Growing Salvia Divinorum

Salvia D- the method in which you can meet Lady Salvia

I have heard of many accounts of Savia D, often phantasmogorical laid with visual and physical anomalies meant to prove the authenticity of the plant. Often when a plant can easily take you farther than an Ambien pill, which can be as psychedelic, and while all inorganic compounds derive from organic compounds, we must pay attention to the form of the mutation.

Salvia d as reported by Maria Pastora who probably did not wash her leaves or strain it for a rough crystalline form of Salvia, still induced visions of great importance to the sick and those seeking spiritual guidance. But this mehod was that of chewing and retaining the juice then combined with drumming and chanting. It is very important to relate that your environment will greatly affect your visions.

Maria Pastora took her salvia as medicine and as a last resort to finding a solution for a patient. If the season was dry and she could not collect enough mushrooms Maria Pastora chose the process of Salvia which took a hlaf day instead of three hours with mushrooms.

To ingest the properties correctly, Maria Pastora had a scribe mash 40 leaves in a small mortar and pestle. The juic she then drank with liquor though not specified combined with a small dark tenet and a drumming chant. Do not ingest, sip juice. Of course the affects were not as strong or as powerful to Maria Pastora as mushrooms but she could be guided to find the solace or sickness of the individual. Of course, Lady salvia did not commune with her in her most powerful way.

Relations with spirit guides differ. Maria Pastoria liked to use Mushrooms when she inquired to the health of a situation- she then knew the boundaries of conversations and thought with the mushroom energy. Communing with lady salvia was undoubtedly not Maria Pastora's first choice but one she used alternately. Maria Pastora could  be said to prefer mushroom to salvia.

This coulf of course means that the medicinary properties of both plants can cause healing psychoactive messages if directed ghrough the right channels. One must be a trained guide. One must know the plant's in and outs. And your own pyschological power. If your spirit is not apt or able to handle the messages it does not mean your are doing something wrong- it is that the plant asks us to do certain things before we can be initiated into her circle.

Make the right spiritual amends and she will serve you. Do not think hoewver she will serve you without a price. Humility, rancor, emotion are due her receipt. She is a powerful and mighty being. Lady Salvia releases informtion because you have chosen her, but if you are not her partner, you are promised to another plant spirit.

She is not one to reject or initiate. Relationship to the spiritual world has everything to do with the plant  and its message with yours. Find your meaning and you will know your plant.

Ode to Cerro Quemado- Cerro Cerro Cerro (music in the background)

My gallant friend the Cerro Quemado strain of Salvia Divinorum was found in Oaxaca by Valdes III and named for the town it was found, is an exuberant grower.

After the Hofmann pushes through the first warm days in winter, second comes Cerro Quemado growing more quickly than the Hofmann but at a later date. But the Cerro Q can be stunted by cold. In fact it is one of the strains that almost dies in cold. I say it could withstand 20 degrees F fine without much growing, but any less on the meter and it withers away unhappily. It won't die but it looks like it would rather- in fact the strain actually looks cold. And it seems to shrink slowly as the night temperatures and cold days assault it.

However, the Cerro Quemado starts growing in March. The Cerro Q usually comes after Hofmann in growth habbit, seemingly trying to catch up with its leader, Hoffman W.  And by catching up I mean that without much encouragment the plant will grow giant leaves and a big stalk with ease. It will have a 'spurt' growth and not slow down until July or August like the rest. But while these months can seem like a dormant period for the other plants, Julieta, Blosser, and Hofmann in particular, Cerro Q will continue to grow however small in increments. It also likes to be a bushy plant.

The Hofmann may acquire a wide berth but it will most likely form a taller plant. You can encourage a bushy form but with serious intent. The Cerro Q only needs a few snips before it gets the hint and seems to grow better and more efficiently as a bush. I have seen Cerro Q fill the outer remants of a pot easily and quickly. It likes to spread out. And it will grow up but reluctantly. The Cerro Q will make more leaves and nodes before it will choose to make a stalk a permanent structure. This strain is particularly great for cuttings.

When the Cerro Q 'catches' up with height and berth as the Hofmann, it won't necessarily slow down but it chooses to structurely preserve itself. By growing upwards a Salvia D plant is seeking either propagation or more growth. But either way the end experience is death and rebirth. By eight feet the plant falls to create new plants.

