Shifting Perception
October 28, 2015I remember hearing something about salvia some years ago, and thinking that it sounded like an intriguing drug. Last week, I happened upon something about it on the net, and decided I’d like to give it a go. I was surprised to find that it’s freely available in head shops here in Dublin, and so in I went, to get some. The only salvia they had was 40x extract, and although I knew this was very strong for a first timer, I bought it anyway.
I’m a good friend of Mary Jane, and have previously done acid and mushies, so I am what you would call drug-aware. I decided instead of leaping in with two feet, I would smoke a small amount packed into the end of a joint, to give myself some idea of what the effects might be.
I took a deep hit and held it in. Instantly I felt like a sideways shift in perception. I physically felt myself slide out of my body so that I was slightly behind and slightly to the left of myself. At the same time I felt the left hand side of my room ‘open up’. I felt that there was another world there. I couldn’t see this other world, but I also could not see the left hand side of the room where this other world was I got an impression that there was grass and a blue sky, and also people. I suddenly became aware that my body, or the self I could see from outside myself (hope you’re following this) was standing up, and that somebody was holding my hand and pulling me gently but firmly into this other dimension. I also felt like a pair of arms wrapped securely around my waist, also pulling me, but somehow, keeping me safe. I felt like the ‘people’ in the ‘world’ really wanted me to go there. I said something like ” I know you guys want me to go….” I then became aware of a gel like substance, like water made of air (?) that was separating these two places. This started to envelop me, I could feel it wrap around my body, and I could see it when I looked down. It felt amazing. I knew that if it covered me totally I would be gone from this world. However, this was half past five on a friday, and my rational mind really didn’t want to trip, I was just testing this stuff out, so I began running around my room trying to wiggle out of this gel stuff. I wasn’t a bit scared, it was more of a playful vibe, like when your friends want you to go somewhere with them, but you’ve got something else to do. All of this was completely real to me.
I then snapped out of it a little and realised I was tripping. I smoked the rest of the joint and lay down on my bed. As soon as I lay down, suddenly I couldn’t really remember who or where I was. I felt like I was outside. I felt like the ‘people’ were coming closer to me, leaning over me. I became aware again of green fields, and a serious little girl of about 7 (who I think might have been me (!)) standing beside my bed saying to me “There’s a funfair.” I was a bit concerned that I didn’t know who I was so I tried to sit up. I couldn’t. I felt hands on my shoulders pushing me down, and again those arms around my waist, holding me secure. My rational mind kicked in, thinking “You should be able to sit up”, and with a bit of effort I did. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I was fully back.
This trip has stayed with me all week. I feel happier, I’m laughing more than usual, I feel a new appreciation for planet earth, now that I now I can leave it if I choose to. Seems to me salvia is a benevolent drug. It gave me free choice on whether I wanted to trip or not. It made it clear that it wanted me to, but ultimately left it up to me. Lovely. I will do it again, although I’m sure if you pass through that curtain, Lady Salvia takes over. And now that I’ve met her, I think I’m happy to let her do that. Especially if there’s a funfair. Definitely a drug with soul.
by Sue