A few days ago I took psychedelic mushrooms with my partner. We tripped for about 6 hours in our apartment. This was not our first rodeo, but it was one of the most insightful trips I’ve had. We usually take psychedelics as spirit medicine rather than for recreational purposes. Although we also endeavor in the latter given the right opportunity.
The first thing I learned: This whole pandemic shit is fucking crazy! The fact that we are collectively experiencing the chaos of this phenomenon is historic. We will be sharing quarantine stories with our kids and nothing will be the same after all of this…but we all know that. As we laid on floor with the 4 o’cock light on our faces, I thought about that very moment; the present moment.
Although we are collectively experiencing this, as individuals we all have our own reality at home. What is everyone going through? Yeah, we see what people are posting on social media but what are they really going through at home? I thought about my current situation; tripping, laying on my floor, eating a kiwi and listing to music in the comfort of my own home.
I feel grateful for what I have and then I started thinking about other people.
What is it like for people who don’t have comfort at home? What about individuals who feel lonely in a place with their family members or roommates? I felt them and felt a sudden rush of emotions. Have you checked up on your coworkers, friends, family?
I made a list of people to FaceTime or reach out to. People I talk to everyday and people I haven’t spoken to in years. This pandemic is showing us how fragile humanity can be. It has presented us with a test or perhaps a chance to sit and reflect on the state of humanity.
How are we choosing to perceive this moment? It’s all about perception and if you find yourself being one of the fortunate ones, reach out and create a safe space for yourself and for others that may need it.
The second trippy but profound revelation I had was how effective mindfulness is. Allowing yourself to be bored and just listening to your breath helps with anxiety believe it or not.
Anxiety has been through the roof lately and for obvious reasons.
Many of us have lost our routine, lost our jobs, our income, or even a loved one. It almost seems impossible to stay positive during these times. How can we practice mindfulness during this chaos? It takes effort but it’s possible.
I noticed that the more I pay attention to my breath, the calmer I feel and the easier it is to go about my day. However, it’s also normal to feel a sense of loss and confusion during these times. It’s important to label your emotions and have patience with others that are experiencing this as well.
Here are some exercises you can do to practice mindfulness:
- Social media distance yourself (yes, even if your business depends on it)
- Journal with an actual pen and paper (no matter how old school it feels.)
- Meditate, Focus on your breath (breath work)
- Exercise, stretch/yoga, just move
- Try to telepathically communicate with your pets
- Make a bucket list
The third lesson I got from my trip is the importance of having a healthy spirit. I’m talking about creating sacred space and time for yourself. This may go hand in hand with mindfulness but you can elevate your spirit by simply applying a daily practice during this quarantine.
Your spirit, or whatever you want to call it, needs nutrition just like your physical body. We are all aware that if you don’t take care of body, you become sick or ill. It works the same with spirit.
Some people call it religious rituals or meditating every morning with the sunrise. The act of performing something that is sacred to you is like food for your spirit.
Take some time to honor yourself and to honor your ancestors. Now that we have time, talk about them, find space in your home to light a candle for the people struggling with the virus or others that you have on your mind. You don’t have to identify with any particular religion because that does not even matter, its more about your intentions that feed your spirit.
The last realization I had was while I was staring at the sacred geometry of a kiwi’s center. Everything is calculated, everything is a formula, including me and you and the kiwi. I started taking a deeper look at the root systems of plants we are propagating and my partner gave me a book from a library, “Body Worlds,” an exhibit of preserved human remains. In it, was a detailed view of our nervous system, and the seemingly random generation of nerve endings throughout the body. The similarities & functions of our nervous system and the root systems of plants & trees was suddenly so obvious.
All these random equations & connections lead us to being alive and how we experience the world; something we all have in common. In your own sacred ritual, you can honor your life, the plants, trees, & natural world that give us life, and honor the lives that were here before us.
Why not? Most of us have the time.
