IamA (Hi! I'm a 20 year old guinness world record breaking magician & zoologist cycling 50000 miles across the globe documenting psychoactive mushrooms AMA) AMA!

What would suggest to someone who is in their early 20's that would like to travel the world but dont have the finances to do it. How do you find the money to do so (besides build Iron man suits) ?

Money is a language the whole world understands, it's inherent. So I'd suggest wading deeper than culture and recognising that if you read the language in your mind, you can translate it into money.

Utilise a creative skill and keep at it every day, use your imagination. After a year you'll be good enough to make it your primary source of income. And when you are good at it, you can work your magic anywhere. you can befriend people on the road, busk, make a name for yourself.
I sustain all my habits from performing magic professionally and selling Iron Man suits.

But more importantly, nature loves courage! Don't worry about the finance, if you really want to travel you just need enough money to walk out your door. We live in a world that is a lot friendlier than the media would have you believe, you can fly further with a thousand pounds and a bicycle than a lifetime of aeroplane adventures. Take faith in the big wide world and don't be afraid of minimalism, sleep on the road, follow your own signs, find your own reality. She'll reward you big time, there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to, but sweep you will :) You'll find most of the time kind strangers will take you in and feed you/ give you a bed.

How pretentious was this answer.

I love you

What an absolute load of bullshit. Sorry, don't take advice from someone in their early 20s. Also studying zoology does not make you a zoologist.

I take my advice all the time and i'm in my early 20's. So no, don't take my advice, take your own. Just make it count, you know. Be a happy chappy

Thank you! I really needed that. Been feeling sort of in a rut lately and my mind has been wandering. I guess I need to find that skill that I will be able to use as income everywhere. I have a few I think I can do but we shall see. One day ill have enough courage to just go out and explore. Hopefully soon.

Today is the day man, you're the only thought with control.

"Nature loves courage!" Gotta love Terrence. Any favorite lectures I should check out? My friends put it on in the background a lot but I'm often not sure what he's rambling about haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MG5gFtZ3U8 here ya go :) Though, better than any of his lectures is his book - Food of the Gods. I would really recommend it!

After a year you'll be good enough to make it your primary source of income.

Oh God. Why did I continue to study engineering after the first year?

Because engineering is the future! Change the world my man

By "documenting" you mean getting high on, right?

Nope, I study their stabilising effects a cure for mental illness when ingested in micro amounts.

I mean, it's nice if that helps you, but you realize that for it to help other people, it needs to a double-blind peer-reviewed study with >1000 participants, right? Just making sure you understand how drug efficacy testing works

Indeed, for which you need a PhD. For which I am studying. It all starts with someone!

What do you think of psilocybin analogues such as 4-AcO-DMT, 4-HO-MET, etc? Would you ever consider experimenting with them to see how they compare to the "real" thing?

Is the mental health benefits of mushrooms linked to their active ingredients only, or are there other chems out there that might be equally useful in treating mental health issues. Chems like LSD, Mescaline, 2C-B? I love the work you're doing and I hope you're very happy in it. You certainly seem so

Good question! But it's not so much about experimenting with different psychoactive's for me. I feel the real health benefits need only come from mushrooms, and there is more than enough discovery still ahead to dive into a lifetime of possibilities.

Dimenthyltryptamine, on the other hand, I feel like everyone should try it once.

Thank you for your kind words man, I hope you're very well and really happy :)

What's Elliot up to these days? At what age were you when your magic duo broke-up?

Elliot is studying Engineering these days. He's a maths whiz. We were 17 when we broke up, we had a good run but a lot of the fun got sapped out of it when we started getting more regular shows.

I'm deeply interested in mushrooms for helping myself deal with depression, anxiety and ptsd. I have heard of guided trips by professionals can really help or even flat out cure depression.

Do you advocate for the use of mushrooms as an alternative medicine? And probably impossible to really know but would my fairly heavy use of them as a teen have potentially lead to my problems?

That's great to hear! Sadly there just hasn't been enough research into mushrooms as medicine as the stigma associated with psilocybin is still far too high. Hence, I aim to make it my life's work.
Heavy use of psychedelics as a teen can cause severe neocortical distress if you get in a bad way. But it's important to realise that mushrooms are a catalyst, nothing is permanent, and the ptsd, depression, and anxiety are all a figment of your mindset controlling your neurochemical imbalances.
Microdose 0.2g dried mushroom every 5-8 days for a 6 - 8 week period and you'll remember you are the jazziest dude around. I can vouch for it with my hand on my heart, when used appropriately, they do cure mental illness.