But the Cerro Q has a slow immune system. It can be effected by cold, but not by heat. It can shrink from sun and grow less but won't shrivel like the paradox. It is a perseverant strain and is good to have in your collection as a plant that will reliably sustain itself at little to no maintenance. And the energy seemingly is young with Cerro Q- like a 18 yeard old ready to charge but then is content to be 18. A youngster at heart. And like a youngster is suscetible to mites and other bugs but doesn't seem to attract slugs and other weird creatures that eat Salvia D. The mite problem can affect a Cerro Q but not totally. Eventually with care I've noticed the plant bounce back immediately after an infestation. And I've realized the nickname for Cerro Q- the jumpback kid. Haha.

LiveLoveEat!

Ode to Blosser-Salvia Divinorum

The title is deceiving because the strain Blosser Palatable so named for its less bitter taste, has been a pain in my hide since we first met. And She rankles about it- but what she really says is that I haven't found the right place for her.

When she was put alongside the Hofmann plant in dirt that was not to their liking (previous blog), the Blosser stopped short and stopped growing. It yellowed, got mites easily, and refused to produce a decent cutting. What perhaps I could never figure out about the Blosser was why was it so finicky.

I've never been wowed by any cutting or plant of the Blosser Palatable strain. Sure it can produce decent cuttings with decent sized leaves and a strong stem but its always slightly yellow or withered on the edges. In fact it is always the first plant in the greenhouse to come down with bugs or sickness. I'll try to think of nice things to say about Blosser later- I feel rude right now.

Perhaps its one great purpose is that for those that enjoy taking Salvia fresh by chewing it, would depend on the Blosser for its less bitter taste. Salvia D is notorious for its acrid bitter taste and Blosser, natures answer to our complaints produced a less bitter solution. Blosser Palatable. Don't be surprised if i don't apend this blog. Sorry B.

LiveGrowEat!

Ode To Hofmann and Wasson- Salvia D and its Survival Mechanisms

I have spent the last five years of my life growing these plants day in and day out. I grow them for a local retailer. Issues of weather, water, sunlight, cold, and heat have played an integral part to my understanding of the plant and which strains survive certain kinds of weather.

The Hofmann and Wasson the Ultimate strain the Numero Uno of all compadres rules as the most reliable Strain in any situation. This particular strain whether because it was the first of its kind or it has some secret power, Hofmann and Wasson can live through any natural catastrophe as well as bugs and insects. Insects LOVE Salvia Divinorum. Our tiny friends like to get psychedelic too. Mites in particular are known to attack Sativa plants also with fervor. And they attach to Salvia D with the same savage approach, suck its juices until it can live no more. Somehow the mites aren't perturbed by the pschedelic images or thoughts Salvia D can offer. I wonder if the mites contain the same amount of Salvanorin A as the plant? Anyway- to the point- even with mites, bugs, and straining weather- either hot or cold- Hofmann comes out each time with the least damage and the quickest of all strains to grow in the spring.

I know of a Hofmann strain that was planted in the same dirt as a Blosser- but the mixture was not right and both plants/strains suffered. But the Blosser barely grew and was quite unhappy while the Hofmann persevered able to produce cuttings every two weeks. For almost two years these plants dismally survived, but finally so wrought with bad chemistry in their soil, were stunting at incredible levels until appendages began to black rot. 

In cold weather I've seen all nine strains remain copacetic, although some do shrink away from the cold- more on this later. The Hofmann in freezing temperatures with little heat in the greenhouse, did not grow but maintained its overall state until Spring time and then shot forward like a champ. Some of the Salvia D strains take quite a while to come back from Winter but the Hofmann starts growing as early as January with those wintery sunny days.

And while I've seen the Cerro Quemado at times rival the growth habits of Hofmann, the Hofmann and Wasson remains like the turtle, steady and strong. Although strong the Cerro can easily be effected by any of the threats mention above but the Hofmann will withstand bugs for a long time before succumbing to the infestation. A healthy plant has higher chances of fighting off bugs than a weak and sick plant. A blog will specify the habits of plants and bugs cohesively and what one can do about the darn things with either regular methods or more organic means. (if you are indeed using your leaves it is important to think about what you give it as well as how you take care of it- you are what you eat).

