Burning Man - A Carbon Footprint Dilemma?

During this year's Burning Man I went to an event held by the Playasophy camp, which holds philosophical discussions.

As serious as an event like this sounds for Burning Man, the event was completely packed, and the two facilitators had a great sense of humour. They took on a fun challenge of taking shots of rum whenever a certain keyword was spoken out loud. The talk had barely gotten past the introduction when the two facilitators were already super drunk!

Myself, Kieran and Andy at Burning Man!

In spite of the good humour, as a deep thinker myself, I was looking forward to what the discussion would bring. It was centred around the fact Burning Man is an event with a large carbon footprint. A lot of consumption occurs pre-event and during, resulting in a lot of waste, plus a lot of fossil fuels burned for travel, depending on how far you're coming from and your mode of transportation. Plus, there is a lot of fire - things set on fire, art cars spitting fire, fire spinning - which doesn't help.

So does its carbon footprint make Burning Man an environmental burden?

Burning Man (BM) has some unique ways of dealing with its environmental impact. For physical waste, there is a trash fence, a continuous fence that surrounds and closes in the entire festival grounds, lined with a mesh that catches any garbage that falls to the ground and is swept away by the unrelenting desert winds. There's a term here for garbage that's on the ground - it's called moop. Hardcore BMers pick up moop before it gets blown away. As vast as BM is, I only ventured to the edge of the grounds one time to check out the fence, and didn't see much moop.

Photo Credit: journal.burningman.org

Overall, there's not a lot of garbage potential here anyway, which is part of BM's intention. It is embedded in their 10 Principles. I won't go through all of them, but the relevant ones here are:

Gifting
Decommodification
Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace is the most obvious and straightforward principle for minimizing consumption and waste. Similar to backcountry camping, the mantra is "pack in, pack out." There are no garbage cans here.

Gifting and Decommodification, however, represent a radical shift away from our conventional economy and consumption habits. There is no need for money at BM, with the exception of buying ice to keep food cold. Nothing is branded. Upon entry into BM everything is free. There are places that serve food, bars that serve alcohol and play music, fun activities to sign up for, and of course a lot of art, and all of it is free. BM focuses on creating experiences generally without the need for consumption.

During my time at BM I went to a tie-dye workshop, a flow art workshops (poi and staff), several expert talks, a silent speed dating event, and a communal shower called the Foam Dome, to name a few things. In terms of materials consumed, a camp across from me served free coffee and wine, a bike repair shop provided some free parts, and I received some free food and alcohol as well.

For a 7-day event in the harsh desert, I had a ton of amazing experiences and human connections, while barely consuming anything.

With that said, a lot of material consumption is required to enjoy BM, it just happens in the preparation. There is a lot to pack - food for 7 days (you should not count only on free food), camping amenities for the harsh desert, and festival clothing, decorations and artistic creations. Finally, there is the transportation to and from Black Rock City, where BM takes place.

It is not uncommon for BM goers to fly in from another country, rent an RV, buy bikes, camping chairs and whatever else they need, then afterwards discard it all illegally before going home. Fortunately for me, I shared a road trip to BM with my friend in his vehicle, bringing most of what we needed from home - overall I think we had a reasonable carbon footprint.

Despite the carbon footprint that an individual creates to go to and experience BM, I truly believe that overall BM has an overall positive impact on the world that is intangible and cannot be statistically measured in an isolated way. And if you really wanted to isolate and analyze carbon footprint, it's probably not as bad as it appears on the surface.

Burning Man for me was all about transformation. While I know that a lot of people go to BM to party and escape their daily life, I believe the majority of people leave BM transformed. Personally, I left with a greater awareness of myself and my impact on the world, and developed a stronger sense of a global community. I feel more compelled to create art and share and inspire others to do the same. Instead of engaging in consumptive behaviours which are inherently more destructive for the environment.

In spite of all BM has to offer, in the end it's all about human connection

I left with my cup filled with love, ready to go back to my community and pass it on to others. For many, this means coming together for art, healing, and growing food - all local and sustainable initiatives the world needs more of.

In fact, I personally don't feel the need to go back to BM next year, or even the one after that. As a first timer, I experienced the event more as a consumer, but I felt I got what I needed out of it, and am filled with the inspiration and energy to go home and transform myself, and only feel ready to go back to BM as a contributor, once I reach a point in my life where I can make a meaningful contribution. There's not a whole lot of music festivals I can say that about.

Besides, if I didn't go to BM, what would I have done instead? There's a good chance I would have spent money on meaningless things, purchased food shipped from a far flung tropical country, or just sat in my room watching movies to fill a bottomless void inside me.

Instead I was at BM creating memories and long lasting happiness that far endures anything a new smartphone, or an entertaining movie can provide. With this purpose in mind Burning Man can be seen as a starting point for a revolution, starting with individual transformation, leading to social and environmental change on a large scale that far outstrips its carbon footprint.

The Big Bang - A Burning Man Story

There's nothing in the world like Burning Man (understatement of the day).

A week-long popup city in the middle of a hostile unforgiving desert, packed with art, music and bright lights in the blacked out night? All acting out the core principles of radical expression and radical gifting? Anything that is possible in life can and will happen here. Good or bad.

Among the 70,000 temporary citizens of Black Rock Desert, every individual has their own unique experience and story. I have a few stories that epitomize what Burning Man is all about. Of course the following story happened during the marquee event for which the festival is named - the burning of The (Hu)Man! This happens on day 6 of 7. Day 7 is the antithetical burning of The Temple, which happens in complete silence.

Myself, Kieran and Andy

Arriving early for the burning of The Man

Kieran, Andy and I rode our bikes out to The Man statue. We got there early so we practically got first row seats to the event, which placed us still over 100 m from The Man. Slowly, the crowd started filing in behind us, closing us in, in an ever thickening donut of excited people. Then the art cars started filing in, forming a perimeter that almost completely closed in the circle.

