Becoming a Tibetan Monk

Switching Lives

Substances: Salvia divinorum

After many attempts to proceed further with just leaf, I decided that the mechanics of needing to be co-ordinated enough to change the cones was a limiting factor, so I set myself up such that a friend would keep reloading the water pipe for me so that all I needed to do was breath in the smoke.

Cones 1 and 2: smoking in a multifaceted reality divided up into bubble cells about 6 inches cubish. Any body movements seemed to create a weird swimming sensation as the membrane fabric of the bubble cells readjusted to my new locale of observation in space. I was seated on a swivel chair and was able to exact small changes in the orientation of my perspective on the room by moving my feet minutely.

Cone 3: Now the movement of swivel chair seemed to *radically* alter the fabric of reality. [Only on my 3rd cone and already the experience had become as intense I had ever reached with Salvia] The full spectrum of 'psychedelic' effects was present: Space & time warping, synesthesia, kaleidoscopic patterns with eyes open or closed.

The intensity climbed still further such that I started to be quite confused about simple things like whether I was inhaling or exhaling. Now the perception of other worlds began, with the rotation of the chair different worlds began to open before my eyes, streets and landscapes appeared and disappeared. I saw early london streets like something out of a sherlock holms movie. The streets were populated by dark figures moving through the mists going about their own concerns.

Next the boundary between the reality of the other worlds and this one began to faulter. Suddenly I was there! I was in the cold street, my breath was steaming. My body was some where else! Then suddenly I was back in the room, sitting in the chair!

Cone 4: Laughed at the sheer strength of the effect and spilt on floor the remainder of the cone which sat there glowing for what seemed about 30 seconds before I thought to stamp it out with my foot.

Sid made some comment about the landlord and how it was just another burn hole in the carpet and I responded with "yeah the landlord", then I suddenly wondered if I should have said it that loud. for a moment I thought I was somewhere in a public place, perhaps on the street. I wasn't quite sure anymore.

Cone 5 and 6: Rotated to other existance as a monk
[I have no memory of taking the 5th and 6th cones but Sid assures me that I did smoke them. He said that after taking the smoke my body became perfectly still, my eyes and mouth open and my face expressionless as if I had become unconscious]

I was a monk working somewhere in the monastery grounds. I was wearing thick heavy robes tied at the waist with a heavy rope. There was a nun about 10 feet away to my left there were other monks and nuns in the vicinity also. We were tending to the gardens. I was nearest to a set of concrete steps which divided two levels of grasses. There was a monastry building off in the distance to the left. I could hear some bells ringing in one of the towers. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, mostly clear and there was a cool wind blowing from my right. I felt a little tired since I had been working since dawn and was looking forward to returning to the monastery later on.

I was not surpised by any of this and had no recollection of any other existence. My thoughts seemed calm and I felt utterly at peace with who I was and where I was. I knew that I was real and that my reality was real.

Suddenly I was wrenched from my universe into an utterly alien and complex universe. Suddenly I had a new set of memories thrust violently into my brain and my peaceful normal life was shattered forever. I was left sitting in a swivel chair with a water pipe in my hand and a shocked expresssion on my face.

I remembered who I was.

It appeared that I had been brought back to the lounge room when Sid had moved. I then went into severe shock, my pulse rate sky rocketed and my breathing laboured. Meanwhile I kept flashing in and out of other places and then exclaiming, shaking my head and saying "holy shit!" Some thought about the magnitude of the experience passed through my mind as a sort of post-realisation fear.

Sid seemed rather unaware of my earthshattering experience and had started smoking some Salvia himself.

I made a few more comments of amazement, then i was worried that Sid may have begun to think that I was in trouble. I saw him reach for the cd remote: and I suspected he may be about to put a new CD in the player so I said "Dont turn it off!"
He had actually just reached for the lighter.

I then calmed a little and came down to a cruise level. Feeling rather confused as to what to do next I decided to have another cone hoping that it might help to relax me.

final cone:
I tried closing my eyes and found a purple sea jelly fish like shape which didnt seem to become fully defined, then had a very intense but unremembered experience with the conclusion that closed eyes were the way to go with salvia, but then I opened my eyes and changed my mind. The purple jelly fish remained just as bright but super imposed on my normal vision. I saw purple and organic green spots glowing on a translucent cable in an asymmetric honeycomb pattern, 1 inch below the now transparent carpet.

The sounds eminating from the stereo created a tangible line of division which slowly moved through my head and body. I felt it clearly as a sheet of pain which resonated with my teeth as it traversed from one side of my head to the other.

As real and intense as this new experience was, it seemed pale and unreal by comparison to the living truth of my existance as a monk.

I feel that the shock of this experience has profoundly affected my view of the ephemeral nature of reality.

Salvia Divinorum is truly a entheogen to be respected.

Graeme Carl.