A Mystical Sword Fight with Musashi

Datura

Citation: Tim. "A Mystical Sword Fight with Musashi: An Experience with Datura (exp46111)". Erowid.org . Jun 21, 2006. erowid.org/exp/46111

DOSE:

oral Datura (seeds)

BODY WEIGHT: 170 lb

[Erowid Note: Driving while intoxicated, tripping, or extremely sleep deprived is dangerous and irresponsible because it endangers other people. Don't do it!

I've had my experiences with plenty of Psychedelics. I've tried everything from LSD, mescaline, shrooms, salvia. So I've experienced just about every kind of trip there is.It was a cool late-afternoon Friday. The September winds brought a cool breeze-a relief from the summer heat. Me and a few friends decided it would be a good idea to take a walk on the beach and search for some action. We walked and walked until R( one of my friends) stopped short of a shrub bearing white trumpet flowers.'What is it?''Haha, trying to trip?''Off that?''Yeah, see those lil pods?'(points to spiky pods growing at the bottom of the plant)'You cut em open and eat the seeds but your gonna be tripping for like 15 hours, we need a place to stay tonight.'We arranged everything, we were gonna stay at J's house. J, who also seemed to share an interest in eating a pod with us handed over the keys to his fully blown 1968 chevelle. We sat in J's room, candles casting shadows across the room. R (who had much experience with the Datura plant broke out 6 pods he had taken from the plant at the beach. He cut them open using a swiss knife and and broke the seeds out into separate piles. 1 pile was for me, one for J, one for Brice. We each took turns eating the seeds. They tasted really bitter-but it was tolerable.Now before I continue with this crazy experience, let me give you some insight on J's house. J's house is probably our favorite place to experiment with psychedelic drugs. His mother (who happens to be a garden freak-has a backyard full of Japanese decorations and cherry blossoms. Pink blossoms scattered across green willows, with a serene dripping waterfall flowing into a stream that carried itself back to the waterfall. It truly felt like we were standing in a piece of ancient Japan.To get back with the story. After eating the seeds, we put in some Perfect circle (the Mer De Nomas album) and toked up on some Super Skunk. The buzz distorted my auditory sense and made the anxious conversation between my friends seem like too much sensory input-it sounded like a thousand voices talking at once and they seemed to be floating far away, and then would sound like it was right in my ear. I took a deep breath, inhaling more of the fresh smell of marijuana in the room in contrast to scented vanilla candles-ahh such a sweet smell. I concentrated on Maynards voice-it was one of the most beautiful things. I moved it to the song 'Thomas' and listened to the twine of the acoustic guitar turn into a roar. The echoing effect of Maynards voice tuned me in. I concentrated on the lyrics. 'Allow me to forgive you... Show me the way to let go...' at this point, I felt like he was speaking directly to me. 'Let go' I told myself.I began to meditate. I closed my eyes, began to inhale long and deep through my nose, and quickly through my mouth. Realistic looking C.E.V's begin to swirl, teaming with the music. I concentrated on my own breathing... 'In...out'...I started to slip into my own realm of subconscious. Thoughtless thoughts begin to develop inside my head... It wasn't me creating the thoughts, it was more like they were being fed through a high intelligence. They coaxed me to relax, to focus.'Concentrate... Separate dark from light. Mind and body as one... Achieve tranquility through breathing. Give birth to your soul. Release that which is negative from within. Integrate spirit from flesh...'It was almost like a high voice speaking to me. The closed eye visuals began to grow very intense, like gentle splashes of blue aura splashing around, glowing intensely, I was astounded by it. I opened my eyes and realized I had terrible cottonmouth. I looked around, The CD had stopped and the candlelit room was silent. R, Brice, and J were gone. The shadows continued to dance and flicker around the room, as the flame moved with the slight breeze through an open window-like a latin dancer moving her hips. I moved to the kitchen and realized I didn't quite feel good. Besides the dry cotton mouth-I felt... HOT. It was extremely uncomfortable. I raided J's fridge and found a big pitcher of pink lemonade. I scrambled to pour myself a glass and gulped the pink fluid down like I had not had anythign to drink in years.At this point, the effects of the Datura began to take effect. I had no memory of it afterwards, it came back slowly in pieces-I suddenly wondered why it was getting dark out this early. I wondered around J's empty house, looking for the three that had abandoned me. I looked outside, the driveway was empty. (They left me here!)-I felt a quick anger for R and J, 'They went out to have fun and didnt take me-what an asshole.''KNOCK KNOCK!' I heard a loud knock at J's door. I hurried over to the large wooden door, and opened it.On the other side stood a very familiar figure. A face as white and blank as a sheet of paper, deep, brown piercing eyes, and long curly black hair. It was Eric Draven-from the Crow. I starred at him for a long time. The image of him filling J's doorway looked very real and natural. There was no fear of bewilderment. He spoke-he sounded exactly the same from his movies.'Suddenly I heard a tapping, tapping gently at my chamber door... You did hear me rapping?' he quoted 'The Raven'. I suddenly had a feeling that he had done something with J, Brice, and R. It wasnt an thought out idea, just a notion, a premonition.'What have you done with R... and J?''He had a friend who liked to play with knives... Like the coat?''I dont know???' I shut the door. Then it hit me...'I opened the door again.' Nothing was there...'I must be losing my damn mind...' I said out loud.I needed a place to relax, I needed sanctuary. I opened the sliding door to J's backyard and wondered into his mom's nicely kept japanese garden. It was twilight now, the far away stars shown brightly overhead-like God's looking down at me. I heard footsteps against the stone pebbles behind me. I turned around.There was an elderly Japanese man standing there. He wore a japanese kimono with a matching white hakama. His expression was solemn. He bore two swords at his belt, bolt sheathed in a beautiful bright red scabbab. I stared at him, feeling threatened. Even though nothing