BUFO
BUFO
The Bufo is fast becoming one of the most loved psychedelic medicines by shamans and psychotropic users as it produces one of the most potent entheogen in existence, known as O-methyl-bufotenin. The substance comes from the Bufo Alvarius, which is a Colorado River Toad, also known as the Sonoran Desert Toad. It is commonly found in North Mexico and in the Southwestern parts of the United States.
The medicine inspires a unique mystical and spiritual experience in that it induces stimulating visuals, a paradigm shift in attitude or perspective by way of an ego death, which is often useful in healing.
The climax of the experience comes within 3 minutes of taking the medicine, after which a state of immense peace, serenity and oneness is felt. The user loses the sense of time, experiencing a vertiginous feeling of samadhi, total unity with all existence. This means that the veil of illusion (maya) dissolves.
During the experience it is also possible to go through moments of great anguish that are the prelude to the encounter with the divine. These moments prior to the ecstasy and the total oceanic feeling of communion with oneself and life have to do with the sensation of being thrown into the void at great speed. The transitory but total dissolution of the ego is the launching pad of the Self towards an unimaginable connection with the Whole. This confirms what Osho said, “Life is not a dream, you are the dream”.
The medicine is collected when the Bufo toad comes out of hibernation. It must be emphasized, however, that during the milking of its poison-secreting gland, the toad does not suffer any harm and is returned to its natural habitat. The venom collected is then dried, which then turns into a powdery crystal that can be smoked directly in a pipe or vape. These toads are the only species in the world that possesses this type of substance.
While the experience only lasts between 15 to 20 minutes, it takes great courage to jump into such an experience. Those who cross the threshold of the transient death of the ego are stripped of the veil of the illusion of separateness to be plunged fully into the peak experience of oneness. With no divisions in perception, the memory of where we come from and where we are going is fully recovered.
It must be made clear that these are not vague sensations or subtle feelings, but truly the perception of being with the whole: “You ARE divinity, you ARE all…”. It is surely the most powerful and profound experience a human being can have.
It is an encounter with the absolute, the mystical experience where the observer merges with the observed and the consciousness is conscious of itself. It is a change of gestalt from a mundane existence to the divine where we can instantly look through the eyes of God or Creation, merged in the totality of the present moment.
IMAGE COURTESY OF: KAILA SPENCER ART
OVERVIEW
DURATION
15 minutes to 30 minutes
SIDE EFFECTS
Nausea and Convulsions
ADDICTIVE
Not at all.
PSYCHEDELIC
Definitely
EFFECTS
Temporary dissolution of the ego, Unity Consciousness, Euphoria, Awakening