Patrons ONLY (and their guests): Free, GordoTEK live event/experience/research experiment (June 11th 2022) NJ or remotely (Patreon)

Unrelated but I'll start by mentioning I posted a very short teaser vid today a clip from a larger video I'm working on related to mushroom bluing and selective breeding for potency.  More on that in the future... (also on TikTok if you prefer that platform)

What I really wanted to post about is this... 2022 has been a challenging year for me that could be summarized: "pain and loss" and its only April ;).  I've been impacted by the death of a loved one. I feel like my grieving period is over, now I want to focus on being positive and feeling the love and peace that is within me. I also feel the need for a renewal of my spirit and connection with nature. I was thinking, perhaps I am not alone in these feelings right now? I get the sense that there are others feeling burned out or maybe a bit depressed, people who need a break from their everyday routine but they don’t quite have a nudge from someone to actually do something about it. If that speaks to you, this is your nudge.

A few people have expressed interest in doing some kind of in person event. More and more jurisdictions have decriminalized psychedelics making that option increasingly viable now compared to times past.

My thought was to organize something that is also a legit scientific research project. Only a small number of people will live close enough to actually make it to a live event, but you can still participate from your own location if you so desire. My idea was to use pan cyans with a very specific, simple, clear intent that everyone participating would focus on, and we’ll all (optionally) enroll in the open Johns Hopkins “study on outcomes of psilocybin use in naturalistic settings” (See: https://unlimitedsciences.org/our-study/ ) described in the video linked above (also see: https://youtu.be/Xo5vhEQQEvc ).  Afterwards we will share our results with the world through reputable published research and amongst ourselves.

The simple intent will be “to have a positive spiritual experience involving Peace, Love, Beauty and Euphoria". That's it. No one will be trying to solve their childhood trauma, PTSD, recover from an addiction or unravel the mysteries of the universe by talking to aliens, haha, save that for another time. The protocol (for outdoor mushroom use in non-clinical settings) we will be following will also be pretty simple, it was described by Paul Stamets in an interview he did with Joe Rogan. I created a video about it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/66184463

Regarding the Hopkins Study:

"The goal of this research is to learn more about the positive and/or negative outcomes of using psilocybin in naturalistic settings (meaning outside a research laboratory), and any potential factors that could affect those outcomes.  By collecting data from individuals who are already planning to use psilocybin, we aim to investigate variables such as demographics, lifestyle, mindset, and personality traits, as well as characteristics of the experience itself such as dosage, ingestion method, intention, and setting, that could influence psilocybin’s long-term effects."

This study will involve filling out a set of up to 5 surveys, and you can opt out or reschedule at any time. The study will conclude shortly after our event so we will be among the last to get into this study which has been going on for a couple years.

Note that I am already enrolled in the study, here is a screenshot of my stated purpose (intent):

You can participate on your own from any location, but if you want to meet up with me and others from this group, the location will be along the Appalachian trail in northern New Jersey. This is one of the most famous hiking trails in the United States, it goes all the way from Georgia to Maine.  We will be out in nature, along a mountain ridge, with a clear view of the night sky. It will be close to a full moon. There is free public parking at the trailhead, it is a strenuous 1.5 mile hike up the mountain along a well marked public trail and overnight stay is allowed without permits, fees, or advance booking.  I do not actually live in New Jersey, but the destination has personal meaning to me, I consider the location to be very special and I have tripped there twice before. I don’t want to set any unrealistic expectations, but let's just say that an unusually large number of people have reported seeing “strange things” in the sky at this location which only adds to its allure. I also like that New Jersey recently partially decriminalized mushrooms, up to 1oz is now considered a lower level "disorderly conduct" (more mainstream press coverage here).  Under NO circumstance should anyone bring more than 1oz.  To put that in perspective, 1oz of Estero pan cyans is enough for 28 people to have a significant psychedelic experience! 

I picked the date of June 11th for a number of reasons: It should not be too hot or too cold on that date, it is the closest weekend to the June full moon (“Strawberry moon” which will provide a little extra light for safety), and the date is before the busy travel season where many people are already booked up for weekends. Plus it gives people enough advance notice that they can still grow their own supply for this date.

Sunset will be at 8:27PM and Sunrise is 5:28AM 

You can either spend another night vegging at home OR you can take a small chance, go on an adventure, get out into the great outdoors, connect with nature, and potentially have a deeply meaningful or beautiful spiritual experience that is also scientifically proven to rapidly elevate mood in most people, a change that can last for many months.

