The Illustrated Field Guide of DMT Entities

by David Jay Brown & Sara Phinn Huntley

Introduction

I had the opportunity to interview both David and Sara about how the idea of this work came into being; I’ll link it here. This subject is near and dear to me from my own experiences with the molecule. Experiencing the molecule is a deeply personal experience, but there are similarities throughout the documentation of the community that exists around it. Regarding the book, I think it’s an instant classic and must have for anyone in the community, interested in the genre, or even anyone who may be interested in the UFO/UAP genre. I would even dare to say anyone who practices ceremonial magick and/or is interested in the occult could take away something from this work.

First Impressions

Upon cracking the book, the first thing I did before reading anything was take a glance at some of the artwork throughout the book; partly because I’m so familiar with the work of some of the artists in the psychedelic genre, and also maybe something I would not have expected to see while flipping through the pages for the first time. It’s a nice sturdy paperback book that will inevitably have highlighted pages and sticky notes in certain pages for the real ones out there who are on the search.

After seeing some familiar work from psychedelic artists whose work I’m familiar with and also illustrations for some entities that are common in the DMT experience, and even the lesser common ones, I was thrilled to dig into the text and go on an adventure.

Writing Style & Accessibility

The first half of the book is a text about DMT and other psychedelics. Even if you do not know what DMT is, or even the difference between DMT and other psychedelics, David welcomes you into the fold in a way that puts you in a state of wonder as you read page after page. If you’re a seasoned veteran blasting yourself into hyperspace, you’ll appreciate the effort put forth in the text to tie in the second half of the book.

The second half of the book can act as a reference for the ecosystem in the DMT realm. I really liked that. You can skip around to the ones you’re familiar with, or you could read straight through and see what you haven’t come in contact with that others who have ventured into the realm have returned with.

Core Themes and Takeaways

The idea with this work is that the DMT realm is a vast place where you don’t know who or what you could come in contact with, or have an experience of. The similarities that users have experienced point to an eerie truth that it’s not just “in your head”, or that you’re having hallucinations from a drug. The realm is a real state of consciousness or place that seems more real than everyday waking life. It’s not a made-to-order mystical experience, and there’s no telling or predicting what can occur.

My personal takeaway from this work is that my experiences aren’t unique. The entities that I’ve experienced, the characteristics of the realm, and the feelings or questions upon returning from the experience are right in line with some of the more common experiences documented in this book. That’s fine with me. It lets me know that my mind didn’t just create these experiences and gives me a better sense of what’s happening.

Author Insights

For a complete idea of insights, I very much suggest watching my YouTube interview with David & Sara, but I’ll sum up a few thoughts after I finished the interview. The fact that Sara utilized AI tools to generate images of each entity was a really good idea. That really helped bring the book to fruition versus the long process of illustrating each one by hand or digitally. The other thing that gave me some perspective was on how long the book took from the initial idea to completion. This book was years in the making, but with some of the capabilities of AI that have become available, it helped David track down and catalog the diverse experiences of entities documented by users, which otherwise would have left him combing through a myriad of Erowid and Reddit threads.

 Who is this book for?

This book is for anyone interested in DMT or who has had the experience of DMT. As I stated earlier, it’s an instant classic in my opinion. For the small number of books available on the subject, this one is just a must-have. I would venture to say it’s the perfect coffee table book in any psychonaut’s living room. You can find it on my end table for sure.

My Conclusion

This may be a long shot, or me just thinking big, but what if the extended state DMT study happening at Cambridge could produce a part 2 of this work? Imagine knowing the origins of these entities, the realm, or why we even experience it all…

But if not, this book is enough to keep you curious about what reality is, and who’s pulling the strings. Thanks to David and Sara for conceiving this idea for the rest of us out here in the ether.

If you’ve read this book, I’d love to know your thoughts. What were your takeaways? What entities have you experienced? Leave me a comment!