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If you wish to access expanded states of consciousness for the purpose of spiritually awakening, profoundly healing, and self-realizing, then you are going to need to supplement your meditation.
In my experience, meditation—supplemented with psilocybin magic mushrooms, conducted at sacred times, whilst aligning your body to Earth’s magnetic axis—provides a greater certainty of transcending your body-mind in space-time and expanding your awareness within and beyond objective reality, than just meditation alone.
You can know more about this fascinating journey toward understanding yourself as consciousness by following this blog series or getting a copy of Discovering Ritual Meditation: Transcendental Healing and Self-Realization (Click to book).
This blog, the third in a series, Meditation & Magic Mushrooms, aims to share the Ritual Meditation method for expanding your consciousness.
- Meditation & Magic Mushrooms Overview
- How to Meditate for Presence and Rituals
- How to Safely Meditate with Magic Mushrooms
- My Expanded Consciousness Experiences
- Self Realization & Presence
- Spiritual Awakening & Spiritual Healing
- The Medical Benefits of Psilocybin Magic Mushrooms
- The Archeology of Meditation & Magic Mushrooms
- The Birds & Bees of Psychedelics
Taking Responsibility for Your Practice
You should NOT attempt to conduct Ritual Meditation or use Meditation & Magic Mushrooms without first gaining a thorough understanding of the practice and taking full responsibility for your practice.
There are serious health, safety, and legal considerations that you must fully understand and respect beforehand. You must accept full responsibility and legal, civil, and moral liabilities for using this blog’s information. Use of this blog’s information is at your full discretion and is provided with strict caveats.
You must be made aware that permanent changes to the mind and your awareness will take place, and you may make big life decisions based on these experiences that could affect your partner, family, professional, and life circumstances. My view is if Meditation & Magic Mushrooms is conducted with real humility, prepared for in a sacred manner, and integrated into a broader consciousness, healing, and life plan then good things will manifest.
Ritual Meditation is provided on an as-is basis. It is an ancient ritual method I discovered, reverse engineered, and test-piloted. I share my findings and experiences with the best of intentions. Because you are not under my supervisory or associated medical care in a legal jurisdiction and you have not signed necessary waivers of liability beforehand, I cannot accept any liability from your practice of these ritual methods. You must accept full responsibility for your practice if you use the Ritual Meditation method as described in this blog series and in my book Discovering Ritual Meditation.
An A–Z Guide on Conducting Ritual Meditation
At its simplest level, Ritual Meditation—Meditation & Magic Mushrooms—involves an eyes-closed, focused-attention meditation method, conducted in sensory silence at sacred time (solstices, equinoxes[1]) under the influence of psilocybin magic mushrooms. Preparation and the setting of appropriate ritual intentions are important determinants of ritual outcome—echoing louder the more experience I gather.
I conduct Meditation & Magic Mushrooms up to four times yearly at sacred times—winter solstice sunrise, summer solstice sunset, and the equinoxes (new moon/sunrise, full moon/sunset). Because special environmental energies peak around these times of the year, they were revered by the Sun god religions of ancient Egypt, India, and Central and South America as their most important sacred ritual times.
Enhanced alpha brainwave voltages over the frontal brain are one of the key electrical signatures of the brain during deep meditation and in self-realized states (chapters 6–8 DRM). Science shows that we can enhance naturally-produced alpha brainwave voltages at these particular times of the day and year through a process called “brainwave entrainment.” This is possible because these sacred times correspond with peaks in Earth’s electromagnetic (solstices, sunrises/sets) and magnetic fields (equinoxes, moon phase), respectively. What this means is that when we meditate during these sacred times, this timing naturally “supplements” our alpha brainwave voltages, which helps us change our state of consciousness, or to attain a stronger presence (silent, time flies).[2]
Before engaging in Ritual Meditation for the first time, it is best to take it easy and become acquainted with low doses of psilocybin magic mushrooms while in nature or during regular meditation practice. This permits you to make a connection with the magic mushrooms, know your real self in presence, and learn to practice meditation under their influence. Low doses of magic mushrooms are great for inducing presence and silencing the mind. This prepares you for awareness in presence, which can then be expanded during Ritual Meditation without an uncomfortable shock or surprise!
