The first-timer’s guide to magic mushrooms

By Janine Yu On July 10, 2008 · 84 Comments

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Psilocybe or “magic mushrooms” as they’re commonly known, are a mild hallucinogen. Follow the author as she experiences them for the first time.

This article is provided for informational purposes only. Please use your own judgment in deciding what to do with it. Be aware that magic mushrooms are illegal to possess in many countries.
AN ORANGE SLICE was sitting on the kitchen counter, hidden just behind the light. My head was throbbing mercilessly, the mushrooms just beginning to kick in.

A quarter of an orange- plump, juicy, veined. I began to laugh, in fact I began to laugh hysterically and couldn’t stop for the next three minutes.

I couldn’t help it – the orange slices reminded me of a vagina.

At their best, magic mushrooms reduce you to a blubbering mess of giggles and bellyache laughter. At their worst, they make you feel like you just walked out of a harrowing rollercoaster ride: nauseous, dizzy, and bilious.

Prior to my recent foray into the hallucinogenic world, I was what one would consider the uncommon phenomenon of a drug-free, 20-something writer living in New York City.

I suppose my biggest hesitation with the idea of taking magic mushrooms -or any drug, for that matter – was losing self-control and putting into question the ideas I had about myself. But then again, maybe that was the point: discovering the unknown part of you, the alter ego lurking just behind the surface.

These guys look harmless enough…

One day I had too much time, too few obligations, and access to a stash of magic mushrooms. That’s when I began to discover the complexities beyond what I thought I knew, and more importantly, who I thought I was.

Part 1 – Prepping for Shrooms

Psilocybe, or “magic mushrooms” as they’re more commonly called, are a mild hallucinogen.

The setting, I learned, determines largely whether you’ll have an enjoyable or excruciating trip.

They affect each person differently, and unless taken in large amounts, most people don’t actually hallucinate or have “visions” or “flashbacks.”

They’re organic, accessible (not much more difficult than scoring weed), and though it does come with its hazards, there’s the reassuring thought that if you don’t like it, your body will simply metabolize the drug and you can get back to normal again.

“Mostly it’s just glowing colors, distortions, details popping out.. good vibes,” I was reassured. “You’ll like it.”

The website MagicMushrooms.net is a great resource for first-timers, though my friends provided me with the most practical tips:

“They taste absolutely disgusting,” experienced shroom-takers all agree on. “Take them with M&Ms,” was one suggestion. “They’ll go down easier.”

Be in a good place

“Stay in a safe, comfortable environment.” The setting, I learned, determines largely whether you’ll have an enjoyable or excruciating trip. One friend highly recommends taking them on the beach, where the ocean looks like a pulsating blue glow.

Through the looking glass.

Make the mushrooms more palatable

Don’t let the blind lead the blind

“Make sure you’re taking them with someone who’s had them before,” I was told again and again.

Dave, my boyfriend and experienced shroom buddy insisted we clean our apartment. “You’ll find that everything clean will look dirty, and everything dirty will look disgusting,” he said.

“Good luck,” a friend of mine wrote before the experiment. “You’re going to learn so much about yourself, others, the world…”

Part 2 – Is it just me or is the world throbbing?

Twenty minutes into our first serving of shrooms, I was complaining of their non-effect on me. “I feel completely normal! They probably don’t even work on me,” I declared. “Let’s take the rest then,” Dave said. We licked the plate clean of mushroom dust.

Getting past the initial, debilitating effect of the mushrooms was the most challenging part of the experience.

Within minutes, Dave was bouncing around the room, laughing at every little thing and marveling at colors. I, on the other hand, was spiraling down a dark cave.

My limbs couldn’t decide if they wanted to shift restlessly, as they were beginning to do, or lay inert in bed. My head felt like someone was kneading it, and my stomach kept threatening to launch a revolution. The mushrooms were not sitting well with my body.

Getting past the initial, debilitating effect of the mushrooms was the most challenging part of the experience.

But once I was outside, navigating traffic and negotiating with sundry New York characters, it became easier to forget how horrible my body felt and how light my mind actually was.

My head wasn’t cloudy (the way one’s thoughts can be muddled when drunk) and with the city being an explosion of stimuli, my mind zipped through so many connections. I was aware of all of them, if only briefly.

Occasionally I would burst out laughing. At what, I didn’t know or remember, but I just laughed and snorted and wheezed until I was out of breath, stopping mid-giggle to convey how I had no idea what was so funny.

Part 3 – Did I just say that?

In our heightened state, Dave and I decided to walk to a nearby park. I still knew how to put one leg in front of the other, but not much else. Nausea was still invading my body in sporadic bursts, and though I hid behind large sunglasses, I felt everyone in the world could tell I was high.

Colourful stimuli / Photo by Photo Gallery

We found a grassy mound where we laid down and stared at the sky and the trees. I’ve heard colors appear to glow when on shrooms, but I wasn’t convinced that the greens and blues of the park were any more vibrant that day.

Dave noticed every little detail: “Did you realize that all the trees on our block are of the same species?”

After studying some puzzling elements around the park -a stuffed pig on roller-skates, tourists who asked for directions but never moved, people running to and from a tree with bright, fluttering balloons, he figured out that all these strange, disparate characters were planted by a Disney-sponsored Bingo game. “Now it makes sense,” he said.

I had settled into a mental acuteness unfamiliar to me. There was a distinct remove between what I was saying and what I was doing, and who the person was behind it all.