Thank you for getting back to me. Very much appreciated.

no problem! However, if you are to try out a microdose experiment, It's important to start below your feeling threshold, start at 0.05, and work up 0.02 every session, keep going until you feel the moment thriving within you.

I struggle with mental illness myself and im trying to find ways to get better. Ive been looking into growing my own shrooms for this very purpose. Is there any specific strains youd reccomend?

All the strain stuff doesn't matter, in the end if you're growing cubensis you're doing it right. All the same mushroom :p

Yup, cubensis is what you are looking for. however, each strain has different content and attributes.

But it's important to realise that mushrooms are a catalyst, nothing is permanent, and the ptsd, depression, and anxiety are all a figment of your mindset controlling your neurochemical imbalances.

I have to disagree with you here. If "your mindset" caused the neurochemical imbalances, everyone with depression, psychosis, etc. would just will themselves to get better; more or less that people could just "get over" their neuropsychiatric illness.

Furthermore, there's plenty of evidence that shows that mushrooms, marijuana, and many other psychoactive compounds can aggravate dormant preexisting psychotic susceptibilities leading to permanent psychosis so don't go around saying that nothing is permanent.

I sincerely hope everyone in this thread don't take psychedelic, borderline medical advice from a 20-year old magician with an interest in mushrooms

That's 100% reasonable. But I don't know, from my perspective, I feel like telling someone they are going to be mentally damaged forever is half the problem, much of time, but not always. We're all mental, after all. We need to understand how other external stimulus effects our mental health as well. Look at alzheimer's, only in this last month have we realised it's a form of diabetes, and not strictly neurological at all. it's sugar intake.
So my opinion is that this stigma of unknowing is creating a conditioning within sufferers and often leads to a downwards spiral, there are so many external factors influencing our feeling. And these people are putting all their stresses into a thought conditioned into them that they are crazy from psychedelic abuse. Of course, the most notable case of that I can think of is Syd Barrett. He was an LSD nutjob, he might as well of jumped off a cliff for all his abuse. But you can abuse anything, and it's common sense not to jump off a cliff. The flight won't kill you but the landing will. So I do not condone lsd anyway, its a long flight, and a hard landing.

I think anyone who feels like their depression, ptsd, or anxiety are down to mushroom abuse, then these people will be smart to try a new approach to solve their issues. That is, to microdose. For several weeks, and see where it takes you. Just 0.01g, thats a 20th of a small recreational dose. I can direct you to a community of 34,000 people who do just that, and it actually benefits you in the long run far greater than any known anti depressant.

I found that to be a bit strong a dose for micro dosing personally, Psilocybe cubensis as the species , more specically golden teachers. I found I ended up a little buzzed, barely noticible but still i felt...something, which I found distracting. Keep up the good work though my FRIEND! You're on the right track! Peace and LOVE!

Microdose amounts will always vary from person to person, a combination of metabolic and neurotic factors. I would suggest anyone interested start with a small dose of 0.05g dried, and work up by 0.02 every 5 days or so.

Hi Jordan - can you explain to the audience here your interest in documenting the (use) of psychoactive mushrooms? What do you mean by documenting? Can you elaborate?

In a response to another user, you list "...I study their stabilising effects a cure for mental illness when ingested in micro amounts.. What do you mean by this? How do you "study" these effects?

I suffer from bpd, anxiety, depression, and non epileptic seizures. When I first discovered the power of microdosing, 4 years ago now, I realised it undoubtedly gave me stability, and I've been grounded ever since. I'm my own lab rat, you know, because i'm my only thought I have control over. So I pursue what seems to be my answer. And I discuss every part of my self discovery with the findings with tens of thousands of like minded thinkers in a wonderful online network.

From a mycological aspect, I study the mycelium, the substrate, the compounds. I'm looking for an answer as to why some mushrooms are psychoactive, why they are so spread out across the globe yet lead to the same place?

Your proof isn't really proof. You would need to post an Instagram picture of you with your reddit username and date would suffice.

Okay man, I'll do that now

How many of these mushrooms do you "test" on yourself?

I test all of them on myself in micro quantities. I.e. a tenth of a 'trip' dose.

Do you believe that Psychobilin has the potential to change the way someones mind works on a permanent basis?

I ask this because i had an (intentionally) very, very intense trip years ago, and it literally taught me empathy, among other things. The effects of that particular trip are still with me now (10+ years later), and for the better.

