Mescaline: A Psychedelic Catalyst for Healing

Our society has a negative view
of hallucinogenic drugs and the psychedelic experiences that they produce.
Hallucinogenic drugs are seen as inherently worthless and inherently dangerous,
producing negative societal changes.  In contrast to this view is the fact that
hallucinogenic plants have been used as religious sacrament, healing medicine,
and spiritual guides for thousands of years.  As an example of beneficial use
of a plant hallucinogen, I will use the ancient traditional healing ceremonies,
ceremonies still functioning today, which use the San Pedro cactus(Trichocereus
pachanoi).

The key factor in the use of the cactus is the mescaline that it
contains.  The hallucinogenic effects of the mescaline is necessary for the
healing ceremony to function properly.  The beneficial use of psychedelic
effects in the San Pedro cactus healing ritual contrasts with the negative
associations society has about hallucinogens.  The legal statutes and the
societal taboo against researching the effects of plant hallucinogens is an
example of the general attitude toward plants with psychoactive effects.  These
laws and opinions are crippling mostly to those who want to preserve
traditional knowledge about beneficial plants.  These laws and attitudes have
come about because of misinformation about the psychedelics as well as
widespread misuse of them.  The consciousness expanding abilities of
psychedelic drugs is stated well in this quote from Terence McKenna, in Whole
Earth Review(Fall 1989).

He says that, "Re-establishing direct channels of
communication with the planetary other, the mind behind Nature, through the use
of hallucinogenic plants is the last, best hope for dissolving the steep walls
of cultural inflexibility that appear to be channeling us toward true ruin.
Careful exploration of the plant hallucinogens will probe the most archaic and
sensitive levels of the drama of the emergence of consciousness." Thus McKenna
notes that, "The pro-psychedelic plant position is clearly an anti-drug
position.  Drug dependencies are the result of habitual, unexamined and
obsessive behavior; these are precisely the tendencies that the psychedelics
mitigate." McKenna is clearly advocating responsible psychedelic plant use, and
not advocating drug abuse.  Shamans all over the world and in different
cultures have traditionally used psychoactive plants, especially psychedelics,
for guidance, decision making, healing, spirituality enhancing experiences and
remaining in balance with the natural world.  It is very important to keep in
mind that, "a plant using shaman is far more than a witch-doctor who gets
wigged out on drugs; he or she is a healer, experimentalist, and psycho pomp.
Anyone who seeks to understand the dimensions of the shaman's healing system
without understanding the place of psychoactive plants is going to miss a vital
factor"(Rheingold 27).

It is interesting to note that the shamans who use the
plants claim that much of the knowledge is gained directly from the plants.
One example is that psychedelic plants are claimed to have taught melodies to
those who ingest them.  This is found with San Pedro using shamans, Ayahuasca
drinkers in the Amazon, the Mazatec who use hallucinogenic mushrooms, and the
Huichols who use Peyote(McKenna 30).

The key hallucinogenic alkaloid in the San
Pedro cactus is mescaline.  Mescaline is unique among drugs in that its main
action is a stimulant of the visual and visuo-psychic areas of the
cortex(Kluver 65).

This lets the brain experience an altered state of
consciousness.  Mescaline is also found in many other cacti and succulents,
including the well known Peyote cactus.  The largest part of the mescaline
experience is experienced visually, through hallucinations.  Most hallucinatory
phenomena are usually variations of certain forms.  These form constants are:
a) grating, lattice, fretwork, filigree, honeycomb, or chessboard; b) cobweb;
c) tunnel, funnel, alley, cone or vessel; d) spiral.  The fineness of the lines
is often stressed.  They are so thin that it is hard to say whether they are
black or white.  These form constants are also seen in other altered states.
One observer has seen the same hallucinatory constants during four different
childhood sicknesses.  This has led him to conclude, "All the geometric forms
and designs characteristic of mescaline-induced phenomena can, under proper
conditions, be entopically observed"(Kluver 65).

Some of the form constants are
also found in, "the visual phenomena of insulin hypoglycemia, and in phenomena
induced by simply looking at disks with black, white, or colored sectors
rotating at certain speeds"(Kluver 65).

