Traditionally, ceremonies do not take place on a Monday or Friday.
FIVE GOLDEN RULES FOR PERFORMING A SALVIA RITUAL
- PURIFY BOTH BODY AND MIND
Eat healthy foods (yes, that means plenty of veggies) avoid drinking any alcohol, or taking any other drugs.
To purify your mind, spend time reading, enjoying nature, and getting plenty of exercise. Taking a long walk is a fantastic way to clear your mind and reduce tension.
- PREPARE THE SPACE FOR YOUR SALVIA TRIP
Mazatec rituals would always take place in the dead of night. For today, this means without the distractions of light, sounds, or passing traffic. To that end, you should try to do the same. - SET UP A SMALL PERSONAL ALTAR
Objects on your altar should have sentimental value or meaning, helping to channel the subsequent vision. - VISUALISE AND VOCALISE YOUR INTENTION
- HAVE A TRUSTWORTHY GUIDE/SHAMAN PRESENT AND READY TO ASSIST YOU
Example, trip:
I immediately forgot who I was, I became the universe. I was a disembodied being of light, a wandering existence. My vision was foggy. I could not see the real world. …I felt my disembodied being of light enter my friend’s body, and when my friends started looking at me and panicking, I thought: Why isn’t my friend doing anything? Why is he making them panic?
Each letter of the word SALVIA denotes one level of impact. The scale describes six different levels, each more intense than the last.
SALVIA Empirical Rating Scale
Level – 1 “S” stands for subtle effects. There is a sense that “something” is happening, although it is difficult to say what it is. Relaxation and increased sensory satisfaction are noted. This gentle level is useful for meditation and can promote sexual pleasure.
Level – 2 “A” – altered perception. Colors and textures are more pronounced. Perception of music may be heightened. Space may seem more or less deep than usual. But visions do not arise at this level. Thinking becomes less logical and more playful; short-term memory disturbances may be noted.
Level – 3 “L” denotes a state favorable to light. Visual effects with eyes closed (clarity of images with eyes closed: fractal patterns, grape-like and geometric patterns, seeing objects and images). Images are often two-dimensional. If visual effects occur with eyes open, they tend to be vague and fleeting. At this level, the phenomena resemble dream-like phenomena. At this level, the visions are perceived as “eye candy,” but not mixed with reality.
Level – 4 “V” denotes a vivid visionary state. There may be complex three-dimensional realistic phenomena. Sometimes voices may be heard. With eyes open, contact with consensual reality will not be completely lost, but when you close your eyes, you may forget about consensual reality and fully enter the fairy tale world. There may be shamanic journeys to other lands — foreign or imaginary; encounters with beings (entities, spirits) or journeys to other eras. You may even live the life of another person. At this level you enter the world of the shaman. Or, if you prefer: you are in it, in dream time (M. Eliade). With your eyes closed, you fantasize (as if extraordinary events are taking place in a dream). While your eyes are closed, you can believe that they are really happening. This state is different from the “lollipop eyes” state of Level 3.
Level – 5 “I” stands for immaterial existence. At this level, one can no longer be conscious of the body one has. Consciousness remains and some thought processes are still clear, but the person becomes fully included in the inner experience and loses contact with consensual reality. Individuality can be lost in the experience of fusion with God/des, the mind, universal consciousness, or in the bizarre fusion with other objects, real or imagined (such as fusion with a wall or piece of furniture). At this level it is impossible to function in a consensual reality. For this reason, sitter is essential to the safety of those traveling at these deep levels. To the person experiencing these phenomena, it may be scary or very pleasant; but to an outside observer, one may appear confused and disoriented.
Level 6 – “A” is the level of amnestic effects. In this stage, consciousness is either lost, or at least the person is unable to remember what has been experienced. The person may fall, or remain motionless or squirming; his or her behavior resembles that of a somnambulist. There may be injuries, but no pain is felt; on awakening, the person no longer remembers what he/she did, experienced, or said. People cannot remember what they experienced in this very deep trance state. This is an undesirable level because it is impossible to remember anything from the experience.