option.

As always set and setting are extremely important, especially when it comes to the amazing teacher that is psilocybin. I would start off with a low dose. With it being your first foray into the psychedlic world I would recommend somewhere along the lines of 1-2 grams.

I always find an outdoor setting to be the most ideal place for a good mushroom trip. Make sure your with at least one good friend. Good luck and safe journeys.

[]Deace

I agree. I had a particularly rough experience once while in a hotel after a Dead show. I had just been released from juvenile after getting arrested for participating in a mini riot.

My friends decided that I should eat a handful of cubensis to celebrate my return. What followed was a very anxiety ridden bad trip. I had totally disrespected thy Mother and she gave me a serious schooling. The raging party in the hotel that night was not the place to trip on an 8th of boomers.

I ended up taking a 5 hour shower to escape the madness. I learned my lesson that night for sure. Mushrooms aren't something to trifle with. Show them the proper respect and most of the time they will show themselves in a beautiful, loving way.

[]Deace

PS

That's hilarious about hugging the shrub and waking up all scratched up and itchy.

Me 27th! Absolutely good option to try mushrooms as a first alternative, it's usually what I recommend if someone asks as mushrooms are kind to beginners, like McKenna says, it can be more difficult to get into the deeper mushroom states though.

On a side note I recommend following some traditions on the journeys. If you do it in nature, there will be a different kind of trip, if you want to dive into your mind and contact the mushrooms however, doing it in a relaxed and nice indoor "evening-teatime-style" environment can be really good, dim to low lights, relaxed ambient-ish music in the background and no stress factors.

The experience will go a lot smoother if you eat them with raw chocolate and also maybe some honey, like the Mazatec used to do. "Fasting", as in fruit-fast, can be recommended, eating only bananas and berries, drinking orange juice and so on alongside staying away from too much negative impulses on the day, and eating them when darkness comes outside. The mushroom shows itself better in darkness, at night. Too much heavy food in the stomach can create discomfort and the cocoa brings a kind of smoothness especially on the coming up period, then you can even increase the dose a bit (1.5-2g is enough though) as it will be much less potentially scary this way, not that I ever heard of anyone having anything else than a demonstration of heaven on their first trip.

I usually do it in total blackness in high doses following this tradition and it always rides out no matter how heavy it becomes, leaving me sunkissed.

Changa, sub-breakthrough, is also a good starter though, but I wouldn't recommend a beginner to smoke DMT as a first time as many people experience too much reality disortion after this and some even struggle with symptoms like depersonalization for times after and have trouble relating properly to the experience. Don't underestimate. Again I quote McKenna, "people should be very careful".