Personally, I've found that the onset of mushrooms can be fairly focused and grounded, but moving into the peak will pretty much obliterate any attempt to guide the experience - it's dose-dependent, of course, but eventually you just have to let go and let it take you. I feel the best time to move into a magickal space is after the peak when things are starting to become familiar again but everything is still very rich with meaning and metaphor.
Think of it as a shamanistic vision quest, capped off by ritual after the peak.
The great thing about mushrooms is the profound depth of connection with the natural - plants, trees, animals, etc. all reveal themselves to be highly sentient. Ultimately, this connection with nature can manifest itself in the apprehension of the Logos (see anything by Terence McKenna, such as this).
And if you really want to ground it out and add a much deeper, ancient feeling to the experience, eat a couple of gelcapfuls of Syrian Rue seeds, ground, about a half hour before eating the mushies. WARNING: Syrian Rue is an MAO inhibitor and can have dangerous hypertensive interactions with foods/drinks containing tyramine. Stay away from wine & cheese. In fact, for such a working it would be wise to fast altogether and stick to juices for the day. And definitely DON'T mix with mdma.
Ultimately, the ally you choose depends upon your personal preference. Like any servitor or deity, it's best to cultivate a proper relationship before pushing too far into the depths. As such, formulate your ritual of ingestion as iff it were, well, a ritual. Treat the compound as a sacrament, cleanse your space and purify yourself, make offerings to the deity, etc... All these actions will serve to focus the experience and bring you into greater harmony with the ally.
Cheers! |
