As humans, we all naturally feel a motivation to grow and improve ourselves in some way or another. Everyone is working very hard each and every day to be free of pain and find ways to be happy. This is true for all of us. How often, though, do we wish for happiness and yet still find ourselves experiencing frustration and pain? It seems to me that, although we may all aspire to realize happiness for ourselves, we are mostly confused about the effective means by which one actually makes it a reality in any kind of enduring way. How often do we make use of ineffective means to achieve real happiness, mistaking pleasure for happiness and limiting our happiness to something that will miraculously happen for us "someday" when all this work and life stuff finally gets out of the way? I mean, what a tragedy if “someday” never comes, and we find that we were just deluding ourselves to get by. 

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Working hard, acquiring things, and striving within the capitalist system are not inherently bad. But if you believe that these things alone can bring you a genuine sense of inner satisfaction, you may soon learn that it’s simply not the case. Genuine happiness comes from leading a spiritual life. I don’t mean spirituality in the sense of religious belief or devotion; that kind of spirituality is for some people, but not everyone. Of the 6 billion people on this planet today, many practice no religion whatsoever. They are still human beings who experience pain and want to be happy. So, when I say spirituality is needed, I am referring to secular spirituality, which does not require any kind of doctrine or blind faith but is based instead on the inherent goodness of human beings. Secular spirituality is essential because the journey of life we all undergo includes aspiring to develop a realistic attitude within ourselves that’s not solely concerned with external factors or material comfort but also focuses on our inner values. This inward journey can bring genuine happiness to people, regardless of their religious faith.

As humans, whether you believe we were created by God or through evolution, we are certainly social creatures. Therefore, affection is the most important factor in being a happier human being. In modern society, we often neglect these inner values while seeking comfort from external sources. That’s why even billionaires, who are very wealthy, can be so unhappy. Why? Not because they lack material comforts, religious ideals, power, fame, or privileges, but because they have neglected their essential needs as human beings.

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Many people in the modern world seem to be of the understanding that it is easier to find external satisfaction than to cultivate inner value. I think this an incorrect view. Yes, there’s been a new “norm” created in our culture since the industrialization of our species, suggesting that if you work really hard, you can succeed in this material world and meet all your needs and desires as a human, ensuring you experience a full and meaningful life. Unfortunately, this is only half the truth. Yes, we need adequate material resources as practical means to live comfortably, but if we want to find lasting happiness, we must go one step further and recognize that being human comes with certain needs that must be fulfilled to be happy. Firstly, we are social animals, so we require affection. Secondly, our brains have evolved with many complexities (stemming from our evolution as a species and from personal maladaptive behaviors we developed in response to life experiences) that are not conducive to happiness, so we have to train ourselves to clear our minds of that baggage.

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Its been a well kept secret in the west, that our attitude can be cultivated as a way of being that is informed by an accurate view of reality, and in so doing, we can create for ourselves an incredible way of living of with genuine inner freedom. The key question is: what tools and practices can we use to connect with this reality in a way that actually brings about this positive change in our lives? How can we take the next step right now and make this lifestyle a reality for ourselves, living in the world, celebrating our material comforts without losing ourselves in them? We are all human beings who experience pain and want to be happy. That’s why we should all have access to effective means through which we can cultivate our minds, develop our innate potential, and free ourselves from misguided perceptions of ourselves and reality. We all deserve access to this—regardless of our circumstances, irrespective of any personal ideologies or beliefs we may (or may not) have, and whether or not we already lead very busy lives.

In the past 20 years or so, there has been a mass popularization of secular spiritual practices (like meditation, breathwork, and cold immersion, to name a few) in the West for this very reason. This shows that we are all seeking to realize there is much more to this human experience than simply working and acquiring nicer and nicer shit, and that this is true for every one of us. 

 

I personally believe that meditation, exercise, breathwork, ice baths, and psychotherapy, to name a few, are excellent tools that we have and should make use of and are extremely helpful for developing the kinds of attitudes that can take our lives in a positive direction. Unfortunately, when psychedelics first entered our culture in the 60s, we were largely unprepared to handle the type of radical transformation that they can occasion; we dismissed and labeled them as drugs of abuse. Since then, we’ve unfortunately overlooked an extremely powerful modality for developing public health and wellness.

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That’s why I feel that one of the real tragedies of the 20th century has been our failure as a culture to recognize the potential of psychoactive substances like magic mushrooms, which grow from the earth completely naturally, to be used as a tool for both understanding the mind and, potentially, changing it in ways that can bring about genuine inner transformation for the better.