It felt like I was observing myself as I was being, and though I’d lived in New York City for two years, everything felt new again. The tranny who works at a vintage shop on my block (and whom I stopped noticing almost two years ago) looked me in the eye and said in her baritone, “Need a pair of shades?” I was terrified.

An Altered Perspective

My mind was opening up connections I wouldn’t normally make.

On our way home, we stopped by a deli and Dave said, “Let’s take a bottle of water,” I instantly responded, “But we have to pay for it first!” He looked at me strangely.

I reveled in this strange but satisfying sentience, and when the drugs wore off, I was left with a lingering curiosity about myself and the world.

I realized I was paranoid about doing something wrong. My subconscious, I figured out, is more uptight than my conscious self.

Soon, in the comfort of an air-conditioned bedroom, I was waxing existential and listening to music, which is famous for sounding better on hallucinogens. Lyrics turned into epiphanies.

Sometimes I’d catch myself mid-sentence, and wonder -do I actually live with this person (meaning me) and do I even like this person? It was a strange back- and-forth of ruminations, which I could sometimes convey verbally, sometimes not.

I reveled in this strange but satisfying sentience, and when the drugs wore off less than three hours later, I was left with a lingering curiosity about myself and the world.

Would I take magic mushrooms again? Sure, but next time I’ll do it outside of New York City -even when I’m sober and completely cognizant, the city’s still a lot to take in.

Update: Find some more specific tips for taking mushrooms here.

What do you think of magic mushrooms and their ability to “open” the mind? Share your thoughts in the comments!

About The Author

Janine Yu

Janine Yu is a freelance writer living in New York City. She got her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in May 2008, and is still figuring out what to do with it.

Stuart Sheffield

mushrooms can be a wonderfull thing in anyone's life if taken under the right circumstances. mushrooms should never be used to merely "get high" or "trip nuts". mushrooms should be used to have a fun spiritual experience with close friends or loved ones. I HIGHLY advise being in NATURE while on mushrooms. One can feel extremely connected with nature and all living things while "tripping". One is also more prone to recognize beauty in everything while shrooming. As for me and many of my friends, we have all gained insight and wisdom by taking mushrooms. Everytime I eat the fungi, I seem to have a greater understanding of life and death. Mushrooms brought me in touch with my spirit and taught me to never be afraid of anything. Through taking shrooms, I obtained understanding and love for who I am and existince in itself. After shrooming the first couple times, I became a much stronger person and had a much better sense of morale. I became motivated to excell in life and strive to be the best person I can. I have also become more investigative of things, and found a new love for learning and progressing.
reed

mushroooooomss…. its been almost 3years since i last tripped. magic only comes around dc in the winter. its november now and the time has come to embark on another journey.

3years ago:
i pick up the phone and all i hear is "i found em!!" "what are you talking about?" i said. "shrooms!! theyre here, i found em!!". he says with excitement pouring out of his mouth. "got a place?"(the environment is key) "one of my friends folks are out of town, we can party there" "im down lets do it."
an hour later three of my close friends pull up in an old mitsubishi eclipse pumping bob marley and sizzla. a 20 minute drive out of the city we come to a small rundown neighborhood. we pull up to a complex and our contact comes out the building and walks up to the window, chit chats for a minute takes the money and drops off 4/8s.
reed

now im not sure if you ate shrooms before, but let me tell you this, they taste nasty as hell. knowing this, we decided to stop at mcdonalds and grab some 99cent double cheese burgers. we immediatly lift up the buns, add the topping and pile them in our mouths. everytime i do something like this, which isnt very often anymore but when i do, i always anticipate the trip, my heart will pick up a beat, my palms will start sweating, i just get anxious??
so now we're 20minutes out for the pick up and another 30min further out to the friends house. a huge empty house in the boondocks of VA.
reed

theres 4 of us tripping and the owner of the house. within minutes im staring at the carpet watching the colors blend together and roll like waves. " are you guys seeing this? look at the carpet, its breathing!" pointing at the floor. my friends bust out laughing.
the next thing i know we're watching "the big lebowski" the movie is trippy enough sober, but while on shrooms. shieeet.
the bowling balls and pins were floating out of the tv dissolving into thin air.
watching the woman swinging back and forth on the wires as she painted was intense let me tell you. this goes on for i dont know how long and then the door bell rings…. about 10 people i dont know walk in the room. it was like a bolt of electricity ran through my body, a zap, all at once my mood just flipped. i started feeling really scared, not knowing who these people were, what theyre background was, or what they were even doing here. i pulled my knees close up to my chest as i sat on the couch clinching myself tight feeling completely uncomfortable. i couldnt take it anymore, i got up and went to the kitchen, grabbed a glass of milk and went outside for a smoke.
reed

as soon as i got outside and away from the unknowns i started feeling warm inside again. i remember taking a piss behind a tree and becoming one with planet earth. lol.(ever since then, i will pee outside any chance i get)
after the smoke i walked inside to the living room again to find all the unknowns are gone.
now after all this had happened, feeling uncomfortable with the "unknowns". one of the house owners friends( a rich white rasta with dreds) walked in the room and asked " we need beer, is there anyone here that is 21?" all eyes fell on me as i raised my hand. "i am…" i could hear the words echo through my head. i felt like frodo baggins from lord of the rings about to embark on a grand adventure. so two other wanna be rastas and i hop into the back of this kids decked out, indigo neon lit, lexus. im sitting in the back flying down the dark hilly roads watching the blue lights in his car bounce to the music at 80miles an hour. just taking everything as it comes.
reed

