"Deal With It" ~ the mushroom's bathroom prank

[ControlledChaos]

This is a particularly amusing example of the kind of wave a high enough dose of psilocybin can put you on. This story is definitely an example of the "trickster" nature of the mushroom on full display. I'm not sure how much I took in grams, but it was 2 very nice sized mushies. The behavior was both humorous and problematic, but probably thought provoking too.

One of the people I live with is a family member who likes to dwell on negative stuff. He is a cool guy interested in cool things, but he is a master at dwelling on negative things, including small and petty ones.

One such thing that he is petty about was me leaving some streaks of blue soap in the shower. He makes a huge deal out of that, despite it literally just being soap in a shower. The place also isn't the most sanitary because it's an old building with issues, so I really don't get the point of him making such a fuss about it.

Anyhow, the mushrooms gave me a funny idea when I took a shower tonight. After I had got done with what seemed to be telepathy in the shower (talking to other people I know, or what seemed to be them, but in my head... Or maybe my mind's projection of them?).... But I digress- after a rather intense shower at the height of the trip, the mushroom had a pretty interesting idea-

To make a little artwork for the family member who makes a huge fuss out of small, petty, insignificant things.

And here's what that little mycelial trickster God convinced me to do-



Now, I actually quite liked how it turned out. The blue meltyness the wet shower gave this lovely soap mural was a nice accidental touch. Kind of reminded me of a certain type of blue bruising on certain organic matter.

Later on, I heard that same family member loudly muttering really negative stuff to themselves. Their room was right next to me and I considered it rude. So I stuck my phone right into the horn of a wall art antique saxophone I have and played that funky music as loud as my phone could get it, amplified through where I placed it. This completely flooded that family member's aural field with positive vibrations even louder than his negative muttering. Probably wasn't the most logical option, but I found it really funny and clever at the moment.

The tail end of the trip was me talking to an AI planning out a book that I plan to soon stuff about my crazy experiences in Hawaii.

I hope you all enjoyed this brief little description of mushroom mischief.

 

[bezevo]

Seems negative.... kinda juvinile ..................Reality perhaps ?


i am an old cranky person

Next time you trip you should maybe Consider ........thinking about Karma ...

Being kind and Tolerant of Others ...... As in let it Go .

Strive to be a Better Person .

You Will Like Yourself More and Be A Much More Happy Person.

Karma

 

[ommani]

I think anthropomorphizing psychedelics can be problematic, as in “Mother Ayahuasca told me to be an energy healer, so I quit my job and moved to Bali.”

Point being, I don’t believe this was the mushroom’s “prank” - I believe your actions were of your own volition, while under the influence of psychedelics, not something the mushrooms would have you do.

In other words, I don’t think it was the will of psilocybin for you to aggravate your housemate by decorating your bathroom with soap, anymore than it is the will of cannabis for me to make homemade nachos.

 

[northape]

Shifting blame is as old as our species, same as getting high.
Glad he didn't sacrifice his friend to Aztec gods because the mushrooms told him to.
Stay safe, stay sane

 

[Espurrr]

there was a time when people would have a heart to heart conversation with a square on 500 gamma of acid

 

[Nydex]

I find it quite disconcerting that you found any of that funny or clever. For me, psychedelics always have an empathetic effect - they amplify my capacity to feel what others feel, and to better understand their position even if it's one I wouldn't normally find agreeable. It seems like for you, this experience had the opposite effect - instead of trying to be there for your family member and be supportive and talk about it like mature, intelligent people, you chose the path of senseless aggravation.

Far be it for me to say who should and shouldn't take psychedelics, but if they lead to Schadenfreude for you, perhaps you shouldn't take them. Something to dwell on, I guess.

 

[universecannon]

I think anthropomorphizing psychedelics can be problematic

I'm unfortunately beyond jaded over the constant anthropomorphizing of psychedelics and "hyperspace", as if DMT is a person behind a clipboard orchestrating every thought and detail of the experience.

 

[northape]

I think @ControlledChaos knew exactly what he was doing, but after the trip, guilt knocked on the door
So instead of accepting his mistakes, he created this story about mushrooms and justified his actions. To give it all more weight, he posted it here.

