What I learned from a week at the Telluride Mushroom Festival (it's not what you might think)
How to deal with challenging people, love, ...and yes, mushrooms are magical
Part 1:
The first part of this post is going to tell you a little bit about the Telluride Mushroom Festival and what I learned about microdosing and herbal tinctures there. If that doesn’t interest you, skip ahead.
Part 2:
The second part is how to deal with challenging people. In relation to that there are three key points I wish to make:
When you are in a challenging situation, it helps to see it as a practice opportunity and be curious about it.
Next, it is good to feel what you need? What feels right for you? Without judgement, or pushback energy. Simply: What do you need? Then say it, do it, as cleanly as you can. Cleanly means you don’t make excuses, or make the person in front of you wrong or at fault for your feelings. You just honor yourself. Keep it simple. That’s key.
Then, as you look at that “difficult” person or situation, you might try asking yourself this: “What would love do?” Just wondering about that, in relation to them, after you have taken care of yourself, can be interesting. Sometimes, love would walk away and not participate in the energy. Sometimes, love would see them through compassionate eyes, without losing personal integrity. Sometimes, love would see them doing the best they can with what they know, while honoring your own integrity and needs.
So, let’s get started with Part 1:
I spent a week in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet, especially in August, during mushroom and wildflower season.
Telluride, Colorado, and its many streams and waterfalls have been a magical retreat for me more than once. I feel at home, although I have only visited for brief periods. It is a community now priced for the elderly (who purchased a home many, many years ago) or the ultra wealthy. There are four waterfalls I know of that are walking distance from town, including Bridal Veil Falls, the largest in Colorado. The tiny village is built along the edge of a beautiful, icy cold mountain stream with a smooth granite walking path that runs next to it, lined with tall trees including laughing aspens, and wildflowers in many varieties.
I pause a moment to think now of jealousy, as I imagine this could sound like a Facebook post of “Wow, look at me having fun and how lucky I am.”
I do feel lucky. Or more like flowing in a divine stream of lessons and love that I am navigating.
There were four difficult interactions while I was at the Telluride Mushroom Festival. I was with my son, which felt like a lovely blessing. He also has a habit of walking slightly ahead of me, or behind me, which triggers a bit of anxiety in any remnants of codependent, disorganized or anxious attachment style energy that has managed to survive the mountains of workshops and personal work I have done. I feel so much better than I used to. And he still manages to show me bits of smoky residue waiting for my care.
Then there were things I learned about mushrooms. None of this is meant to be written in stone. I am going to share what I heard talking to various people and asking questions that are of interest to me. I will leave it to you to check The Science as you see fit. There is still good scientific research out there I am sure. I just have become soured with trying to weed it out from propaganda. Which has led me to resort to experimenting with things, talking to people who have personally tested things out, and mostly trusting my intuition.
Regarding mushrooms, I know there is good research showing microdosing psychadellic mushrooms is helpful in many cases for depression. I believe there are studies through John Hopkins University on this. Personally, I have not dealt with depression and my experience with microdosing has been positive.
I find many people consider mushrooms as akin to taking a drug to change oneself. I feel more like they, like clean water, exercise, organic fresh squeezed juice, and happy thoughts and feelings, enhance the capacity of my God-given container (which I like to think of as a magic wand) to connect to God and the divine more easily. Thus, I find microdosing suits me best when I am alone, meditating and talking to God. It suits me for any creative pursuits I am involved in. I seem to notice the details of the beauty around me more. I haven’t worried much about following various protocols, and they are certainly out there. Paul Stamets and his “stacking”…the various ideas of how many days “on” or “off” the microdosing regime so the body and brain can rest…the size of the microdose in relation to body weight and personal sensitivity. It can feel complicated fast. But I don’t think it has to be. For me, there have been no ill effects. I don’t take them every day (and especially not in a country that would make that a dangerous thing to do). But here in Colorado, where I am, it is all allowed as long as you are not buying or selling mushrooms for money (at least this is how someone at the festival explained it to me).
