From what is understood, smoking *before* drinking should bear no effect upon drinking--due to tolerance, rapid turnover, etc., correct?
However, from a dreamer's experience, smoking Changa, even a few hours before ceremony, seems to open ceremonial space much faster, and deeper. It's like the heaviness of launch was handled with the smoke, and the dreamer must have been in partially etheral space, because Aya did not have to bother launching. Dreamer was already there.
Dreamer has a few theories:
A) Smoking before drinking really does prime the brain in some way.
B) Extended time around all the plants in general--hours crafting the changa, dancing, being in loving communion with the spirits seems to enhance overall modality of travels. Mindfulness is definitely increased.
C) Dreamer seems to be making huge breakthroughs with the medicine alone, so perhaps Changa just came into dreamer's life when dreamer was sufficiently cleansed, open, and prepared to go further.
Other interesting notes on timing:
-Changa is great at the tail end of an Aya ceremony, when control of limbs is regained: this is not only great for physical safety and practical reasons, but it seems to extend ceremony, and Aya's lessons for the day have been taught. (Preferred time.)
-Smoking early in ceremony before peaking with Aya results in intense experience, but seems to interrupt the work of Aya, and she leaves, along with the winds of the changa.
Some things will come easy, some will be a test