These hallucinatory forms have also
been reported from migraine attacks.  One author tries to account for the
different form constants by referring to the various structures in the eye.  He
concludes from anatomical and observed data that, "the rods and foveal cones
can look backwards and that the retinal pigment and the choriocapillary
circulation can, therefore, be seen under certain conditions"(Kluver 65).

In essence, our hallucinations are views of looking backward at the retina,
according to this theory.  This would explain the prevalence of lines in
mescaline hallucinations.  Mescaline intoxication is a complicated and somewhat
incomprehensible thing.  These accounts are taken from experiments done with
Peyote in the 1920's.  I am using these accounts on the assumption that the
psychedelic mescaline experience will be fairly uniform, regardless of the
plant used.  It is important to understand that no written account can
adequately describe the experience.  The form constants experienced with
mescaline intoxication overlap into the sensory sphere of experience.  A
Professor Forster felt a net-like "cobweb" on his tongue.  Another subject felt
that his legs were spirals.  For him, the spiral of his leg blended with
another spiral that was rotating in the visual field.  "One has the sensation
of somatic and optic unity"(Kluver 71).

Lines are one of the most prevalent
things seen while under the influence of mescaline.  This is often seen as a
"lattice" or "fretwork.  A physician, Dr.  Beringer was conducting an
experiment involving mescaline.  One of his subjects stated that: He saw
fretwork before his eyes, his arms, hands, and fingers turned into fretwork and
that he became identical with the fretwork.  There was no difference between
the fretwork and himself, between inside and outside.  All objects in the room
and the walls changed into fretwork and thus became identical with him.  While
writing, the words turned into fretwork and there was, therefore, an identity
of fretwork and handwriting.  'The fretwork is I.' In other people the
"lattice", or "fretwork" became so dominant that it appeared to dominate the
whole personality.  All ideas turned into glass fretwork, which he saw, thought
,and felt.  He also felt, saw, tasted, and smelled tones that became fretwork.
He himself was the tone(Kluver 72).

Weir Mitchell took an extract of one and
one half Peyote buttons and he eventually saw: A white spear of grey stone grew
up to huge height, and became a tall, richly furnished Gothic tower of very
elaborate and definite design, with many rather worn statues standing in the
doorways or on stone brackets.  As I gazed every projecting angle, cornice, and
even the face of the stones at their joinings were by degrees covered or hung
with clusters of what seemed to be huge precious stones, but uncut.  These were
green, purple, red, and orange; never clear yellow and never blue.  All seemed
to possess interior light, and to give the faintest idea of the perfectly
satisfying intensity and purity of these gorgeous colors is quite beyond my
power.  As I looked, and it lasted long, the tower became of a fine mouse hue,
and everywhere the vast pendant masses of emerald green, ruby red, and orange
began to drip a slow rain of colors.  Here were miles of rippled purple, half
transparent and of ineffable beauty.  Now and then soft golden clouds floated
from these folds(Kluver 16).

This quote is from someone who had been injected
with .2 gm of the sulfate of mescaline by physicians: A steel veil the meshes
of which are constantly changing in size and form...beads in different
colors...red, brownish, and violet threads running together in center...gold
rain falling vertically...regular and irregular forms in iridescent colors
resembling shells and sea urchins...transparent oriental rugs, but infinitely
small...wallpaper designs...countless rugs with such magnificent hues and such
singular brilliancy that I cannot even imagine them now...cobweb like figures
or concentric circles and squares...the pyramid of the tower of a Gothic
dome...architectural forms, buttresses, rosettes, leafwork, fretwork, and
circular patterns...modern cubistic patterns...gammadia forms from the points
of which radiate innumerable lines in the forms of screws and spirals, in
flashes and calm curves, a kaleidoscopic play of ornaments, patterns, crystals
and prisms which creates the impression of a never-ending
uniformity...hexagonal small honeycombs hung down from the ceiling...incessant
play of filigreed colors...in the face of B I saw a lattice of yellow-greenish
horizontal stripes(Kluver 17).