Quick Reference Guide
- Fully accept responsibility for your health and safety, and abide by the law.
- Early Preparation: start a mushroom grow kit in time, increase your meditation (different types), eat healthily, minimize toxic consumptions, consider your ritual intentions.
- Final 3 Days Preparation: increase your meditation in your sacred space, be in nature, fast, do daily sweat lodges, make offerings-prayers-intentions in presence, conduct a ceremonial fire.
- Ritual Meditation: eyes-closed meditation, dark-silent, sacredly timed (solstices, equinoxes) with magic mushrooms, and magnetically align your meditating body.
- Integration: be in nature and quiet, take time to integrate experience, write notes. Integrate into broader consciousness and life plan. Who are you…?
Preparing to Expand Your Consciousness
The most important part of planning is considering our ritual intentions well in advance and ensuring we create grace. We create grace the more in presence and in gratitude we are, the more we innately help others, and by our thoughts and actions between rituals.
Secondly, preparation entails securing a supply of magic mushrooms in good time, deciding where to conduct the ritual, and ensuring that we can clear the decks beforehand with regards to all our obligations—this is “me time.”
Being in nature for the final three days is essential. Having a day or two after the ritual for quiet reflection in nature is really beneficial too.
Acquiring Magic Mushrooms
For readily accessing magic mushrooms you essentially have two options: using a magic mushroom grow kit or purchasing ready-to-consume magic mushroom truffles. I prefer psilocybin magic mushrooms from grow kits, like the McKenna or Golden Teacher varieties. Grow kits give me some form of control over quality and in creating a special connection with the mushrooms during their growth.
I also like a back-up plan, and magic truffles are useful for that.
Magic mushrooms are simple to grow. Instructions are usually available from retailers online. I’ve stored grow kits, based on retailer advice, in the fridge for two months before successfully cultivating them. Check the legal status in your country beforehand and understand any risks.
Final Week Ritual Meditation Preparation
My ritual preparation follows some basic principles over the final week before the Ritual Meditation takes place. Namely, I spend a lot of time in nature, meditating, being present, and making frequent prayers and offerings from dawn to bedtime.
Three days before, I completely disconnect from everything and everyone, strictly fast each of those three days, and I do daily sweat lodges.
It is important to set purposeful and realistic ritual intentions beforehand, as these direct our experience. Holding a fire ceremony is where I formally set my ritual intentions (in presence).
- Eat healthy food and minimize toxic/intoxicating consumptions:
- In the month beforehand—eat a healthy diet with as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. Avoid killed animal protein. Ideal foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, beans, rice, whole grains, popcorn, vegetable soups, salads, herbs, eggs, cheese, herbal teas, and water.
- In the final week—stop consumption of all alcohol, drugs, caffeine-containing drinks, cigarettes, and other brain stimulants.
- In the final week—avoid any type of sexual expression.
- Increase daily meditation:
One to two weeks beforehand—increase your eyes-closed meditation to two one-hour sessions each day. My Ritual Meditation trips can last 3–5 hours, so longer and more focused meditations in the final two weeks prepares me for the extended Ritual Meditation experience. Please refer to a previous blog for tips on improving your meditation focus and concentration (see M&M Blog 2).
- Fast for three days:
Three days beforehand—fast each day. This means strictly no food or calorific liquids, only teas, broths, and water. Fasting is not easy, but it does get easier the more you do it. If a full three days of fasting is not possible, then aim to fast for the final day beforehand.
Above all—be sensible and safe. If it doesn’t feel right—eat some food.
Prayers, Offerings & Intentions
There is a common denominator underpinning the effectiveness of prayers, and in setting ritual intentions, all of which are crucially important to the ritual’s outcome and effectiveness—to be effective we must be present when we do these things.
In presence, as earth-bound, individuated consciousness, we commune with our individuated consciousness (higher self) beyond space-time and objective reality, which is directly connected with pure Consciousness (God) as Unity awareness.
Setting Ritual Intentions
Ritual intentions are like a special form of prayer that communicates directly with our expanded Consciousness from presence. This lets pure Consciousness know we are consciously aware of our need for help to heal, awaken, self-realize, or do spiritual warrior work. We literally shape the ritual experience with our intention-setting.
