Ayahuasca and the realm of spirits
An excerpt from the article, about the active component DMT (dimethyl-tryptamine):
DMT’s consciousness-altering experience has been sampled by William Burroughs, Allen Ginsburg, Terence McKenna and Timothy Leary. They all attest to DMT’s potent launching of the subject into a sometimes frightening plane of reality. But they all agree it is a powerful psychoactive experience. The "trip" itself seems (in a distillation of several accounts) to break down into specific stages:
Firstly, geometric patterns appear in the subject’s vision. They grow in intensity and complexity. They are not static, but mobile, and constantly changing into higher orders of shapes and size. The second stage is the movement of the experimenter through a metaphorical transitional structure; this could be a huge tunnel, encountering a "membrane" of light, beyond which dim figures can be seen, or entering a vast hall or chamber, where the topmost dome or ceiling opens up to whatever the individual is then about to experience. And this next part is where it gets tricky.
Depending on whom you talk to, this next stage ranges from traumatic to awe-inspiring. Various animals may be seen. Most encounter the "machine elves." In some experiences, they’re literally wearing elf-garb, down to pointy hats. In other instances, they may have an insectoid appearance.
Read the entire article here: The DMT molecule: A tryst with spirits, elves and aliens
Read more about ayahuasca at: www.ayahuasca-info.com
(image: Salayuth, 2002 - High-res)