we finally get to the grocery store and they hand me a wad of cash. "what do you want?" i asked "get what you can" he said. "ill do my best" i replied..lol.. walking down the isles with the cash wadded up together in both hands trying to find the beer was a trip inside of its self. after finding the beer and not thinking far enough ahead to grab a cart. i put as many cases underneath my arms as i could fit and make my way up to the check out counter. thinking it would be easier to go through the self check out line and not deal with anybody i make my move. even thinking i could do this on my own was not a good idea. i couldnt figure out how to turn on the machine or scan any items, insert the money or even in what order i should do them in. every time i touched something the machine would beep. it wouldnt stop beeping.
reed

frustrated and overwhelmed i began to think i was attracting too much attention so i headed for the customer service booth and without a word i hold up the wadded cash in both hands and push it towards the rep. "this is the last time im doing this" he muttered. after the transaction, feeling completely paranoid, as if everyone is starring at me i make a dash for the door. "GO, GO, GO!!" i yelled as i flew into the car. i can only imagine now what everyone must have been thinking. lol
we arrive back at the house to find a party of kids waiting for the beer.
i knew i couldnt handle that, so i rounded up my friends and headed for the car. we sat in his car for hours pondering the meaning of life, watching mercedes benzs, and beamers full of rich kids come to the house.
as the night goes on and the effects start to wear off, we decide to head back to arlington and that i should drive. once we safely get back in town, my friend pulls out a spliff hoping that it would bring back some of the effects. so we find a quite neighborhood to park and spark the joint.
reed

a few minutes go by and we see another vehicle with its head lights off in the review mirror pull up and park a few cars back. keeping our eyes on the parked car, we watch to see if anyone gets out. nothing. the car didnt move, no one got out, it just sat with its lights off. by now, all of our senses are heightened and the pot began to kick in. i turn on the car and start to drive away only to find the car behind us turns on his lights and starts to follow. i drove faster. he drove faster. i turned. he turned.
reed

who is this? whats happening? i thought, paranoid out of my brains. i head for the "rat traps". a neighborhood in arlington well known for its winding, maze like roads. speeding through the rat traps i finally loose him, turn off the car and pull the keys out of the ignition and just sit. a few minutes pass and we see the car fly by. immediately i turn the car on, and head back the opposite way and make my way home. i pull up to my house and hop out of the car feeling safer than ive ever felt in my life. i say goodnight to my friends, creep back in my house and climb in bed. i havent slept that good in ages. like a baby. a trip i will never forget.
reed

if you do decide to shroom, here are some tips that might come in handy.

choose your fellow trippers wisely – people you trust, people you know.
atmosphere is everything – if you feel uncomfortable, down, depressed, go somewhere you know, somewhere safe.
prepare for your trip – 2-3days before your trip, listen to calm music, try to stay in a state of zen, happiness. if something serious or bad happens a few days before, do not go on a journey.
milk – if your trip gets too intense, drink a glass of milk and youll feel better in minutes
vomit – dont be scared if you throw up, some people do every trip, its normal

BE SAFE AND ENJOY
Julz

i'm just wondering, have you tried them?
sloth

i dont know a single gang related dealer what so ever. and ive met my fair share of dealers…
mostly just hippies and ganja farmers. im pretty sure gangs only control the shiesty shit like coke, meth etc…
shrooms are a different catagory alltogether.
Dicó

No drug acts the same in the same person twice and no two persons have the same effect with the same drug. Both our body and minds carry different baggages in life, but the moment is also important.

I do believe drugs takes people to see "things" differently. I would not say it´s the only way, but since our perspectives are build in the brain via intricate chemical and electrical impulses and since is well know drugs act precisely there, in the brain, in those complex exchange of impulses, I think is save enough to say that drugs really makes people see "things" differently.

What every person will do with the change, it´s up to the person.

Also is good have in mind that there are drugs with different ways of reaching and tempering with those impulses. Some are mild, others, not.

I wish everybody would dare venture new perspectives sometimes.
Jeanette

I don't know a lot about shrooms. i always wanted to try them but was scared id had a bad trip. i took shrooms that were in chocolate an 8th was cut up into it. I tried it with a friend one day a couple weeks ago. The girl even said to take half since i was small and never did them be4. So i did but then like a half hr later he was 'trippin" and i wasnt i only took half at that time he eat it all so I wound out eating the other half and still no tripping i got high i dont liek weed but the best way to explain it is it was like a better high than weed gave me. The only time i saw anything "swaying" was if i stared at it but even then the curtins r weird and even if ur sober and stare at them they kinda move… so i dont even think it worked but my question is y?? he said it might becuz i have a tolerence for them but like i said it was my 1st time… so does any1 know y that happened to me? i want to try them again but i dont wanna waste my money if it happens again but people told me if i try them again to take them reg. not mixed in with anything……if some1 could plz email me back at blueeyes21589@yahoo.com it would be really awesome….thanks!!!!
Trisha

well personally shrooms are pretty awesome but to tell the truth them xoz hit the spot…try havin a good roll….
danny

Pretty cool article> I'm just glad that there are some people out there who get the chance to experience this amazing thing called life. With proper balance, life is an adventure and should be fully explored. So, in that respect, my glass is half full, and life can be wonderful. It's frustrating to think that so many people want to control others with their ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. Of course, order is a necessity of life, but I really feel that disorder is the beauty of life. It is our irrational, unexaplainable behavior that is what makes us human. We are distinctly separate from nature, yet somehow we're all still in this together. The human spirit has many angles and can never be defined by a single theory — and why should it!! Some of the best things in life have no explanation, and perhaps that is the wonder of life — to be amazed at who we are. Nobody has all the answers, and if they say that they do they are lying. We are all on an amazing 1 time journey that can be the greatest or the worst- depending on how you look at it. I don't care how people find hapiness. I only hope that they do find happiness, and I am no one to tell them differently.
http://www.lolcat.com lol