Yes yes yes one thousand times over. Although the effects of psilocybin are just a memory. A whimsical alarming memory of all that you have lived. Your memory spinning, spinning in your mind faster and faster, rounder and rounder, to the point where all of what is existinental and 'you' is just the roll of an amusing thought. A kaleidoscope of rush. Where everything you have lived through has entwined and wrapped around itself in a network of neurons flooding the barriers of conceptual time and busting down the damming conscious keeper trapping us behind the shady angle of a locked cellar door. And if you're not there when the door opens, you'll miss the gap forever. Your whole life building up to this one refined moment of climatic drift as the keeper opens the door and you and the outside become one of the same. It's a daunting perspective. But the door has burst open and you are ready to surprise yourself, you glide into the unknown only to discover the external is undeniably yourself. For what else could share this much beauty with you? And now you understand you are all one.
That's how I can best describe the process of change mushrooms thrust upon you.

Just heard in a podcast you have to pay to be in the Guinness book, something around the number of $1200. Is this true?

Yup, I was filming for a tv series at the time so the BBC paid for it, but if you do it alone it can cost thousands and thousands to get the invigilator involved. But hey, it's worth it for a good toilet book!

Of all the psychoactive mushrooms you have tried, which one did you like best?

Golden teacher for microdosing, but to be honest this is an incredibly tough question.

For a full on philosophy trip - Treasure coast

Have you tried Penis Envy? If so, what was your impression?

I'm actually growing Penis Envy for the first time right now, I will keep you informed!

Also, have you tried the Liberty Cap? Thoughts?

Yes! I have tried wild Liberty caps on every continent i've cycled, they are the most potent of any wild species I've collected. Intense, rhythmic, but wonderful. Boundlessly grounded loving when just 0.01 is mixed with a chocolate bar

A few questions...Are you studying the effects of micro dosing different varieties of mushrooms, or a singular type over a long period? Also what kind of bike are you riding? Any favorite stories from your adventures so far?

I study the make up of each variety, recognising which mushrooms have the most balanced levels of psychoactive compounds and how this develops different effects of relief. Also how their different methods of ingestion have an effect on how you act. For instance, Thai mushrooms make you very sociable and linguistically super powered in small doses, whilst Hawaiian mushrooms make you very focussed and creative. But both make you vastly more empathetic when drunk in tea.

I'm riding my trusty Dawes Galaxy, never more than a puncture per 3000 miles!

Favourite story? It's a tricky one.. Here is the strangest. I was joined by a couple of guys for a month cycle from Amsterdam to Switzerland. Turns out we went during the worst storms and floods in Europe for almost 20 years hahah. So that was fun. In the final week, on a Swiss mountain next to a waterfall and sunset, one of my mates came out as in love with me. I was taken aback but totally fine it, I felt awful about letting him down and guilty for being angry at him for throwing it on me. Ahg, it's confusing, he's still a very good friend. But he has impeccably bad timing. It was a bit of a surprise given no one was previously aware of his orientation.
Anyway,
things got weirder when he kept trying to sleep next to me in the abandoned barns we shacked up in away from the storms. On the final day I was feeling alot of pressure and wanted some alone time. I realised I left my sword (I had a wooden sword with me) in one of the barns. So once we reached Lake Konstanz I got on the train to go back to the barn. I estimated I had 6 minutes to find it before I had to return to the station and catch the final train back.. Or I was stuck again -_- I found it in the last minute like a needle in a haystack! I went outside and a double rainbow was right in front of me. I felt relaxed. I got the train with moments to spare, it was empty except for one girl in the carriage. I wasn't really aware of her until she took my headphones off and said Hi.

And that's the story of how I spent a summer shacked up with a Swedish girl in switzerland.

My friend is fine by the way, they went back home and we all live together now.

What aspects of psychoactive mushrooms are you studying and how do you study them on the road? Or is all the science done back home in the university lab? I'm just really curious as to how you study the psychoactive effects without testing them on yourself. Do you have someone else to act as a control or do you just study the chemical attributes of each mushroom. (Note: I am not a scientist)

Follow up question: how many different types of psychoactive mushrooms are there and are there some really rare, exotic ones that aren't easily available that you've had the pleasure of "discovering"?

I collect them on the road to bring back to Cambridge for a menagerie of analysis and later consumption, the struggle is that we do not understand how psilocybin works yet.. Why it comes into growth within these mysterious fungis. So on sight I survey the environment, the soil composition, mycelium networking with nearby plants, resident wildlife behaviour, the abundance of natural pollutants, general size of populations, colours and bruising effects, and identifying anything that seems out of the ordinary, ie if their are a symbiosis of several different types of mushroom in the vicinity.
note - I am just a scientist in training.

