Northerner

Signed and shared.

Dunno mate, probably just like nutty wood rather than food anyways. There's quite a few ganoderma generally used as medicine rather than food, reishi is in the family.

I reckon the vast majority of people don't really care about pot smokers one way or the other. What is funny though is I bet if the common QLDers realised that they each pay about $1000 a year to keep cannabis illegal and enforce it they might suddenly wonder why they pay for that and start to make a noise. Money talks hey. A thousand bucks goes a long way when you really need it and a lot of people are doing it hard.

Thanks mate.

The R0 rate of COVID-19 compounded by it's morbidity rate is what makes it a scary pandemic. It is many times more transmissible than the flu and 20% of cases need hospitalisation. If we didn't restrict movement 20% of our population could get it within 2 months. That's 5 million people of which 1 million would need hospital beds. But there's only 66000 hospital beds in Australia, the death toll would soar because we wouldn't be able to care for our sick properly. The reason our death toll is so low is because we stopped that. The US currently has more than 200,000 in hospital for COVID, that's >20% of their hospital beds. They saw the writing on the wall and locked down before disaster really struck. Anyone who thinks this is a big ploy to disempower people needs to stop reading fucking Facebook and learn about what the virus is. No government in its right mind would destroy their own economy. Most politicians are businessmen primarily, not power hungry warmongers. They don't want to shoot their own businesses in the head just to create an illusion of population control. It's such a ridiculous conspiracy theory to say it would be that. Pure screen dumb social media fed stupidity, akin to anti-vax conspiracy.

Ganoderma sp.

Commonly used to seal wounds on cactus, succulents and other juicy plants, is also an essential nutrient.

So I just got the response from the attorney general about the petition to legalise cannabis is QLD. It was a large lecture about how cannabis is criminal and how they know best, their experts and drug courts are awesome and drugs are bad m'kay. Basically got told to fuck ourselves and stop being criminals. The petition needs to be done again and again till we get some social traction. Like I said before, I don't even partake, but this is something I feel strongly about. I know the difference between criminals and people living their lives. I can't tolerate these prohibitionist lies.

Nice giveaway, good on ya Enjaytee.

Good on you man. There's no reason to go ripping up the forest. There's a lot of oils in the phyllodes, I'm not sure how much of that I would ingest, might give a funny tummy. There are ways to separate the prize from the plant though. There are people in Australia who have planted acuminata especially for harvesting for these purposes, it's cheap and sustainable.

Both types of acuminata contained only DMT, trace beta-carbolines and plant fats and oils. I didn't get the oils tested but you can assume a similar profile to most, just tannins and fat. Personally I wouldn't consume the bark. But the greatest risk is stomach irritation really.

Looks like parasola familiy, dunno which one though.

Darn gremlins.

Seems like an awesome project. Have you got an idea of what you're going to use to build the structure with? Why mycelium for the insulation? Which species? Grown on what medium?

I guess somewhere still there exists a true Shaman in the traditional sense. There aren't 1000s of self deluded druggies claiming to be Yogis in the west like there are Shamans though. Every self proclaimed shaman I ever met was just a self deluded tripper, bought into their own illusions. Even shamanism in South America is a dying religion, it's dying with tribalism and capitalist globalism. I would challenge that very few so called shamans that practice capitalist drug industry for western visitors are little more than plant cooks and narcotic bartenders. It doesn't take great skill to trip sit and guide people on psychedelic journeys, I know that from experience. Call me cynical if you wish though. The study of yoga on the other hand is an ancient religious practice. It does take a hell of a lot of study, practice, practise and determination to achieve the elevated states of mind that can be found within. But be aware these practices are dogmatic in nature as well, so absolutely not comparable to shamanistic practices which are more a discovery of self and "reality" through altered states that don't have defined theism. I find that much of our lives and society is based around illusion. These illusions can be self created or forced into us by others. But there is a point where we as individuals choose to accept them or not. In that act as create these things as tangible realities, yet they are in reality fantasies. We even deem some of these fantasies as integral parts of our psyche whilst others are labelled as illness. I've been looking deeply again at these perceptions and illusions that make our society what it is and how I relate to them. I'm less convinced than ever, but more aware of what it is that I'm less convinced of now.

This was exactly the point I was going to bring up. There's a whole host of toxins that can be found in trees besides cyanide. I did a exploratory extraction study on many acacia species some years ago and found many more that contained toxins than contained psychoactive compounds. Even some that contained both. There's seriously no logical reason to be experimenting smoking unknown plants. It's borderline stupid. If you are super keen on exploring something please do an a/b extraction and an ethanol extraction and contact me. I can get GCMS analysis done for free on acacia extracts.

Something you need to realise about Australia, that you probably already know, but is very important... It's really, really, big. Even Australian accents differ wildly between the states and regions. Individual state governments are 1000's of kilometres away from other states and the only real thing tying them together is trade and federal taxation. Social attitudes between states and even regions within the states vary wildly, as do local laws, law enforcement priorities, food quality and general quality of life. There's plenty of places in Australia where they could not care less if you smoke pot and others where they will try and arrest your whole family with a SWAT team if someone mentions that you are growing a plant. It's always been like this too. I grew up in the bush, very laid back, very chill, but very self policing as well. Kangaroo courts still used to happen back in those days and everyone knew everyone else's business. But in the cities at the same time Asian gangs were making their mark and dominating the drug and extortion trades in Perth. Around those same times you have the same stories you see on Underbelly happening in different states. But these were different times. There was no internet, there was no Federal computer system, even the telephone system was pretty average in a lot of places. Crime proliferated wherever it could because criminalisation of of substances creates a black market that people will exploit, every time. In Western Australia and Northern Territory there was a lot of Hell's Angels and Cheaters groups acting openly even. They then moved deeper into the east as other syndicates got taken down. It's only recently through criminal laws have they been able to disassemble these gangs in QLD and NSW. SA took the easy way out and decriminalised cannabis a long time ago when these first pot and speed wars were going on, it saved them from a lot of crime and pain. It's a huge topic. Others here will be able to fill in more clearly what was happening in their part of the country before mobile phones and the internet changed the world, but don't think for a minute that the portrayal in a film or series would be accurate for what was happening generally withing the country. It was a pretty wild place full of many opportunities back then.

