Prepration of A. muscaria This method is not something simply read from a book and passed along. It is a tried and true method (by myself an many others). This wonderful carpophore has a oddly dangerous "taboo" surrounding it which is undeserved. Granted, it does contain some toxins. These have been HIGHLY overemphasized, *PLUS* there has been a great deal of misinformation about this mushroom (and its species cousins.). This is due to a number of reasons which I will try to make clear here. First; the procedure. Make sure the cap to stem ratio is kept about 3:1, the same as it is found per mushroom in the natural state. Dry on screen in the oven on the lowest setting with door cracked open. This only takes an hour or so at most. Render into a powder in a small electric coffee or spice grinder/mill; the finer the better. I try to attain a powder size like baking powder and certainly finer than coffee. This WILL NOT affect the activity of the end product, it only makes ingestion more difficult. Use around 1 cup water per dose and start with a bit more than this to allow for evaporation during processing. The lower end dose/person is 8 grams dried and the upper end is 15 to 20 grams dried. What follows is the most important part of the entire ritual of preparation. Bring the water up to within a few degrees of 190 degress (F). Use a high quality candy thermometer or better yet, a lab thermometer. This temperature shouldn't vary more than 22 degrees on the upper end. A little simmering won't kill it, but it is an indication that one has reached at least 212. You'll find stirring lowers the temperature very quickly, but it's best to keep a close eye on things throughout. Once 190 has been reached, stir in the powered material and leave to steep at least 30 minutes. I usually leave it there for at least 1/2 hour to 3/4 hour, stirring frequently. Allow to cool until warm enough to drink. That's all there is to it! The active principle in A. muscaria was, until quite recently, thought to be muscarine. Dr. Albert Hofmann and Dr. Richard Schultes have discovered, in tandem with Dr. Eugster in Switzerland and Dr. Takemoto in Japan, MAINLY ibotenic acid and muscimole as the active principles. The ibotenic acid fraction is converted, via the refluxing in water, into muscimole. Inconsequential amounts of other alkaloids ARE present, but largely inactive mentally. Muscarine IS the TOXIN of this mushroom, which is converted to muscimole during the reflux as well. It remains intact in the raw mushroom, however! Part of the reasons behind the medical misinformation surrounding A. muscaria is due to the fact that many people who have presented to physicians with stated "mushroom poisoning" were generally thought to have ingested A. phallodies. They then usually promptly administer atropine, which would be fine if one HAD INDEED ingested this toxic mushroom. But it only exacerbates toxic effects of the raw A. muscaria several hundred fold, sometimes resulting in the death of the patient (and this only infrequently..) Known deaths recorded from it are rare. These have usually been children who ate HUGE amounts of the RAW mushroom. One child died only after eating almost two dozen large raw specimens. Abstain from ALL OTHER drugs for 24 hours previous to ingestion, with the exception of sativa/indica or tobacco. Likewise during the entire experience and 8 or so after. From 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours after ingestion (preferably on an empty stomach) you will begin to get drowsy. You may notice (on higher doses), slightly blurred vision, watery eyes and/or a bit of a runny nose. One will begin to feel increasingly relaxed. At this point it is important to lie down in a area where you will not be disturbed and sleep. This stage is critical. I find a alchemical analogy of the body, in this case being the alembic, in which the crude product is transformed into the purest soma. Dreaming can be EXTREMELY intense, and sometimes the transition from dreaming to what seems a clear and lucid dream upon awakening presents itself. Awakening and arising is like a caterpillar methmorphosizing into a butterfly. This is not like anything else. It is most˙certainly NOT like psilocybin! The more you become familar with the glorious qualities, the better the symbiosis between the two of you will be. Superior pain relief, floating euphoria, effortless movement and general feelIngs of peace and well beIng. Another thing I noticed is the almost complete and effortless quieting of the "internal chatter" inside my mind. My friend, Triple Six, and I both agreed that it lends itself perfectly to long periods of meditation. These are all at the 8 to 10 gram level. Above that (which one should have a non-ingesting guide; but I suppose if I need to be telling anybody that, they shouldn't even be contemplating this anyway) one may experience out-of-body experiences, seeing and communicating with praternatural entities, unity with the object of ones attention, ESP, feelings of flying and many differing types of ecstacy. Today, this mushroom is totally legal. Don't frivolously abuse it, and it will probably remain that way. It is unique in that it doesn't lend itself to abuse by ignorant, impulsive, impatient and/or irresponsible people. It seems to have a built in safeguard in that it requires the user to follow a few more rules and attend to more detail in order to achieve success. If not used correctly, it screens out others by making them so sick, they are in no hurry to repeat the experience. Used incorrectly, it is uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst. Used correctly, it is pleasurable at its worst and limitlessly creative, intensely ecstatic, universally benefical and incredibly healing at its best!