Salvia Divinorum Read online

  Special thanks to Daniel Siebert for his encouragement.

  SALVIA

  DIVINORUM

  “Fascinating. Salvia Divinorum is a clear, inspiring, and insightful account of meetings with a powerful teacher plant. In the spirit of the classical psychedelic explorers, J. D. Arthur kept a meticulous record of his work with Salvia divinorum. In this easy-to-read book he provides others with a road map for their own explorations, as well as a detailed guide to the territory. After reading Arthur’s book I am inspired to look again at salvia.”

  ROSS HEAVEN, AUTHOR OF

  PLANT SPIRIT SHAMANISM AND

  THE HUMMINGBIRDS JOURNEY TO GOD

  CONTENTS

  COVER IMAGE

  TITLE PAGE

  DEDICATION

  EPIGRAPH

  A NOTE TO THE READER ON THE USE OF SALVIA DIVINORUM

  INTRODUCTION

  1 FIRST EXPERIENCES

  2 INTENSIFICATION

  3 AUGMENTATION

  4 TAKEN

  5 SUBSIDIARY OCCURRENCES

  6 REALITY OF THE VISIONS

  EPILOGUE

  FOOTNOTES

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ABOUT INNER TRADITIONS • BEAR & COMPANY

  COPYRIGHT & PERMISSIONS

  A NOTE TO THE READER

  ON THE USE OF SALVIA DIVINORUM

  Salvia divinorum is a fairly recent addition to the visionary pharmacopoeia of the modern world. As such, it offers unexplored benefits, as well as dangers. The long-term consequences, both physical and psychological, of the ingestion of salvia and its concentrated extracts are, as yet, unknown. This, of course, doesn’t imply that there are any adverse effects in the long run, but does indicate that one should proceed with caution, and that these unknown elements must be factored into any mature assessment of salvia’s ultimate safety.

  The experience of salvia ingestion is not necessarily a pleasant one. Many people have tried it once or twice and sworn off. In all probability, salvia will never be a popular pursuit. The disorienting nature of the trance is not the type of experience that people generally find entertaining.

  These writings are in no way meant to encourage the use of salvia—to do so would be irresponsible. Although salvia is a legal visionary plant in most of the United States at this writing, many states have wisely limited its purchase and use to those over eighteen years of age. Unfortunately, some states as well as countries have banned its use altogether. Before considering any experimentation with salvia, one should check its legal status in one’s state (or country, if outside the United States) to make sure no laws are being broken.*1

  The fact that much salvia experimentation occurs among younger people is disturbing. While salvia can be a valuable adjunct to sincere analysis of one’s own perceptual relationship to the world at large, it also can be a source of disorienting delusion for those unequipped, due to the poverty of their life experience, to approach it with the proper balance of respect and skepticism. It should, therefore, never be used by those under the age of eighteen.

  Due to the sometimes bizarre and overwhelming effects of salvia, those with any history of mental health issues should also avoid it.

  The future legality of salvia on a national level is still unknown at this time, but based on our general cultural view of genuine visionary pursuit, salvia will no doubt go the way of other mind-altering plants.

  INTRODUCTION

  In the fall of 1962, two aging gentlemen, sitting on crude wooden saddles, rode on donkeys through the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Their journey, arduous by any standards, was undertaken for one reason: they were in search of a treasure. The surroundings they encountered, though often beautiful, were daunting at times, and their travels were not without peril, but they were on a quest.

  One of the two men was the renowned chemist Albert Hofmann, whose experimental work had led to the discovery of LSD-25. His companion, R. Gordon Wasson, was the author and amateur ethnobotanist who, years earlier, was instrumental in revealing the mystery of Teonanácatl, the Mexican hallucinogenic mushrooms, to the modern world. The treasure that drew them to these mountains was the elusive plant known as Salvia divinorum. The plant had been used for centuries by the Mazatecs for healing and divination, particularly when the sacred mushrooms were not in season. Along with the mushrooms and the hallucinogenic morning glory seeds, Ololiuqui, salvia completed the triad of plant allies so valued by the curanderos.*1

  After finally locating samples of the legendary plant, as well as ingesting a preparation of its leaves under the guidance of a curandera during a divinatory ceremony, they succeeded in bringing back the first specimens for identification to arrive in the United States. Within months, other researchers—Sterling Bunnell, accompanied by poet Michael McClure—journeyed to the same areas in Mexico, this time retrieving live plants that would later be propagated, with samples eventually spreading to many parts of the world, thus offering, for the first time, a newly unearthed doorway that would open into the unknown.

  In years to come, salvia’s unique psychoactive component, salvinorin A, would be identified by the pioneering researcher Daniel Siebert, who would be the first to unravel the mysteries of its absorption through diverse preparations, as well as to delineate the mechanism of the various forms of ingestion.

  With time, others would follow in their footsteps, providing additional genetic varieties and enlarging the scope of knowledge about salvia, while attracting adherents throughout the world and assuring salvia a prominent place in the hierarchy of hallucinogenic plants.