Metaphysics by definition are a branch of speculative theory. There's no definitive proof to show that any of the topics exist anywhere except in people's imaginations. So... all religion and self belief, universe belief, and to a large extent quantum theory fall into this broad topic. Being an Flying Spaghetti Monster acolyte I'm fairly well versed in why my pitiful beliefs are just as valid as anyone else's. Through meditation, psychosis, fasting, plant medicines and being simply quiet I've dived deep into complex dreamlike states that include massive complex and somewhat meaningful geometry, temples, guardians, light tunnels, space and time itself. All these things have shown me is that I know absolutely nothing. I could claim that my visions hold some sort of validity, but I don't really know that. I do know that monotheistic beliefs are clearly nonsense. Nowhere in my travels in the mind have I encountered and all knowing, all powerful, omnipresent, single point of creation. Everything appears as duality always. The only time I have encountered entities that appear God-like I've finally come to the realisation that these things are just me. They are a product of my consciousness. As difficult as it is when these states of mind go sideways and and the experiences become difficult the inverse applies as well. Everything went so swimmingly well, I was left with a sense of peace and awe, wonder and perhaps even contentment. But, am I willing to accept these givings on face value? Am I willing to lie to myself about the fabric of existence just because it makes me happy? Unfortunately not. I'm not convinced there is such a thing as a true shaman. Is there a shaman certificate you get for taking loads of plant medicines and then sitting with the spirits and finally getting more than 70% of the test right? I think not. Same as there are no true mystics nor true prophets. I get that the more you look at the nature of reality without reservation the more inclined you are to accept it's infinite realities, but that is a working of self forgiveness, release of fear, empathy, serenity and compassion. The more you understand your own nature the better you are able to understand others as well. But this isn't a form of mysticism or shamanism. It's just plain old logic applied to the topic where you learn about yourself, by listening to yourself.

Could try grabbing one of the variegated shoots and see of you can make a whole plant grow like that.

Yeah, well... it wouldn't be my first choice for PTSD to be honest. Waaaaay down the list. In my experience DMT does not fix problems, promote acceptance or even give you an alternate perspective on your life. It rips existence apart, jams everything in your face all at once and demands that you deal with it or get your ass whipped... and you better sort that shit out if you want to keep going back, or else. It's a harsh mistress.

I watched Wyrmwood again after bringing it up in here. It's hilarious. There's not a single character in it that isn't a stereotype in Aussie culture. So well done. All the highly critical reviews of it from overseas viewers are just because they don't get it, they haven't seen people who look and act just like that. I've been hunting random old films recently, been quite a few good watches. Not many Aussie ones though so I won't clutter up the thread.

Yeah, well... no. Busted for possession of DMT, lab equipment and extraction recipes (indicative of possible intent to manufacture) and weapons. If they'd got him with bark as well that would be a precursor and he would have seen an intent charge for sure. Some people just don't know how to lay low.

Yeah, happens to me all the time and always has. I think of someone suddenly, then the phone rings and it's them. I think a lot of people are tuned in like this though, or are they? I just kinda thought it was normal.

There's also the possibility that people will reconsider the benefit of having people attend workplaces to drive desks for 40 hours a week. It's a known fact that people can't concentrate for that long, it's just a burden on people's lives that gives the employer no advantage. Employees working from home will show to employers that it can be done, that it is cheaper, that it's more productive and their people are happier. And let's make our own fridges, cars and medicines again. Heck, I want to buy an Australian made t-shirt again. They used to cost twice as much as the cheap imported shit and last for 10 years.

Interesting Chemiconaught. I've had difficult trips and I've had freakouts, but they are not the same. Difficult is where your mind literally eats itself about itself. Your whole life plays before you and your issues come round and round in circles and keep smashing you in the face mercilessly. These experiences although difficult are generally positive in the long run ime. They are a strong catalyst for change. Freakouts on the other hand are just when you've had far too much far too quickly and generally in the wrong setting and shit goes sideways. Illogical delusions and fears can take over and it won't be long before you check yourself into the hospital because you think you are going to die or swallow your tongue or some random shit like this. There's little to no benefit to be had in riding these monsters out. I have actually had a doctor talk me out of a freakout at a hospital. Told me it was all in my head and I'm having a bad trip, then suddenly I wasn't any more. All the symptoms that I was so sure were real moments before disappeared. I apologised profusely for wasting his time and went home. The rest of the trip was great. I'm old now so I can spot reality check myself even if I'm deep in the soup. Only once in the last decade have I eaten benzos to end a trip, decided it just wasn't worth it. Afterwards I regretted it. It's hard to know though... hard to tell which way the ball was truly rolling. Even though I thought it was downhill at the time. The docs love antidepressants though. Every time I go near a doctor and mention anything about mental health they are trying to scribble up antidepressant scripts. When I refuse them they get all offended, like who the hell am I to decide what the hell I'm doing with my own body. I should probably just take the scripts and not fill them if I want further help from such quacks. I've seen what these drugs do to people though, close friends and family have and do still have major issues because of them. They regret ever starting. The long term effects are worse than placebo in several studies, there's no way I'm going to sail that ship.