Kieran, Andy and I were on some undisclosed magic substance, which was just amplifying the mounting intensity around us. As the sun set the lights of the art cars came alive, forming a living kaleidoscope of coloured lights and spitting fire that put Vegas to shame. The art cars were also blaring so much loud music that all we could hear was an endless chorus of bass.

It was all a bit overwhelming, but also extremely beautiful and powerful to witness the presence and energy of so many dressed up people intentionally converged in this one spot on earth just to celebrate a statue being set on fire.

After what seemed like forever, and was starting to feel like torture, the show started. It began with multiple fire conclaves lined up side-by-side around The Man and inside the perimeter formed by the crowd, all performing their fire show at one time, which lasted about half an hour.

Once that finished, a fireworks show started that rivalled the length and grandeur of that of any country's national holiday. Near the end of the fireworks, suddenly - boom! An explosion rocked The Man's core and set it ablaze. The crowd goes wild! Thousands of people cheering, the art cars spitting more fire than ever, the kaleidoscope of lights reached a new level of absurdity.

The density of energy and excitement in this space condenses to an atomic level - there's no time and place like here and now.

Fire Conclave with The Man in the background - photo credit shown in bottom of image

The burning of The Man - photo credit Rachel Anctil-Poirier

The crowd peaks for a good 5 to 10 minutes. Then, at a low rumble, it continues to wait another 10 minutes or so admiring the blaze, as The Man slowly falls apart. Once the statue crumbles to the ground, the energy completely changes. Everyone begins leaving all at once. Suddenly a million stars that converged into one hot core explodes outward in all directions. I can't help but be reminded of the big bang - this is kind of what it must have felt like.

Kieran, Andy and I link arms as we play galactic Frogger, crossing dark space with fully lit bicycles and art cars shooting past us. The chaos of it all feels strangely like crossing a street in a big city in India. We finally find our bikes and ride off, not knowing what we're riding off to but just needing to get out of there fast.

A medium sized art car looking pretty tame during the day - photo credit Kieran Alfonso-Moore

Navigating the desert during the day is easy, with endless art to explore, such as that massive inflated elephant thingy

There are droves of dressed up beautiful people zipping between elaborately decorated stages blaring music from all directions near and far - it's as if the universe is having a music festival at some far-out coordinates in deep space and all the funky aliens are invited. Either that or we're in a Hunger Games movie set.

We try looking for some dance parties... but something seems off to us. Nothing is really vibing with us. Still overwhelmed and now confused, we ride off into the deep playa to find a quiet spot to observe the wild scene unfolding in the middle of this otherwise dark empty desert.

The energy present around me during the burning of The Man was the most intense experience of my life. The big bang that followed dispersed it, but clusters of this energy now dotted around the playa were like intense embers. These embers took on a raw, animalistic feel; a masculine, hedonistic and sexually charged heat. That's not what we wanted - we wanted to dance and feel love and connection with fellow humans.

We took refuge in the temple, which was slated to burn the next day. It was filled with trinkets and mementos that people left behind to be burned along with the temple itself. It was a very grounding space.

The temple, filled with mementos left by people, burned in silence on the last day

We encountered a person playing a set of four singing bowls, and a group of 10 or so people seated and gathered around him. We sat down and grounded ourselves further to his gentle tones. He suddenly stopped playing and declared that he only plays these singing bowls once a year. The singing bowls belonged to a dear friend who passed away, and the performance was dedicated to her. I was extremely touched by this and connected with the performer, hugging and expressing my gratitude to him for blessing us with his grounding energy.

We felt ready to merge back in with the energy of the playa. During our wanderings we suddenly encountered a friend for the third time! Meeting Jordann from Belgium is a whole story in itself - the first day we met was epic. The second time was an awesome coincidence. And the third was pure synchronicity - we were meant to become best friends.

Soon after Kieran and Andy retired for the night, and Jordann and I went to the quiet and chill center camp where we engaged in deep conversation the rest of the night.

Kieran and I met Jordann out on the playa, in front of this beautiful art installation

Kieran, Jordann and I laughed every minute together, but we cried and embraced during the last, as we bid farewell

Burning Man to me is a showcase of the beauty that humans can create when they come together with intention. It is about inspiration and human connection, both of which lead to long lasting happiness. It is also a 7 day slog in which not everything goes your way, whether it's sand in your crotch, lost items or hedonism gone too far resulting in hurt feelings. But if you approach it with an open heart your highs will far outweigh your lows.

The burning of The Man encapsulated it all in one night! And I'm happy to say that I took away from it lifelong memories, friendships, and a burning inspiration to create this magic in my own world.

Folly - the name of my favourite art installation, a life sized pirate hideout! Made entirely out of reclaimed wood

Each room in the Folly is uniquely and beautifully decorated

One of the best dance parties ever, seen from the top of the art car

One of the many art installations on the playa

The Social Media Detox - An Overlooked Cleanse

How many of you have taken part in some sort of diet-related cleanse or detox?

It is becoming more important and acknowledged than ever the connection between what we put in our bodies and our health. More and more, people are looking to flush out toxins that have built up in their bodies from consuming processed and pesticide grown foods, through going on cleanses by eliminating certain foods from their diet.

While advances in technology have created abundance and convenience in more ways than just food, it has come at the cost of our health in equally as many ways. Technology has brought us smartphones and social media, but staring at screens all day is creating strain in our posture and our eyes, creating imbalance in our circadian rhythms, and Facebook and Instagram are eroding our capacity for empathy and real human connection, while elevating levels of neuroticism and FOMO.

Virtual reality is largely taking over the place of real reality

Like modern food, the dangers of social media are also becoming more important and acknowledged. I see more and more social situations in which people are encouraged to put their smartphones facedown on the table.

On an individual basis, social media seems like an all-or-nothing deal. There's no middle ground. It's hard to meaningfully engage without simultaneously getting sucked in to the detritus of glamorized selfies, 'Like' seeking posts, sympathy seeking shares and divisive opinions. Among my generation, the millennials, most people use it - and use it too much - the remaining stay completely away from it. And for those that use it, whether for productive or recreational purposes, it can be very addictive.

