Mazatapec growing process and trip report (50 grams fresh)

Firstly let me discuss why I decided on growing mushrooms. Growing up I had a really hard upbringing at the hands of my father but it strengthened my mind somewhat and weakened it in other aspects. I watched all my family and friends deal with addiction of some kind, but wasting my life didn't seem particularly interesting to me. Don't get me wrong I love the escape, but in moderation. You'll never deal with your reality if you are forever trying to escape it.

I had questions from my childhood that I needed answers to, so at length I studied the health benefits of mycelium and its fruiting body mushrooms. Mycologist Paul Stamets is a great source of information.

I had also previously experienced small amounts of mushrooms and truffles in the Netherlands. I had a pretty good time with 15 grams of truffles. I could function well and had a great laugh, very little visuals though. The lady in the shop said due to my body mass I'd need more. My sister had a great laugh "Ha she called you fat" I love a good roasting so I laughed along. Each time I went to the Netherlands it was for the truffles. Mushrooms were banned the second time I went, but I much prefer the mushrooms.

However, trips abroad were becoming a bit costly. I never thought of growing them myself but during my studies I became intrigued, so I googled grow kits and stumbled upon Sirius and ordered a grow kit. The kit was extremely cheap, delivery was cheap and arrived within 3 days. This time I was wasn't taking them for a buzz or a laugh, this time I was taking them for medicinal reasons. They were a Mexican strain: The Mazatapec (My personal favourite).

Growing process

I followed all the instructions and operated in a sterile environment. I wiped the counter and the outside of the kit down with some alcohol wipes. I then washed and sterilized my hands and put on a face mask. All this is essential to avoid contamination as there are spores and bacteria all around us and we need to limit the grow kit's exposure to them. I took a bottle of water which I purchased from the store and sterilized the outside of that too. I opened just the corner of the kit and slowly poured in the bottled water until the kit was fully saturated and sealed it. I then placed it in the dark for 24 hours.

The next day I strained all the water out and gave the kit another wipe down before fully removing the lid and placing it in the bag provided. I then sealed it with the paperclips included. It's important that you hold on to the lid, you will need it as I'll explain later. Due to the cold climate here I placed the kit on to a heat mat, heat mats are cheap and Sirius has them in stock. Don't place the kit directly on the mat put some cardboard or some kind of spacer between the mat and kit. When storing the kit you want to keep it out of direct sunlight, I have read that a small bit encourages growth but I've never tried or needed to try. I usually keep mine in a corner of the room.

When you notice the mushrooms starting to pop up, usually after 1 week but be patient, you will want to provide them with some oxygen, like us mushrooms breathe and exhale so sterilize your hands and put on your face mask once again and open and close the bag a couple of times then reseal it with the clips. I repeat this every couple of days. Here's where information varies, some people suggest misting the inside of the bag with bottled water when providing ventilation. I find that the initial soaking and heat provides enough condensation, but misting may be needed when it takes more than two weeks before the mushrooms start to appear.

Watching your mushrooms grow is a fascinating couple of weeks but they need daily monitoring, twice daily if possible. What you're looking for is the veil underneath the cap, if you notice it splitting you will need to remove the mushrooms. Sterilize your hands, put on your face mask, pinch the base of the mushroom and gently twist it to remove it. If not the spores will drop and it can ruin your kit. If you are worried just pluck them beforehand.

Between 2 and 3 weeks my kit was ready. I washed and sterilized my hands, plucked them out and weighed them, I got 70 grams which I was more than happy with, some people get more, some people get less. Mycelium is unpredictable. But it gets better. Once you harvest your mushrooms you can go through the initial process once, twice, even three times if you are lucky, so grab your lid, sterilize, sterilize, sterilize and soak the kit again. Replace the lid and let it sit for 24 hours, drain, remove lid and put the kit back into the bag. Usually, your next harvests are going to be less as the mycelium depletes. If you happen to let spores drop as mentioned you might not get another grow out of it at all. It's also important to weigh your mushrooms so you know what dose to take.

Preparations for my trip

If you're a beginner I'd recommend starting with 10 grams (fresh mushrooms). Due to prior experience I weighed 50 grams (fresh mushrooms), I fasted all morning as it's best to take them on an empty stomach. Around noon I made a cup of black tea. I removed the tea bag and added the tea and mushrooms to a pot and let it simmer on a really low heat for 30 minutes. I added some fresh lemon to add flavor, but I also read that it can benefit your trip and make it stronger. I strained the brew and ate the mushrooms before drinking the cup of magic.