But I heard some new things I found quite interesting. I was asking questions as I have someone close to me dealing with a physical challenge and depression. They recently had surgery.
I was told that microdosing psychedelic mushrooms was good for reducing inflammation and also that they offer pain relief. Those two benefits were new information to me.
I also wanted to learn about the reaction microdosing might have with pharmaceutical drugs. I overheard two people conversing about this and paused to introduce myself and ask some questions. I was told that SSRI meds are not good to take at the same time and that something called MAOI meds are also better avoided as they can increase the effect of the mushrooms. A microdose is intended to be almost or completely imperceptible. It is not intended for a “journey” and I certainly would not want someone to experience a high dose of mushrooms without planning and intention. So no MAOIs (and I haven’t done a deep dive into what they are…but this seems worth further research or simple trust and avoidance when it comes to my loved one).
One person told me 200mg is a good microdose for 85% of people. Personally, I have experimented with different doses from 100mg to 300mg to a tincture someone made that I took a few drops of and had no idea how much was in it. For me, none of that made a big difference. I think I feel more that is based on who grew the mushrooms, how much energy and intention they put into it, and what the particular strain is. Lately, I seem to be resonating with or attracting something called Penis Envy. I find this rather humorous, and that too seems fitting as I think the energy of mushrooms, including Penis Envy, has quite a sense of humor. I do not take psychedelic mushrooms and their energy lightly (in general) and I do believe in addition to compassion, and sometimes paradigm shifting personal teachings, they seem to carry a lot of playful energy. That seems like a God-thing to me. If you have to be like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven, I imagine you probably would need the capacity to see the silliness in things.
I met an alchemist named Brian and purchased an array of non-psychadellic tinctures of various sorts from him. I now own Frankincense Honey (I had no idea there was an edible version of Frankincense and learned that there is and a few drops will blow your crown chakra right off). I was told this Frankincense is more anti inflammatory than turmeric, opens the crown, has lots of “anti” energy such as anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and helps with chronic infection. It helps the heart and crown chakra along with the other energy centers. What it came down to in the end was Brian gave me a few drops to try, and I felt it in my whole body. I was sold. A few days later, exhausted from many days of beautiful waterfall hikes, and following a night of poor sleep, I felt I might have “something” coming on, like a cold. I took some Frankincense honey along with other things in my newly purchased arsenal and am feeling great today. Exhaustion and cold avoided. I am giving a lot of credit to Brian’s tincture.
I also have an Egyptian Blue Lotus tincture from Brian that an herbalist told me helps one connect to the higher self, activates the 3rd eye, and relaxes the physical body. It also opens the crown chakra. I purchased it because I have a thing for ancient Egypt and it simply spoke to me. I haven’t tried it yet.
I have Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps tinctures for the morning, and Reishi Rose Honey from Brian to combine with the Lion’s Mane at night.
The herbalist told me any plant with thorns, such as Rose, has protective energy. She suggested my Reishi Rose Honey was helpful for all matters of the heart such as grief, opening, and protection. She mentioned Reishi is also good for longevity, anti-cancer, and liver repair.
I sampled mushroom drinks crafted to increase energy without caffeine.
In between those things, I went on two mushroom forays. One was led by my friend, another man named Brian. He was taking the festival volunteers out to go hunting and invited my son and I to go along. Before we left, he spoke of the gifts he had seen from people with terminal cancer diagnoses working with psychedelic mushrooms. Then he started to cry as he said something that surprised me. “It’s the families of the people left behind that really need them.” I could tell Brian had done some work with grief.
The first mushroom I found on that foray was an inky cap. I learned from a friend who was actually using them to make ink, that they digest themselves. Over time, they leave a black residue behind that people use for writing or drawing. The next day, I realized how fortuitous that felt to me, as I spend a lot of time writing to you here.