Because social media is so ubiquitous today, perhaps as ubiquitous as smoking and drinking was in the early 20th century, it feels impossible to give it up. Go cold turkey. But, like going on food cleanses, it is possible to take similar action on social media.

Last December I did a detox and left my contact details in a hidden spot

I just completed another one month digital detox

I recently completed my third digital detox, going an entire month without using social media. Okay... I cheated a bit - I logged on Facebook from time to time - in order to look up events or other relevant information. And I maintained access to the messenger app, which I don't lump in to the rest of Facebook as social media use.

In the end I forgave myself the occasional cheating because overall it had the impact on my life I was seeking. I was more productive, spent more time outdoors and was more present. I became aware of moments I nearly defaulted to logging on to FB, for lack of anything better to do, and reversing course.

Disconnect from technology and connect with nature. Stand-up paddleboarding

Kayaking with friends

Like food, going on repetitive detoxes helps the body to cycle closer and closer to purity with each detox. After my third social media detox I feel closer and closer to flushing out the addiction for good.

With each detox the wisdom and awareness sink in. I'm more aware of how different I am on versus off social media, and more quickly recognizing, the moment I go to log in to FB, that there's no point; that it doesn't serve me in any way. I'm learning the art of meaningfully engaging while floating above the detritus and not getting pulled in by it. Which is why I ended the detox - so I can meaningfully engage through sharing blogs, photos and ideas, and find out what some of my amazing friends are doing in their lives.

Alas, the cycle to social media enlightenment continues and there will be more social media detoxes to come.

5040 Peak Hike, Vancouver Island

The 5040 Peak is a gorgeous hike that epitomizes the backcountry culture of the Port Alberni-Clayoquot region, along Hwy 4 to Tofino. It has 360 degree panoramic views which highlight the raw beauty of the region. However, since most tourists and nature lovers come out this way to Tofino to go surfing, the area is hardly known for its hiking. As such there is not much infrastructure to encourage trekking enthusiasts.

5040 Peak view towards Nahmint Mountain

For this particular hike, the forest service road is difficult to navigate for low clearance vehicles, the trail is lightly trafficked and thus is not always clear, and there is no official campground. However, there is an Alpine Club of Canada hut recently completed and in use, some folks were just putting finishing touches on it when I was up there.

The Alpine Club of Canada Hut runs ~$25/night for non-members

5040 Peak is I believe named after its elevation in feet. I completed this overnight hike on July 20, 2019.

I drove out of Ucluelet along Hwy 4 towards Port Alberni. At about 1 hour and 50 km I reached the forest service road (at approximately GPS coordinates 49.242626, -125.36283) named the Marion Mainline. This road shows up on my maps.me app, as well as on Google Maps, however the road is not labelled on either.

This forest road is fairly level but it has occasional potholes and steep gravelly sections which forced me to drive slow, especially due to the fact I have a small low clearance vehicle. There was one very particularly challenging section that had a steep uphill grade and a lot of loose rocks. My car got stuck here on several occasions and had several skidding starts and stops before I was able to push through this section, but I had even considered giving up and turning back before my persistence paid off. For amateur or city drivers not accustomed to rough forest roads, I would second guess coming here.

NW Ridge Trailhead (approximate GPS coordinates 49.20412, -125.318339)

From the highway, roughly a half hour drive and 8 km down the forest road I crossed a bridge over a creek and parked at a pull-out on the right side of the road, finally arriving at the NW Ridge Trailhead. I believe this is the first pull-out I saw along the entire drive. The trailhead is just 50 m down the road from the pullout, barely visible on the left side, marked by a small wooden sign.

Cobalt Lake Trailhead (approximate GPS coordinates 49.182125, -125.3021)

For 4 by 4 high clearance vehicles, drive on past this pull-out another 3 km or so to the second pull-out for the Cobalt Lake Trailhead. The hike from here is shorter and more heavily trafficked and thus overall easier.

Note that just down the road from this trailhead is the trailhead for Triple Peak.

5040 Peak view south towards Cobalt Lake and Triple Peak, on the other side of the forest road

A time lapse I made from the summit of 5040 Peak

The NW Ridge Trail that I was forced to hike due to vehicle restriction was fairly grueling, especially since I packed for overnight camping and food. My tracking app shows that I hiked 6 km and gained 1,200 m in elevation - this includes the hike to the summit plus the decent to Cobalt Lake. That's an average 20% grade.

The hike through the forest was consistently steep. It was fairly well marked by tape, but it's possible to follow wrong leads and end up off trail. There were some sections that required scrambling and, in particular, one section had a steep dropoff and not many holds, and was a little sketchy. Once I emerged above the treeline the trail started becoming more rocky and difficult to follow. There was the occasional cairn marker, but I found myself constantly second guessing where the trail was.

I have the AllTrails app which includes a map of the trail and my GPS position relative to it, but I tried not to rely on it too much so I could test my ability to stay on trail without relying on technology. I ended up losing the trail on a few occasions, and had to use the app to get back on track.

Above the treeline, there was one notably steep scrambling section to navigate, that tested me a bit. I wish I knew the classifications but based on one conversation with a climbing friend, I would guess that it was Class 4 scrambling. I definitely wouldn't recommend this trail to beginner hikers, or hikers with concerns about scrambling with heavy packs, or those who don't have good trail finding skills and are without an app to stay on trail.

Of note is the fact there were few creeks along this trail, perhaps one at most. I can't tell you what the water was like, because I didn't need to fill up my water until I got to the lake on the other side of the summit, and I used a water filter.

Regarding bears, I carried a bear banger (makes a loud noise like a rifle shot) and frequently made whistling noises. I personally didn't see any bears, but other hikers mentioned they saw them in the area.

Cobalt Lake wasn't too cold - definitely refreshing after a grueling hike!

There is no official campground, but there are a few flat spots by the lake

No hike is enjoyable unless it's well earned, and I definitely earned this one. I probably took around 4 - 4.5 hours to complete the hike and was pretty gassed by the end. I took plenty of time to rest and enjoy the views at the summit, as well as sign the guestbook.

