Paris on acid

Me and Lucy in the Skies…

*Lucy in the skies Demo-Recorded November 20th, 2022

The first time I ever tried acid was in 2011 at a crowded apartment costume birthday party on Harmony St. in New Orleans. As we walked into the house party, my good friend Tom whose birthday it was, stood at the door greeting us with a big happy grin, wearing a butler-esque red doorman jacket. He giggled looking at us, holding out a bowl of sweet tarts, each tart containing a single dose of acid. I looked at Samuel, looked back at the bowl of acid laced sweet tarts and then tossed one back into my mouth and strapped in for what would be a strange goofy night of big laughs, patterned liquid visuals and what felt like a never ending first time acid trip. Ten hours later (if you take acid after 8pm you won’t be able to sleep) at 8am I laid wide awake in my bed, I thought maybe now all these hours later the patterned visuals from earlier might had faded and my trip had finally come to end. To distract myself I walked to the bathroom to pee, and grinned, noticing that bathroom mat I was standing on was still definitely breathing and pulsing. And that’s how my first experience wrapped.

*I drew this trippy artwork above

Since that first trip I’ve experienced a spectrum of delightful Lucy in the skies experiences alongside my brother, my family members and some of my best friends. I’ve always had a lot of curiosity and respect for psychedelics and the experiences that come with it, even the wobbly bad trip are always valuable case studies in the psyche for me. Being intentional and prepared for the experience has always been my personal approach to LSD. If someone were to choose to partake in a trip, here are some things to be aware of.

*By no means is this a how-to-guide to trip, I’d say something more leaning towards gentle recommendations to set yourself up for a warm fun experience based off of my experiences.

1. Be curious, get excited. It’s not often we get to light our senses on fire, experience deep feelings of connectedness, self reflection as well as the random contagious bouts of childlike laughter. I’ve always loved that sense of adventure and wonder that comes with psychedelics.

2. I recommend to experience the trip with closest best friends, and be mindful of your/their own mental and emotional head space before tripping. Stay away from digital distractions, machinery, large groups of children and public restrooms lol.

3. Start your day early, enjoy nature/sun, green spaces, animals, music and most importantly have a plan for the whole day. I like to imagine I’m Frodo packing a sweet travel bag for a day. After all, acid is a quest. Don’t forget to bring your essentials (Water, fruit, crackers, frisbee, colored pencils, journal and headphones or a speaker.  

4. Remember you can always do small doses! A full tab I don’t recommend for a first timer. I like acid because it’s so dynamic in the doses, even the smallest dose can brighten your day. As a general rule of thumb, it’s good to start small and work your way up to larger doses so you can build a tolerance and understanding for the actual feeling of that special chemical change to your mind and body. Anything under a half tab doesn’t result in strong visuals in my experience. To get the full “Lucy in the Skies” visual hallucination experience, I recommend a 3/4 to a full tab.

*Olympic inspired psychedelic rings I created

A couple weeks ago I happened to embark on a rather strong dose of acid and ended up having a fantastically intense day trip in Paris with my brother, and a couple close friends for Matt’s 44th Birthday celebration.

Photo by Augusta Sagnelli

We started out with a group hike (5 of us) to Parc du Vincennes with the intention of finding a cozy green nook where we would set up our base camp. Packed with our fruit, goodies, frisbee, sunscreen and water, we found a perfectly green accommodating space overlooking a massive field of grass and a classic French scene of people laying just out, tanning, playing volleyball, and walking their dogs and enjoying the park and the outdoors. We swallowed our tabs at 1:30pm and two hours later we were floating in a liquid forest of colors and greens and belly laughs. Nothing beats being able to share the experience with people I love, especially my brother. It only adds to the love and care and wonder that unfolds throughout the day. 

Here are some thoughts and special highlights that stood out for me that day.

Throwing frisbee: Simple yet mind blowing. Frisbee on acid is the closest I’ve come to what it must feel like being a dog playing fetch or chasing after a stick. The visuals and aerodynamics of a frisbee are so visually entertaining, especially contrasted with the over flowing technicolor of the deep greens trees, the brilliant bold blue sky, capped off with dancing pink clouds. Not to mention when you catch it. You get it. Frisbee on acid is fun. 

Drawing: I brought all my favorite colored pens and experimented with some abstract shapes and line drawing (that turned out to be very molecular and internal, almost genome looking). I loved seeing where my mind went without restrictions and rules and just letting the lucy in the skies influence the movement, lines and the colors the flow. Sketches from those moments below: 

Walking alone: Taking some time to be alone away from the group in nature and admire natural beauty and feel gratitude for the simple things in life. Lots of emotion came up for me in this moment. Sometimes I feel so grateful to have lived such a lovely life. I teared up thinking about the people I love and that love me. Took some deep breathes. Thanked my body for keeping me healthy all these years and then walked back to the group with renewed energy and love. 

Château du Vincennes: As walked back home, we passed by the castle this place in awe as we passed this stunningly massive, quiet, empty château. We had it all to ourselves and laughed at how beautiful this 19th century castle was, just sitting there with us. French architecture is beyond me in its detail and beauty. The awe inspiring beauty of Paris is such a cherry on top of any psychedelic experience. Especially after emerging from the deep greens of the forest and then getting a taste for the crafted timeless brilliance of French architecture.

Laughing: I love the moment after you’ve ingested the LSD, and you’re sitting around with your friends just looking around giggling, wondering who’s going to “feel it”. A eruption of laughter is always a good sign your journey is about to blast off. At the end of the night, Matt made a joke about a Jackie Chan movies that for some reason had me and Augusta belly laughing like we hadn’t in months. Even hours later I was laughing alone in the street. Acid reminds you to not take things too seriously in life.

Arriving home: The best part of the acid trip sometimes can be the end. Most trips usually last between 8-12 hours. It’s a trip after all, and most of the time, the last couple hours it gets tiring and all you want is comfort. After the excitement from the day has worn off, there’s not better feeling than coming home showering, making a cup or tea and getting into bed and watching Seinfeld.

I like being candid about my experiences with LSD. Thanks for reading my friends.