Just would like some perspective on this. At present I'm in Iquitos, Peru where I often visit. I was looking for an Ayahuasca ceremony and found there was a Shamans conference here this week. I got invited to do a San Pedro ceremony on Monday before doing the Ayahuasca last night. The dose was about a 12 once glass full that had been brewed for 20 hours. It was very thick and smooth with very little bitter taste at all. The setting was at a jungle lodge and started about 10:am. I didn't know what to expect but found a very clear, acutely aware experience that was pleasantly physical. There was a nice lagoon for swimming, the warm water was just plain sensual. There were palm trees and tons of birds/bird song and well as flower gardens all over the place too. Apparently the experience was pretty emotional for some of the folks...a lot of crying and some folks looking frightened. What I got was just a sweet clarity with a whole lot of visual activity at times, especially when I closed my eyes. It was sunny with some scattered clouds at times and a high wind. I was absolutely transported away. Is this typical for San Pedro? It seemed very comforting and almost entertaining especially compared to last nights Ayahuasca which was far more mentally intense and phyically rough, especially the purging. Is a 12 once glass a lot?...not enough..just about right? What are typical experiences like?
Well first off ask yourself was it enough? One thing that kind of caught me by surprise the first time I tried San Pedro was the subtlety of it. I found it extremely powerful yet had this subdued flowing quality to it. I find the experience to be extremely euphoric, the visuals are nice in that everything is 'sparkling' and alive looking but it doesn't have quite the visual distortion of LSD or mushrooms. (I have no ayahuasca experience) the lucidness and clarity of thought is unparalled with San pedro, an idea or concept will seamlessly enter your consciousness and you are there to analyze or dismiss it in its entirety before another concept enters. Eventhough I would say its really hard to have a badtrip on mescaline this clarity and focus of thought can often have a mescaline trip not be all fun and games. I find that a drug like LSD for instance, is more overwhelming, but it often makes me have scattered thoughts or a new thought penetrating in before a current thought is complete and I develop a go with the flow type attitude without ever confronting the thought or concept. I don't find such a luxury on mescaline. The closed eye visuals on san pedro are in my opinion the pinnacle of psychedelic cevs along with dmt. Most psychedelic seem to display a beautiful array of fractals and patterning but mescaline seems to have scenes play out with geometric lines and various figures, some very discernable, some not so much. The closed eye visuals move quite slow and gracefully for me and feel like they saturate my entire being. I often have a sensation of being caressed by an outside force with eyes closed on San pedro. Other than that I usually feel quite cleansed the following day with possibly some slight lethargy.
You pretty much answered my question of "is it enough" by descibing how the experience works. The clarity of thought and euphoria were pleasant surprises for me because I had no measuring stick save for acid, mushrooms and peote. I know what Ayahuasca does and knew it would not be similar.I had been expecting a more introspective trip and instead found serenity and delight in my surroundings. Perhps the most salient part was the sense of being absolutely connected to the setting. Thanks for your insights
Get out of Iquitos. Find a way to Cuzco and start looking for Las Huaringas. That's how you will find real huachumeros. Hurry because the mountain traditions are dying.
The Shamans from Cuzco are here this week for a Gathering of Shamans (Soga de Alma). Besides I am far more atuned to using Ayahuasca. Having lived in Peru and having visited for 20 some years I feel Iquitos to be exactly where I need to be at the moment. We'll be going to Cuzco next week because my two youngest Peruvian sons want to see the mountains. San Pedro appeared as an opportunity before my Ayahuasca ceremony...a very pleasant opportunity but my real work is with the Vine of the soul. However I will be visiting San Pedro again. Thanks.
Ayahuasca is from the earth, San Pedro is from heaven. they meet here in between and both are beautiful. Saludos.
Sounds like a typical positive mescaline experience to me. I've experienced San Pedro as sort of like a mix between MDMA and mushrooms, though this does little to describe the feelings it gives. Ayahuasca is considered far more frightening, difficult and at times downright dangerous than San Pedro for the fact that it causes projectile vomiting, diarrhea and occasional allergic reactions. It's one of those things I'd never consider trying, but some people find it enlightening so to each his own. San pedro potency varies greatly, so there is no set standard dose. The only way to discern whether you took the right amount is to gauge the intensity of effects. Were they pleasant or too intense? Did you feel let down or unfulfilled by the lack of intensity or duration of the trip? What would you change in terms of effects?
I started at 10:am and pretty much was down by 6 pm. I was satisfied but I suppose a bit more intensity of visuals would have been good. As it was the jungle setting was almost electric and neon. I simply felt very tranquil and grateful to be in the setting with perfect weather. There was a fair amount of visual stuff when I closed my eyes too. Getting into the lagoon was close to erotic and very sensual. There was no real information for me from the San Pedro. When I did the Ayahuasca ceremony 2 days later it was pretty much kickin ass and taking names...the Ayahuasca gave me some of the answers I had been after. Before I do San Pedro again though I have some Ayahuasca work to finish. San Pedro feels like desert, Ayahuasca is the main course...at least for me.
Yeah, San Pedro can be kind of mild unless you take a lot more than the recommended 12 to 15 inches. The visual distortions from mushrooms seem to be much more powerful for me at least, though I like the overall feeling of mescaline much better. I've personally never had a really intense trip from San Pedro for the fact that I'm petrified of vomiting. Have never felt a hint of nausea, but would like to kick up the dose a notch to see how far I can push it. Luckily, I just ordered a 40 inch SP cutting and am definitely going to experiment further with mescalito Man, you're braver than me with that Ayahuasca stuff. I admire people who can withstand intense psychedelic experiences without going off the deep end or freaking out!
I'll use San Padro again and try an even larger dose...I felt like I had complete and comfortable control with San Pedro. With Ayahuasca its simply a matter of accepting surrender to the medicine with the knowledge that it will take you where you need to go...whether you like it or not. I've never had a bad experience but it sure has rubbed my nose into some of my faults. As well it has stood in front of me and given me thanks for the stuff I've gotten right. I need a few more ceremonies with it then I'm gonna back off and put the information into play.
24 inches is about the sweet spot with San Pedro for me. Because of the extreme variability in mescaline and other psychoactive alkaloid content sometimes taking like 30 inches will produce a milder trip than 24 inches. I also don't have a terrible amount of space to work with, so having 3 feet of cactus to prepare gets kind of messy, maybe if I had more space to work with I wouldn't mind it as much, but I know for sure consuming that much is quite difficult for me.