While I had the luxury of solitude along the NW Trail, once I got to the summit, and on the way down to the lake I encountered around 10 people. Most stayed in the hut while one other tent was setup by the lake. With no food boxes, I stashed my food in a drybag and hung it low in a tree - I found a tear in the bag the next morning, but thankfully the bag was not opened and its contents undisturbed. It could have very well been from a bear claw!

The next morning I hiked down the Cobalt Lake Trail to the second pull-out, then quickly down the forest road to the first pull-out where my car was parked. This trail was also about 6 km but I completed it in just over 2 hours.

5040 Peak view towards NW towards Pogo Mountain (Tit Peak) and the highway valley

It's All About the Nervous System

I just recently graduated from a relatively short but amazing holistic bodywork therapy program in Vancouver, to prepare me for a career as a bodywork therapist giving massages (due to technicalities I cannot call myself a 'massage therapist').

My graduating class at the amazing Vancouver School of Healing Arts - June 2019

This was a big shift from my earlier technical institutionalized education meant to prepare me for the 9 to 5. Besides learning massage techniques, my school's program consisted of ancient sciences like ayurveda, as well as a spiritual component involving sharing circles, meditation, breathing exercises, and artistic expression in the form of drawing and dancing.

We did receive scientific education, to balance out the more holistic content, through an anatomy course. However, even the biggest lesson I took away from learning about human anatomy seemed to go against mainstream thinking. That lesson is that you do not need stronger, firmer pressure in order to enjoy and reap therapeutic benefits from a massage.

One would automatically think that the purpose of massage is to address the body at the point of contact. But I realize now through my education that this is very narrow thinking, and that the power of physical touch has a broader more holistic impact on the receiver.

This broader impact has to do with the autonomic nervous system. This system consists of all the nerves in our body which wrap around not just every muscle fibre, but also all the internal organs, affecting different internal processes that help maintain homeostasis, or a condition of equilibrium within the body. So the direct physical contact of outer skin and superficial muscles indirectly affects our nervous system, but also bodily functions which affect our general health and wellbeing.

The autonomic nervous system itself consists of two systems - the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system refers to the bodily state of fight or flight, and the parasympathetic system refers to the state of rest and digest.

A breakdown of the two nervous systems and its impacts. Source: pinterest.com

You may have heard of these terms lately, since stress has become such a recognized issue in modern society. That's because when you are stressed out your body activates the sympathetic nervous system: adrenaline and cortisol is released into your body, your eyes and blood vessels dilate, digestion slows, heart rate and breathing increases, among other things.

On the opposite end of the spectrum activating your parasympathetic nervous system pretty much reverses all these processes: your eyes and blood vessels constrict, heart rate and breathing slows, muscles relax, saliva production and digestion increases. In this state, human connection happens more easily.

The vagus nerve, of which there has been a lot of research done on it recently, is also connected to these systems, and stimulation of this nerve has been linked to improved gut health, reduced inflammation.

Our autonomic system developed in this way as a survival mechanism.

During our hunter-gatherer days, whenever we were hunting or being hunted our sympathetic system would activate so that we would have the energy and ability to outrun our enemy. Once we return to safety, our parasympathetic system would activate to recover from the stressful situation.

However, these internal processes that allow us to outrun our enemy are only meant to be used on an occasional basis because they are very taxing on our body. In today's modern society, we are subject to chronic low level stress and our sympathetic system is activated almost all the time. In the long term this leads to chronic depression and illness. It seems that all the activities recommended today to combat stress do so by activating the parasympathetic system - meditation, yoga, focusing on the breath.

And, of course, massage!

And while, as mentioned at the top, massage is often connected to addressing muscle injuries at the point of contact with strong pressure, an overlooked benefit is that it triggers general relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. And this depends on the right touch. The right touch signals to the receiver's body that it is safe and can relax, allowing it to move into rest and digest.

The right touch is about intuition; intuition cannot be taught in school, but honed through life experience

What is 'the right touch?'

This is very subjective, and that's why massage is so personal and depends entirely on the connection between giver and receiver.

A giver can have great technical skills but not every receiver will enjoy their touch. Someone without technical training may have a more intuitive and nurturing touch better suited for massage. A receiver can be open minded but if they don't have a good initial impression of the giver, how they receive their touch will reflect that. The right techniques can be taught in a school setting, but the right touch cannot be taught. That can only be honed through intuition.

Ultimately, it depends on the receiver. The right touch for them could be soft and warm, nurturing; it could be firmer and more technical. The receiver might think they want focused, deep pressure, but once they receive a soft intuitive touch, their minds could change.

This is why I value the softer side of my school's curriculum, as mentioned earlier, involving the sharing circles, meditation, breathing, drawing and dancing. These exercises are meant to make us better human beings; meant to know and love ourselves, and hone our intuition. Once we achieve this we can know and connect with our receivers more intuitively.

And the touch with which we connect with our receivers doesn't have to be deep and firm. It can be soft and nurturing; intuitive and knowing. It can be combined with breathing exercises or inhalations of essential oils. Whatever helps to signal to our bodies that it is safe. This signal relaxes our nervous system, which in turn activates our parasympathetic nervous system, and allows our bodies to rest and digest! Repair and connect!

Knowing and loving yourself starts with solitude in nature. Now I'm ready to give massage!

My Microdosing Journey

This has certainly been said before by people much wiser than me, but not said enough.

I firmly believe that in order for there to be real change in the world there needs to be a shift at the spiritual level.

Global or individual behaviour change starts at the spiritual level

The predominant cultural norms can tell an individual to reduce their carbon footprint, however, unless that individual, on a deeper level, truly values the people and the environment, they will only do it half-heartedly. And that deeper level where one's truth and values lie is the spiritual level.

My own spiritual awakening catalyzed a real shift in values towards care for the planet and its people. This fundamental internal shift drove positive actions and personal sacrifice.

My shift in consciousness would not have been possible without psychedelics. I wouldn't be even close to the person I am today without them. I believe psychedelics truly have the power to create a revolution of consciousness driving positive actions to reverse the damage that humans have incurred on the environment and each other.

