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Peyote

(plant material)

BODY WEIGHT:

85 kg

First, let me tell you about myself. I live in Monterrey,Mexico and have a degree in psychology. Being Mexican, please excuse any glitch in my English.

On September 16,1999 my brother in law and I took a trip to a town called Real de Catorce. This little town is lost in the plains of northern central Mexico and is accesible only through a 2 kilometer tunnel. The area is sacred for the huichol people and they go on a yearly pilgrimage to look for the sacred hicuri (peyote). I was surprised the first time I went there to find many Americans and Europeans living there (this was my fourth trip, but the most interesting one).

Since my first trip I had been very curious about the peyote,but I was a little scared about it. Fortunately on this particular time I met a man called El Camaron (shrimp in English)and we started talking about peyote and he turned out to know a great deal about it. What really convinced my brother in law (his name is Jorge, by the way)and I about trying the peyote was that this man had only good things to say about hicuri. He told us that we would learn a lot about ourselves and that, if eaten with respect and a purpose, hicuri would be good to us and that if our trip was scary,it would be that way for agood reason. So Jorge and I decided to try it.

I think it is important to tell you about Jorge. First of all, he is a great,sensitive guy and we have the best of the friendships, but unfortunately he is not a strong individual, he is a bit clumsy physically and this brought a lot of abuse from other kids when he was younger.We are both thirty-three now. All of what I have told you and some other things made him a little bit insecure of himself. On the other hand,I am strong secure of myself and through my life I have practiced extreme sports and things like that, so for Jorge I am like a big brother.

So we headed into the desert with a local guide and took only what we needed then we went to an abandoned mine and set camp. We ate the peyote with great respect and just kept talking of ordinary things. About two hours after we ate the peyote Jorge vomited, but we felt normal.

After maybe another hour I was looking up at some tree branches and they started to turn more dense right in front of my eyes, and I thought 'this is it' at the same time the leaves of the trees started to glow like emeralds and everything exploded in a thousand colors and I felt one with the mountains and my surroundings there is one word to describe it:bliss.

And here comes the learning that the experience gave us,at a given moment I could actually feel terror coming out of Jorge,he did not looked scared at all but his fear was hitting me in the same way as if he were throwing something physical at me,at that time I asked him 'You´re scared shitless, aren´t you?' And he was astonished that I could feel that because he was not showing any fear at all.I suddenly said,and to this day I do not why, 'You are dealing with your past'. This made him very anxious and he told me 'How the fuck do you know all about what I am feeling? How can you be so accurate?'

To tell you the truth I don't know. What I can tell you is that I had an incredible mental connection with my friend and I knew he was in trouble facing his demons, but as the hours went by I talked out of his fears and we started to enjoy a state of mind so beautiful so undescribable that to try to explain it would be like explaining a person who was born blind how is the color blue.At about six am we got into the tent and fell asleep.

The next day Jorge told me 'Now I know that I am capable of achieving many things I thought impossible,if I made it through that night in which I faced my deepest fears I can do anything'.

And so it was. The next day we climbed a mountain and Jorge pitched the tent cut firewood and did things that the previous day he regarded as impossible. As for me the mental connection was incredible and the feelings beautifuly overwhelming,and there is no doubt in my mind that the experience was one of the most enriching events in my life. By the way, Jorge is now in college and people respect him a whole lot more than before that night in September 16, 1999.

Exp Year: 1999	ExpID: 528
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Sep 10, 2000	Views: 86,953
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Peyote (42) : Small Group (2-9) (17), First Times (2), General (1)