Cloud Gazing on Magic Mushrooms

Kids really are the secret masters of mindfulness. Imagine dedicating that much time and concentration today to something that isn’t work, or the Instagram story of a distant acquaintance — wild! 

 

Reclaim Your Joy!

We tend to romanticize these memories as a place to which we can never return. The ‘past is another country’, afterall. But, actually this little territory of cloud-gazing joy can be reclaimed. It’s easy — and essential to distance ourselves from the harmful ‘rise and grind’ culture we’ve spent most of the past decade absorbing!

 As poet John Lubbock said;

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

He probably would have added that it’s ‘essential self care’ — if the phrase had existed in the 19th century…

So, silly as it sounds, how do we re-learn how to do the chill-est of chill activities?

Cloud-gazing on Shrooms

If there’s one thing that really gives us the space to look deep and focus on ourselves in the moment, it’s a psychedelic trip. This kind of letting go opens the floodgates to new — or in the case of cloud-gazing — new ‘old’ experiences. 

So, here’s a tip… ever thought about cloud gazing… on shrooms? Forget your previous associations with mushrooms and clouds — magic mushrooms and cloud-gazing are a match made in heaven. While tripping (depending on your dose) it’s pretty classic to see crazy forms and shapes, faces and figures, in all sorts of things. The clouds are simply a canvas for your psychedelic mind’s eye! If cloud gazing was a math exam, being on shrooms is like having a hidden calculator up your sleeve. Or something…

Now that spring is approaching, and magic mushrooms and truffles continue to have their moment, it’s the perfect time to plan a cloud watching day.

Additionally, well ventilated activities are probably still the best choice in this still-pandemicky times — and they don’t really come much more well ventilated than this!

You may actually already be a master, and right this second are thinking — cloud-gazing and shrooms? That’s what Sundays at music festivals are for! 

Well, maybe you head-in-the-clouds-lot (meaning that as a compliment here!) can help us with some tips on how to get the most out of cloud-gazing — tripping or not! 

Select Your Shroom-Level

If you’d prefer not to imbue your cloud-gaze with some psychedelic oomph, you can skip this section. If you DO, then here’s our little corner of expertise… 🙂

For a good old fashioned cloud-gazin’ we advise a low to medium dose. Any more and you might become too focused on your internal experiences. Which is usually great for a shroom trip, but counterproductive when it comes to cloud gazing. 

Here’s what we advise:

For a low dose: 

5-10g magic truffles OR 10-20g fresh magic mushrooms OR 1-2g dried magic mushrooms. 

For a medium dose: 

10-15g  magic truffles OR 20-30g of fresh magic mushrooms OR 2-3g of dried magic mushrooms. 

Set & Setting for Optimum Cloud-Gaze

Next we recommend being in a relatively familiar environment, whether it’s you or your friend’s garden, a local park, or out of the window of your bedroom. The amazing thing about clouds is you can see them anywhere, you don’t have to strike out to an exotic location. Wherever you choose, make sure you feel comfortable, relaxed, and not at risk of being interrupted. 

Finally, pick a day where not just the weather, but also YOU are feeling good mentally and emotionally. You don’t have deadlines or obligations looming over you, and you are free to fully immerse yourself in the clouds at hand. It’s gonna be fun! 

Pick A Time Of Day

The time of day you pick will greatly impact your cloud watching. In the morning and midday everything will be crisp and bright — HD reality — don’t accidentally stare at the sun though! If it’s a particularly sunny day, sunglasses are a must. The afternoon is a great time to trip and cloud-gaze — after a lazy morning and taking your dose around midday, the endless afternoon sky is sure to throw you all the shapes you need.

Next of course, you could choose to cloud-gaze come sunset. Nature’s most dramatic painting of all. The clouds will glow so pink and astoundingly gorgeous you won’t care if you see a dancing elephant in the sky or not. 

Feel The Mood

It is good to take into account the weather forecast for the day. Depending on the weather, clouds can be fluffy, lumpy, soft, wispy, fast moving, heavy, gloomy, foreboding, or downright threatening. For this reason it’s best not to pick a day when storms are forecast and the gray clouds are full of rain. I mean you can, but only if you’re sure the gloomy vibe won’t trigger anxiety — and preferably if you’re gazing from a window, rather than out in an open field. 

A breezy day will mean the clouds move faster, creating shapes more often but perhaps offering a less meditative experience. 

Ideally, a still(ish) sunny day where the clouds can slowly mutate before your eyes is ideal. Don’t forget that SPF though! 

What’s Your Method?

The Simple Chiller

Our favorite way is simply to lie back and let the sky (and the shrooms) do the work. 

When we gaze up at the sky, we are gazing at the same sky that some guy on the other side of the world is gazing at too. We are gazing at the same sky early humans gazed at, and that our great, great grandchildren will gaze at also. Couple that with the feelings of transcendental connected-ness that shrooms give you — and that’s a little bit of magic right there. 

Rest your head in your palm, fidget your feet, and make like your inner 7 year old. Speak out loud what you see and compare with your friends. Maybe you even wanna do some sketching of the heavenly show above? 

But mainly it’s just so chill maaan. Nothing matters, just the sky, the shapes, the moment…. Is that Elvis on a boat? No, it’s a camel!

No, it’s a…lil’ bit of mindfulness for you in this busy, busy world. 

Geek Mode

Another thing you can do, if you love a good ‘geek-out’ is to learn a bit about the clouds you’re gazing at. Learning stuff is cool, after-all. Here are some to look out for : 

• Cumulus clouds — a cumulus cloud is your stone cold classic. You probably drew clouds like this when you were a kid. Fluffy, rounded cotton wool balls that tend to materialize in the morning and blow across the sky, fading into the night.
• Cirrus clouds — these are the wispy and delicate clouds that generally occur in fair weather. Their long strands are made of ice crystals, which are blown across the sky by strong wind. If they gather in the sky it can mean a storm is coming. 
• Nimbus clouds — if you see a nimbus cloud rocking up to the party, you know things are going to get wet. Dark gray in color, they are large and hang low across the sky, and are just waiting to drop their rainy load. 
• Stratus clouds — Stratus clouds float low and flat in the sky, filled with damp drizzle and mist. Pale gray and fog-like, you probably won’t see many faces in there. 
• Cumulonimbus clouds — these towering clouds bulge with water, named as a cross between the fluffy cauliflower-like cumulus and the rain-filled nimbus. When you see these it means there’s going to be some weather. Storms, hail, thunder and lightning etc. They have the gnarly nickname thunderheads. 

To Conclude…

So cloud-gazing class, to conclude (con-cloud?):

Check the weather.

Pick a calm place you feel comfortable in.

Take a low-to-medium dose of shrooms.

Wear SPF.

Get gazing!

(and don’t invite any Cumulonimbus OR Nimbus clouds!)