A Magical Weekend
By: Jason S Grad
Tags: Oaxaca, Psychedelics, Mexico, Camping, Mushrooms

This past weekend I attended a camping trip unlike I have never experienced before. Veronica and I travelled deep into the desert jungle of Oaxaca, Mexico to a camp site that consisted of only one palapa (open-sided dwelling) and one outhouse. It is a piece of land owned by my second cousin on my mom’s side named Becky Huck. She is a beautiful young woman whom I met for the first time only a few short weeks ago after being introduced to on Facebook. Yes boys, she is single and looking but she also has high standards so slackers and beach bums need not apply. The land is enchanting in its beauty and unforgiving in its relentless heat. It is the future site of a natural healing retreat centre, but for now it is just a few fence posts and a clearing of shrubs.

A group of eight people gathered here to participate in nature and enjoy psilocybin in a social environment. For anyone not familiar with the term ‘psilocybin’, what we are talking about are psychedelic magic mushrooms. Psilocybin has been in the news a lot lately because it is rapidly gaining recognition for it positive results in treating many conditions including depression, drug addiction, and PTSD. It is currently on the fast track to becoming legalized for medical use and decriminalized for recreational use. The fungi grows naturally in the mountainous areas of this state, but are currently out season so our package arrived via Fedex and were dehydrated for extra potency.

Our journeys began around noon after a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and tortillas. I took about 3 grams or two full mushrooms. It was a little more than every one else but it was my intention to go deep into the trip in my continued effort to relieve myself of the anxiety I have been feeling about the future. I was more experienced in the psychedelic realms than some of the other attendees and felt I was prepared to deal with any negative emotions that could potentially arise. Many of the others just wanted to enjoy a beautiful day with friends and a slightly smaller dose would certainly produce that atmosphere.

We made the short five minute walk through the forrest to an enchanting swimming pool and beach. Everything under the influence of mushrooms takes longer so it was closer to 15 minutes and a couple u-turns before we found our way though the unmarked trail. The trip turned out to be very much worth the effort.

I entered the water tentatively because the effects and my anxiety were just beginning to take hold of me. I left my sandals on because I don’t really like the feel of mud and slime between my toes. The water was still cool not yet heated by the afternoon sun and it felt amazing. By this point I was already far behind the rest of the group so I pushed myself to catch up. After a short swim, I made my way to a small waterfall and pulled myself up onto a large rock that was protected from the baking sun. That is when shit started getting real.

At this point the psychedelics began to really kick in. I was nearly overwhelmed with the intensity of where I was and the tremendous power of nature. My breath began accelerating and and the tension in my chest grabbed me like a vice grip. Now this may may sound too much for many people but it is not a state I am unfamiliar with. The key to surviving is to breath deeply and intently while never fighting the feeling, instead allowing it to flow through your body. This is the medicine healing you and purging negative energies from your body. I sat there maybe 10 or 15 minutes overwhelmed with the intensity of nature and lost in my breath before the first wave of energy passed through me. The only word I could manage during this time was “fuuuuuck”.

Just as I was feeling braver and more confident, Veronica came down the river from the opposite direction looking for me. She was going through her own intense journey, but later confessed to being obsessed in that moment to find me. We proceeded slowly up the river towards the larger waterfall. When I say slowly, I mean time was passing at 1/16th speed. At one point I yelled up to the group asking “who has the ring?”, a reference to Frodo and the Lord of the Rings as I felt we were on an epic journey.

Finally we made it to the waterfalls where we sat under the current being gently massaged. It is here that much of my healing occurred. I felt my anxiety completely release from my body into the river carried away by mother nature. Falling deep into a mediative state, my mind began journeying into other dimensions of vibrant colours alternating from fire red to divine whiteness. I consciously worked at relieving pain from my shoulders that I felt was emotionally based. The pain in my shoulders is gone now even as I write this several days later.

The group began the trek back down to the beach and I brought up the end as usual. I walked through the sandy river like an Aztec god, full of power and confidence. Making my way back to my rock where I sat previously, I fell into another state of deep meditation and altered consciousness. Gone was the anxiety I was consumed with only a short time prior and instead I was filled with love and peace. I spent time caressing the stone around me that was smooth like a baby’s bottom.

The smaller waterfall offered a small space under a large boulder in the strong current. I witnessed Becky emerge from this cave at one point and knew immediately I also had to do the same. When it was my turn, I slowly crawled over the wet and slimy rock. I was scared shitless to be honest, but I proceeded nonetheless. I am used to traveling to multiple dimensions during ceremonies without fear, but this was different. This was third dimension reality and I find real life much scarier than the spirit world. It was part of my intention to learn to ground myself in reality and release this fear. I made my way into the small cave only big enough to sit in fetal position. The water pounded onto my back like a massage and there was just enough air to breath, with some difficulty. I focused on releasing my fear into the river. I even urinated to complete the purge. I had a breakthrough revalation as to the nature of my fears before making my way back to the safety of my rock.

We made our way back to the beach eventually, just as another group of people were arriving. They were a beautiful group of people but their vibes were different then mine and Veronica’s at the time so we made our way back to the palapa where we could just be alone and enjoy the quiet and the beauty of the setting sun over the mountain. I drank a beer and ate some cookies as we waited for the party to return.

The night brought some interesting conversations and more festivities that I will not detail. By midnight, only the original eight remained. We cleaned up a little, before I settled into my hammock for the night. The mosquitoes were a major irritant most of the weekend, particularly at night, but we are none the worse. In the morning we ate another hearty breakfast before cleaning up and going for one last swim. Arriving home around noon, we both crashed hard on the couch unable to move.

This trip will go down as one of the most magical weekends of my life. I am so grateful for meeting Becky and her inviting us to her land. I look forward to visiting again many times in the future as she builds her community and retreat centre.