in SWIM's own words:

Mescaline is a funny monkey. in the kingdom of entheogens, where it was made crystal clear that SALVIA is the queen, DMT is the holy man, and Kratom is the healer...Mescaline would most likely be the court jester..

it is 4pm and the clouds have finally begun to part. it rained up here the entire day....which was just fine by me. i love the rain....especially when in the midst of a giant forest of redwoods. patches of steam and mist rise up like the trees are communicating via smoke signal with one another. the lush, saturating smell of moss and damp pine needles and bark are as intoxicating in their own right as...say...a dancing plume of spice-smoke...oh the sweet perfume!

i'm clad in my raingear and decide to take a march out into the soggy foliage. the sound of rain in the trees...the wind blowing a brisk 30 degree "sweet-nothing" into my numb ear...i'm waiting for my two caps of mescaline to dissolve in my gut and release cacti-wisdom into my immediate awareness.

...my balls are still not fully back down into my sack from yesterday's excursion, so i decide to do this "puritan-style". no kava, no maoi, just mescaline.

as i said, things have finally decided to dry up a little and after 45 minutes i don't really feel anything so i decide to take advantage of the weather and go for a bike ride along the sea-to-sky highway (voted one of the 5 most beautiful roads in the world!). i'm a competitive(former pro) cyclist and have been racing since i was 11, so for me i'm more at home on a bike than off.

i'm on a $10,000 road bike going almost 50mph down a decent towards the town of Squamish when another cyclist PASSES ME!

..no...wait a minute...there's noone there! what the?... this continues for the next 3 decents i fly down...me vs. the guy from team mescaline.

now i'm about 30 minutes away from home and the view is spectacular. sun still high in the sky over the pristine chain of islands off to my left that are breathing deeply...wait..what?

the minute the larger island sits up and stretches it's giant bear arms as if waking from a deep sleep it all kicks in. hard.

i start laughing so hard i almost crash my bike now the urgency of having to make it back home makes me laugh even harder...i'm lost now...how the fuck am i going to ride a bicycle???

lemme tell you something folks, i haven't ridden with such focus in my entire life! yawning constantly battling a bicycle that was OBVIOUSLY built out of some sort of pasta al dente....it dawns on me halfway back that i wish i could ALWAYS be so in the moment :idea: i mean...NOTHING else mattered but making it back home...nothing.

...and when i did i dramatically burst in through the door, leaned my bike against the wall, ripped off my clothes and rolled all over the living room carpet like a man who just survived a plane crash. AGAIN, grateful to be alive! i looked at my bike and the spokes of the front wheel formed a face that was smiling and laughing. the handlebars where pointing at me teasingly. the damn bike was in on the joke the whole time! that mescaline has a way of getting everyone rallied behind it's practical jokes...

the rest of the evening was spent singing and playing my guitar. channeling tunes from the other side that made all the plants smile. every time i would look at ANY plant...inside the house or outside..it would be smiling at me

mescaline is such a friendly, playful spirit. just what i needed after yesterday's twist-up.

tomorrow i'm going to try again to pay my respects to the queen and ask her (with SUPREME humility) to guide me. going puritan-style as well...

pray for me..

LOVE AND GRATITUDE!!

hey dude..how much mescaline did you take..that sounds like an awfully awesome time!!!

dmt does that to SWIM sometimes...makes everything get in on the joke...everything..its hilarious

I've been reading your chronicles of the past few days & I can not tell you how much I envy your chance to get away from the ball busting hustle of the real-world for a Leary-style retreat!!!

How long are you going to be there all alone with your thoughts?
Good grief that would be a dream come true!!!
Sounds like you are using it to it's fullest advantage...


Good journey to you!!!

WS

warrensaged: don't just dream about it! DO IT!

Use the law of attraction to bring you what you desire!

love & light

Antrocles, thank you for your day by day reports!! I eagerly await hearing what tomorrow brings... much respect my friend.

Channeling positive energy from [thousands of?] miles away for great experiences in your very near future!!

yes...a dream come true..that anybody can have..SWIM presently lives by himself in a tiny cabin..160 square feet..with his precious cat...on an island...he is surrounded by nature and WATER..and has absolutely nothing to worry about..he lives in this environment and wouldnt trade it for the world...

please people..if you live in the city..get the fuck out..find a nice cozy corner for yourself..and get it done

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Wow. Jorkest. I thought I was jealous of Ant.

Ant, Thanks for the tales. You paint a nice picture. Yet to visit Mescalitoville, myself.

