Thanks!

Right. My two issues with oral ingestion are that involves tinkering with MAOIs (an additional substance always adds a little more risk), but more importantly that the experience will not be as intense as when smoking. Although perhaps it can serve as a good stepping stone towards that final goal.

I understand.. It is unfortunate though, as I think that being introduced to it in the company of like minded and experienced people would allow access to a great many who are otherwise blocked by factors such as lack of skill, uncertainty/doubt, and notably - fear. The fear factor would be reduced tenfold, at least for me, if I had a guide.

True, especially if the iceberg is not part of some independent objective reality, but is generated each time in your mind, like a randomized jigsaw puzzle. From my psilocybin trips, I've noticed that being in the hyperspace is a lot like dreaming - the lack of (familiar) logical structure, dynamically changing environments, being emotionally charged, and feeling very real. The difference is that you are awake - in the sense of being able to critically evaluate/compare what you are seeing against previous experiences and logic (and each time concluding in amazement that it makes no sense ) In regular dreams you tend not to do that, but rather accept what you're seeing as perfectly normal.

Would you say that hallucinogen induced trips are like (intense) lucid dreaming, where you are both awake and inside the dreamscape at the same time?