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
Sam

Great read. Cheers!
http://wizidz.com Wizid

“We followed instructions from the ancient romans. They would partake in the shrooms follwed by a table spoon of honey and then a glass of wine. Well we boiled the shrooms till they were colorless and each had a cup of shroom tea.Followed by a ten minute period of anticipation for we all knew we were going to peuke,and we did. Then we had a spoon of honey and went down to our local for a glass of wine. Half an hour later one of my friends who only had one leg, was dancing away with us ,but without his crutches.All I can say is “Those Romans hey!”
Tbone

wow, that was amazing. I am on my first trip and am just starting to feel the effects, but I really connected with what you are saying here,
Tbone

Pretty cool article> I’m just glad that there are some people out there who get the chance to experience this amazing thing called life. With proper balance, life is an adventure and should be fully explored. So, in that respect, my glass is half full, and life can be wonderful. It’s frustrating to think that so many people want to control others with their ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. Of course, order is a necessity of life, but I really feel that disorder is the beauty of life. It is our irrational, unexaplainable behavior that is what makes us human. We are distinctly separate from nature, yet somehow we’re all still in this together. The human spirit has many angles and can never be defined by a single theory — and why should it!! Some of the best things in life have no explanation, and perhaps that is the wonder of life — to be amazed at who we are. Nobody has all the answers, and if they say that they do they are lying. We are all on an amazing 1 time journey that can be the greatest or the worst- depending on how you look at it. I don’t care how people find hapiness. I only hope that they do find happiness, and I am no one to tell them differently.
——————————————————————————————————-
(I MEAN THAT THIS COMMENT IS AMAZING….IT DIDNT REPLY TO WHAT I WANTED IT TO)
Brian

The experience I felt was conveyed was introspective on his part. The funny thing I’ve found about it is that it sounds like when someone has a bad trip. Only difference is he handled it like a champ and came out on the other side enjoying himself and rolling with it. it was a good story but most of the trips i’ve had and babysitting came off like his babysitters trip. happy trails everyone
isaiah

My first shroom trip was yesterday. I had bought the shrooms from a very good source. The first shrooms i had seen did not look anything like the shrooms i had this day. They were really dry and dark, dark brown. they looked discusting, so i didnt want to try em. But the shrooms i had gotten were white tall and had spots of blue. I have to say, i got hooked up pretty well. I had only bought an eighth but it weighed 5grams! i had gotten a full mushroom and a few stalks. I was a lil scepticle about taking them do to the wierd smell and apperence of the shrooms. So i had ran down stairs to get a few chocolate oatmeal cookies. i Quickly ran back up stairs to take the shrooms.

I went into my bathroom and shut and locked the doors. I had a Blade Scale, so i took it out and measured 1grams of shrooms. i then took the stalk and broke it up and mashed it with the cookies to hide the taste. I didnt taste them at all. I figured this wasnt so bad. My room mate stepped into the room as i came out the bathroom. “hey man”, i said. I sat there for a while until his girlfriend came over. I hate his girl friend. She is this bitchy 16y/o girl who is all stuck up and complains and whines about everything. I knew that she could not be here while i was tripping or else i would go into a bad trip. so i told my room mate that i had shrooms. I had asked him if he would want to do it some time a while back. He said he wouldnt even let me in the house. He thought i was lying. So i said whatever and he went outside to smoke some bud. Momentarely his girlfriend came inside to tell me that Ben(roommate) wanted to smoke with me. So i firgured why not. I wasnt tripping yet and a nice smoke would help me come into my trip. So i went out to smoke.
After that i asked him if he wanted to trip with me. ” common, i said. In 20minutes i will begin the greatest adventure of my life and i want you to join me.” “Jessie, im gonna trip shrooms tonight”. Ben said. So we went inside to eat the rest.
http://MaxTheITpro.com Maxwell

Great blog post Janine!
It’s about time peeps started talking about their “inner space” herbal experiences — especially in a society that pushes useless, dangerous and expensive “substances” like alcohol, nicotine and other hard “pharma” drugs (prozac, ritalin, zoloft, paxil, et al) that are destroying lives everywhere.

I had the most AMAZING first time mushroom experience in 2002 which, I feel, has changed my outlook on life COMPLETELY. One day, I’ll highlight the escapade — here or on my blog. But it involves a bit of time travel, going in and out of reality, seeing Mother Nature’s vivid green trees on a bright Summer day and just being in awe, going to a club with friends to listen to House music and having some interesting “encounters” on the dance floor from the opposite sex. Oh, and laughing my guts off — like watching some of the best episodes of Seinfeld with Kramer, George, Jerry and Louise stirring the “nothing” pot whereby u simply can’t stop laughing.

What can I say. I HEART magic mushrooms and I think it’s absolutely asinine that they’re illegal in some countries. But we know why, right? Here’s why!