  The following account is a record of my personal experiences ingesting that same visionary plant over a period of several years. These are, of course, subjective experiences. This journal is not meant to either encourage or discourage anyone from exploring the effects of this plant for themselves. There is no implicit suggestion that these types of results are either accessible or inaccessible to others who might decide to experiment. People who explore such avenues will have their own motives, expectations, and predispositions, and no sweeping generalizations could or should be ventured. It is my personal belief that the perceptual transition herein described could be duplicated and surpassed by others of like mind.

  To accept the following journal of experiences as true, without one’s own experimentation and possible validation, would be counter to the spirit in which they were recorded. The experiential nature of visionary exploration is in itself a counterbalance to the all too common mode of “faith” that often seems to aim toward the limiting rather than toward the expansion of awareness.

  To reject the following account based on skepticism is understandable. I myself would have considered much of it as either nonsense or delusion, had I come across it under different circumstances; and were it not for the relative ease of personal verification of many of the psychological states engendered by salvia, this would probably be the most rational conclusion one might reach.

  The events described, although often quite remarkable in themselves, were not the ultimate transformative mechanism; rather, the changes that took place in my own perception, essentially redefining the identity of the perceiver, continue to hold the most significance. Regardless of the visions encountered, certain undeniable characteristics of perception and mentation have become apparent and have been uniquely pivotal in altering the way the world is subsequently viewed.

  I’ve tried to avoid reading any meaning into the occurrences that unfolded, but have endeavored to report an accurate account of both the events witnessed as well as any resultant psychological responses or changes that could be relevant. When speculation has surfaced, it’s been in the interest of communicating some of the more subtle feelings that would have been irretrievable by any other means.
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  No doubt, some contradictions can be found in my description, or interpretation, of some of the events described. These contradictions are the result of my portrayal rather than the states themselves, which always had an inner consistency and stability at their core. In many instances, the salient details of the visions were extremely vivid and seemed so palpable as to lend themselves easily to recounting. At other times, the nature of the occurrences was of such an abstract character that any attempt at recollection, much less description, seemed insurmountable.

  In some instances, the chronology of specific occurrences was altered in order to clarify certain psychological nuances, or experiential similarities, that would thread through many trials. In general, though, the sequence of events was as portrayed. In many instances, I included which form of salvia was used as well as any other relevant information I might have recorded, in the event that it might be of interest to other experimenters.

  Any philosophical implications arising from my experiences with salvia concerning the landscapes encountered, or the personages that people those landscapes, for example, have been beyond my control and would never have been my intention. Salvia did not fulfill any of my personal philosophical predispositions but, rather, devastated them. The touchstones that had served to define my concept of reality have had to be discarded, and a completely new set of reference points installed in their stead. What I might have viewed, previously, as theoretical philosophical posits revealed themselves as undeniable psychological verities through a level of awareness that was as unexpected as it was profound. Salvia forced me to reexamine an entire complex of perceptions and assumptions that, under normal circumstances, would have been safely immune from such scrutiny.

  When including passages from my notes, I endeavored to reproduce the notes as accurately as possible to communicate the immediacy of many of the occurrences. If any changes were made, it was only to make more understandable what appeared, at times, as an incomprehensible chain of scrawled phrases. Any speculation within the text of the notes, I felt, was, on occasion, permissible, since it was guided by, and often retained the flavor of, the still recent experiences.

  I chose not to include information concerning salvia’s history, botany, and so forth because this information is so readily available from other, more knowledgeable sources. Without doubt, the best resource for all salvia information is the Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center run by Daniel Siebert (www.sagewisdom.org). The center’s FAQ and User’s Guide provide excellent background on the many facets of salvia.

  Rather than repeat what research exists elsewhere, I wanted to provide a more experiential perspective, taking place over the course of time. This perspective has been lacking in the available literature, and I felt that the nature of the landscape I was exploring revealed unique details that I hadn’t encountered in any other writings on salvia.

  l

  FIRST EXPERIENCES

  The greatest blessings come by way of madness.

  SOCRATES

  In the summer of 2002, I began experimenting with the visionary plant known as Salvia divinorum, or diviner’s sage. A member of the mint family, salvia is also known by various names often associated in indigenous cultures with the Virgin Mary, such as “leaves of the shepherdess” or “yerba Maria.” It had been used for centuries by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico, for healing, divination, and similar uses, when the sacred hallucinogenic mushrooms were unavailable, and was beginning to gain popularity among a growing subculture of experimenters who were using the plant and its various preparations for spiritual or meditative pursuits.

  Due to this growing interest, the plant was also becoming more readily available, as well as information regarding its use, effects, cultivation, and history.

  Traditional ingestion of the plant consisted in chewing or eating a quid of the rolled-up leaves or drinking the expressed juice of dozens of crushed leaves. This method was reported to induce visions and facilitate contact with the plant spirit—some curanderos even claiming to speak with God and the saints. In recent years, particularly outside the traditional framework, smoking the dried, crushed leaves, as well as ingestion through a tincture, have been the most popular methods for approaching salvia.

