9 Strange Rituals & Myths from the Psychedelic Underground
Snakes, Spirits, & a Shot of Mezcal
Welcome to the Psychedelic Blog. I write about the Impact of Psychedelics on Grieving, Relationships, Culture & Death. This week: Campfire tales from the Psychedelic Underground.
“The forest is full of eyes, but only a few are meant for you.” — Ayahuasca lore
Intro: Tales from the Edges of the Map
You won’t find these stories in a clinical trial or a Psychedelic therapy manual. Tim Ferriss isn’t podcasting about them, and Johns Hopkins isn’t testing them in a lab. But if you spend enough time in ceremonies, in the underground, speaking to healers, or wandering the fringes of sacred space…you start hearing whispers.
Rituals. Warnings. Superstitions.
Stories that sound like folklore.
Some are rooted in deep indigenous wisdom. Others feel more like spiritual urban legends passed around like campfire tales. But all of them reveal something about the strange, symbolic, and often superstitious nature of Psychedelic culture.
Here are 9 of the wildest myths & rituals from the Psychedelic underground.
1. The Three Faces of Ayahuasca
According to Shipibo lore, there isn’t just one kind of Ayahuasca.
There are three:
One shows you snakes
One shows you jaguars
One shows you death
Each vision is diagnostic:
Snakes = physical illness
Jaguars = spiritual warfare
Death = ego death or a full-life reset
No one tells you which one you’re drinking. You find out in visions whether you’re ready or not.
But it’s not just the visions that vary. The brews themselves do too. In the underground, some are known by reputation alone.
These aren’t the heart-opening blends your friend tried in Sayulita. These are the “why is my face melting and time no longer linear?” kind.
One brew is known for unleashing ancestral grief. Another is all serpents, all night. A third is reportedly so intense, most facilitators won’t serve it to first-timers.
They don’t just show you the light. They show you everything standing in the way.
2. The Mezcal Distraction Shot
In some Huichol & Mestizo Peyote circles, a small shot of mezcal is poured during the ceremony…not to drink, but to distract the spirits.
The idea? Mischievous or overly intense entities get “baited” by the offering, giving participants a little room to breathe.
Yes, really.
It runs counter to modern Psychedelic orthodoxy, where alcohol is seen as the ultimate vibe killer. But here, mezcal isn’t a toxin—it’s a spiritual decoy.
Happy to report my communion with Peyote didn’t end my 7-year streak of being alcohol-free.
3. The Jealous Spirit of Yagé
Yagé is the Colombian version of Ayahuasca. It is said to be...jealous.
Yes, you read that right—jealous.
If you’ve recently drunk another brew, worked with a different lineage, or even flirted with other plant medicines, Yagé might withhold its teachings.
Some curanderos won’t even serve you if you’ve sat in another tradition too recently. Not because they’re gatekeeping—but because the spirit won’t show up for someone who isn’t loyal.
In other words: spiritual monogamy is a thing.
4. The Blue Hummingbird Omen
In Huichol mythology, the Hikuri (Peyote) spirit often appears as a blue hummingbird.
If one shows up—before, during, or after ceremony—it’s considered a sign of protection. A spiritual green light. You’re being guided.
But there’s a catch.
Kill a hummingbird (intentionally or not), and it’s said to curse your journey. Some say the medicine won’t work. Others say it invites confusion, illness, or misfortune.
Either way: don’t fuck with the hummingbird.
5. Tobacco: The Real Master Plant
In the Amazon, Ayahuasca might be the queen…but tobacco is the king.
Many curanderos consider tobacco—not Ayahuasca—the true master plant. They use it to cleanse energy, call in spirits, and protect the space.
It’s blown over the body. Smoked in prayer. Used to guide the ceremony itself.
To most Westerners, this is baffling. “Tobacco is poison!” they say, while sipping microplastics from a BPA-lined water bottle.
But to indigenous cultures, pure tobacco isn’t a carcinogen. It’s a sacred ally.
Some traditions even say:
“If you can’t handle tobacco, you’re not ready for Ayahuasca.”
6. The Whistle of the Icaros
Some shamans say certain icaros (sacred songs) are so powerful they can call in spirits from across dimensions. But there's one whistled icaro, in particular, that is said to open a portal.
The story goes: if you hear it during ceremony and feel a sudden breeze it means a spirit has entered the room.
Not all spirits are friendly. Which is why some say the only way to close the portal…is to hum back.
During my most recent Bufo ceremony, I entered a mysterious realm. No sound. Despite being immersed in a violent, beautiful explosion—vibrating, dancing atoms with no acoustics—I didn’t hum. I couldn’t. I just surrendered. Still not sure who, or what, was there.
7. The Mushroom as Mirror
In the Mazatec tradition, Psilocybin mushrooms aren’t just medicine. They’re called “niños santos”—holy children.
But they’re also tricksters.
The mushrooms won’t give you what you want. They give you what you are.
They mock your ego, test your intentions, and mirror your inner world…sometimes with brutal honesty. One myth says if you enter ceremony with a hidden agenda, the mushrooms will expose it—publicly.
That’s why elders recommend silence, humility, and clean thoughts before the journey.
In the Western underground, this theme shows up in a different form: the “no mirrors while tripping” rule.
The logic? Mirrors don’t lie. Look too long, and you might see the parts of yourself you’ve been avoiding—your fear, your sadness, your masks.
Some say it fractures your ego. Others say it frees you from it. Either way, best to know what you’re signing up for.
8. The Dieta Dream Test
In strict Amazonian dieta protocols, it’s said that the plants will visit you in dreams before they heal you in waking life.
Some say that if you don't dream of the plant within the first week, it means you're not ready—or worse, that the plant does not trust you.
Others claim the first dream sets the tone for the entire dieta.
A vision of water? Cleansing.
A vision of a snake? Transformation.
No dream at all? You might be wasting your time.
I’ve explored the connection between Psychedelics & dreams. On the nights of my journeys with Samadhi, I’ve experienced everything from showing up in friends’ dreams to receiving phone calls from deceased loved ones.
For over two years, I had a recurring dream about the house I grew up in…one that began not long after my first mystical experience.
It’s easy to dismiss this stuff as woo-woo (a past version of me definitely would’ve). But firsthand experience tells me: there’s a there there.
9. The Spirit of the Vomit
In the West, purging is usually seen as a physical side effect. But many indigenous traditions see it differently.
The myth: the purge has intelligence.
It’s not just bile. It’s spiritual baggage. Unspoken grief. Unprocessed trauma. Entities that don’t belong.
Some traditions even believe that what you purge isn’t yours…but someone else's pain you're helping to release.
Either way: you thank it.
These stories may sound wild.
Some are. Some aren’t.
But whether whispered in the jungle or passed around an Airbnb altar, they live on.
Closing Thoughts
These aren’t lab-verified truths or spiritual rules. They’re myths. Lore. Campfire tales from the edge of consciousness.
Whispers from the jungle. Echoes from deep space. Murmurs from beyond the veil.
You don’t have to believe them. But if you’ve ever sat with snakes, danced with shadows, or been cracked open by the cosmic joke…you already do.
In the Psychedelic underground, we don’t just tell stories. We live them.
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"don’t fuck with the hummingbird"... Got it.
These are great! I can vouch for the fact that a little tobacco during my ayahuasca ceremony felt like it had a cleansing / resetting effect. Strong recommend!