I start to consider my ritual intentions in the months to weeks leading up to my next Ritual Meditation by listening to my inner silent voice. I focus solely on healing, personal transformation (emotion transformation, and heart and feminine channel opening), and spiritual warrior (collective healing) intentions. I avoid being specific in my intentions or requests—because only pure Consciousness knows what we need.
For example, I do not ask to experience ego death/rebirth, or chakra and Kundalini activation etc. I used a more general prayer-intention in my early test-pilot experiences, as the following prayer-intention demonstrates:
Pure consciousness, please look after me during my ritual and deliver me back safely and with more innate love, compassion, acceptance and kindness in all my feelings, thoughts, words, and actions. I trust you know what I need and I, therefore, submit myself fully to your realm and care. Please bring me to you and help me heal, awaken me to the real nature of who I am and permanently open my heart. Lets these spiritual qualities be innately present, so that I may be of benefit to other people, life, and our planet. Thank you.
This sort of general healing intention led to five of my chakra activations, including Kundalini and multiple heart chakra activations, along with numerous Unity/Satcitananda experiences, and profound psychoemotional healing.
You can read some of my trip report blogs to get other ritual intention ideas for healing, awakening, and self-realization.
The Ceremonial Fire
Conduct a fire ceremony the evening before your winter solstice sunrise and equinox sunrise/new moon ritual, or just before the ritual at the summer solstice sunset or sunset/full moon/equinox ritual. Please refer to a previous blog on conducting ceremonial fires, including an invocation, for a detailed description.
Conducting Ritual Meditation
In addition to sacred preparation Ritual Meditation has three main elements: 1) Sacred Space, 2) Sacred Time, and 3) Sacred Ritual.
One—Sacred Space
Sacred space encompasses the space where you will conduct your Ritual Meditation. Because we’re trying to replicate the silence of the pyramid and temple tunnels, chambers, and sanctums used by our ancestors for conducting their rituals, make your place sacred silent, dark, and comfortable. Sensory isolation permits you to significantly lower brain activity, thus helping you attain presence.
In the days prior to the Ritual Meditation I create a sacred circle around, or close to, the space where I meditate. This sacred circle symbolizes our collective, earthbound consciousness and honors all elements of creation and sacred time. The circle demarcates earth bound by the cardinal and solstice directions acting as pillars between heaven & earth, and the five elements constituting all earth’s life—earth, air, water, fire, and love-ether. It honors our ancestors and all human and non-human spirits. All of this under the heavens and subject to the One that is all (i.e., God, Allah, Unity etc.).
I place freshly picked flowers around the various directions. Inside the circle you can lay sacred objects, like a Buddha, Maitreya, Lao Tzu, Jesus statue, a cross, ankh etc., or special rocks and stones. I place the growing magic mushrooms inside the circle too.
Figure 1: This is my indoor fire circle maintained in my house 24/7. I sit around this each morning or whenever I feel like connecting more closely with my emptiness.
During the Ritual Meditation I align my meditating body with magnetic north (for those in the Northern Hemisphere; vice versa for the Southern Hemisphere). If you are sitting in front of a big volcano (preferable!), then sit facing that, instead.
Two—Sacred Time
The idea behind conducting sacred rituals at sacred time is based on bringing as many sacred time elements together to increase the impact on the ritual meditator’s brain via the enhancement of alpha brainwave voltages. This assists the brain’s process for “switching” the state of consciousness and with its brain mapping.
I start my Ritual Meditation 60–90 minutes before sunrise or sunset on those designated four sacred days each year. These sacred dates and times vary by year and region, so click on the meditation calendar (http://ritualmeditation.com/meditation-calendar/) for location-specific sun and moon rises/sets. Dates for the solstices and equinoxes (until 2020) are also provided. This way you can identify the sacred times for your location and time things just right.
Three—Sacred Ritual
Conducting Your Meditation & Magic Mushrooms
My preference is to conduct Ritual Meditation by myself in sensory silence in my sacred space—no noise or interruptions. I prefer not to conduct it with other people in close proximity because being solitary permits me to focus on myself-as-consciousness without distractions.