My ode to the Hofmann is such that it doesn't need too much care. Of course it doesn't like the sun, I've seen Resilience withstand sunlight better (more on that later). At times I find myself humming or asking Lady Salvia for any comment or gesture- and the plants speak back (this is in my head) and i find that the Hofmann doesn't have much to say- it is like a pillar for all the other strains as surviving and staying strong. It was the first to travel and bridge the great divide. It has also housed another strain, Luna which was first found under the eaves of a Hofmann plant- whether they are the most similar of the strains would be intriguing. Luna could have been or is a genetic mutation of Hofmann and Wasson.

The Hofmann needs little talking or interaction. It likes to be preferred, this i know. And it produces the Most Cuttings of any strain. This I know to be sure. I don't have more of any Hofmann mothers than I do the other strains but I can fill two cuttings boxes with ease and glean only one cutting box from all other strains- cerro 1.5 boxes, blosser 3/4, Resillience 1/2 of a box, Luna 1-2 lines (less than 1/2), Fuerza 1.25 boxes, Julieta beatiful 3/4 box, Paradox 3/4 box and Owens unceremonious ignored but highly mysterious, 1/2 of a box. I always take cuttings at the same time, this way the plants grow at the same rate and i am not too boggled by the differing needs of each strain at different stages.

Ode to the Father of all strains, which I do believe Hofmann and Wasson is male. Am i going out too far on a limb? Although Lady Salvia is the spirit, i don't believe that all strains are inherently female. The energy of the Hofmann is very much an independent able and wise individual with a male voice. And quite the elder, standing back at all times and watching the proceedings- these are just rantings and can be considered incoherent by the reader- a great book to read on plant language and emotions is -----*** i lent it out and can't remember the title- Plant Consciousness? Plant Language? I'll find it and post it later-

In short Plants feel your stress even thousands of miles away- in one experiement a plant was put in a room while different students entered the room individually. One of the students was given a pair of scissors and told to cut off a leaf- no other students were aware of the plan. The experiment was conducted and afteward with acupunture tools to measure energy and spikes of nervous or anticipation were attached to the plant- then each student reentered the room. When the student entered who had done the offending deed, the plant's energy skyrocketed and was 'frightened'.

I've always found Hofmann to not have any complaints- the Paradox is kind of a whiner. In fact the Hofmann rarely talks. I find that no news is good news. Its content to grow and be admired and to know it is Number 1. I find that its eagerness to grow can also be an eagerness to be admired. It loves to show off. I've had the most beautiful plants out of Hofmanns. When its happy, its happy to show off. But these are my intuitive thoughts about Hofmann. He is a renegade  and simple. Lovelovelovelovelove- my ode is finished.

GrowEatLive!

Can Salvia Divinorum be Cloned in an E-Z Clone?

This question has up come so many times and i hold firm to my hypothesis, that no the Salvia D stem is too soft for the E-Z clone machine.

One summer I believed the drip system I had put in for my cuttings was adequate- a mister set on a machine (when the pad dries it sets off the system) and emitters that unbeknownst to me were 1 gallon per minute. What I got was a lot of moisture and rotted stems. The tops looked fine but they refused to root. They rooted only to 1/8 from the stem and the roots were clear, not white like they should be when they are able to retrieve nutrients for the cutting. So while the 'tops', the portions outside of the cutting box were surviving from the constant water, the pearlite and vermiculite were drenched thus also drenching the cut stem.

It might have worked but the local garden store had run out of small vermiculite and not thinking about the difference quarter size pellets would do I went ahead with the enormous bag. With the mister going off every 30 seconds at a gallon per minute and quarter size pellets that held the oncoming water. This amount of water was necessary at the time because the greenhouse can reach temps of 110-115 in the dead of summer. With proper fans and windows this can be solved as well and bring the temperature down to 87-90. This is one of the lowest temps you can get in July or August here in Nor Cal where there are no more temperate days- they blow from icy to hot, no spring or fall in this coming age. Thank you George Bush and Bill Clinton and the numerous other assholes profiting from Oil, you Saudis you. Anyhoo.

This catastrophe led us to look at other cloning methods and we had known the enormous success of the EZ Clone with Sativa strains. But they are hard wood stems.

