Where the heck do I begin? Not at the beginning because I don't intend to go on and on here... After quite a few ceremonies, always with shamen who have a genuine connection to and love for the medicine and their pasajeros, I am getting to know Ayahuasca and the connection to Master plants. More recently I have tried Kambo, Bufo Alvarius and Psilocybin mushrooms - and very recently I've been introduced to Cacao, which is absolutely a spiritual medicine and not to be underestimated.
My own intuition is that it's a mistake to reduce any of these medicines to the handful (or fewer) of compounds that are deemed to be active. The way I approach the psychedelic experience is to try to reach further than mere chemistry. I am happy to put aside my own objectivist, materialist background and embrace something more. These animals, plants and fungi have their own individual spirit - and so do I. My own spirituality has been foreign to and unacknowledged by me for most of my life. So, if it takes an external influence to boost me into that space, then so be it. This is not an aspect of life to be overlooked.
Beyond my own direct experiences, in the last few months I have also had the pleasure of discovering the phenomena of Near Death Experiences. If that subject peaks your curiousity, I encourage you to look up Anthony Chene productions on Youtube.
Journey well, my friends.