Amsterdam: My Magic Truffle Experience and 5 Tips

Thursday afternoon, March 2019. I had checked in at Crowne Plaza Amsterdam Schiphol for a biz meeting the next day with a Scottish guy. This was my twentieth-ish time at the Dutch capital, yet I was still excited to go for a walk. I had planned to visit the Anne Frank Museum or the Vang Gogh. After 3 seconds of debate and deliberation, I decided to get some magic truffles at my favorite Smart Shop Kokopelli and head back to the hotel for a rest and a brain reset.

What are Magic Truffles?

They are similar to magic mushrooms and they are legal. They are not truffles, it's just a fancy name for it. Magic truffles are sclerotia and they contain both psilocin and psilocybin. In short, they have the same effect as the mushrooms that our ancestors and shamans used in age-old spiritual ceremonies. During my teenage years I had mushrooms which my friend had taken from the wild. But I prefer truffles, picking the right wild mushroom is tricky and having a high diarrhea can be a pretty shitty thing.

Tip 1: how much to take?

I purchased the one sold by Magic Truffles. They come in square plastic boxes of 10, 15 grams and family bags of 50 and 100 grams. For first timers they recommend 10 grams. That's a good advice. Although I have had 20 plus grams before, I settled for a box of 15 grams of Atlantis. Being a responsible adult with a biz meeting hours ahead, I was aiming only for a soft ride.

Tip 2: what else to prepare?

Get lots of water, as if you were going for a Sahara bike tour. Make sure you are healthy and feeling well. My liquid supplies were of 2 litters of water and 3 bottles of Vitamin Water which turned out not enough. Find a comfortable setting. I have electronic music looping in the background. My favorite music for shrooming: Intro XX and Clubbed to Death. Oh, and remember to turn off your phone and social media stuff. There is an impulse to share one's stupidity with the world when one is high on mushrooms.

Tip 3: when and how to take it?

Take the truffles on an empty stomach. At least 2 to 3 hours after your last meal. Being an idiot, I had a monster sized chocolate Pancake an hour before. Comfortable clothing is important. I wore underwear only and I dimmed the lights. Your eyes will become very sensitive. Then I put on some psychedelic video clips on my laptop to stare at.

Tip 4: have a purpose in mind. Or maybe not?

If you have seen the documentaries on Netflix and YouTube, you know this shit has got some awesome powers. It wires and re-wires your brain in different and intense ways.

It's being studied as a treatment to quit smoking and to cure anxieties and phobias. Overall it is thought to have a positive impact on people on higher doses when the people consuming it have a purpose in mind to either change a behavior or specific thoughts. I had no purpose in mind and I wasn't thinking of anything. I really just had some spare time. So I sat in front of my laptop and decided to watch some porn. After 3 hours of on and off pornhub and intermittent non-climax jerk off sessions and facing with the prospect of friction-induced skin injury, I gave up without firing a shot. This was a frustrating experience. I turned philosophical and thought of how orgasmless sex felt for women and understood their frustration. I understood the feelings of the cranky lady at the train station earlier, who was swearing at a faulty ticket machine. It was obvious. She wasn't a bad person. She just had bad sex the day before. The truffles had instilled extra empathy in me and made me a better person, just as advertised. Then, I thought about my life, how it had turned out different: like buying a box of chocolates then go home and open it just to find out its full of tomatoes. And that is fine, I also like tomatoes.

Tip 5: managing your magic expectations.

The mushroom high usually peaks at 1 to 2 hours after taking it and lasts around 4 to 6 hours in total. By now it was 5:30 am and six hours had passed since I first ate Atlantis. I was still feeling the sequels of it and couldn't sleep. The effects should have waned off but it was still dripping slowly into my system. The huge pancake I had earlier was probably slowing down digestion and the entire process.

So, I decided to skip sleep and head for breakfast at 7:00 am and go straight for the meeting. The meeting went well. It was high spirited and colorful, although the Scottish man left his company a few weeks later and I had to schedule another meeting and go all over again with his replacement: Scottish man numero dos.

The mushrooms affect people differently. I think it is a bit like getting drunk but stranger. I had friends who vomited a lot, others crawled around like caterpillars, some became paranoid and wanted to go to the hospital. If one day you decide to give it a go, do have the right expectations. It is a subjective psychedelic experience. It will not always take you to unknown worlds or blow your mind right away. It might just be a mild ride. I go from laughter to crying to philosophical bullshit then I am in some metaphysical elsewhere and I fall asleep. The next day, I will wake up feeling more positive. As if I have dropped off some baggage and social prejudices. I would feel less worried and be more careless about life. Whether that is good or bad, I haven’t really thought of it.