The EZ- Clone works like this. A top is constructed of fifty holes. Ehm, styrofoam pads about 1/2 inch think which are to be placed in the holes with a slit for the clone- the pads are actually ingenious because they won't mold- the material is such that it is not porous. Underneath the 'top' with the holes is a bottom bucket that holds approximately 5-10 gallons of water. Raised a little bit is a square raised structure with numerous sprayers pointed at the numerous holes. When you turn the machine on 'thousands' of spray water hits the bottom of the cut clones. The machine works great- with cloning solution or not. And not only are the roots magnificent but healthy, long, and it took virtually almost no work for you. But with Sativa, its really hard to make cuttings (the key is distilled water). With Salvia d, it will root in a pearlite/vermiculite mix in two weeks with no problem.

The difference between a hardwood cutting and a soft wood cutting, wood not necessary in the latter, is that the hardwood can withstand shots of water at its bottom all day without cellular damage. Now, some cellular damage is necessary, the cutting of the plant to -'hardening' in the rooting process for roots to grow out of the stem. A soft wood cutting has the possibility of rotting with constant water sprayed at its frail end, the stem at its cutting point.

A hardwood cutting can last out of water approximately 20 minutes without serious damage, damage that we can see. Normally a cutting out of water and out of the cutting box has lower success rates than cuttings that make water and box quickly. A hardwood can be set out of water for 10-20 minutes, but Salvia D? would look like your sock in five minutes. I've seen newly transplanted Salvia D plants in the Shade of August wilt and look like they were on their way to the bucket when anything so much as a breeze swept by- and these had roots!

So while I know the EZ clone to work efficiently (each time the machine has to be cleaned thoroughly to be successful in cloning), I don't believe the Salvia D could or would like the effect of sprayers on its soft, green, body. Not to mention that the slip in the styrofoam insert is too small for a Salvia D stem.

A sativa cutting, which is why the EZ clone has gained such success, is successful with any hardcutting. It is genius. And the slit made in the insert is small, made for a small cutting. Salvia D has a notorious square stem. We all know that we can't pinch a stem if we want the cutting to root sucessfully. Another reason, although genius, is not made for Salvia D.

Salvia Divinorum- Time to Topdress

With the sun getting hotter and the days drier no amount of fertilizer seems to make them grow. Not that i've given many just one application that didn't seem to reach the plants. Possibility of inability to take up nutrients is the heat and sun exposure too much.

If the plant is not growing it is under some duress. I will apply more shade but more importantly I will topdress the plants with another layer of peat moss.

This will cover old depleted soil with new soil. This will also allow a certain cover from the sun. If the roots are that much more guarded from heat and sun, which a layer will do, the plant should slowly come back to growing normally. If i don't topdress now i might foregoe flowering this fall. They won't have enough energy to create a flower pod. They will only have enough energy to sustain themselves.

So I'm off to topdress in the blistering heat.

Seed Germination- Salvia Divinorum

Lets say that you were successful in getting your Salvia D to produce seed, we can put together a seed germination instruction manual for you to successfully grow a plant. If your Salvia D after flowering produces seed, collect and brown bag in a cool, dark place where there isn't any humidity. The viability of your seeds is extremely important at this point. I don't assume its like the papaver somniferum in that it needs a cold gestation period before germination. I can't imagine Oaxaca getting freezing temperatures at any point of the year. So storing in an environment, possibly store your bag in an airtight jar? without light, moisture or heat should store your Salvia D perfectly. Unless you can chriogenetically freeze it, this method is probably the only one at our disposal to ensure that no damage can affect the seed.

Some seeds will grow if you throw them out in your soil without any problem. These are usually annuals of any variety whom have strong instincts to germinate due to its short life cycle. Perennials also easily seed though these seeds don't often create new plants in your garden due to the hybridization of most of our garden plants. The family that Salvia Divinorum belongs to, Mint Family, are all squared stems, presumably. Sage is also part of this family and most sage plants are square or robustly round with some edging. Salvia apiana, white sage, is notoriously hard to germinate, which often shares the same name as Salvia D. Both Salvia D and Salvia a. belong to the same genus. Whether these two have the same seed germination process has not been determined. But because both these plants are really hard to germinate i thought i would apply the same rules I have chosen to germinate a Salvia apiana seed with that of Salvia d seed. 