The world is beginning to wake up and see this too, evidenced by the decriminalization of psilocybin in a few US states, as well as MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD on its way to being recognized as a legitimate treatment by the FDA. Here is a very informative TED Talk on the state of psychedelics today.

I wish to join the chorus of voices advocating its responsible use, and so I have taken steps to better understanding my own relationship with psychedelics.

~*~*~*~

Microdosing May

My first official experiment was Microdosing May where I regularly microdosed magic mushrooms and recorded journal entries for each microdose.

For this experiment I made my own custom capsules. Each capsule contains approximately 0.2 grams of psilocybin, 0.4 grams of an all-natural 5-mushroom blend (reishi, chaga, lion's mane, turkey tail, shiitake), maca and Vitamin B3 (which dilates the blood vessels). I took one capsule just about every other day in May.

My own microdosing capsules, a synergistic mix of psilocybin, other edible mushrooms, maca & vitamin B3

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, and lion's mane are known to stimulate a process called neurogenesis, describing the growth of brain cells, which is linked to greater health and longevity. So the intention of these capsules were for synergistic brain and energy boost, along with general health benefits.

The most common recurring themes from my journal entries were a greater awareness of body and emotions.

The most commonly experienced internal physical sensation was of a soft buzz throughout the entire body. Beyond that there were a few occasions where I was highly aware of my heartbeat. Overall the body buzz felt great, like a subtle but noticeable vibration, softening tension in my muscles.

External physical sensations were also heightened such as sun and wind, even the feel of my clothes, on my skin. Music became much more engaging and stimulating. Visually, colours became more vivid, and it was easier to focus on individual objects, especially natural ones like trees.

Magic mushrooms generally increase one's sensitivity to stimuli, so it is easy to become overstimulated. Whenever situations became overstimulating I sought quiet or familiar situations with people I knew. I found myself to be more friendly and positive in passing social interactions with strangers, and more laughing and joking around friends. Even alone, I would notice little things that would make me laugh more than usual.

May was an emotional month for me, and the microdosing arguably helped. I say arguably because, similar to the body sensations, you can't escape sensing your emotions. In my case, I generally microdosed in environments quiet enough to allow me to focus on my emotions and allow them to move through me more quickly and effectively. So it was very helpful for me in terms of dealing with my emotions. However, there were a few microdoses taken during a busy or stimulating situation, and being aware of my emotions only served to distract or stress me out more.

During my microdosing regime I was moved to tears on at least four occasions. But they were good tears in which I felt lighter, less burdened afterwards. The predominant emotions I felt were subtly uplifted and relaxed, and occasionally feelings of interconnectedness and oneness with the people and nature.

Macrodosing in the right setting can trigger healing. And in other settings, just tripping out

There was only one occasion in May which I did a macrodose. That night I went dancing and really got my body moving! It got off to a rough start because I did a fairly large dose, about 1.8 grams of psilocybin, which made me slightly nauseous and out of control of my thoughts. After I recovered, I danced for a bit, then became overstimulated and tired, so I went home early. I hung out with my roommate and we had a great time - I think I alternated between three cycles of laughing fits and crying! The dose was also large enough to trigger visual hallucinations, where patterns on walls started to come alive, and my skin started to crawl.

Overall it was an amazing night, and I felt much lighter inside my body. And while microdosing is becoming popular, some experts believe that macrodosing in controlled settings is the best way to use psychedelics for healing purposes. Rick Doblin explains that at the end of his TED Talk on psychedelic-assisted therapy, just this past April in Vancouver.

Besides dancing, there were a few other occasions in which I felt in a more creative rhythm, such as doing poi while microdosing. I also gave a few massages while microdosing, and the receivers gave feedback that I was very present with them, and had a good rhythm.

Spinning poi on the beach

In summary, the overwhelming majority of my microdosing experiences were positive. Feelings experienced were a gentle body buzz, uplift and interconnectedness.

Psilocybin generally brings greater awareness to one's body and emotions (instead of dulling or numbing them like with alcohol or opioids). They show you the real you. So even though I had negative emotions come up at times, I was in the right context to process and resolve those emotions, creating room for healing. There was really only one experience I recall feeling uncomfortable, when I was around someone who I didn't really connect well with.

Psilocybin has effects generally lasting 3 to 5 hours, but my perceived effects of body lightness often lasted well past that. This shows the power of magic mushrooms to effect lasting positive change beyond just the psychoactive experience alone.

Perhaps the strongest benefit from microdosing is that the greater body and emotional awareness allowed me to become more present with myself. I let go of thoughts that didn't serve me and focused on what I felt in the moment.

I really enjoyed Microdosing May, and thought I would continue microdosing into the next month. However, I completely stopped microdosing until midway through June when I made a fresh batch of pills with a different formula and wanted to try them out. Almost two months later I still have zero compulsion to microdose, and no dependency.

Beyond the science, this was personal proof that psilocybin is not an addictive substance.

A Testimonial from a Friend

I'd like to conclude by encouraging dialog with friends and other readers. If you're interested I would be happy to discuss my experience in more detail and help prepare you for your journey with psychedelics. I've helped introduce several friends to psilocybin in a balanced setting, casual yet ritualistic. I feel called to continue doing so.

Here is a testimonial from a friend who I introduced to psilocybin:

Speaking as someone with anxiety, my experience with microdosing mushrooms has been nothing short of transformative. I had never experimented with psychedelics before, and I was taken aback by how user friendly they are. Starting with once every 3-4 weeks this past October, I now microdose once or twice a week.

Microdosing calms my often-overactive mind, allowing me to actually be present in the moment. I can tune out all the background noise in my head and focus on the people around me. As counterintuitive as it sounds, it brings my attention outward instead of anxiously inward. I even find it helps with breaking negative thought patterns, which brings with it a feeling of self-generated contentment and calm.

Because of the shift in focus, I feel more in tune with my surroundings, as well as making my daily interactions feel more meaningful and intentional.

This process has brought so much positivity into my life, I really can’t stress enough the impact that it’s had on my mental health.

