MAPS: Salvia ... Properties and Dangers ... one experience.

[Ian Soutar <soutar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Please post this on Maps ... as a warning to people to be careful with
Salvia.  Someone should always supervise a user because he or she may
walk around in a trance and get themselves in trouble.  Other than this
it has been a very powerful herb for me ... unmatched by any
psychedelics I have tried in the past.  It must be treated with great
respect.


My experience of Jan. 17, 1999

I just had a very very amazing experience with Salvia last night ... it
left me feeling like you gotta be really careful with it.  Be very very
careful with your dosage and have a guide present!  I don't really think

there is any reason to concentrate the raw leaf ... the important thing
is to smoke it correctly.

The secret I found to getting it to work is the pipe.  If you roll a
joint it probably will have only a very minor effect.  I have done as
many as 4 leaves rolled up like a cigarrete with only slight effects.

Last night I made the correct pipe with a cast iron L bracket for the
pipe.  I lined it with a foil cone with pinholes.  Then I added 5 feet
of wide gage (1/2 inch inside diameter) food grade tubing.  The idea is
to torch with a lighter 1 or 2 leaves only and take it in in one
breath.  Keep torching 'till everything is gone ... very easy 'cause the

tube cools the smoke and vapours.  The active ingredient is difficult to

vapourize without this technique.  I have been very scientific in
establishing this method, and take notes on each method.  I let other
friends collect data too.  We all agree that this is the only method
that works.

I held in the smoke and lay down on the living room.  I remember
beginning to breath out as I lay down.

Some time later (1 minute or so) I found myself naked standing and
holding onto the kitchen door frame.  I must have dropped out of my
night gown when I stood up.  I was fading in and out of becoming one
with the universe ... starting with the door frame.  My body would
disappear completely becoming one with the wood of the door and I would
worry ... "what will people say when I have disappeared into the
woodwork."  Then I would be gone ... one with all.  Then I would come
back and wonder how I got to be standing there.  Why was I naked?  I
really could not even recall doing the Salvia. I had no idea how I got
there!

In and out of ego consciousness ... about a dozen cycles and I started
to realize that this was a Salvia experience.  In 5 minutes I was in a
reasonably normal state of mind.  It was a bit of a fearful experience.
I had hoped to experience a few pretty patterns ... and had been thrust
into a Satori like state ... and I was not ready for that.

For years I have been meditating and had glimpses of such states ...
Salvia was like a bolt of lightning pushing me over the edge.  I was not

ready.

The next day I made a pact with a friend that I would never do Salvia
alone again.  When I went to the Conference on Salvia at Breitenbush Hot

Springs in December 98 I was warned not to do it without supervision.
VERY VERY GOOD ADVICE.

Being an old hippie, years ago I did many psychedelics ... legal back
then ... but they were all like lemonade compared to Salvia ... I had no

idea of its power.   I look forward to exploring meditation and Salvia
Divinorum with friends.

                        Best wishes ... and be careful

                                                Ian.


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