There are 12 types of psilocybe mushrooms, each grouping dozens more together, and all with different levels of psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin (the three active compounds in magic mushrooms).
I once found a culture of psilocybe aztecorum in the australian outback, which was an incredible surprise as they are a renowned Mexican strain! I still remember touching it and watching the colour stem transform into a magnificent translucent blue within seconds.

So, what do you do for fun?

I draw, write poetry, and cycle

What does it feel like when you get the world record certificate?

I felt pretty mellow, but everyone else was so bitter about it that I just felt a bit down really.

Has it been a long strange trip?

The trip is in intervals as i'm studying my degree. But oh man.. I could tell you a story or two. It's been a strange trip indeed.

Why are mushroom the best "drug" known to human kind? And why must it be illegal.

I don't know if they are the best drug, maybe reality is the best drug? But then what is so great about reality that you feel the need to stay there your entire life?
Mushrooms are a change of scenery, it drives me to believe that you and me are the same, and you are a wild human being with so much brightness ahead. it makes me excited to think about everyone I talk to and what beautiful and one of kind lives they have led, and will lead.

Do u also use mushroom for "fun" ? And what is ur favorite mushroom ?

No, mushrooms are not for fun. By all means, you may have the best time of your life on it. But only because it's means something deep and insightful to help you solve chapters throughout life. I would never suggest ingesting mushrooms for 'shits and giggles' which delivers a lot of the bad rep :(

Favourite mushroom isn't psychedelic, it's the sky blue mushroom!

Favourite psychedelic is Golden Teacher

You're biking the circumference of the earth twice over?

Not in a straight line haha, roads wind like intestinal tracts. It takes lot more distance to cover the circumference. I like to loop around the continents and then fall back through the middle

What's with the amount of times you put "AMA" in the post title?

i have never used reddit before, a friend suggested i put this up. My apologies!

Thank you for doing what most other people wouldn't be willing to due to societal stigmas (stigmae?) Anyway, I hope all the best to you sir, and good vibes, again, I appreciate the work you're doing for the sake of pragmatism and if you have a page I could donate to I would gladly help the cause

That's so kind of you man, thank you for your words :) Yup, there's enough stigma and judgement here on this thread to stress me out for an evening haha. How can we have all of this internet and still be so disconnected.. But it's cool, I get it, the new world is daunting. I don't have anywhere to take donations, but there isn't much to take donations for. And that's a very generous offer for which i'm very humbled, but I can provide myself with the means to research and enjoy myself for the time being, and I'd rather that than increase a state of dependency

"documenting" psychoactive mushrooms

What type of "documenting"?

If your subject is zoology, why study mushrooms instead of animals?

If I remember right fungi aren't plants, they have more in common with animals in some respects.

If we're going into the world of psychoactive mushrooms, Zoology is actually the most apt area of research without moving onto a PhD in Ethnobiology. I'm getting there, but not just yet.

I love animals, but i study for the mushrooms.

So what? Do you know there's been like hundreds of people who do this crap, trying to get people to pay for their vacation through Instagram, blogs, books, and whatever else, right?

Also, gonna need proof on your testing of Schedule 1 drugs on people who have mental illnesses. They tried that in the 60s, and the results weren't consistent enough to be widely applicable.

I'm just another person trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. What about you?

I work in cancer and medical device research. I'm doing clinical trials to figure out what is going on. Not biking around the world trying to raise money to spend on myself.

Why don't you get a job in pharma, biotech, medical devices, clinical research, or become a care provider?

I have only the upmost respect for your profession, but obviously we have had two different lives. To suggest mine isn't significant like yours is like saying you don't care about the person you are treating. Hell, you've never met me, you've made your own perceptions based on your own negative past experiences. i sincerely recommend you look into the potentials of micro-dosing. Ultimately, your profession is literally about saving people from dying so they can spend more time being alive, doing what they love. I don't want to die yet, but I do want to do what I love.
I would never take a penny from anyone if I didn't make it myself. I live to discover, but I don't leach on someone else's path.

Why did you choose to document psychoactive mushrooms instead of LSD, Acid or another psychoactive?/ best place IYO to take any psychedelic?

I study Zoology and specialise in Mycology. When I figured out I loved mushrooms and I was already a magician, I just laughed and realised 'magic mushrooms'.
Also LSD is synthetic, a beautiful human accident, but accidental nether the less. I prefer to take my chances with accidents growing in the ground.

Best place for psychedelics? A large dose - Far deep into the wilderness, 100 miles from the nearest human.

microdose - everywhere, do your everyday activities :)

what was the process for making the Guinness Book of World Records? did this category already exist?