The power of mescaline to completely change
reality temporarily can be seen in the following experience of Henri Michaux.
He mistakenly took a dose of the sulfate of mescaline that was about six times
his normal dose.  It was where one is nothing but oneself, it was there that,
with mad speed, hundreds of lines of force combed my being which could never re
-integrate itself quickly enough, for, before it could come together again,
another line of rakes began raking it, and then again, and then again.  Intense
beyond intensity, the struggle, and I, active as never before in my life,
miraculously surpassing myself, but surpassed out of all proportion by the
dislocating phenomenon.  Enormous Z's are passing through me (stripes-
vibrations-zig-zags?).

Then, either broken S's, or what may be their halves,
incomplete O's, a little like giant eggshells.  I have once more become a
passage, a passage in time.  This then was the furrow with the fluid in it,
absolutely devoid of viscosity, and that is how I pass from second 51 to second
52, to second 53, then to second 54 and so on.  It is my passage
forward(Michaux 65).

I found one account of the effects of San Pedro in
particular.  This account is short, and obviously this is only a fraction of
the total mescaline experience, but it does agree with the experience of the
mescaline in Peyote.  The effects of San Pedro are: ...first a slight dizziness
that one hardly notices.  And then a great vision, a clearing of all the
faculties of the individual.  It produces a light numbness in the body and
afterward a tranquillity.  And then comes a detachment, a type of visual force
in the individual inclusive of all the senses: seeing, hearing, smelling,
touching, etc-all the senses, including the sixth sense, the telepathic sense
of transmitting oneself across time and matter....It develops the power of
perception...in the sense that when one wants to see something far away...he
can distinguish powers or problems or disturbances at a great distance, so as
to deal with them(Furst 130).

The San Pedro cactus, Trichocereus pachanoi, is
native to several places in South America.  It is found in Southern Ecuador at
the Chanchan valley ranging from 6,600-9,000 feet.  In Peru, in the Huancabamba
valley and in Quebrada Santa Cruz at 10,800 ft.  It grows naturally in these
locales, but is cultivated all over Peru and in other places in South America.
T.  pachanoi has a tree like body, 10-20 ft high, up to 4" in diameter and
several branches starting from the base.  It is bluish green, and frosted at
first.  It has 4-7 ribs, which are broad and rounded, with slight transverse
depressions over the small areoles.  There are 1-4 spines per areole, very
small or completely absent, and dark yellow to brown.  The flower is funnel
shaped, to 9.8" long and 7.9" in diameter.  It is white with a light green
tinge.  The alkaloid, mescaline, is contained in the top 1/2 inch of skin.
Alkaloids in other cacti serve as seedling inhibitors and parasite repellents.
This is probably true of San Pedro as well.  The mescaline comprises .12% of
the whole fresh plant material.  This is approximately 1.2 grams of mescaline
per kilo.  Mescaline is also found in 10 other Trichocereus species, some of
which are used in the way that T.  pachanoi is(Ostolaza 102).

Awareness of the
psychedelic nature of the San Pedro cactus has been documented for a minimum of
around 3000 years.  Engraved stone carvings, at Chavin, date to 1300bc.  They
portray a figure holding sections of the cactus.  Representations of San Pedro
also show up on Moche ceramics, Nazca urns and Chimu ceramics.  It has been
suggested that cacti were under cultivation in Peru as early as 200bc(Davis
368).

Establishing continuity between pre-Columbian use of this cactus and
present day use is challenging.  When the European explorers first landed in
South America, their religion, Christianity, dramatically changed the
indigenous cultures.  European Christianity literally invaded the original
region where the use of San Pedro indigenously evolved.  "Under such pressures,
the indigenous religious practices, including the utilization of Trichocereus
pachanoi, undoubtedly were transformed"(Davis 372).

In Peru, in Huacananda, the
imported culture has totally replaced indigenous cultures.  The San Pedro
healing cult has survived, but is quite different than it was.  In fact, the
name San Pedro is from the Roman Catholic "St.  Peter".

