"Obscure powder"?

[armedia]

Daniel -

I was wondering if you wouldn't mind elaborating on a passage from BOTH that piqued my curiousity:

(p. 86):
"an obscure smokable powder that seems to create, in a few minutes, the effect of exploding out into the cosmos. 'My god it is amazing,' said Pesce. His fellow psychonauts could only describe it as 'thermonuclear contact with the Divine.'"

Did you deliberately leave the identity of this substance unidentified, or was it not revealed to you?

Just curious,
Armedia

[daniel]

I intentionally left it out. It is not even illegal yet I feel superstitious about identifying it here. Others must know what it is...

[armedia]

Originally posted by daniel:
I intentionally left it out. It is not even illegal yet I feel superstitious about identifying it here. Others must know what it is...Obviously then it isn't really THAT obscure, if some of us here would know what it was.

It was the "obscure" part that had me wondering. I was intrigued by the idea that there was something yet that I hadn't heard about, in this day and age, something that isn't in P/Tikhal or one of the ethnobotanical guides available.

What with the internet, seemingly everything that is known about by someone somewhere is now accessible to all (at least the information, that is.)

I remember, back in the day (only 10 or so years ago) scouring the classified ads in the back of certain magazines for newsletters or catalogs mailed from PO boxes in obscure backwater towns, and waiting impatiently day after day for the mail to arrive. I kind of miss those days, in a way, since I felt more like an unofficial member of a secret society. (Membership of course was open to anyone willing to make the effort.)

Now all our secrets are available for all to experiment with, and for the authorities to restrict. Alas . . .

- A

[NexusOne]

Wish I had some idea of what it is. Sounds like the exact thing I've been searching for.

[Woodpecker]

Try smoking a spleef and listening to some Bob Marley, mon.

[daniel]

Just found this. Might be pertinent:

www.revolutionofthemind.org (http://www.revolutionofthemind.org)

5-Meo-DMT: Spiritual Terrorism

By Yale Force, Section Substance - From Herbs to Smart Drugs to Psychedelics to ...
Posted on Sun May 4th, 2003 at 10:23:59 PM EST
Invariably, those who propose each individual come to his or her own metaphysical conclusions through direct experience get into heated arguments with those who vehemently claim, “This is the way.” For those who have either grown up with or entrenched themselves in a set of faith-based intellectual assertions, 5-Meo-DMT, I have found, acts as a form of “Spiritual Terrorism.” Conditioned or reasoned, 5-Meo destroys hardy intellectual frameworks—instantaneously. It ends “I am right” arguments. Just vaporizes them. Scarcely is the first breath taken when one begins to feel a hyper expansion of the borders of ones consciousness. “Oneness,” however you decode the word, ensues. There is nothing to hold on to.

The experience lasts all of 5 minutes.

Curious?

*

ENDOGENOUS PRODUCTION

The pineal gland in the center of the brain produces both DMT (dimethyltryptamine) and 5-Meo-DMT (5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine), commonly referred to as “5-M-E-O”. Interestingly, these are the two most powerful psychedelic substances in existence. They are both derivatives of serotonin, a tryptamine itself. Tryptamines are a family of consciousness-altering compounds structurally consisting of a trademark double ring structure and side chain. The family includes endogenously produced neurotransmitters serotonin, melatonin, 5-Meo-DMT, and DMT. Who was it that said that reality is a serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine) -induced hallucination? Interestingly, the neuro-chemical of sleep and dreams, melatonin, also contains tryptamine within its physical structure. Could melatonin (5-methoxy-tryptamine) dreams be tryptamine trips?

Endogenous 5-Meo production begs the question: Are states of consciousness other than waking, sleeping, and dreaming “legitimate”? Is the psychedelic enlightenment experience “altered” or “natural”? The presence of these substances in the brain force most conventional-thinking peoples to reassess their life-long beliefs regarding the legitimacy of psychedelic experience.