Yes, mushrooms are fun little tricksters. However, it's up to you to stay present and guide their energy in a sane manner. One ought to own his decisions.
No worries though, someday they will show you what's up. Usually it doesn't take long - with the first heavy dose, these guys will be ready with a bar of blue soap in hand

 

[ommani]

I think this thread is actually a valuable contribution to this forum, as it clearly demonstrates the dual nature of psychedelics in relation to the human mind - while they can illuminate and reveal the best qualities of the psyche/soul, they also have the potential to bring forth various aspects of the shadow; either unveiling a sense of clarity and connection to the greater world, beyond oneself, or heightening the perceptual experience of separateness and disconnection from others.

 

[ControlledChaos]

I don't think what I did was that big of a deal, at least I didn't go and be aggressively confrontational. It was kind of funny and stupid. Whether or not it was myself or the mushrooms or a little bit of both, I think maybe me and most of you don't share a sense of humor on this particular experience.

I must say that I do find it very interesting that the post with most to criticize is the one that has seen the most attention here in a long time though.

It kind of speaks to a thing that I've been noticing a lot lately, which is sometimes called negativity bias. It's when people respond much more strongly to bad things more than good things. If I said nothing but a bunch of what you all would consider "mature" or "higher" I'd maybe get one or 2 positive reactions and no comments... But when I post something ridiculous and subject to criticism it's the talk of the town.

I think negativity bias is something I should maybe write a bigger post on, I think it's a huge problem that people give more energy to things they disapprove of and want to criticize than they do towards the stuff they claim to want to see more of. It's a very fascinating and extremely human trait.

I find it quite disconcerting that you found any of that funny or clever. For me, psychedelics always have an empathetic effect - they amplify my capacity to feel what others feel, and to better understand their position even if it's one I wouldn't normally find agreeable. It seems like for you, this experience had the opposite effect - instead of trying to be there for your family member and be supportive and talk about it like mature, intelligent people, you chose the path of senseless aggravation.

Far be it for me to say who should and shouldn't take psychedelics, but if they lead to Schadenfreude for you, perhaps you shouldn't take them. Something to dwell on, I guess.

You know, I think it's kind of messed up for you to suggest that I enjoy somebody else's misery just because I pulled a practical joke. If I was really being such a jerk I'd have chose a different kind of music to play than positive stuff. In my head I was actually somehow helping them.

So, I don't think I'm going to follow this advice.

I think @ControlledChaos knew exactly what he was doing, but after the trip, guilt knocked on the door
So instead of accepting his mistakes, he created this story about mushrooms and justified his actions. To give it all more weight, he posted it here.

Yes, mushrooms are fun little tricksters. However, it's up to you to stay present and guide their energy in a sane manner. One ought to own his decisions.
No worries though, someday they will show you what's up. Usually it doesn't take long - with the first heavy dose, these guys will be ready with a bar of blue soap in hand

I never suggested that I wasn't a bit of a trickster on my own, now did I? I mean, peep my avatar. And yeah, maybe I did feel like I took things a bit far. But I wouldn't say I felt a ton of guilt or shame about a silly joke.

there was a time when people would have a heart to heart conversation with a square on 500 gamma of acid

I think I'd rather do that than have a heart to heart conversation with a mob of internet critics.

Shifting blame is as old as our species, same as getting high.
Glad he didn't sacrifice his friend to Aztec gods because the mushrooms told him to.
Stay safe, stay sane

Wow. As if I'd do something like that. Whatever.

Seems negative.... kinda juvinile ..................Reality perhaps ?


i am an old cranky person

Next time you trip you should maybe Consider ........thinking about Karma ...

Being kind and Tolerant of Others ...... As in let it Go .

Strive to be a Better Person .

You Will Like Yourself More and Be A Much More Happy Person.

Karma

Thanks, I already absolutely love myself though. And I believe I have a positive mentality actually. Maybe it was juvenile, but I think everybody here is taking this the wrong way. Maybe they need to lighten up?