Early observers saw
that the San Pedro cult was so Christian that they erroneously concluded that
it represented a strictly post-contact, colonial phenomenon(Davis 372).
However, the archaeological evidence points to elements of the original
ceremonies in the ceremonies I am reporting on.  To understand the roots of San
Pedro healing cult we need to understand the assumptions of South American
shamanism in general.  The elements are: 1) The belief in spirit guardians.  2)
The notion of particular places animistically endowed with supernatural power.
3) The concept of physical combat with disease demons or spirits.  4) The close
association of certain magical plants with spiritual power.  5) The belief in
spiritual or supernatural forces as the causal agents of illness(Davis 371).
The healing role is performed by the shaman, or curandero.  The shaman's world
view is central to the meaning and function of the healing ritual.  To the
curandero, the existence of opposite forces does not mean splitting the world
in two(the 'Sacred' and 'Profane') or establishing a rigid dichotomy between
'this' world of matter and the 'other' world of spirit.  On the contrary, the
curandero seeks to perceive unity in the dynamic interaction between the forces
of good and evil through the attainment of 'vision'.

Such a view of the world
is very flexible and adaptable; it leaves room for the acceptance of new
symbols and ideas and allows competing elements to enter into one's structuring
of reality and the behavior determined by such structuring(Furst 123).

For
example, this view allows the shaman to see no contradiction between modern
medicine and traditional curing.  Nor does he see modern medicine as a threat
to his vocation.  He is seeking to assimilate scientific knowledge and
techniques into practice by taking correspondence courses and reading medical
literature.  Basically, if he knows more about modern medicine, he will be more
adept at healing people with San Pedro.  The reasons that people wish a shaman
to perform the ritual are diverse.  They can be physical illness, or simply bad
luck.  In any case, the assumption is that there are spiritual forces which are
causing these problems.  In a ritual performed in Peru, on the night of
February 15, 1981, the patients had these problems: A girl who has been
paralyzed, who also had back pain, stomach pain, and great depression.  A
family's cattle herd had got diseased and been reduced from 58 to 6.  An aunt
recently gone mad.  A businessman who wanted to know who had embezzled from his
business.  Insanity caused by seeing a wife in the arms of another man(Davis
372).

Briefly, the ritual consists of the shaman healing the patients with the
conjunction of his own spiritual power, the mescaline which activates his
power, and an altar, called a mesa.  The mesa is covered with power objects,
which are seen as having spiritual energy.  The layout of the objects on the
mesa is a key structure of the ritual.  There are three fields on the mesa.
The left is associated with death taking, and the right with life giving.  The
middle is either a separate field or a neutral zone.  In either case, the
middle is linked to the concept of balance, of mediating between good and evil.
Only some of the shamans consider the two opposite sides good and bad.  They
are usually considered complementary halves of a whole, neither good or bad.
This is a characteristic that is common to many indigenous symbolic
systems(Furst 127).

It is important to have the left field, which represents
negativity.  This is because this is the realm responsible for illness and bad
luck, and consequently capable of revealing their sources(Furst 125).

Objects on the left side are sometimes associated with animals such as snakes, deer,
monkeys, frogs, foxes, cats, and birds of prey.  These power objects usually
include things of "Ancestors"(ie: artifacts from archaeological sites),
poisonous herbs in bottles, and stones(from places of the dead(cemeteries or
archaeological sites) The middle field, or neutral zone is dedicated to finding
balance between the two opposite energies.  Good luck herbs are placed here and
a good luck charm is made during the ritual using these herbs.  Balancing
fields always have sun images.  There are also magnetic or reflective stones.
The right field often uses extensive Catholic imagery such as saints, and
purificatory waters.  Indigenous positive power objects always include
medicinal plants, shells(fertility symbols), and the containers of the San
Pedro infusion.  In front of the fields there are meditation symbols as well as
a representation of the shaman(Joralemon 22).

The symbols on the right side are
used to guide the creation of a proper herbal healing mixture.  At the back of
the mesa are six to twelve upright staffs.  These are associated with the
respective areas of the mesa they are standing in back of.  Each shaman's
layout of power objects on the mesa is quite diverse.  Some of the various
objects I found listed for the three fields are as follows; Right field:
stones, shells, bowls, and a rattle.  Neutral or balancing field: a bronze
sunburst, a stone symbolizing the Sea, and a crystal "mirror".