“…the reason everybody from a Marxist state to a Christian oligarchy to a high-tech industrial democracy can get together and agree that psychedelics are a terrible terrible thing, is because the social effects of psychedelics being taken by large numbers of people is a kind of DECONDITIONING from the cultural myths, whatever they are. It’s no knock on any given society, it’s just that if people start taking psychedelics, they start QUESTIONING what they’ve been told about REALITY. And culture is in the business of KEEPING YOU INSIDE a set of predetermined answers to those questions…”

- by the late Terrence McKenna [World famous Author/Lecturer/Scholar on Ecology, Psychedelics, Consciousness, Resource Conservation, Shamanism, Ethno-medicine and founder of the Novelty Theory, a branch of fractal dynamics. More info: http://users.lycaeum.org/~sputnik/mckenna
http://alainarose.wordpress.com Alaina O’Brien

Interesting post. I’m a bit scared to take mushrooms, myself. I’ve heard that if you’re not in a “good place” with yourself, a trip can go south, and quick. … And sometimes, I’m not sure if I’m in that “good place” quite yet …
Dude #1

I highly reccomend picking your own magic mushies if you find yourself in Florida or northern California, Oregon, or Washington. Psilocybe cubensis grow in Florida, which are ok… But the west coast has psilocybe cyanescens and psilocybe azurescens, both are incredibly potent, bright and beautiful. Eaten fresh they have almost no taste whatsoever. Happy tripping and good luck hunting!
http://MaxTheITpro.com Maxwell

Don’t forget that some ancient civilizations used magic mushrooms (MMs) in order to achieve higher states of consciousness. Think about the Mayans for a moment and some of their inventions that we CAN’T even duplicate TODAY. How’d they do that? Guess!!

I believe that if everyone took MMs at the same time — all around this god-forsaken planet that’s going down the drain — that something magical (a catharsis) would take place. All of a sudden, boundaries (racism, greed, hatred, etc.) disappear and this is why governments & the church (religion) can get together and agree that it’s bad. Why?

Because it wipes out the aforementioned boundaries…a new harmony or vibe takes over and we forget about “BUY, BUY, BUY, ME, ME, ME” selfish attitudes that pits average citizens against each other — deliberately.
I personally feel an interconnectedness with nature and my fellow humans and this scares “the establishment” because they use fear to keep us in line & DIVIDED.

Ask yourself why it’s okay to drink poison (er alcohol) and smoke nicotine. They do NOTHING for the mind…so it’s okay. This is why I shake my head at the teens and 20-something group who try so desperately to get into the beer and cigarette thingy. And I just wanna say, “Guys, wake up!! Don’t take that stuff! Try Mother Nature instead.” The masses truly are asses.

Just my 2 cents.

PS–> Shrooms rock like no other! They truly are “the flesh of the gods.”
Scott

Alaina – I’ve found that to be true in my handful of mushroom experiences . . . sometimes, it’s the shrooms themselves that tell me if I’m in a good place or a not so good place . . .

Thinking back to Kodaikanal, India in ’82 . . . a young boy from town would come by the guesthouose in the mornings with a wooden box on his head, wrapped in cloth . . . the top two layers were fresh breads, pastries, etc . . . the third layer was mushroom jam . . . 16 ounces of an amber honey-like liquid . . . and in it, all over it . . . shrooms . . . great on toast in the morning
Joey

Last night me an 3 of my good friends bought some mushrooms. It was my first time and one of my other friends first time. All of us ate an eighth. We ate them around 11 pm and then just started walking around the neighborhood. We walked a mile or 2 to some park where we sat and chilled for a while. I was really starting to trip by now. After staying at the park for a little while we continued our journey to this highway overpass. On the way there we stopped at this very cool looking are thy was well lit and looked at this tree that was white. The leaves were white as could be and we were all fascinated by it. We then proceeded to the overpass and his was my favorite part of the trip. I stood up and held the fence and watched car after car fly under me. The feeling and the sight was incredible. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. We layer there for what felt like 2 or 3 hours but when we looked at the time it was only 1:30. We layer there for a bit longer just laughing and talking about the meaning of life over a nice joint. We all figured it was about time to go back to my friends house where we wer all staying. The walk home was long and tiring. Finally arriving home at about 4, we went smoked a couple bowls and a cigarette then watched some southpark. Thatswhen one of my friends, the other one whos firs Tim it was started to have a bad trip. He wasn’t talking and he was staring to sketch out a little bit. We tried to keep him talkin a little so he can take his mind off shit but that didn’t work. He then strted to get really upset and he about balled his eyes out. He luckly was able to go to sleep. I however didn’t sleep at all. Once he turned the lights off and no one talked, my trip startedto get bad too. Nothing terrible but I was just scared a little. I slept a little bit on and off until 9 am when I drove home and took a nice long shower. And that’s it. My first trip was definately one to remember.

unique

hey joe whats up man? hey i was wondering if yuh happen to be in the nyc area if so can yuh help me make contact widd some shrooms

Scott

Was it Hunter S. Thompson (himself, a frequent flyer) who said, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
http://MaxTheITpro.com Maxwell

Here’s an EXCELLENT short video on YouTube: “The psilocybin mushroom experience” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAGiLCGYQm0
It’s only 3 min 44 seconds long so don’t be bloody lazy. And also peek the related videos on the right hand side to see and hear other peep’s perspective on this fascinating fungi.

See the smorgasbord of colourful patterns around the 2:33 mark? That, to me, is like traveling through the cosmos. I totally “feel” this quote by the video’s author: “…We are not alone and isolated. Nothing is isolated. We are each a uniquely evolving system of pattern and information, born within a vast system of purpose and intelligence, which we call NATURE.”

Related link:
An excellent and very insightful ABC News interview with Dr. Jamie E. Smith (Professor & Chairman of the Physiology & Pharmacology Dept. at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT-M5Iu5FpY
Dr. Smith is so laid back, intelligent and focused on the spirituality aspect of hallucinogens like magic mushrooms — unlike the naive reporter.

