“Reality is just the mind agreeing with itself.”
Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. It does not promote or encourage the use of any illegal substances. All information is based on credible research, cultural context, and scientific studies. Always seek medical or legal advice from professionals.
Prologue: A Call to Step Away
The sun was unforgiving that afternoon in rural Sri Lanka. Sade and Juki were working near a rice mill, helping out during harvest season. Diesel fumes, straw dust, the hum of machines, everything felt mechanical, routine.
Then came a message from Kithul, a friend from school.
“Come. Not for drinks this time. Something else, a deeper journey.”
They agreed. Curious, uncertain, but drawn to it. Kithul wasn’t coming alone. He would bring Sanju, a calm, older soul known for his introspective depth and quiet understanding of altered states.
4:00 PM – A Change in Atmosphere
The group arrived at a small, secluded villa surrounded by golden paddy fields and whispering trees. A picnic of odd essentials, ramen, bananas, incense sticks, chocolate, was set up. Music played softly in the background.
As dusk approached, the space began to shift. Laughter grew lighter. The environment seemed alive. Sade noticed the sky changing colors too quickly, sounds bending at their edges.
Time had started to move differently.
5:15 PM – The View Beyond the Field
Outside, the setting sun bled into the rice fields. Sade and Juki sat on a swinging chair, the breeze wrapping around them like silk. They spoke softly of Theravāda Buddhism, not from a textbook, but as if they were remembering something ancient.
Then the world bent.
The fields rose like ocean waves, folding into clouds, which collapsed back into the earth. Bats spun like sparks into the sky.
“Samsara,” whispered Sade, the cycle of becoming and dissolving.
They weren’t trying to make sense of it. They were simply present for it.
6:45 PM – Reflections of the Self
Back indoors, the room had changed.
Sanju sat quietly, observing moving patterns on the wall. Juki stared at the floor, captivated by its geometry, spirals, fractals, messages hidden in tile.
Sade, now alone on the swing, felt something sit beside him.
A shadow. Familiar, heavy. A version of himself, carrying grief, heartbreak, unresolved weight.
The figure didn’t speak. Just smiled, and disappeared.
Sade cried. Not from fear- from the weight being lifted.
7:00 PM – The Ritual Within
Sanju suggested a cleansing ritual. One by one, they would wash. Not just for hygiene, but to reset.
“Water holds memory,” he said.
In the bathroom, Sade stood under the shower. The sound of falling water echoed like music. On the frosted glass, an image appeared a swirling tableau of human history: war, extinction, deforestation, floods, and fire.
It wasn’t frightening. It was truth. Raw and beautiful. A moment of universal memory.
When he stepped out, Sanju met his eyes.
“You saw it too?”
Sade nodded.
9:00 PM – Memory Through Taste
Back on the bed, the simplest things felt magnified.
A banana, somehow extraordinary. The scent of incense, so familiar, yet suddenly full of emotion. Something they had lit during rituals since childhood now radiated meaning.
They weren’t chasing visions. They were remembering.
10:00 PM – Diverging Paths
Sade and Sanju stepped outside for a walk.
Trees whispered. Stars blinked in rhythm. The night air hummed with something ancient and quiet.
“One day we’ll understand what they’re saying,” Sanju mused.
“Maybe we already do,” Sade replied.
Inside, Juki was struggling. Words tangled in his mouth. Kithul sat beside him, frozen, not in fear, but in empathy. Energy in the room had thickened. Some journeys turn inward.
Midnight to Dawn – The Wordless Hours
When they reunited later, no one said much. They just walked.
Four bodies, four minds, four silent stories. Together, yet each in their own sacred space.
No one noticed the hours pass.
When dawn came, someone finally asked:
“What happened to the last five hours?”
No one had an answer. But they all smiled.
Epilogue: Return and Reverence
The speaker still played ambient tones as the morning light slipped into the villa. Everything was quieter now. Still. Reverent.
There were no attempts to explain.
Just gratitude:
- For shared silence
- For emotional release
- For the mirror of the self
- For the wisdom hidden in rain, incense, and tiles
- For understanding that life itself ordinary and magical can be the deepest trip of all
hemes Reflected in This Journey
- Theravāda Buddhism – Exploring illusion, ego, and impermanence
- Ego Dissolution – Letting go of grief and former selves
- Synchronicity – Wordless understanding among friends
- Time Dilation – Expanded perception of time
- Nature as Mirror – Seeing patterns in the world and self
- Cleansing Rituals – Water and silence as tools for clarity
- Emotional Integration – Facing inner pain with calm and connection
📚 References and Further Reading
- MAPS – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
- Erowid Experience Vaults – LSD
- Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Center
- National Institute on Drug Abuse – Hallucinogens
- Psychedelic Science Review