Since I had no easy way to care for my little inky cap and facilitate its process of transformation into ink while traveling, I gave it to the man who told me about it. He knew how to make ink from them and was planning to use it for his own artistic projects.
Later, I attended a workshop on costume making, and emerged with an unexpected outfit for the mushroom parade, a highlight of this annual festival.
I was going to dress up as an inky cap! A costume designer oversaw a room piled with tables of well organized, color coded supplies awaiting the creative impulses of festival goers. I did not feel this was my realm of expertise and she gave me simple ideas that worked really well.
I left with shiny black tendrils billowing in the wind from the white sack I would wear over my head and a lot of laughter in my heart.
That is a lot about mushrooms and probably fun-sounding to many of you. I found all of those things interesting and fun.
But there was more I was learning, and this seems like the key part of everything.
Part 2:
Let’s talk now about challenging people and eventually what a man named Art taught me that I hope you find helpful when you navigate similar situations (because one can’t avoid the challenging beings here on this planet).
There were a surprising number of them waiting for me in Telluride. I kept track and came up with four events that I will call pesky learning opportunities.
Challenging situations are funny things. You can go through one and have a hard time letting the energy go from your mind. It can cling to you like toilet paper stuck to your shoe.
There is a story about two monks I remembered while musing over these recent events. They reached a river and a woman needed to cross. The older monk picked her up and carried her across and the younger followed. They left her and continued on their way. The younger monk, who had not touched the woman, walked for a few hours and then asked the older one why he had broken his vow. (I believe woman-touching was a forbidden thing). The older monk looked over at him and told him it was a good deed in the past. It was over for him when he placed the woman down gently on the ground. It was the younger monk who was suffering. He was carrying the story and making it into a problem that was eating at his mind. The older monk had a mind that was in the present moment and completely free.
When you are in a challenging situation, it helps to see it as a practice opportunity and be curious about it.
I thought of that story as I evaluated my challenging situations. Was I the young monk overthinking and perseverating in discomfort? I didn’t think so. But I was still considering the situations I had faced. I am very interested in learning and my perseveration felt more like interest and evaluation. I am learning that uncomfortable situations are learning opportunities and I really do want to learn. I am also discovering that these situations are not about responding “correctly”. Challenging situations in your life are not graded. You don’t mess up and and get a “C”. You get an experience and you feel things. More experiences will come. If you are stuck in an energetic pattern, the experiences may feel like a broken record playing on repeat.
I am not a fan of the broken record, so I contemplate things that inspire and challenge me. Often I do this in my morning meditation practice as I gaze at something beautiful in nature and do my best to feel frequencies of energy in my body that feel healing (and often are missing in such situations). To me, this feels like a helpful remedy along with any insight I get from my prayerful questioning.
I will share two of these experiences with you here, and then an inspiring story about Art, one of the festival founders, that taught me a lot.
The first challenge faced me immediately upon arrival at my hotel. I had stayed there in the past and loved the place. It was at the end of town, reasonably priced (for Telluride), and located on the little stream. The room I booked faced the mountain and the Aspen trees.
My son and I walked into the office after a long day of travel. I had been up since 2:30 am. My son, I think, had gotten up at 3am. The woman behind the desk handed me a waiver form to sign for the new jacuzzis they had installed outside. She had a very loud voice and an even louder energetic presence. I don’t know if I have ever felt anyone quite like her before. I felt like her energy was directed at me like a firehose.
“HERE IS A WAIVER FORM FOR THE JACUZZI.”
“MAKE SURE YOU SIGN IT AND I WILL GIVE YOU YOUR KEY.”
I gazed at many single spaced words filling the page in front of me, with various places to initial. Actually, now that I think of it, it was two pages long.
I had never seen anything like it in all my years of travel in the US and various countries. I didn’t want to read the whole thing and a quick scan told me that it seemed to be about the importance of showering before entering the jacuzzi (I am not sure why that would require over one page of single spaced sentences, but that is what faced me).