Left field: A
deer foot, knives and cane alcohol.  Other objects that shamans have used on
their mesas include wooden staffs of tropical hardwoods, whale bones, quartz
crystals, colonial knives, plastic toy soldiers, pre-columbian ceramics, brass
lions and deer, antlers, wild boar tusks, silver plates, murex and helmet
shells, dice, statues of the Virgin Mary, and many photos and paintings of
Roman Catholic saints.  Also, each patient places one personal offering on the
altar(Davis 373).

These personal offerings can be things like bottles of
alcohol, bottles of scented water and red perfume, or objects to represent
other patients who could not come.  One man brought coins and hex stones for
the proxy of a sick aunt who could not travel(Davis 372).

The San Pedro healing
ritual has always had the certain standard elements that I have been
discussing.  However, this ritual is also capable of adapting to different
times' religious ideas, which is how the original ritual was transformed by
Christianity (specifically, Roman Catholicism).

The left field became
associated with Satan, and the right field with Jesus and Mary.  In one mesa
structure, the neutral zone was governed by a saint who was a powerful magician
before he converted to Christianity.  All shamans have many power objects they
use on the mesa.  Despite often being Christian symbols, they function very
much like the negative and positive forces and symbols do in native shamanism.
The shaman does not consider these objects lifeless.  Each is a focus of a
particular force.  Collectively, they are a projection of his own spiritual
power, which becomes activated whenever the mesa is used in the conjunction
with the drinking of the hallucinogenic San Pedro infusion.  The ritual is
always done at night.  It consists of a lengthy preliminary purification
ceremony and then the ritual itself.  The ceremonial acts consist of prayers,
invocations, and chants(accompanied by the beat of the shamanic rattle),
addressed to all the supernaturals of the indigenous and Roman Catholic faiths.
At midnight, when the purifying ceremonial acts are complete, there is some
preliminary chanting, then all present must drink one to three cups of the
ceremonial potion.  The shaman takes the first cupful, and then the patients.
Usually nothing is added to the San Pedro infusion.  However, in cases of
illness believed to be caused by sorcery some things may be added.  These
additional ingredients are usually powdered bones, certain plants, and cemetery
dust or dust from archaeological ruins.  Also, a purgative potion may be made
from another plant which is to be taken after taking the San Pedro drink.  Some
shamans add strongly psychoactive plants like Datura, but this is considered by
most to be drastic shock therapy(Furst 119).

In the beginning phase of the
ritual each patient stands before the left side of the altar.  As the mescaline
begins to take effect, the shaman chants the patients name and visualizes the
forms of animals that represent the poisons/problems of the patients.  While
each patient stands before the mesa and the shaman chants his name, everyone
else stares at the staffs behind the mesa.  Consensus among the hallucinating
patients will be reached as to which staff is vibrating.  The shaman then
chants with the staff in his hand and this focuses his vision and activates the
power of the staff and associated objects on the mesa.  This focusing of vision
helps the curandero "see" the cause of the patient's problem.  This first part
of the ritual is essentially to gain control of the negative forces that have
been called into play(Furst 128).

During this first part of the ritual, the
shaman may pause to massage or suck on parts of patients bodies to extract the
supernatural source of the affliction.  In certain very serious cases, the
forces which cause the illness are believed to be powerful enough to attack the
patient during the curing session.  This is dangerous and requires immediate
emergency action.  The shaman seizes a sword or staff and charges out beyond
the mesa and the patients.  He then conducts a ferocious battle with the
attacking forces, which only he can see in his San Pedro visions.  In one
ceremony the shaman performs seven somersaults in the form of a cross, while
grasping the sword in both hands with the sharp edge held forward.  This is
intended to drive off the attacking forces and shock the sorcerer who is
directing them(Furst 130).

