What the Mushrooms Showed Me Last Night

Hi legend,

Last night I had an epic mushroom trip. My first deep trip in quite a few months.

As is often typical of a mushroom trip, it's surprising to me how the first hour can feel turbulent, before the shroom plane levels out and suddenly everything just… clicks.

You go from a state of:

"Why am I doing this? This feels so weird. Nothing's making sense. This music sucks." 

to

"Ohhh. Ok I get it."

Perhaps my favourite feature of the mushroom is how it consistently, without fail, tunes me into ever deeper presence, truth, and integrity.

Anywhere – and I mean anywhere – where I have not been in full truth or integrity, the mushrooms will kindly but stubbornly bring up for me to look at. Nothing misses them. For me, it really reminds me of the law of karma in this Universe… you don't get away with anything. Everything has a karmic consequence. Act accordingly, and act in truth.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do this trip now, two weeks before my God Mode Retreat begins on March 3rd.

Running these retreats is one of the most fulfilling things I do, but it’s also equally intense. I'm holding space for people as they confront their deepest fears, their biggest blocks, their most painful memories. I'm guiding them through cosmic mushroom journeys that can reshape their entire sense of self. I'm creating a container where people feel safe enough to finally, finally, let down the armour they've been wearing their whole lives.

I can't show up for that half-assed. I can't show up carrying my own unresolved stuff. I need to be clear. I need to be clean. I need to be in full integrity.

So these final two weeks, I'm going all in. More meditation. More plant medicine. More time in silence. More ruthless self-examination. Because the people who come to this retreat deserve my best, and I refuse to give them anything less.

Speaking of which—I have two spots left.

The group is almost complete. But there are two people out there right now who are meant to be part of this particular circle. Two people who will walk into that retreat space and experience something that fundamentally changes the trajectory of their life. Two people who will make connections and friendships that last for years. Two people who will have breakthroughs they've been seeking for decades.

I'm curious who those final two will be.

If you've been on the fence, if you've been thinking about it, if there's a part of you that knows you need this but you've been making excuses—maybe this email is your sign. Maybe the universe is giving you one more nudge.

You can apply here. We'll jump on a quick call, no pressure, and see if it's a fit. Payment plans available.

Alright, now let me tell you what the mushrooms taught me last night.

Three lessons. Simple, but profound. The kind of truths that are obvious once you see them, but difficult to see when you're stuck in your own head.

Lesson One

The Power of People + You Have Everything You Need at Your Fingertips

So often, we feel like, "If I just reach this person, or connect with this powerful mentor, or get included in this club—whatever that golden ticket is—then things will align in my life."

But the truth is, you actually have everything you need right here, right now.

The universe has very intelligently designed this game of life where anything you need is pretty much one or two steps away from you right now.

The next stepping stone on the path of what you want is just a one or two frequencies away.

I have no doubt that you already have in your life the exact right people—friends, contacts, acquaintances, and mentors—fingertips away from you, who hold the keys to your next level.

Now, it might be a mentor that you haven't “recognized” yet. Nevertheless, they're there. They have the keys. The question is, are you seeing it?

Right now in your life, you have amazing friends that can level you up in the area of business, health, emotions, truth, vulnerablity, and so much more. There’s a possibility to connect with the existing people in your life on a much deeper level than before. The question is, are you doing that?

The same person that’s currently a ‘good friend’—there's a deeper possibility of connection available there. A deeper level of vulnerability, a deeper level of intimacy.

Tell me if you've ever looked back at certain seasons of your life, seasons where you thought you were alone or you thought you didn't have help, but when you look back at that period now, you realize, oh my God, I actually had the exact right people in my life that I could have reached out to for help… if only I had asked for support.

And so often we don’t ask for support, because we’re afraid, or we convince ourselves to go it alone, or isolate ourselves. We go inward instead of reaching outward to the other ‘cells’ of humanity, which ultimately, are part of us as well.

Make sure you take a hard long look at your life now, with all of its nuances and complexities, and notice the blessings that already exist right in front of you.

Florence Scovel Shinn had this fantastic prayer: "Infinite Spirit, never let me miss a trick."

What she meant by that was:

Don't let me miss the blessings that are right in front of me. Don't let me miss that little piece of information that someone says off the cuff, that is the exact piece of information that I need. Don't let me miss that book that someone mentions that I could totally put on my to-do list and never read, but is in fact the exact right book that I should be reading right now for the next step of my spiritual and personal evolution. Don't let me miss the person that wants to connect with me, but I feel like I'm too busy—meanwhile, they hold the exact keys to what I’ve been asking.

You already have everything you need at your fingertips. Truly. Even if you feel like you have no friends, or you feel like you have no one around you—that is not true. You absolutely do have people around you.

Don't underestimate the power of people, and don’t underestimate people’s willingness to help.

Anything you want comes through people—whether you want money or love or intimacy or impact, or simply food and shelter. Whether it's a survival need or a soul need, everything we get, we get through others.

None of us are a lone ship making it all on our own. We are standing on the shoulders of giants and we're standing on the goodwill and the help of thousands upon thousands of people that have crossed our path.

And so it's also our responsibility to be that for other people. To make sure that when someone comes to us for help and we are in a position to help, we help.

Lesson Two

Meet the Universe Halfway

You've really got to meet the universe halfway. You cannot be waiting around for something to happen to you. But you can ask the universe for help, and you can ask your spirit guides for help—and you should.

Example: If you are struggling with your business and you don't have the right idea—manifest it. Intend it. Send out a clear intention mentally, or speak it out loud, or write it down 15 times a day, à la Scott Adams. Ask to be shown the way.

"Universe, I need an idea. Send me the most fantastic idea for an income-generating business. Open my eyes to the ideas that are already in front of me that I'm missing.”

“Never let me miss the trick. I'm missing the trick. I'm not seeing something. My eyes are not tuned to the abundance of wealth opportunities in front of me. Send me the right idea."

Be specific with what you want as well.

It’s a common pattern to be too general with what you’ure asking for. But the moment you decide, "This is what I actually want, and I'm not settling for something else. This is specifically what I want."—when there's a very, very clear intention, there’s a very clear answer.

This is not my metaphor—I'm stealing it—but it's so good: You would never go to a restaurant and say, "Give me food." The waiter would look at you funny. You have to order something specific from the menu. And, if you're savvy, you could even ask the chef of the restaurant to prepare you something custom. You have options, but you've got to decide.

You've got to decide.

So be specific with what you want. And remember that there are people around you, right now—dear friends, mentors, and acquaintances—that hold the keys to your next level, if only you would connect with them, if only you would open up yourself, if only you would become a little bit more vulnerable and not be afraid to ask for support.

Steve Jobs once said: "Most people never pick up the phone, most people never ask. And that’s what separates, sometimes, the people that do things from the people that just dream about them."

Pick up the phone. Ask.

Lesson Three

Follow Your Highest Excitement

There’s two ideas here:

One is to drop your present idea of what you think reality is, and allow yourself to perceive reality as it actually currently is. The second is to pursue the opportunity that gives you the highest excitement.

Right now we're in the age of AI, possibly most incredible time in history. The age of intelligence is here. The Singularity is here.

The amount of daily progress that is going on in the AI space is mind-blowing. Almost every three hours there's something new. If you're savvy, you're gonna look at that landscape and you're gonna find opportunity in that. If you're short-sighted or stubborn, you're gonna double down on your old ways of being without considering how the world might be changing.

To be clear: if you're on a good trajectory and you're already in momentum, you should double down on that. There's no need to chase shiny objects just for the sake of the chase.

But if you are in a place where you don't know what to do, you don't know what opportunities are around you, take a step back. Look at the whole maze. Perceive reality as it currently is, not as it was a year or two ago. Because you might be surprised by how quickly the world is changing and how much new opportunity is there.

Bashar has this amazing formula of excitement. The gist of it is: In every moment, follow your highest excitement, and that feeling of excitement will lead you to the juiciest opportunities, to the juiciest ideas, to what you're meant to be doing.

If you are not in a place of excitement, I can think of no better intention than to ask the Universe to provide you with the next flame of excitement to light your inner candle so you have that spark, that buzz, that ambition to follow something.

If you don't feel it now, you can ask for that. Intend for it. Or, come to the retreat, and let me help you activate it.

Excitement is the engine that drives the world. Find a way to access that frequency, today.

High energy, high excitement, high drive.

Let’s gooo! 🚀

There's a lot more I could say about this trip. I'm still processing. But I wanted to share these three lessons while they were fresh.

You've probably heard some version of this before, but hearing it from mushrooms hits different.

You see, the mushrooms don't just tell you this. They show you. They weave it into your personal story, your history, your wounds. They make it undeniable.

Which brings me back to the retreat and the incredible ceremony the retreat members are going to experience.

Last night's trip reminded me why I do this work. Why I pour everything into these retreats, and why I’m so passionate about these shroomy teachers.

Because when you create the right container—the right space, the right people, the right intention—magic happens. Real, undeniable, life-changing magic.

Part of the magic comes from the shrooms. Part of the magic comes from connection (i.e. the power of people). Part of it comes from the workshops, meditations, and exercises I’ll lead you through.

And part of it comes from the opportunity to be fully present with yourself for five days, with no distractions.

My intention for the each retreat member is to help them have the breakthrough that they’re seeking. That clarity and alignment that they’ve always wanted. The shift in perspective or identity that opens up their next level. I’m there, with you, for five days to facilitate and guide this process.

So if there's a part of you that's been waiting for permission to join this retreat, for a sign, for the right moment—this is it.

Two spots left. March 3rd-7th in Bali. Five days that could change everything.

Apply here. We'll talk. No pressure. And if it's meant to be, it'll be obvious.

Let me leave you with one more story.

Two days ago, I had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in two years. We were just catching up, talking about life and business. He casually mentioned something—one small piece of information—that, inadvertently, helped me secure a domain name I've been trying to get for 5+ years.

He wasn't even trying to help me in that specific area. He was just sharing a story.

That's the power of connection. That’s the power of being surrounded by high-vibe, like-minded people.

It makes me wonder: What if you dropped all your goals for a month and just focused purely on connecting?

What if your primary goal was not to seek what you think you ‘want’, but simply to connect with the most high-vibe people currently present in your life, purely for the joy of presence and connection?

I bet your life would explode in the best way.

Think of every person in your life as a neuron in the universe's neural network. The more you connect, the more opportunity you create for magic to happen.

So put yourself in the right environment to connect.

Remember, the keys to what you’re seeking are already in your life. You just have to notice them.

Never let yourself miss a trick.

I hope you have a beautiful week ahead. Expect a few more emails from me over the next two weeks. Big things are brewing.

Much love,

James Xander

P.S. - Seriously, if the retreat is calling you, don't wait. These last two spots will go fast. Let's talk.

Flight 777

I just released one of the most fun videos I’ve ever made.

It’s called Flight 777 – a psychedelic airline safety briefing.

I had the idea for this months ago and wrote a rough draft of the script back then. The other week I dusted it off and realized the AI tools had finally reached a point where I could actually bring the whole thing to life the way I imagined it.

So I spent a few days building it out – the visuals, the script, the sound effects – until I really felt it captured the playful vibe I was going for. I had such a blast making it.

I hope you enjoy it 🙂 

[Watch Flight 777 →]

✨ About James Xander

James Xander is a psychedelic and consciousness explorer, dedicated to helping individuals elevate their consciousness, mindset, and mastery of reality.

Through his flagship 30-day course, Unlock God Mode, James offers a one-of-a-kind journey into consciousness expansion, mindset shifts, and deep spiritual awakening. This transformative experience is designed to help individuals unlock their fullest potential and navigate reality with mastery.

As the host of The James Xander Trip podcast, he engages in deep conversations with thought leaders in psychedelics, spirituality, and mindset. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, the show is a hub for wisdom seekers and consciousness explorers alike.

His next retreat is March 3rd to 7th, 2026.

🔗 Connect with James:

• James Xander YouTube

• The James Xander Trip Podcast 

• Good Morning, Legend Podcast 

• Unlock God Mode Course

• The God Mode Retreat

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