A Salvia Divinorum plant abhors heating mats. In fact they'll die if you put the plant directly on the mat. They don't like their roots to be hot. I'm not aware of many other plants that detest heating mats. So i would naturally think that seed germination for Salvia d does not need a heating mat, which honestly nothing in my greenhouse germinates without a heating mat in the cold days of november to march. But Salvia Apiana will not germinate without a heating mat, unless your greenhouse doesn't fall below 70 degrees in day or night time temperatures while its germinating.  Keeping your greenhouse at a constant 70 degrees can be extremely costly so the heating mat is a nice alternative.

So if I put the same growth terms to Salvia d, I would theoretically put a heating mat under a seedling tray of Salvia D the same way I would for Salvia apiana. I would choose the month of February to start Salvia d seeds. Why February? January is still a might cold at night though the days can be warm enough and the grey skies are a good shade cover for the young plants. For germination I might want to put a larger plant next to my seedling tray. Salvia D is an understory plant and while i was contemplating this list, I realized any seed that did grow in its natural habitat would not see a glimpse of sun until it was high enough to reach out from underneath its natural plant cover, either its parent salvia d plant or another plant/tree that shaded it well enough from the sun. I don't know if you covered the seedling tray with shade cover of 70% if it would achieve the same results- but that can be an extra cost. But we all have a bigger plant that we can stick a heating mat and a Salvia d tray underneath for protection from sun and cold.

I would probably keep it in this protected environment until you saw the third leaf pop out, after which time I would arrange the next size pot i would transfer my seedling. Only using peat moss I would get a pot that was very small. 2.5"x3.5" at the most. Or wait until the seedling has made a substantial root in the seedling tray (I would use seedling germination mix for the tray). Waiting for a bigger root is okay, just watch for stunting.

Once you carefully transplant your seedling keep it under the protection of the taller plant until you feel your greenhouse is safe enough for your plant- not too much sun, or cold. And no application of fertilizer just yet. Wait until the plant is two months old to fertilize at which point your plant should just be about ready for a gallon pot or to get out of one.

Salvia Divinorum-Illegal Good or Bad? Part 1

I'm not quite sure about all the thirteen states and Missouri's differing counties but the 'use' of Salvia Divinorum is prohibited but not the growing of the plant. This is monumental if not maniacal at the same time. Poppy seeds, Papaver somniferum, can be sold as seed but the growing is prohibited. As soon as they see you cutting into that plant bulb they could arrest you. But the loop hole is apparent isn't it? The law stops whole fields from being grown yet individual gardeners and herbalists can obtain the necessary ingredients for their medicine if not advertised, sold as flower, or powder.

This law then is quite efficient in that wholesale orders of plant and powder don't exist. The usages of the plant are limited to herbalists and enthusiastic gardeners or collectors. Collectors are known for getting and growing a certain specie or delicate variety of plants. Their numbers are growing as plants are becoming endangered or their habitats destroyed. Khat is widely illegal yet the use is not policed. Almost 2 Billion lbs of Khat are distributed from Yemen or North Africa to the UK, Canada, and the US every day. This figure was almost five years ago. (Interestingly if you had this plant, it strongly resembles a common hedge plant, those often used for drive throughs, check your local McDonald's or JackInTheBox thorough fares. The plant distinctly resembles Khat, yet the strong difference is that Khat grows at a much slower rate and is highly psychoactive.)

Salvia is illegalized for its use due to the fact that only 550 lbs were bought from Mexico five years ago and that number is now 2 tons per year.The rise of its popularity, UTube, Brett's Death, and overall political encumbency have led the plant to the Congressional holdings. And yet the loop hole has been given to us again it seems. Which of any your neighbors could identify the plant in your garden? Or your local congresswoman?

Importantly however, because of the loop hole, the plant is deemed a 'responsibility' rather than a safe fun avenue, though alcohol i'm sure has served more deaths than Salvia D ever could. The plant has now entered the category of plant's that are scientifically important for research as well as development of certain drugs that can only be accessed by your government. Opium and Heroin common drugs found in Cancer/HIV pills for easing pain, nausea, and sleep deprivation cannot be bought by you. You can only obtain these drugs if you have a good HMO and you have Cancer. Yet they are illegal substances. Heroin is illegal in all forms except in your pill box. And the most important reason perhaps was the money to be made.