Can't wait for tomorrows edition of the Antrocles Herald.
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But can you get a quality burrito at 4:00 in the morning? How are the Vietnamese and Ethiopian restaurants? Good sushi out there on the island?? And what of the strip joints, for god's sake?? Live theater??? Art museums??? Throngs of beautiful women???? How's your professional basketball team???? Your opera????? Your cultural diversity?????

Give me the city, baby. I can always get away. That's why they make vacations!

Really!!

Not only that, but on a practical level, psychedelic exploration is only as small facet of my life.
While my mind may be in another dimension a lot of the time, this fucking meat body of mine is always taking up space in the real world & I have to pay for it to that in a building, instead of the street...
But seriously, I have a career as a recording engineer, I mainly do CD Mastering, but I also do plenty of recording & mixing sessions too. Mainly bands, but I also work on soundtracks for TV commercials & documentaries, etc...
I also teach Studio Recording & Digital Audio Workstation (ProTools) classes at a collage.

I enjoy what I do for a living (although the $$ is far less than most people think...) & it would be hard to find that kind of work if I was sequestered away too far from civilization, for too long.
Unfortunately, my line of work requires me to bust ass constantly to keep the clients & their projects coming through the door, in order to keep those doors open!! Not to mention keeping up with technology that keeps changing every year & a half, to keep those clients interested & happy...
That does not leave much time, or money for vacations.

Like I said though, I love what I do for a living!! You have to have a passion for it.

So like Art said, I can always get away if I really need to.
The idea of a week long vacation in such a private setting would be great, but I don't think I would really want to stay there...yet...
When I retire, if I get to retire, I will more than likely go back to the Midwest, where I grew up in a small town.
Hated it then, appreciate it now.

Jokerst, if you don't mind my asking, how do you pay the bills? Food, rent on the cabin, etc... we all gotta eat & put shoes on our feet.
Plus, I know from my own experience, this "hobby" of ours is far from free, the material & gear necessary for the extractions & experiments you write of are not exactly cheep.
I'm not trying to be facetious, or shitty at all, I'm genuinely interested.
I'm always fascinated to hear about what people around here do when their not spiced, or typing about it...


Cheers,

WS

to tell you the truth...SWIM doesnt pay rent...because he and his brother own the land they are living on...he doesnt have running water(YET)..so things like extractions and showers are much harder to do...he washes most of his 'lab equipment' with his own spit...it seems to do the job nicely..all he has to pay for is food...electricity and phone and internet...and extraction materials...and living in a little place..he doesnt use much electricity..and he heats with wood in the winter time..that him and his brother cut, split, and stack to dry...he also shares all of his creations with his friends...so a lot of them offer to feed him every so often and also give him beer to drink..they also hunt during hunting season..and a deer goes a long way for two people...also family likes to give them food that they make in bulk and freeze for christmas..so they have a freezer full of good home cooked food...seeing as its hard to do much cooking without water...also since he lives on an island..fishing is another source of food for them..hes been living on a gallon of water every two days for almost three years now...and this includes water for extractions..plants..cat..and himself(drinking and making food)

he doesnt own a car..so that is a huge amount of money he doesnt have to pay for insurance/registration/inspection/gas/car payment...

he works mostly in the summertime and then into the fall and then early winter...then it gets too cold for much work outside..so he spends the rest of the winter..and spring working on his extractions and testing them out...its less of a hobby to him..and more of like research..granted...very under funded...

he happens to know somebody that gave him a few beakers and funnels to work with..but thats about all...he also has been given other handy things that help with extractions..such as mini hot plates and other things...some of his friends are very supportive of his activities..

he doesnt smoke as much weed as he use too..which was about $100 a week..so buy extraction materials isnt really too bad..as long as he doesnt fuck up the process..

and he also only eats about once a day...or at least one 'decent' meal a day..he may have some yerba mate for breakfast..and eat some crackers for lunch with a bit of cheese...and then usually somebody(his brother) cooks them some meat on the grill and SWIM will do up some potatoes..the yerba mate is his daily veggy...but he also takes wheat grass powder when he feels his vitamin stores start to get depleted...

soo all in all SWIM has been very lucky..but also..this was something that happened because of a decision he made...he had been going to college...but one day ate 10g of some potent mushrooms and decided the next day that he was going to move into a little cabin..so he left college and happened to have enough money to build a little cabin..and hes been there ever since..