Now, I have never owned a jacuzzi or been responsible for cleaning one. And I knew that the shower in our room would be fairly far away from the jacuzzis outside the office, and the temperature in Telluride is quite cold, even in August. The thought of walking in my wet bathing suit through carpeted halls and a parking lot in order to enter a jacuzzi appropriately simply confused my tired brain. Nothing was mentioned about a warm shower next to the jacuzzis for guests to use (which would have made a lot of sense to me).
I asked her if this is what was expected from us, as I really didn’t understand. My question did not land well.
I was told that “PEOPLE GO SWIMMING IN THE RIVER AND THEN GET IN THE JACUZZI” (I believe this was listed on the form as one of the things that was not allowed). “YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH BACTERIA IS IN THE RIVER! PEOPLE GET IN AND WE HAVE TO DRAIN EVERYTHING IN THE MORNING. IT RUINS IT FOR EVERYONE!!!!!”
I checked and initialed the boxes on the form I mostly did not read and thought about bacteria and energy as my own energy field was struck by an unexpected waterfall of strong-opinion-that-can’t-meet-me-in-any-way. I wondered about the lady behind the desk and her relationship to the sparkling river… and all the dreadful bacteria she imagined it contained. I wondered what she would think if she knew her own body only survived due to the trillions of bacteria in her gut. And I said nothing.
I dragged my heavy suitcase down a few steps and reconsidered using their jacuzzi.
Later, I went in to ask her about a parking pass for my cousin’s car. He was driving 6 1/2 hours to pick me up so I could visit him in Boulder.
As I approached the front desk, there were some newly arrived guests getting the overview of check-in information.
She pointed behind them.
“YOU CAN GET COFFEE RIGHT THERE. HERE IS THE WAIVER FORM FOR THE JACUZZI! I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY.”
I took a breath and asked about the parking pass. She pointed at a QR code on a piece of paper near by.
“JUST GO ON THE WEBSITE OR SCAN THIS CODE FOR PARKING. WE DON’T USE PAPER PASSES ANYMORE.”
I wondered if paper passes were also too laden with bacteria to use.
I sighed internally and considered taking a photo of the QR code…but I figured I would come back later. Sometimes there were other people behind the desk who were more soft spoken. I just didn’t have it in me to figure it out in that moment.
The day of my cousin’s arrival approached. I figured I wanted to take care of the pass and I hadn’t taken time to figure out their new system. So I approached the office with the intention of scanning the code with my phone and having whoever was working at the desk, talk me through the process.
By this time, I had evaluated the previous situations and my reactions. I had spoken to a remote reservation agent I liked regarding another matter and mentioned the jacuzzi policy. I could see he felt disgusted by anyone using a jacuzzi without previously sterilizing themselves.
None of this had fazed my son and he had his eye on the outdoor jacuzzi. So we had both showered, dried off, and trotted over a couple of times by then to soak (briefly, as we found the jacuzzis also were closed soon after dark at night). It felt in integrity to honor their policy, even though I would have preferred a warm shower right next to the jacuzzi.
Next, it is good to feel what you need? What feels right for you? Without judgement, or pushback energy. Simply: What do you need? Then say it, do it, as cleanly as you can. Cleanly means you don’t make excuses, or make the person in front of you wrong or at fault for your feelings. You just honor yourself. Keep it simple. That’s key.
I tried to find compassion for the woman behind the desk, as well as care for myself.
I wondered about her reaction and attributed some of it to the lingering stress from what I call, “The Covid Years,” in my mind. I had managed to salvage a tiny bit of care and empathy for her.
Then, as you look at that “difficult” person or situation, you might try asking yourself this: “What would love do?” Just wondering about that, in relation to them, after you have taken care of yourself, can be interesting. Sometimes, love would walk away and not participate in the energy. Sometimes, love would see them through compassionate eyes, without losing personal integrity. Sometimes, love would see them doing the best they can with what they know, while honoring your own integrity and needs.
