...I'm on a journey of sorts and am presently finding myself longing to connect with nature. And I speak of nature in the contexts of the earth, the universe and the basic nature of my own existence.

I work as a software engineer which, fundamentally, is about understanding/building models of systems and solving problems within the confines of such models. I like to consider my own knowledge as the result of an interconnection/overlap of many different models that have been constructed from both internal thought and external perception.

My inner drive comes from experiencing life, externally and internally, and being able to update my own internal models. I like to learn; and I believe understanding comes from the perception and recognition of patterns.

Over the past year or two I have had an increased interest in psychedelics due to their ability to provide completely novel experiences of thought and perception. Through them I have been able to greatly optimise my own internal models which I feel has enriched my life significantly.

Unfortunately my experiences have made it glaringly apparent that I am spending most of my time participating in a silly board game that can never truly be won. The greatest challenge for me has always been integrating my updated thinking with other parts of my life.

I have just started with growing some simple plants...herbs, chillis, etc which is quite satisfying. They've also come in quite handy while teaching myself to cook. I hope to keep expanding my garden with other culinary plants and some ethnobotanicals.

Seems like there is a lot of good information here that can help me on my journey. Hopefully I can contribute something back as well.

Welcome to the nexus!

Welcome to the DMT-Nexus!

Awesome, welcome to the Nexus!

I like your intro essay and I agree that psychedelics can help us rebuild our models of reality, changing ourselves and the world in the process. Of course it takes a lot of effort, becoming a better, more aware and healthier person is a process of all our lives. I know the hardest is putting lessons in practice, but its also the most gratifying

Did you check our health and safety section and the integration tips?

So you didnt mention specifically which psychedelics you tried, if you tried dmt yet, any extraction experience etc... ?

See you around

Welcome to the nexus

welcome sunshine!

Glad to have you "stop" by.

There are some good points there...very useful for perspective.

What is most difficult for me is that I am participating (and for practical purposes assimilating) in a social, economic and cultural environment that I disagree with.



SWIM has tried psilocybin mushrooms and HWBR seeds several times each and is soon to be attempting an extraction on acacia using this tek.

What a wondeful description! Right On! IMO this is a wonderful description of how one should want to benefit from DMT because updating internal models and providing novel experiences of perceptionis exactly what DMT does.

Thanks for the great intro. I look forward to hearing more in the future.

ih

Welcome to the Nexus! Do you have any culinary specialties?

Best of luck enjoying your national flower!

Welcome.

Something I wrote that describes me, and also you:

I think I grow I ingest: I am a student of cuisine and the in-looking machine!

Glad to have you aboard, very apt intro, but I had one question - did you mean boardgame literally, or that your experiences with these substances have led you to believe that what you are participating in is not really a life, but an elaborate boardgame? (literally OR figuratively)?

Cheers,

JBArk

Thanks for all the kind welcomes...there is a very pleasant atmosphere here.

In terms of cooking I like things with large arrangements of herbs and spices. I very much enjoy learning about how different flavours combine together. Curries are my specialty so far but generally I enjoy preparing anything I can simmer in a big pot, sample with a spoon and then modify the taste by adding complementary or contrasting flavours. I'll try my hand at anything really though.

I like what you wrote jbark. When I said boardgame I meant it metaphorically...

Generally speaking I believe that we (most of us) take part in a giant social and cultural simulation (analogous to a boardgame) rather than truly experiencing and existing. I think that humanity is a self-organising system and that capitalism/consumerism has been an organisational (social) evolution of sorts that has facilitated the immense explosion in our population and production capacity. Most social/cultural dogmas have an organisational aspect - they provide a way of promoting a collective behaviour at the individual level.

I believe our entire cultural value system is predominantly focused with overall short term growth above all else. We need to work so much to sustain our excessive habits of consumption and spending. Some may say that much of this is the result of interconnected conspiracies among the upper echelons of the rich and powerful. I think its more simple and can be described at a lower level: As I have heard someone else say before me, I would prefer to think of it as the alignment of economic interests rather than any kind of sophisticated conspiracy. Much of this, I think, stems from the indulgence of our most basic and primal instincts.

The selfishness and desire which ensures the survival of our species is clouding our ability to really control where we are going. Collectively, our impulses control us. I think its easy to see how it all happens. Not infrequently I find myself getting caught up in the consuming-producing machine...I feel my perspective becoming washed out the more time I spend participating in certain social paradigms. Through heavy introspection and with the aide of psychedelics I attempt to break habits and escape from the endless repetition. I want to experience true and permanent growth rather than going around in circles, doing the same things as everyone else and collecting a pay check every so often

Hey guys, I haven't even written my own intro essay yet, just signed up tonight, but I just wanted to say that, Vash, I know exactly what you mean about or societal and cultural tendencies. I struggle functioning within it for more than six months at a time without a good "nature recharge", and I thank the grace of human ingenuity for the bush doof scene here in Oz. I'm about to write up my own introduction, so I'll keep this short, just wanted to say a quick hello