 

[blig-blug]

negativity bias

Makes sense, as when something seems to be wrong there's (in one's mind) something that can be done about it. Whereas when something is fine, all you can do is reiterate how fine it is.

What you did sounds like a silly joke to me, I agree that it's nothing terrible as long as the people affected also see it that way. I think you would have gotten a different reaction if you hadn't posted the picture, as it really comes across weirdly trying to brag about it. Also, there's some ambiguity in your post as to how much your actions affected the people they targeted. It's easy to imagine that they saw it in a very different way and took it much more seriously. So if to them it was a silly joke too, it would have helped if you said so.

In summary, I think it has been read by most as describing a situation that you find funny and a silly joke but the people affected don't.

So, the question is: how did the people targeted take it? Would they describe it as a fun little silly joke too? Your post leaves that to the imagination of the reader.

 

[ControlledChaos]

Makes sense, as when something seems to be wrong there's (in one's mind) something that can be done about it. Whereas when something is fine, all you can do is reiterate how fine it is.

What you did sounds like a silly joke to me, I agree that it's nothing terrible as long as the people affected also see it that way. I think you would have gotten a different reaction if you hadn't posted the picture, as it really comes across weirdly trying to brag about it. Also, there's some ambiguity in your post as to how much your actions affected the people they targeted. It's easy to imagine that they saw it in a very different way and took it much more seriously. So if to them it was a silly joke too, it would have helped if you said so.

In summary, I think it has been read by most as describing a situation that you find funny and a silly joke but the people affected don't.

So, the question is: how did the people targeted take it? Would they describe it as a fun little silly joke too? Your post leaves that to the imagination of the reader.

Well... I actually ended up washing it off before that happened. Still found it funny though.

 

[northape]

Well... I actually ended up washing it off before that happened. Still found it funny though.

Haha, so you're not as lost...
Yeah, it may have been a fun prank, but somehow it never felt honest. What I felt was your repressed frustration with bits of anger.
I may have misread the situation, though. You know better what's up. To be a proper jester takes lots of maturity and wisdom.
For a joke to point at others' issues and move them forward requires lots of creativity and skills, too. Good luck

 

[Espurrr]

at least I didn't go and be aggressively confrontational

don't take this the wrong way, sometimes you step out of your own echo chamber and get some feedback on a reality testing level, maybe you can't even imagine being so regulated that instead of irritation you feel compassion and care for someone else in distress and share a pleasant moment with them, nobody here is trying to say something is wrong with you, but sometimes by actually paying attention to this kind of other perspectives you can save yourself years of wandering aimlessly in search of what life is about, im not a perfect human being, but ive been around the block enough times to see how what seems insignificant is actually most significant in life

 

[northape]

don't take this the wrong way, sometimes you step out of your own echo chamber and get some feedback on a reality testing level, maybe you can't even imagine being so regulated that instead of irritation you feel compassion and care for someone else in distress and share a pleasant moment with them, nobody here is trying to say something is wrong with you, but sometimes by actually paying attention to this kind of other perspectives you can save yourself years of wandering aimlessly in search of what life is about, im not a perfect human being, but ive been around the block enough times to see how what seems insignificant is actually most significant in life

Exactly

I must say that I do find it very interesting that the post with most to criticize is the one that has seen the most attention here in a long time though.

For me it hit close to home, because I made similar mistakes in my own life and they proved that I should look at my own behavior more.
Hope you won't take offense. I feel people responded because they care and want only the best for both you and your friend.
Much Love

 

[ControlledChaos]

don't take this the wrong way, sometimes you step out of your own echo chamber and get some feedback on a reality testing level, maybe you can't even imagine being so regulated that instead of irritation you feel compassion and care for someone else in distress and share a pleasant moment with them, nobody here is trying to say something is wrong with you, but sometimes by actually paying attention to this kind of other perspectives you can save yourself years of wandering aimlessly in search of what life is about, im not a perfect human being, but ive been around the block enough times to see how what seems insignificant is actually most significant in life

Well, part of me actually did want to go in there and try to do that. But he sounded real irritable and I didn't wanna get into an argument while on mushrooms lol

 

[ControlledChaos]

Exactly


For me it hit close to home, because I made similar mistakes in my own life and they proved that I should look at my own behavior more.
Hope you won't take offense. I feel people responded because they care and want only the best for both you and your friend.
Much Love

I like to fancy myself as somebody with a lot of wisdom between my spiritual practice/research and my psychedelic usage. I think the response to this thread challenged that self image and so I had a bad reaction.

