by Mr. Jaguar Man, Contributor, Emerson College
Salvia. The strange, fish-food-smelling, psychedelic substance. The scientific name for “salvia,” is salvia divinorum and since the plant is a member of the sage family, and just calling it “salvia,” would be just calling it “sage.” The plant has been used throughout history by the Mazatec shamans of Oaxaca, Mexico, for purposes of curing and divination. Of course, once America discovered this plant and gained access to mass amounts of it, it mostly became a nationwide legal drug that could be purchased by adults at smoke shops.
If people look up “salvia trip,” on Youtube, they will see videos of individuals becoming quite noticeably impaired by the drug as their friends film and laugh in a seemingly antagonistic way. Many people see these videos and decide that they want to mimic this experience of “getting fucked up” and making it a spectacle, so surely enough they grab their friends and all take turns taking hits of the substance.
If people who have used salvia recreationally are asked whether they liked it, they will most likely say no, and that they do not wish to do the drug again. This is probably because they approached the plant with egotistical disrespect, thinking (even if subconsciously) “Dude I can handle this easy. If this shit’s legal and all of these fools have done it on Youtube, then I can handle it no prob.” Thinking that they will be able to act “normally” and function consciously on this drug is the biggest
mistake they can make.
Going on a salvia trip, or any trip for that matter, is comparable to going on a roller coaster ride (as cliché as it sounds). You have decided to go on this ride, there is no way out until the end, and the whole experience will be ruined if you try to reject it. All you can do is learn to enjoy the ride by letting go of fear. The problem with a stereotypical first time salvia user is that he or she isn’t prepared for the actual effects of the drug and starts to panic and try to act normally once the drug has
started taking effect.
Since a salvia trip only typically lasts up to fifteen minutes, an already skeptical user will have wasted the trip trying to phrase incomprehensible thoughts while hopelessly dealing with the terror of the fragmented visuals caused by the drug. It is likely that this sort of user did not enjoy the trip, and will have no desire to try salvia again. If these sorts of users do try to
have the experience again, they usually end up making the same mistakes.
There you have it: yet another sacred entheogen brought to America and abused by the mass culture (psilocybin mushrooms are also used by Mazatec shamans for their spiritual merit, and the same mistakes made with a salvia trip are applicable to a steady “shroom trip”). It doesn’t have to be this way though. There are ways to trip responsibly and productively. If you try, you can make the Mazatec shamans proud of your practices. If you would like to know how, read the story of my most profound salvia trip and why it went so smoothly.
Link to story:
Salvia. The strange, fish-food-smelling, psychedelic substance. The scientific name for “salvia,” is salvia divinorum and since the plant is a member of the sage family, and just calling it “salvia,” would be just calling it “sage.” The plant has been used throughout history by the Mazatec shamans of Oaxaca, Mexico, for purposes of curing and divination. Of course, once America discovered this plant and gained access to mass amounts of it, it mostly became a nationwide legal drug that could be purchased by adults at smoke shops.
If people look up “salvia trip,” on Youtube, they will see videos of individuals becoming quite noticeably impaired by the drug as their friends film and laugh in a seemingly antagonistic way. Many people see these videos and decide that they want to mimic this experience of “getting fucked up” and making it a spectacle, so surely enough they grab their friends and all take turns taking hits of the substance.
If people who have used salvia recreationally are asked whether they liked it, they will most likely say no, and that they do not wish to do the drug again. This is probably because they approached the plant with egotistical disrespect, thinking (even if subconsciously) “Dude I can handle this easy. If this shit’s legal and all of these fools have done it on Youtube, then I can handle it no prob.” Thinking that they will be able to act “normally” and function consciously on this drug is the biggest
mistake they can make.
Going on a salvia trip, or any trip for that matter, is comparable to going on a roller coaster ride (as cliché as it sounds). You have decided to go on this ride, there is no way out until the end, and the whole experience will be ruined if you try to reject it. All you can do is learn to enjoy the ride by letting go of fear. The problem with a stereotypical first time salvia user is that he or she isn’t prepared for the actual effects of the drug and starts to panic and try to act normally once the drug has
started taking effect.
Since a salvia trip only typically lasts up to fifteen minutes, an already skeptical user will have wasted the trip trying to phrase incomprehensible thoughts while hopelessly dealing with the terror of the fragmented visuals caused by the drug. It is likely that this sort of user did not enjoy the trip, and will have no desire to try salvia again. If these sorts of users do try to
have the experience again, they usually end up making the same mistakes.
There you have it: yet another sacred entheogen brought to America and abused by the mass culture (psilocybin mushrooms are also used by Mazatec shamans for their spiritual merit, and the same mistakes made with a salvia trip are applicable to a steady “shroom trip”). It doesn’t have to be this way though. There are ways to trip responsibly and productively. If you try, you can make the Mazatec shamans proud of your practices. If you would like to know how, read the story of my most profound salvia trip and why it went so smoothly.
Link to story: