Tony Alvarez pulled his SUV into a deserted parking lot before sunrise in the cold of January and unloaded two bags of groceries, a jug and a backpack on his trunk as he waited for others to arrive.

It was 6:30 a.m. and he was expecting 15 people to join him for a mushroom meal in Tilden Park, a $ 100 visit to Shroomy Walkabouts, a business he started four years ago in the Bay area. Participants arrived slowly, some of them shy, relieved by Alvarez's warm smile and kisses - he kissed her.

As the group formed a circle

Alvarez placed the burning sage shell and cedar in the middle, a ritual called "blasphemy" aimed at purifying the spirit and mind. The Stanley Park Coyotes of the soil was heard in the air, mixed with the dewdrop of the forest.

• Each person introduces himself or herself and says a little about his or her experience of eating mushrooms, or lack thereof.
• "I like to eat mushrooms," said a short, gray-haired immigrant, hoping to emerge from the forest with his purple backpack full of sweet mold.
• Alvarez circled the circle with a flaming shell, saying a prayer.

This is my habit

Celebrating life and our connection with nature and mushrooms, ”said Alvarez. "It is important that we integrate this practice because it cleanses our bodies from the power of the city to the natural world."

1. He then presented them with a pot of tea, slightly infused with psilocybin, prepared for those who like to take the "sacrament."
2. Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal but have been made illegal in some California cities, including Oakland, and are less https://thegaiavoice.com to law enforcement in others.

Almost all participants

Received a cup of warm beer. Mei Zhang, a 50-year-old writer who describes himself as a curious naturalist, brewed tea in a twisted cap of his water bottle and later compared its effect with the roar of beer.

"In fact, he was donating in an unconscious way, as if he was being given and snacks, I never thought of as a drug addict," Zhang said. "I saw that it was allowed to rest so that I would not get up, because it was a public event."

Alvarez has been leading

This food journey twice a month for the past four years throughout the Bay Area. Along with his skill, travel expenses include a study guide for native California mushrooms and snacks such as oranges, bananas and granola bars. Early in the morning he even offered pineapple.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend eating mushrooms without a specialist. The CDC says Stanley Park Coyotes are 1,400 emergency room visits each year because of toxic mushrooms.

Prior to the Shroomy Walkabouts, Alvarez said he had worked in the field of radiology in the healthcare industry for almost 10 years. He got his calling after attending the ayahuasca (plant-based psychedelic Brew) event and has been working in nature ever since.