More telling in the above 2 videos are the plethora of comments from YouTube users. Let’s just say that the word is finally getting out about the positive aspects of psilocybin.
unique

whats up people im Unique 23 M from NYC i was wondering if anyone knew where to get a hold of some Shrooms around the Bronx? One would think it would be relatively easy to come across but NOT lol… someone please help thanks

http://MaxTheITpro.com Maxwell

^^^ Paul Stamets who’s one of the world’s foremost experts on everything mushrooms has a site Fungi Perfecti where they sell home grow kits. Since the output is “wet” and not dry like shrooms, no one’s really breaking the law — technically. Visit http://www.fungi.com
Take a peek at his excellent books here:
http://www.fungi.com/books/index.html

Some excellent feedback include the following from his well-received book “Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World”
http://www.fungi.com/books/stamets.html :
———

“Stamets has done a unique public service. This visionary and practical book should be an instant classic in the emerging science of how to use nature’s wisdom and fecundity to rescue the earth and ourselves from the unwelcome consequences of human cleverness.” –Amory B. Lovins, CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute

“This is the kind of book I love: highly factual and practical and mixed with the spiritual content that sets the great writers apart from all the rest.” –John Norris, former deputy commissioner and COO of the US FDA, founder of The Bioterrorism Institute and member of adjunct faculty Harvard School of Public Health

“A paradigm-changing book. Stamets’ visionary insights are leading to a whole new understanding of how mushrooms, scarcely seen and rarely appreciated, regulate the earth’s ecosystems.” –John Todd, Ph.D., University of Vermont and John Todd Ecological Design
——-

As you can see, there’s a lot about mushrooms that most people just didn’t know. I truly believe they’re very powerful and have a lot to offer mankind. Try some Cordyceps (a very expensive medicinal mushroom strain) and you’ll quickly see your endurance go through the roof.

Voltaire

uhhhh, I love the fact that the opening talks about an orange and how it reminds you of a vagina and you couldn’t stop laughing. When me and my roommate first tried shrooms, to back off nausea, we were eating oranges, and all the sloppy sounds and juices making our hands sticky kept reminding us of vaginas. I guess oranges are just a good all-around vaginal archetype when trippin on shrooms. I just feel such a good connection right now, like I was meant to read the article. lol
http://MaxTheITpro.com Maxwell

“to back off nausea, we were eating oranges”
–

The BEST way, by far, to completely eliminate nausea is to chew on ginger BEFORE eating your mushrooms. Another alternative is to put some ginger in a cup of hot water and drink it like a tea before eating said mushrooms. Problem solved.
Ginger is known, since time immemorial, as an anti-nausea solution. It’s also great at clearing the digestive track. Ditto for pineapples (clearing ur digestive track of that icky desire to throw up).
http://MaxTheITpro.com Maxwell

Google ginger+nausea:
http://www.google.com/search?q=ginger+nausea
pentomali

took them for Whole Earth Festival in Davis for the first time- i was separated from my friends and had the best adventure ever that started with reggae music and ended up in a park under the stars.
psilob

Im still trying to overcome the taste factor which is horrible, i just wish they were easier to take.

the trip is marvellous, for the lenght of the trip I just feel so… alive!
http://www.luminist.org/archives/ We The People

FYI: ARE YOU HIP TO THE ENTHEOGEN REVOLUTION?

“…Let’s get this out in the open: I’m talking about psychedelics — the taboo little topic that few have dusted off since the fallout of the ’60s. But that word “psychedelic” is loaded with fear. A more straightforward label is entheogen, which literally means “generating the divine within.” In laymen’s terms, that means “becoming God.” We could also go with a purely phenomenological description and call them “consciousness expanding agents” because that’s what they do…

…Cognitive liberty is the belief that we have the inalienable right to achieve, through the use of mind-altering plants and drugs, any state of consciousness we choose — not just the socially acceptable ones.

What we need is a new definition of the word “drug.” The late philosopher of consciousness, Terence McKenna, said a drug is anything that causes unexamined, compulsive behavior. A drug, then, is something that consumes our lives. By this definition, a cigarette is a drug, caffeine is a drug and alcohol is a drug. When we look at it from this perspective, television is also a drug, and the average American spends three to seven hours every day getting intimately hooked to the flickering I-V of the cathode ray tube. Yet television eats at our creative faculties like a cancer, alcohol dumbs us down (and helps us mingle — woohoo), while cigarettes are nothing but dirty syringes for nicotine injection. These substances are socially acceptable and perfectly legal — all the while causing serious harm at astronomical social costs.

It all comes down to allowing people the right to experiment with marginal states of consciousness. Right now most of us operate on a very narrow band of habitual behavior that is closed to realms of imagination and possibility.

We are a species in crisis.

Pioneering minds have used entheogens. It’s no secret that Steve Jobs, the creative zest behind Apple Computers, dropped acid. Bill Gates, in an obscure Playboy interview, all but admitted that some of his formative experiences came from mind-expanding substances. Entheogens break down boundaries of habitual, unexamined behavior and aid in the creative process. Yet most of us are still locked in the termite mind of man. This cannot stand.

We’ve been lied to. It is time to rise.

The war on drugs is not a war on substances; it’s a war on states of mind.

