“The Plane”
Introduction: After writing a trip report for Avalon Magic Plants about HBWR seeds, I used my gift card to purchase a small metal pipe “the whistle” and one gram Salvia Extract 5 X extract. Exactly two weeks after the order was shipped, I received a small white box in the mail, containing my neatly packaged goods. I put them away for several weeks (salvinorin-A reportedly has a shelf life of over a decade, so no rush) until the time was right.
Setup: In my room, with no sounds and drawn curtains, as to prevent any external stimuli. I was alone, as a previous test run really showed the grounding power exhibited by my friends’ chattering. I had attached my pipe to an old Listerine bottle, producing a makeshift bong (previous smoking experiences with another herb showcased my increased intake ability when a bong is used, and I like the cooler smoke). I used a regular lighter, which proved sufficient.
The experience: *Sadly, I could not add precise time values for this, due to the somewhat immersive nature of salvia, but the entire experience took around 10 minutes.*
I sat on my bed, and set my packed bong next to me on the nightstand. When I was ready, I drew the lighter near the bowl and kept the flame on as I slowly inhaled my first small hit. Salvia smoke kind of tastes bad, but it is easy to hold, especially with the added smoothness of a bong. I held my hit for around 20 seconds, and then exhaled and took another larger one, which was held for around 30. The third hit was taken mid-come-up and seemed to be held for a while, but could just as easily have been a result of time dilation.
As I was putting my bong down, I was already feeling a pretty profound effect, much stronger and more rapid than any come up from Cannabisor HBWR. I lay down and closed my eyes, and the effects began.
The first thing I noticed is that my bed was slowly being pushed higher towards my ceiling, which was now inexplicably curved on the left hand corner. I opened my eyes and looked around at my room, and disappointed by the lack of changes, was about to get up when I realized that the floor was made of liquid. As I looked back up, I could only remember my room as if it was a distant memory. This was a little unnerving, so I closed my eyes again. The “pushing up” sensation returned and my senses continued to distort as the salvia kicked in.
And then I was on a plane. Such a sudden transition may have been startling to the sober mind, but I accepted this new development as if it was an everyday occurrence (this is a re-occurring theme in my salvia experiences). This was not an ordinary plane, as we ride on, but instead a short, squat affair with one very large (albeit entirely fogged over) window. I didn’t seem to be either sitting down or lying down, but I was definitely there, whatever that means.
At this point, my internal monologue split into two completely independent entities, one of which took the position of a kind of travel guide on this mental plane ride. *The following conversation took place on a mental level and is hard to describe in words alone, so bear with Me.* the travel guide explained to me that I was in a parallel dimension. I asked what the planet I was on (or above) was called, and he told me it was called Earth (with a small degree of annoyance, as if I was supposed to know) and that it had five continents, Afrikfia, North Afrikfia, North Amerifrikfia, South Amerifrikfia, and Asifrikfia. I asked if there was a Europefrikfia, and got no answer. I totaled these names up in my head and got something like nine or ten (my math cognition must have been totally out of whack) so I decided that Europefrikfia must not actually be real. Thinking at this point was truly like a dream in its randomness and lack of coherence.
After that conversation, I was informed that in order to disembark and explore these familiar-sounding continents, I would have to “go deeper”, which I interpreted as using a stronger extract. At this point, reality started to return, and my bed became recognizable again. Upon alighting on the firm ground of my dimension, I re-thought my experiences and began to giggle uncontrollably at their strangeness (a common side effect of salvia, I’ve heard). After about three minutes I finally got myself under control and called one of my friends to deliver a slightly incoherent tale of my journeys.
Conclusion: After reading so many “bad reviews” of salvia, and having a rather disappointing first experience, (it was smoked out of an apple, so that may have contributed) I was pleasantly surprised by the power and strangeness of this trip. I would definitely not call it a breakthrough, as I was still (nearly) fully myself, but it certainly was strong. However, I could see how a more powerful extract might scare the hell out of a beginner, so I would start small (maybe 5 or 10x) and be prepared for anything, as salvia likes to throw mental curveballs.
Thanks for reading and happy tripping!