Once deemed a black market item the money power of the said item rises considerably. Heroin if not illegal wouldn't have to pay for the scared farmer, the secret envoys, the backyard ship holdings, the paid officials, the hidden middlemen in their secret cars, the drug pusher finally getting it to you. A black market item's price rises too for the risk of the exchange, the bigger the punishment, the higher the price. Why so many people are involved with the black market- good money to be made for a service that is not technically wrong. If the government can push the same drugs legally through your pharmacy and make a trillion bucks off of it, there is nothing wrong with black market individuals doing the same service.

I can hear the arguing side already. The dangers of the black market do not compare with the pharmacies and the government. Lets take a liberal, closer look at the dangers of your pills from the Pharmacy and FDA. Most pills get rushed through the FDA system so that the new pills, not always tested thoroughly for side effects and long term effects make it to the counter in less than six months from release date. The pill goes to my grandmother for Asthma at the age of 68. Eight months later the pill is taken off the shelves due to respitory and heart problems with the drug. Two elderly people have already died from taking high dosages of the pill. And she might have died as well. Thousands of elderly people in the country rush to take the costly medicine back. There were no guns invovled, no dark alleyways, no misleading drug dealer, or mountains of cash. But, lets take another liberal look at the process of your legal and local pharmacy.

My grandmother buying her asthma pill over the counter does not know all the parameters of the deal.In the 'deceiving' market she believes she is buying a safe drug that will ease her pain and let her breath. She does not know that the government may well be aware that the drug was not fully tested or that long term effects were not recorded with heart patients. She believes her government has made the safest and best choice for her. And doesn't her doctor, HMO, and pharmacy all agree? There was lots of money made, dangerous choices delivered by the FDA, backdoor payoffs, Congressional payoffs- all respond and act similarly to the black market with one difference.

Those entering in the Black Market are aware of all consequences. When we ask for our drug we know the effects, the dangers, the consequence of drug pushers and dark alleyways. We made a choice of our own accord to foregoe the safety precautions and get a hit. The farmer growing the crop knows the consequences and that whether or not the drug will kill or harm the individual receiving it, he has no wherewithall. He is only responding to demand.

When you are young perhaps the inevitably of death is not so forthcoming and taking drugs may not equal that danger but time and maturity do make one the wiser- drugs can equal serious death and injury. A man i knew tried the leaves of Brugmansia once and had to tell himself to breath for eight hours, every second or his brain would not have made his lungs contract. He would have died. But he did not blame anyone but himself. He was of sound mind and body, whether this was true afterwards is unclear, but it was his decision  and his journey to make. He came out alive in the end but there are many that do not.

This is the contract we enter when we partake in black market items. Yet when and why is an item declared illegal and thereby relegating its circle of use to the Black Market? Opium was widely given to the Chinese for subjugation, made illegal by the Chinese government in order to save their people and rule from the British Monacrhy. When a drug causes problems within the societal norms or disenfranchises the government, is a drug or plant or substance made illegal. Cocaine was so popular in the 70's and 80's that the government could not ignore the amount of money being made from the drug. Mercedes alone in Miami in the 80s made millions every month. So the CIA got involved. I'll list the famous book by a dear friend today, The Big White Lie, that chronicles his work as a CIA agent only to find he was working for the wrong side. And that he had been doing their dirty work for them.

We birdwalked a bit but lets get back to the point I was making. The process of the sick individual, HMO, local pharmacy, BIG PHARMACEUTICAL company, the FDA, all are deemed part of a 'white' market. To get ourselves out of the dichotomy, we will call their process the 'deceiving' market. No one of those individuals or companies are upfront about what they are selling. Or aware of its consequences. There were possbily thousands of deaths at stake, lots of money to be made, and not much consequence. All aspects of a black market culture. Both deal and use the same mechanisms of the cycle, from sale to farmer to customer. And the Government is a win win Drug Dealer.

We all know that illegalizing also puts most of our good people away for one eighth of weed. Or one tab of Acid. Or a handful of mushrooms. A bag of cocaine. A rock or two. A pipe. A bong. A needle. The government essentially takes out its competition. If you can't get your opium, you can in your cancer pill. And the government also regulates the plant and drug compound exactly where it can and can't go. The government is not so concerned with your well being but is concerned about how its going to get its money back from you. Are you going to be a good citizen and make money for your government? No? Not going to work? Well you'll go to jail where we can make even bigger money off you. If you can't be a contributing part of the Capitalist market, you will unknowingly be a part of it anyway. It is no secret that the Prison Complex system makes billions of dollars for private companies every year.