Entheogens are not illegal because a loving government is concerned that you’re going to hurt yourself by smoking pot or tripping in your bedroom. Entheogens are illegal because they make you question authority. They break down socially constructed fables and cleanse the doors of perception. They make you question the wrongs of society in a fundamental way, making you dangerous. You’re like Neo in The Matrix when all of the illusions of reality have been irrevocably stripped away…”
http://www.luminist.org/archives/entheogen.htm
ipwnwontons

well just tried shrooms yesterday. It was amazing but horrible at the same time. When it first started to kick in, me and a few of my freinds were smoking a bong. I had done about 4 tokes and was pretty fucked. Just then the shrooms started to kick in. (for 20 minutes i’m going to say) I was sitting on the couch listening to techno deep deep in my mind. I felt like I was one with the universe. I was everything and nothing and i could see eternity go on for ever. When we moved rooms though it started to get shitty. It started to become a little too strong for me and i started feeling unconfortable. This just led to a cycle of me trying to calm down which made me freak out even more. Eventually after going outside for about an hour I managed to calm down and tried to go to sleep. However each time I was just about to fall asleep I realized that I wasn’t breathing (or though that I wasn’t breathing) and I jolted back awake. This was actually kind of fun and it just kept happening for about half an hour as I was listening to kid cudi. Eventually I went to sleep and when I woke up I was still kind of body high. All in all I think that it was worth the bad parts just for the hour of perfectness. I honestly think it’s just about the setting. I was doing it with a few guys that pissed me off and they were acting all serious so that is probobly why my “trip” started to turn bad. Ideal place for taking them for me would be in a forest in the day. By the way I took about 2 grams of really good ones.
bd

Magic Mushrooms are awesome when everything is going good, the world lets you feel every tree breath, and the sky may even welcome you into a ride through the clouds in your mind… But when shit hits the fan, bugs are flying around your car like its Jurassic Park, you can’t find your keys, your friends won’t stop screaming, and your seeing demons, life can get pretty twisted for a few weeks until you come back to reality. Always plan ahead, know where your going and make sure you don’t mind revealing your truest self to the ones your tripping with. When the doors of perception are cleansed, everything will appear as it is, which can be a bit too real.
Jason

Eating an orange or anything with vitamin C is a good way of bringing someone down off a bad trip. Just remember you’re just visiting another place, just passing through, there is nothing to fear. I’ve been eating the mushrooms for 20 years and find them one of lifes true joys. The correct dosage is essential for the desired effects… The greatest achievement of science this century will be the acknowledgement of our ignorance.

Georgia

Do you drive a taxi? We have footage of you expousing pearls of wisdom about ”the greatest achievement of science”….. so were you really on chanel 9 in the late 90′s?

ohsnap!

Do you live in New York and read Vice. Your writing style is so boring and typical, cutting edge cynicism, mixed with a dose of being a huge asshat. You are a bitter pill, probably your “friends”secretly all hate you, eachother, and themselves.

Georgia, You are boring, just remember that…

Gunter

for a first time, never done psychedelic drugs in my life with the exception of cannibus
how many mushrooms should i take? i am thinking an absolute maximum of 3
does this sound adequate?

Breeandbran

cannibus is not a psychedelic drug
Breeandbran

cannibus is not a psychedelic drug

Boggins

You obviously haven’t eaten enough!
Boggins

You obviously haven’t eaten enough!
Jhunt83

cannibus IS a psychadelic (hallucinogen) drug actually

Poop

Please, please, please. It is spelled C-A-N-N-A-B-I-S.
Poop

Please, please, please. It is spelled C-A-N-N-A-B-I-S.
Poop

Please, please, please. It is spelled C-A-N-N-A-B-I-S.

Poop

Cannabis is considered to be a mild psychedelic. Look it up. Contrary to popular belief, the prerequisite for psychedelic classification is not powerful hallucinations. Also, this article was clearly written by a noob who has only experienced one perspective on mushrooms.
Poop

Cannabis is considered to be a mild psychedelic. Look it up. Contrary to popular belief, the prerequisite for psychedelic classification is not powerful hallucinations. Also, this article was clearly written by a noob who has only experienced one perspective on mushrooms.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Tomas-Santos/1763461126 Tomas Santos

take about a gram (there are so many types of shroom, so for one species a gram can be a few shrooms and for another it can be just one) to start off with and work ur way up ( i would say most people consider 1/8th (3.5grams) to be a medium dose if u need a refrence) also feel free to correct me if im wrong about anything i just posted xD
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tomas-Santos/1763461126 Tomas Santos

take about a gram (there are so many types of shroom, so for one species a gram can be a few shrooms and for another it can be just one) to start off with and work ur way up ( i would say most people consider 1/8th (3.5grams) to be a medium dose if u need a refrence) also feel free to correct me if im wrong about anything i just posted xD
Jhunt83

since different strains of mushrooms of varying sizes and potencies, “taking 3″ would be a blind guess as to what your effects would be.. however, most people take anywhere from half an 1/8 to 1/8 (1.75-3.5 grams) their first time. I recommend taking about 2 grams as a first timer, unless you’re going for the gold lol…

Anca781

Hi Jason you said you have experience with shrooms , i had my spiritual awakening a few month ago without any kind of shrooms, herbs or drugs. But now i do want to try since i know there is so much more to find out about what we are ,and i have no idea where to start would you be so nice to add me to your list and chat to me please about how to do this i would really apreciated . Or anyone that could help me my email is anca781@hotmail.com or yahoo id is caiaanca .

