#010: Exploring the Inner Sage with Salvia Divinorum | Mariano Gru

11/15/21 • 62 min

Mariano Gru had his first experience with salvia at age 18. While he was with his friend he took a hit of salvia from a bong and reality began folding in on itself. Mariano’s salvia experience got him interested in psychedelics and he began staying up late at night listening to Terrence McKenna’s lectures.

In his 20’s, Mariano tried other psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and MDMA but salvia remained his favorite. He discusses some of his experiences with this powerful plant medicine. Mariano describes the feeling he often gets of being in a void on salvia and seeing himself as a character.

Mariano talks about how salvia has helped him clear blockages in his body and release emotional pain. We also discussed his participation in a vipassana meditation retreat and his efforts to answer other people’s questions about salvia on Reddit. Mariano even built a chamber in his house that muffles sound and protects him from physical injury while he’s under the influence of salvia. We’ve included a link to his Reddit profile in the show notes where you can see pictures of his chamber.

The purpose of the podcast is for entertainment and harm reduction. Please consult a physician and your local laws before considering the use of psychedelic substances. Please also understand that you may not hold us liable or responsible for relying on any information contained on the podcast or our website.

Links:

Inner Portal
Mariano's podcast

enthdimension
Mariano's Reddit profile

Links:

Inner Portal
Mariano's podcast

enthdimension
Mariano's Reddit profile

Previous Episode

#009: Mental Health, Healing, and a New Life Path | Lunaa Ethan

Lunaa Ethan loved her career as a nurse working with foster children in Canada. When the pandemic hit, Lunaa felt increased anxiety and depression due to changes made by the organization she worked for. Lunaa began researching both the history and the potential mental health benefits of psychedelics. She eventually tried psilocybin and found that it helped her work through her anxiety and depression. Psilocybin also helped Lunaa recognize the need for a new direction in life. She left healthcare and she and her husband sold their home and purchased an RV to travel across North and South America. Lunaa found a new career teaching English to children online and started blogging about her experience.

Links from this episode:

LunaaEthan.com

Lunaa's website

Lunaa's Instagram

Next Episode

#011: Exploring Legal Psychedelics in the Netherlands | Martin Brentnall

Martin Brentnall grew up in the UK with the mindset that he would never use drugs of any kind. That mindset changed when he moved to the Netherlands for a year as part of a work placement program while he was attending university. In Amsterdam, Martin saw a number of substances being sold in shops legally, while those same substances were illegal back in the UK. Martin began researching psychedelics online and eventually decided to try psilocybin mushrooms. His first experience was mild but helped him relax and countered what he had been taught about psychedelics in school growing up.

Martin describes several subsequent psilocybin experiences at higher doses that were very powerful. In one experience, the music he was listening to came to life in the form of vivid colors and patterns. In another, he describes having what he considers his first spiritual experience, having previously considered himself atheist. Martin also talks about his experiences with lucid dreaming, sensory deprivation float tanks, and smoked salvia extract.

Links:

Erowid
A non-profit educational organization providing information about psychoactive plants and chemicals

Shroomery
An informational site about psilocybin mushrooms

Dream Views
A lucid dreaming forum