Let your freak flag fly, brother. You're gonna have to stay out there on the ragged edge for the both of us, I'm afraid - this SWIM's a little too old for that life. You can get away with the whole tune in turn on and drop out thing easily enough in your 20's, reveling in the Fuck Off I'm Robinson Crusoe romanticism of it all. You do it into your early 40's (where SWIM presently finds himself) and in the eyes of the world you're pretty much a loser. You're a crazyman. You're the unibomber.

SWIM spends his days in a suit and tie, perpetually on the hustle, struggling to stay on top of a veritable MOUNTAIN of responsibilities - house payments, car payments, kid's education, and so on and so on and so on - so living off the grid and spit washing his dishes just ain't an option anymore. He would LOVE, however, a week to himself with Antrocles' bag full of sunshine, communing with nature and tripping amongst the whales and eagles and what have you. THAT sounds utterly fantastic to SWIM (though just about equally impossible).

Oh well. You pick a path, stand by your choices, do right by those who love you, and you try not to rack up too many regrets - Life in a nutshell, by Grandpa SWIM.

That is one awesome trip antrocles, and YOU are the crazy man. Driving under the influence, who does that!
A hit of mescaline pretty much puts the day in a whole new way.. just pure cactus blast. I've been lugging my 12string around when I can, pop a squat, and just play to whoever is willing to listen..

warrensaged, much respect.

It's been rough to put myself in that industry just because of the people I was involved with at the time (I know, pretty lame to put fault on others). When I was seriously 'committed' to that part of my life I spent over $4grand on recording equipment, on and off stimulants of some sort and struggling my teenage angst on the surroundings. My viewpoint was childsplay and should have been taken a lot more professionally. Though I do take my hobbies on with full interest to the best of my capabilities to find the necessary change to a better lifestyle. This drives our passion for life and takes the mind on for a wicked ride.

As for the unibomber thing, I would feel great secluded from the dillweeds. Although, I could easily be mistaken for a wood ape..

A story like this truely hits home for me. I would love to live a life like this, but I feel that something like that is not attainable until retirement. I am in the middle of college and have been experimenting with various psychedelics for over 3 years now. I know I am still a young gun, but I have learned a lot. I started psychedelics at the beginning of my college and now that I am near the end college seems useless. I may make more money, but I am still going to be as unhappy with my life as I am now.

Living out in a cabin like that would so awesome, but things happen in life that I am now responsible for. I have two children that I love dearly, but both of their mothers are total bitches. I am actually still with one of them for fear of what would happen if I leave. I know that she is the type that would try to take everything she could from me. I know that I will not be happy until I make a major change, but I can never make myself do it.

I need to just tell my materialistic ego to fuck off, but that is the way my ego has been tought by society.

Good vibes to you for doing what you want to do.

well he says its not an easy life..but he has learned soooo much more than he ever would if he had stayed in college...

its not for everyone..but..it could be!!

for the longest time he always thought that he would be alone..as in no mate..but the way he is..the way he treats people..just attracts more people to him...and he now has a girlfriend that wants to be with him forever..and he is all for it..because he knows that everyone is part of everything..so what is the difference between one person and the next..as long as they love you..

SWIM has only been doing psychedelics for 5 years now..and he stared with mushrooms..and now has gone through just about all the major chemicals that there are!! granted there are many RC's he hasnt done..but he never thought he would ever do DMT..or mescaline...or LSD!!! but he put his mind to it..and got them..these materials dont find you...you find them...and he has been living this way for years...

with the internet..he can bring anything in the world..right to his door..even living on an island..

and when he hears about people having problems with not having the right equipment for extraction..all he can think about is...HEY BE CREATIVE!!!

he has turned on EVERY friend of his to DMT...all the people he hangs out with have smoked it..granted they rarely come back for more..but they all have done it..even some of his older friends that are 40+...and he is only 23..

this life he leads is not an easy one..but he feels its extremely important to mankind...so he is WORKING..and TESTING everything that comes his way so that he can HELP the people he cares about..and help them solve their problems..

and he seriously cleans his lab equipment with his spit..

YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE!!! dont make excuses..like responsibility..or commitment..because if you are CREATIVE..you can figure out a way to do AS YOU PLEASE...

Oh, I'm not making any excuses. SWIM tells me he's got a pretty great life. Things do tend to get a lot more complicated as the years go by, though. And at 23, this is not something one can really relate to.

One size don't fit all in this world. I'm glad you've found a life that makes you happy.

Right, anybody who owns a piece of land & is willing to live in squalor, right?