The second part of the ritual is considered the most
important part.  The central field of the mesa is associated with balance and
luck, and there are herbs of good fortune placed in it.  Patients appear before
the mesa and the shaman identifies which herbs are going to be used for that
patient's good luck charm.  The third phase is for identifying the particular
herbs that will cure the patients' ailments.  These herbs have been placed on
the right side.  After identification through hallucinations, the shaman tosses
some shells as a form of divination to confirm if he made the right choices of
herbs(Joralemon 26).

This divination is a basic part of any San Pedro healing
ritual.  It shows an association between hallucinations, mesa objects, and the
element of control that the shaman has over the ritual.  Mesa artifacts are
closely linked to mescaline-induced hallucinations in that they serve to anchor
visualizations in such a way as to permit their application to the achievement
of specific ends.  By so controlling the drug experience, the shaman is able to
direct the ritual toward healing objectives.  In other words, this control
allows the shaman to structure the course of a visionary episode so that it
leads to the goal of curing(Joralemon 24).

At the end, some shamans blow
perfume, water, sugar, and facial powder over everyone.  Then there is a final
benediction or prayer.  Each participant is presented with the bottle of sacred
healing herbs(Davis 373).

The patients are sent on their way.  The San Pedro
cactus has a long history of being used for its psychedelic effects.  It has
often been used for healing in a ritual which evolved in Peru.  This ancient
ritual represents a journey from life-taking to life-giving forces.  This is
inherently a positive event.  The use of the mescaline in the ritual to achieve
this positive result is a welcome contrast to many current negative attitudes
towards psychedelic experiences.

Works Cited Davis, E.  Wade.  Sacred Plants of the San Pedro Cult.  Harvard
University: Botanical Museum leaflets, 1983.  Furst, Peter T.  Flesh of the
Gods (The ritual use of Hallucinogens).

New York: Praeger Publishers, 1972.
"Hallucinogens-A trip to nowhere." Current Health 2 January 1991: 14-16.
Joralemon, Donald.  Symbolic Space and Ritual Time in a Peruvian Healing
Ceremony.  San Diego: San Diego Museum of Man; Ethnic Technology Notes #19,
1984.  Kluver, Heinrich.  Mescal and Mechanisms of Hallucinations.  Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1966.  McKenna, Terence.  "Plan, Plant, Planet."
Whole Earth Review Fall 1989: 5-11.  Michaux, Henri.  Miserable Miracle.
Monaco: Editions du Rocher, 1956.  Rheingold, Howard.  "Ethnobotany and The
Search for Vanishing Knowledge." Whole Earth Review Fall 1989: 16-23.
"Trichocereus Pachanoi BR & R." Cactus and Succulent Journal Vol.  56 1984: 103
-104.  ---------------------- Traditional preparation(method #1) of San Pedro
is as follows: We are assuming your cactus is about 3" in diameter.  Remove
spines.  Finely chop up about 6-12 inches(I've used a blender--but don't
totally liquify it for this method)), depending on how deep you wish to
journey.....Boil in several quarts of water for three hours.  Strain it, save
the water, and boil it again in a few more quarts of water for another three
hours...strain again.  Both times, you may need to add water in order to keep
it simmering for three hours.  The pulp may now be thrown out.  Combine the two
extracts and boil down to a cup or two.  This will take at least another hour.
( I have some literature that says you can just eat it, but I think that it is
easier to drink a cup of foul tasting liquid than to eat a foot long cactus!)

The percentage of mescaline is supposed to be approximately that of Peyote, so
that can be your guide when deciding how much to prepare.  Having never taken
Peyote, I don't really have much basis for comparison.  I know that the first
time, I took four inches and it didn't do that much....enough that I noticed
it, but not much more.  Then the next time I prepared 12 inches, and, to use
the vernacular of my youth, "tripped my freakin' brains out".

It was the first
time I'd ever experienced Mescaline and it was beautiful, wonderful, spiritual,
and indescribably nice.  If you are prepared for a strong psychedelic
experience I would suggest 12 inches.  It is best taken in two doses, 45
minutes apart, to minimize the shock to the system.  My literature suggests
that it isn't nearly as physically nauseating as Peyote.  I have not found it
to be very bad.  I warn you that it tastes TERRIBLE!, and you probably will
want to cook it down to a very small amount of liquid(a cup or two total),
because of this.