I birdwalked again. By disallowing personal and therefore overall societal use of the plant Salvia Divinorum, it has made the plant a black market item. It has also made its value that much greater and intriguing. And the compound Salvanorin A may well be used by your government and Big Pharmacetical company soon. Salvia D in its crystal form was found to effect perception and intellect. The drug may be used soon for anti-psychotic pills sold to you at your local pharmacy. If you are psychotic and for a price that is much higher than your local internet supplier. And essentially, possibly the local farmer in Mexico no longer makes any money from the bags he collects of Salvia Divinorum. For at least with black market terms, the farmer could get his share. In the deceiving market however Government subsidies to grow the plant can make a poor farmer poorer. And worse with Government intervention how will we know our Salvanorin A is not genetically modified?

Salvia Divinorum- Right Brain/Left Brain

Our brains are smart machines that are constantly working, integrating, responding, working, and then calculating its own response. The brain is ultimately divided in two parts, the left side and the right side. These are two independent entities that work together through millions of receptors, but ultimately work seperately from each other.

The right brain deals with images, language, risk taking, dreams, and imagination. The right brain also dictates function without necessarily knowing what it is. Independently, the right brain can use a tool but not name it. Whereas the left side of the brain, our intellectual, math, writing skills, can identify the tool but not know how to use it. And interestingly enough our culture values left brain thinking vs. right brain thinking. This is not news to anybody. However, this might be- younger children are more right brain before entering school and by the time they are seven only 10% are cogniscent of their right brain. By the time we are adults, 2% of us function from the right brain.

So which side does Salvanorin A attach to? Between the two sides of the brain there is a 'processor' that handles all the information both sides take in and put out. The collasum is at the base of your brain. Salvanorin A attaches to only one receptor the kappa-opioid. Scientist's have found that in its pure crystal form (you can get this if you are an accredited scientist) at a dosage of 200-500 micrograms have found the effects to be much like mescaline (see page on Trichocereus p. although peyote has been found to have higher amounts). Interestingly Salvanorin A has been likened to Ketamine as well though not in the pure form. A leaf that has not been washed contains 1-4 mg of Salvanorin A. And while the effects are mild considering the crystal form of Salvanorin A, intense effects can be felt by upping the dosage. Brain damage has not been recorded possibly due to the inability just yet to record long term effects. Salvia d has been in scientific research for more than thirty years. Maybe soon they'll have findings for us.

What scientists found when giving the pure form of Salvanorin A was that it effects the intellect as well as our perceptions. Intellect is presumably right brain, though the left brain has tangible intellect and perception is left brain. We can assume perhaps that Salvia Divinorum has the ability to affect our more artistic and instinctual receptors. But are all drugs received on right brain terms? Dreams, imaginations, risk taking, ego are all right brain. Naturally drugs are going to be 'used' better when the left brain is not involved. Perhaps where our paranoia comes from- when our left brain is freaked out because it wants to do a math problem and can't handle the unusual sensation of dreams and vision as reality. We are not trained to hear or feel our right brain appropriately. Dreams are considered to be a way into your psyche, but we forget them as passing night visions. Imagination creates goals, soul yearnings, yet is relegated to kid's play. Drugs too are considered taboo and inappropriate for soul and human developement. Yet I can say personally I have grown spiritually from using mushrooms, always at a low dose. Or acid, or marijuana. MJ helps me relax, look at the view, listen to my intuition.

Of course drugs are also dangerous. Suicide is often a result of drugs. Suicide either socially or literally. Drugs are taboo therefore not often discussed or allowed. Anything that is banned becomes a black market item bringing with it all the involvements of crime, death, stealing, addiction, homelessness, alienation from family, and a complete loss of self to the drug of choice. We have seen drugs destroy peoples lives. Rock stars are able to use these drugs and make great music. A great comedian once said if you didn't really like drugs go to your records and throw out evey decent song you have because the person was probably high as a kite when he/she wrote it. Alice In Wonderland was written on drugs. Who can deny Dali?

There are people that function on drugs as well. WallStreet is supposedly run on cocain. But it is done in secret, behind closed doors. We don't really want anybody to do a line at work at the meeting table or shoot up in their cubicle. That is why we have rules, because humans have probably and will probably shoot up in the bathroom anyway. Drugs is a right brain tool. Used appropriately it can be used as such. Abused and it can take your life away for you.

