Greetings traveler. Have a seat by the fire. I see you brought your girlfriend, good. Have I ever explained to you the wonders and intimacy you can have in a relationship that’s non-monogamous? No? Another time perhaps. Just let me say I’m totally here to support your relationship (wink). Today your friendly neighborhood shaman bro wants to share with you what I have dubbed, “Trip Primers.”
It’s common in new agey medicine circles to go into a trip with an ‘Intention.’ Basically a goal you want to resolve or get clarification on from the ceremony. Your intention may not be resolved, but having a good intention can keep you grounded in the ceremony. Like an anchor for a ship in a storm-tossed sea, you’ll likely go down all kinds of rabbit-holes whilst tripping, but you can keep coming back to your intention. It keeps you somewhat focused and can save you from a ‘bad trip.’
Now, we have all heard of Affirmations, yes? Basically repeating to yourself affirmative statements over and over again in an attempt to self-hypnotize or brainwash yourself into believing them. They can help put yourself into a good mood, acting like a song on repeat in the back of your mind. Quick example, “I am powerful, confident, smooth, laid-back, and most of all, seductive.” Repeat a dozen times on the way to work and see how you feel.
In a way, Intentions before a medicine ceremony act a lot like Affirmations. The goal of both is to focus your mind along a certain train of thinking. The twist I’d like to add is putting your trip’s intention in the form of a question. My experience in Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) has taught me that you can get a lot of mileage out of questions when composing affirmations, rather than just statements.
“How powerful can you possibly feel today?”
“Just how laid-back can you get?”
Not only are you repeating an intention, but your subconscious mind is going to fill in the answers to these questions. It’s a double-whammy. In NLP this is called a ‘Presupposition.’ In order to answer the questions, you’re presupposing a certain condition is already happening. It’s like asking your girl, “What’s your favorite memory of us?” It presupposes she has memories with you, and that she has favorable ones, and to answer your question she has to think about the best favorable memory. The train of thought is set in motion.
If you’re going to trip and unsure what to focus on or anchor to, try these:
For seeing your own bullshit, “What things can I do, that I don’t want to do, but know that I should do? How would my life be if I was the kind of person that did those things?”
For letting go of shitty beliefs, “What can I do to receive more joy and ecstasy in my life? Have I been blocking any joy and ecstasy?”
Getting over rejections from a romantic or business prospect, “Are the ‘reasons’ you were rejected really reasons told to you, or are they just reasons that you tell yourself?”
Coping with life, “How comfortable can you be, with the unknown?”
Asking yourself questions leaves the intention open-ended. It gives your brain a direction but lets your subconscious fill in the space. Try stringing a few questions together along the same theme. See what kinda story you can spin. How good can it get? Sometimes your intention can just be to enjoy the trip. Try a primer like, “How much can I really enjoy this?”
Don’t just get fucked up for no reason. People nowadays don’t even take their pleasure sincerely. Try some primers and report to Spud. And remember kids, microdosing is for pussies.
Spud media 