For those new to Ritual Meditation, I recommend you have a spotter silently in your meditation vicinity. A spotter be would someone you deeply trust and can communicate with at an intimate level of connection, and someone who understands you well. This person should not participate in using psychedelics with you, and they should keep their distance during the ritual unless you need them. You should also ensure your spotter has the contact details for your physician, psychologist, or a spiritual crisis/emergence network just in case.
I consume 50 grams of fresh psilocybin magic mushrooms (5 gram dried) just before I’m about to start my eyes-closed meditation. I blend these with a relatively strong cold passionflower tea and some fresh lime juice. Before drinking, I thank the magic mushrooms and ask them to help me on my healing journey with my specific ritual intention and to protect me and give me a safe return.
You should “peak in presence, connectivity, humility, intention, gratitude” in that moment! Just as you’re about to take that magic elixir of immortality!
Gently relax into your meditation and presence. Mild visuals will arise within 15–20 minutes of starting your meditation and will grow in intensity, color, form, and feelings as the ritual progresses. Sometimes as the meditation progresses there can be intense distractions, like automatic weird non-sensical thoughts and apparitions, or feelings of horniness intruding, so this is where you see the real value of your meditation practice kick in to keep you focused to get your awareness through the tunnel i.e., a moving ‘space-time discontinuum’.
Reemergence and Integration
In general, you’ll know when your Ritual Meditation is finished. There’s usually an urge to “come back” even though you will still be witnessing an expanded state of consciousness.
I like to sit and be silent in this immediate post-ritual phase because much insight and recall arises in this silence. For this reason, I’ve named the post-ritual phase “reemergence and integration.” I tend to do this outside in silence, in marvel of, and in love with nature. I tend to hug trees, kiss the plants, cry, and things like that. It’s very easy to find gratitude in everything at this time, and it’s a great time to express this to pure Consciousness, Mother Nature, and to who ever else you feel like.
Initially you don’t have a language for the transcendental realm, so finding the words can be very challenging. If you can think straight (J), it’s helpful to record insights and revelations as soon as you practically can. It’s a bit like recalling dreams: the further you are from it, the harder to recall what happened and its significance.
In the context of healing, a lot of memories, thoughts, feelings, and emotions can surface. My advice is just let this naturally flow and avoid trying to block it or judge yourself or others. It is all good material for learning about yourself, even if it isn’t pleasant.
Once the Ritual Meditation is over, you will be hungry, so be prepared with fresh and healthy foods at your disposal. I tend to eat fresh fruit to reawaken my digestive system. Avoid eating heavy or processed foods, and too much too soon.
You will also benefit from a day or two of staying at home and being isolated from other people after your ritual. In the days, weeks, and months following your Ritual Meditation, reflect and explore the insights that you came upon. I like to sit on my findings for weeks or months before acting. I try to remain flexible, so my understanding of the experience and insights can evolve and deepen. Act positively upon the insights, as your heart tells you. Saying sorry with humility is not so hard.
To give you greater motivation and insight in your journey and Ritual Meditation practice, in next month’s blog you’ll find the more profound experiences that constitute my journey toward and beyond self-realization. This will then be followed by how to integrate Ritual Meditation into a comprehensive yearly plan to help you on your awakening and healing journey.
Have a great month and let me know your thoughts or questions—I’ll be happy to help if I can. Contact me if you wish.
Thank you.
My best wishes to you.
Carlton Brown
Discovering Ritual Meditation: Transcendental Healing and Self-Realization Amazon: http://amzn.to/29EdrS0 Book preview: http://amzn.to/29ADnPA Website: http://ritualmeditation.com Copyright © 2008 Carlton Brown of http://ritualmeditation.com, All Rights Reserved.
- Start your meditation 60–90 minutes before the winter solstice sunrise, summer solstice sunset, an at/around the equinoxes (full or new moon).
- http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Ritual-Meditation-Transcendental-Self-Realization-ebook/dp/B00HWIJ8EW/ or http://ritualmeditation.com/resource-library/
- Avalon Magic Plants, Zamnesia, Magic Truffles, and Shayanashop