My Silent Road Trip - Toronto to Vancouver

I took off from Toronto in the early morning of Monday January 28th. This was my sixth time doing this road trip from Toronto to Calgary or vice versa. This time I was going to Vancouver, an extra day's driving past Calgary, and I was doing this trip pretty fast, since my first day of school was only a few days after my scheduled arrival.

I normally do this trip with fellow travellers, and in fact had one lined up. However he cancelled last minute and so I was off on my own. I was slightly worried that not having company in the car would make me more tired, but also welcomed the opportunity for quiet and contemplation.

Ice waterfalls along Hwy 1 in Northern Ontario

Taking a short break in -20 temperatures to admire the sunset - Kenora, Ontario

I decided to start my road trip off in silence, figuring I would switch the music on in a few hours. I occasionally do drive in silence when I'm driving around the city. Once I started I felt rather comfortable with the silence so I just decided to see how long I could go. Day 1 was the longest day on the itinerary - 14 hours to Thunder Bay!

When I got to Thunder Bay without playing any music or podcasts I was quite proud of myself. I figured I would start off the next day doing the same thing and see how long it goes. I drove another 8 hours on Day 2 to Winnipeg again without sound. By the time I was ready to head out on Day 3 I just knew that I was going to go the rest of the journey without sound.

My favourite people in Winnipeg, keeping me warm while it was -40 degrees outside!

After two straight days of nothing but flat Prairies it was great to see the Rocky Mountains

I also started off the journey without drinking coffee in the car, and eventually decided to go the whole way without that too (with the exception of friends who hosted me offering me coffee in the morning). When I did need a break I only stopped in local cafes to buy tea and fill my own mug with it.  I never purchased food either. My car was full of snacks which I previously dumpster dived, plus wraps premade by my parents. My hosts helped to feed me too (I offered one host $10 for groceries).

Finally, as a hippie, I also didn't shower or change my clothes the whole trip! I'm pretty lucky when it comes to my body odour, and I didn't get any negative feedback from my friends who hosted me. The shower I took when I finally moved in to my place in Vancouver was glorious.

This road trip definitely broke a lot of ground for me. During past road trips I almost always played music and podcasts. And I would stop daily at a fast food joint like McDonald's to get coffee and occasionally a meal. I took my minimalism and nomad game to a whole new level. And I had a few revelations from the experience.

First, I barely felt tired this entire road trip, which totalled 63 hours on the road! In this respect it was a great success. The biggest reason for this was giving up coffee. Coffee always gave me a strong kick of alertness followed by a dive into heavy fatigue and drooping eyelids, causing me to stop for more coffee. Coffee put me on a rollercoaster of energy - not having coffee this time around kept my attention steady.

Another reason was napping - every day of this road trip I managed to take one nap, whether in a cozy coffee shop or in my car, and it revitalized me better than any coffee did.

My newfound alertness was much needed through the snow affected British Columbia mountains

But after the storm I was reminded of the beauty of Canada's west coast

I think not playing any podcasts certainly helped my mind conserve energy but this experience suggests to me that, while playing music is generally less stimulating, that even doing this constantly for hours may eventually drain one's energy.

Another thing that can drain one's energy is eating. Big meals are especially known to cause the metabolism to monopolize all one's energy to digest. During this road trip I ate very little and, perhaps most important of all, I generally stayed away from fast food and junk foods which might sap my energy faster.

Last but not least, I credit my sustained alertness to my recently newfound inner peace. This can be explained in more detail in a recent past blog:
https://allineedismy2barefeet.blogspot.com/2019/01/find-your-meditation.html
As an introvert I enjoy tranquil environments, and I quickly adjusted to the tranquility of the quietness combined with the slowly changing landscapes while in transit. In this environment I was able to process nagging thoughts and bring my mind to a state of calm and stillness which allowed me to stay focused and alert while behind the wheel.

63 hours and nearly 4,300 km over 6 days of driving! I'm very happy to make it safely to Vancouver!

In the middle of this silent journey I realized a few more benefits which added motivation for me to go silent right to the end. Processing the nagging thoughts was helping to clear my mind and prepare it for starting school with a blank slate. Now I feel ready to fill it with tons of knowledge. Also, I stayed with friends who are all musicians or really into their music. One morning I played a little guitar while my friend accompanied me on the piano and his creativity brought me a big smile and also a bit of a laugh! Another friend played me music on his amazing sound system and record player pairing. This experience also brought a smile to my face as well, and I think I was able to enjoy these sounds on a deeper level due to the extended silence that preceded it.

Even though this was the sixth time I did a road trip like this halfway across Canada, this time around was quite a milestone achievement because of how I did it. It's an indication of the personal growth I've made in my life, that I can maintain calm and stillness of mind over long periods of time without getting bored or hungry, or letting things bother me such as lack of hygiene (I guess if I had a road trip partner they would check me on that one!).

Cyclists in Toronto! Should You Work for Uber Eats, Foodora or DoorDash?

Up to date as of Jan 26, 2019.

Since starting work doing food delivery, I have cycled around downtown Toronto, getting to know its streets, weaving in and out of traffic, and integrating myself into the pulse of commuters coming and going.

Despite being surrounded by people, bicycle food delivery is relatively solitary work. I see lots of delivery people like me passing by on the street - some pass by as if I were just another citizen, some acknowledge me, showing some solidarity. Sometimes I find myself side by side with them in the restaurants also waiting for food. We have conversations mostly about the work - usually about which company is the best to work for.

While I have still a relatively small amount of experience, I also have more than a lot of people just entering this dynamic field of employment. I also have a blog! Thus I decided to share my experience in the hopes that others can learn from it.

Please note that my experience is very specific to delivery by bicycle downtown! This blog might not be helpful to driving deliverers, or those working outside of downtown. I personally would never deliver by vehicle - the traffic headache, risk of illegal parking, risk of accidents, and cost of gas and maintenance are not worth it to me. I may consider using a vehicle only late at night. Nor would I work outside of downtown; the lower volume of opportunities outside of downtown also makes it less profitable.

