I'm receiving 500g of san pedro cactus cuttings from a shaman in Peru. Apparently they've used these specific cactus for hundreds of years and are said to contain the full plant spirit. Everyone I asked about it(local group of hippy friends who live there) said it was the most magical experience if their entire life. The shamans have agreed to sell this cactus to those the spirits accept, to help build a bridge upstream in their village. I am so excited and am really grateful.
I love that is has a long duration, I love that its gentle, I love that it is cactus and not powder, I am a huge believer in mushrooms and LSD but this is all new to me.
For most high dose psychedelic session I have to have a low dose benzo on hand or during the trip(0.5mg alpraz). Im hoping with cactus i can avoid needing that.
Do you guys have any tips for this trip? I want it to be as special and life altering S possible. I want it to ignite my spark inside, heal my PTSD, and let go of all my trauma. I do this little by little with other psychedelics but the shaman tells me this will be different. So im open to all suggestions to make the most of this gift
from the universe.
You seem to be approaching this in a good way by preparing for the experience, open and willing to go with whatever happens, submitting to its lessons and not treating it as a drug to get high with. Also, I would never buy dried powdered 'San Pedro', there was a case of a guy buying a kilo and being charged for importing a kilo of mescaline, when the highest % of mescaline ever found in a Trichocereus was 4% (nearly peyote potency!) but most are around 1% mescaline, often even less. Although I Must add, I cant rememer if these %'s where from live plants or chopped up dried material.
In terms of having benzos around as a safety precaution if things become too intense. The last time I drank cacti soup, I had no choice but to take some etizolam at around 8 hours in (lasted a good 18 hours, even felt early effects within 15 mins). I rarely do this and looking back it was likely due to being in a group setting, having to deal with hosting some friends and having to engage in conversation. I think benzos would really dull a lot of its healing potential and magic, so best used only if its essential.
The main bulk of that trip was set in a sunny meddow, with 3 other friends and i'll remember that day for the rest of my life. The trip wasn't even that insense, especially visually but as ive mentioned before, the following 3 - 6 months, me and those who also took part that day, all agreed we got exactly what we needed.
It got us all out of a funk, we felt reconnected to ourselves, eachother and to the flow, complexity and beauty of life itself (undoing some of the damage caused by the pandemic). There are long walkways, with dog walkers, runners etc on the way into and out of the meddow, we felt trapped in a Monet painting, realising we would have to face real life human beings, who where likely not as bright eyed and giggly as we where... The prospect of this caused great anxiety for one friend in particular. To console her and muster up some currage, I said something along the lines of - "There is nothing to worry about, its just the transition which is making us anxious, not the walk home itself" This has since stuck with us both and remains profound & helpful. Anytime we (me and my friend) feel we aren't ready for something or become anxious about something, a new job for example, the above phrase is a gentle reminder for us to just 'be', to lean into positivity and good opportunities as they appear and remembering there is nothing to worry about 90% of the time, its simply the anxious projectios we make about what could happen, that really hold us back.
The plant works in mysterious ways like that, as if it knows exactly what you need in order to improve your life and become accountable and responsible for your own life, rather than passively let life become unbalanced and then complain that it sucks. This can be achieved with other entheogens or synthetic psychedelics but they require more specific intentions and usually more than one session to get to the root of our suffering or dis-ease. With cacti, the message is usually very simpe, and straight to the point, with the tone of a wise old man. This is likely why peope claim it to have a masculine energy and even call it 'The Grandfather' of plant medicine. Its also fairly phallic like lol.
Sorry that was so long, just ranting now but one last tip, its best done outdoors on a sunny day, in wide open, natural spaces with the least amount of strangers around. It gives a lot of energy and brings out a chid-like playfullness that isnt suited for being in a house, flat or busy and unpredicatable environment. Where as mushrooms seem to be best for me in the dark or at least in low light, in the comfort of my own home. Dont think id ever consume huachuma (san pedro) agan if I wasn't able to be somewhere in nature.
Best of luck with your journey and do report back if yo havn't already