http://www.facebook.com/Dr.NelsonHughes Nelson Hughes

take them with a grain of salt, some mushrooms you can take 4 grams and feel fine while other you can be flying into different worlds off as little as one G.
i allways like to write on my hand “its just a drug” to bring myself back to reality if going into a bad trip.
location location loaction mushrooms are not a party drug, for first timers go out into nature and do them on a hot summers day with good holesome friends.
http://www.facebook.com/Dr.NelsonHughes Nelson Hughes

in canada we get em for roughly 5 -10 bucks a G
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_P4U4GJYWYIINNY2M3WRFE2CKWU Ty

Mushrooms have a much greater potential beyond recreation. They can also be used for therapy, spiritual insight, and creative problem solving. I recommend a book titled “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys” by James Fadiman for both the experienced and inexperienced traveler.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_P4U4GJYWYIINNY2M3WRFE2CKWU Ty

Mushrooms have a much greater potential beyond recreation. They can also be used for therapy, spiritual insight, and creative problem solving. I recommend a book titled “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys” by James Fadiman for both the experienced and inexperienced traveler.
WilliamArea51 2012

That sound pretty crazy, maybe it will all help us shift our awareness.
WilliamArea51 2012

That sound pretty crazy, maybe it will all help us shift our awareness.
Beckybaby Ak21

what do u look for if say u just went out and did it the old fashiond way ?? i need info
Rtbrasil

Great Article.
I got my last magic mushrooms from Shayanashop
Nick

this is me and my friends first time, but my other friend has done it alot, I have a quad of shrooms, is that enough to get all of us high?
Nick

7 grams to be exact
Mushroom Nerd

The mushrooms in the picture at the top of the page aren’t magic mushrooms. They’re actually edible and delicious (called “Shaggy Manes”).

Awesome article!
georgia heinz

YOUR ALL GAY AND BISEXUAL.
georgia heinz

YOUR ALL GAY AND BISEXUAL.
georgia heinz.

i like hairy penis.
georgia heinz.

i like hairy penis.
georgia heinz.

fuck me in the bum hole.
Shyannferretti

wow people should not do this
Avery

Alright article other than the blatant trans hate.
Anonymous

I notice most people who take shrooms are still young. I’m 40 and I’ve been doing them for 25 years… that’s a quarter of a century of tripping. In that time I’ve seen many people become better human beings from using shrooms. Seen a few lose their heads, too, but, in all those cases they had deep rooted psychological issues anyway. All the sane ones were fine. I’ve seen people into heavy drugs take them as just another drug to get messed up on, but soon realise they got high instead… then dropped taking heavy drugs in favour of taking journeys into their mind. Shrooms are an amazing tool, a gift from nature (or God if you prefer to believe that) and they are there to be used. Just because a handful of ignorant men who are devoid of the facts make them illegal, that has nothing to do with me or you. I have my own set of laws to live by, as I’m sure you do. I was raised to know the difference between right and wrong. Stealing off people is wrong, rape is wrong, murder is wrong… so I don’t do those. Mushrooms are wonderful, they do no harm whatsoever, and I will take them for as long as I’m physically able to pick or grow my own.
Anonymous

I notice most people who take shrooms are still young. I’m 40 and I’ve been doing them for 25 years… that’s a quarter of a century of tripping. In that time I’ve seen many people become better human beings from using shrooms. Seen a few lose their heads, too, but, in all those cases they had deep rooted psychological issues anyway. All the sane ones were fine. I’ve seen people into heavy drugs take them as just another drug to get messed up on, but soon realise they got high instead… then dropped taking heavy drugs in favour of taking journeys into their mind. Shrooms are an amazing tool, a gift from nature (or God if you prefer to believe that) and they are there to be used. Just because a handful of ignorant men who are devoid of the facts make them illegal, that has nothing to do with me or you. I have my own set of laws to live by, as I’m sure you do. I was raised to know the difference between right and wrong. Stealing off people is wrong, rape is wrong, murder is wrong… so I don’t do those. Mushrooms are wonderful, they do no harm whatsoever, and I will take them for as long as I’m physically able to pick or grow my own.
Sam

There is certainly more research needed to unlock the full magic of these amazing mushrooms. I too have been munching them for years and I have got say they make the world a brighter, better place. I’m more positive day to day and feel I’m even more health conscious. As always it takes the doctors 100 years to catch up! And let’s face it! There’s no $$$$$ in it for the drug companies.
sasquatch

Haven’t done shrooms in over 20 years. Can’t wait to get back into the laughing trips. Reefer has put to much strain on the old lungs and i can’t live without some kind of escape.

HAPPY TRIPS
Mrstrolli

Why can’t I get off on mushrooms? i’ve tried 3 times with varying dosage levels—1, then 2, then 4 ounces, and NOTHING. I do take prozac but that should heightened the experience, right? My husband takes the same shrooms and gets off just fine. Any ideas?
Oh, and i had been using weed those last times. Today i won’t touch the stuff. Will that help?
RM93

here’s a cool shroom story…
I did shrooms for the first time with two friends. We walked around our school, lots of trees and fields. Anyway, That day i found out i was a tree lover. Every tree seemed to have an intriguing almost flirtatious face. My friends say I actually fell in love with one. There was one tree that was basically my dream girl minus the bark and roots. So then near the end of my trip I ran into a girl on our return, one of my best friends, that I have had a major crush on for nearly a year. She goes to hug me and her body perfectly outlines the tree. The tree that i fell in love with an hour earlier. like exactly. I didn’t say a word after that. Completely mesmerized. I did a double take and same result. This is why i love shrooms……hope everyone has great trips

The first-timer’s guide to magic mushrooms

Part 1 – Prepping for Shrooms

Part 2 – Is it just me or is the world throbbing?

Part 3 – Did I just say that?

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