Why does the brain endogenously produce this chemical? It must surely serve some purpose? Could eastern descriptions of the transcendent “void” be a result of somehow turning on endogenous 5-Meo-DMT production? In transcendental meditation, one is typically instructed to cross ones eyes and focus on the center of ones forehead in order to stimulate the pineal gland with ones concentrated attention. Could meditating on the pineal gland cause it to produce and release these endogenous psychedelics? Why would such a thing be? Could this explain so-called “natural” mystical experience? Is mystical experience, then, culturally independent? Are religions, then, the result of men who experienced these “pineal-trips,” came back, and then decoded their experience in a culturally dependent (ignorant) way?

Incidentally, the pineal gland is the ONLY undifferentiated structure in the brain. All other brain components are divided into “left” and “right.” How fitting it would be, for the undifferentiated pineal to be the source of the duality-transcending nirvana experience!

RESEARCH

Men of enormous competence have attempted to answer these questions. The two seminal DMT texts are DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Dr. Rick Strassman, M.D. and Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna, a remarkably articulate ethnobotanist. After reading these books … so many questions need answering, you cannot begin to fathom. It is not within the scope of this makeshift article to even begin to explore the ramifications of the research contained therein.

Dr. Strassman's research in a nutshell:

"From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted DEA-approved clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extraordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical that is also manufactured by the human brain, consistently produced out-of-body, near-death, and mystical experiences. Many volunteers reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences: angels, aliens, spirits. Nearly all agreed that the sessions were among the most intense experiences of their lives. Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the sixth chakra and by Rene Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the bold case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that alien abduction experiences are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul."

Terence McKenna’s book summed up:

"In the beginning, McKenna tells us, there were protohumans with small brains and plenty of genetic competition, and what eventually separated the men from the apes was an enthusiasm for the hallucinogenic mushrooms that grew on the feces of local cattle. Claiming that DMT-containing mushrooms in the hominid diet would have enhanced eyesight, sexual enjoyment, and language ability and would have thereby placed the mushroom-eaters in the front lines of genetic evolution--eventually leading to hallucinogen-ingesting shamanistic societies, the ancient Minoan culture, and some Amazonian tribes today--McKenna also asserts that the same drugs are now outlawed in the US because of their corrosive effect on our male-dominated, antispiritual society. Unconsciously craving the vehicles by which our ancestors expanded their imaginations and found meaning in their lives, he says, we feast on feeble substitutes: coffee, sugar, and chocolate, which reinforce competition and aggressiveness; tobacco, which destroys our bodies; alcohol, whose abuse leads to male violence and female degradation; TV, which deadens our senses; and the synthetics--heroin, cocaine and their variations--which leave us victimized by our own addiction. On the other hand, argues McKenna, DMT-containing mushrooms, used in a spiritually enlightened, ritual manner, can open the door to greater consciousness and further the course of human evolution." -- Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1991

PROCUREMENT

You may be asking yourself why something like 5-Meo-DMT remains legal. We can only surmise. The substance is non-addictive. It does not appear to be dangerous if you are careful with the dosage. No research or anecdotal accounts point to brain-body damage. And perhaps most importantly, it’s too short-acting to interfere with any kind of in-the-world activity. You can’t drive on it, for example. Also, the desire to repeat the experience is not particularly great in most individuals as there is nothing “pleasurable” about “the void” since there is no ego to observe the experience.

You can buy a rather large 1 gram packet (100 doses) for around 200 USD at research chemical shops around the internet. Remember, these chemicals are strictly for “research purposes.” Such businesses are allowed to sell various consciousness-altering tryptamines as long as they do not overtly sell them in a manner advertising their mind-altering attributes.

As always, this article is for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Should you exercise your free will in deciding to engage in 5-Meo related activity, educate yourself to the tenth power. Take responsibility for your own actions. As with many endeavors, ignorance kills. FYI, Erowid provides an ocean of accessibly-written research.

“You cannot deny the experiences of others.”

[NexusOne]

Thank you very much Daniel!