  According to published accounts, salvia seemed safe enough, and the experience, depending on the form of ingestion, was reported to last between five and thirty minutes. I had used LSD fairly often in the past and felt reasonably comfortable with hallucinogenic states. Even if the experience was unpleasant, I reasoned, it would be short lived. The fact that the plant had a shamanic legacy among native people added to my interest.

  The active ingredient in salvia is salvinorin A, the concentration of which can vary significantly from plant to plant, based on heredity, growing conditions, and the like. Salvinorin A can, however, be extracted from the plant by the use of various solvents, such as acetone or ethanol. After evaporation of the solvent, the resultant salvinorin A–rich precipitate can be redissolved into a tincture or redeposited on crushed leaves. Depending on the amount of salvinorin A extracted, the “enhanced” leaves normally vary in strength from 5X to 20X the original potency; although, in recent years, extracts as high as 60X have been sold.

  The strength of salvia seemed to be somewhat of an issue because many claimed to have horrific, disorienting experiences. It seemed that, in many cases, these same people were using very strong extracts of the plant, if not pure salvinorin A itself. In some published accounts, salvia was used in addition to other powerful substances such as LSD and DMT. Finding information about the effects of lighter, more rational doses of salvia was more elusive.

  After some research, I decided to begin with the liquid tincture. It seemed, first of all, the mildest approach, as well as slightly longer lasting than smoking. It also seemed to be the method of ingestion most similar in effect to the indigenous methods used by the Mazatecs.

  Although they would either drink the juice or chew the leaves, their method, I was given to understand, seemed to rely on absorption through the oral mucosa, which was the same as the tincture. The amount of leaves, by many accounts, that would be needed for something approaching traditional methods would also be prohibitive.

  The procedure was to hold a measured amount of the tincture in the mouth, preferably under the tongue, for a specified amount of time without swallowing. This would allow the dissolved salvinorin A to enter the bloodstream though the tissues of the mouth. This can get a bit problematic, since the mouth tends to generate saliva as a response to the mildly burning tincture, and the urge to swallow increases. I would use the equivalent of six or eight eyedroppers full for about twelve minutes.

  In addition to the fact that I lived in a very rural area, I was fortunate to have a small workshop near my house that would afford me silence and solitude for any exploration. I wanted to adhere, as closely as possible, to the traditional recommendations for salvia use. To that end, I would use total darkness, as well as closed eyes, for my approach. These conditions of isolation virtually eliminated any visual or aural distraction or grounding influences of ordinary stimuli and allowed me to uninterruptedly let go and abandon myself to any circumstances that might arise. Although it was advised to always have a “sitter” present during these explorations, I personally felt that the solitude would be more beneficial, especially since I planned on smaller, safer doses to start. I was later to amend this decision for other reasons that I’ll relate subsequently.

  My first experience, although interesting, was fairly uneventful. The nature of the images that presented themselves was unlike the images that I’d come to expect from other hallucinogens such as LSD or peyote. These images were more elusive and fragmented. My experiences with LSD would generally be accompanied by harmonious unfolding of seemingly infinite geometric relationships, ringing with emotional, if not spiritual, overtones.

  These salvia-induced images were different. They seemed at first to be almost without feeling�
��random and confused. There might be a fleeting image of a tortured facial expression, followed by a sensation of a tearing, sliding movement. There could be a seemingly arbitrary phrase that might present itself just beneath hearing, the way a fragment of a tune might make itself heard in an almost unconscious manner.

  During these trials, I never felt overwhelmed by the experience and never lost touch with consensual reality. I felt that at any point I could open my eyes and stand up, essentially dispelling the visions that were, though palpable, tenuous. One thing, however, seemed a bit different with salvia. From my first experiences, there was a strange, underlying sense of what I can only describe as “presences.” It was as if, on some level, I was not alone. There seemed to be a surrounding aura of what might be termed “personalness,” which was oddly comforting despite its foreignness. At first, it emerged as a feeling of being hurried, as if someone were waiting for me while I held the tincture in my mouth. This was an odd feeling, since there was no reason for haste. I thought that it was perhaps a reaction to timing myself for the duration of the twelve minutes. As time went on, however, it began to feel as if there were actually people awaiting my “arrival.” During this time, I never “saw” anyone; rather, my visitors were more in the realm of feeling on a level that was just below the threshold of awareness.

  Aside from this vague feeling of presence, my experiences during this time were generally unremarkable. My initial impression was that salvia seemed to portray an odd randomness, exhibiting visions that seemed somehow precise, yet arbitrary. There was an occasional fleeting vignette that might pique my interest, but, in general, it seemed that something more was needed to initiate any palpable change of consciousness. It seemed that the time had come to begin experimenting with the stronger effects of smoked salvia. I decided to begin with the unenhanced dried salvia leaves. This was the first logical step up from the tincture. It also seemed, unlike the stronger extracts, to be more controllable.