Personally, I have come to see psilocybin mushrooms as a gift that nature has been given us to help and support our personal and spiritual evolution. Contrary to how many of us view these substances in the west, they are not at all recreational substances by any means. I think it is difficult to have a worse experience than going to the club after taking a dose of magic mushrooms, or interacting with someone at the height of the intensity of the psychedelic effect.

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Psilocybin is the the compound that naturally occures in over  200 species of fungi and is  what is responsible for the psychoactive effects of so called “magic” mushrooms.  Psilocybin is itself biologically inactive but is quickly converted by the body to psilocin, So When we eat psilocybin containing magic mushrooms, the psilocybin contained in them gets converted in our body to Psilocin. Psilocin is classed within the category of tryptamine Psychedelics of which DMT and 5-Meo DMT are also categorized. This class if psychedelics very closely resemble serotonin. Serotonin is a neural modulator that your body naturally produces (primarily in the gut and brain) and is largely responsible for increasing and also decreasing activity within specified neural circuits in the brain and nervous system. Psilocin and Seratonin look structurally and chemically very similar. But what’s so unique about Psilocin is that when we introduce a larger than usual quantity of this compound into our brain (by consuming Magic mushrooms for example) is that, while it functions in our brain in much the same way as serotonin does, it primarily bonds to 5HT2A receptors. This is important to understand because it appears to be the reason that makes psilocin  such a powerful medicine. The fact that psilocin binds to these receptors in the brain is what allows for the types of changes in neural circuitry to take place (such as neuroplasticity, shift in perception, mood and so on) not just while one is under the influence of psilocybin but afterwards as well. 

If you have a very rudimentary understanding of seratonin, it could be tempting to think that introducing a higher than normal serotonin analog such as psilocin into the brain will just  lead to one to experience feelings of euphoria and bliss but that is definitely not the case. That’s because the way serotonin functions in the brain is far more complicated that just affecting mood which is why it is still being researched. There is still a lot we do not know about serotonin and its implications for personal wellbeing and mental pathology. What we do know is that the way psilocin activates the 5HT2A receptors in the brain under the circumstances of responsible set and setting is reliably bringing about profoundly positive shifts for people, bringing about enduring changes in moods, attitudes and perceptions that extend far beyond the psychedelic experiences themselves. As a psychedelic guide, I am most interested in what we can do with psychedelics therapeutically. The good news is that we can certainly go way beyond any potential of traditional means that we have had available to us in the west like verbal therapy, tranquiliosers and antidepressant medications to name a few. Most of modern psychiatry seems to be limited to suppressing symptoms through these means but it is nothing more that mitigation of symptoms and it doesn’t really change anything. Whereas psychedelics can take us to the core of where the problems are coming from. We can really resolve something. Some of the transformations I have seen in my work so far, to name a few are;

 

Healing of emotional, psychosomatic, and interpersonal problems

Significant decrease of aggression, emergence of compassion

Development of racial, sexual, political, and religious tolerance

Inner peace, improved self-image, self-acceptance

increased creativity, self-realization, self-actualization

Reduction of irrational drives and ambitions

Competitiveness replaced by synergy, cooperation.

Shift of focus from the past and future to the present moment

Increase of zest, joi de vivre, love of life, appreciation of beauty

Enjoying everyday activities - people, nature, music, food, love-making

Love of nature and emergence of great ecological sensitivity

Sense of belonging to humanity and planetary citizenship

Emergence of spirituality of a universal, non-denominational, non-sectarian, all-encompassing, all-inclusive and mystical nature.

 

Psilocybin is truly not a drug in the same way that we tend to think of drugs of abuse nor of phrmacalogical drugs either. nor are all the main natural psychoactive substances that have been used for thousands of years throughout the world. The most famous and important ones are DMT, mescaline, and ibogaine, but the list is long, and they all have one thing in common: they are not easy and are not in any way recreational. If you are only looking for fun or for a "buzz," mushrooms are not for you. If you want an escape, avoid mushrooms because they mercilessly make you face the truest reality of all: yourself.

