Yes, it is our custom and the Mazatecs to have a sitter so you don’t
fall over anything (if you try to move around).

No, because time has no meaning at all for awhile; it might seem like
moments or eons.

Some of the experiences appear to at least start the same regardless
of background and culture. Further into it the show is truly unique.

Salvia does not supply comfort; that part has to be built into you.
Mindset and physical setting figure prominently in the outcome. That

being said, once in, when you lose your ego, there are no monsters
anyway; the disturbing part occurs when you’re "going in" and your
mind tries to separate this reality from the alternate the herb is
showing you.

> Do you feel that you have learned or have grown spiritually through
> this practice, Duncan? Does it inspire a cultish fellowship with
other
> explorers, or is it entirely personal?

For me it’s personal because it’s unique. I don’t seek out the
company of other users or exchange notes much.

I think everyone should experience it many times; I think it’s good
for you, there’s only growth; no euphoria, addiction or side effects
that we know of.

I and others close to me have worked with Salvia Divinorum, and
we are always thundstruck. Several people who are more like
casual acquaintances are using it occasionally to stay off or
minimize SSRI antidepressants, and a couple are using it to get
off addictive dugs. These are low-dose users rather than velada
participants. For more on his aspect, a search on "Salvia
divinorum: a natural kappa-opioid agonist" will turn it up.

It’s hard to describe the Salvia experience you’d get in a velada
in a way that would be meaningful to a non-initiate, even a non-
initiate who has tried other hallucinogens. It is invariably the
most intense and deeply spiritual or religious or metaphysical
experience ever, maybe all of those at once, surpassing anything

you could put into words. You can find many peoples’ personal
accounts online. y a search on "salvia space".

Basically, there are no rules, each time is different and equally
bizarre. It strips away the present situation and dumps you into
an alternate reality; at the time you can’t remember ever having
a body or that there ever was a here and now. You are a voyager
for want of a better word, being shown things, and you can
remember it all when the leavs wear off in about 6-10 minutes
smoked, 25-35 minutes if chewed. Nobody I know has done the 5
hour infusion; too much waste.