Hi, I am Saikedelix,
I have been using this website in my research for many years now, so I would like to start by thanking you all for contributing to this library of knowledge and experiences. I used to have an account here years ago, but I lost my password, do not like my old username anymore, and have had such a change of perspective since I last used it, that I thought it would be best to start over, so here I am for my intro essay.
Fairly seasoned psychonaut interested in naturally occurring psychedelics, I have a special affinity with spice, I have used it hundreds and hundreds of times in the past 7-8 years. I have tested plenty vaporisation methods, most of the more common ones, as well as some more obscure ones, and even some I haven’t found any mention of anywhere on the web, so I believe to be qualified to contribute in that area of the research.
I also have an interest in finding ways to constructively integrate psychedelics into our culture. By that I do not mean introducing more people to them, but using myself as a test subject to try to understand better their potential uses in the context we find ourselves in as individuals in this 21st century civilisation.
I also have first hand experience with some of the pitfalls of psychedelic exploration, and I believe that it is necessary to discuss those equally as much as the benefits, because I believe that being aware of them in advance could prevent from falling for them in the first place. I understand how this opinion can be controversial, because talking about negative aspects can lead to a bad reputation, but on the other hand having a bunch of unprepared and uninformed people jump on the bandwagon like we are seeing now that psychedelics are back in fashion surely ought to result in worse outcomes, which in the long term will not do our reputation any good. The 60s are the perfect example of why psychedelics taken out of context can result in a chaotic mix of positive and negative outcomes, effectively canceling each other out. I think we can develop our approach towards them as a society and demystify the advantages and dangers, to start having a less imaginary debate and more reliable data to eventually develop a constructive use of psychedelics suited to our society. Some other cultures have constructive relationships with entheogens, and I believe it is due to having a certain tradition, approach, respect, way of interpreting the experiences. What I think our culture lacks in its relationship to psychedelics is some grounding, we aren’t clear when to do it, how to do it, what to do it for, how to approach and interpret it, even what to feel about it, at times leading us astray, but I believe that through discourse we can learn how to deal with all that and evolve our relationship with those wonderful substances we have all so deeply felt the potential of.
I have learned quite a few more things in over a decade of psychedelic exploration, and I am looking forward to contribute and give back to this community that gave me so much!