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Psychedelics like magic mushrooms, because they are so powerful, have often been likened to sharp blades. Let’s consider, for a moment, the surgical scalpel—in the hands of a knowledgeable and skilled individual like a surgeon, it can save and potentially transform a life for the better. However, in the hands of a less skillful individual, it can be used carelessly and without informed guidance, which can lead to significant harm. That's why it is essential to work with a trained guide when using psychedelics; just as you would trust a surgeon with your life, you should treat the process of taking magic mushrooms (or any psychedelic, for that matter) with the same level of respect and due diligence. Find a guide. Prepare yourself adequately for the experience. Do it properly. It’s completely worth all the time, effort, and money you invest in the process.

The first contact with these sacred substances takes place at the physical level; therefore, knowing the substance and your own psychophysical condition is essential to avoid problems and consequences that can sometimes be very serious. The entire introduction is about the contraindications and should be read carefully, particularly about the physical and psychological health conditions that imply you must categorically avoid the use of mushrooms.

In order to know what to do—and what not to do—you need to have some basic information. How many do I take? How? Where? Mushrooms or truffles? What are the differences? And what about psilacetin? Music? Where do I find them? What about microdosing? These are some of the questions that I have asked myself—and I have been asked—over the years, to which perhaps you have also sought answers on the web.

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These days it is easy to find information on any subject, but there is so much out there on the internet that it is not easy to recognize the information that is actually useful and valuable, especially if you know little or nothing about the subject. My practice integrates the best information found in books, online, many first-hand experiences and consultations with a whole myrid of fellow guides, psychonautes, scientists and researchers. 

My practice is meant to be useful to those who would like to approach magic mushrooms in a way that is safe and responsible. But maybe you do not know where to start and, above all, do not know what to believe after searching for information on the web.

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Certainly, psychedelics are not the be-all and end-all of mental, physical, and spiritual health and wellness. But they hold the potential to unlock an incredible kind of insight into the human condition that is relevant to every human being on this planet. The ancients knew this, and that’s why the ceremonial use of psychoactive substances is such a hallmark of the ancient world. Every civilization on the planet, since time immemorial, has consumed psychedelics in some form or another on a regular basis, mostly ritualistically for the purposes of healing and spiritual growth. All indigenous cultures did this—the Incas, Aztecs, Maya, and Mazatecs, to name just a few—and more complex societies did it as well: Egyptians, Ancient Mesopotamians, and Greeks. All societies, except for two notable exceptions—the Inuit (because nothing really grows where they live) and our society. That’s crazy. No wonder the modern world is in a mental health crisis right now. We have basically denied ourselves access to an essential rite of passage to what it means to be human. Humans have always had access to endogenous (meditation, breath work, dance, sensory deprivation) and exogenous (consuming psychoactive plants) means by which to explore and cleanse the deepest dimensions of the psyche and spirit. It’s part of our birthright to have access to these modalities.

Okay, so we got it wrong in the 60s. What have we learned since then? We’ve learned two things. Firstly, we’ve learned that while psychedelics are by no means drugs of abuse, nor are they a panacea for all the world's problems, they can certainly help people in an impactful and enduring way, provided they are used responsibly and with a guide. Secondly, we’ve learned that while psychedelics can reliably give people incredible experiences, it is extremely important for people to first and foremost take responsibility for their own lives in order for these experiences to truly take hold for them in any meaningful way. That’s why participants need to prepare themselves adequately for the experience a few days in advance and be ready to bring the lessons learned from their trip into their daily lives, often referred to as the process of integration.

I would like to conclude this essay with one recommendation for you, if I may. If it makes sense to you, then good. But if not, just leave it to the side for now.

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Here is my recommendation: As a human, your basic nature is pure goodness itself. There is nothing wrong with you and certainly nothing to solve. But what causes confusion in trying to be “like” a perfect person are these ideas you have about yourself and the world, which, I am sorry to say, are mostly inaccurate. And as a human, you have the potential to awaken to this reality within your life, and it’s actually not that difficult. I mean, how could it be difficult if it’s your nature, right? So what needs to change? Your vision needs to change. It has to change from a view that's based on limitations and wrong ideas to the reality. It should not be based on faith or belief; that doesn’t work. It has to be based on wisdom from your own experience. Psychedelics can certainly support you on this path, but they have to be done right, or they can cause more confusion and wrong views. If you have access to a guide who actually knows what they are doing, then dedicate yourself to honoring the medicine with your sincerest efforts. Prepare yourself properly for the experience. Only work with high-quality medicine. Only trip in a peaceful and nourishing environment. And make the effort to integrate your experience into your daily life going forward. Only good can come from this, and it’s completely worth it!