However, one author had this to say: "In my own experience, *extensive* boiling
of San Pedro produces a trip that is mellower, more sedative, and with fewer
visuals, as well as reducing the potency in general".

I have also found this to
be true, so I suggest the method below.  It works for me! ----------------
Method #2: remove spines.  Chop, then blend, juice or otherwise liquify.  For
each foot of cactus: Add 1 cup water and the juice of two lemons to the bowl of
liquid.  This extract can be frozen for later use, although it may be illegal
in this form.  (San Pedro is legal to possess, but illegal to consume, in the
USA).

The liquid extract can be chilled to ice-cold temperatures before
ingestion, and prepared with lemon juice, both of which make it more palatable.
Consume 6-8oz portions 20-30 minutes apart until you've fully consumed your
chosen dose(cactus length).

Despite the lemon juice, it will be intensely bitter, so chilling it to near
freezing before drinking is probably a good idea.  A number of techniques can
help with the taste.  I suggest chasing each gulp with unsweetened grapefruit
juice.  Alternatively, Adam Gottleib, in "Peyote and Other Psychoactive Cacti"
has this to say: "The Indians...  believe that if one's heart is pure, the
bitterness will not be tasted.  Many have found that by not cringing from the
taste, but rather letting one's sesnses plunge directly into the center of the
bitterness, a sort of separation from the offensive flavor is experienced.  One
is aware of the bitterness, but it no longer disturbs him...It is not a
difficult trick, but it takes some mental discipline."
_______________________________________________________________________________
______

And yes, it's true, Trichocereus pachanoi is a legal ornamental cactus and very
few people know of it's true nature.  I have purchased or seen them in Fred
Meyer, Jerry's home improvement store, and in "the indoor garden" store on 11th
street.  I have been told they are readily available at local nurseries.  I
have mail ordered several as well.  There are at least two mail order cactus
companies that carry them.  Unfortunately, the ones I've seen are always quite
a bit less than 12 inches high.  San Pedro is a very fast growing cactus, and,
under ideal conditions, can actually grow up to a foot a year! Treat them like
a normal cactus except, give them more water and much bigger pots than regular
cacti.  The soil can be ordinary potting soil, mixed with cactus mix.  San
Pedro is a very easy to grow and very adaptable plant.  It makes a great house
plant.  It is possible to buy them in large sizes, but as I said, it's
unlikely.  If you do find a four foot T.  pachanoi, buy it! The biggest one
I've seen around town is about 8" high.  The ones I mail ordered were about 6",
but have grown impressively.  That's ok, I'm willing to wait.  I have several
out on my porch.  I have them in a window during the winter and out on the
porch all summer.  When compared to the slow growing Peyote, San Pedro grows
remarkably quickly.  It's a relatively short period of time before they're big
enough to use.  And of course, don't mention trips, or mescaline or anything
while buying them.  ----------------------- It is so funny to find mescaline,
the key to a deeply sacred and culturally/religiously significant
hallucinogenic experience...........in Fred Meyer, the bastion of mainstream
America, a veritable symbol of non-altered consciousness.  Fred Meyer is so
plain and mainstream and "normal"....I really enjoy finding a deeply sacred
hallucinogenic plant for 7 bucks on the discount rack! if they only
knew......the vast majority of people will walk right on by the cactus and not
have the faintest clue of it's significance ----------- Absolute respect and
extreme caution are always in order when considering psychedelic adventures.  -
---------- I hope this information brings you joy, peace, introspection, and
helps you progress on your path.
___________________________________________________ Note that the preparation
and ingestion of Trichocereus pachanoi may be a violation of local, state,
and/or federal laws.  I hereby instruct all readers not to violate the law.
All factual data herein was obtained from books and Internet posts, and was
presumed accurate at the time I got it.  None of it is guaranteed in any way,
shape, or form.  This is for informational purposes only; nothing herein is to
be taken as a recommendation, excepting the instructions in this paragraph.
Any actions taken as a result of this text are the responsibility of the
reader, and are not the responsibility of the author(s).