I went back into the office for the parking pass with the intention to ask for help with the QR code. I was ready for her to help me, even if it might feel like walking into a firehose.
As I came in, she looked up at me.
“Can you help me with the QR code?” I said. “I am not sure I understand how to do it and I want to make sure to do it correctly before my cousin arrives.”
“Oh,” she said (not in capital letters). “Well, if it is just for one day and he can find a spot in our lot, I can give you a paper pass.”
And she handed one to me.
What does all that mean?
Well, I am not sure, except I got to practice interacting with someone who blasted energy at people, unconsciously. I saw it as a practice opportunity. I practiced staying centered in myself. It was not always easy.
And in the end, she calmed down and she helped me. I think that is because of two things. I honored the jacuzzi policy (and thus the people that felt it was important) and I went back really wanting help and asking for it from my heart. That is when there suddenly was a paper parking pass offered to me, rather than the QR code. I didn’t go in to fight against her.
I looked at all of it as a practice opportunity.
I could have complained (and I did a bit for sure). But if I only complained, I would have been like that young monk. I was more interested in learning. I think it is ok to spend some time learning from situations that happen when you are digesting them and holding yourself gently. Then they become practice opportunities.
There were other similar situations with people while I was in Telluride. I leaned into one of the teachings the mushrooms had given me in the past: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
God was giving me these practice opportunities and so ultimately they were a gift to me. I can’t say I always felt grateful in the moment. Practice opportunities often are not easy. But I could feel that I have made progress over the years. And even difficult situations become a bit fun when you see them as gifts from God. And you are ready for them or they wouldn’t come your way. (That may not be easy to hear and it speaks to your capacity regarding whatever it is you face).
Here is another one that I had to come to terms with after the fact.
My son and I are in a pizza restaurant. We have gone back for the second night as the pizza was the best I had ever eaten. The place was busy and both nights we had to put our name on a waitlist. On the second night, we are ushered to the same table as the night before, right by the door.
We settled onto our high stools and a waiter came over to take our order. We knew what we wanted. He asked my son for his ID, which is rare now. Then he brought our shared pizza and got the order slightly wrong. Soon after, he came by and asked if we were ready for the check. We were not close to finished.
The night before the waitress had asked if she could bring our check before we were through. We had said yes and I had noted to myself how different it felt from El Salvador, where I could pay when I wanted to leave, but never felt like I was on a food assembly line making way for the next customers to take over our table.
The night before she set the bill on our table in a plastic tray. When we finished eating, my son offered to pay and put his credit card down.
This night, we were probably only about five minutes into our dinner. We told him it was fine if he brought the check. I figured we would leave it on the tray until we were through.
A few minutes later, I sat holding a sticky piece of pizza with fig jam dripping down the thick crust. The waiter appeared holding a machine and looked at me.
“I’m ready for your card now.”
I looked at him and felt my sticky fingers. I had ordered two small pieces of pizza and I really wanted to savor them.
I thought of good manners and honoring the experience of someone who is eating.
I felt my age and matriarchy-me kicked in.
“I’m still eating,” I said. “Can you please come back later.”
“You told me to bring the check,” he replied.
But he walked away.
Soon after we finished and I could feel something was off.
I told the hostess I felt the waiter was upset, but that we wanted to pay our bill. Could she bring it please?
She said that she couldn’t and she would check on him.
He was hiding in the kitchen, which is hard to do as the restaurant was quite full. I think Matriarch-me was a bit daunting for him.
I had done this:
Next, it is good to feel what you need? What feels right for you? Without judgement, or pushback energy. Simply: What do you need? Then say it, do it, as cleanly as you can. Cleanly means you don’t make excuses, or make the person in front of you wrong or at fault for your feelings. You just honor yourself. Keep it simple. That’s key.
And somehow, I had scared him whilst honoring my boundary.
I spoke to the hostess again and she got him to come out and bring our bill. Again, he brought a machine. I never was handed an actual bill.