If you would like to participate, send me a private message and I will send additional details. Please keep in mind the following screening criteria for anyone that wishes to participate:

• Must be over the age of 21
• Must have transportation to get there
• Must not have a serious mental health problem
• Must be in reasonably good physical shape with the ability to hike 1.5 miles up a mountain with at least a backpack and water and a camping chair (I’ll provide a list of things to bring later). We will stay on the mountain overnight.
• Should have some experience with psychedelics.  I have nothing against first timers, but it would probably be best to have your first experience in the comfort of your own bed and not on a mountain with a bunch of people you do not know well.  That said, a low dose experience may actually work well for a first timer in this situation, I'll leave that up to your judgment.
• Must BRING YOUR OWN MUSHROOMS (I don’t want the liability of providing anyone with the mushrooms, also you will have a better experience when you grow them yourself as you will have total trust and confidence in the source. You still have time believe it or not to grow them from spores to harvest before this event!  There's even a kit to simplify the whole process. That said, if you cannot bring your own, there is always the chance that someone will be willing to share so don’t let that stop you, and if not, you can become the default trip sitter ;).
• Able to bring your own trip music (recommended) on a device capable of "going the distance" (it’s a safety measure, music has been shown to be beneficial, you can turn the music off if you don't need or want it). You can download any of my trip tracks or create your own. Just make sure it will work offline and commercial free.

Note that there are no bathrooms or other facilities up on the mountain (but there is a porta-potty in the parking lot and I will bring a homemade porta-potty up the mountain just so there is one less thing for anyone to worry about).  

There are several good places to eat close by to the parking lot including within walking distance.    

If you would like to go but NOT use mushrooms, that’s FINE too, we have a trip sitter but can always use more than one.  

Private message me if you meet the above criteria and would like to participate either remotely or in person. If in person, let me know if you will be bringing anyone along. The number of people will be strictly limited as safety is my number one concern and a large group is too difficult to watch over. The exact location, google maps of the hike (with satellite images) and pictures/description of the location and trail will all be provided by private message.

Anyone can sign up for the Johns Hopkins study right now, the first survey starts immediately after you join.  The only personal info you need to share with them is an email address (can be a burner account if you want).  I've already enrolled and I suggest you do likewise.

Regards,

Gordo

p.s. I wouldn't expect anyone to fly out for this event, but I'll just note that the location is only an hour drive from Newark International Airport (EWR) and you would only need to rent a car for a single day, so it might not be the craziest idea but keep in mind this is a "no frills" event, not a conference with guest speakers or anything like that.

UPDATE: A person in Seattle writes: "I'd love to remote participate in your June 11 experience... It's decriminalized here in Seattle. I am near a beautiful (and famous for its mushrooms) Arboretum. I often take shrooms and walk through there. At night, it's like a magical place, like Narnia. There will be no freak outs or weirdness coming from me. If any other people from the Seattle area message you, ask them if they would like to join me. I'm good vibes only : ) I'm always interested in people who put time and thought into their psychedelic experiences. To me, taking my own shrooms, having watched them grow- that's magical. I don't think you can replicate that experience buying shrooms..."

Thank you so much!  So if anyone is interested in a possible secondary meetup in the Seattle area, send me a private message and I will connect you with the above person.   Also anyone else that wants to create a secondary meetup can simply post a comment below and perhaps find a connection that way.

UPDATE2: WE HAVE A TRIP SITTER! I'm super happy that someone volunteered and he has amazing qualifications with over 25 years experience in planning safe trips as well as first aid training (from Citizens Emergency Response Team).  He will be there to help ensure everyone stays safe and to reassure anyone that needs encouragement.  He will bring his first aid bag and also make sure no one wanders off.  He finds trip sitting rewarding and has experience with many different types of trips and with the potential issues that can arise.  He says "I can usually judge if someone is too anxious to enjoy the experience and the only times that I've had even a mediocre trip report is when my advice isn't taken and yet even in many of those situations I've often managed to salvage the experience for the person."   

Just so there's one less thing for anyone to worry about, I also made our very own porta potty from a 5 gallon bucket and pool noodle, so we are good there too!

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Links to all of my TEKs, Videos, Trip music, and frequently asked questions with answers can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/22774475 (everything is made available for FREE, I do not use pay walls, support the work only if you feel like you've benefited from it and you are able to do so).