was obvious, I felt violence coming off him, in thick noxious waves. He took a step toward me, one hand on the handle of his large two swords. I backed away, the threat unmistakable. He spoke, in rapid Japanese. I could not understand his language, but It was almost like the meaning was being fed to me telepathically.'I am Musashi. I have killed over 60 men in duels. I have longed to fight with you. Come now.'I felt my hands holding something, it was the scabbab and handle to a black katana. I dont know where it came from, but the everything seemed natural. I sheathed the blade at my waist and faced him, ready to duel. He drew both of his blades-making a loud scraping sound as they were removed. We began to duel... Everything was difficult to describe at that point, everytime his two blades would close in on me at slow motion, I somehow found a way to avoid being slashed. The whole thing seemed to move in frames... I kept thinking to myself that I wasn't fast enough, that he was going to cut me. But he never did. Then suddenly, he vanished, so did the very sword that I was holding, did my memory of Eric Draven at my door, or Musashi for that matter, I just know I was standing in J's backyard and it was nighttime out.I suddenly remembered J, R, and Brice. I ran inside and looked out the window-J's car was parked in the driveway-almost like it had never moved. The next thing I know, I woke up in J's room, on his bed. J, R, and Brice sat in a circle talking rapidly. R (being the only one who did not take Datura) begin talking rapidly to me.'Dude, you, J, and Brice are wildin' out!''What, how?''Dude you sat there and talked to yourself for mad long, like saying weird shit.''Like what?''Seperate darkness from light-give birth to your soul... you ok?''Yeah... It's just weird. Like... like some kind of bad dream.''Dude J freaked out and thought someone was stealing his car.''Damn... I dont remember... Have I been asleep? What time is it?''It's 3 in the morning... Youre still tripping arent you?''No... I dont know man.''Ok, well you've been talking to yourself. And you went into J's backyard and you freaked out, so we took you in here and you fell asleep.'At this point I couldnt remember any of my prior hallucinations. But I knew something was indeed wrong and I began wondering what was real and what was not. This was my hallucinations began to get worse.The next thing I know, I was in the shower... The warm water splashed against my skin. I sat under the hot, steamy water, recollecting my thoughts. I felt lost, and most of all, very confused. Then, the most frightening thing happened. My shower curtain flew open and a zombie looking man was reaching for me. His eyes were bright yellow and had a thin milky substance on them. He let out a loud, aggressive sounding scream and his hand reached for my face. I stepped over the bathtub and bolted past him. Running through J's hallway naked. I looked around, J's house was again empty. I looked around and what happened next was horrifying. The zombified man had emerged from J's bathroom. He staggered towards me, slowly.Out of the dark, 3-4 more figures like him joined him. Coming closer... and closer, slowly making their way towards me. I backed away slowly and dipped out the door, leaving it hanging wide open. I ran past J's chevelle and out into the street. I couldnt stop running, I ran and ran until I felt safe again. I sat down on the park bench, and caught my breath. I dont know how long I sat there... Or what happened while I was at the park, thats one gap in my memory that has never came back to me. All I know is that some time had passed before I heard J's loud Chevelle stop short of the park. J and R emerged from the car and walked toward me in all concern.'Dude are you ok?' R asked.'Yeah... I dont remember how I got here.''It's gonna be alright... You have a few more hours.'I road in the back of J's Chevelle. I love riding in that car, its so fast. For some odd reason, R was letting J drive.'Wheres B?''He's passed out, we locked him in the room. hehe' R retorted.The next I know, we were moving, very fast, very high speed. I looked at J's speedomoter. It clearly red 90 and climbing.'Slow down J, its a 35!'I looked over again, the speedometer was buried at 120 but the dial had moved past it.'J!!!''Dude, the cops!' J yelled back.I took a peak back, there were no cop cars. Noting but road.'Dude, theres no cops, slow down!' R yelled.J didn't listen, he kept his foot on the gas, all 4 barrels were opened up and the powerful 500 horse 383 motor was screaming. We kept moving faster and faster... It felt like we were floating, like the ass end of the car wasnt even touching the ground and were flying through a swirl. I looked at J's speedometer, it was well past 120... and into the lower speeds again. We had to have been doing at least 160. I played along with J's hallucination, fearing for my life.'J, I think you lost em''...'Lost what?' J called back.I suddenly noticed he wasn't driving fast anymore, I looked at spedometer. He was doing 45. I felt drained and reluctant to speak.'Nothing....' I called back.It felt like I was having a series of lucid dreams, while I was indeed awake-but dreaming at the same time. We stopped after driving for about 45 minutes. We pulled into the parking lot at the beach and got out. I could smell the ocean, could see the bright stars overhead-and everything looked so clear to me. Yet I didn't trust it. I thought It was another dream. I played along.We sat on the shore and sparked a blunt of marijuana, it was the same super skunk from earlier. We faced it, all 3 of us and walked to the car, extremely stoned. I sat in the backseat and fell asleep. When I woke up, J's chevelle was parked back in his driveway and they were gone. I climbed out- feeling the effects of the marijuana in my system. I looked around, it morning. The dew shone over the grass, making it sparkle, a heavy haze of fog covered everything, it was truly enlightening. I walked into J's unlocked house and into J's room. Brice lay on the bed, snoring heavily, R and J were on the floor. I blew out the dripping candles and found a spot on the floor to fall asleep.When I woke up the next day, everything was normal. My vision was somewhat fogged but I had stopped hallucinating. Everything in this story was fed to me later, either by recollection or R. It was truly one of the weirdest experiences in my life. I would have to say it was definitely something interesting and its a great story to tell while passing the blunt but I dont think ill be doing Datura anytime soon.