There’s a New Yorker cartoon I love where a husband says to his wife as they leave their house together, dressed for an event, “Honey, don’t talk too much about the kids tonight. People either have their own kids – or they don’t.”
A parallel caption might read, “Honey, don’t talk too much about psychedelics. People either have their own trips – or they don’t.”
On a recent mushroom trip (excuse the irony in my sharing this!), a voice whispered to me, “Some things are just for you to experience, not to be shared.”
Huh?
I’ve already shared the details of my first, mind-blowing Bufo experience. Does that mean I shouldn’t talk about my second Bufo experience? I’m dying to tell you how I dissolved into the universe as it endlessly regenerated in a cosmic, fiery big bang of intensity. (Okay, I’ll stop there…for now!)
Psychedelics are not for everyone. The details of my many journeys are just for me. But their lessons are not. And I feel pulled to share these lessons with you.
So, back to my second Bufo journey. 🤭
For context, the psychoactive ingredient in Bufo is 5-Meo-DMT. In lay language, when you take it, you experience “ego death.” That means that you disappear for a brief moment in time. You and your thoughts, plans, stories, inhibitions, hangups, worries, identity, personal brand, boundaries, attachments, desires, fears, labels, preferences, judgements, roles, history, control, self-importance, body awareness, ownership, guilt, shame, gratification, beliefs, opinions, motivations, certainty, defense, titles, grudges, narratives, expectations, pride, regret, hope, greed, limitations, opposition, distinction, habits, conflict, hierarchy, entitlement, despair, illusions….all the elements that you think identify you… disappear briefly.
If “ego death” unravels every thread of your constructed self, what else is there?
What remains is often described as pure being, universal connection, or simply “what is.”
And this is the beautiful lesson, whether you trip – or not:
- We are all made out of the same stuff. We’re truly more the same than different.
- The stories and labels we’ve built for ourselves are simply constructs, not our essence.
- We’re not separate. We’re interconnected, part of the same stunning universe.
- We have opportunity to let go of control and judgement.
Bufo reminds us – in the most dramatic, life-changing way possible – that we have opportunity to unite in healing our singular, shared world. That we should stop obsessing about ourselves! And that we each can focus far more on being present in quietude for one another.
And so may it be.
Photo: Yasser Mokhtarzadeh