Some people find that eating magic mushrooms they have a little kind of metallic taste to them which is why I make tea, lemon and some sugar or sweetener can disguise the taste.

Set and setting

If you are somewhat nervous or anxious it might be best to take your mushrooms in a familiar environment away from crowds and it might be comforting to have a trip sitter (someone sober to mind you), but personally that wouldn't sit well for me. Due to the high dose I planned to lie in bed and not move at all, so a trip sitter was not required.

I prepared some sugary foods, a fizzy beverage and some fruit. I imagine if my trip was too heavy, sugar would speed up my metabolism and ease the trip. I'm not a biologist so I don't know if that even works, but I assumed it did and even if it only had a placebo effect I'd be comfortable with that.

The onset

After half an hour of taking the mushrooms, I noticed my thoughts and vision becoming slightly distorted, so to pay homage to the mushrooms and their ceremonial use I put my earphones in, put on some Native Mazatec chanting on YouTube, lied down and closed my eyes. It's really hard to put into words the experience of 50 grams (fresh mushrooms), in my mind it was like a universe of colours unraveling and folding in on itself then it really hit me.

The peak

Suddenly I was transported to an old dim candle lit house in Mexico, the walls were a terracotta colour and felt really warm. I was lying on a bed and there was a teenage girl washing rice and beans in the corner of the room. While lying on the bed there was an old native lady, possibly in her 80s or 90s, blessing me with reeds dipped in ritual water while chanting.

The blessing then sent me into my own mind to search for the answers about my childhood and my mental state. Not what I expected at all, anytime I even tried to raise a question, a Mazatec warrior presence angrily interrupted me and told me to "SHUT UP". I kept trying though then I realized that I won't get answers as I already know the answers. Life was hard and it wasn't my fault, but it doesn't have to hard be now. The Mazatec warrior wasn't there to answer to me but was there to show me, the more I questioned the less I seen.

The comedown

I'd say the peak of the trip lasted between 3 and 4 hours. 50 grams fresh is quite heavy your first time, but when the peak left I felt my soul and mind was cleansed. I'm a bit of a joker online but my creativity levels were increased 10 fold and I had some of the best laughs explaining my trip to my inexperienced friends.

The days after the trip

I felt amazing for the next few days, but it took a few weeks before I noticed the medicinal benefits that I was looking for. I was walking to the local store and realized that I don't have to be afraid anymore as I'm not holding on to my past, people are not judging me, it was me judging me and being self-critical.

Seeing as I'm not holding on to my past, my anxiety is all gone. Due to my anxiety I developed a skin picking disorder that left my face in an awful condition which increased my anxiety further, that's gone now too, my confidence is at an all time high and my relationship with the community has greatly improved.

And one more thing, while on the mushrooms they showed me clips of me walking my dog and showed me that I was walking too fast for his little legs to keep up. I never even realized! Imagine sitting on your toilet and being dragged off it. I had a good cry, apologized and hugged him. I now have a greater relationship with my dog.

I can honestly say Sirius and mushrooms have changed my life completely, I'm not angry, I'm not blaming others for my suffering. I even now care for my father full time. It truly has been an amazing experience. Every time I take a trip I come out of it feeling cleansed and like I can take on the world.

*Warning* This is all my personal experience, we are all unique and experience things differently. As stated I've a strong mind, if you have underline mental health issues please be careful using any mind altering substances whether it be mushrooms, alcohol or even tobacco and if you do decide to take a trip ease into it. 10 grams can be a good time but 50 grams is a completely different experience. With mushrooms they won't tolerate you trying to abuse them so don't bother trying to. You need a break of 1 week, preferably 3 or 4 weeks, in between or you are wasting the magic.

If you grow more than you need you can either dry them out or make the tea in batches and freeze them. An iced mushroom tea on a summer day is delicious. If drying them it's important to note that the mushrooms are made up of about 90% water so your 10 grams will be 1 gram dried and 50 grams will be 5 grams dried! Don't go taking 50 grams dried, that would be crazy. I'd also not recommend taking the mushrooms while under the influence of alcohol or even marijuana. Alcohol can lead you to do stupid things on its own and marijuana can cause slight paranoia in some people and that might alter your trip. I've tried both and found that alcohol ruined my experience and marijuana made the visuals a bit hazy. Lots of people enjoy marijuana with them it's just not for me. I want to give the mushrooms my total undivided attention. However after the trip a beer and/or a joint can be quite enjoyable.

That's it for now folks, thank you for reading. If you do decide to order a kit be safe and have a fantastic trip!