I pulled out my credit card and looked at him. My intention was to honor my needs and I hoped he would learn something (this is probably what caused him to hide in the kitchen). So, I tried to smooth things over. I tried #3.
Then, as you look at that “difficult” person or situation, you might try asking yourself this: “What would love do?” Just wondering about that, in relation to them, after you have taken care of yourself, can be interesting. Sometimes, love would walk away and not participate in the energy. Sometimes, love would see them through compassionate eyes, without losing personal integrity. Sometimes, love would see them doing the best they can with what they know, while honoring your own integrity and needs.
I mentioned that I was sorry not to pay the bill earlier and I really wanted to finish eating and wasn’t expecting him to arrive and want my credit card right away.
He decided to try gaslighting me.
Poor young man. He had no idea who he was dealing with.
“That is just how we do it here,” he replied.
Now, this was not true, as we had been there the night before and the check had arrived on the brown plastic tray, for me to pay when I was ready.
I told him so.
“Well, some people do things differently,” he told me.
He handed me the machine. I still had not seen an itemized bill, but I didn’t think to ask for that.
What faced me was the button for tipping.
“Custom Amount” (that would take some time and I really wanted to leave).
“None”
“18%”
“20%”
and so on.
I have been working with the book, Happy Money.
I felt my options.
“None” felt very reasonable, but something felt vindictive in that.
I think the Jesus quote was resonating in me. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
He had coping strategies. That was for sure. I am pretty sure he was not enjoying my company.
I felt what I am calling #3 again:
Then, as you look at that “difficult” person or situation, you might try asking yourself this: “What would love do?” Just wondering about that, in relation to them, after you have taken care of yourself, can be interesting. Sometimes, love would walk away and not participate in the energy. Sometimes, love would see them through compassionate eyes, without losing personal integrity. Sometimes, love would see them doing the best they can with what they know, while honoring your own integrity and needs.
And I hit 18% and we left quickly.
It had been another difficult situation in Telluride. And I thought about it for a while and wondered what I might have done differently and what I could learn from it. I had a moment when I felt he might have overcharged me, but my son assured me the bill was similar to the night before.
So, I sat with my learning opportunity.
My son left, and soon after my cousin arrived. He drove 6 1/2 hours to pick me up, which I found touching. The next day, he and I had finished breakfast at Cocina Luz and were walking down the street, ready to leave.
In front of me, I saw a tiny grey head bobbing. The man was much shorter than me.
There are a few organizers of this festival that has been going on for more than 40 years. One of them is a local named Art. He had stood on the stage at the opening ceremony and recited a lengthy, creative, poem he had written himself. He often appeared wearing a tall red top hat.
The little head in front of me had no hat on top of it and it looked like Art to me.
We had never spoken, but he had done something that had touched me.
Telluride is a mostly democratic town with a lot of people from Hollywood who live there. Art was giving a talk and he said something about how they love the orange-hair loving people too.
My son and I were in the audience and my son laughed.
He has announced to me that he is a young, conservative, white, Catholic Trump supporter.
When Art made that comment, he smiled.
Later he said, “Mom, the world would be a different place if more people were like Art.”
Art was not disparaging. He meant it. He had a place in his heart for the Trump supporters despite how differently he might feel.
The grey hair bobbed along. I think there was a spring in his walk. And I decided to say something.
“Hello,” I said to the back of the head. “Are you Art?”
The man turned around. The mushroom festival had ended and he was wearing a t-shirt with a giant Amanita Muscaria mushroom on the front, red with white dots. He smiled at me.
“Well yes I am. Who might you be?”
I introduced myself and I told him what my son had said about him.
His eyes twinkled at me.
Then I had an unforgettable experience.
“I have two kinds of cancer,” he said.
The eyes didn’t change. The twinkle didn’t shift one bit.
I could see in those eyes that Art, was not afraid to die. Not one bit.
I did a quick calculation.