Man, I'm sorry, I understand everybody has their own idea perfection & more power to you if you really want that lifestyle, but that does not sound appealing at all to me.
Also, responsibility's are not an excuse, they are part of being a adult.
I'm not trying to be shitty at all, but do you realize that you may have another 60+ years to live ahead of you?
What happens if you get sick, or a storm blows your cabin over, or floods it?
These things do happen, even if you use ever positive thought in your head to prevent it.

I'm not trying to bring you down, these are just the things that cross my mind when I hear about people living outside of normal society.

I do have a part of me that would love to just escape the rat race & drop out, but all that part really wants is a decent vacation...

Not only that, but it sounds like a lot of unnecessary work too.

WS

oh SWIM forgot to mention that it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL where he lives...he can see billions of stars and galaxies...he can hear the wind blowing through the trees and he can hear the waves lap against the shore...

i mean really..do you know what its like living on the ocean..its heaven



life is work...its what we are here to do...but WE get to decide how we do it...

life where SWIM lives is not easy by any means...but you havent seen where he lives either...it is one of the most beautiful places hes ever been to...its like living in heaven


squalor...HD tvs...computers...ps3...xbox...books(hundreds)...internet...forests...peace...and you can play music as loud as you want at any time...and you can take psychedelics whenever you please...fresh fish...sounds like squalor to me!


you mean the kind when it blows 70 knots..and its below 10 degrees F?? those kinds of storms?? those are the storms to go out to an even more remote island and take drugs and party!!! and not party in the usual sense...party like you are the only people alive sort of party...

wind that you can lean into and stay standing up in! trees blowing down! power out for days! but..they are all still there...and when the mainland floods...they dont..because its an island...islands dont flood...all the water goes into the ocean!!

and yes..you could worry about the future..but you have to take that when it comes my friend...you can prepare..but most USUALLY the future is more than you can prepare for....thats not saying you shouldnt..but take one thing at a time..

and just to say..their land is FAR FAR away from being given to them...they have had to work their ass off..to own their place...they share the land because they love it there soo much...its not easy..but they OWN it...and the great part is that a house right next door just sold for just under a million dollars...so..if they wanted to leave to start a new life..they could do it easily...land like that doesnt come into your possession very often..and neither does that life...and i think thats why hes choosing to follow that path FOR NOW...because its there for him

EDIT: and they do have a medical center on the island..but he has been studying homeopathy..flower essences..herbal medicine..acupuncture/pressure..crystal healing...reiki...and he also has friends that can easily stitch up a wound..set broken bones...or help in any other way...yeah...give him shit for studying voodoo healing..but hes seen it work many times..and so far has kept his friends and family fairly healthy..mentally and physically..

Yeah I know that I am making excuses, but it is hard for me to face what will happen if I make that life changing decision. I guess I will see what happens in the future as every day brings something new. I will probably finish my college though and figure out what to do then. I am already 30 thousand dollars in debt from it, so I might as well finish.

Back on topic though. I can't wait for day 4.

Yeah, what happened to day 4?????

BTW Jokerst, I didn't mean to say your land was given to you, obviously I have no idea. Bad wording, I changed it...
But still, not a whole lot of people have the opportunity to own such a piece of land no matter how they got it.
Especially at only 23 years old...
And as far as the whole squalor thing, you've drawn two very different pictures in your above posts, the first explanation you gave does sounds like squalor to me.
Washing things with spit is not my idea of a beautiful, relaxing environment. Or washing something for that matter.
To you that may be heaven though.

I too get to decide when I work, Ive just decided to do it everyday so I can have a few creature comforts, like a toilet that washes my doots away with water, etc...
I'm lucky enough to be doing something for a living that I actually enjoy, but that didn't happen over night.

Anyway this is getting all over ANTROCLES post.
Sorry, but this is extremely interesting to me!!

WS

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I prefer to leave judgements to those wise enough to actually take all relevant information into account, calculate all possible permutations and realize that they too are unworthy of making judgements.

I also prefer not to put anyone else on the defensive, quickest way to lose a potential friend.

Imagine what Jorkest will know in ten years that none of will because of his chosen path. The wisdom he will impart from having a point of view so vastly different from that of the 'mainstream'.

I personally plan on having to take my helicopter just to check the mail when I live out with Obi-wan.

Heaven is what WE make of it, eh? In the here and now. When else is there? Where?

And, Yeah? Where is Day 4? I've hovered all day.

Love to you ALL!!


j