Nah I was throwing cards everywhere and someone said to me, woah, you should go for the world record man, for the highest throw. A few weeks later the BBC contacted me and asked if I wanted to do it!

So what are your favourite shrooms?

Golden Teacher

Do you believe other psychedelics possess the same benefits? LSD, DMT, etc.? If so, what are the strengths and weaknesses (in your opinion, of course).

I tend to steer clear of LSD. There are two main reasons for that. I prefer the option to re-dose after several hours of mushrooms rather than a prolonged day of LSD (If you miscalculate a dose and you have shit to do, you're only going to be a few hours behind).. Also, with 'lsd' you can never be 100% certain of what you're ingesting. Synthesised psychedelics cover an extremely broad spectrum and as such, even with a trusty supplier, there is a large risk. Just look at what happened to Syd Barrett. To microdose LSD on a weekly basis for a prolonged period carries more risk each time you ingest a new formula. From personal experience, It's just not worth climbing that mountain.

DMT however, in my opinion, is a birth right. You will never be prepared for the 15 minutes after 3 slow tokes, I cannot begin to explain it. And afterwards you will know undoubtedly that you're a part of a much larger game here. Have you seen Doctor Strange? that just about sums it up

Just look at what happened to Syd Barrett.

Actually Sid Barret suffered serious mental health problems his whole life and apparently was much less into drug experimentation than the other band members.

I live about 10 minutes from his house, i know local shop owners who were very close to him in his final days. He did do a lot of lsd. But you're 100% about his life long mental health problems. But he was incredibly naive with his dosages, which lead to his fall.

I'm a Sr. Editor at Dose media and am working on a piece about DIY micro-dosing in retirement communities. Have you met any seniors with microdosing experiences? Would love to interview you. Can we connect?

That sounds fantastic! I volunteer at retirement homes performing magic tricks, but i haven't met any community with active micro-dosing experience to my knowledge. I know how distressing it can be though, it's why i go there. They love magic. But if I can help at all I'd love to connect

Anytime I hear of someone like you doing their thing, I want to know logistically how it works. Can you tell me. How are you paying for your travels? Do you have savings or parental support or a trust fund to fall back on? What about health insurance? How is this possible? I'm chained to a desk...

I honestly don't know man, if it's not the micro dosing, then it's just my brain. It thinks ahead of what i'm doing and I don't realise until i'm there? If that makes any sense? So 3 years ago now, I started selling Iron man suits for up to £800 a piece, and performing magic can earn £150 an hour and more. As long as you build it, there will always be someone to buy it. So I save from those activities, for sure. But I had no 'savings' or financial parental support, I have a loving mother from a working class background and i'm doing my best to give back to her all the love that she has provided for me

What's your favourite color?

GOLD
alwaysbelieveinursoul

Are you making a documentary about this?

No haha, I'm way too awkward on camera. If an opportunity arose I would consider it, but I wouldn't go looking for anything. I just want to do what I feel is right

Did you eat the mushrooms as you went? I've had cultivated Psilocybin shrooms, but never wild ones.

Yeah, it's really risky business but I know what to look for to identify them from the killers and which precautions to take. Had a few poorly stomachs in my time tough :P

What bike do you ride?

Dawes galaxy !

Coming through New Orleans?

One day :D My plan for 2018 is to take the pan america highway south to north. But who knows how that'll change!

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA! Basically i've got a 6 year old dachshund and i want to connect to him on a more spiritual level. i've read some articles on how injecting psychoactive mushroom paste into a dogs rectum can give the dog a healthy psychoactive experience.

With your experience as both a zoologist and psychoactive mushroom expert, could you tell me how to figure out measurements/penetrating my dog?

This is the most surreal question anyone has ever asked me. You shouldn't give your dogs mushrooms, man. However, I know plenty of stories of dog walkers who let their dog off the lead in environments known for their psychedelics mushrooms communities, and the dogs actively searched for the magic mushrooms to ingest because they relax under the influence. So it's true, canines do enjoy a healthy psychoactive experience. But as with anyone, it has to be their choice, they have to eat it on their own accord, in the wild, without your influence. If such a scenario occurred with your dachshund then I would wish you all the best on increasing your bond, i have no doubt it would be prolific. But you can't just go shoving mushroom paste up your dog's arse crack bro. Just ethically, it's not right.

How far into your ride do you predict you will have your head chopped off by muslims ?

I don't know if you're trolling? Get your head out the media and discover what real people look like. Every Muslim I've met has been nothing but engaging and hospitable.