“Day Trip”
prismacolor, ink, & posca on paper
9×12″ (23×30.5cm)
2024
$200
This piece began on August 12, 2023 under a willow tree in Loose Park in Kansas City. This was three days before the move to Spain. The entire day was spent with friends as we said goodbye to one another. The entire day was also accompanied by psychedelic mushrooms. As the experience settled in, I started to doodle and the beginnings of this piece came to be. It was a truly magical day.
I should probably say this for legal purposes: I do not condone the use of mushrooms or any substance without professional medical advice. Though, recent studies* have shown that consumption of psilocybin is immensely impactful in the treatment of PTSD and addiction, and assists in neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is essentially the brain’s ability to form new connections between neurons, a function essential for learning, memory, and recovery from injury.
My masters thesis revolves around many themes including how the Mayans, my ancestors, utilized mushrooms and many other substances as part of their spiritual practice. Friar Diego de Landa, a bishop in Maní in northern Yucatan, wrote in his 1566 book “Relación de las cosas de Yucatán” that “the Indians consumed alcohol and drugs in immense quantities.” There are many representations of mushroom consumption among the Maya in the four surviving codices, and the famous mushroom stones also point to the consumption.
Psilocybin is a tryptamine, a class of compounds that also includes serotonin, melatonin, and bufotenin. Tryptamines are well known for producing intense visuals. During these visuals, one is transported to what is most simply described as another realm. In this other realm, one often observes other beings/creatures/entities. Terence Mckenna refers to them as “machine elves,” I like to call them “the guardians.” The being in “Day Trip” is a representation of one of these entities. Alex Grey represents them very well in his extremely elaborate paintings.
The background design comes from the indigenous Shipibo-Conibo who live along the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. In recent years they’ve become widely known for their history and relationship with the psychedelic plant ayahuasca. I have been blessed with the opportunity to consume this substance and have been profoundly transformed by these experiences. As previously stated, I don’t condone the use of substances without professional medical advice. Also, aya provides one with an ~intense~ reality check that can be insanely overwhelming for some. The active ingredient in ayahuasca is DMT, also a tryptamine. The visual experience also includes viewing fascinating geometric patterns, as demonstrated in tapestries created by the Shipibo.
Robert Castillo 