Lastly, before I dive in, I would encourage you to watch this 23 minute CBC Marketplace episode. The first half is intended for would-be customers, while the second half is targeted towards delivery people. Overall it is quite well done and informative.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1372790851816

Without further ado, here's my experience:

In the beginning of 2018 I worked for 3 months for Foodora. After leaving Toronto for the summer and fall, I returned from December 2018 to January 2019. I worked mostly for DoorDash, in order to earn the referral bonus ($1000 for my friend the referrer, plus $100 for me, but we split it halfway for $550 each). I also worked just a bit for Uber Eats to earn their referral bonus ($350 for my friend who split it with me). Please keep these timelines in mind, as things may have changed since my own experiences with them, particularly my earliest job with Foodora.

Also keep in mind that I tended to work during peak hours only where the earning potential is higher. So my income rates may be skewed by this fact. I rarely worked more than 15 hours a week doing food delivery because I had another job working from home to balance the physical nature of bicycle delivery. But I have met people who do this work full time and can earn in the range of $25/hr consistently.

Foodora

My 3 months with Foodora in winter of 2017 I remember as being good and enjoyable. Foodora is a company who obviously looks out for its deliverers. They have a Slack channel for its deliverers, which facilitates group chat. Foodora staff participate too, occasionally providing important information through Slack. And as far as I know, they're not on there to monitor and spy on discussions, but to keep us informed and receive feedback.

The Foodora orientation went fairly smooth and the staff were generally friendly and helpful. Food bags are given with a returnable deposit, if bag is returned. Its office also gives away free cheap bicycle lights and jackets.

On shift I was almost always busy, rarely waiting for opportunities, and occasionally double bagging, meaning I carried two orders at one time. One time I think I even triple bagged. Over my 3 months I believe I averaged $24/hr with one very profitable shift averaging $40/hr. My worst shift was unsurprisingly in my first week, and I think it was $17/hr which is still not bad.

Because I rode a mountain bike, I was able to ride in snowy, slushy and stormy conditions. These days were the busiest, resulting in a higher volume of deliveries and better pay. While I did this to make money, I also did it to test my body's limits and I came out of this job a much tougher, weather tolerant person.

Foodora's app, while did occasionally have issues, is user friendly and transparent, displaying various performance metrics such as number of deliveries, tips earned and kilometres ridden. It also breaks down each delivery opportunity so you know exactly how you're getting paid. At the time I worked for them it was $4 per delivery + $1 per delivery km + tips, and they did not offer any peak time bonuses unlike the other companies.

Perhaps the biggest differentiator about Foodora for riders is that it has a policy covers riders in the event of an accident. I have no idea of Foodora's integrity in enforcing its own policy, and I have heard of some controversial cases surrounding rider injury. However, this is still a step further than Uber Eats and DoorDash, which do not offer any rider safety compensation whatsoever. This topic is covered in detail in the CBC Marketplace episode, linked near the top of this blog.

DoorDash

My 2 months with DoorDash were from start to finish forgettable. My first interaction was already negative. The staff member carrying out the orientation was rude and lacked articulation and clarity. He acted more like the customer, inconvenienced by my presence and angry that I was wasting his time. The bag I purchased for $30 which while isn't a lot of money, cannot be returned for a deposit. The bag is now mine forever!

DoorDash will offer extra delivery pay during peak times. For example, Friday and Saturday dinner hours can offer an extra $6 per delivery, or booster pay. But then once the peak hours end (lunch ~11-2, dinner ~5-7:30) often times the booster goes down to zero and it's simply not worth staying on shift. Without the booster riders earn just $1 per delivery plus tips, distance and a few other factors. Overall the pay is not broken down transparently for you to know exactly how you're getting paid, like with Foodora.

On shift, the work was mostly a lot less busy than Foodora. I found myself often waiting several minutes, sometimes 10, and even up to 20 minutes for an opportunity. This really sucks income wise, but also if you're idle on cold winter nights. I prefer to be busy. I also find myself sometimes waiting at the restaurant for food - it seems DoorDash doesn't quite have the food ready estimates correct in some of its restaurants, and call riders over too early. There have even been a few occasions where I arrived at the restaurant and they either just received the order from DoorDash, or not received it yet! This is unacceptable in my mind.

Overall through 18 shifts and 80 hours of work I averaged a pitiful 1.9 deliveries per hour. During my least busy shifts I earned $13/hr and $16/hr. Yet I remember one shift where I had double bags the entire time and earned $30/hr. The delivery volume seems to fluctuate wildly across the board, which is tough mentally on the rider.

Finally some more minor but still relevant gripes if you care to read on:

You only earn the booster pay in the end if you accept 80% of all delivery opportunities during the booster period. This rule leads to a few issues. Firstly, the app is not transparent at all. Throughout your shift there is no way for you to see how many deliveries you've accepted, which is really unfair if your pay depends on this. And the time window you get for accepting deliveries seems short. In one instance, an app glitch prevented me from accepting the delivery at all.

In another instance, there was an issue between DoorDash and the restaurant causing the delivery to be cancelled. I spoke live with an agent regarding this issue, and they reassured me that this will not affect my delivery rating. Sure enough at the end of the shift, it dropped me below the 80% threshold and I did not get my booster pay. I had to go through the Help channel in the app, which was not so straightforward, in order to chat with an agent to get this resolved.

In many aspects DoorDash seems to place a lot of unnecessary responsibility on the rider. Unnecessary in that Foodora and Uber Eats don't ask you to do any of these tasks. For example DoorDash requires you to carry a tailor made credit card called a RedCard. Some restaurants require you to swipe that as payment for the food. And on a few occasions I've had to actually place the food order to the staff (then have to wait for the food to be prepared)! Why this isn't all done in the background without the rider's intervention, I really don't know.

Some other rider responsibilities are just patronizing! For example the app asks you to make sure there's enough cutlery and napkins, and after you confirm receiving the food, there will be a popup notice asking you to double check! Sometimes in the special instructions the customer asks for extra hot sauce. All this is supposed to be the restaurant's responsibility. Sure enough, one restaurant staff said they receive those same instructions and always take care of that anyway, so why should riders care?