But don't blame yourself. A society that undervalues the use of instinct, gut feeling, intuition, heart, soul, spirit to make decisions or come to a conclusion is quakary. There is a balance to everything. Take your drugs and take the SAT too. Don't just do one and leave the other out, you SAT mongers. Doing SAT words at dinner is not an appropriate way to eat a meal or say thanks for the food. Perhaps you don't need to take drugs to figure that out, but maybe more intuitive thinking is needed in this coming Golden Age.

Perhaps why Salvia D is on the political plank as well. Turn off that right brain completely and you have a society of robots.

One Receptor of the Brain- Salvia Divinorum

Perhaps why regulation should be used- a hit of Salvia D strongly resemble the effects of 50-100mg of ketamine. Now while i have had the unfortunate event to have experienced ketamine, college can be a bust on those drug morals - sure, i'll try that! and i have also experienced Salvia , I did not experience similar effects. Having taken them both only once, I can't say i'm an expert either. 

Ketamine or cat tranquilizer can induce visions of cosmic flight, body doubles, clairvoyance, dismemberment, rebirth/death etc. I DO NOT condone the use of special K. I believe it to be a gross drug, though my judgement should have no merit or weight with anyone else. You are free to make your choice, here however is your information. Never before had i felt like a feline creature than after my dose of ketamine. I puked uncontrollably and purred down my dorm hallway wanting only to jump out of my skin and stop feeling like a furry creature. I even thought i had a hair ball in my throat which i was not successful in coughing up. Maybe that particular dose was more cat than drug. 

Ketamine does not occur in nature, a good rule to stand by when choosing your drugs. It is a synthetic substance related to PCP or angel dust. And the receptor in our brain which ketamine can be integrated does not receive Salvanorin A. Salvanorin A does not attach to the same receptor.

Lets talk about receptors. Certain parts of our brain naturally inhibit uptake of certain compounds or chemicals found in nature or accepts them. For instance DMT is not a compound that is accepted eagerly by your brain. Not that our ancestors scientists and brujas didn't find a loop hole. Interestingly, in nature the compound to turn off that part of your brain that does not naturally receive DMT grows alongside the plant that carries DMT. So while we take the MAO inhibitor to turn off that block to that receptor, then taking the DMT plant will have results. If the MAO inhibitor was not digested and that block was not pushed aside, your brain would feel nothing of the DMT. And as in Phalaris Grass, both compounds are found in the same plant. Genius, nature. 

Acid attaches to hundreds of receptors. Marijuana 60-100. Salvanorin A 1. How intrinsic is nature, or did our brains evolve to receive the plant? Both probably. The methods in which humans must extract the chemical compounds of these plants shows a high degree of searching. Surely the shaman did not immediately know how to take a certain plant or which was for food but with constant testing and analyzing one could probably come to a conclusion. Important too is that with any undertaking of a new experiement, dosages and methods of intake, whether inhaled, brewed, snuffed, or pulped, show our scientist ancestors were constantly working the chemistry fire. To know that Salvia can only be absolved through the membranes of your mouth and that  only at high temperatures does the inhalation method work, how many leaves or stems were digested before they found it to have no effects at all?

So in our brains, with thousands of connections, syntax, explosions of thought, only one receptor, lone in the myriad of worm like branches reaching out into a membrane abyss, resides Salvanorin A's only friend. Its true half. What the purpose of this receptor or what any receptor that uptakes spiritual clairvoyance for thought, is doing? We have receptors for love, so that we can feel, make offspring, or just explore emotional thought. We have receptors for food, a natural instinct to survive. We have receptors for drugs, then what is the purpose? What spiritual growth does our brain want to encourage? For i have a theory on the natural evolution of humans, first we evolved physically. Then we evolved intelligently. Now we must evolve spiritually.

This does not mean high faluten ghosts and spirit talk, but the common good of man. When we don't steal from each other, cause markets to fall, bring the World Bank to Somalia. Lets not do these things anymore. And why perhaps drugs, naturally occuring in our environment, plants that Shamans for thousands of years have been using to divine the greater Universe that which consists of more than humans, are important now more than ever. To bring back the complexity of plants and their growth habits. No longer our physicality or intelligence is needed so much. We have shown nature we can survive and even conquer, but can we cohabitate?