I have no idea how many times Art has taken a strong dose of psychedelic mushrooms. I was sure he had been involved in the festival for at least 40 years. Even if he took them only once a year, that is a lot of “journeys.”
I didn’t mention that.
I listened as I looked into those eyes. Because Art was there to teach me something. He was teaching me about love and acceptance.
He mentioned there was a doctor in town. I think he said her name was Christine. She charged him a flat fee of $90 a month and he got unlimited appointments.
I could tell he liked Christine.
He mentioned his beard and hair used to be thicker. The chemo had had an affect. He told me something about his children.
Then he asked me about El Salvador. And he was really listening, really interested.
He had been to Nicaragua in the past.
The whole time, those eyes kept twinkling.
I learned he had four children and where they were located.
And under all that, I felt the love in this being.
I could list how our views might differ. I could get triggered about why in my perceived reality, this delightful man might have two kinds of cancer.
I could resort to assuming many things.
But why?
The thing that mattered was that Art was willing and able to love people and perhaps everything, unconditionally.
I don’t know how to do that yet.
And it was a beautiful thing.
It was a gift of dessert after all those learning opportunities.
I asked my cousin to take a picture of us together and Art was Art, and of course, was silly.
My cousin took another when we weren’t looking. Art gave me his email address so I could send him some photos.
I will.
He is a friend I would like to have.
I will add some photos here at the end for you. I got to see Louis Schwartzberg and his wife again and he was generous enough to let me take a photo with them. He whispered something in my ear. It took me a moment to process what he had said.
“You are a good dancer.”
Ahhh…in my mushroom costume across from him near the band, Louis had seen me. There were a few times I was smiling and waving at my son, who was directly behind Louis. I think Louis thought I was waving at him (which I would have been too timid to do). But he liked it. He liked me.
And I like him. I love his movie. It has changed how I see the world.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to him and his wife this time, but I would have liked to.
But I came away with a profound sense of love and gratitude.
I will keep working on those three things.
People will show up as learning opportunities.
What feels key right now is to express myself simply and clearly, with integrity for what I want and need, and without judgement and blame. I am glad God doesn’t give grades. I am glad to know and feel it is about these experiences and not about getting it “right”.
In the end, it is simply about love and embodying that frequency.
That has a lot of meaning for me.
When you are in a challenging situation, it helps to see it as a practice opportunity and be curious about it.
Next, it is good to feel what you need? What feels right for you? Without judgement, or pushback energy. Simply: What do you need? Then say it, do it, as cleanly as you can. Cleanly means you don’t make excuses, or make the person in front of you wrong or at fault for your feelings. You just honor yourself. Keep it simple. That’s key.
Then, as you look at that “difficult” person or situation, you might try asking yourself this: “What would love do?” Just wondering about that, in relation to them, after you have taken care of yourself, can be interesting. Sometimes, love would walk away and not participate in the energy. Sometimes, love would see them through compassionate eyes, without losing personal integrity. Sometimes, love would see them doing the best they can with what they know, while honoring your own integrity and needs.
Here are some links and websites I saved in case you find them interesting. I am not recommending any of them.
https://www.sacredherbalextracts.com/ (Brian’s company with the honey tinctures I wrote about including Frankincense and Blue Lotus)
https://lacunamedicinals.com/ (tinctures that sounded interesting)
Petrichormushrooms.com (I bought their Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps tinctures and sampled their mushroom drinks)
PooGodCo.com (they had kits for growing mushrooms)
https://www.ohiomushroomdnalab.com/ (They gave me some free tincture samples and are doing some interesting research on mushrooms that you can help with if you are interested. I plan to look into it more.)
*Please note that everything I write is my personal story and is not intended as medical, psychological, or financial advice. I am not a therapist, herbalist, or financial advisor. I do not recommend microdosing or any type of mushroom or supplement. Please do your own research.
Love Telluride!
I’m upset with Myself that I missed the festival this year