Hi zenith_and_nadir,
welcome to the nexus.
Have you read *Center of the Cyclone* by John C. Lilly? He talks about his spiritual guides that come in the form of two entities as well, though without any cultural symbols attached. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of literature that features similar things. I think it was Drunvalo Melchisedek who was speaking to 2 angels. 2 seems to be a common number...
concerning the extraction, I would go to the wiki and read a bunch of different teks. It might seem like being very involved, but I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. It's really more like following a cooking recipe than anything, but it helps alot to know the reason behind each step, even if you don't understand the chemistry.
As far as plant material goes, the safest bet is starting with mimosa hostilis. You will probably have to get shredded bark these days and powder that with a quality blender.
As far as which Tek to use - that really depends on which one you think is manageable for you, that's why I would read them all a couple of times before I'd start. Personally I think the STB-teks are the easiest.
No matter which tek you decide to go through with, please remember to take all the safety precautions! Wear gloves and goggles when handling lye or concentrated acids. Beware of open flames when dealing with flamable solvents, etc. Do read the health and safety section if you are unclear on what risks are involved. Accidents happen, but if you take the right precautions the worst you will get is hopefully a mimosa stain on your carpet...
I hope I didn't scare you away from it now...
really it's not that difficult and not that dangerous as long as you stay focused and smart.
If you need on-the-fly help come on the chat and ask your questions there. There's usually people that can help with extractions.
cheers & love
Enoon
Buon viso a cattivo gioco!
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The Open Hyperspace Traveler Handbook - A handbook for the safe and responsible use of entheogens. ---
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energy conserving caapi extraction