As much as we try to induce its 'death' sometimes, ego is a very stubborn entity lol

 

[Nydex]

You know, I think it's kind of messed up for you to suggest that I enjoy somebody else's misery just because I pulled a practical joke. If I was really being such a jerk I'd have chose a different kind of music to play than positive stuff. In my head I was actually somehow helping them.

So, I don't think I'm going to follow this advice.

Fair enough, I admit it was kind of uncalled for to paint you as this sadist, and I apologize for reacting this way. The reason is very similar to what @northape said above - I too have been in a similar situation, living with someone I didn't get along with at all, and I've done things to purposefully irritate them, while simultaneously lying to myself that I'm somehow doing the right thing, almost as if "they deserve it, so it's ok". And since those times, I've taken stock of my past behavior and have seen the wrong I've done to others in a new, more authentic light, and I've felt the guilt, then have had to forgive myself and move on.

I didn't react the way I did because I truly think you're a bad person or there's something wrong with you, and if it came across this way, please accept my apologies. After you provided a bit more context, I understand the situation better, though I still think it would be better if you sat down and talked to this person in a genuine, empathetic way, perhaps you could gain a lot more than you can lose.

Anyways, hopefully you gained some insight from the reaction to your thread as to why the Nexus is what it is - sometimes it can be a mess, but it's always with love at the root. Take care.

 

[northape]

I like to fancy myself as somebody with a lot of wisdom between my spiritual practice/research and my psychedelic usage. I think the response to this thread challenged that self image and so I had a bad reaction.

As much as we try to induce its 'death' sometimes, ego is a very stubborn entity lol

I like this thread because it's a simple example with lots of benefits if properly integrated. Nexus may not be a psychotherapy group, but as an echo feedback chamber it works very well. As @Nydex pointed out, the underlying message here is love, even if there are lots of egos mixed in. Your situation is nothing new, and every one of us was there at some point.
Keeping an open mind and not taking yourself too seriously always helps. You know it all from mushroom use. Everyone burns themselves sometimes. What's important is to stand up to it and own it. It builds character, and you get even more out of your sessions later on.

I don't know about ego death. We are all living from the perspective of the ego, so we had better make it as sound as possible. To be of service, you need to be fit for service. A real opening usually comes by itself, and you don't need to manufacture it. How could you? Wouldn't it be an egoic construct if you did? Philosophy aside, I'm glad for you.
Being wise is being open, ime.

 

[ControlledChaos]

Here's a fact about me that no amount of DMT or mushrooms seems to be able to change:

I know that I possess at least some degree of useable intelligence. I know that at times, it can even be meaningful. Sometimes, I even feel that there's nobody else like me... Which might be true for us all actually, and I don't see others as below me. But what I will say is, part of me stubbornly sees myself as pretty smart and at times even a bit wise....

So when something makes me feel stupid, even when I'm not in the right or I messed up, I often have a very very bad reaction. I've never seen myself as popular. But I've always held this assumption that I am intelligent. And as much as I try to nerf my ego and stay humble, I think I can't help but see myself as wise. And without those things, I'm not sure what else I have to offer (although I'm figuring that out now that I'm not longer held back by a toxic relationship). All this being said, when I am made to feel dumb or immature, it triggers this extreme, visceral, instinctive defensiveness that in the past has even spilled over into anger and lashing out. It's one of the demons I got into psychedelics to conquer but it's a hard one to slay and even now that tendency could burn good will I've built. Even when I'm actively practicing with mushrooms. Recently it feels that mushrooms have been teaching me assertiveness now that I'm not in a difficult relationship where I was passive anymore... But I may be taking my new assertive abilities a bit far. The I Ching might tell me to tread carefully if I flipped it on this issue, you might say.