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Our resident entheogen expert, the Urban Sage, give us his extensive usage guide and overview on Salvia:

Salvia Divinorum aka Diviner’s Sage

Salvia is one of the more common herbs used to experience an expanded consciousness, and for good reason. It has a very intense, but short-lived effect with practically zero side effects (other than what comes along with the simple act of inhaling smoke into your lungs). It can be smoked in just about any way you can think of, but I have found that the most effective way is to get as much smoke—the biggest ‘hit’—as you can in one breath. This means that while you can roll it into a cigarette or spliff to add some flavor, it will be more effective if you have a large water pipe. My personal preference is to create what is known as a ‘gravity bong’. Once you have decided which method you will use and have everything set up, you can begin your journey into the world of salvia.

The environment you are in plays a huge role in the experience, or trip, that you will have. Because the effects are so short…usually around 10-15 minutes, you can experiment with many different types of settings to determine which you prefer, but as with almost any other hallucinogenic substance, your trip will mimic your environment. In other words, if you are in a calm place with some soothing music, you will likely have a relaxing and almost mystical experience; however, if you smoke the herb while at a large and loud party, you will probably experience a turbulent string of what some would call a ‘bad trip’. I don’t like to use that term, as some people (myself included) can enjoy these bursts of inebriation. I would strongly recommend that you try to make the setting as comfortable as possible until you are familiar with the experience and know what to look for, and possibly how to control your experience.

Now that you have your environment under control, it is time to light up the sage. Remember that you want to try to take in as much as you can in one drag or hit. Once taking it in, try to hold it in your lungs as long as possible (at least 30 seconds). You will start to feel it working before you even exhale, but try not to let out the smoke until you absolutely cannot hold on to it anymore. Usually the first signs are light headedness and a giggly feeling. This initial reaction is very similar to a strong cannabis high, but this phase is fleeting. After this first few moments, each person seems to have their own unique experience, but there are often common elements. I will describe one of my experiences and point out what is unique and what can be expected in your experience.

After breathing in the sage and exhaling, I almost immediately began to lose control of my legs. As I walked from one room to the next, I felt as if my legs were made of iron and continued to get heavier until I had to kneel down to keep from falling. Once on the ground I went into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, although there didn’t seem to be any specific target that I found humorous. There were two other people in the room, but we designated 2 people to ‘trip sit’ while the third enjoyed, so that only one person was going through the experience at a time. This stage of laughter is very common and almost universal in my experience, although the loss of motor skills seems to be more of a 50/50 type of thing. Also, probably obviously, the stronger the concentration you use (5x, 10x, 20x, etc) the more intense these experiences will be. After this initial phase of laughter, I began to hallucinate.

While still on my hands and knees in the middle of my living room, I thought I was transported to another dimension. It was not a mind altering dimension of chaos or anything…no this new universe was almost identical to ours except that all of the inhabitants were Disney characters. In fact, I was at an amusement park (although nothing seemed to resemble Disneyland at all), enjoying the thrill rides with Donald Duck and Goofy. I saw that once I finished my go on the roller coaster that my roommate was in line for the next car. I turned to him and laughed while trying to say that I was going again and he couldn’t get on yet. Apparently this was the first thing I had said since smoking the sage, and it made no sense to the people in the room with me. This whole experience lasted about 10 minutes, although it felt like hours to me. This sort of hallucination is fairly common, although it is really dependent on the user. I almost always have these types of visions, whereas I know some who almost never have them. Additionally, if you are lucky enough to have these trips, it seems possible to control them to a degree. For example, the Disney trip I had came just after playing a video game that involved those characters. While I was not consciously trying to control my vision, in subsequent events, I have noticed the visions become more closely related with what I want to be envisioning at the time. What came next is almost a universal reaction to the herb, and that is a mild disorientation with reality. I regained the use of all of my limbs and the ability to communicate; however I had a slight sense of not knowing where I was or what I was doing. I recognized everything, but wasn’t quite sure why I was there or what I was supposed to be doing. This is the closest thing to a hangover that you will get from salvia, and it usually lasts about 5 minutes after your trip is finished.

Although salvia can lead you to a place of expanded thought, its intensity and short life span do not allow you to be productive in the sense of composing art or writing out your thoughts while under its effects. However, on the flip side, because it is so intense, and the after effects are mild, you can easily recount and utilize the moments experienced with salvia. It is a great herb for those just beginning to realize the use of these substances, and those new to the experiences of expanded consciousness. There are some people that love this plant, and some that hate it, but there is no question that it is powerful and can open your eyes to a new world of experiences. For those who are looking to experience the vortex of expression that cannot be found in everyday life, this is a great place to start, and will hopefully help you on your path to discovery and enlightenment.