I personally never bothered to check for napkins, cutlery or condiments, and have not received any negative feedback regarding this. I do admit though that my current 4.27 customer rating is below average, but that could be for other reasons.

My on time early rating is at 72%, also below average. Perhaps that's because of the occasional time I made a wrong turn, and ended up being late. But I've started to notice that the expected pick up time and delivery time seem set in stone before the opportunity shows up on my screen. So often times I arrive at the restaurant in good time but the pick up time has elapsed, usually because the restaurant is slow. And when the restaurant gives me the food after the pick up time, the delivery time doesn't adapt to the change in pickup.

In these cases I make sure to contact the customer to inform them that the restaurant is slow, so it doesn't affect my customer rating, and just because it's fair to the customer anyway.

In short, there are a ton of nuances and issues with DoorDash which turn many shifts into a drama. These issues to me are an indication of larger issues with the company culture. The only reason I worked for them as long as I did was to complete the 150 delivery requirement to earn the $1000 referral bonus that my friend split with me. But I dreaded the leadup to every shift, wondering what was going to go wrong this time.

I think DoorDash is still a relatively new player in the food delivery industry, so in time there may be more work and income potential, and perhaps transformations in work culture, but right now I do not recommend working for them, even for the referral bonus.

Uber Eats

After earning the referral bonus for DoorDash I decided to give Uber Eats a try, though I didn't have much time before leaving the city, again. However, I had a much better experience with Uber Eats! Granted I happened to work for them during a period of winter storms, however, I found the work better in more ways than one.

I initially had some annoying app issues while signing up, but I went in to their office, which was very well set up to handle rider issues. I used the DoorDash bag, which I prefer because it's much brighter and apparently larger than the Uber bags. Neither Uber nor the restaurants care which bag you use. I simply made sure to clarify to staff of certain restaurants that I was Uber.

Firstly, on the busy days, I never had to cycle more than 5 minutes to a restaurant, nor 5 minutes to the customer. I would receive my next delivery opportunity while on the way to the current customer, so it was timed in a way that I would leave for the next restaurant and arrive just as the food was ready. I worked my first ever lunch peak period (I didn't work any with DoorDash) and it was just as busy and paid just as well. There was one day which I had numerous deliveries that were over 3.5 km, which was a bit frustrating, but I felt adequately compensated for that extra distance, because I still had a good earning rate at the end of that shift.

Overall compared to DoorDash, all the cycling distances were much shorter, the work was busy and consistent so I rarely waited for delivery opportunities (I averaged 3.1 deliveries per hour), and the algorithm worked better so I rarely waited in the restaurants for food. Similar to DoorDash, Uber Eats pays extra incentive during peak periods, such as 5 to 9 pm. Their boost is in the form of a multiplier. For example, dinner peak periods often offer 1.6x boost pay. If there was one weakness regarding earnings with Uber, the amount of tips earned with them is really low. With DoorDash I made nearly $3 in tips per delivery, while Uber was just 26 cents! Who knows how much difference this really makes in taxes.

Finally, my friend works exclusively for Uber Eats, and really likes that you can sign and off at any time you like. As a driver of an electric powered Vespa, he needs that flexibility to sign off whenever his vehicle's battery is running low.

Summary

Among the fleet of bicycle food deliverers on the streets of Toronto, most commonly I see Uber Eats bags, followed by Foodora bags. There are increasing numbers of DoorDash bags, while I never see Skip the Dishes, except on drivers when they walk in the restaurants.

DoorDash is rapidly expanding, with a pyramid scheme referral system rewarding the referrer $1000 with the requirement that the referred worker deliverer complete 150 deliveries. At this point though they still don't have many restaurants and are not super busy. With DoorDash I waited too much and had a number of app and restaurant issues that caused headaches. Their app is not transparent with performance metrics that might affect your pay. I averaged just $20/hr. It was worth it just reaching the 150 delivery mark, earning the referral bonus for my friend, and him splitting it with me, because it raised my overall rate to $27/hr. But now that that's done I no longer plan on working for them. Also, their referral bonus is down to $750 now, so not as worth it. 

I enjoyed my time with Foodora much more. Foodora seems to have a strong company culture resulting in relatively good treatment of its riders. Their worker compensation policy stands heads and shoulders above their competition, even if that policy is a bit deceptive and sometimes doesn't work out for riders. The work was pretty busy, the app and algorithm overall worked well to maximize rider productivity, the app was very transparent with performance metrics and earnings breakdown per delivery. I averaged $24/hr in my time with them, which I believe is fair for this kind of work. With Foodora it is important to book your shift a week ahead of time, but at least Foodora does a good job of ensuring the right amount of riders are on the road, to balance out fulfilling all the orders while ensuring the riders stay busy.

Over a small sample of working for Uber Eats I liked that it was really busy and I had the highest earning rate $27/hr. Once I completed the referral bonus requirement of just 30 deliveries, my friend split it with me for $175 each, bumping my earning rate to $45/hr in that short time period! Uber Eats provides the ultimate flexibility because you can work anytime you like. The downside of this, unlike Foodora, is that if it's not busy it's really not busy. I spoke to many Uber Eats deliverers over the course of the winter, while I was working for DoorDash, and they said it was really not busy over the winter. My own sampling of Uber Eats was probably a bit lucky, in that I was quite busy.

Overall, it seemed like not such a busy winter for the food delivery business as a whole. I spoke to many other deliverers while waiting for food in the restaurants, and they all agree that the heavy recruiting and referral system of all the food delivery companies resulted in a high supply of workers. Combine that with the fact it has been a really mild winter with little snow, and the volume of work was much lower.

I'm quitting food delivery for now, but next time I pick it up I hope to purchase an e-bike to perform the work with. They seem like the ultimate tool for this kind of work, maintaining access to bike lanes for faster commuting within the traffic snarled downtown, resulting in more deliveries and higher pay, while still allowing you to pedal and get in some exercise, making the work more fun while not completely tiring you out.